The Institution of Marriage, 10/12/25

For some time I have desired to preach on the

subject of marriage. I've been planning for it

for several months and I would like to begin

this today. I probably will be giving two or

three sermons on it. And today we're going to

be looking at the institution of marriage from

the book of Genesis chapter one and also chapter

two. The institution of marriage. We're going

to begin in Genesis chapter one. Looking at verse

26 through 28. created man in his own image.

In the image of God, he created him. Male and

female, he created them. Then God blessed them,

and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply,

fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over

the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air,

and over every living thing that moves on the

earth. Verse 31, and God saw everything that

he had made and indeed it was very good. So the

evening and the morning were the sixth day. And

now we're turned over to chapter two and beginning

in verse 18. And the Lord God said, it is not

good that man should be alone. I will make him

a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground,

the Lord God formed every beast of the field

and every bird of the air and brought them to

Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever

Adam called each living creature, that was its

name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to all

birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.

But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable

to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep

to fall on Adam, and he slept. And he took one

of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place.

Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from

man, he made into a woman, and he brought her

to 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, A man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife and they shall become

one flesh. And they were both naked, the man

and his wife, and were not ashamed. Let's pray.

Father, as we look into your word today, we realize

how much is here and of the blessing of reading

it as we read at this time of creation. Father

we confess that we come to you in weakness as

we look in this subject for truly it is so great

and so vast We pray father that we might be able

to draw from it the lessons that you have for

us today Please be with us and strengthen us

Lord as we look into your word and we ask in

Jesus name. Amen There are three great institutions

ordained by Almighty God our Creator These are

divinely ordained structures in order to maintain

order, to build community, and to reflect God's

design for human society and flourishing their

prosperity. Each is its own type of government

with the establishment of the sovereign, the

order of authority, the ethics of what to do

and what not to do, with commitments for blessing

of obedience, and curses for disobedience, and

they each contain succession plans how to pass

it on to the next generation. Each one of these

great institutions has its own purpose and it

is ordained by God himself. The three great institutions

of which I speak are the family, the church,

and the state. The family, the church, and the

state. The family's purpose is it is the foundational

unit of society. It is established by God to

provide love and support and moral guidance.

It begins with a marriage in the creation account

here of which we just read in Genesis 1 and 2

and it includes the requirement to bear and to

raise children in a nurturing environment. Its

role, it serves as this primary setting for procreation,

for education, and for passing down story and

truth and values and history. The biblical basis

for it we find in Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Ephesians

5, Ephesians 6, as well as other passages of

scripture. It gives instructions of being fruitful

on instructions for marriage and for parents

and for children. The second institution is the

church. The church is the spiritual institution

where believers gather together to worship God,

to grow in faith, and to spread the gospel. It

is the body of Christ, and it is God's holy temple

unifying people under God's authority. Provides

instruction, spiritual guidance, community, and

accountability, equipping each of us to live

according to God's will. In it, we observe the

sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism.

We have fellowship one with another. It is the

household of God and is built on the foundation

of the apostles and prophets, Jesus being the

chief cornerstone. And in this, again, we see

the biblical basis for it all throughout the

New Testament, also seeing the people of God

in the Old as well. We see it in Matthew chapter

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

16 and verse 18, in Acts chapter two, in the

early church community, and in Ephesians chapter

two, in Paul giving instructions about the temple,

a dwelling place of God in the spirit. And then

lastly, in the great institutions, that of the

state or civil government. The purpose is that

the state is instituted to maintain order and

justice and peace in society. It is a means to

restrain evil and to promote the common good,

even in a fallen world. The government enforces

laws, it protects citizens, and it upholds justice.

And Christians are to pray and respect the authority

as they are under God's sovereignty. We see this

institution in Genesis chapter 9 verse 5 and

Genesis 9:5

6 after the flood. We see instructions given

in Romans chapter 13 verses 1 and through 7 as

Romans 13:1

well as 1st Peter 2 13 through 17. But of these

three, marriage and the family are the oldest.

It is the oldest institution. It is started on

the 6th. day of creation, when God created man

in his own image, male and female. Marriage predates

both the church and the state in its institution.

