Key Ingredients To Marriage.

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MARRIAGE. Eph 5:22 -33.

SOMEBODY ONCE WROTE A BOOK ‘MEN ARE FROM MARS AND WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS WHICH REALLY SPEAKS ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT MEN AND WOMEN REALLY ARE. I THINK IT STANDS OUT THE MOST ON THE WEDDING DAY ITSELF.

THE BIG DAY ARRIVES AND THE HUSBAND TO BE WAKES UP, RELAXES MIGHT HAVE A FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST THEN GOES OUT AND HAS A ROUND OF GOLF WITH THE LADS AND COUNTS THE MINUTES UNTIL HE HAS TO BE AT THE ALTAR. THE WIFE TO BE ON THE OTHER HAND WAKES UP AND FROM THE VERY FIRST MOMENT IS PANICKING. SHE IMMEDIATELY BEGINS TO ORGANIZE THINGS, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE PROPER ORDER. IN HER MIND AS SHE TRAVELS IN THE CAR DOWN TO THE CHURCH SHE IS REPEATING EVERYTHING THAT SHE HAS TO DO. I’LL HAVE TO DO IS GO DOWN THE AISLE, GET TO THE ALTER AND SING A HYMN, SHE REPEATS THIS AS SHE MAKE HER WAY DOWN THE AISLE ALL I HAVE TO DO IS GO DOWN THE AISLE GET TO THE ALTER AND SING A HYMN – SHE THEN SHORTENS IT INTO THREE LITTLE WORDS AISLE ALTER HYMN, AISLE ALTER HYMN AND AS THE VICAR BEGINS TO WELCOME EVERYBODY SHE CRIES OUT “I’LL ALTER HIM!”

THAT’S SO TRUE ISN’T IT, ANYBODY WHO IS MARRIED WILL TELL YOU THAT OVER TIME, THERE HAS BEEN SOME MAJOR ALTERATIONS IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER. AND WHAT’S BEEN TRUE FOR THEM, WILL ALSO BE TRUE FOR YOU ..........AND ........ THE MORE SO BECAUSE YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN COUPLE WHO ARE BOTH BEING ALTERED TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS.

SO ON THIS HAPPY OCCASION I WANT TO BRIEFLY LOOK AT THOSE ALTERATIONS WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE AND SOME WHICH WE MAY HAVE TO LEARN ALONG THE WAY OF MARRIAGE.THE GREATEST ALTERATION HAS ALREADY COMMENCED TODAY AS YOU TOOK YOUR MARRIAGE VOWS UNDER THE SIGHT OF GOD.

1. KEY INGREDIENT1# TWO HAVE BECOME ONE FLESH - FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY. 30 - 32 .

GENESIS: 2:18 -25 IN THE BEGINNING WHEN GOD CREATED ADAM, HE RECOGNIZED THAT IT WAS NOT GOOD FOR ADAM TO BE ALONE GEN 2:18 -21 SO HE CREATED ALL THE LIVING CREATURES, AND ADAM NAMED THEM, BUT FOR ADAM STILL NO SUITABLE HELPER WAS FOUND.

ONE WITH GOD: : SO GOD CAUSED ADAM TO FALL INTO A DEEP SLEEP AND GOD TOOK THE RIB OUT OF ADAM AND FORMED EVE FROM ADAMS RIB. THE FACT SHE WAS TAKEN FROM HIS SIDE SIGNIFIES THE ONENESS THEY SHARE FOR EVE SHARED ADAMS NATURE. NOT ONLY WITH EACH OTHER, BUT WITH THEIR IMAGE BEARER, BOTH SHARE THE IMAGE OF GOD.

ONE WITH EACH OTHER: EVE IS DESCRIBED AS A HELPER, EVE WAS IN NO SENSE INFERIOR OR 2ND RATE. THIS WORD MEANS THAT EVE SUPPLIES WHAT IS LACKING IN ADAM – THEY COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER. WHAT HE LACKED SHE SUPPLIED, WHAT SHE LACKED HE SUPPLIED, THEY PROVIDED MUTUAL SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER.

• MATTHEW HENRY ONCE SAID, “THE WOMAN WAS NOT MADE OUT OF HIS HEAD TO RULE OVER HIM, NOR OUT OF HIS FEET TO BE TRAMPLED UPON BY HIM, BUT OUT OF HIS SIDE TO BE EQUAL WITH HIM, UNDER HIS ARM TO BE PROTECTED, AND NEAR HIS HEART TO BE BELOVED.”.

ONE IN MARRIAGE: HERE WE HAVE THE FIRST MARRIAGE CEREMONY WHERE GOD THE FATHER BRINGS THE BRIDE TO ADAM V22 HE BROUGHT HER TO ADAM AND ADAM REPLIES WITH HIS POETIC VOWS OF NEVER ENDING LOVE TOWARDS HER: GEN.2: 23 THIS IS NOW BONE OF MY BONES AND FLESH OF MY FLESH, SHE SHALL BE CALLED WOMAN FOR SHE WAS TAKEN OUT OF MAN AND THEN GOD SOLEMNLY DECLARES THE MARRIAGE UNION WITH THE WORDS GEN.2.24.FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE UNITED TO HIS WIFE AND THEY WILL BECOME ONE FLESH.

TODAY YOU HAVE BEEN GLUED TOGETHER UNDER THE SIGHT OF GOD. YOU ARE NO LONGER TWO BUT ONE - WHAT EFFECTS ONE WILL EFFECT THE OTHER – ISN’T IT TRUE THAT MARRIAGE COUPLES OFTEN SPEAK ABOUT THE OTHER HALF, “WELL I CANT GIVE YOU AN ANSWER ON THAT TILL I SPEAK TO THE OTHER HALF” HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU HEARD A BEREAVED HUSBAND OR WIFE SAY, “A PART OF ME HAS DIED TODAY” FROM NOW ON YOU CAN NO LONGER LIVE AS THOUGH YOU ARE SINGLE YOU CANNOT LIVE FOR YOUR OWN INTERESTS BUT THE INTERESTS OF EACH OTHER,

ONE IN CHRIST TOGETHER EPH 5:31- 32: YOU ARE NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY BOUND TO EACH OTHER BUT SPIRITUALLY BOUND TO EACH OTHER IN CHRIST. TODAY DANNY AND LOUISE UNDER THE SIGHT OF GOD YOU HAVE BECOME ONE FLESH. THIS UNION YOU SHARE TOGETHER IS A PROFOUND MYSTERY - BECAUSE ITS ALSO A PICTURE OF THE UNION THAT CHRIST HAS WITH HIS CHURCH. WHICH IS SEEN AS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST REV 21:2