Marriage - No Matter What - On Purpose | Josh & Sarah Blount

Acts 14:8-9 … He was sitting and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 

BREAK UP LETTERS 1, 2 & 3

45-50% of first marriages end in divorce, and that percentage only rises with each re-marriage.

But a statistic that is rising every year is the number of single adults. 

• Singles now outnumber married adults.
• More than half of women 18 & older are single - 54%
• In 2018, there were 35.7 million single-person households, making up 28 percent of all households. In 1960, single-person households represented only 13 percent of all households.
• 29.8 is the average age for a first marriage for men and 27.8 for women as of 2018. This has increased every year for the past 25 years with a major increase since 2007.
• The number of unmarried adults is up 30% since 1978. 

WEDDING PIC

When Christ is at the center of your marriage, you can defy the odds. 

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

One flesh = One mortal life fully shared.  

Two selfish me’s living and processing like one unified us. 

Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Joined = glued.

3 main purposes of marriage:

1. Mirror. 

Ephesians 5:32-33 As the scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an ILLUSTRATION of the way Christ and the church are one.

Human marriages are meant to be mini stages on which Christ’s love for his Church is to be displayed for the world to see. 

2. Multiply.  

3. Meet. 

Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 

A helper meet is suitable, adapted, completing. 

 Is this person someone I can run on mission with? 

Is our marriage making a difference in this world? 

Malachi 2:14 The Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth… She is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].

Marriage is a covenant not a contract. 

04. OPTIONS LETTER PIC

Sexual immorality is valid grounds (Matthew 19:1-9), and desertion by an unbelieving spouse (1 Corinthians 7:10-16). 

Malachi 2:16For I hate divorce, says the Lord, 

HOMEWORK:

What is God’s unique plan for our marriage in this season? - MAY REQUIRE PRAYER

Find your wedding vows or google standard wedding vows and read them out loud to one another. 

How can I better maximize my time serving God before I am married?

If you desire to marry, pray for your future spouse.

Connect with another unmarried friend and study 1 Corinthians 7 together.