Home Improvement: How Important is Your Marriage to God?
Selected Scriptures
I. Introduction
A. It’s comes as no surprise to any of us here today that the institution of marriage in America is in deep trouble.
1. one out of two end in divorce– 50%
2. great number of unmarried couples living together
B. But what may surprise you is the fact that the divorce rate among Christians is about the same 1 out of 2. 50%
1. How can this be?
2. What has happened to the marriage relationship among God’s people?
C. I believe we as Christians have lost the importance of the H/W relationship.
1. We have followed the world on this.
2. Our relationship with out spouse gets at best the leftovers of our time and emotional energy and at worst nothing!
2. I think most Christian couples have taken their marriage relationship off the front burner *work or children are on the front burner
3. They have also taken it off the back burner
*hobbies or TV are on the back burner
*maybe even church work on back burner
4. Not only moved it to the back corner of the refrigerator but they have put it in the freezer!
5. Only to bring it out during a marriage conference or special services like these and throw it into the microwave for a few minutes and then back into the freezer it goes.
*you can only reheat something and refreeze it so many times and then it’s ruined
*if you leave something in the freezer to long what happens to it?
6. Where is your marriage this morning?
C. The purpose of today’s sermon is to show you how important your marriage is to God (it’s on His front burner)
1. When you see how important it is to God, as a Christian can it be any less important to you?
2. Let’s bring it out from wherever we have it and put it on the front burner of our life where it belongs.
D. To find the supreme importance God places on your marriage we must go to His Word.
II. MARRIAGE IS THE FOUNDATIONAL REALTIONSHIP FOR ALL OF SOCIETY
The most important aspect of any structure is its foundation.
1. Ex. Couple of years ago I noticed the space between my garage door and the garage floor was getting wider!
2. We all know what will happen if the foundation is faulty
3. You can have the best structure possible but if the foundation is faulty it crumples.
4. Therefore the foundation is of utmost importance.
B. When God sought to lay a foundation for all human society what do you think He chose for that all important foundation?
1. The H/W relationship!
2. The H/W is the 1st human relationship formed by God.
*It existed before the gov.
*It existed before the church
C. Let’s go back to that 6th Day of creation. Gen. 2:15, 18-24
1. God created man and placed him in the garden to cultivate and keep it.
2. Man is in the garden with God, animals, vegetation, etc.
3. I would appear to be the perfect environment.
*After the day s of creation God’s said, “It’s good!”
4. But now we see God stating a problem in creation (18)
It is not good for man to be alone …
*Ladies notice, helper suitable (corresponding) for him
*What an affirmation to women!
*Though Adam had a perfect environment, free from sin, intimate fellowship with God, food, beauty etc
* God said, “It’s not good ….”
D. Then God does an interesting thing (19-20)
1. He brings all the animals by for Adam to name
2. He names them all
3. What’s God doing?
4. He is showing Adam the problem.
*Imagine how Adam must have begun to feel when he realized there was not animal that corresponded to him— that he could relate to
*perhaps the animals came by male and female
*he must have felt a sense of loneliness, maybe even bewilderment
E. Then God solves the problem (21-22)
1. God puts Adam asleep
2. God fashioned …
F. Adam enthusiastically receives the solution (23)
1. Notice his response!
2. WOW! I can relate to this!
3. This one corresponds to me!
G. God was doing was more than just taking away Adam loneliness, He was laying the foundation for all human society!
1. The H/W is foundational to all other human relationships.
2. It is the foundation for the family.
3. For the church
4. For society
5. For the nation
H. God is saying these other relationships will be not better than the H/W!
1. The family will be no stronger than …..
2. The church ….
3. Our nation ….
IF IT IS SO IMPORTANT THEN WHY DO WE GIVE IT SUCH LITTLE ATTENTION?
How long has it been since you have taken your wife on a date?
How long since you have gotten away, just the two of you for a night or two?
*I’m too busy
*I have too much to do
SINCE OUR MARRIAGE IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD HOW CAN IT BE ANY LESS IMPORTANT TO US?
II. MARRIAGE IS A COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED BY GOD Malachi 2:14
Context of Malachi– God speaking to the Jewish men who were mistreating their wives by divorcing them for younger women
When God speaks of the marriage relationship He used the term that signifies the most sacred and binding of all human agreements A COVENANT
NIV “wife of your marriage covenant”
God used the covenant idea to represent His commitment to people.
1. Noah 1st one
2. Abraham, Issac, Jacob
3. National of Israel, Mt Sinai
4. King David
B. God also sees covenants between men as sacred and binding
1. When David was king Israel experienced three years of famine 2 Sam 21:1ff
2. Joshua 9:1 Gibeonites
C. Marriage is a covenant made before God and others.
1. It is the most sacred of all human commitments
*it is much more that a legal contract
*it is a sacred cov.
2.It is a three-way covenant. Mark 10:9
"What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."
*God has joined you to that person
*It is a three-way cov. {you-your spouse-God}
*Your marriage is sacred in God’s eyes
Since it’s a 3-way cov shouldn’t God be consulted before the marriage cov. is broken through divorce?
3. It is a covenant for life. “Let no man separate”
* separate= put asunder, divide, divorce
*God’s plan is for one man one woman for life
4. God created them male and female.
*No spares, divorce not an option for Adam and Eve
*No provision made for divorce in God’s original plan
5. I recognize that God does allow for divorce because of sexual unfaithfulness or desertion by an unbeliever.
6. But even under these circumstances it is not commanded and if the marriage can be preserved that is better.
YOUR MARRIAGE IS SO IMPORTANT TO GOD HE MADE IT A SACRED AND BINDING COVENANT FOR LIFE IN WHICH HE BECAME INVOLVED. HOW CAN IT BE ANY LESS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
There would be for less divorce among Christians if they realized their marriage is a sacred cov.
IV. What about you?
A. I hear couples say, “but we are just not happy anymore!”
1.We are miserable and life is too short to be miserable.
2. I’m just sick and tired of my marriage, I want to get out!
3. God says it’s a sacred and binding cov that you made for better or worse, happiness or sorrow.
*stay in there and work on!
*sure it’s hard, every marriage goes through …
*It’s not about you, it’s about God and His glory
*What brings Him the most glory?
V. WHERE IS YOUR MARRIAGE THIS MORNING?
A. In the freezer, refrig, back burner, front burner?
B. Seeing how important your marriage is to God can you really say you love God and not move it to the front burner?
C. What will that mean? Where do we start?
1. Committing to be here each service thru Wed.
2. Commit to go on a weekly date starting this week