And this shows us, this gives us an understanding

of its great importance in God's economy. Without

marriage and the family, there would be no church

and there would be no need for civil government.

The family and marriage is the building block

of everything else of the great institutions.

Now, as a result of the fall, each of these institutions

is under attack by the evil one. He seeks to

destroy and to devour, to upset God's order and

to come and to stand against it, and he inspires

hatred and wickedness and all sorts of evil.

While each one of these can be glorious and well

done, each one can also be operated with tyranny,

with authoritarianism, with abuse, or with neglect,

dereliction of duty, and abandonment. We see

examples of both categories all around us. We

are called as God's people to work for renewal

and for reformation as we live in the time and

the place of God's choosing and his sovereignty.

We need to accept and embrace God's sovereignty.

He has made from one blood every nation of men

to dwell on all the face of the earth and has

determined our pre -appointed times and the boundaries

of our dwellings. In other words, God has placed

you in such a time as this, right here, right

now. Let us not complain about it. God chose

to place you in this time because you are His

offspring and in Him you and I live and we move

and we have our being. Today we're going to the

beginning, the foundation of marriage and the

family. So from the Genesis account, I'd like

to look at three main headings. First is the

transcendent nature of marriage. Second, the

otherness of marriage. And thirdly, God's purposes

for marriage. I want to look at these three headings

and consider what God has to say. I will tell

you right up front, there is no way in one sermon

that I can be exhaustive in this. This is a deep

and a vast and wonderful. So I'm hoping today

to give you some and hopefully it will whet your

appetite for more in both your own studies and

in the next few sermons. So in the beginning,

on the sixth day, and before the fall, God created

man, Adam, and then Eve, his wife. In Genesis

one, we have the content in the created order

as it was done on various days, day one, day

two, and on through day six until the seventh

day God rested. So on day six, Genesis one tells

us that God created man. in his own image. This

is something that is not said of the animals

or of anything else. Man is special. Mankind

was created in the image of God. We bear an imprint

of godness about us. Not that we are gods in

like God is, but we bear his imprint in a way

that the animals do not. God created man first

of all in In this is given in Genesis chapter

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

1 and then in verse 27 This phrase again is repeated.

It is showing the great importance that we understand

this So God created man in his own image in the

image of God created him in other words God says

it and then he says it again. And so this is

very important for us to understand Now after

creating male and female God blesses them and

he gives the very first command to mankind. Now

surely we must think the first command that's

given to the very first created human beings

must be very important. We would think that in

looking at it. And so what is this? Verse 28,

chapter one, as soon as they were created it

says, God bless them and God said to him listen

to all the action verbs in here be fruitful and

multiply fill the earth and subdue it have dominion

over the fish of the sea over the birds of the

air and over every living thing that moves on

the face of the earth five different action verbs

right there in chapter 1 and verse 28 Now the

overview from Genesis 1 is that the God, the

triune God, is the creator. That is, he is the

prime mover. That is, this is his plan and his

idea. The creation of man and woman with the

command to be fruitful and multiply is given

before the fall. It is before the fall. Marriage

and sex being one flesh in a covenantal union

between a man and a woman is not a result of

the fall. Marriage precedes the fall. It is before.

Therefore, it is not dirty, it is not unclean,

not shameful, but it is a good thing in God's

good earth. Because God is the creator, he is

the author, he is the designer, and he is the

lawgiver, and he gives it his stamp of not only

approval, but of his design and command. And

from this comes fruitfulness in multiplication,

bringing forth children who also bear the image

of God. How amazing and wonderful is that? Can

you think of that? Just Stop and think of that

for a minute, that you as husband and wife, you

bear the image of God, you can come together

and you can have children that also are image

bearers of God. Isn't that amazing when you stop

and really think about it? We're just so used

to it. We don't really capture the glory of it,

but God also as the creator fences it. with his

law. Marriage is not to be other than between

male and female, where the sexual and the covenantal

relationship is within marriage. Not only is

this lawful, but it is commanded. But outside

of marriage, the same act between male and female

is forbidden. The apostle in Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

