Good evening. Would you take out your Bible? Would you take out your Bible please and turn to Matthew 22, Matthew the 22nd chapter, Matthew chapter 22, and we'll look at a couple of verses there in Matthew chapter 22. Here in just a moment.

If you're like me, there are a number of things when it comes to your faith, to Christianity, to the Bible where you accept these things as true. You accept them as true because you believe in God, you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, and there are all sorts of other reasons why you believe those things, and so you accept these other things as true, and yet you have some questions.

In your own mind and heart, not of the truth of those things, but how those things can be. Is there anybody else in here that has some things like that regard to God and the Bible besides me? If not, I can quit now, but, okay. I, I think one of those things, at least for me, is, is the idea that marriage ends and that we won't be married to our spouses in heaven.

In Matthew chapter 22 beginning in verse 23, Jesus is having this interaction with the Sadducees. And they're coming and testing Him and they give Him this This big complicated scenario of a, of a woman who is widowed over and over and over again and remarries over and over and over again.

Then it's like, okay, in the resurrection, whose wife is she going to be? And Jesus's response is found there in verse 29, Jesus answered and said to them, you are mistaken, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven.

I accept that to be true. Do you? In, in heaven, we neither marry nor are given in marriage, but we're like the angels of God in heaven? I'm not sure I fully comprehend exactly what that means, but we'll be spiritual beings, and so these physical relationships are going to be changed. I accept that as true, and it still bothers me.

It bothers me. I think about some couples that I know that are virtually inseparable in terms of the way I think about them. I've got a great aunt who's still living and a great uncle who passed away a couple of years ago. But in my mind, these two people are like one entity, right? Uncle Johnny and Aunt Carolyn.

And in fact, not too long ago, she lives up in Lyndale still, somebody said, Oh, I saw Carolyn the other day. And I said, Who? Like, who are you talking? Oh! Uncle Johnny and Aunt Carolyn. Because they go together so well. They go together inseparably. And so, it bothers me. It bothers me that that Steph's not going to be my wife in heaven.

You know, I want to be married forever. That sounds pretty good. Why not? And I can think of a couple of reasons why. Maybe this might be the case. But But I've, I've, I've come back to this idea and studied this idea to try and find a good answer from my own mind and heart. And that's really the genesis of where this lesson came from this evening.

So, I think there's some practical applications to this idea. A couple of things that I've thought of. Number one, not all spouses will be in heaven together. And that is a, that is a horrible and sobering thought. It should break our heart. But secondly, even if we're both there, we're still not going to be married anymore.

And I think that that, that reality, that truth emphasizes that marriage, as great as it is or as great as it can be, as, as important as it is, as precious a gift as God has given us in it, is still just a physical type, a shadow, a glimpse of something that is far greater in the spiritual realm. Amen. And I think we see that because God uses this image in very powerful ways.

And tonight I want us to consider for a few moments the three images our marriages give of God. Again, thank you for being here. I, I failed to mention those who are streaming. We're grateful for your presence as well. So I want us to think about three images. The three images that I see in our Bible that our marriages are supposed to give us of God and who He is and our relationship with Him.

Why did God create marriage in the first place? Well, the story of man and woman begins with a wedding back there in Genesis chapter 2. It begins with a marriage. Yes, it technically begins with Adam being created, and yet the very first thing that is not good is that the man is alone. And so, in Genesis chapter 2, we see that God is going to make a helper that is comparable and compatible to Him.

Didn't find it among any of the animals or other created beings. And so God is going to create this woman, and he brings this woman to man, and Adam says, verse 23, This, at last, is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. This is the one that I've been looking for.

This is the one who completes me in this relationship. And then notice verse 24, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, This They shall become one flesh. Here's my question. Does that whole verse apply to Adam and Eve? Look at it again. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother.

Does that apply to Adam and Eve? No. And so this is intended to be a pattern that is continued throughout time, and we see as we're gonna read about here in just a little bit, Jesus actually refers back to this, that this is a pattern and why did God establish this pattern? He established this pattern, among other things, to show us what covenant love is supposed to look like.

God created this relationship to teach us something about all relationships, but specifically to teach us about our relationship with Him. I saw a number of note takers go down this. That's something good to write down. To show us what covenant love is supposed to look like. That's one of the primary reasons why God created marriage.

