God And Marriage Series

Sermon 2

GOD AND MARRIAGE

Gen. 2:18-25

Bob Marcaurelle

homeorchurchbiblestudy.com

What is marriage? There are all kinds of definitions. To some it is “the quickest way to kill a good romance.”

To a live-in girlfriend put in the street it is “a piece of paper that guarantees I will get some money for all the time I invest in a bad relationship.”

To some it is “the answer to most of my problems” and to others it is “where most of my problems began”.

Going to Genesis two, in the Garden of Eden, where God conducted the first wedding and formed the first marriage we find this possible definition. It is the union of one man and one woman by the will of God into a growing relationship of love for life.

A. A PURPOSEFUL UNION

Marriage in the Bible fulfills four purposes God has for mankind. The first is to populate the earth. In Genesis 1:28 God tells Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply.”

The second is to avoid loneliness. In Genesis 2:18 God says for the first time in the creation account that something is NOT good. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

The third purpose, stated by Paul, is to satisfy sexual desires. In 1 Corinthians 7:9 Paul says, “. . .it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

The fourth is to be a character building agency to produce godly children. Malachi says in Malachi 2:15,

“Has not the Lord made them one?” And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring.

Between birth and maturity a child lives 108,000 hours. Seven thousand are spent in public school. One thousand are spent in church. And ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND are spent in the home, under the influence of parents. Here is where a child learns the proper or the improper values he carries into adulthood.

Another definition of marriage I would like to offer is - marriage is where you find your heaven or hell in life. If you are not happy in your marriage you will not be a happy person. Your life will be a living hell. If you are happy in your marriage you will be a happy person. You will experience a little touch of heaven on earth.

It is sad but true that most people are not happy in their marriages. One out of every two and a half marriages ends up in the divorce courts. And of those who stay together, how many are truly happy and look upon their mate as the nearest and dearest person in life

Many marriage that stay together involve two people, doing their own thing, living their own lives, and tolerating each other. And no marriage is immune to this.

The Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod did a study of its pastors to determine the problems they were facing. The number one problem was in their homes, in the relationships between pastors and their wives.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale tells of the man who died and stood sulking outside the gates of heaven. St. Peter noticed something was wrong and asked him why he looked so mad. The man said, “I am mad and I have a question.

All my life I was taught that marriages were made in heaven. I prayed for a wife and believed God answered my prayer. I was a Christian and my wife was a Christian. We went to church brought up our kids in church.

But neither my wife nor I were happy. We seemed to make each other miserable so in the end, we left each other alone. She went her way and I went mine. God has let me down. My marriage was cer¬tainly not made in heaven. That’s why I’m mad.”

Peter said, “Let me check the book.” (By the way, some marriages are not made in heaven. Satan brings some people together.) He looked and said, “Sir, your name is here. You did marry in God’s will. Your marriage was made in heaven. But sir, you have made a very common mistake.

We get men and women every day with this problem. You do not understand. You think God gives the FRUIT of a happy Christian marriage, but He doesn’t. God gives the SEED. It is up to the husband and wife to cooperate with God and work and pray to produce the fruit out of the seed.

Men and women, God has given you the seed to produce a happy, godly, powerful, purposeful home. His Word gives you principles to follow and His Spirit gives you power to claim.

But I warn you of the sinister figure, Satan, who came between the first husband and wife (Gen. 3). All the powers of hell will be directed against your marriage, especially if it is Christian.