1. Marriage and Singleness Matt Carson4/10/15

2. Main Points 1.God has just as much purpose for you when you are single than if you get married or are in a relationship 2.God’s ultimate intention for marriage is for it to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church 3.Christian marriage is not just the same as any other marriage that we see in society

4. God has just as much purpose for you when you are single than if you get married or are in a relationship

6. 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.

9. God’s ultimate intention for marriage is for it to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church First Marriage (Adam and Eve) God’s intention for marriage

10. God’s ultimate intention for marriage is for it to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church First Marriage (Adam and Eve) God’s intention for marriage The Fall

11. Ephesians 5:31-32 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

12. First Marriage (Adam and Eve) God’s intention for marriage The Fall Final Marriage (Christ and church) God’s ultimate intention for marriage is for it to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church

13. Human Marriage God’s ultimate intention for marriage is for it to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His Church First Marriage (Adam and Eve) God’s intention for marriage The Fall Final Marriage (Christ and church)

15. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society

16. ▪ Commitment

17. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross

18. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad

19. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving

20. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving ▪ Jesus served us by becoming less and serving all of our needs for eternity

21. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving ▪ Jesus served us by becoming less and serving all of our needs for eternity ▪ We are to take the focus off of ourselves and put the focus on serving our partner and serving God

22. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving ▪ Jesus served us by becoming less and serving all of our needs for eternity ▪ We are to take the focus off of ourselves and put the focus on serving our partner and serving God ▪ Love

23. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving ▪ Jesus served us by becoming less and serving all of our needs for eternity ▪ We are to take the focus off of ourselves and put the focus on serving our partner and serving God ▪ Love ▪ Jesus loved us with a love so fierce and intense that he died for us

24. Christian marriage cannot just be the same as any other marriage that we see in society ▪ Commitment ▪ Jesus remains committed and faithful to us, even when we nail him to a cross ▪ We are to remain committed and faithful to one another, through the good times and the bad ▪ Serving ▪ Jesus served us by becoming less and serving all of our needs for eternity ▪ We are to take the focus off of ourselves and put the focus on serving our partner and serving God ▪ Love ▪ Jesus loved us with a love so fierce and intense that he died for us ▪ We should love another with a love so fierce and intense that we are willing to die for one another

25. Summary ▪ The best single person is Jesus, therefore if you are single your goal is to be as like Jesus as possible ▪ The person who would be the best person to be married to is Jesus, therefore if you are married your goal is to be as Jesus like as possible ▪ Everybody’s goal is to be like Jesus!

27. 4 Tips for Singles 1.Use your time wisely 2.Use your singleness to work on yourself 3.Get to know God better 4.Find people who you think are honouring God and learn from them