June 22, 2008 by PastorDave.

#316, Honor Marriage, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday 06-22-2008

Text: Matthew 19:4-6

INTRODUCTION

• We are focusing our attention this month on the Christian home.
• We first looked at honoring our parents, last week turning our hearts to children and today we are going to look at marriage.
• Remember, 19 out of 20 families have no type of worship experience together outside of church.
• The foundational relationship for all of mankind, not just the spiritual health of the family, is the husband, wife relationship.

TRANSITION:

Jesus said, “Haven’t you read…that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” -Matthew 19: 4-6-

“THE TWO WILL BECOME ONE FLESH. SO THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO BUT ONE.” -Jesus Christ- (describes the covenant between the three)

• “In marriage each one willingly offers all he has to the other.”
• “Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” -Malachi 2:15-16-

HONOR MARRIAGE

Invite Tatiana to come and we will share together for the next few minutes.

Before we begin, let me say that what we are going to share next is what we have learned and are learning even today about how the Word of God applies to marriages and is the source of a dynamic marriage for the lord.

EXPOSING THE ENEMY OF MARRIAGE

1. Because God created marriage between a man and a woman and loves marriage, the enemy hates marriage.
2. Marriage is the picture of Jesus and the Church (the enemy hates both) and marriage is the plan God created & designed for godly offspring (the enemy hates godly offspring as well).
3. So, the enemy will take God’s design for marriage and make-up a counterfeit and sell it to couples so they choose it over God’s design.
4. God’s design is shared in 1 Corinthians 11:3 – “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
5. God speaks to us, protects us, teaches us and leads us from inside of His Perfect Design.
6. The enemy’s desire is for husbands and wives to work outside of this design.
7. This picture describes our RESPONSIBILITY to God. (show 1 Cor. 11:3)
8. This picture describes our RELATIONSHIP to God (Galatians 3: 28-29; 1 Peter 3:7)
   1. Gal. 3:28,29 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (value of our God designed role)
   2. 1 Peter 3:7 – “Husbands, dwell with them (wives) according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life.”
9. This is a test of our virtue (responsibility); this is picture of our value (relationship).
10. The roles of male, female, husband & wife are still our responsibility; but through the finished work of Jesus Christ all people are of equal value, have equal access to Jesus, can achieve great things for the Lord and have the potential to store up treasure in heaven equally! To that I say Amen!

THE CHALLENGE

It was challenge to me not to mix these two up in my mind. God says to renew our minds. Ladies/wives we need to understand our responsibilities and challenges that God had given us in His design.

1. Respect Him: Ephesians 5:33b – “and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
   1. One way to respect your husband is to ask him your spiritual questions.
   2. Realize that God will use him (saved or unsaved) to give you guidance. (1 Cor. 14:35)
2. Accept Him: Confidence that God is working through him (Romans 8:28)
3. Be Grateful for Him: (1 Thess. 5:18- “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”) HERE’S HOW
   1. Giving expectations to God and taking them off your husband.
   2. Learning contentment with Godliness (Col. 3:1) growing character
4. Influence Him: Gain influence by not rehearsing past failures but by demonstrating present faithfulness in these areas:
   1. Genuine love; loyalty; servant’s heart; asking forgiveness
   2. Work on goals together with your husband
   3. Influence him by LIVING IN THE NOW LADIES!! LOVE IN THE NOW!!

HUSBANDS: We to need to understand our challenge in the responsibility that is given to us in God’s design.

1. Husbands need to understand that they are not on the top of the chain of command. As the wife is under the husband, so is the husband under Christ. We need to look up for our direction & answers.
2. We are given the responsibility to be spiritual leaders. Our wives need to experience us actually leading spiritually. This means four things:
   1. Regular times in God’s Word
   2. Faithfulness in prayer
   3. Regular church attendance
   4. Discussion of spiritual matters, followed by searching the scriptures for God’s answer.
3. Our wives need to know that they are meeting vital needs in our lives that no one else can meet. (sharing our fears, goals, heart)
4. Our wives need to know that we will listen to hear their heart. They need to know that we are making efforts to understand them.
   1. But honey, do you UNDERSTAND what I mean?
   2. Do you UNDERSTAND what I am trying to say?
   3. If our wives don’t think we will even try to understand them they will get discouraged, then lose hope, that leads to depression.

BEACH STORY

WE NEED EACH OTHER TO SUCCEED! (Genesis 2:18)

1. Husbands: It is not good for man to be alone. (thought life, work, heart, dreams)
2. Wife: I will make a helper

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June 22, 2008 by admin.

