The Mystery of Marriage

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Ephesians 5:31,32
Psalters: 381, 332, 359, 275
Sacrament of Baptism
  1. The beautiful picture.
    1. The great importance of the marriage bond is because it is the foundation of all of society.
    2. The Spirit guides Paul to begin by quoting Genesis 2:24 – a part of God’s institution of marriage.
      1. God created Eve for Adam, and then He “brought her to the man.”
      2. Adam responded in a song seeing her as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, identifying their closeness/intimacy.
      3. Then God follows with His commentary emphasizing the closeness/intimacy of the couple.
    3. Jesus quoted this same verse in Matthew 19:5, also emphasizing the closeness, with two conclusions.
    4. The significance of this is that marriage is to be regarded with great spiritual respect as a live-long union (Mt. 19:6; Rom. 7:2,3)
  2. God created the institution of marriage to be a picture of the real marriage: Christ and His church.
    1.  “This is a great mystery.”
      1. This refers to God’s eternal secret plan which is now revealed in Jesus.
      2. Every elect is in this perfect and eternal marriage, to be especially understood by young people, singles, widows/widowers.
    2. Marriage, as a symbol of the relationship of Christ and the church, is also a mystery.
      1. Unbelievers do not and cannot know this mystery; they cannot begin to understand the mystery/wonder of marriage.
      2. Only two believers can know the true beauty of marriage.
    3. This bond of God-made marriage must be constantly sought (like all obedience); it does not simply fall out of us.
      1. Faith must be exercised constantly in marriage.
      2. The mystery of marriage must be lived in order to understand the blessed union that a husband and wife share.
      3. This text, used by the Spirit, convicts daily of how much we fail, so we must confess - but not despair.