A.      Once again, let us be reminded of the keynote message for this series from 1Timothy 4:7-8 – "…Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

                                                             1.      Godliness is the quality of being directed by God, whether it is in spiritual matters or temporal matters.  To be godly altogether, we must be directed by God’s word in all things.

                                                             2.      This passage assures that godliness will bring universal benefits "for the present life and also for the life to come.”  The goal of this series is to encourage us to trust God through His word for "everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pet. 1:3) so that we take hold of all the advantages that God intends for us to have.

B.      Presently, let us consider how godliness in marriage will benefit husbands, wives, children, the church, and indeed everybody in the society in which we live.

                                                             1.      Because godly marriages are essential to the general welfare of all people, Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all…”  The profit of godly marriages is a topic to be appreciated by all people, not just those who are married.

                                                             2.      To have godliness in our marriages, we must seek and follow God’s word in all things pertaining to marriage.  This pursuit will profit us all.

II.      GODLY MARRIAGE IS GOOD FOR ALL OF US

A.      God designed marriage to be the foundational institution for all of society.

                                                             1.      When God created the world, he saw that it was very good (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).  However, when He saw the solitude of the man, He said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18).

a.       Notice from this passage that one God-given function of the woman is to provide companionship for the man.  Thus, marriage was the first social arrangement and is still the cornerstone for all of society.

b.       Another God-given function of the woman is to help the man.  She was uniquely qualified to work as a complement to the man.

                                                             2.      Thus, God created the woman from the man, and "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

a.       This is the defining passage for marriage.  Marriage recognizes God’s purpose in creating woman, for when a man leaves his parents, cleaves to his wife, and becomes one flesh with her, they together recreate that original relationship of the first man and first woman.

b.       Notice that Jesus quoted this Scripture when He was asked about divorce (Matt. 19:4-6).

                                                             3.      Consider Genesis 1:28, where two blessed responsibilities were given to both the husband and his wife: "God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

a.       One blessed responsibility was procreation.  Through the joining of man and woman, children would be born and mankind would be propagated throughout the world.  Thus, it was always God’s intent that every child be raised in a family with a father and a mother.

b.       The other blessed responsibility was dominion.  The most basic, practical, and essential form of government is marriage and the family.  Through these institutions, the whole world is to be subdued and ruled.

B.      When marriages are rooted in godliness, everyone benefits.

                                                             1.      By simply honoring and observing God’s original design for men, women, and marriage, many of society’s problems would be solved and we would all be profited.

a.       Many problems with order, authority, government, education, business, and health would be eliminated if all men and women adhered to God’s marriage and family designs.

b.       This is exactly the reason that the Scripture says, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all…” (Heb. 13:4).  Honoring and protecting marriage is in everybody’s best interest.

                                                             2.      Likewise, many individual problems of men and women would be solved by honoring marriage.

a.       Marriage provides a godly and lifelong basis for companionship, the rearing of children, work, security, sustenance, worship, education, and the order of authority.

b.       Specific problems are solved in the principles of marriage described below.

III.   GODLINESS IN MARRIAGE

A.      Marriage is defined by God as a lifelong bond between one man and one woman.

                                                             1.      When asked about divorce, the Lord referred to the creation of man and woman, quoted Genesis 2:24, and said, "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matt. 19:4-6).

                                                             2.      The duration of marriage is for as long as both husband and wife are living (Rom. 7:2-3), and marriage is limited to this life only (no marriage in the resurrection – Matt. 22:29-30).

                                                             3.      There is no other combination of people (man and man, woman and woman, man and multiple women, etc.) that is defined by God as the holy institution of marriage.

B.      God has assigned the husband to be a loving and considerate head over his wife.

                                                             1.      From the husband’s standpoint, his headship is exercised purely in love that is modeled after Christ’s love for the church (Eph. 5:25-33; Col. 3:19).  He is to be self-sacrificing for his wife and as considerate of her as he is of his own flesh.

                                                             2.      The husband is to live with his wife in an understanding way, respecting her feminine differences, and honoring her as a fellow heir of the grace of life (1Pet. 3:7).

C.      God has assigned the wife to be in subjection to her husband with all love and respect.

                                                             1.      A wife’s subjection is to be a reflection of her subjection to Christ (Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18).  As she trusts in God for her best interest in the design of marriage, she submits to the God-ordained order of authority in marriage (1Cor. 11:3; 14:34-35; 1Tim. 2:12).

                                                             2.      In a godly marriage, it is necessary for a wife to both respect and love her husband (Eph. 5:33; Tit. 4-5).  These attitudes are the result of a godly wife honoring God and His word.

D.      God has designed marriage to be the source of procreation and the basis of the family.

                                                             1.      From the beginning, godly men and women have generally come from godly families that grew from godly marriages.  This has always been the design of God.

                                                             2.      As a result, society goes as marriage goes.  When marriage is honored among all as a godly institution, the society benefits and social problems are minimized.

E.       God has expressly forbidden all perversions of marital relationships, activities, and orders, including divorce, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and feminism.

                                                             1.      God has said, "I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16) for good reasons.

a.       Divorce is the ungodly act of separating that which God has joined together (Matt. 19:6).  One who forsakes a spouse has forgotten the covenant of God (Prov. 1:17).

b.       Every divorce involves sin, and those who divorce are tainted with adultery such that they are unfit to marry again (Matt. 5:31-32; 19:3-12; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18).  The only exception is for one who divorces a spouse because of adultery.

c.        Divorce has devastated this nation.  The damage done to adults and children is immeasurable, for divorce has eroded all of the good that God intended for marriages.

                                                             2.      Adultery (immorality by a married person) and fornication (immorality between unmarried persons) are sins that reject God’s design for men and women in marriage.

a.       These sins are explicitly forbidden in many passages of Scripture (Prov. 2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:20-7:27; Matt. 5:27-28; 15:19; Rom. 7:3; 1Cor. 5:11; 6:9, 12-20; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3).

b.       Notice Hebrews 13:4 again – "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”  Fornication and adultery dishonor and defile the godly and holy design of marriage and provoke the judgment of God.

                                                             3.      Homosexuality has gained greater acceptance in our nation, but it is still an abomination to God (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; 1Ki. 14:24; Rom. 1:24, 26-27).  Our nation has already suffered for this abomination, and it will suffer even more if the practice continues (see Sodom, Gen. 18-19).

                                                             4.      Feminism is the desire of women and wives to rule over their husbands and men.  This is a rejection of the original design of God and His appointed order (Gen. 3:16-17; 1Cor. 11:3; 14:34-35; 1Tim. 2:12).  Such a rejection of the Creator brings forth chaos for His creation and creatures.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      From the beginning, God’s institution of marriage has brought profit to both men and women.  God’s laws concerning marriage have not changed, and godliness constrains us to adhere to these laws today.

B.      If we will return to these fundamental truths, then God will bless us individually and nationally.