13 says, marriage is honorable among all and

the bed is undefiled. But fornicators and adulterers,

God will judge. Clearly showing the importance

of marriage. The same act, the same coming together

within marriage is commanded. and it is an undefiled

outside of marriage, it is forbidden. It is an

adulterous or fornicating relationship. How is

it when children, what is the best way when children

are cared for and flourish? Indeed. Not only

is it commanded in this way, but study after

study has also shown it that when children are

born into a family with a father and a mother

in union, that is their best way to thrive, to

grow and to flourish. Now at the end of the book

of Judges, that is the time period in Israel

after the land was settled in the time of Joshua

and those who succeeded him, God's people or

the children of Israel are characterized in this

manner. Judges chapter 21 verse 25. In those

Judges 21:25

days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did

what was right in their own eyes. This is the

same temptation, the same thought and idea that

we hear so much in the news today or in people

expressing themselves on social media, various

statements such as my body, my choice. Nobody

is going to tell me what to do. My body, my rules.

The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley ends

with these words, I am the master of my of my

fate. I am the captain of my soul. But this is

completely contrary to the very first word of

holy writ the immortal words of Genesis 1 verse

Genesis 1:1

1 in the beginning God created the heavens and

the earth the Creator sets the standard the Creator

makes the rules He governs the guidelines and

he sets the fences and so God gives the history

and the standards In chapter one, he speaks in

a broad sweep over the days of creation. And

then in chapter two, Moses by the Holy Spirit

zooms in on day number six, and he explains in

much greater detail what happened on day six.

So Genesis one, the big overview. Genesis two,

we get a much closer look at day six. So woven

all through this is the understanding. It is

the framework. It is the demonstration of God

as sovereign creator who is overall and above

all and the enduring transcendent nature of marriage

as we considered in the sermon today. Your marriage

doesn't belong to you. God has ordained it. God

brings about it. brings it about and God sets

the standards for it. It is his idea. It is not

simply a good idea that we might have. It's not

a social construct that man invented and it cannot

be forsaken or cast aside like an old relic or

a vestige of the dusty past and a forgotten artifact

of history. No, it proceeds from God himself

who makes and keeps covenant and commands mankind

to keep covenant with himself and with each other.

Marriage is for all times and in all places as

long as time continues and it is good. It is

also a great mystery that speaks of Christ. and

the Church, the Bride of Christ, it signifies

to us the mystical union that is between Christ

and His Church. Marriage is transcendent. It

comes from God. Number two, we want to look at

the otherness of marriage. The otherness. In

Genesis 2, as I mentioned, we get a restatement

and an explanation of the acts of the Creator.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth

when they were created in the day that the Lord

God made the earth in the heavens before any

plant of the field was in the earth and before

any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord

God had not caused it to rain on the earth and

there was no man to till the ground but a mist

went up from the earth and watered the whole

face of the ground. This is in chapter two, verse

four through six. So there are three notable

things about the earth. otherness of marriage.

And what I mean about the otherness of marriage

is that when God created man, He made them similar,

but other also. They're, they're, you're not

the same. There's male and there's female and

we can't confuse it. and that is ordained by

God. This is one of the great tragedies of the

transgender movement is that it's actually a

rebellion against our Creator saying, I don't

want to be the way you made me. That is what

it really is. So there is an otherness of marriage

and we want to look at some of that and see how

it works together. So the first thing, the first

notable thing is that it is not good God says,

for man to be alone. Now, let's take a closer

look at this. Day one of creation, God creates

light. It ends with, and God saw the light that

it was good, and God divided the light from the

darkness. Day three, God called the earth, the

dry land earth, and the gathering together of

the waters he called seas. What does it say?

And God saw that it was good. And again, in verse

10, the earth brought forth grass and the herb

and yield seed and the tree. How does it end?

And God saw that it was good. Day four, and God

saw that it was good. Day five, and God saw that

it was good. But before the end of the sixth

day, When God looked over and he saw everything

that he had made and indeed it was very good.

But we have a problem because there's something

that God said was not good. For the first time

in all of the good that was happening God says

it is not good. And what is this? It is not good

that man should be alone. God is looking at creation.

