To coincide with Blessing of Marriage Service
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23-25
9:23. Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
9:24. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
9:25. "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
The requirements of our following to Jesus are as follows:
Now, we discuss about verse 25.
The direction of the marriageis entering New Jerusalem forever.
The process is physical marriage must enter spiritual one or the marriage supper of the Lamb when Jesus comes a second time. Further, we enter A Thousand Years Kingdom of Peace or the upcoming Paradise until the eternal kingdom of Heaven.
We must be delivered from the influence of the world, so our marriage can reach spiritual one.
Christian marriage that is influenced by the world will lose salvation and perish.
There are three kinds of the influence of the world that want to thwart the marriage and they are as follows:
God blesses us.
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23-25
9:23. Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
9:24. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
9:25. "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
The requirements of our following to Jesus are as follows:
- We must deny ourselves and take up our cross (verse 23).
- We must willingly lose our life because of Jesus (verse 24).
Now, we discuss about verse 25.
The direction of the marriageis entering New Jerusalem forever.
The process is physical marriage must enter spiritual one or the marriage supper of the Lamb when Jesus comes a second time. Further, we enter A Thousand Years Kingdom of Peace or the upcoming Paradise until the eternal kingdom of Heaven.
We must be delivered from the influence of the world, so our marriage can reach spiritual one.
Christian marriage that is influenced by the world will lose salvation and perish.
There are three kinds of the influence of the world that want to thwart the marriage and they are as follows:
- Having friendship with the world.
James 4:4
4:4. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the worldis enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
The signs are as follows:- Being unfaithful to God, dealing treacherously, and being deceived from the simplicity that is in God and true teaching word.
- Being unfaithful in marriage, so they do not become in one heart anymore. Quarrel, violence in marriage, and infidelity are started in the marriage until divorce.
The divorce comes from a hard heart, namely using self-truth.
It means we keep faithfulto God and the true teaching word, in ministry and marriage.
If a husband or the wife sins in the marriage, they must confess and forgive one another.
After being forgiven, do not sin anymore. So, the sin is finished by the blood of Jesus and the marriage experiences peace. All things are easy and light. - Being unfaithful to God, dealing treacherously, and being deceived from the simplicity that is in God and true teaching word.
- Loving the world.
1 John 2:15-16
2:15. Do not love the worldor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
2:16. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
It means one does not love and need God, so he becomes arrogant.
Being arrogant means one does not obey God. Consequently, he falls into the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.
The lust of the flesh is sin of marrying-giving in marriage or sexual sins with all of its kinds.
The lust of the eyes is sin of eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, drugs abuse, et cetera).
God punished the world because of the sin of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage at the time of Noah, so only eight people were saved.
It will be repeated at the last days.
The practice of loving God more than anything is one obeys God and parents.
Obedient husband loves his wife like his own body and he does not do bitterly toward her.
Obedient wife submits to her husband in all things.
1 Peter 1:22
1:22. Since you have purified your souls in obeyingthe truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
If a husband and the wife are obedient, they will live in holiness, so they are not influenced by the world.
Living in holiness, they can love, serve, and honor one another.
Honoring one another means being honest and open.
Hebrews 13:4-5
13:4. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
13:5. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
It is started from being honest about true teaching[Titus 2:7], marriage, and finance.
If we are honest, Jesus becomes the head over our marriage and He is responsible to take care of our marriage physically and spiritually.
He has died at Golgotha (Place of a Skull). He was willing to die to prove His caring and helping for us. - Being conformed to the world.
Romans 12:2
12:2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It means one does not experience renewal of life, so he keeps becoming flesh and blood man who follows his flesh instinct.
Marriage in the world is begun with the wine of the world. It is only sweet in the beginning, but later it becomes tasteless and bitter.
But, the spiritual marriage must have the wine from heaven, namely true happiness that cannot be influenced by anything in the world.
How can we receive the wine from Heaven?
The water must enter to waterpot (story about a wedding in Cana).
It means flesh and blood men who often lose heart and become bitter must enter shepherding.
Six waterpots refer to the body, soul, and spirit of the husband and the wife that must enter the shepherding, namely perseverance in three kinds of main service as follows:- Golden candlestick: perseverance in committing general service; having fellowship with Holy Spirit God.
- The table of showbread: perseverance in committing bible study service and Holy Communion; having fellowship with Son of God.
- Golden altar of incense: perseverance in committing prayer service; having fellowship with God the Father.
God just asks a spoon of wine.
The tongue determines whether our life is sweet or not.
The renewal is started from not lying. [Ephesians 4:24-25].
If we are honest and speak true and good words, our marriage will become sweet.
The more we are changed, the sweeter our marriage is.
James 3:2
3:2. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
We keep on changing until we do not stumble in word, but just cry out Alleluia to greet His second coming on the glorious clouds until we enter New Jerusalem forever.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7. "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
God blesses us.