Immediately the liberals made such mockery of bringing it up that the subject was dropped and barely mentioned any more, because the anti-family people made it seem that they were in the majority. The politicians who were for family values, realized that if they were going to stand a chance of winning the election, they had better lay that issue aside. The news media was telling everyone that the majority in America do not care a thing about family values. Although they gave a false picture, still never before has the family had so many attacks upon it as it is experiencing today.
Illus: One Christian man was telling how some of the men where he worked were bragging about the extra-marital affairs they had going. They asked him how many he had, and he told them there was only one woman in his life that he cared for and he was married to her, and they literally made fun of him.
You do not have to be a genius to know that something is wrong with the standards for marriage across this land. Satan has planted his mine-fields in homes across America, and because people refuse to turn to God to help them, many marriages are being blown to pieces.
Illus: An elderly man had these observations about how things were years ago:
-We were born before television, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, plastic, contact lenses, frisbees, and "the pill."
-We were born before radar, ball point pens, panty hose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, drip-dry clothes, air conditioners, and before man walked on the moon.
-We got married first, then lived together. In our time, closets were for clothes, not for coming out of. Bunnies were small rabbits, and rabbits were not Volkswagons.
-We were born before house husbands, gay rights, computer dating, duel careers and computer marriages.
-We were born before day-care centers, group therapy, and nursing homes.
-We never heard of F.M. radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. A chip meant a piece of wood. Hardware meant hardware, and software wasn't even a word. In 1940, "Made in Japan" meant junk. The term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam. Pizza, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. In our day, grass was mowed, coke was a drink, and pot was something you cooked in. Aids were helpers in the principal’s office.
-We made do with what we had, and we were the last generation to be so dumb as to believe you needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder we are confused and there is such a generation gap today. Yet, we survived. I wonder if this present generation will survive?
The gentleman expressed concern, saying, "I wonder if this present generation will survive?" Unless God sends a revival across this land, the answer to that question is, "Absolutely not!" We have ample proof of our society's disintegration. Think of it:
-Our kids face LIBERATION in the church.
-HUMANISM in the schools.
-And PAGANISM in society!
Illus: Someone has made this observation about the deplorable changes of the last 20 to 30 years.
-In the 50's the kids lost their INNOCENCE with music.
-In the rebellious age of the 60's, they lost their RESPECT for authority.
-In the 70's they lost their ABILITY TO LOVE. It became the "Me" decade, and instant gratification became the name of the game. Sex was substituted for love.
-In our day, because many have lost their INNOCENCE, respect for AUTHORITY, and the ABILITY TO LOVE, they have lost HOPE! That's why suicide is rampant among teens today.
When we compare the problems of young people in the 40's and 50's, to the problems of the 80's and 90's, we cannot help but wonder, "How will our children, and the homes in this country survive?
Illus: We are told that every year the booze crowd spends millions of dollars for advertisement to seduce our children. Every year 32 gallons of booze is produced for every person in the U.S.A., and that means somebody got 64 gallons because I did not drink any of mine.
Illus: The Milwaukee Beer Company has a boat ad that says, "It never gets better than this." That's not true - it gets worse—
Did you know that 88% of all the sexual encounters shown on television are outside of the bonds of matrimony?
Then there is the ultimate plan of the "smut" peddlers. Pornographers know, in order to hook the young generation on their trash, they have to change their method, so what have they done? They have joined porno with music. Every night MTV fills the minds of those who watch with the garbage of HATE and REBELLION, VIOLENCE, ILLICIT SEX and PORNOGRAPHY. Rock music is giving the message you can do whatever you want to, even "go all the way", and not have any consequences to pay. This also is not true. You cannot go "all the way"! You just keep going deeper and deeper into sin, until you find "all the way" has ended up at the throne of God.
When we look at the mess this country is in, no wonder marriages are being destroyed. Our only hope is for men and women to turn to God's Word, and seek for the help they desperately need. Many young people today see all of the messed up marriages around them, and they do not want any part of it. God created marriage. When a man and woman function as God designed them to function, it is the greatest institution on earth. We can learn much about marriage from the first family, Adam and Eve. For example, we learn of a...
I. MARRIAGE MADE BY HEAVEN.
When God created this wonderful planet, He stepped back, observing each thing, and said, Genesis 1:31, "... behold, it was very good..." Then notice, chapter 2:18, what God said about man, "...It is not good..." What was not good? It was not good, "...that the man should be alone..." So what did God decide? "...I will make him an help meet for him." And that is just what He did. He created a wife for Adam...