And he says, good, good, good, good, not good.

So let's dig into this a little bit further because

we need to understand why is this not good? Now

God begins by first of all, putting the man after

he was created into the garden of Eden. He commands

him to tend it and to keep it. And after God

gives the command and he gives the law that man

can eat of every tree in the garden except for

one. He is not to eat of the tree of knowledge

of good and evil. That's in Genesis two in verse

17. And then he goes and says, it is not good

that man should be alone. But he continues it

saying, I'm going to make him a help. I will

make a helper for him or a help me depending

on your choice. In other words, I'm going to

make someone who is other than him and yet like

him and who will compliment him. One who is a

helper to him. Now, why was this not good? Well,

first of all, it is true. Man needs a companion.

We need companionship. God created us that way.

We really do need companionship. But there's

a second other big one in here. And that is that

man can't be fruitful and multiply by himself.

If everyone was men, we'd die out in one generation.

I think of that. kind of crazy statement during

some of the heyday of feminism. I think it was

in the 60s, but I believe it was Gloria Steinem.

I didn't research it here that a woman needs

a man like a fish needs a bicycle, is what she

said. This is completely contrary to this, for

again, if there were no men, if there were no

women, we would all die out. Just like that,

within one generation. So it is not good because

man cannot be fruitful and multiply without a

woman. But furthermore, in drilling down into

it, man was created to need a woman. He was created

to need a woman, not only just to be fruitful

and to multiply, but also... to be what God had

called him to be. We men cannot fulfill the dominion

mandate of God that is given here unless we have

a woman by our side. And I'm not saying again,

and we're going to get into singleness at the

end and how to look at that. And I'm speaking

here in wide sweeping terms. If you're here and

you're a man and you don't have a wife yet, or

vice versa, then I'm not saying that you can't

work out in God's plan, not at all. But in looking

at the whole scope of things, men need help to

be what God calls them to be, because they cannot

fully fulfill the dominion command that God gives

them. without a wife. It's the way God made the

world. And we need to accept that and understand

it. So men, unless you've been called to singleness,

either by God's design physiologically, or for

the kingdom of heaven's sake, as Jesus speaks

in Matthew 19 verse 12, and Paul in first Corinthians

Matthew 19:12

seven, it is not good for you to be alone. It

is good and acceptable before God for you to

get prepared for the responsibility and then

to seek a wife, one who compliments you, one

who helps you. Proverbs 18 and verse 22, he who

finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor

from the Lord. It's a wonderful verse. God shows

Adam the need for a wife first by bringing all

the animals to him for him to name them. Now

the word naming there in Hebrew suggests more

than just giving them a label, just hanging a

title on them. But it reflects essence or identity.

So Adam's task likely involves recognizing patterns

or distinctions among creatures somewhat akin

maybe to an early taxonomy, a classification.

This was a deliberate and thoughtful process.

But at the same time, though we don't have record

of it where it says it, Surely Adam noticed that

for every animal and every bird, there's a male

and a female. There's a mama, there's a daddy.

There's a male elephant and a female elephant.

There's a crocodile and there's two of them.

One's a male and one's a female or an alligator

or a bird. And on as he goes through all of the

different animals and he sees this, but there

is nothing suitable. for him. So we read verse

20, there was not found a helper comparable to

him. We use animals and beasts to help with some

of our burdens. We're glad for animals. Back

in the days before tractors, men would use horses

or oxen to plow the fields or to turn the soil.

They help, but it's not in the same way. Man

needs a helper for him. And so the Lord decided

to remedy this. The Lord God says in verse 21,

caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept

and he took one of his ribs and closed up the

flesh in his place. Then the rib which the Lord

God had taken from man, he made into a woman

and he brought her to the man. We can only imagine

what Adam's first thought was when he woke up

out of his sleep and he saw someone that was

like him and yet other than him. Jeff brought

out as we were studying that one of his dad's

favorite passages is that Adam looked up and

he said, whoa, man, or woman. So I think it's

a play on words, but it's a great thought. It's

a great thought. And truly, I'm quite sure that

he was astounded and blessed. And of course,

the scripture says, Adam looks at her and says,

now this, this is bone of my bones and flesh

of my flesh. She will be called woman because

she was taken out of man. This is the perfect

compliment, the perfect coming together. Woman

created. out of the side of man. And so recognizing

the otherness of your spouse and loving and embracing

that otherness is a key to a happy marriage.

Man, you don't want to be married to someone

who's just like you. You need someone who can

compliment you, who is other than you, someone

who can help you, someone who can fit together

well with you, but at the same time, someone

who will think a little bit differently than

you do, who will have some different ideas and

passions, and you come together and it fits together

just like two pieces of a puzzle. That's the

way it is to be. Someone other than you. Here's

a couple ways, because loving and embracing that

otherness is a key to a happy marriage. So ladies,

your husband thinks differently than you do.

Here's a few ways. Couple, and of course, you

all know that already, right? It's like, yeah,

right. Okay, so your husband or your men, generally

speaking again, can focus, they can compartmentalize.

They're generally much more of a risk taker than

what you are. And within them is an innate desire

to protect and provide, to take bullets or to

take arrows, to shield and protect. That is something

that is given by God. So they think differently

than you do. But men, your wife does not also

think like you do. And you might think, well,

although the normal way of thinking is to think

like men. I mean, after all, that's the way it

ought to be. But no, God has given you in...

your compliment in a way, someone who thinks

differently. You think like a male, you think

that is normal, but that is not normal for her.

She generally is a much better multitasker. She

can keep a whole number of things going on in

her mind at one time and keep tabs on all of

them. That is very difficult for us to do. But

for women, it just comes that way. In fact, It

is so ingrained in them that they often can't

relax until they know, okay, this is done and

now this is taken care of and this is taken care

of, now I can relax. That's the way it is. And

that's not a bug, it's a feature. Okay, God made

them that way for a purpose. Receive it, welcome

it, delight in the difference that God has given

to you and don't think. Oh, if she were just

more like me. No, God made them differently for,

God made each of you. And same goes for the woman.

Don't look and think, oh, if he would just be

more this or that, like I would want to be. Now

that's, we all need to grow. And yes, we men.

Sometimes we need to learn to be more caring.

We need to be more understanding. That's often

one of our weaknesses, where we're not that way

as much. A woman being the natural nurturer and

comforter and one who comes and puts arms around

and helps through. We men, we need to learn from

that. We need to learn how to care for others.

But we also understand that we're simply made

different. Accept that this is one of the keys

to a happy marriage so and then lastly on the

otherness is God also created you different in

that ladies wives you are the glory of your husband

and The man is the glory of Christ This is from

first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 7 through

1 Corinthians 11:7–9

9 Paul says here, by the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit, I want to remind you of this, because

this sometimes can come a little bit hard when

we look at it in our egalitarian society where

we try to create saneness out of everyone. Here's

what he says, for a man indeed ought not to cover

his head, that's the subject matter at hand in

that portion of 1 Corinthians 11, but he says,

since he, that is the man, is the image and glory

of God. But woman is the glory of man for man

is not from woman but woman from man Nor was

man created for the woman but woman for the man

Now this does not mean ladies that you're not

creating the image of God because you are But

what but what he's saying here is that there's

something special that you have you are the glory

of your husband and thus you are to be glorious.

Now when we get to Ephesians chapter five in

the next week or thereafter, we're going to look

at how we men are to do that, how we're to help

our wives to be glorious, and it comes by leading

and serving, by blessing. and being faithful

even as Jesus was to the church. So I'm just

giving you a little bit of a glimpse. You can

be thinking about that in the future. But again,

this is pointing to Jesus in the church because

Paul even says that as I speak about marriage,

I'm speaking of this glorious mystery of Christ

in the church. As we're going through this, we

are going to be reminded of Christ in the church

even as we discuss marriage. It's a great mystery

and yet it's unfolded for us some in scripture.

So anyhow, woman, you're the glory of your husband.

You were created for him. But men, don't you

be stuck up about this. Don't you get proud about

this because, Paul says, you were born of a woman.

