March 10, 2018 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "The Seventh Word: Marriage" The Ten (Part 7 of 10) by Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Dan Matthews

Children's Feature: Roy Ice

Baptism: Dennis Salamante

Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:20-25, Exodus 20:14, TNIV read by Justin McGrath

Sermon Notes:

As we approach the seventh commandment—the commandment calling for fidelity in marriage—I offer two quotes for your consideration. The first is from the well-known Christian writer Philip Yancey:

Marriage strips away the illusions about sex pounded into us daily by the entertainment media. Few of us live with oversexed supermodels. We live instead with ordinary people, men and women who get bad breath, body odors, and unruly hair; who menstruate and experience occasional impotence; who have bad moods and embarrass us in public; who pay more attention to our children’s needs than our own. We live with people who require compassion, tolerance, understanding, and an endless supply of forgiveness… Such is the ironical power of sex: It lures us into a relationship that offers to teach us what we need far more—sacrificial love. (“Holy Sex—How it Ravishes Our Souls,” Christianity Today [9-30-03]).

On the other hand, consider these words from the researchers Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, in the now-out-of-print magazine, Talk:

Married people have better sex lives than single people. Indeed, married people are far more likely to have sex lives in the first place. Married people are about twice as likely as unmarried people to make love at least two or three times a week. And that’s not all: Married sex is more fun. Certainly, at least, for men: Forty-eight percent of husbands say sex with their partners is extremely satisfying, compared to just 37 percent of cohabiting men. When it comes to creating a lasting sexual union, marriage implies at least a promise of permanence, which may be why cohabiting men are four times more likely to cheat, and cohabiting women eight times more likely, than husbands and wives. (Talk [October, 2000]).

Marriage, then, can be the place where we learn the most important lessons about sacrificial love. At the same time, it can be the relationship in which we experience the deepest and most satisfying intimacy known to human beings.

No wonder God is concerned to protect its fidelity…

Randy Roberts, Senior Pastor