DO NOT DESTROY THE ORDER: Securing the Promises of Marriage

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DO NOT DESTROY THE ORDER: Securing the Promises of Marriage

First Preached At Mt. Zion, Kwashieman District on Sat, Sep 22, 2012

God instituted marriage and blessed those who partake in it. Order is at the core of marriage, yet the order does not seem always attractive. Yet if the order is tampered with, out go the blessings ordained for it. This outline draws attention to the non-negotiable basics about marriage and highlights the misconceptions that make people often want to temper with the order. The entire outline is laced with hints of the blessings that come with observing the order. To effectively deal with a partner, who seems to be tampering with the order, just check how well you have been playing your own role.
Main Readings: Psalm 11:3, and Ephesians 5:21 – 33
1.      Marriage was instituted by God
2.      Marriage is a Business Eccl. 4:9
3.      Marriage is the perfect illustration of God’s Relationship with His chosen people
a.      Israel, He is the husband (Isaiah 54:5)
b.      The Church, He is the Bridegroom (Ephesians)
4.      Marriage is the core of all order that is instituted by God among men, and order is key to all that God does (1 Cor. 4:33; Matthew 8:9)
5.      Marriage will cease after death (Mark 12:25)
6.      Marriage is to be honoured above all relationships (Hebrews 13:4)
a.      Man shall leave his parents, means that parental control stops at the gates of marriage, where a new seed is sown by God to begin another fresh humanity (that can become another race, nation or empire
7.      The order in marriage is Man the Head, woman the Body (Ephesians 5:21 – 33)
The roles of headship are
a.      Loving and cherishing the body, his wife
b.      Providing spiritual leadership, ensuring that God’s word guides the wife’s actions as well
c.       Ruling in the home – 1 Timothy 3:4,5
The roles of the body are
a.      Helping the head, subsuming own ambitions in that of the head
b.      Reverence of and submission to the Head Ephesians 5: 33
c.       Governing the home Proverbs 31: 10 - 31
Remember that the woman’s role though, in today’s scheme of things, does not appear very attractive, nonetheless, her blessings are ordained therein!
Why the Disruptions
These tend to come when the couple succumb to Laziness and Unfounded Expectations
1.      Laziness is when we go to sleep on our ordained roles.
2.      Unfounded expectations include the following (The verses in the brackets show that the Bible teaches otherwise:
a.      Children are a gift from men and women, not God (Psalm 127:3, and note especially that when the New Testament talks about fruitfulness, it is actually talking about souls worn, rather than physical children born)
b.      Wives are as well-versed in the Scriptures as they first appear (Eph 5)
c.       Men do not have to submit their considerations to God before they act
d.      Each can decide when to have sexual relations  (1 Corinthians 7:4)
e.      Women can assume the role of headship, if the husband is slow - (Abigail could as well have acted in the name of her husband, Nabal) (1Timothy 2:12)
The Blessings
The Blessings of Marriage are numerous to mankind and those at the core of it, the couple. In Psalm 133, you can read what blessings come from order and in order. Huge blessings, especially for the woman who observes the order are also found in Psalm 45: 1 – 17 

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