You wouldn't exist if it wouldn't be for a woman.

So don't you be proud about this in any way.

okay and thinking oh I am the glory of Christ

and my wife she's my glory no no no no it is

true she is your glory and you need to act with

to to her in that kind of a way where you bless

her and you build her up and you wash her with

the word and you do all of these wonderful things

that we're going to get into but you don't be

stuck up and proud about it because without woman

you wouldn't exist again first Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:11

verse 11 and 12 nevertheless Neither is man independent

of woman, nor woman independent of man in the

Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man

also comes through woman, but all things are

from God." And so both are under God, all things

are under God, and each of you answers to God

directly. But a woman's glory is different, it's

other than a man's. And so there again, we look

at the otherness. So we've looked here at a few

places where otherness, let's now... wrap this

up with looking at God's purpose for marriage.

So why does God, why did God create marriage

in the first place? Why aren't we like the animals?

The animals, I mean, there's a few types of animals

that stay true to just one that were male and

a female, but in most cases, it's not that way.

It's free for the taking. And it's not a covenantal

relationship at all. It is simply a physical

response. Of course, it's an instinct that God

has given to them. We are not that way. God has

designed and given us purpose. for marriage.

So let's look at a few of these purposes. Well,

first of all, God said, and we already talked

about this, it is not good that man should be

alone. And so consequently, we conclude that

one of the purposes for marriage is companionship.

It's a oneness, it's a covenantal union that

reflects the unity of Jesus and the church. In

the wonderful expression of the vows in the Book

of Common Prayer that is just so well put. It

is listed this way that marriage was ordained

for the mutual society, help and comfort that

the one ought to have of the other both in prosperity

and in adversity. We need companionship and help

through the good times through the bad times.

So that's one. But the second one is marriage

is required for fruitfulness and procreation.

We see this right in the Genesis account. So

what is the command? We are to fill the earth.

Now in this, it is given that we are to fill

the earth with worshipers of God. And we see

this woven throughout the scripture. I don't

have the time for it today, but we can go to

Deuteronomy chapter six. And we see that God

commands us to have children and to teach them

the ways of God. In Psalm 78, we tell them stories

to remind them how the people of God have failed

in the past. And where God did great deeds for

them, why? So that they can tell it to the next

generation and they can rise up and they will

tell it to their next generation. Who will then

rise up and tell it to their generation? That's

part of the glories of God. And so marriage is

required for fruitfulness and procreation. This

is the direct command that was given to Adam,

to Eve, and to their descendants. And then it

was again restated to Noah in Genesis 9 after

the flood, when all of the earth was wiped out

except for eight people, and they come out of

the ark. And what does God say? Be fruitful and

multiply. This is your command. Now go do it.

Unless God sovereignly closes the womb, it is

expected by God and by his people that marriage

should bring forth children for the glory of

God and for his kingdom. Children are a gift

of God. This is one of the reasons why. Homosexuality

is so unnatural and sinful and why God hates

it and forbids it. It is a direct attack on the

command to be fruitful and to multiply. It militates

against that. Next then, or the third reason

why God, or God's purpose, the third purpose

is that a wife is a help to the man. That is,

she is a help to him, to his mission, and to

his dominion. So, I wanna unpack this a little

bit because it is so needed in our generation.

Men, you are given a mission by God. You, together

with your wife, are created for mission and dominion.

God has given you responsibilities. He's given

you abilities. He has given you calling. And

what I mean by mission is you know that God has

placed you for a purpose and what that purpose

is you want to set out to do it with all of your

heart and your wife is to help you with that

mission. She is to help you with it. Now, let

me quickly say, do not be afraid of the word

dominion. Obviously, that word can be used sometimes

as a pejorative or something that is, you know,

that person is just really arrogant. No, no,

there's a biblical usage to this word. It's a

direct command of God to mankind in Genesis 1.

It is again implied in Genesis 9. It is spoken

of in Psalm 8, which we'll read in a minute.

And even the Great Commission flows out of this.

