Text – Genesis 2:20-24; 24:66-67; 38:8; Matthew 22:24
INTRODUCTION –
The Lord has allowed me to officiate over a number of marriages over the years. Before I begin any type of counseling with the couple, there are three questions I always ask:
- Are you Christians? 2. Do you believe the Bible is the unerring word of GOD? 3. WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?
The answers to these three questions will dictate how the rest of our meeting goes (expound). Does anyone else find it amazing that in Pennsylvania alone, there are a number of conditions in place whereby people can be legally divorced . . .
- Abandonment (your spouse has left the home) without a reasonable cause for a period of one or more years;
- Adultery (your spouse has “cheated” on you).
- Cruel and Barbarous Treatment (your spouse has treated you in a way that puts your life or health at risk, such as acts of domestic violence;
- Bigamy (your spouse married you without divorcing his/her first spouse).*
- Imprisonment for two or more years; or
- Your spouse has acted in a way that made your life unbearable or extremely difficult.
- Mutual consent – you and your spouse agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken (cannot be fixed
- Irretrievable breakdown (the marriage cannot be fixed.
- Institutionalization – your spouse is found to be insane or has a mental disorder and needs to be confined to a mental institution
*This means it was not a legal marriage to begin with, or it is adulterous if it happens after being legally married (expound).
. . . but many couples can only come up with one reason why they want to get married . . . LOVE! (Expound)
Even in the Bible we find numerous reasons why people got married (arranged, agreed, duty, for the benefit of the land and/or families, etc. I stated that I ask couples three questions which will dictate the direction of our counseling session. Today I want to bring attention to one of those questions:
WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?
“But for Adam 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 and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib 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.” Genesis 2:20-24 (NIV)
“Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” Genesis 24:66-67 (NIV)
“ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” Genesis 38:8 (NIV)
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.” Matthew 22:24 (NIV)
POINTS – I am going to point out at least FOUR (4) points from our text that I believe bear noticing.
- “But for Adam no suitable helper was found.” (v.20) – Within all the animals God made, and Adam named, there was no one found that could be a suitable helper for Adam. Take note of what role this suitable person was going to play.
- “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife” (v.24) – The union between a man and his parents are very important (expound).
- “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her” (v.67) – Look at order of this courtship (expound).
- Genesis 38:8 and Matthew 22:24 shows us that people get married because of duty (expound).
CONCLUSION –
“Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed.” 1 Corinthians 7:27 (NIV)