2. Successful Marriages
“Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:33).

3. Marriage – Ordained Of God
Designed By God
Why Ordained
Nature Of
Important Facts
Permanency Of

4. Why Fail Marriages Statistics Commitment Selfishness Communication
Finances
Fail

6. Successful Marriages
Warning!

7. Warning! 1) Your marriage can fail!
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
(a) We’re both Christians.
(b) You’ve been married for a long time.
(c) Your parents marriage was successful.
(d) We’ve been happily married until…
(e) We know what the Bible teaches.
(f) May remain married but not happy.

8. Successful Marriages
Warning!
Acceptance

9. Acceptance 1) Notice this comment.
“Look for the good in your mate, even when angry at them. Two imperfect persons will not have peace and harmony all of the time. By remembering their acts of consideration and kindness will help you work towards peace in your marriage.”

10. Acceptance 2) Not to be harsh & hypocritical.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

11. Acceptance 3) Be concerned of their interest.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3,4).

12. Acceptance 4) Be kind & gentle.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

13. Successful Marriages
Warning!
Acceptance
Forgiving

14. Forgiving 1) Humble enough to ask for.
“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:22-24).

15. Forgiving 2) Willingness to forgive.
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3,4).
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

16. Forgiving 3) Words we need to express. (a) I’m sorry.
(b) Will you forgive me?
(c) I love you.
(d) Please.
(e) Thank you.

17. Successful Marriages
Warning!
Acceptance
Forgiving
Sacrifice

18. Sacrifice 1) He is to provide for her.
“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).
Provide – “to perceive before, foresee; to provide, think of beforehand: to provide for one” (Thayer, p. 540).

19. Sacrifice 2) The virtuous wife.
“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard (Proverbs 31:11-16).

20. Successful Marriages
Warning!
Acceptance
Forgiving
Sacrifice
Time

21. Time 1) Time together important.
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

22. Time
2) Use time wisely.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15,16).

23. Successful Marriages
Warning!
Acceptance
Forgiving
Sacrifice
Time