Starting the beginning of January our church started a sermon series called Devoted: God’s principles for a wonderful marriage. It is by far one of the best messages I have ever heard on marriage. But don’t loose heart if your not married, or even in a relationship…this sermon can be applied to all different relationships in your life. So I thought I would share my sermon outlines and notes with you. I pray that the Lord will speak to you and that you will not just read the notes and scriptures, but that you will apply them to your own life as I am trying to do in mine.
And thank you Pastor Rick Countryman for opening your heart and letting the Lord speak through you!
Week One: The Blueprint
Genesis 2:15-25
“15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
*Marriage fulfills my need for relationship, my need for someone to do life with
3 Things to let go of if I’m going to have the fulfilling marriage God meant me to have:
1. I need to let go of my parents if I want to have a great marriage
-This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one (vs 24)
a) Break the emotional umbilical cord/dependence on my parents
b) My Partner shouldn’t have to compete with my parents: makes the wife feel insecure and the husband feel inadequate
2. I need to let go of other people if I want to have a great marriage.
-(ex’s, past relationships, unhealthy friendships) So you can focus on your marriage!
3. I need to let go of my past baggage/problems if I want to have a great marriage
3 kinds of problems that will mess up my marriage if I don’t let go
1. I need to let go of grudges.
-every moment I react to a past grudge, is time I’m not putting towards my marriage
2. I need to let go of grief
-Don’t let mourning turn into moaning and self pity!
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to the know the difference!! – The Serenity Prayer
3. I need to let go of guilt
*My past can’t hurt me unless I let it
*BREAK DOWN THE WALLS YOU’VE BUILT AND GET CLOSE!
Whats the Solution??
FORGIVENESS!!!! Give it and then Accept it!!!
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Genesis 2:24 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
2 Crucial Commitments of becoming one (cleaving; superglue together) with my spouse!
1. NEVER NEVER NEVER consider divorce an option
2. DO WHATEVER it takes and WHATEVER IT COSTS to make my marriage work!
-A good marriage just doesn’t happen