A. For companionship. Can you imagine Adam, in the garden of Eden, after God created him. He had an ideal environment to enjoy. But did you know that you can have all kinds of things around you, but they do not take the place of "an help meet." God made the animals, but they did not quite fill the void in Adam's life. So, God created a help-meet because He knew it was not good for the man to be alone. There is no greater companion than a loving wife or husband! We have some here who are grieving because your companion is not with you.
1. Some have lost a companion through divorce. Oh what a hard thing to have to go through!
Illus: One lady told a friend, "If I had lost my husband in death, it would be one of the hardest things I had ever done, but I could accept it a lot easier than loosing him this way!"
Listen married man, married woman, one of the most selfish things you could possibly do is allow yourself to become involved with someone outside your marriage, and then walk into your house one day and tell your mate that you want a divorce! All you are thinking about is YOURSELF! How can you ever expect to build a life of happiness for yourself at the expense of the happiness of your mate? That kind of behavior creates nothing but misery. Many people grieve over companions who have been gone for years.
2. Some have lost a companion through death. We all recognize that when a person looses a companion to death, we should all do all that we can to console him or her. For several days we call, visit, take food and flowers. Why? Because we want to bring comfort to someone we love. But after a few days of letting that person know we are sorry, we then go back to our old routine, assuming that person, who lost the mate, has now gotten over the grief. But everyone of you here who has lost a companion to death will tell us, that YEARS AFTER the death of that companion, you are STILL HURTING! When all the calls, and visits cease and the flowers wilt, THE HURTING IS STILL REAL. Companionship is a marvelous thing. God was right. "It is not good that the man should be alone..." God created a wife for Adam so he would have a companion. He created a wife for Adam-
B. For cooperation. Read verse 18 again, "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." The happiest relationship on this earth is when a man and woman function as God designed them to function, and work together and not against each other. The most miserable relationship on this earth is when a man and woman do not work together as God intended.
Illus: A little boy from a home where mom and dad were always fussing, attended a Sunday School class. The teacher said, "Boys and girls, I want to hold up objects and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind." She held up an apple and a little boy raised his hand. The teacher said, "What does this APPLE make you think of, Johnny?" He said, It makes me think of the farmers." She held up a HAMMER. A boy immediately raised his hand. The teacher said, "Jamie, what does this hammer make you think of! He said, "It makes me think of a carpenter who builds houses." The teacher said, "Very good, class! " She then held up a picture of a CAT. A little girl had him by the front legs and the little boy had him by the back legs and they were pulling in opposite directions. A hand went up immediately and the teacher said, "Junior, what does this picture make you think of?" He said, "That picture reminds me of my mom and dad fighting and I am caught in the middle! "
Many homes across this country are no more than war zones and one enters at his own risk. God did not create marriage that way. He knew that man needed a COMPANION, and he needed someone to COOPERATE with him.
Illus: Someone said, "A wife is to a husband what wind is to a fire, she can FAN IT UP, or BLOW IT OUT.
When God saw Adam in the garden of Eden, He said, "It is not good that the man should be alone." Just as Adam needed someone who would COOPERATE and be an help-meet to him, he also needed a wife-
C. For completion. In verse 18, where it says the wife is a “help-meet," it means she will meet specific needs. God saw that Adam was not complete. Have you ever looked at something that looked good, but did not quite look complete?
Illus: For example, an artist was painting a beautiful picture of a home beside a river. Everyone who was watching him marveled over the lovely piece of art. It seemed he was finished, but when he stepped back to look at it, you could tell he was not completely pleased. He then picked up the brush and with the dip of the brush he painted little flowers around the house and on the river bank. He then painted a few birds in the air. He then stepped back and as he looked at it a smile developed on his face, it was now completed.
God saw that everything He created in the garden of Eden was lovely. He was completely satisfied, but then He looked at Adam, and the Bible tells us, God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone..." So, He created the woman to be his wife so that Adam might be complete. There is another reason God created Eve. He saw it was not good that man should be alone because he needed a wife-
D. For communication. Fellows, when our wives are away, what do we immediately miss the most? We miss talking to her!
Illus: Adam could see the DOGS barking at each other, he could hear the COWS mooing at each other, he could hear the BIRDS tweeting at each other, but he did not have anyone to communicate with.
God saw that Adam seemed sad, or miserable, so He presented Adam with Eve so He would have someone to talk to.
Illus: What do you suppose Adam said first? Do you suppose he said, "Where did you come from?" He probably had been so lonely that when he saw Eve for the first time he looked at her and said, "Wow, where have you been all my life. You are the prettiest thing I have ever seen. " And men have been saying that same thing ever since.
Everything God does is good. God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone..." and God created a COMPANION, someone who would COOPERATE with him, someone to COMPLETE him, and someone to COMMUNICATE with him. Everything God does, the devil tries to destroy. Look at this lovely MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN. Satan went to work, and the result was a-
II. A MARRIAGE MARRED BY HELL.
The devil knows the best way to wreck a nation, lives, and churches, is to wreck marriages. Every now and then, we hear a politician who is smart enough to recognize that the only hope for America is to get our homes straightened out! Look at how their MARRIAGE WAS MARRED BY HELL.
A. It was marred by selfishness. Gen. 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Notice, she acted on what SHE SAW, and what SHE DESIRED, and disregarded God and Adam.
Illus: Ninety-five percent of marriage problems come from selfishness. That is, a married partner is doing what he or she desires.
The devil knows if he can get us to be selfish, he can destroy our marriages. Notice also, this marriage is-
B. Marred by separation. Gen 3:12, "And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Notice, Adam did not even claim Eve when God asked him why he sinned. He blamed it on 'THE WOMAN", and he was sure to remind God that He had given THE WOMAN to him. When sin enters our home, it not only separates us from God, it separates us from our companion. Their marriage was also-
C. Marred by sorrow. Gen. 3:16-17, "Unto the woman he (God) said. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception: in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children: and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou best hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and best eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." Notice, God uses the word SORROW three times here. We have sorrow in homes all across this land, and you will find the origin of all of it is in sin.
This lovely MARRIAGE MADE BY HEAVEN, is now a MARRIAGE MARRED BY HELL. Is there hope? Yes, there is hope! When people will stop trying to USE GOD, and start serving God, they will find there is hope.
llus: Many want what a man wants, when his engine does not run smooth, a quick fix, like pouring in a can of STP to make the engine go back to running like usual. But it is not that easy. We must continually obey God to keep it running smoothly.
Every one of us would be surprised if we could look ten years ahead -
1. Some would be surprised to see that they would not even be left alive. We all think we will be here that long and even longer, but that might not be the case.
2. Some would be surprised to see that their marriages would break up. We all think, "This could never happen to my marriage. My marriage IS MADE IN HEAVEN." Yes, but perhaps already, your MARRIAGE IS BEING MARRED BY HELL! You may already know that sin is there, but you have it all figured out! When things get rough, you plan to go to God then and let Him "pour a little STP" on it so it will start running smooth again. You have forgotten, it takes two to make a marriage function well, and perhaps Satan has convinced the other one in that relationship not to even try any more. That is when the divorce proceedings begin. There is hope for any marriage if they will keep sin out. Sin causes marriages to disintegrate.
III. MARRIAGE MARKED BY HOPE.
The Word of God reveals that the marriage relationship is a picture of the relationship we, as the bride of Christ, have with Him. In Adam we see the
A. Development of his (Adam's) bride. Look at Genesis 2:21, "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof." Eve is a picture of the church. As Eve was a bride unto Adam, so we are a "bride" unto Christ. Look at the Scriptures again. Where did Eve come from? Adam was placed in a deep sleep and from his wounded side, blood was shed, as a bride was brought forth. This is a perfect picture of Christ and the church. Where did we, the church, the bride of Christ, come from? We came from believing in that precious blood that was shed when the spear pierced Jesus' side.
B. Development for his (Christ's) bride. Verse 22, "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." Notice, once he opened Adam's side and took a rib and made woman, He then BROUGHT her to Adam. That is what the Lord Jesus is doing today through us. Jesus, through His wounded side, is building a church to bring a BRIDE to God.
Conclusion/Summary:
I. MARRIAGE MADE BY HEAVEN
A. For companionship
B. For communication
C. For cooperation
D. For completion
II. MARRIAGE MARKED BY HELL
A. Marred by selfishness
B. Marred by separation
C. Marred by sorrow
III. MARRIAGE MARKED BY HOPE
A. Development of his (Adam's) bride
B. Development for his (Christ's) bride
