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Amen. All right, we are there in Malachi chapter number two. And I'd like you to keep your place right there in Malachi chapter two, if you would. And I'd like you to go with me to the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter number two. You're in Malachi chapter number two, which is the last book in the Old Testament. I'd like you to go to Genesis chapter two, which is the first book in the Old Testament, first book in the Bible. Keep your place right there in Malachi chapter two. That will be our text for this morning. And of course, this morning, we're starting a brand new series called Happily Ever After. And we're gonna spend the next several weeks talking about the Christian hope. We're talking about marriage, having children, raising children, and I'm glad you're with us. Whenever we start a brand new series, it's a good time to be in church. And I wanna encourage you to commit to be with us every week of the Happily Ever After series. Commit to be here every week as we study this out from the Bible and look at this idea of marriage. And I wanna begin this morning by talking about the institution of marriage. And I'd like to give just kind of a biblical overview over just the subject of marriage and the institution of marriage. And I wanna begin here in Genesis chapter two. We're gonna go back to Malachi here in a minute. But in Genesis chapter number two, we find the establishment of marriage. And just by way of introduction, and if you're taking notes, I'm definitely gonna give you some notes and things for you to jot down. On the back of your course of the week, there's a place for you to write down some notes. And I would encourage you to do that. Like I said, we're starting a brand new series. So maybe you say, I haven't been a good note taker. Well, you can start right now. And if you're with us every week and you take notes, you're gonna have several weeks worth of notes on the subject of marriage and the home. And then you can take those notes and publish them and write a book. And as long as you're tied to the church, then we'll be fine with that. So Genesis chapter two. Look down at verse number 21, Genesis chapter two and verse 21, the Bible says, And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. And he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. In this passage of scripture, we see that it is God who ordained the institution of marriage. Of course, if you're familiar with the story of Adam and Eve and the creation story, you know that on the sixth day when God created Adam, he brought all the animals that God had created, brought them to Adam and Adam named them all. But there was not found a help meet for Adam. And God decided to put Adam to sleep and he took one of his ribs and out of that rib, he created woman and brought her unto the man. And this is why Adam says, she is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She was literally taken out of Adam and the Bible says in verse 23, be called woman. Notice it is Adam who named her. He said she'll be called woman because she was taken out of man. And we see that God here institutes marriage. God is in some ways the minister proceeding over this marriage union. He brings the bride, Eve. Normally when we have a marriage ceremony, you will have the father of the bride, walk her down the aisle. And it is the father who presents the bride to the groom. Here we find that it is God who brought Eve to Adam. He brought her unto the man. The Bible says there in verse 22. And he ordained this institution, verse 24, therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. Notice that they were now married and they shall be one flesh and they were both naked. The man and his wife and were not ashamed. So it's God that instituted marriage. And of course, this should go without saying, but in our crazy culture we live in, you have to make sure you clearly state these things. Marriage was instituted by God and marriage was instituted as a relationship between one man and one woman. And marriage was never meant to be anything other than that. Over the years, people have tried to pervert that. In many ways, some cultures have polygamy where they will have a man who's married to more than one wife, but that is not, even in the Bible, you'll find those examples, but that is not what God instituted. He instituted the idea that two shall become one. They are no more twain, but one flesh. It is two individuals that come together. They become one flesh. And of course, it's a man and a woman. It was Adam and Eve, of course, as we often joke, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. So it was one man and one woman is the institution that God ordained in marriage. And I want you to know this just by way of introduction. God ordained three different institutions. There are three institutions upon this earth that God ordained, that God created, and they all have to do with human relationship. The first we see here in Genesis chapter two, and it is the institution of marriage. Later on in the book of Genesis, we see the second institution that God brought forth, and it is the institution of government. God instituted government for human relationship. He instituted marriage for human relationship. And then of course, the third institution that we find in the New Testament is that of the local church. And again, all of these have to do with the interaction between human beings and how we are to be in a society. And of course, we need to understand that the first one, the institution of marriage, the creation of a Christian home, is the bedrock of the other two institutions. It is the home, it is the homes and the families that strengthen a nation, and it is the homes and the families that strengthen a church. And when you understand that, then you will understand why it is that the home is so under attack today. There are so many people out there and philosophies that want to attack the institution of marriage, want to attack the home, they want to attack the nuclear family, they want to destroy it, why? Because it is an institution that God ordained, it was God's idea, God developed it, and it is something that is vital for both our nation, for any nation, and for a church. The reason that I want to preach on the subject of the home, and the reason we're gonna talk about Christian marriage and raising children and all those things over the next several weeks, is for several reasons. First of all, as many of you are aware, over the last four months, I've performed four weddings. We've done four weddings in four months, and there's even more to come, and we've got a lot of young people getting married, and of course, whenever I do a marriage ceremony, I always force the couple to go through premarital counseling, but as young people usually do, most of them don't listen, and I figure we've got all these young couples running around, and I figure right about now, they're starting to get on each other's nerves, and I'm sure that right about now, they're already having their fights and all those things, so it's a good time to review some of these principles, but you know what you say, so you're preaching this for the young couples, it's not a normal thing to have so many newlyweds, so yeah, it's good for the newlyweds, but it's also good for the not so newlyweds, and for those of you that are married and you've been married, it's gonna be good for you. You might say, well, I'm already, our kids are grown, or maybe I'm a widow or a widower, or I'm not in that phase of life, but we're gonna be talking about raising children, and if you have grandchildren, then these sermons will be a benefit to you and a help for you, and even if you say, well, I'm just a single guy, and I'm never gonna get married, you know what? The home is under attack, and these sermons need to be taught and preached, and we need to understand what the Bible teaches about these things, because it's in all of our best interests to make sure that we have strong homes, that we have strong marriages, that we have godly children that we are raising, so we see here in Genesis chapter two, the institution of marriage, and I'd like you to keep your finger right there in Genesis. We're gonna come back to it and go back to Malachi chapter number two, Malachi chapter two. This morning I'm preaching on the institution of marriage, and it's kind of an introductory sermon to this series called Happily Ever After, and today what we're gonna do is we're just gonna do a Biblical overview of marriage, exactly what does the Bible teach about marriage, what is marriage, what is supposed to happen within marriage, and we're gonna do it, and we're gonna learn it through this passage of scripture, Malachi chapter two. Now I understand that Malachi chapter two is kind of an obscure passage of scripture when it comes to marriage. It's not really the passage of the scripture that you think of, like Ephesians chapter number five, and don't worry, we're gonna hit Ephesians five, we're gonna hit all those passages over the next several weeks, but what's interesting about Malachi chapter two is that between verses 14, 15, and 16, you find all the characteristics of a Biblical marriage. Now I think the reason that it's often not a passage that's preached through in regards to marriage is because, and I'll just be upfront with you, it is a negative passage. It is a passage of scripture where God is speaking to people that are not doing well in their marriage, that are doing wrong in their marriage, and he's rebuking them, and he's reproving them, and in that, we find what God actually expects and wants from marriage. So we understand that it's a negative passage, but it gives us the characteristics of marriage, and I'd like for us to look at those, and I'd like for us to begin by just having a clear understanding of what are the characteristics of marriage. What are the characteristics of the institute of marriage? Keep your place there in Genesis. Go back to Malachi chapter two. Let me give them to you this morning. There's four thoughts I'd like you to remember, to learn, and to jot down if you're taking notes. The first one is this. When we talk about the characteristic of marriage, well, let's look at it. Look down at verse number 13. Malachi chapter two and verse 13. The Bible says this. And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, and so much that he regarded not the offering anymore, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. And again, this is a negative passage of scripture. Here, God is rebuking these people, and he's saying, look, you're crying out with tears, and you're weeping, and you're crying out, but he, referring to God, regarded not the offering anymore, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. God is upset with the nation of Israel. He's saying, you can go ahead and bring your offerings, but I'm not receiving them with good will at your hand. You can go ahead and bring your sacrifices and your offerings, but I'm not regarding them at this point. And because of that, this question arises. Malachi, the prophet, in verse 14, he says, yet ye say wherefore. The word wherefore means for what reason? Why is God so upset? Why is God so angry? Why is God so upset that he is, even while we are covering the altar with tears, with weeping, with crying out, he's not regarding the offerings. He's not receiving them anymore. He says, yet ye say wherefore. Why is God so angry with us? Why is God judgment upon us? And the Bible says, in verse 14, because the Lord hath been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth. Here, God says, I'm upset at you. I'm upset with the nation of Israel, and I'm bringing my judgment upon Israel because of your marriages, because of your home. He said, you wanna know why I'm so upset, God would say, Malachi, the prophet would say? He says, here's why God's upset, because the Lord hath been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth, remember, it's a negative passage, against whom thou has dealt treacherously. I want you to notice what he says there at the end of verse 14. He says, yet. He says, yet, though you've dealt treacherously with her, yet is she thy, I want you to notice this word, companion, and the wife of thy covenant. When we look at this idea of the institute of marriage, and we look at the characteristics of marriage, the first characteristic that we have to understand is that of companionship. You say, what is marriage? What is marriage all about? Well, first of all, it's about companionship. Here, God says that he has been the witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, and he says, even though you're mad at her, even though you're upset with her, even though you've dealt treacherously with her, he says, yet is she thy companion. When God looks down at marriage and the institution of marriage, the first thing he sees is two becoming one, and two choosing to be each other's companion. Keep your finger there in Malachi chapter two, go back to Genesis chapter one, Genesis chapter one. Here's the truth of the matter, you've heard me say it before, I think I said it last week, but we were not meant to be alone. We were meant to live in community. God was not, we were not meant to live isolated lives. In Genesis chapter one, I'd like you to go back to Genesis, we were in chapter two, but I'd like you to go back to chapter one. I wanna just point something out to you from the creation story. In Genesis chapter one, we have the creation story where God created the heaven and the earth and everything that is therein in six literal days. The Bible says there in Genesis chapter one in verse one, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water. And God said, let there be light, and there was light. I want you to notice verse four. And God saw the light, I want you to notice these words, that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. You'll notice in this creation story that as God is creating, as God is in the process of creation, he often steps back after he's created something, and he says that it was good. We see there in Genesis one, four. And God saw the light, that it was good. Notice, skip down to verse number nine, same chapter, Genesis chapter one, verse nine. And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called the sea. I want you to notice there verse 10. And God saw that it was good. Notice verse 11. And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding the fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and trees yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind. Notice it again, verse 12. And God saw that it was good. Skip down to verse number 16. We're skipping a few verses here just for sake of time. Notice verse 16. And God made two lights, the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. Notice again, verse 18. And God saw that it was good. Look at verse 21. And God created the whales, and every living creature that moveth with waters, and brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind. Notice it again. And God saw that it was good. Look at verse 25. And God made the beasts of the earth after his kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind. And God saw that it was good. We see there in verse four that the Bible says, and God saw the light, that it was good. We saw in verse 10. And God saw that it was good. We saw in verse 12. And God saw that it was good. We saw in verse 18. And God saw that it was good. We saw in verse 21. And God saw that it was good. We saw in verse 25. And God saw that it was good. Why don't you notice there in verse number 31, Genesis 1 31, at the end of the whole thing. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, notice it, it was very good. In the evening and the morning were the six days. You get to the end of creation, and you get this feeling that God thought everything was good. Over and over he says it was good. It was good, it was good. He gets to the end. He says it was very good. I want you to notice when you step into Genesis chapter two and verse number 18, the Bible says this, and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. Why don't you understand something that God looked down upon creation, and he saw that it's good. He saw the light, he said it was good. He saw the earth, and the mountains, and the ocean, he said it was good. He saw the stars, and the heavens, and the moon, and the sun, he said it was good. He saw the beast of the field, and the fish of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and he said it was good. And he looks down at Adam, and he sees him alone, and he says it's not good. And the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone. So he says I will make him and help me for him. See, we're not meant to be alone, and marriage solves that problem. The vast majority of people are meant to be married. Now, I say it that way because the Bible does teach that there are some people who should not marry, and we will deal with that at a different time in this series, but let me just say this. If you are a single person in church this morning, the Bible teaches that we must learn to be content in whatever state we find ourselves in. First Corinthians seven and verse 27, the Bible says this. You don't have to turn there. I'll just read this for you. It says, art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. As we've been traveling through the book of Second Corinthians, I've been emphasizing that the Apostle Paul in these books, First and Second Corinthians, is dealing a lot with the subject of ministry. You can tell that Paul was not just a guy that would show up into town and kind of get a church going and leave, but he really loved these people, spent time with these people. You can tell that he counseled these people. You say, how can you tell that? Because when you've been in ministry for 11 years or several years, like Pastor Thompson and Ms. Cherry, or 11 years, like my wife and I, you start seeing some of these things in the scripture. You're like, yeah, this guy, you know, you can tell he's dealt with people. You say, what makes you say that? Here's what makes me say that in Second Corinthians chapter seven and verse 27. You know what, we spend a lot of time talking to single people about, you know, learning to be content because they're not married, and then we spend a lot of time talking to married people, learning to be content because they are married. And he says, art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Like you say, I'm not happy in my marriage. Well, don't seek to be loosed. Hey, let us help you come through the series and learn biblically how to live happily ever after. But you know what, art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. So what does that mean? It means, look, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to be married and those things, but you need to learn to be content in whatsoever state you are. And I'm gonna be preaching a sermon to the singles and about preparing to be married and those things, and I would encourage you to just stay tuned. But let me just say this. Most people will get married and most people will be married. Some people will not, and God has designed it that way, and there's nothing wrong with that. The point is that we were not meant to be alone. Marriage solves that problem. You say, I'm not married. Well, then you dead sure better be faithful to church and develop some good friendships within church because even if you're not married, you're not meant to be alone. You're meant to live within community. It's not good that the man should be alone. So when we talk about marriage and the characteristic of marriage, the first characteristic is that of companionship. Why? Because you're not meant to be alone, and if you're married, you should not be alone. And here's what you need to understand about marriage, and keep your places there in Genesis. I'm not sure where you're at right now, Genesis or Malachi, but I'd like you to go with me, if you would, to the New Testament book of 1 Peter. Towards the end of the New Testament, if you start at the end in the book of Revelation and you go backwards, you have Jude, 3 John, 2 Peter, and get to 1 Peter, Revelation, Jude, 3 John, 2 Peter, then 1 Peter, now I realize you have your place in Genesis, and I realize you have your place in Malachi, but I'd like you to also keep a finger in 1 Peter. That's the last one I'm gonna ask you to do that for, I promise, all right? Keep your place in 1 Peter, because we're gonna leave it, and we're gonna come back to it. But let me just say this. If you're married, or if you're going to get married, you need to understand that your spouse is who you chose as a partner for life. In fact, when we perform, when I perform marriage ceremonies, after we get through all the pomp and circumstance of having all the different people walk in and all the different things, when we're getting ready to get down to brass tacks and do what we were there to do, which is perform the vows and those things, I will often say something like this. I'll say, so then, if you, and I'll say the guy's name, and you, and I'll say the gal's name, have freely and deliberately chosen each other as partners for life, would you please join me on the platform and turn towards each other, holding hands? You say, Pastor, why do you say that if you so and so and you so and so have freely and deliberately chosen each other as partners for life? Why do you say that before you have them take the vows? Here's why I have them say that, because that's what marriage is. It is a choice to make this individual your partner for life, your companion, the person that you will spend your life with. First Peter chapter three, are you there? Look at verse seven. First Peter chapter three, verse seven. Notice what the Bible says, likewise ye husbands. And we're gonna look at first Peter in this series later on, but I want you to notice this verse, just verse seven. Likewise ye husbands, I understand we're jumping in the middle of a context here, but he says likewise ye husband. I just want you to know this little phrase, dwell with them. Why would he say dwell with them? Because you're choosing a companion, a partner for life. God said that I will make him and help meet a help suitable for him. Here the Bible says likewise ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. Notice, as being heirs together of the grace of life. Let me just point out a couple things that I always like to point out whenever I find myself in this verse. First of all, I want you to notice that it says about the wife that she is the weaker vessel. And we often highlight that in the sense that the females are physically weaker and all those things obviously than a man. Look, we live in this world that says men and women are equal. Really, your body doesn't say so. It's not, you could tell yourself that because that's what Sesame Street taught you, whatever liberal shows you watch. But science doesn't tell you that. I mean, women are physically weaker than men. There's a different, look, he created male and female, they're different. Now one's not better than the other, but they are different. We live in a world today that wants to just mesh these two things. That's why you have the transvestite movement today. Say, as transgender, they're transvestites. But God says, look, they're the weaker vessel. And now, let me just point this out for the men. It doesn't say that they're the weak vessel. See, the weak vessel would assume that there's a strong vessel and a weak vessel. It doesn't say that. It says that they are the weaker vessel. You know what that means? Is that God looks down at man and says, man's weak, and then he looks down at the female and he says, and she's weaker. So men, don't get too hyped up upon your own strength. God looks down at you and says, you're weak. You say, why do you need to remember that you're weak? Because sometimes men need to remember the fact that they can't do it on their own and you need God. You need God to be the husband that God's called you to be. You need God to be the father that God's called you to be. You need God in your life. So a man is not the strong one and she's the weak one. No, no, no, God says you're weak and she's weaker. Anyway, I don't know what that had to do with anything. It's just interesting. Likewise, ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. Notice, and being, I just want you to know this, heirs together. You're partners. You're heirs together. You're not better than her. She's not better than you. You're both saved, hopefully, Lord willing. That's a sermon we'll cover in another part of this series. You're both saved. You should be both saved. You're both inheriting. You're both inheriting heaven one day. You're heirs together of the grace of life. So the idea is this, that when we talk about marriage, a marriage is a union of two companions. It is companionship. Let me just say this. Your spouse ought to be your best friend, period. In fact, you husbands, if you have this idea like, oh, she's my wife and here's my best friend, you're wrong. That's wrong. Stop saying that. Stop thinking that. Your wife ought to be your best friend. Ladies, your husband ought to be your best friend. I'm here to tell you something. When you got married, you decided this individual is going to be my number one human priority, relationship in my life. Say, why do you say your number one human relationship? I say it that way for a reason. Because obviously, in all things, he should have the preeminence. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. God should always be first in all of our lives, but when it comes to human relationships, that wife or that husband ought to be your number one companion, number one priority. You say, my wife's not my best friend. Then make her your best friend. My husband, I don't really get along with him. Then learn to get along. You say, how do I do that? Well, we've got about 10 weeks' worth of sermons that are going to help you. So number one, we see the characteristic of the Institute of Marriage. What is it? It is companionship. Go back to Malachi chapter 2, if you would. Malachi chapter 2. Why don't you notice the second characteristic? We find here in Malachi chapter 2. Not only do we see companionship, she is thy companion. Yet is she thy companion, he says. In Malachi chapter 2, verse 14, why don't you notice that he says, yet ye say wherefore. Notice, he says, because the Lord hath been witness. Here, God is referring to not only a marriage, but a wedding ceremony. The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth. Here, Malachi, the prophet, is telling these men who are dealing treacherously with their wives, he says, do you understand that on the day that you got married, on the day that you walked down the aisle, on the day that you sent those vows, and you sent those vows before your friends, often at weddings that we perform, I will say something along these lines, before your family, your friends, and our Heavenly Father. You say, why do you say that? Here's why. Because when you take those marriage vows, you spend all this time planning these wedding ceremonies, and you got all these invitations, and you set them all up, and you make sure that your every person that needed to be invited was invited, and your close relatives, and your not-so-close relatives. You went through a list and decided, I'm gonna invite these people, not these people, whatever. But I'm here to tell you, there was one person, the most important person, that was present at that ceremony, and it was God Almighty God. God was a witness to your wedding. The Lord had been witness to the vows that you made between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou has dealt treacherously, yet she is thy companion. Why don't you notice this little phrase? And the wife of thy covenant. When we look at the characteristic of marriage, what we see is, first of all, the characteristic of companionship. I want you to notice, secondly, that we see the characteristic of commitment. See, marriage is a lifelong commitment. When we go through the marriage vows, we'll say something along these lines. So, we'll ask these individuals to commit to certain things. They commit by saying, I do. And one of the commitments is, so long as you both shall live, do you so promise? And when you said, I do, the Lord had been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth. We'll say, would you commit to these things by repeating after me? And one of the things that they say is, till death do us part. I want you to understand. You say, we're talking about marriage in 2022. No, no, no, we're talking about marriage in the Bible. What is the characteristics of marriage in the Bible? The characteristics are companionship and they are commitment. Now, let me just give a disclaimer on the subject of divorce. Go to Romans, if you would, Romans chapter seven. You're there in Malachi, you got Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans. Romans chapter seven. Of course, we live in a society today where we're told that 40% of marriages end in divorce. 40%, sometimes we're told up to 60% of marriages are ending in divorce. And by the way, that is in secular and in Christian marriages. Obviously, in a room like this, there's 210 people in a room like this and there are many of you, many people in this room, sitting in this room right now that have been divorced. And of course, I always wanna make the disclaimer that I'm not preaching this to beat up on you. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. However, I'm not gonna change the Bible for you either. The Bible teaches that marriage is a lifelong commitment. And you say, well, I've been divorced. Well, let me let you in on a little secret. You're a sinner. I'm a sinner. I've never been divorced, but I'm a sinner just like you are. You say, what do I do? Ask God to forgive you and move on. You know the apostle Paul had put people to death and he said, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but there's one thing I do for getting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. You say, I've been divorced, what do I do? Hey, ask God to forgive you and don't do it again. Same answer to, look, it doesn't matter what the question is, I've been divorced. Ask God to forgive you, don't do it again. I robbed a liquor store. Ask God to forgive you, don't do it again. I've committed adultery. Ask God to forgive you, don't do it again. I killed someone. Ask God to forgive, it's the same answer. Sin is sin is sin is sin is sin. But when we talk about marriage, you have to understand that God wants a lifelong commitment. And look, here's what I know for those of you that have been divorced. And look, we've had conversations. You know my wife and I love you. We don't treat anyone here like a second class citizen. Many people have been divorced, they didn't know. People come to our church and say, I wish somebody would have taught me these things. Here's what I know about those of you that have been divorced, whether we've had a conversation about it or not, here's what I know about you. Because it's true across the board. Everyone who's ever been divorced refers to it as one of the most painful things they've ever gone through in their life. In fact, when people are surveyed and studied and they talk about the most difficult, anxious, stressful times of their lives, two things that are always put at the top of those lists are divorce and bankruptcy. Here's what I know about you. If you've been divorced, you wouldn't want that for your children. If you've been divorced, you wouldn't want that for these four precious newlyweds that are scattered across this auditorium. So instead of getting all offended and proud and arrogant about your sin, why don't you realize, hey, I'm a sinner like anyone else and I'm glad there's a pastor that's trying to teach some of these young people to not go down that road and to not make those mistakes. And you know what, let me just say this. And if you're divorced and you're remarried, then this sermon is still for you because you know what, you need to commit to the marriage you're in. You need to decide. You say, well, I got divorced and I got remarried and I didn't know these things. Okay, well, forgetting those things were right behind, reaching forth until those things were right before, and you know what, God wants you to be happily ever after in that marriage. So the sermon is still for you because God wants you to commit to the person you're married to right now and decide and make a lifetime commitment. The Bible teaches that marriage is till death do us part. Are you there in Romans chapter seven? Look at verse one. Romans chapter seven and verse one. The Bible says, know ye not, brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth, verse two, for the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband, and this is vice versa, husband and wife, as long as he liveth, but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. The Bible teaches, this is why we say, till death do us part. Marriage is a lifetime commitment that ends at death. By the way, the Mormons are wrong. You're not gonna be married in heaven. There's no marriage in heaven. Marriage ends at death. And if you're married and your spouse dies, then the Bible says you're free to marry another. But while your spouse is alive, you gotta make this commitment. You gotta make this commitment that it's till death do us part. 1 Corinthians chapter seven. You're there in Romans. Go to 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians seven. And here's why it's important to say, to teach this. 1 Corinthians chapter seven. What I often tell young couples and what I'm telling you right now if you're married is remove divorce as an option. Remove that word from your vocabulary. I mean, if you have to go home and open up every dictionary in your house and cut the word divorce out of the dictionary. Forget about that word. Here's what couples like to do. They like to fight and they like to throw this word around, divorce, divorce, divorce, divorce. You say, Pastor, are you preaching about me? Okay, first of all, like, everyone does that. Number one and number two, yes. I'm preaching to all of you. Don't throw this word divorce around. Forget that concept. Decide, you know what, I made a lifelong commitment. You know, when it comes to my wife, you know, obviously my wife and I aren't, you know, I think we have a great marriage. But obviously we're not perfect. You know, we have our, but I'm thinking, my wife has, you know, you ask her, she would say, I've never thought about divorce as an option. You ask me, I've never thought about divorce as an option. No, my wife has thought about murder as an option. You know, because it's till death do us part. But divorce is off the table. I'm just here to tell you that you've got to make a commitment. You just got to say, you know what, biblical marriage is companionship. Biblical marriage is commitment. And here's what you need to understand. When you got married, you entered into a covenant. See, people, they get this idea, they say, oh, I made a vow to my spouse, and you did. But you know, the Bible teaches that what you actually did was you made a vow to God about your spouse. You understand that? I made a commitment to God about my wife. I entered into a covenant with my wife, but I actually entered into a covenant with God about my wife. And she entered into a covenant with God about her husband. When you got married, the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth. Malachi chapter two, can you go back there? Look at verse 15. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit, and wherefore one that he might seek a godly seed, therefore take heed to your spirit, and that none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Verse 16, for the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away. That term, putting away, or to put away, is a biblical term for divorce. I want you to notice the Bible says that the Lord hateth putting away. What does God think about divorce? He hates it. He hateth putting away. Go to Matthew chapter 19, you're there in Malachi? Flip over to Matthew chapter 19. Now look, and of course, I can't get into all these details and we will deal with this over the next several weeks in our marriage, but look, obviously there are situations where sometimes people have to separate. I mean, you know, you've got some lady married to some child molesting pedophile, reprobate. You know, you're not gonna tell them like, oh, you just keep your kids there and let them get molested. Obviously, we understand that there are times when separation has to happen and I'm not condoning divorce and I'm not ever for divorce and I never advise anyone to get a divorce and I never will. But we understand that sometimes for safety issues or whatever, there has to be a separation. The Bible deals with that and talks about that and we will cover that at a different time. But I want you to understand that in general, God hates divorce. He hates putting away. Malachi, excuse me, Matthew chapter 19. Matthew chapter 19, verse three. Obviously, you would never tell a woman who's gonna get killed by her husband, you know, just stay there and let him kill you. Matthew chapter 19 and verse three. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him. Here, they're testing and they're trying God, Jesus. And saying unto him, here's their question, is it lawful? Is it okay? Is it a sin? Is it wrong? For a man to, here's our phrase, put away his wife for every cause? See, God, they're asking, can we just get a divorce for any reason? Notice Matthew 19 and verse five. This is Jesus' response. And said for this cause, notice he's quoting Genesis, shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh. Verse six, wherefore for that reason, because a man shall leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife and they twain shall be one flesh. He says, wherefore for that reason they are no more twain. What does that mean? They are no more two. There's not two, see, at the marriage altar, two individuals come to that altar and one leaves. They are no more twain but one flesh. Notice what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. So the characteristic of an institute of marriage is commitment. You gotta commit to your marriage. I understand that marriages have heartaches. I understand that they have difficulties. I understand that they have issues and problems and sometimes we need help and that's why God has given you a church and that's why God has given you a pastor and a pastor's wife. But you gotta decide right now, I'm gonna commit to this thing. So we see companionship, we see commitment. Why don't you notice, keep your place right there in Matthew 19. Go back to Malachi chapter two. Here's a third characteristic for you. In Malachi chapter two and verse 15, he says, and did not he make one? You'll find that whenever you find scriptures about marriage throughout the Bible, you often find this analogy that two shall become one or this idea of one flesh. And this can be applied in many different ways but to be perfectly honest with you and without spending too much time on this, obviously in a mixed company with children, the reference to becoming one flesh is primarily referring to, there's many ways you can apply it and different things you can apply it to but the application as you study the scripture has to do with the physical relationship of a husband and wife. They become one flesh. And I want you to understand that in marriage and in the Institute of Marriage, we have the characteristics of companionship and we have the characteristic of commitment but we also have the characteristic of consummation that there is to be a physical relationship between a husband and wife and that should only take place within a husband and wife. In Matthew 19 and verse five, if you kept your place there, he says, and said for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh. A reference to this relationship. I'm not sure if you kept your place in 1 Peter. I know I asked you to keep your place there. If you did keep your place in 1 Peter, I'd like you to go to Hebrews from 1 Peter. You have 1 Peter, right before 1 Peter you have James and right before James you have Hebrews. 1 Peter, James, Hebrews. We have the characteristic of companionship, the characteristic of commitment and the characteristic of consummation. The physical relationship of a husband and wife. Please understand this. The physical relationship between a man and a woman is meant to be enjoyed within the boundaries of marriage. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse four, the Bible says marriage, Hebrews 13 and verse four, marriage is honorable in all. Notice God always speaks positively about marriage. Today we live in a society with all sorts of weird thoughts on marriage and people not wanting to get married and avoid marriage. The Bible says marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. Notice the contrast, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. The physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the boundaries of marriage. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter seven. 1 Corinthians chapter seven. You kept your place in 1 Corinthians. Go back to 1 Corinthians chapter seven. Not only is the physical relationship meant to be enjoyed within marriage, but you've actually, the Bible teaches that it is the responsibility of both husband and wife to engage in that physical relationship. 1 Corinthians chapter seven and verse four, the Bible says the wife, notice this, the wife hath not power of her own body. There goes my body, my choice. The wife hath not power of her own body. Now look, I understand what I'm about to read to you is a very controversial passage in scripture, but I don't apologize for the word of God. I don't, you say well, that's not what our society teaches. That's not what's proper and acceptable in our society. I don't care what's proper and acceptable in our society. I don't care what the Bible says. And before you start taking marriage advice from our society, remember that 60% of their marriages are ending in divorce. And maybe we need to just get back to the Bible, build our lives on the Bible, build our marriages on the Bible. You know what we need in this country? A revolution. Is that a political revolution? No, a revolution back to the Bible. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband. Who has power over the body of the wife according to 1 Corinthians 7, 4? The husband. And likewise, also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Who has power over the body of the husband according to 1 Corinthians chapter seven and verse four over the body of the husband? Who has power over the body is the wife. Verse five, defraud ye not one another. This idea in marriages where husbands and wives, wives and husbands will punish each other by not engaging in that relationship, that is wicked as hell. The Bible says that the wife hath not power over her body, but the husband. Likewise, also the husband hath not power over his body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one another. Defraud means you're ripping somebody off, that you've lied to them. Notice these words, except it be with consent for a time. Now, you see that word consent? That's a word that is used a lot in our society today. But I want you to notice that the way it's used in the Bible is different than the way we use it. Because remember, his ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. See, today people talk a lot about consent, and look, obviously, I'm never for anybody forcing themself on somebody. But people talk about consent, they're like, well, you know, you have to consent. You have to consent to this, you have to consent to that. Let me tell you something. When you got married, and you said these words before God, to have and to hold from this day forward, you consented to a lifetime of the physical relationship within your marriage. And in fact, the Bible says, the Bible, you say, I don't, that's not very, I don't know, I mean, are you allowed to say that? Excuse me, the Bible says, excuse me, the Bible, remember the Bible, the word of God? The Bible says, defraud ye not one another, except it be with consent for a time that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. You know what God, God says, you need to get consent to not engage in the physical relationship. And the context is because when you're doing things that are like fasting and prayer, obviously fasting, you're denying your physical body food. So while you're fasting, you're supposed to deny yourself of all physical pleasure. But you know, look, look, gentlemen, you don't just walk into your house one day and tell your wife, I'm starting a 40-day fast. No, you gotta get her consent. Wife, you don't say, I'm gonna start a 40-day fast, honey, so you know, what that means is, you're gonna sleep on the couch for the next 40 days. No, you gotta get his consent. You know what you need consent for? You need consent to not engage. I don't think you should say that, I mean, you're live streaming this? This is what the Bible says. And you know what, when marriages actually followed what the Bible says, people were much happier. The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband, likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife, if prouder yet not one another, except that be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. See, here's the problem, and look, I'm not saying that a husband needs to force himself on his wife, or look, if your wife is obviously, if she's sick or whatever, you know, but look, you literally have relationships in America today where people will go weeks and months and even years without engaging in a physical relationship. Say, why do you not wanna do that? Here's why, he says, and come together again, 1 Corinthians 5, 7, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. He says, look, God gave you a spouse, God gave you a partner to meet your emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. That's what you committed to, when you said to have and to hold from this day forward. The physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within marriage. Let me say this, you learn 1 Corinthians 7, go back to 1 Corinthians 6. Since we're on a roll of all sorts of things that people don't like, not only is the physical relationship meant to be enjoyed within marriage, the physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed only within marriage. Here's, look, sometimes I wish, I'm gonna ask the Lord to help me say this in the right way. Sometimes I wish some of you were more spiritual. Because if you were, you would get how hilarious our culture is. You know what's funny today? You know what's controversial today? Here's what's controversial. You tell married couples that they should be having the physical relationship, that's controversial. No, you gotta get consent. No, actually, the Bible says it was like a consent not to. And then you know what's also controversial? You tell people that are not married to not have the physical relationship, that's controversial. I mean, talk about calling evil good and good evil. You tell married couples, hey, you should be doing it, and people are like, you shouldn't say that. And then you tell unmarried people, you shouldn't be doing it, and they're like, you shouldn't say that. And then we wonder why we're in the mess we're in. Right. The physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within marriage. And the physical relationship is only meant to be enjoyed within marriage. 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 13. Meats for the belly and belly for meats. This is the fasting thing, remember? But God shall destroy both it and them. Notice verse 13. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Look at verse 18. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body. He that comitteth fornication sineth against his own body. Let me tell you something. There is something different about sexual sin. Ephesians 5 and verse three, the Bible says, but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you has become the saints. The Bible says every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that comitteth fornication sineth against his own body. What is that saying? The sins of the physical relationship, they're on a different category. Every sin is without the body, but he that comitteth fornication sineth against his own body. And I will tell you that over the last 11 years of ministry, when my wife and I have to have a difficult conversation or a difficult counseling session or need to just be there for someone to practice, to go through, to talk about things, when somebody says, Ms. Joanne, I need to sit and talk with you or pastor, I need to sit and talk with you. When a lady says that to my wife or a guy says that to me, they sit down in my office or they sit down in a private place and they begin to say, when I was 13 years old, when I was 11 years old, when I was 17 years old, the story usually doesn't go, I stole a Kit Kat bar from a 7-Eleven and I've just been feeling really guilty about it for the last 20 years. When a 30 and a 40 and a 50 year old sit down in front of you and they start to tell you, when I was 13 years old, you know where that story's gonna go. It has to do with something that was physically done to them or they engaged in or whatever, why? Because every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committed for an occasion sineth against his own body. Obviously, if you're a victim, that's not your fault and God can help you with that. But I'm here to tell you, especially you young people, just stay away from it. Say, is there something wrong with it? Nothing wrong with it. God wants you to enjoy it. In fact, God wants you to practice it within marriage. But it'll bring heartache and scars and guilt and shame when it's done outside of marriage. For this reason, 1 Corinthians 7, verse one, God says, now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, notice, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. The context is about a single man, a single woman, because he says, nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband. People sometimes ask me, what do you think I should do about my teenagers or young people that are my kids, they're dating, is good for a man not to touch a woman? Well, what do you mean by that? I don't mean anything. I just read what the Bible says. What do you think it means? It is good for a man not to touch a woman. I think it means, hey, don't touch. Well, yeah, but by surely, I mean holding hands and petting and hugging. Here's the problem. You can't stop at holding hands. You can't stop at petting. You can't stop at hugging. It all leads to more. So it's good for a man not to touch a woman. You say, well, what if we want to do that? Well, then to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife. Get married. Let every woman have her own husband. You say, why? Because the physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within marriage and it's not meant to be enjoyed outside of marriage, period. So don't do it. The characteristics of the Institute of Marriage are companionship, commitment, and consummate. And you can sit there and look, you are the authority in your home and you do whatever you want in your home, but if you're gonna ask me a question, I'm gonna give you a Bible answer. Well, you know, what we decided is that we're gonna let them hold hands and they can do a side hug. They can do a side hug. Not a full-on hug, but a side hug. Okay, show me your verse. Where do you see that? 1 Corinthians, your opinion? It says, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. That's what it says. Now you do whatever you want, but don't ask me questions you don't want a biblical answer for. And I'm gonna preach to you what the Bible says. Malachi chapter two. We see the characteristics of the Institute of Marriage. We need companionship. I wish, and I'm not gonna stand up here and tell you that I'm perfect or my wife's perfect or whatever, but I can tell you this and I know my wife would agree. I can tell you my wife is my best friend. And I think I'm her best friend, I hope so. I feel bad for some of you. You'd rather enjoy time with other people than the person you're married to. You ought to work at this thing of companionship, communication, enjoying each other's company. And then there's commitment. You ought to just decide. Obviously he's not perfect, she's not perfect, but we're committed to this thing. We're not looking for a way out. It's the death do us part. See, these things are all connected. Because sometimes people get this wrong idea. You get people, they're committed, and it's like their marriages are terrible, but it's like bless God, we're never getting divorced, and praise God for that. But let me tell you something. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have this attitude that says, I can't stand her and he can't stand him, but we're committed to this thing to the bitter end. I mean, you go ahead and live that way, but I want to be married to my wife for the rest of my life, but I want to enjoy it in the process. You do that through companionship. You do that through establishing commitment. You do that through consummation. Let me give you a fourth one. When you have consummation, the natural thing, which is the next characteristic of marriage, and the last one that we'll talk about this morning, is conception. Say, why did God institute marriage? Anyway. I mean, we know he looked down at Adam, and he said it's not good for a man to be alone, and he wanted him to have a companion, those things. But what's the point? Malachi chapter two, verse 15. And did not he make one? Did not he take two and made them one? Twain shall be one flesh. Therefore, they are no more twain. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the Spirit, notice, and wherefore what? Remember, the word wherefore is for what reason? Why did God take two and make them one? Why did God take two and make them companions for life, and committed for a lifetime, and to have this relationship, and to only have it within marriage of consummation? Why? And wherefore one? Don't miss it, verse 15. That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Do you know what God wants? Go to Psalms, if you would. It's right in the center of the Bible. I gotta finish up. Right in the center of the Bible, you have the Book of Psalms. You know what God wants? You know why God established marriage? You know why God established the Christian home? Here's why. Because God wants a seed. You know what God wants out of your marriage? He wants babies. By the way, that's a good reason to not do the act outside of marriage. God wants a seed. He wants fruit. He wants reproduction. Did he, and did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit, and wherefore one, that he might seek a godly seed. Again, today, we live in a society where people look at children as a burden. As something to not desire. Psalm 27, verse three, the Bible says, "'Lo, children are in heritage of the Lord.'" The word heritage means they're a special individual possession, a property that has been inherited. Something that, you say, what are the children? My children that God has given, my wife and I got as blessings with six children. They are the heritage, notice, not of me, not of my wife. They are the heritage of the Lord. Who do they belong to? They belong to God. And God has entrusted us with the wonderful responsibility to raise them, not for ourselves, but in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. "'Lo, children are in heritage of the Lord, "'and the fruit of the womb is his reward.'" Children are a good thing. Children are a blessing. God wants you to get married. Why? So you can have children. Stay there in Psalm 127. I'll read to you from 1 Timothy 5.14. The Bible says, Paul said this, "'I will therefore that the younger women marry, "'bear children, guide the house, "'give on occasion to the adversary "'to speak virtually.'" I'm here to tell you that God ordained. He wants Christian men and Christian women to get married and to have children. Why did he institute marriage? That he might have a godly seed. Why don't you notice, not only does God want a seed, but he wants a godly seed. See, in Psalm 127, it says, "'Children are in heritage of the Lord, "'the fruit of the womb is his reward.'" But it's not just there. It's not just about having kids. It's about raising them right. Verse four, "'As arrows are in the hands "'of a mighty man, so are children of thy youth. "'Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. "'They shall not be ashamed, "'but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.'" God says, look, I want you to have children, and then I want you to treat those children. He says they are like an arrow. So he says, "'Arrows are in the hands of a mighty man, "'so are children of the youth.'" You say, what does that mean? Here's what it means. A mighty man is referring to a warrior, a soldier, someone that's trained in archery, and he says the same way that a mighty man can take an arrow and take that arrow and shoot it at a target and shoot it in a direction. God says, "'So are the children of thy youth.'" God says, I'm gonna give you children, and I don't want you to just have those children and just have them and house them and clothe them and feed them, and then they just kinda grow up and just do whatever. He says, oh no, you gotta take those kids, and you gotta shoot them in a certain direction. Train up a child in the way he should go, the Bible says, and when he is old, he shall not depart from it. So what does God want out of your marriage? Commitment? What does he want? Companionship? What does he want? Consummation? What does he want? Conception. He wants a godly seed. He wants you to reproduce yourself, physically, literally. Go to Proverbs 18. We'll finish up, I gotta be done. You're there in Psalms, just turn it over to Proverbs. And again, you notice that all these things are counterintuitive to what our society says? What does society say? Society says, have the physical relationship before marriage, and then when you get married, stop having it. Society says, don't have children. You know that God, everything that society says, God tells you is different. God says, have children. Look, we live in this weird culture where men are becoming women, women are becoming men, they're reprobate weirdos out there. And you say, what about them having children? The only thing I praise the Lord for is that they're just having their one kid. Their two children. So what do you say to people that actually love the Lord and care about God and follow Biblical principles? Have children. Raise them in the nurtured animation of the Lord. And maybe we can just eventually outnumber them. Hey, we just had four couples get married. Hey, let me tell you four couples. Have children. They're a blessing. God wants you to have children. By the way, and this is something for another day, but a lot of marriages struggle when they don't have children. Because there's something about having a child that just kind of connects you and commits you. And it kind of becomes this thing that you're raising these kids together. Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology, but in some ways, it's like you against them. My wife and I, we had our first kid, our son, and it was just kind of like two against one. Then we had our second, and it was like one on one. Then we had our third and our fourth, then we went to like zone defense, you know? Now they've just outnumbered us. But it gives you something to work towards together. Go to Proverbs chapter 18. Proverbs 18, verse 22. Proverbs 18, 22, Whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing. Praise God for that. And obtaineth favor of the Lord. I understand that you preach a sermon like this and people feel bad. Many people are struggling in their marriages. And people struggle from one time to another. But I want you to know this, that God, whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing. God believes that you, in the marriage you're in, with the person you chose, could live happily ever after. I know marriage is hard. We wanna help you. So I encourage you to come back next week and say, you saw some things I didn't like. Well, it's the word of God. But if you follow the Bible, if you build your marriage in the Bible, you can be fulfilled and happy. And that's what God wants for you. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for these principles on marriage. And Lord, we're gonna spend the next several weeks talking about marriage and raising children and having children and all these wonderful topics. Lord, I pray you'd help us to engage. Pray you'd help us to learn it and love it and understand it and apply it. I believe that our church can be filled with men and women that are just happily married, raise godly children, an army, Bible-believing Christians. And we can do it through your word. I pray you'd help us to do it. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.