Because what are we to do? What is the great

mission of God that is given? We are to fill

the earth with worshipers. We are to preach the

gospel of Christ. We are to go forth. We're to

baptize the nations. We're to teach them all

things so that the earth would be filled with

worshipers of God. So the Great Commission actually

flows out of this mandate or some call it the

cultural mandate that's given in Genesis 1. So

how do we start with this? Well, we start with

the mission for a faithful household. Go read

Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 78, as I just referred

to, and then develop additional missions as God

gives you opportunity. A wife is given to you

to help you, to aid you, to manage that household

in your mission. This is why again, Proverbs

18 22, he who finds a wife finds a good thing

and obtains a favor from the Lord. Also Proverbs

12 verse four, an excellent wife is a crown to

her husband. She is a crown to... you, she blesses

you, she aids you, she helps you with the effectiveness

of the mission. An excellent wife is the crown

of her husband, but she who causes shame is like

rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 5 verse 19,

Proverbs 5:19

let your wife be, let her be as a loving hind

and a pleasant row or dear to you. Value her

wisdom, her love, her insight and her thought.

So Adam and Eve were placed within the Garden

of Eden. They were to work it. They were to till

it. They were to care for it. They were to be

productive. Work is not a result of the fall.

It is what we were created to do. Man was created

to work, to be productive. It is not a result

of the fall. Now it was made more difficult by

the fall, but it's not a result of the fall.

We are given this by God and He has given us

strength. He has placed us by His sovereign will

to carry out this dominion over the works and

the creation of God. And this can take place

in many different ways. When we think of the

creativity that is unleashed through faithful

men looking into God's Word, loving and serving

Him, building their households and then becoming

creative in so many ways. Can you imagine the

first man who actually figured out how to make

steel? I mean, so you get iron out of the ground,

and then all the process that you have to do

just in order to do that, or brass, or other

things, or to craft a musical instrument, to

come and put something together that's going

to make music and sound pleasing. All of that

comes out of this creative mission that God has

given to mankind. Listen to what Psalm 8 says.

Psalm 8. Oh, Lord, our Lord. How excellent is

your name in all the earth. You have set your

glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of

babes and nursing infants, you have ordained

strength because of your enemies, that you might

silence the enemy in the avenger. When I consider

your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon

and the stars which you have ordained, what is

man? That you are mindful of him, and the son

of man, that you visit him for you have made

him a little lower than the angels you have crowned

him with glory and honor you have made him to

have dominion over the works of your hands you

have put all things under his feet all sheep

and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds

of the air and the fish of the sea that pass

through the pass of the sea oh lord our lord

how excellent is your name in all the earth.

This is what God has given to you, to you, to

you, to you. So, how do we do this? Well men,

build lasting households, churches, and names

that are worthy of remembrance. You can build

households that will stand for generations. You

can help to build churches that endure. You can

have a name that carries weight and gravitas.

You may be called to build a business for the

glory of God and the blessing of his people with

employment, with tithes, with service. One of

the problems that create disconnected and missionless

households is that so many households in our

in the world today, but especially in our own

country, that all households are just glorified

hotels. Every person has their own goals and

their adrift. It's a place to grab a bite and

to sleep and to watch TV. Our households have

become consumeristic, a place that is not productive,

but where we kick back, relax, and we consume

food, drink, and media. We read Proverbs 31 today

and look at how the household functioned. Look

at what the virtuous woman looked like. It was

anything but like this type of consumeristic

household that I just spoke of. This church congregation

is new. We're only about two years old, but with

the help of God, We are laying foundations that

we pray and hope will affect this community for

many years to come. And so, brothers, let us

rise, let us build labor together with us by

being faithful in worship, by putting sin to

death in walking with God, by developing your

gifts, by building rightly ordered households

that are the living stones of a lasting church,

of a community, of a state, of a country, and

a civilization. and a culture. Seek first the

kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all

these things shall be added to you. This is one

of the purposes for marriage. Fourth, marriage

is a help against sin. It's better to marry than

to burn, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7 verse 9.

