Sunday 2:7:10

Brenda and I had years of marriage trouble. We didn’t get along. We didn’t understand each other. We kept offending each other. We were both hurt. We both felt like we were giving everything, but felt like the other one was not putting any effort into our marriage. We eventually quit trying. Until… one day we went to a marriage conference. We learned there that God’s plan for marriage was for us to walk in companionship and unity. We realized that our marriage trouble was not just trouble between us, but allowing it to remain was disobedience to God. We came to understand that allowing the discord in our marriage to continue was walking in sin. God has a design for marriage – even your marriage. God has designed marriage to be the closest human relationship. It is to be characterized by love, unity, and companionship. The unity of marriage (Gen 2:23-25) The woman was made from the man’s side. They are made from the same material. The man is to leave his family. To be united with his wife. The two shall become one flesh. We live in times when people view marriage as just a formality or a piece of paper and a ceremony, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The truth is God created marriage to be something amazing – a reflection of Himself. We – men and women – are made in the likeness of God. (Gen. 1:27) God enjoys perfect unity among the three persons of the trinity. John 17:1-5 1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. So the Father glorifies the Son. The Son glorifies the Father. John 16:13-14 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. The Father glorifies the Son. The Son glorifies the Father. The Sprit glorifies the Son. Each member of the trinity giving freely glorifying the other member in perfect unity, but different persons. Just as each member of the trinity is different, men and women reflect that difference. Men and women are different and have different roles in marriage as part of the created order. But put them together, and they are different, but complete in unity. All of creation was “good”, but it was not good (Gen 2:18) for the man to be alone. When he had completed creation, including man and woman, it was very good (Gen 1:31) The equality, differences, and unity between men and women reflect the equality, differences and unity in the Trinity. 1 Corinthians 11:3 3Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. The differences between men and women are very good when they come together in unity. Two different people in marriage – united in purpose, companionship – this is God’s design for marriage. How to build unity in your marriage. • Communicate daily • Continue dating • In disagreements, find common ground • Seek counsel when an issue is too big to work out on your own. Marriage is not just a ceremony or a piece of paper. It was designed by God from the beginning to be a reflection of Himself. We will never be a perfect reflection of our creator. But those moments of unity despite differences – those moments are divine. There is joy in marriage when it is lived out as God intended – in differences and unity.