23/10/2024
SUNDAY SERMON PART 1: MARRIAGE BY GOD’S DESIGN
Ephesians 5:22-32 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church… Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Marriage is very important to God. After creating Adam, God formed animals out of the ground and brought them to him. Adam named the animals, but none were suitable to be his helper. So, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, took one of his ribs and used it to create a woman. When God presented her to Adam, he was so pleased that he exclaimed, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24).
Hebrews 13:4 instructs everyone to honor marriage. Not only should those around the couple respect the marital covenant, but the couple itself must honor their vows until death. Unfortunately, many people take marriage for granted. Some couples forget that their wedding rings were presented to God as symbols of their love and commitment. They fail to remember that the rings symbolize a covenant that involves God. When they are happy with each other, they wear the rings. When they are angry, they remove them. Marriage does not work that way.
Wedding rings are not toys that you can put on and take off as you please, and marriage is not for the immature. You cannot threaten your partner with divorce each time you have a disagreement. God hates violence in marriage and hates divorce even more. Marriage is not just the coming together of two people; it is deeper than that. It symbolizes the relationship between Christ and the Church. In the above scripture, Paul instructs husbands to love their wives just as Christ loved the Church. If you are a man with a desire to marry, you must understand that your purpose is to represent Christ in your marriage. If you are not ready to love unconditionally like Christ, do not marry.
If you are a woman, you must understand that your husband is your covering, as the Bible describes him as your head. If you dishonor him, especially in front of others, you are removing your own covering. Just as the Church is subject to Christ and receives protection from Him, you are also covered by your husband. If you continue to disrespect him publicly, you must realize that you can never be greater than him. What you do to him, you are doing to yourself. In other words, you are stripping yourself naked, and those around you will never respect you.
Your husband’s dignity is your own. If you make him feel like nothing, you will also feel like a nobody. You will feel empty for as long as you treat him like garbage. You will never reach a state of satisfaction with anything in your life. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” How is your husband going to obtain favor from the Lord if you keep provoking him and making him feel like nothing? You will make him lose the rewards of being a husband, which are also meant to benefit you.
Let everyone who wishes to marry follow the Word of God on how to maintain a marriage. Let us not copy the practices of this world just because they are fashionable. The reason there are so many divorces is that people are no longer doing marriage according to God’s design. If you are a man who is not ready to love like Christ, do not marry. If you are a woman who is not ready to submit to your husband, remain single. Otherwise, you will fail in marriage.
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