1 Corinthians 7:9

He says if they cannot exercise self -control,

let them marry, for it is better to marry than

to burn with passion. Again, the Book of Common

Prayer puts it this way, it was ordained for

a remedy against sin and to avoid fornication

that such persons as have not the gift of continency

might marry and keep themselves undefiled members

of Christ's body. Lastly then, the purpose for

marriage is that marriage is a living illustration

of Jesus and his church, his bride. In union

one with another, in the loving leadership of

the husband, in the submission of the wife, in

the sanctification of the wife by the Word, in

the wife being glorious and holy. All of these

are an illustration of the relationship between

Jesus and the Church. And we'll see that more

in Ephesians 5 as we look at that. Five purposes

for marriage and there may be more, but that's

what I have for you today. Let's look at a couple

final applications. What about singles? If you're

single here, I don't want you to be thinking

that I'm preaching against you because I'm not.

But I am lifting up the standard of what God

has here. And if the Lord has something for you,

then rejoice in it and prepare for you. Prepare

for it. Be content. Be content with where God

has you, but at the same time, be useful in Christ's

kingdom. And pray. If you're yearning for marriage,

then pray for a spouse that God would prepare

you and your spouse. Prepare and grow in maturity.

Remember that marriage is the norm, but there

are exceptions. Number one, in God's providence,

and number two, as Jesus spoke of eunuchs for

the kingdom's sake. So I hope that today you

will be encouraged by this and not just overwhelmed

and says well, what use is for me in the kingdom?

No, there is much good that you can do as I have

just given here. Be useful in Christ's kingdom.

Lastly, what if my marriage is not like this?

What if I'm just really falling short and failing

in my marriage? What if this just looks like

it's just so far out of reach? How can this be?

Because our marriage is full of bickering or

we're just not united in purpose together. Or

we go our separate ways and we're just not together

in this. What can I do? If that is you this morning,

I give you these short encouragements. Number

one. for a marriage like this. Ask God for it.

If you're struggling, first of all, pray and

ask God for it. Matthew chapter seven. Hear the

promise of God in verse seven and eight. Ask

and it shall be given you. Seek and you will

find. Knock and it shall be opened to you for

everyone who asks receives and he who finds seeks

finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened.

Matthew 7 and verse 11, if you then being evil

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your father who's in heaven

give good things to those who ask him? So the

first thing is that I hope today and in the future

to kindle within you a desire for a wonderful,

holy, gracious, powerful marriage. That is God's

plan. Ask God for it. Seek Him about it. Number

two, be quick to repent of whatever sins are

besetting to you. Deal with the sins with your

own sins. Don't point the finger at the other

and say it's his problem or it's her problem.

Yes, they have problems for sure, but so do you.

So be quick to repent of whatever your besetting

sins are. Maybe it's laziness or carelessness

or lack of vision or of treating your wife or

your husband badly or being demeaning to them.

We're going to look at this further again in

Ephesians 5 with practical steps on how to be

a faithful and loving head and a faithful glorious

wife and thus reflect the relationship of Jesus

and the church. Thankfully, There are also many

good books. There are audio books. There are

podcasts and articles that can give you encouragement,

can give you advice on how to develop this and

how to work for it. There's a lot of great insight.

Feel free to ask me for some resources that will

help. But fourthly, what can you do? Believe.

Believe the gospel. It is Jesus who saves. It

is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you and so

trust in Christ. Don't fight the sovereignty

of God with where he has you at this time, but

look to Christ. Repent of your sins and look

to Jesus. Because he can change you. He can change

your spouse. And by the power of the Holy Spirit,

there is hope through the gospel. And so, trust

and believe in the gospel over and over and over.

Teach the gospel to yourself. Go to the Word

of God and read it and believe it by the power

with faith in Jesus. So, trust and believe the

gospel. And lastly, without a vision, People

perish. Have a vision for a marriage. You pray

for it. You ask God for it. You be quick to repent

of whatever sins have been besetting. You believe

the gospel. Listen to good podcasts or good sermons.

Read books, articles that will encourage you.

But have a vision. Have a vision for it and do

not perish. Pray about it and start seeking for

wisdom. This is my encouragement to you today.

I hope that it has been a blessing. In the name

of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. Let's pray.