God has given us a user's manual for how
to have a successful relationship a
user's manual for how to live your life
and it's called the Bible and so we need
to go back to what God says and his word
because he tells us how to have a
marriage that will last a lifetime to
have a successful marriage two things
must happen there must be a leaving and
a cleaving remember that statement in
the book of Genesis for this cause shall
a man leave his father and mother and be
joined unto his wife and the two shall
become one flesh then we read later and
God called their name Adam so God calls
saw Adam and Eve as one person and when
a man and a woman come together in
marriage and it's they become one flesh
and the sight of God so now what you
want to do is leave and cleave and
that's something to do for the rest of
your life first you leave leave what you
leave all other relationships and by
that I mean you're no I'm not seeing
you're no longer a son or a daughter to
your parents or a sibling but I'm saying
now there's a number one relationship in
your life and that number one
relationship is that with your spouse
whose bone of your bones and flesh of
your flesh so I leave all other
relationships and I make this my number
one priority second only to my
relationship with God does that make
sense
number two there is a cleaving now the
word cleave means to be permanently
glued together actually the word implies
there'll be irreparable damage if the
two are separated so it doesn't mean I'm
stuck to that person but I'm glued to
that person big difference I in other
words I'm holding on to the person so I
leave other relationships I'm holding on
to my wife or to my husband fusions
chapter 5 verse 31 for this reason a man
shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife and the two
shall become one flesh this is a great
mystery but I speak concerning Christ
and the church nevertheless lead each
one of you in particular love his own
wife as himself and the wife see that
she respects her husband so much I can
say let me just riff for a moment on
those statements if you would just do
that it would transform your marriage do
what love your wife as Christ loves the
church if you would just do that by the
way that's a tall order men are the
initiators men need to take point
many delete spiritually and men need to
love their wife as Jesus loves his
church putting her needs above his own
you girls are saying you you preach it
to my husband ring
yeah but girls what does it say to you
wives respect your husband respect him
isn't it interesting that says respect
him
should you not love him yes you're told
to do that elsewhere but in particular
it says respect women need love men need
respect that's not to say women don't
need respect and men don't need love but
it is to say this passage says husbands
love your wives and it says wives
respect your husband are you respecting
her husband girls don't ever tear your
husband down in front of other people
denigrate him make him the brunt of a
joke when's the last time you thanked
him for what he does for you the
sacrifices he makes for you and how are
we to love our wives men were to love
her as Christ loves the church and how
did Christ show his love for the church
he died on the cross for the church he
died on the cross for the world he died
on the cross for all of humanity no
greater love do we have than this and a
man lay down his life for his friends
and Jesus laid his life down for us and
he sacrificed his life for us so we
could come into a relationship with him
and we could be forgiven of all of our
sin you know it's an amazing thing of
all of the illustrations God could have
given a
to show his love for humanity and to
show how people who believe love him he
chose marriage love your wife as Christ
loved the church so Jesus is effectively
saying hey world that doesn't believe
check this out you see the way that
Christian husband loves his wife that's
how much I love my church look at that
example and then he says hey people look
at that lady there that married woman
you see how much he loves her husband
that's how much my church loves me
that's why it's so important to keep our
marriages together because it's a
powerful witness to a lost world
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