Subject: Looking Beyond the Wedding

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5: 22 – 33

Memory Verse: Ephesians: 5: 33

Objective: To amplify the biblical principles on which strong, God-directed marriages may be built.

Introduction: Marriage is not the answer to all human needs; each person has needs that only God can fill. Once a husband and wife understand this, this will lessen unrealistic expectations placed on each other and establish God as the foundation of their union. Marriage takes a commitment of one hundred percent from both husband and wife. Men and women who marry expecting their companions to fulfil only their physical needs build on a faulty concept. God desires that the husband love his wife as himself, and that he cares for and loves her as Christ do the church. In turn, the wife should love her husband and reverence his love for her by being submissive. In marriage, the husband needs the respect of his wife, and the wife needs the love of her husband, thus submitting to each other through love and respect, even as Paul admonished all believers to submit “to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5: 21).

1. After the honeymoon phase has passed, how are wives and husbands still expected to treat each other? Ephesians 5: 22 & 33

Note: Husbands: You are commanded to love your wives as Christ also loved the church. Jesus has never ill-treated, abused, misused or forsaken the church, so neither should a husband treat his wife in such a manner. Christ has set a high standard of love. Wives: Be respectful to your husbands. Love them, cherish them, care for them and honour them. If both the husband and wife practice these Bible principles, they will both unlock the door to having a successful marriage.

2. Identify some of the duties of the godly wife as outlined in the Bible? Titus 2: 5 & Colossians. 3: 18

3. On the other hand, what are some of the duties of the godly husband? Ephesians 5: 25 & 1 Peter 3: 7

4. What fundamental instruction was given to the first married couple in the Garden of Eden? Genesis 1: 28

Note: The Bible tells us that children are a blessing from God and instructs married couples to be fruitful and multiply. Children are and always will be a blessing from God. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

5. There are many things that may cause problems in a marriage, what are some of these? Deuteronomy 5: 18 & 1 Timothy 5: 8

6. What are some of the things mentioned in the bible that will allow couples to have a happy marriage? Proverbs 5: 15, Romans 12: 10, 1 Peter 3: 7 & Ephesians 5: 33

7. Identify some of the things that the church may do to encourage harmonious marriages. Discuss briefly.

Conclusion: God expects us to continue to love our husbands/wives after all the butterflies are gone from our stomachs. Marital love is the model for the highest and most complete love expressed between a man and a woman. Twisting the marital relationship can also result in the deepest pain and the greatest injury. We have made a lifelong vow to each other that we of ourselves cannot keep. Prayer and fasting are essential in the success of all marriages; however, counselling and mediation should be considered if serious marital issues, such as abuse, surface in the relationship. God’s divine hand can hold our marriages intact, but we must obey His words and play our parts as husbands and wives. Godly men and women become godly husbands and wives.