Message Series // Stand Alone – The Bottom Line About Marriage Message
Date // February 9, 2019 (Brian Bloye – guest speaker)
Big Idea
There is a lot of bad information out there when it comes to marriage. Many people are going into marriage with a tainted view and unrealistic expectations. Also, when it comes to how marriage is modeled, there is a lot of unhealthiness. Isn’t it amazing how we will need to spend hours in books and on the road when it comes to getting a driver’s license, but nothing is required of you to obtain a marriage license. Yet marriage is gift from God. We need to come back to a basic understanding of what marriage is and isn’t, and daily choose to keep pursuing God’s standards of the marriage relationship.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
Discussion
Growing up as a kid, what was or has been your understanding of marriage? What has been modeled to you? Was your experience of viewing other people’s marriages generally positive or negative? Why? There are many myths about marriage. From the following list, what 2 myths stick out to you the most and why?
- If a couple truly loves one another they won’t ever argue or have problems.
- A marriage makes a person a complete human being.
- Sex is really not that important in a marriage.
- The key to having a lasting marriage is finding Mr or Mrs. Right.
- The purpose of marriage is happiness.
- Married couples should do everything together.
- Having children will make two people in a marriage closer and increase happiness.
- Once I get married, he/she will change.
- A person’s family background has little effect on their marriage.
- A marriage can never survive an affair.
Read Genesis 2:21-24, Matthew 19:4-6, and Malachi 2:14-16. According to the Scriptures, marriage is a covenant. It’s not a contract or a ceremony. It’s a covenant between a man, a woman, and God for a lifetime. How has this understanding of what a man and a woman enter into been changed, neglected, and/or watered down in our culture? Why would a return to understanding marriage as a “covenant” infuse vitality into one of the greatest gifts God has given us?
Next Steps
In a marriage, the spouse has been called to protect and defend their covenant partner and their covenant marriage. How is this practically expressed? What is one next step you can take to keep protecting and defending your spouse based off your covenant? How can your small group help?
If you are single, what is one next step you can take to protect and defend your future covenant spouse and marriage?