Till Death Do Us Part

Greetings everyone. Yes, we talked about marriage Sunday evening. Our scripture reading was 1 Corinthians 7:1-7. The Lord put this message on my heart, not only for the congregation, but for me as well. 51% of marriages today end in divorce. We dove into scripture to see what marriage is to God, how we should act in our marriage, why we should marry, and when we are considered married in God's eyes. When God brought Adam and Eve together in marriage they became "One Flesh" (Gen. 2:23-24). This was more than a physical union it was a meeting of the mind and soul. This relationship went way beyond a physical union. It was a Spiritual Oneness. Both partners must surrender to God and each other. Me and my should be us and our. Our marriage should honor God. Obedience to God and His Word should be an agreement between husband and wife prior to your marriage. How should we act in our marriage? An answer, I figured, that would stir the pot. I read Ephesians 5:22-31. Vs. 22-23 wives submit to your husbands. A word most woman do not want to hear and most men abuse. I asked that the woman bare with me and hear what God has to say and asked the men to really open their ears. The rest of this passage is aimed at us men. Men, love your wives as Christ loved the church, love her as you love yourself, and become one flesh. This is a biblical marriage. In balance with God's Word. Christ is the head of the man and woman together. Men, we are to act as Jesus treats us in Revelation 19:7-9. Give yourself to her, Love her, Honor her, and protect her. Submission follows if we treat our wives as Christ treats us. Why should we marry? Again we went to scripture. Companionship (Gen.2:18), Procreation (Gen. 1:28), Mutual undefiled pleasure (1 Cor. 7:4-5, Pro. 5:18-19, Heb. 13:4), Prevention of immorality (1 Cor. 7:2&5), and to raise Godly decedents (Mal. 2:13-16). The marriage bond leads to good in the family and within our society. We then touched on when God considers us married. The Bible does not explicitly tell us when God considers a couple married, but there are three common view points. A "Legal Marriage", a "Ceremonial Marriage", and a "Consummated Marriage". We touched on the pro's and con's of each concept and came to the conclusion that 1) As long as the requirements are reasonable and not against God's Word we should seek the formal government recognition. 2) We should follow whatever cultural and family practices that recognize you as "legally married", and 3) If possible consummate the marriage to fulfill the "One Flesh" concept. God knows our heart's (1 Jn. 3:20) He knows the difference between a True Marriage and an attempt to justify sexual immorality. In summary, we need to honor God in our marriage, it is sacred to God. Woman submit to your husbands. Men, give yourself to her, love her, honor her, protect her, and most of all, put her above yourself. Become one flesh as God ordains us to, Honor God together, surrender yourselves to Him and He will bless your marriage. I thank God for delivering this message and I pray that we all can honor God in our marriages as He wants us to. Till next week, may the Peace of Jesus Christ fall upon everyone.