2. Once Upon A Time The Story of Marriage

3. Genesis 2:18-25 18 Then the L ORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the L ORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the L ORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the L ORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

4. In The Beginning… God Had Expectations Humans naturally seek social interaction through relationships. Husband and Wife should compliment one another. They should enjoy and take great pleasure from one another. They are in a closed, supportive, and reliable relationship. They are involved in an intimate and safe relationship.

5. Genesis 3:16-21 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the L ORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

6. But Alas! Sin Destroyed God’s Expectations Sin kept them from communicating together. Sin demanded self before spouse. Sin searched for approval and pleasure elsewhere. Sin brought others into the relationship to examine and criticize them. Sin exposed the secrets between lovers.

7. Ezekiel 16:6-16 6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. 8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord G OD, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord G OD. 15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.

8. Nourishing and Protecting God used marriage as an image of how He wanted to be toward Israel. Through marriage, both spouses are to learn to care for one another’s needs, share in struggles and victories, and learn how to make one another stronger in their weaknesses and lean on one another for strength.

9. Hosea 2:14-20 14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 “And in that day, declares the L ORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the L ORD.

10. The Deepest Wound The Bible is clear on reasons for divorce, valid reasons that permit a spouse to leave the relationship that God designed to be life-long. But even in this deepest of hurts, God can teach us how to forgive and to heal in the area of adultery and infidelity. While divorce is permitted, God wants to redeem the relationship from imminent destruction caused by sin that gets between you.

11. Ephesians 5:25-27, 32 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. 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

12. The Marriage Mission Like husband and wife, Christ shows us that there is a goal to marriage. It has a purpose, to make each spouse better! There is work to be done together to share in the responsibilities and roles that God has ordained, and through these roles, we become more godly.

13. Revelation 21:2; 22:17 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

14. Delightful Destiny Marriage is also seen as one of the best images to explain what heaven will be like. Christ and His Bride show us that the joy and happiness that God intended in the beginning can also be restored, even now! There is a whole lot of celebrating that marriage should be bringing to us. Marriage has a destiny to be reached through adventure and hard work.

15. Once Upon A Time The Story of Marriage