The Blessed Marriage

Today, there are many reasons given why marriages are struggling. Some say it is sexual problems. Others say it is financial problems. These can be fruits of the real problem that marriage faces-----1) lack of vision for what marriage is, 2) a discomfort with accepting the roles that God has given us as a husband and wife.

Make a commitment not to put down marriage or family. (its a ball and a chain, enjoy your freedom)

What does God say about marriage?

• It is the reason why a man leaves his father and mother to establish himself.

Stop thinking selfishly and you are forced to think about another person (Eph. 5:31, Matthew 19:5-6, Genesis 1:27)
Every time we desecrate marriage, we desecrate the name of Jesus.
"Its better to be single than married." Marriage is the normative state. God says "Marriage is wonderful."
1 Corinthians 7----be like me (under the current stress) burned at the stake under Nero

Proverbs 18:22
1 Timothy 5:14
Proverbs 5:18

Thoughts for young men: "if a young man doesn't know where he is going, how dare he tangle himself with a women."

"If a young man is not spiritually in tune, he is not ready for marriage. A young man must be willing to grow in the Lord."

"A young man who is not ready to be a father is not ready for marriage."

Malachi 3:14-16

We must be specifically training our children to prepare for marriage.

If ever there was an age of temptation, this is the age of flesh.

There is a means of accomplishing an end. We must reinforce marriage before our children in a positive way. Plan and prepare for marriage.

Genesis : What God envisions a marriage to look like

Adam: God gives Adam his lifework before he has his life partner. Doing his life work, he realizes that he is missing something. Adam is given Woman, Eve.....a help meet suitable for him.

Her purpose is to be a helper (1 Cor 11) A woman is made for the man. That is why it is a perversion of natural order for the women to lead the family.

After the curse, we see the division of labor: A man is to work, a woman is to tend the children.

One man, one woman, one life-purpose.

Our culture says, one man, one woman, two directions, questioning leadership, chaos.

Titus 2:2-5 (KJV)
² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

"Keepers at home" is speaking of women guiding the house (1Ti 5:14). The Proverbs 31 woman was in charge of the house, but that doesn't mean she never left it (Pr 31). She purchased a field and planted a vineyard (Pr 31:16). She went to the merchants and shopped and brought the goods she made to them. She was involved in community activities. But her main responsibility was to her family.—Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary