THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

Text: Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7, 18-25

Introduction:

This morning, I am going to begin a series of sermons on "The Family".

During the month of September on both Sunday morning and Sunday evening, we will look in depth at what the bible says about the Christian marriage, the responsibility of the husband and father, the responsibility of the wife and mother, the responsibility of the son and daughter, the enemies of the family, and on Sunday evenings, we will look at the subject concerning divorce and remarriage.

Truly today, there is a need for these subjects to be taught and understood from the word of God.

Today, within the world, we find that the family is truly taking a beating.  Today, within many states we find where the divorce and separation rate is on the increase, child abuse and suicide is on the rise, along with abuse to women.  The once familiar commitment "til death do us part", has become for many "til divorce seems convenient."

When a man and a woman unite in marriage, they are entering a permanent relationship.  They are committing themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.  That's how God intended it. His ideal for marriage is a one-flesh union that is binding till death.  In secular society, however, as well as in the Christian community, couples often separate and end the marriage in divorce. They think it's easier to quit than to work things out.

In his book Strike the Original Match, Chuck Swindoll writes,  "During England's darkest days in the late 1930s and early 1940s, it was a pudgy, cigar-smoking, unimpressive-looking man who held the country together.  While other voices were shouting`Surrender!' Sir Winston Churchill stood fast.  Bombs devastated city blocks, buildings crumbled, bridges fell, but the stubborn Prime Minister refused to budge.  Never once did he consider ... negotiating....He operated on a simple rule of thumb when it came to winning a war.  On numerous occasions Churchill stated his philosophy in six words:  `Wars are not won by evacuations.'"  Swindoll comments, "Surrendering is not an option if you plan to win a war--or succeed in a marriage."

Many today believe that marriage as we now know it, is on the way out.  If this is true, then the entire well being of mankind is at stake, because the basis of our society is the family, and the basis for the family is the institution of marriage.

This morning the title of my sermon is, "The Christian Marriage", and our text is found in Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7,18-25.