JOIN US TODAY

• WORSHIP and THE WORD at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM
  • Nursery, 4s and 5s, Kids 4 Christ
  • An offering for Benevolences will be taken today.
  • Pastor Dave McIntosh, “Honor Marriage,” Matthew 19:4-6
• CHRISTIAN EDUCATION at 10:00 AM
  • Adults meet in the Youth Chapel for the summer.
• PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY, 1:00-3:00 PM, Pastor’s office
  • For more info, contact Alice at astacy@juniper.net.
• THE TRUTH PROJECT SMALL GROUPS at 6:30 PM

JOIN US THIS WEEK

• MONDAY 7:00 PM—Prayer
• TUESDAY
  • 7:00 PM—Women’s Prayer (Prayer Room)
  • 7:30 PM—Christian 12 Step
• WEDNESDAY
  • 5:45 PM—A.L.I.V.E. Homeschoolers Prayer
  • 6:30 PM—FAMILY NIGHT
  • Rainbows (girls & boys, 3 up to K)
  • Girls Ministries (grades K-8)
  • Royal Rangers (boys’ clubs, K-12)
  • Adults & Impact Youth Ministries
  • John Bevere DVD Series: “Honor’s Reward”
  • 8:00 PM—Ice Cream Social Fundraiser (after Family Night in the Fellowship Hall)
• THURSDAY 6:30 PM—Church Board Meeting
• SATURDAY
  • 4:00 PM—African Fellowship Prayer (Onos’ home)
  • 7:00 PM—All-Church Prayer

ANNOUNCING

• VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL REGISTRATION continues in the foyer. We’re going to have an exciting week (July 14-18) at Avalanche Ranch. Stop by the VBS table to register your children who have completed Kindergarten through 6th grade.
• YOU CAN BRING IN your baby bottle for the Care Net fundraiser at any time. Your financial and prayer support are greatly appreciated. If you’d still like to help, pick up a baby bottle at the Welcome Center, fill it, and bring it back ASAP.
• KIDS’ FUN FEST IS NEXT SUNDAY! The insert in your bulletin today is to be given as an invitation to a neighbor, friend, etc. for this great gospel outreach. More fliers are available at the Evangelism & Spiritual Growth Resource Center in the foyer.
• PASTOR MARK WOULD ENJOY HEARING FROM YOU (his e-mail address is: Mark.Boucher@laog.org) as he is in Springfield, MO at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary for the month of June working on his doctoral thesis. He’s making great progress!
• FROM ELEEN BARD FOSTER CARE: Interested in becoming a foster parent? An informational meeting will be held at the New England Dream Center in Worcester on Monday, June 30, at 7:00 PM. The next training will be on July 17, 21, and 22, 4:00-9:00 PM at the Dream Center. Also, volunteers are needed for their Royal Family Kids Camp (August 18-23) which will be held in the Berkshires. Call 508-770-0511, ext. 144 for more info about either program.
• LOST AND FOUND is filling up again. There are several Bibles, umbrellas, articles of clothing, etc. that need to be claimed. The lost and found is in the hallway near the church offices.

HOMETEAMS MEETING THIS WEEK

• Christians in Action (Proiettis)—Tuesday, 7:00 PM
• Branches of Messiah (Wheelers)—Wednesday, 6:30 PM
• YACC for Young Adults (Riehles)—Thursday, 6:30 PM
• Women of Faith (Telliers)—Friday, 10:00 AM
• Pick up directions at the Welcome Center. You are invited!

CHURCH LIBRARY

• The library, located next to the Youth Chapel, is open:
• Sunday: 10:00-11:00 AM, after second service, 6:00-6:30 PM
• Wednesday: 6:15-6:30 PM and after Family Night ministries

TAKE THE LAND OFFERINGS TO DATE

• Beginning Loan Amount: $600,000
• Regular Principal Payments: 12,680
• Extra Principal Applied: 115,411
• Current Loan Balance: $471,909
• At an average $9500/month extra applied each month, the loan should be paid off by Aug 2011.

NEEDS IN OUR CHURCH FAMILY

• The Silva family will be relocating to Ashburnham on or before June 28. They are in need of the following items: a small dinette set, twin bedding/comforters for a boy and a girl, a kitchen utility cart, patio chairs/table, floor shelves, and a basketball hoop/stand. If you have any of these items that you could bless them with or sell to them at a reasonable price, please call them or the church office.

BULLETIN INSERTS

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June 22, 2008 by PastorHarv.

I hear if often: “I’m so busy!” Have you noticed that the important things have to be scheduled in order to get them done? Next to the Bible, the most important book I carry is a Day Timer. My schedule is important to me. But schedules require prioritizing. That means “first things first.” You have made a good choice to be here this morning to worship the Lord. The Bible encourages us to “not neglect the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is” (Hebrews 10:25). When we think of what we receive from the Lord while here, we are amazed at the love and mercy of our Lord. It’s worth our time. We welcome you!

Pastor Harv Meppelink

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