Message Notes
Marriage Matters - Pt. 2
Today's Songs:
In Christ Alone - Keith & Kristyn Getty
Not for a Moment (After All) - Meredith Andrews
All I Have is Christ - Sovereign Grace Music
Jesus I Need You - Hillsong Worship
10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman
Remember, you can find all the songs from this week and previous weeks in a publicly shared, accumulating playlist on Google Play and in weekly playlists on YouTube (like this one).
Summary: Who men marry and how they conduct themselves in marriage reveals the condition of their heart.
Key Scripture (10:9-13) - 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
1. A history of straying
The men of God have a history of betraying the women of God in this manner and truly betraying what God ordained. (Deut. 7:3)
From the daughters of Moab to the conquest with the Canaanites to Samson to Solomon and on to the days of Ezra, they strayed and what it revealed was what it revealed for Solomon: hearts not wholly turned to God. (1 Kings 11:4)
2. Marriage matters
- It is the primary institution established by God to ensure the proliferation of the Gospel. There is no better evangelist than an engaged, godly father in a loving Christian marriage.
- Who men marry and how they conduct themselves in marriage reveals the true condition of their heart.
3. The pillars of neglect
Men neglect the women of God for two reasons...lust and laziness.
They perceive godless women as more readily willing and able to satiate their base lusts. At their core, men naturally want to objectify women, so why not pursue women who would objectify themselves?
Laziness.
The women of God come with requirements and demands and accountability. We must nourish their walk, their witness, their hearts.
This requires time, energy, dedication, and desire...things we'd rather apply elsewhere.
When lust and laziness do not generate the desired result, it generates anger and frustration in the man all revealing that his heart is not wholly for the Lord. We keep some of ourselves to ourselves.
4. Blame
From this we can look to the state of the church and even the state of our nation and point fingers, place blame.
5. Response
Like Ezra, we must repent and confess not just for ourselves, but for the men of God. We must be broken not just for our own sin but for the sin of the men of God as they betray the women of God. We must confess, do the will of God, separate ourselves from unholiness, and persevere. (v11-13)
