No tags yet.
There is one thing that distinguishes a marriage relationship apart from every other relationship you have on this earth. You talk to many people. You care deeply for many people. You love immensely certain people in your life. You spend time with those you enjoy. You work toward goals with those God has brought into your life. All these descriptions can be attributed to a marriage but they can also be attributed to you and a friend, you and a child, or you and a mother. There is one thing that is set apart as sacred – only to be distinctly shared between a husband and a wife. That one thing is sex, including every facet that encompasses sex.
Sex is what puts a seal on a marriage covenant, and it is what is acknowledged in heaven as the markings of a marriage.
Malachi 2:11-12
Judah has been unfaithful, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. The men of Judah have defiled the Lord’s beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship a foreign god.
May the Lord cut off from the nation of Israel every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The men defiled the Lord’s beloved sanctuary… They defiled the sanctuary the Lord loves… 1 Corinthians 6:19: Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? How did they defile the sanctuary? By going after ungodly women.
We have men who are living hosts for the Spirit of God defiling His holy sanctuary by going after ungodly women. They defile their own wives who are His sanctuary and they defile themselves. Do godly women take their clothes off for married men to view? To godly women flirt with a married man? Do godly women dance provocatively for a married man? Do godly women entice married men to lust after them? When husbands go after ungodly women instead of going after their wife from God, they provoke the Lord as they contaminate, dishonor, and desecrate the most holy covenant this earth holds.
Malachi 2:13-14
Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure.
You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
Do we not realize that the most important person that was a witness to our marriage vows was God Himself?! He saw what we vowed before Him and sees how we carry out what we vowed. Let’s see how well we have kept up with what we promised:
I, ___ take you ____ to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
We can’t worship before the Lord all the while being unfaithful to our spouse and the promises we made before God. The Lord does not accept this.
Malachi 2:15-16
Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.
“For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”
We are one with our spouse. We do nothing without first considering the needs and well-being of our spouse. Why did God ordain sex for marriage? Because He desires Godly children! Despite what you may think, marriage is not about making you happy! Marriage is a plan from God to produce Godly children with your spouse. Guarding your heart from the opposite sex and keeping it solely for your spouse is not just about you – it’s about accomplishing your number one mission: To raise up Godly children.
Despite our culture’s complacent attitude toward divorce, despite many acquaintances you know that believe divorce is not a big deal, the Bible makes God’s stance on divorce very clear: God hates divorce! In such a huge book, there are only a small handful of things I have ever read that the Lord speaks clearly about hating. Divorce makes the short list!
To be unfaithful to your spouse or to leave your spouse to seek after another or others is one of the most cruel things a person can do to another human being. We say murderers are cruel, we say kidnappers are cruel, but we can also say that being unfaithful to your spouse is one of the most overwhelmingly cruel things you could ever do with your life. Not only to your spouse, but to your children as well.
Guard your heart. Nothing ignites passion and pleasure in a marriage more than exclusivity (Andy Stanley). When your spouse knows that you have a one track heart and eyes that lead directly to him/her, then satisfaction and enjoyment will fill your marriage like never before.
Father God, in a world today that takes marriage so lightly, in world today that devalues marriage and makes cheating seem like no big deal, I clearly see in Your Word that being faithful to my spouse is a huge deal to You! Going after ungodly people of the opposite sex brings nothing but grief and darkness in my life and to those You have trusted me with. Please help me view faithfulness to my spouse with the same gravity that You view it. I pray that You help me guard my heart against the ungodly and open it to my spouse. Thank You for helping me protect my children and helping me honor Your living sanctuaries.