Married With Purpose Pt 2 Series

Chico Alliance Church

“Married with Purpose”

1 Cor 7:1-9

I

ntroduction

Marriage is under attack. The very foundation of our culture is in danger of deterioration.

God has blessed America to the extent that America has embraced Biblical principles. These principles direct relationships with each other and relationship with God. The Creator handed down an operations manual. Whenever we cry for God to bless America we should understand the basis on which He blesses a nation.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Psalm 33:12

If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chron. 7:14

Our cry should be that America humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways. Much of the wickedness in America has to do with sexual immorality and the disintegration of the family. God conceived sex. It is not a shameful thing. God designed it and blesses it. But it is only blessed when practiced within the borders God instituted to protect the family. Whenever man becomes the center of the universe and God is not honored as God, sexual perversion is not far behind. This is a topic that touches every person. Every person must deal with this issue almost on a daily basis.

The Scriptures have a great deal to say about the topic from both sides of the boundary lines.

Schools teach the mechanics but ignore the morality. Mechanics without morality only fosters greater immorality. Paul tackled the question straight on in the seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians.

Evidently the church at Corinth asked Paul to address the issue. It is kind of like playing Jeopardy. We must come up with their question by reading Paul’s answer.

God’s Purpose for Marriage

1. Partnership (Companionship)

2. Potential (Completeness)

3. Procreation (raising up godly seed)

4. Portrayal (Illustration of relationship with God)

5. Protection (from sexual perversion)

6. Pleasure (guilt free)

But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 1 Cor. 7:31-34

This is a pleasure that goes beyond sexual pleasure. It does however include the sexual relationship as well.

Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not of command. Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.

1. It is more beneficial to stay single.

This theme is all through this chapter. His reasoning doesn’t say that marriage is bad or less spiritual. His reasoning comes from three aspects.

? Marriage brings additional trauma in life.

But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. 1 Cor. 7:28

? Marriage divides one’s energy between pleasing God and one’s spouse.

? The time is short before Jesus returns

But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; 1 Cor. 7:29

These do not denigrate the fact that God designed marriage to be beneficial. The purposes of God for marriage still pertain to His creation.

2. Marriage (healthy relationship) protects from immorality.

Why steal a bicycle when you have a Ferrari in the garage? Two sides to consider in this protection.

The spouse must be working on being the partner God intended them to be.