Key Scritures: Gen 2:18-25; Eph 5:21-25;Col:3:18-4: 1Peter2:11-3:7.

Introduction

The bible defines marriage as a Covenant.  God decreed marriage into an institution in the beginning. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”. Gen 2:18

God is the initiator and authentic witness in marriage, thus it takes 3 to make a good marriage, God, Man and the Woman. Our marriage vows are unconditional and covenanted first and foremost with God and are  not subjected to the spouses’s performance.

The man and the woman are two halves of a whole, so becoming ONE is a completion! This not only rule out same sex marriage, It also makes divorce tantamount to tearing one body in God apart. Little wonder God hates divorce. Understanding this oneness is a foundational key. No one hates himself but Cherishes, loves, keeps, protects and honors his own body!  Marriage is therefore the Template for Christ and the Church. The husband is the head as Christ and the wife the Church as the Body.

Paradigm shift

The platform of marriage designed to meet our companionship needs is also God’s channel for fruitfulness (godly seeds). This is parallel to the intimacy of knowing Christ and bearing fruits, fruits of character and fruit of disciples. A vivid picture of this wonderful marriage tapestry is painted in Paul’s conjugal instructions in the epistles.

Marriage is all about God and His eternal plan and not about us and the moment we come to terms with this, our marriage will become stewardship, and a platform for Discipleship -executing Godswill  here on earth.

Application

The truth is that there is need for self audit – Is our marriage after the original template.

There are crisis in many marriages. The moment we come to terms with the truth that marriage is not about us but all about God and His eternal plan  and that the more we know Him the more we model Him in our marriages we find fulfilment in Him. The template for marriage to run successfully can only be learnt from HIM.

What will Jesus do ?

God’s perfect marriage was destroyed. SIN came through the first couple, and Marriage since their fall, ran out wine; the wine of bliss and harmony brewed by the divine bond of oneness.

However, Christ the Last Adam came and dealt with the issue of sin. His first miracle at the wedding in Canaan in Galilee, was a restoration parable.  He made available a new wine of refreshing that never runs out. A new template for marriage was established in Christ.

Jesus lived out this truth by loving His Disciples and instructing them to love one another. We must love our spouses the same way.

Commitments

In the light of the multidimensional challenges in marriages today, we must commit to the metrics and standards of Christ.

Let’s examine some:

1. Sexual Incompatibility – Understand the reasons and purpose of marriage, and work through the differences. Sex is like playing table tennis, the more you play together, the more you learn how to play.
2. Financial Management – The two have become one, you may not keep joint accounts, but have joint accounting
3. Mismatched expectations – Find the authors expectations – discipleship. Restructure your lives to fit it. It’s not about either of you.
4. Sexual unfaithfulness or lack of control – Drink waters from your own cistern, be satisfied by your partner, help each other maximize your possibilities.
5. Childless? – Adopt! God wants disciples, if you don’t birth one, adopt one. If not ready to adopt, become a parent to many!
6. Abandoned Spouse – You are meant to be one! Not one partner distracted by Children and grandchildren. Rescue your spouse from loneliness.
7. Unfaithful Husband or Wife or any other issues: Husbands – Love. Wives – Submit. By doing your part faithfully consistently, all problems wil l be solved.

Prayer

Lord Jesus heal our ailing marriages. Cause us to see marriage correctly and to take responsibilities  so our marriages would become platforms of your expressions