Gen 2:20-24
INTRO: I would hazard to say that Gods two greatest earthly gifts to humanity are marriage and the church. Both are intended to meet human needs in God appointed ways. When Gods ways, or designs, for either of these gifts are put aside, neither will bring the blessings God intended in them ... period! With that knowledge before me, I have a great concern for the state of marriage. The world is generally ignorant of or holds in contempt Gods design. Within the church we are feeling the influence and impact of the worlds view.
I. MARRIAGE ISFROM GOD
A. He designed it ...
1. for companionship: Gen 2:18 - Eccl 9:9 - Mal 2:14
2. for procreation: Gen 1:27,28
3. for meeting needs which God intended to be met and satisfied in marriage: 1 Cor 7:2-5
B. He gave basic rules, directions ...
1. Gen 2:24 leave and cleave
2. Eph 5:25 husbands love wives (Col 3:19)
3. Eph 5:22 wives submit to husbands (Col 3:18)
4. Mt 5:32 faithfulness to each other demanded
5. Rom 7:3 marriage is for life
6. Mt 19:6 God has joined two in marriage, and beyond His word we are not privileged to break the bond - so, Mal 2:16a
II. BUT GODS DESIGN IS VIOLATED WIDELY
A. Divorce for any/every cause is practiced
1. more often than not, divorce is the first answer
2. any problem, any disagreement escalates so quickly to escape ... rather than to solution and harmony
3. commitment to my partner is just so scarce - note Mal 3:14 and the word covenant
4. are people marrying without any idea of commitment?
B. Remarriage into unlawful unions
1. Mt 19:9 with Rom 7:3 set out Gods will clearly
2. but the world certainly gives little, if any, consideration to what God has said
3. not unusual to find people married three or more times without the death of spouses as the end of previous marriages ...not only in entertainment world
4. yes, this, too, is affecting thinking of people in the Lords church ... but this behavior is sin, folks!
C. Children being born to unwed mothers
1. which means that unwed fathers have not honored Gods design which places sex in marriage (1 Cor 7:2)
2. over 50% of births are to unwed mothers ... now to 20's and 30's ... once, to teens who could at least claim immaturity
3. although this becomes socially accepted, it is a violation of Gods rule; it is sin for people to bring children into the world in this way
4. Gods plan, by the way, involves a mother and father, united in marriage, rearing children in keeping with Gods word ... the future of the generation of children being reared outside of Gods plan is a great question mark
D. Same sex unions
1. touted as alternate life style ... accepted widely
2. Lev 18:22 - Rom 1:26,27 (a serious Roman problem)
3. no matter how many laws may be passed to approve, give legal status, this is sin
4. pervert the law of God, damage will ensue
E. Question: how can we be in a right relationship with God while in sinful relationships with people?
1. 1 Thes 4:7
2. we cannot bend the rules for comfort, convenience
CLOSE: Sweet friends, our children deserve to be reared in homes in which marriage is honored in keeping Gods design ... in which they can see exemplified respect for the design, the plan of God. This is a serious matter with eternal overtones and consequences.
Cecil A. Hutson
14 May 2000
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)