Principles of Marriage
Notes
Transcript
Faithful Foundations: God's Design for Marriage
Faithful Foundations: God's Design for Marriage
Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9
Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9
Introduction:
Today is a very interesting message for me. over the years of being a pastor, I was once asked by a senior pastor
what I thought my mission was as a pastor
I certainly didn’t think it was to lead my own church some day.
and I knew that the right answer was to share the gospel.
Frankly, I well knew Matthew 28 that I was to go and make disciples.
I was to baptize that in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit that I was to teach them in the ways of righteousness.
But I was told I wasn’t allowed to give that answer.
I needed to go deeper And honestly, it was one of the main challenges.
trying to find the answer that God put in my life What was God’s purpose?
Where was his provision going to be? And where was his plan?
I remember before I even knew about pause and pray and Ponder and proceed.
that I did just that II stopped. and I started to pray to God exactly.
Why did you move a man like me into ministry?
I mean, what could possibly be your purpose?
II know that you’ll provide God. But you put a man in my life that asked me a question
There’s obviously a deeper answer here.
After a time of prayer and consideration.
I realized that there was two things.
And to this day, those two things define who I am as a pastor.
There’s two things are marriage. and being a man of God.
in full disclosure.
Those are the two things. that I feel. on my own understanding.
I’ve messed up more than anything else in life.
But praise God, I’m here to share that God gave me victory. in both of these. And just to clarify, I’m not in any way saying a complete victory or a total victory. But in these two areas, I am in no way. The man that I used to be.
I had a lot of trouble this week writing this sermon because as I was preparing my bullet points and my slides, and I was looking at outlines and reading commentaries, the overwhelming call to me, was to talk to you today about marriage. N
So our plan for this week and next week is to break the two dichotomies of life into.
a two week micro study today.
about marriage and next week about singleness.
I found as I prayed and pondered through this at first.
We’re never going to get through all that God has to say about these two things. in two 45 minute sessions.
So it is my prayer to day that some prod you this morning. to dig deeper.
You see one of our tenants. at Horizon is to not make Sunday Christians.
in one of the sub tenants. of that is that you don’t get all your feeding at this dinner table.
that you make your life about seeking God and growing.
that you come here to be challenged and educated and encouraged and taught and possibly even rebuked.
We seek here to give you a biblical foundation on things that glorify God so that you can help grow others.
as i was praying over this message this morning
I had a vision of a backpack.
like that backpack —— i must chose what to fill it with....
at some point that LIFE BACKPACK must be emptied of the WORLD
and filled only with the things of GOD
Today as we launch into a message on Marriage —- I ask you to think on that Backpack
What are you desiring to put in it.
at the end of your days.… on this earth
What is it that you really want your loved ones to find in there.
So we start today with a simple question
What is a Marriage?
Culture appears to define it as a Varied definition ( which is almost always Cultures Way)
a YOU do YOU approach.
I offer these options for Cultural View Today
a potential TEMPORARY union
an easy out CONTRACT —— so odd Pay 25, get a Pastor OR Judge to sign — get it witnessed and then do as you please —- NEVER BEEN CALLED TO VERIFY the contract in a DIVORCE
A tax situation
Social Structure - yet not referring to Scripture
Sexual Limitation ? —-
Economic Stability - able to combine assets
Social Status ?
LOVE?
Culture appears to want to Change God’s Plan
We should ask then
What is God’s Plan
and THEN FOLLOWUP
We are called to OBEY OUR LORD
Bible says
that it is a Sacred Covenant between a MAN and a Women
to emphasize a lifelong commitment, an example of our CHRIST RELATIONSHIP
an example of God’s Love for HIS CHURCH
Marriage is in the first chapters of Genesis
God creates a HELPER
Adam has EVE
BIBLE says ONE FLESH in OLD and NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew 19:5–6 “5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.””
NOT a social contract, but a Godly Covenant
so why is Paul talking about this in 1 Cor
Lets look first at the Context
1. Purposeful Partnership
1. Purposeful Partnership
1 Corinthians 7:1-2
Paul addresses the topic of marriage and celibacy,
emphasizing marriage as a divine institution to avoid immorality.
Paul suggests that each man and woman should have their own spouse to maintain purity.
This reflects God’s desire for relationships to be honorable and sets a faithful foundation in resisting temptation.
Christ’s ultimate commitment to the Church serves as a model for marital fidelity, reinforcing the sanctity of marriage.
2. Mutual Maintenance
2. Mutual Maintenance
1 Corinthians 7:3-5
mutual care and respect that Paul emphasizes within marriage.
He speaks about the conjugal rights of spouses,
highlighting the importance of meeting each other's needs to avoid temptation.
4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Paul’s teachings resonate with Christ’s self-sacrificial love,
showcasing that marriage is not just for oneself but for serving the other.
This covenant mirrors how Christ faithfully nurtures His Church, urging believers to honor their marital vows.
3. Consider Celibate Callings
3. Consider Celibate Callings
1 Corinthians 7:6-7
Explore how Paul transitions attention from marriage to the gift of celibacy, stating his wish that others may share his gift.
This opens a conversation about the value of singleness in Christian life. WE WILL DISCUSS THIS NEXT WEEK
By affirming celibacy, Paul aligns with Jesus’ message of complete devotion to God’s calling,
showing that both marriage and singleness are God-given gifts.
GOD GIVEN GIFTS
I was once asked to do DATING COUNSELING
how do you date right
I ask —— WHAT is GOD’s Purpose in Marriage?
To help — God created a helpmate
to help with WHAT
to do LIVE TOGETHER
Separate Distinct GIFTS brought togethe
our church mission is ALSO the MARRIAGE MISSION
To Glorify GOD, by Growing Others in CHRIST
Lets take a look at
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30 because we are members of his body.
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Christ's teachings helps believers appreciate diverse callings.
4. Devoted Decisions
4. Devoted Decisions
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.
9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
This guidance reflects Paul’s understanding of the challenges in relationships and the importance of living in holiness.
Just as Christ provides grace and redemption,
marriage can be a refining process for believers,
and choosing marriage or celibacy should always align with God’s purpose and peace.
Lets us end with the word of our LORD
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
