We deal with the basic, fundamental building block this morning. Marriage! We need to establish these things because of the vicious attacks on marriage today. There are inherent troubles in society today.

The institution is found in the beginning. There is one critical item. Man is an image bearer of God, separated from the rest of creation. The world misses this important point as they want to do away with marriage all together. They make it utilitarian, and want to discard it when it outlives its benefits and usefulness. The lack of Adam, God completed in creating a woman. When we go back to the PRINCIPAL in the beginning we learn several things:

1. It is an institution of GOD. It was ordained by God and is a creation ordinance.

2. It is an honorable state. A honorable and sanctified state!

3. That union completes those individuals who enter into it. A help meat. They become one fitting union to the glory of God!

4. God has set a distinctiveness between the man and woman in that perfect union, even though this is often misunderstood and abused.

Marriage is a mystery. Something that speaks to the knowledge of faith! We begin to understand marriage by going back to and looking at the relationship of Christ to His church. "Love as Christ..." God married us! God took on Himself bone of bone, flesh of flesh and married us. We are a picture of Christ and His church. Christ and His church are ONE! God performed that ceremony in His love! Christ cleansed His church so they could live perfectly in that union. How could one even think about a marriage where Christ is NOT the center of it??! There is also nothing (no matter the reason) that may sever that union. Christ NEVER leaves His church. The apple of His eye! In the marriage picture it is fully realized in the glory of Heaven! A perfect union! The trouble now is sin. That is why an earthly marriage HAS to go to GLORY!!!

Love as Christ did for His church. Love as your own body husbands!

Subject yourselves as the church wives. Do we ever think we ever get the "short end of the stick" with the Lord? Nothing derogatory as God build a woman. Glorious!

All of sin are those things that creep into a marriage. Go to the CROSS whenever a sin problem creeps into your marriage! This is why the world's marriages don't work. Why there is problems when you don't marry IN THE LORD. You BOTH need the cross! If you don't both have the same Christ, straighten it out BEFORE you ever say "I do!" And in marriage ask yourself many times "What would Christ do? And where should the Chruch be in this situation.

Marriage merges TWO sinners. Don't let sin isolate and cause division. The manual for a good and pleasing marriage is the relationship of Christ and His church.