Grace Changes Marriage

Grace Changes Marriage (Audio)

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Grace Changes Marriage

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto

his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak

concerning Christ and the church.”

Ephesians 5:31-32

1. What is Marriage?

• A biblical definition of marriage, along with marital advice, can be tough to find, but Genesis 2:24 is a good place to start.
• Godly instituted marriage is between one man and one woman.
• The law described marriage as a covenantal contract that reflected the relationship God had with Israel  Jeremiah 31:32, Isaiah 54:5
• The law said who you could and could not marry Leviticus 21:7, Deuteronomy 7:3-4
• It was a contract, and so divorce was a recourse Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Matthew 5:27,
  19:3-10
  Marriage is a covenant that, if broken, has consequences Malachi 2:14-15
• Prior to the mystery, first revealed to Paul, there was yet to be a complete picture of God’s intention with creating the “marriage union.”

2. Grace Redefines Marriage

• We now know that marriage is a picture of us, as believers, in the body of Christ and of how we are to operate with and relate to God, being in the body. Ephesians 5:22-33
• Marriage is an extension of our ambassadorship; everything we do in Christ’s body is a picture of who we now are in Christ, even if we are giving a false picture.
• People do not always read their bibles, but people constantly read people who say they read their bibles. We have a goal set before us to walk our “new man” position in Christ with integrity, knowing full well of our instruction.

3. Grace Changes Why You Marry

• It is important to be practical in choosing the one you will marry, but it is even more important to be doctrinal.
• Many marry for self-fulfillment, status and fairytales, but marriage is more than a ticket to another destination.
• It has been said that “Marriage is hard work,” but it also needs to be understood that marriage, if done God’s way, is a daily opportunity and challenge to work out and practice our temporal/earthly, yet spiritual, roles as ambassadors for Christ. Your spouse knows the “real you.” Make sure your testimony matches up with the one he or she would offer when it comes to who you are.
• 1 Corinthians 7:1-40 gives a whole list of truths for marriage and remarriage
• All of Paul’s epistles give a picture of who you are in Christ and who you should join yourself to in marriage, life, and even church. There is doctrine that should drive our choices, not just emotion and cultural influence.

4. Grace Changes How You Operate in Marriage

• There are enough churches, radio shows and ministries offering seminars and book titles on sex, passion, and marriage counseling. Along with church advice, there is a whole system of worldly guidance on who to marry, why to marry, and how to get along once you are married. Grace offers a Dispensational Perspective:
•  Husband has always been the head, but Christ has not always been  Ephesians 1:22
• Learning about marriage from mystery doctrines 1 Corinthians 11:3
• One person operating out of obedience and reverence brings salvation Philippians 2:6-8
• One person operating by love/grace can provide reconciliation  Romans 5:8
• Together you are one in Christ, by grace and not by the law  Ephesians 2:13-15
•  It operates by love, grace, submission, without condition - not performance
•  Grace gives what is not deserved and does the work freely  Romans 3:24, 8:32
• Grace crucifies the old man and reckons him dead Galatians 2:20, 5:24, Romans 6:11
• We think of the other better than ourselves, not selfish Philippians 2:2-4, 2:20-21
•  You are not your own anymore, you are Christ’s  1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 5:21

Correction: at 5:06 in the audio, I said that part of Israel was saved, but yet keeping the commandments. I misspoke there; Israel, more specifically the remnant, were awaiting salvation (blotting out of sins). See Acts 3:19-21. Sorry for the confusion, if that caught you off guard.