One Plus One Equals One Series

HoHum:

Sonja Ely- I was watching my 5 year old granddaughter Christy play with her dolls. At one point, she “staged” a wedding, first playing the role of the bride’s mother who assigned specific duties, then suddenly switching to the bride with her “teddy bear” groom. She picked teddy and said to the minister presiding over the wedding, “Now you can read us our right.” Without missing a beat, Christy then became the minister who said, “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say may be held against you, you have the right to have an attorney present. You may kiss the bride.”

WBTU:

The modern family is a mess. There are examples here and there of godly families, but most families are adrift on a tossing sea of immorality, selfishness and discontentment.

In our Scriptures today the Pharisees are concerned about divorce. Well, not that concerned about divorce, they want to test Jesus and get him to take sides in a debate about divorce so that Jesus will lose followers. In our series on marriage and family, divorce is poor place to start. Talk about this more later. Like we started two Sunday’s ago let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. This is where Jesus wants to start and we need to follow his example. He echoes what we have been saying from Genesis.

Overall Jesus in the Gospels says little about marriage. However, when questioned about divorce here, Jesus declared the permanent nature of marriage clearly. For today Read vs. 4-6. Jesus makes it clear that marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman, established by and entered into before God.

Notice what Jesus mentions twice here. He says in vs. 5 “the two will become one flesh.” He says in vs. 6 “No longer two, but one.” God uses strange math here. God took one man and one woman. He put them together and they became one. One plus one equals one. Strange math indeed! If we want to have a great marriage and family, then God says, “Do the math.”

If we are going to have a strong family and a strong relationship between parent and child and siblings in the family, we have to have strong marriage relationship. One plus one equals one.

Thesis: Ways that God intended the husband and wife to be one

For instances:

One plus one equals one physically

Every person has a body and a spirit. “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7, NIV. God made the human body; he breathed a spirit into that body; and man became a living soul. Every part of our being is made by God including our physical bodies.

When a marriage takes place as God intended, the man and woman become one physically. Must say here that this is a gift of God. This is God’s idea. This is good. Sex is of God. Sex is good within the circle God intends for it to be, in the circle of marriage. Many things I could say but just a few words about this:

A word about perversion- “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NIV. Some of these people perverted God’s plan for human sexuality but this was proof of their lost condition. Here we find God’s plan for human sexuality: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure.” Hebrews 13:4. We live in a culture today where we are being told that sexuality has nothing to do with our spirituality. Untrue!

A word about prevention- “Flee from sexual immorality. ” 1 Corinthians 6:18, NIV.

A word about provision- “But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:2, 3. Something is wrong in a relationship when physical intimacy is not a part of the marriage. God made us this way.

One plus one equals one psychologically

When I say this I mean we need to be one mentally, emotionally. From this we are one in our desires, behavior, and conduct. Much is said today about psychology. God’s word comes first and the only useful psychology never leaves that. From Christian counselors I have learned a lot (yes, I have gone to them). Bring much practical application of God’s word into our personal lives. Can see our blind spots and help us with them.