Marriage: A Labor Of Love

SPECIAL DAY: LABOR DAY

TEXT: HEBREWS 13:4

TITLE: “MARRIAGE: A LABOR OF LOVE”

INTRODUCTION: A. It may be Labor Day weekend, but today we have some members celebrating their

50th wedding anniversary: Don and Donna Peed

1. I know that we have many marriages of long-standing in our congregation

--Would any married 35 years or more, please stand

2. Also know that there are many here this morning that are now widows or widowers

that were married for substantial periods of time

B. Donna asked me if I’d sing something special today but the background music for the

song we picked out earlier in the week is damaged and I couldn’t get it to work.

1. However, I have a substitute. I hope you don’t mind. It’s the song I sang to Anna

at our wedding. I’m sure most of you know it. It’s not a Christian song but I think

it expresses the feelings in a marriage where it doesn’t matter how many years go

by, you still fall in love with your spouse day after day.

C. Labor Day weekend may seem like a strange weekend to do it but I want to

emphasize the importance of marriage today

1. Heb. 13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

2. A good marriage is not something that comes naturally

a. Someone: “Marriage is when you agree to spend the rest of your life sleeping in

a room that’s too warm, beside someone who’s sleeping in a room that’s too

cold.”

b. A little boy came home from Sunday school and his mother asked, “What did

you discuss in class?” The boy said, “Marriage.” Amused, the mother asked,

“What did you learn about marriage?” The boy thought for a moment and told

her, “Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

c. A lasting marriage is something that takes a lot work

--A good marriage is surely a labor of love

I. WHY MARRIAGE IS IMPORTANT

A. Reason #1: It’s God’s plan for human beings to live as husband and wife

1. I know that the definition of marriage is a big social issue today

--But God never struggled with its definition

a. Marriage is biblically defined as being between one man and one woman

b. If God had wanted it another way, He would have created Adam and Steve and not Adam and Eve

2. Gen. 2:18 – “It is not good for man to be alone.”

--God said that because He had plans for companionship and it involved a committed marriage

relationship between a man and a woman

3. Sometimes this plan is puzzling because men and women are completely different creatures

a. However, God made these differences complementary rather than adversarial

b. That’s why God said in Gen. 2:24 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be

united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

4. I need to point out here that it is not God’s will or desire that everyone should be married

--There are some folks that God calls to be single for their entire life.

a. The apostle Paul points out that people should not marry if God has given the ability to live as a

single person

b. Those gifted in this area from God are able to commit to serving Christ in a way that married

people with families cannot

--Singles are able to go and do certain things without having to worry about commitments to family

obligation

c. The apostle Paul also talks about those who have been widowed or divorced that God now calls to

remain single

--Instead of focusing on being alone, Paul says they need to focus on serving the Lord through their

circumstances

d. Most folks are called to marriage but some are gifted to remain single

--In whatever circumstances, we’re called to serve God to the best of our ability

B. Reason #2: Marriage makes men better men

1. Several years back, George Gilder wrote a book called Men and Marriage

a. Gilder’s research found than on the average, men who are married work harder, make more money,

commit less crime, are more honest, more generous, and healthier than men who are single

b. Gilder says that the reason marriage has such a positive effect is that being accountable to a wife

and caring for a family causes men to be more responsible in their behavior

2. Now, again, if you’re called to be single, this doesn’t necessarily apply in your situation

a. You’re going to be happier doing what you’re called and gifted for

b. But the for the majority, we are called to a marriage relationship and it makes us better men