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Marriage: God’s Plan & Purpose

Key Verses: Matthew 19:3-11 - And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” v.4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, v.5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? v.6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” v.7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” v.8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. v.9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” v.10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” v.11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.

Objective: The chasm between the biblical vision and the human vision of marriage is enormous and continues to expand. The biblical vision of marriage seems irrational to many and outdated to the modern world. In this lesson, we will explore God’s purpose and plan for marriage. God’s Purpose for Marriage The greatness and glory of marriage is beyond our ability to comprehend without the work of the Holy Spirit. The self-centered, romance-intoxicated world cannot know what marriage is without learning it from God. The natural man does not have the capacities to receive or even see the wonder of what God has designed for marriage to be. 1) The glory of God is seen in the _____________ of marriage.

Ephesians 5:31, 32 - Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” v.32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

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a) God created them male and female, in His image, so that through their marriage the mystery of God’s _________ would be revealed. Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

b) God patterned marriage after the covenant of _________ and ________ __________.

Note: The church is called the bride and Christ is called the bridegroom over and over in Scripture (See Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:9).

c) The world’s pattern of marriage has very little semblance of God’s most profound purpose for marriage.

2) Marriage is a showcase of God’s covenant of grace.

a) Marriage is a model of covenant __________.

i) Christ Jesus will never forsake His wife and we should not forsake ours.

“As long as we both shall live” or “’til death do we part” is a sacred covenant promise. The same kind of promise, Jesus made with His bride when He died for her.

ii) God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16 NIV) because the breaking of the covenant with a spouse misrepresents Christ’s love for His bride, and it misrepresents the profound purpose for marriage.

b) Marriage is a model of covenant ____________.

i) In marriage, a couple of imperfect people are bound together in a lifetime

covenant. Unlike any other relationship, a husband and wife are knit together in the closest of all relationships in all creation.

ii) The nature of marriage makes us vulnerable hour by hour to the hurts and disappointments of our spouse.

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iii) Every time you choose to forgive, you display the covenant-keeping grace of God.

c) Marriage is a model of covenant _____________.

i) God gave the very first couple a reason for their partnership.

Genesis 1:28 - And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

ii) God’s covenant of grace gives you a personal reason for living and God

multiplies that purpose to your marriage covenant.

A fruit-bearing marriage will be producing:

(1) Kingdom Children: Biological, Adopted, Spiritual

(2) Kingdom Character: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… - Galatians 5:22, 23

iii) Fruit bearing as a couple is, in itself, a showcase of your devotion to discipleship.

A marriage of two people, who are committed to being true disciples of Jesus, will bear much fruit and, in doing so, will bring glory to the Father! John 15:8 - By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

God’s Plan for Marriage 1) God created marriage with a very specific plan.

a) God’s plan is revealed in the very ___________ of marriage.

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b) Marriage was God’s big idea!

Genesis 2:18, 21, 22 - Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” v.21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. v.22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

2) God planned marriage to be a one-flesh union.

a) Becoming ________ is the heart of God’s purpose for marriage.

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.

b) ________ Himself unites the two into the one-flesh union. Matthew 19:6 - So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

c) Oneness is marriage extends to the whole man. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

i) Spirit: Oneness begins for a couple when they are united in spirit.

ii) Soul: Oneness extends from the spiritual foundation into the oneness of mind.

This brings harmony in vision for the present and for the future.

iii) Body: Physical oneness is established by the beautiful gift of sexual fulfillment. This is one of the only gifts that was intended by God to be enjoyed exclusively by one man and one woman in one marriage.

3) God’s plan for marriage is seen in the biblical roles for husband and wife.

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a) Biblical Roles for Marriage

i) Husband’s Role is Headship

Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

ii) Wife’s Role is Helping

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

b) Different Roles but Equal Value

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If Married: Schedule a coffee or lunch date with your spouse and review this lesson together. Discuss those items that can enhance your relationship. If Single: Jesus was a single person who fully pleased His Father. Think about how you can pattern your own single life after Christ’s model and journal a paragraph or so about it.

1. If you are married, what did the Holy Spirit reveal to you about your own marriage? 2. What can you do this week to increase oneness with your spouse? 3. Discuss how increased spiritual intimacy can benefit a marriage relationship. 4. How can this lesson about God’s design for marriage help a single person?