October 22, 2023
Faithful Commitment
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
"Boxing is a wonderful sport for conditioning as long as you can holler, 'Cut.'" – Sylvester Stallone in The Book of Romance: What Solomon Says About Love, Sex, and Intimacy by Tommy Nelson
Song of Songs 8:5 NIV
Who is this coming up from the wilderness
leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived you,
there she who was in labor gave you birth.
Song of Songs 8:6 NIV
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Marriage has a faithful commitment at its root.
I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow.
Song of Songs 8:6 NIV
…its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
Jealousy:
1. resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another's success or advantage itself.
2. mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims.
Biblical Jealousy:
A strong desire for the lover and the loved to be deeply connected. So much so that even the idea of someone else having what is yours stirs up a deep sense of wrong.
Exodus 34:14 NIV
Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Song of Songs 8:7 NIV
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one's house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
What if the person you married was given to you by God for your good?
"A man commented to me, "God gave me the wife I needed to have. It hasn't always been easy, but God knew I needed just this kind of woman to bring about some changes and growth in me." If you ever question whether you married the right person, adopt that man's attitude. God knows you better than you know yourself, and your spouse may be God's chosen tool for bringing out the very best that He put into you." - Tommy Nelson, The Book of Romance: What Solomon Says About Love, Sex, and Intimacy
1 Corinthians 13:7-8a NIV
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Marriage is intended to reflect the safety and security that we receive and feel from God!