Marriage is a God Thing
Introduction
Marriage is not man's invention but that of the Creator. It was God who pronounced Adam and Eve as the first husband and wife. Marriage is a God thing. Marriage has been the foundation for every culture in 5,000 years of recorded history. On every continent, marriage has been the tradition. There are those today who are making every effort to destroy marriage as God intended it to be.
I. ESTABLISHING OF MARRIAGE. (Gen. 2:23-24)
A. PLAN OF GOD. (Gen. 2:23-24)
“God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.” Max Lucado
Someone has said that "The Bible opens and closes with a wedding."
God's plan for marriage from the beginning of creation is the joining together of a male and a female in a monogamous relationship. A man and a woman in marriage have pledged to be faithful till death do part.
Marriage is the bedrock that provides security for the man and woman and their children. At one time in America, marriage virtually ensured that children would be raised to adulthood by the parents who gave them life. Today, that number is under 50 percent in many communities.
B. PURPOSE OF GOD.
1. Reflect God’s Image. (Gen. 1:26-27)
In the creation of the different kinds of creatures, God spoke and the different kinds were created. (Gen. 1:20-25)
Man is in no way related to the animal kinds. In the Genesis account of the creation of man, man is set apart from all other acts of creation. The creation of man was more personal, "Let us make man in our image." (Gen. 1:26) Man shares a likeness to His Creator that animals do not have. Man has the capacity to know the mind and will of God.
God created man to reflect His image. An image resembles and represents the one it pictures. Both man and woman were created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:27)
2. Reproduce children. (Gen. 1:28a)
God commanded man and woman to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." (Gen 1:18) The Psalmist wrote of the blessing of children from a God honoring marriage.
"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:3-5 KJV)
3. Rule as stewards. (Gen. 1:28b)
Man and woman were to have "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Gen. 1:28) God planted a garden and told man to dress (till) and to keep it. (Gen. 2:15) Man was to be a steward over the things God had made.
II. ENEMIES OF MARRIAGE
A. SATAN’S ATTACK.
We know from Scripture that Satan's greatest desire was to be like the Most High God. (Isa. 14:12-15) He wanted to dethrone God. His hatred for God caused him to try and destroy everything good that God had created. (Gen. 1:27)
When Satan deceived Eve, he was attacking God's plan and purpose for man and woman. The devil knew the destruction he could cause by destroying this vital relationship. No Spirit filled, Bible believing Christian would deny Satan's attacks against marriage.
B. SIN’S ATTRACTION.
Marriage was the first institution that God established. Marriage is to be held in honor by all. (Hebrews 13:4) The Bible is full of warnings against anything that violates God's design for marriage.
“Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb. 13:4)
The pursuit for pleasure without commitment and responsibility has caused many marriages and families to disintegrate in America.
The allurement of sexual sins has always been a major enemy of marriages. In our day we see the increase of cohabitation, no-fault divorce and adultery. Our culture is being flooded with massive amounts of pornography. Men and women are addicted to this vice. Young people talk of hooking-up as a natural practice with no moral consequences to their sin.
Couples who live together before engagement have higher divorce rates than those who wait.
C. SOCIETY’S ABANDONMENT.
The people in Lot's day abandoned God's purpose of marriage to fulfill their own lust. The result was the judgment of God. (Gen. 19:1-28) Jesus said it would be like the days of Lot when He would return. We are witnessing the increase of behavior like that in Noah's and Lot's day. (Luke 17:26-30)
Many in our society have embraced immoral practices while others have placed their approval on those who commit these immoral practices. (Rom. 1:32)
Judges have over ruled the desire of the majority of people who have rejected homosexual marriages. Our president has chosen not to defend traditional marriage but to place his approval on perversion.
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a federal law passed by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It defines marriage for the purposes of federal law as the union of one man and one woman. It also ensures that each state is free to make its own marriage policy and does not have to recognize another state’s revision of marriage policy.
Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration will no longer defend DOMA. The Justice Department says that gays and lesbians deserve stronger constitutional protections.
Traditional marriage between a man and woman matters for children and for society. The Bible is full of warnings against anyone who violates God's design.
A 2008 study found that divorce and unwed childbearing cost taxpayers $112 billion each year, and Utah State University scholar David Schramm has estimated that divorce alone costs federal, state, and local governments $33 billion each year.
II. EXPERIENCES IN MARRIAGE
A. BURDENS IN MARRIAGE.
Life is plagued with burdens and hardships. It is no different for married couples. Married couples do have the comfort of being able to share each other burdens. Marriage is a commitment to stay true to one another "in sickness and in health." It's the assurance that our husband or wife will be there in the difficult times.
B. BLESSINGS IN MARRIAGE
It's been said "For over 100 years, sociologists and psychologists have been studying how married couples appear to be healthier, happier and wealthier than the unmarried."
1. Married couples live longer than the unmarried.
"The number of Americans who live together without being married continues to rise — from 400,000 in 1960 to 7.6 million in 2011, according to Census data. However, new research indicates that married people live longer than those that cohabit."
One researcher wrote that "marriage is a mixed bag." In his study, he found that “A bad marriage can be lethal to your health and emotional well-being, but a good marriage can bring countless emotional and physical benefits.”
The lead researcher at Michigan State University said: “Many assume marriage and cohabitation are wholly the same, but our research showed that cohabitation, generally, led to a shorter lifespan.”
2. Married couples are healthier than the unmarried.
Married couples live longer and enjoy better health, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The mortality rate for single men aged between 30 and 59 two and half times higher than those who are married.
3. Married couples are less likely to suffer from serious illnesses than the unmarried.
"The Journal of the American Medical Association reported the health benefit of being married is equivalent to being in an age category 10 years younger."
4. Married couples have a happier life.
“Those who marry are more satisfied than those who remain single,” claims a news report by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Michigan State University researcher Stevie C.Y. Yap. "Our study suggests that people on average are happier than they would have been if they didn't get married."
5. Married couples' children are blessed by having both parents in their lives.
"Children who live in intact families tend to have better educational attainment and exhibit fewer behavioral problems. They also experience better physical and emotional health and are more likely to experience economic well-being." Leslie Ford is a Research Assistant at The Heritage Foundation.
"As marriage rates have declined, unwed childbearing has skyrocketed. Now, over 40 percent of all children are born to single mothers. In more than half of these cases, the child is born to a single mother who is in a cohabiting relationship." Leslie Ford is a Research Assistant at The Heritage Foundation.
Marriage and family are by God’s design. The well-being of society and children are experienced when marriage and family are honored. Marriage is the ultimate building block of all human civilization.
LESSONS FOR LIFE:
1. Marriage is a God thing. Marriage is a divine institution.
2. God will judge everyone who desecrates marriage.
3. Married couples have the blessings of God when their marriage is built upon the person of Christ.