Matthew 19:1-6
And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
We should never speak against someone else’s marriage. God has charged us, “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder [or break up, split apart, separate, drive a wedge in, or divide.] ” Instead, we should be encouraging. We should pray for each other and edify the sanctity of marriage in our conversation.
John 5:46
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
John 3:12
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Every relationship is designed to make something easier. Do you have friendships that make living for sin or living for God easier? We need the latter.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
If you are married you are in a yoke together with your spouse. What one does inevitably effects the other.
Marriage on earth is ultimately a representation of Christ’s marriage to His church. That is our example. The man represents the headship/burden of Christ ( who leads in love and sacrifices for his bride) and the wife represents the church. She sanctifies herself to her husband.
All who are born again are in a yoke with Jesus. We don’t pull Him our way. That is futile. Instead, we learn of Him, because we believe what He has said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
What are we making easy for our spouse?
Be sensitive to the pace that your spouse is walking…
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
We should be seeking to make following the will of God/honoring God easier for our spouse.
When we are in a yoke with Jesus, He makes things that would have been difficult easy.
You can’t get mad at the lost for what they are/are not able to do…they have not entered a yoke with Jesus yet.
Genesis 2:15-18
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
God has placed the burden of leadership on the husband. Men, is your wife better off than when you married her? If not, how have you been leading her? God has placed the responsibility of the spiritual, financial, mental, and physical well-being of the wife/family on the husband.
Genesis 3:6-9,21
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
No matter what your marriage has been through, God can cover it. No matter what it looks like right now, its never to late to work towards a better future. God can redeem any situation.
In the covenant of marriage what one of you does affects the other.
Every covenant, especially in marriage, needs some common ground that is bigger than both sides/perspectives. In marriage, the common ground that you both agree on is the Word of God. No matter how either of you feels about a situation , you can both always agree on God’s Word.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
You can’t walk together unless you are equally yoked.