Fidelity In All Things, Especially Marriage

• I’VE BEEN IN THIS PULPIT FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND THIS IS THE FIRST LESSON THAT I’VE ATTEMPTED TO PREACH ON MARRIAGE.

• MAYBE I WAS AFRAID. TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK FROM THE WORD OF GOD ON A PARTICULAR SUBJECT, ONE MUST FEEL THAT HE HAS A MASTERY OF IT OR AT LEAST A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF IT.

• MAYBE I FELT IT WASN’T NEEDED. WE HAVE SOME STRONG MARRIAGES AT DUNBAR ROAD.

• IF A MARRIAGE IS IN TROUBLE I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD NOTICE AND RESPOND IN LOVE TO ENCOURAGE THE COUPLE TO STAY TOGETHER.

• MAYBE I DIDN’T WANT TO PREACH ON A SUBJECT THAT ONLY AFFECTS SOME OF THE FOLKS HERE. AFTER ALL, NOT ALL OF US ARE MARRIED.

• WHY PREACH A SERMON WHEN ONLY A QUARTER OF THE CONGREGATION CAN RELATE?

• IN READING AND STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES, I HAVE FOUND THAT THE BEGINNINGS OF ALL THINGS ARE IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

• IN GENESIS THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS. WE READ OF GOD CREATING THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. PLACING LAND MASSES, WATER, FRUIT, FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE PLANET.

• IN GENESIS WE SEE GOD CREATING LAND ANIMALS, THE GREAT SEA CREATURES AND BIRDS.

• IN GENESIS WE SEEN GOD CREATING MAN FROM THE DUST OF THE EARTH, AND WOMAN TAKEN FROM INSIDE THE MAN.

• IN GENESIS WE SEE GOD GIVING MANKIND THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE BECAUSE IT WAS HE WHO FIRST SAID “IT IS NOT GOOD FOR MAN TO BE ALONE”.

• FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE MARRIED TO A HUMAN SPOUSE, THIS LESSON ON FIDELITY AND LOYALTY IS FOR US.

• FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE CHRISTIANS AND ARE NOT MARRIED TO A HUMAN SPOUSE, WE ARE STILL IN EFFECT “MARRIED” TO GOD.

• THIS LESSON IS GIVEN IN LOVE WITH THE EYE TOWARD ENCOURAGING ALL OF US, EVEN THE PREACHER, TO PRACTICE FIDELITY AND LOYALTY IN ALL THE AREAS OF OUR LIVES, INCLUDING OUR MARRIAGES: TO GOD AND TO ONE ANOTHER.

FATHER GOD,

PLEASE GUIDE OUR STUDY OF FIDELITY IN MARRIAGE TODAY ENCOURAGING OUR HEARTS TO OBEDIENCE CONVINCING US AND CONVICTING US OF YOUR TRUTH.

IT’S THROUGH JESUS WE PRAY,

AMEN

• THE WAY WE ACT TELLS OTHER PEOPLE WHAT WE WANT TO SAY.

• THE WAY WE ACT AND THE WORDS WE SAY EXPRESS OUR VALUES AND PRIORITIES.

• THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR LIVES SUFFER WHEN OUR ACTIONS AND BEHAVIORS DON’T COME FROM A SENSE OF LOYALTY AND TRUST.

• THE PSALMIST CRIED OUT IN PSALM 12 “HELP, LORD, FOR THE GODLY MAN CEASES TO BE, FOR THE FAITHFUL DISAPPEAR FROM AMONG THE SONS OF MEN. THEY SPEAK FALSEHOOD TO ONE ANOTHER; WITH FLATTERING LIPS AND WITH A DOUBLE HEART THEY SPEAK.”

• THE NEW TESTAMENT TELLS CHRISTIANS TO ALLOW OUR LIVES TO BE GOVERNED BY THE LORD JESUS. OUR WORDS, THOUGHTS AND DEEDS SHOULD BE HIS.

• WE ARE TOLD TO LIVE OUR LIVES TO HIS ULTIMATE GLORY. COLOSSIANS 3:17. WHATEVER YOU DO IN WORD OR DEED, DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS THROUGH HIM TO GOD THE FATHER.

• FIDELITY OR LOYALTY IS FROM THE GREEK WORD FOR FATIH;

• IT MEANS “THE CHARACTER OF ONE WHO CAN BE TRUSTED”.

• THAT WORD PISTIS IS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TO MEAN FAITH, TRUSTWORTHINESS AND RELIABILITY.

• SO IT MUST BE IMPORTANT FOR CHRISTIANS TO HAVE FIDELITY AND FAITHFULNESS IN ALL THE AREAS OF OUR LIVES INCLUDING MARRIAGE.

• THERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY THE WORD OF GOD EMPHASIZES FIDELITY AND LOYALTY.

• FIRST IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD HIMSELF. 1 CORINTHIANS 1:9- “GOD IS FAITHFUL” 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 “NO TEMPTATION HAS SEIZED YOU EXCEPT THAT WHICH IS COMMON TO MAN, BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL…”2 CORINTHIANS 1:18 “GOD IS FAITHFUL…” 1 JOHN 1:9- “IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE OUR SINS AND CLEANSE US FROM ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

• CLEARLY THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THE SERVANTS OF GOD MUST SEEK TO BE FAITHFUL LIKE HIM.

• FIDELITY, LOYALTY AND FAITHFULNESS ARE ALSO THE CHARACTER OF JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:3 “THE LORD IS FAITHFUL. HE WILL ESTABLISH AND GUARD YOU FROM THE EVIL ONE.”

HEBREWS 3:1-3- “THEREFORE, HOLY BRETHREN, PARTAKERS OF A HEAVENLY CALLING, CONSIDER JESUS, THE APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST OF OUR CONFESSION; HE WAS FAITHFUL TO HIM WHO APPOINTED HIM, AS MOSES ALSO WAS IN ALL HIS HOUSE. FOR HE HAS BEEN COUNTED WORTHY OF MORE GLORY THAN MOSES, BY JUST SO MUCH AS THE BUILDER OF THE HOUSE HAS MORE HONOR THAN THE HOUSE.”

REVELATION 1:5 “JESUS CHRIST THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD AND THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. HE LOVED US AND WASHED US FROM OUR SINS WITH HIS OWN BLOOD.”