Building Blocks For Holy Matrimony

We see this word “however” in verse 32 because the mystery of Christ and the church is primary and the secondary is that our marriages should resemble Christ and the church. More important than your marriage is Christ and His bride. We see how Christ loves us and we mirror this in our marriages. And there are two elements to this which Paul concludes this section of marriage on:

#1 Husband love your wife. And do this in the same way that Jesus Christ loves his bride. Jesus loves us Sacrificially. He sacrificed Himself, the most precious gift that we could receive. Jesus loves us Wholly. All of Jesus loves all of us. Not just portions. He loves us Wholly. And Jesus loves us Only… Jesus did not come to save animals. Jesus did not come to save the trees. Jesus did not come to save the fish. Jesus came to save His bride. Husbands, love your wife.

#2 Wives respect your husband. One of the worst things to see on television is the idiocracy that the media gives to the father of each show. And what happens is that instead of emulating Christ with his bride, we emulate the culture. Wives, show respect to your husband, so that the world may know the God of creation. Verse 22 tells the wife that she should submit to her husband as she submits to Christ. But husband, in order for this mystery to be fulfilled, you must Walk in a manner that is worthy of your calling. You must resemble Christ. Wives, respect your husband.

Your marriage should be a direct reflection of Christ. Christ is loving and merciful and forgiving and hopeful and joyful and kind and patient and honoring. And you should want your marriage to be all of these things. The following is a list of ways that you can immediately improve your marriage and transform it into a Holy Matrimony.

1) Husbands, love your wife.
This excludes loving yourself. This excludes loving other women. This excludes loving the idea of other women, which leads to addiction to pornography. Simply this, love your wife. And love her the same way that Christ has loved you.

2) Pray Together.
There is great benefit in praying together. Spend time listening to one another pray, and submit your individual lives and your marriage to God.

3) Strive for sanctification.
Desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit each day. If you don’t desire sanctification in your marriage, then you need to look at the Justification of each of the individual parts of the marriage. And a lot of times, this is where the nail is hit on the head. You might think you are saved, but you only think. You have not committed your life to following Christ. Your marriage should strive for sanctification.

4) Be in the Word of God every day.
Wash each other in the Word. Read the Word. Make it a part of your every day routine. Wake up 10 minutes early each day to wash one another in the Word. You can’t go out in public without take a shower, and you can’t take your marriage out in public without being washed in the Word.

5) Focus on Holiness.
Let this world go. Don’t worry about what the world thinks about you. We get so caught up in the relationships of this world. You know, statistics say that divorce is dropping in the United States. But the reason that it is dropping is because less people are getting married. They see that the cultural norm is to just live together, have sex outside of the marriage bed and that is a good thing. And we allow our culture to speak to us more than the actual Word of God. We allow certain shows that we watch on TV to dictate how we live our lives. As a matter of fact, we celebrate these cultural norms of sex outside of marriage with watch parties. And if that is your life and your marriage today, then you need to repent and turn to Christ. Because there is no room for that type of lifestyle in the Christian walk and there is no room for that type of debauchery in this church. We will not be a two-faced church. We will not allow the culture to dictate our lives. We will not tolerate living life one way outside of the church building and then walking into the church building acting all holy.

We have committed to one another to devote ourselves to one another, to strive for holiness. We have committed to seek Christ daily. And if you are allowing cultural temptations, sex outside of marriage and celebrating these things to be a part of your life, then you need to get right with God. That will not be tolerated in the church. Your focus should be on holiness. Your sights should be set on seeking Christ daily.

6) Review your Church Covenant.

• I will attend worship faithfully. (Psalm 100, Colossians 3:1-17)
• I will strive to be a part of a Sunday School Class where I can develop authentic relationships with others, so we can help one another grow in our relationship with Christ. (Acts 2:44-47)
• I will work to protect the peace and unity of Grace Community Baptist Church by acting in love toward other members, refusing to gossip, and following the leaders as they follow Christ. (1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 4:29, Hebrews 13:7)
• I will practice and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in all circumstances, especially in times of difficulty or conflict. (Galatians 5:22-26)
• I will use my spiritual gifts, time, and talents to participate in some form of ministry or service. (1 Corinthians 12 and 14, Ephesians 4:7-16)
• I will join my church family in sharing Christ’s love in our local communities and around the world by being involved in our missions strategy. (Matthew 28:18-20)
• I will give generously, cheerfully, and regularly to financially support Grace Community Baptist Church and its ministry. (2 Corinthians 9:6-13, Malachi 3:8-10)

7) Outline Pastor’s Sermons.
One of the best ways that you and your wife can grow together is to study together. There is much benefit is re-listening to the weekly sermon and outlining the points that impacted your life. From there, spend time talking with your spouse about the implications in your own life. And then conclude by praying together.