Making A Masterpiece Marriage Series
Making a Covenant Marriage (1 of 3)
February 2, 2003 * FBC, Chester, IL Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction: (After the PowerPoint presentation has ended)
A In the Bible, a very unique ceremony took place when a man and a women got married.
a The fathers of the couple would take cows, sheep, birds, goats and would cut the animals in half and put them about ten feet apart. (Left a huge bloody path.)
b The couple would then walk barefoot through the bloody path saying with their actions, "May I pay with my life if this covenant is broken."
*Marriage Covenant.
B In Genesis, Abraham and God enter into a covenant.
a *God had called Abram to leave his land (HOME) and go where He wanted to go....
*God changed Abrams name to Abraham.....
*There was exchange. (God gave land, Abraham was circumcised.)
*The children got the inheritance. (LAND)
b Genesis 15:9-19 (NIV)
GE 15:9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. [11] Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. [13] Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. [14] But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. [15] You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. [16] In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. [18] On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- [19] the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, [20] Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, [21] Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
c ETS: God entered into a binding covenant with Abraham.
ESS: Our marriages are covenants with our spouse.
Obj: I hope you’ll see your marriages as a covenant you entered into.
(I’ll give you a chance to renew your wedding vows next Sunday night.)
P.Q.: Who is treating their marriage like a covenant?
Relevant Message:
*Over half of all marriages end in divorce. Add the number of marriages on the rocks, troubled, you’ve got 3/4 of all marriages sunk or sinking.
*Your kids need to know that marriage can work!!! How? Watch yours.
T.S. Let’s look at four similarities of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant.
I The first similarity of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant is...both were conducted before God.
A Historically, the covenant was a religious ceremony that was made before God (or gods) as witnesses.
a It was the one treaty that was enforceable, seen as solemn...because nobody wanted to face the wrath of their god.
b IL. Bush/Hussan would do a covenant treaty. If Bush failed in his part, he feared the wrath of God Almighty for breaking the covenant. If Hussan failed in his part he feared the wrath of Allah for breaking the covenant.
*Both men "swore before God."
B "Dearly beloved we are gathered together her in the sight of God...to join together her in the sight of God...to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony...."
a Of the guests at your wedding who was the most important guest there?
(GOD!!!)
b He heard every promise, vow,...you swore before GOD!
*Deut. 23:21-23 (NIV)
21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. [22] But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. [23] Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
T.S.: Not only did you make a covenant before God..........
II The second similarity of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant is...both were conducted before witnesses.
A As the couple walked through the blood soaked soil...people watched.
a If two leaders of opposing sides enter into a covenant....people watched.
b The reason is that the covenant makers could NEVER deny it happened.
*Jesus himself stressed the importance of witnesses in Matt. 18:16
[16] But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
B When I perform a wedding, I have the couple sign, I sign and TWO witnesses.
a A pastor was challenged when a man came to him & said he was leaving his wife of six years. The pastor said, "Oh, no, your not. You made a vow to love your wife until death. I know I was there and I heard you. Now you stay with her and work things out." He did!
b What would happen if we were a little bit more like that pastor and challenged couples to fulfill their vows?
(IL.)In Russia, the best man in a wedding must sign the marriage register guaranteeing that the union will last at least six months or he’ll pay a fine of 150 rubles.
T.S.: The Witnesses are a major point of concern, but so is this next similarity.
III The third similarity of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant is...both declared the seriousness of the commitment.
A Covenants were made on major decisions (Not for buying a new camel, cloak, curtain, tent...)
a It had to be something so major that the parties would DIE keeping their promise.
b The covenant was reserved for major life choices, treaties, union of people, nations.
B "Holy Matrimony...is commended by St.Paul to be honorable among all me; and therefore is not be entered unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly.....but reverendly, discreetly, advisedly, soberly and in the fear of God."
a I read over the vows Pam and I took on our wedding day.
*I vowed to love Pam for better or worse, until I’m dead...regardless of her actions and attitude.
*She vowed to love me for richer or poorer, sickness & health for as long as we both shall live, regardless of how well or poorly I behave.
(IL.)It was the strangest response a minister had ever seen at a wedding. He asked the groom, "Do you take this woman for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, and in sickness and in health? The tentative young man replied, "Yes, no, yes, no, no, yes."
*We assumed we’d be love in return,....but that wasn’t part of the deal.
b By our vows, each of assumed 100% responsibility for the marriage.
(Covenant! Irrevocable vow only broken by death.)
RU 1:16 But Ruth replied, "Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. [17] Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
*If my marriage hits the skids...I’m not going to blame Pam (And she may or may not be right).
*It’s my responsibility to love her.....I can only offer my love/devotion..it’s her chose to love and be devoted to me back...she promised too.
T.S.: Not only is the commitment enormous in a marriage, there are no back doors either.
IV The fourth similarity of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant is...there are no escape mechanisms.
A Can you imagine Abraham going to God five years after the covenant was made and say, "God, I think this relationship is strong enough for me start seeing other gods." "I’ve changed my mind. I’m not really cut out for this whole covenant thing."
a The only way Abraham was getting out of the covenant was .....death.
b Better offer? Change of heart/mind? Not happy? ...couldn’t be broken!
B Five words....... "...till death do us part"
a When you get married....there are no "outs."
*The states says "Yes." DIVORCE *Your God says "NO."
Matt. 19:6
"[6] So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
b When Pam and I argue/fight, we’d better figure out the best way to resolve our differences, because were going to be together for a very, very long time.
*Not about being happy, content, pleased, satisfied....
Your either a promise keeper....or you’re a .....liar.
Conclusion:
Many people see marriages as contracts. (A cracker jack lawyer can find a loop hole in any contract) Our marriages are covenants with our spouse.
We’ve looked at four similarities of the church service of holy matrimony and the biblical concept of covenant.
1. Take place before God
2. Take place before witnesses
3. Stresses the seriousness of the commitment.
4. There are no escape mechanisms.
B Obj: I hope you’ll see your marriages as a covenant you entered into.
a Treat your marriage cheap, disregard your promises, look for loop holes.
b Take your vows/promises seriously. (Covenant)
C P.Q.: Who is treating their marriage like a covenant?
a I told you that in a covenant that both parties walk through the path of blood. In Gen.15, who walked through the blood? ONLY God.
"God loved Abraham so much and wanted to have a relationship so desperately with man that he said, "If you fail..I’ll pay the price with my own blood." That’s why the cross happened.
b I’m convinced that marriage is intended to mirror the relationship of how committed God is to us.
*Have you given reason for God to leave/divorce you? Me too.
*God is saying, "I’m going to work this out because of the covenant."
Who is treating their marriage like a covenant?
*Alter to pray for your marriage........
*Wish to commit to a covenant marriage (or re-commit), I’m going to ask you to fill out the sheet in your bulleting and pass it down to your closest aisle.
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a very long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is currently already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher.....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