What relationship with Him could look like in perfection. In the marriage relationship, we are called to put to death me, right? My selfish desires and motives for we, what we are together. A man is to leave father and mother and to cleave closely to his wife. The two of them become one. One, one flesh, which is more than just the sexual relationship, it describes the intimacy between the man and the woman.

And all of this, I believe, is a type, an image, of our relationship with God. In Stephenville this past week, I was staying with Buddy Payne, that's Texas Buddy Payne, and we had a long discussion about who the other Buddy Payne was, if it was him or the one in Florida. Well, we're in Texas, so we'll say the one in Florida is the other Buddy Payne.

So I stayed with Buddy Payne, and, and I sat in the same place on the couch just about every night. We stayed up late talking about different things. This right here is Buddy Payne. This is Buddy's dad. This is his son and grandson. That's a pretty cool picture, isn't it? And I think in some ways that that is an image of what God has done with this, with this type, with this image of marriage.

That's kind of the way God uses this image. That image of marriage is expressed in three different times. In the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and then in eternity in the spiritual realm. And it is expressed with three different applications. Of God and His covenant people in the Old Testament. Of Christ and His church in the New Testament.

And then heaven itself as we think about eternity. And so let's consider those three expressions of the image of marriage and then see if we can make some application to these things. Why did God give us marriage? To show us something about covenant love and relationship. The first expression of marriage in our Bible is of God and His covenant people.

Will you turn to the book of Hosea, Hosea chapter 2, for just a moment. In the minor prophets, Hosea,

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Hosea chapter 2,

in verse 19,

this is what God says to his people, to the people of Israel. I will betroth you to me forever, yes I will betroth you to me, in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, in mercy, I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. You will know, you will have a relationship with the Lord, because, You are in this kind of marriage relationship.

This is really the beginning and end of the story of Hosea, a husband and his wife. And so we remember in the story Hosea married this woman named Gomer, and this woman was unfaithful to him. She even had children with other relationships. All of these things take place. And this story is representative of God and His people.

And it's a story to which basically all of us can relate on some level. And these beautiful verses in verses 19 and 20 hold special significance for me because Stephanie and I recited these vows at our own wedding ceremony. Everybody loved the good love story, and this story could have been so good between God and His people.

I mean, what better vows can you find than this? Than righteousness, justice, loving kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. I mean, who wouldn't? love to have a relationship like that. But the rebellion and unfaithfulness of God's people kept it from being so. And so Hosea becomes a tragic love story instead of a happy one.

The book of Hosea and the rest of the Old Testament vividly portray this image of a marriage in the negative sense. A wife, a bride in Hosea, who turns into a harlot, selling herself for money. The prophet Ezekiel does the same thing. He uses this same image of a marriage that turns into harlotry, and he uses even more graphic language.

God saves this woman to make her his wife, and she runs after other lovers. She won't even take payment for her infidelity. She has totally defiled herself. And that's what God's people did to him. Hosea could feel it personally. And that personal image of Hosea's own marriage comes out in his preaching as he describes what God's people have done to God.

But all of us understand to some extent the image that is being used. Very negative. But then we get to the New Testament. And the bride is pure again. She is made up of only those who love God. Only those who desire and choose to be with God. The relationship in the Old Testament. The old covenant was based on birth.

The relationship in the new covenant is based on choice. That we choose to love one another. And maybe that's appropriate in our day and age where there aren't arranged marriages. Though, I'm becoming more and more in favor of those. I, I think we see this idea that we choose this person. And whatever else our spouse is, they are our choice.

That we chose them. And in the New Testament, the image is of Christ, the Lamb, as the bridegroom who gives Himself for His bride. And His bride in the New Testament is Mary. The image of the people of God being His bride is used heavily in the New Testament with Christ and His church. Let me give you just a couple of examples.

2 Corinthians chapter 2, For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, Paul says, For I have betrothed you to one husband, For I have betrothed you to one husband, That I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Well that's, that's terminology that is pretty similar to what we read back there in Hosea.

This idea of betrothal, this idea of faithfulness, this idea of purity. And while other passages use this same image throughout the New Testament, perhaps the most famous of these passages is Ephesians chapter 5. Turn over there for just a moment, Ephesians chapter 5. And what Paul does here is he makes explicit this image that we are discussing.

Let's

That husbands and wives give us a picture of Christ and the church and vice versa. So begin reading with me in verse 22 of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 22. Let's go back to verse 21. Submitting to one another in the fear of God, wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. Just notice all of these times where Christ is mentioned in these verses.

So submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church. And He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Amen. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as the Lord does the church. So you see how those two images are interwoven. And so what does Paul do? He goes back to the beginning, verse 30, for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. God did this all the way back in Genesis so that we might see this picture. However many thousands of years later. And he makes it explicit, verse 32. This is a great mystery, but I speak Concerning Christ and the church.

That's what I'm speaking about And and obviously you need to love your own wife as yourself and the wife's needs to respect her husband But he's saying you've got to see this image so that you might understand Christ and his church And what is the image the image is that submission?

The husband, as the spiritual leader of the home, should have this willingness to give himself totally and fully. The wife, upon seeing the sacrifice of her husband in love, is willing to submit to him. Now we don't always get that in actual relationships, and submission sometimes comes first, practically, but this is God's model.

And why do we have this model? Because it illustrates Christ and His church. It shows us, and everyone who comes in contact with our marriages The church's relationship with Christ and how that is supposed to work. God created marriage with this in mind. Let me say that again. God created marriage with this, Christ and the church in mind, not the other way around.

And so he uses this vivid image for us. The comparison of Christ and His church with the husband and wife. Here's the illustration. These two things are alike. God created this world filled with examples and illustrations and shadows of His true nature. And He created marriage because He desires covenant love with us.

And that's what we have as the church, the bride. And so we see these two very clearly. But the ultimate glorified fulfillment of all of that in the church, and even going back to the covenant relationship God had with the people in the Old Testament, is in heaven itself. Turn to the book of Revelation for a moment.

Revelation chapter 21.

This is, I believe, the best picture that we have of heaven. It's certainly describing the glorified church. I think it's describing that in this place we call heaven. Notice, beginning in verse 2 of Revelation 21,

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, listen, Prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Drop down to verse 9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come and I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. This is the image of a bride adorned for her husband. That relationship gives us a picture of what marriage is like. It gives us a picture of what heaven is like, when we see That's why we neither marry nor are given in marriage in heaven.

In heaven, marriage is replaced with this eternal relationship, this fellowship with God in Christ. In marriage we make some sort of vows to love from that point forward. Usually we say what? Till death do us part or something along those lines until death shall separate you is normally what I say in mind the god That god demands from us to remember those vows that we make to one another And so to god by his grace does not forget his people but brings Them to be with him and reign with him chapter 22 and verse 55 says The lord gives them light and they shall reign forever That there is this permanency of relationship.

This covenant with God in heaven is not ended by death like marriage, because there is no death there. Why are we neither married nor given in marriage? Because marriage gives us this picture of God and our relationship with Him, and what that can be like eternally. So what does this have to do with our physical marriages?

How does this impact our marriages here on earth? Well, consider a few points of application with me tonight. Number one, what picture are we giving of a relationship with God? What picture are we giving of the church? What picture are we giving of heaven in and by our marriages? What pictures are we giving our children in our marriages?

What? What picture are we giving the world in our marriages? What picture are we giving our spouses in our marriage? Is the picture that we're giving them one of unity and mutual submission and love? Because that's what the church is supposed to be. That's what heaven is going to be like. Is it one of joyfully embracing our roles and serving one another?

That's what the church is supposed to be, and that's what heaven is going to be. Are our marriages, are our homes a refuge and place of safety from the temptations and warring of the world? Because that's what the church is supposed to be, and that is what heaven is going to be. And so when others, our children, others who know us, others who see that marriage, certainly our spouse, when they see the marriage that we have, do they get a picture of those things that causes them to yearn for relationship with God, yearn for His church, and yearn for a home in heaven?

Or, are our marriages a picture of something else? Of bickering? Of infighting of power struggles of serving ourselves before considering the needs of others That describes a lot of marriages and sadly that describes a lot of local churches, too These two things reflect one another what picture are we giving to others?

Whatever the picture these others have of our marriages That is the impression and expectation we will leave for the God leave for God and the church and even heaven. And I think that especially applies to us as parents, as we, as we strive to raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, that I, I want my, that relationship to be something that causes them to yearn for these other more permanent relationships with God and God's people.

So I ask you, what picture are we giving of these relationships? Number two, how does this impact our physical marriages? Well, I think this image God is giving us of these three other things is a big part of why lawful divorce and remarriage is only permissible for fornication. I think there are a lot of really practical reasons why that's the truth, that the marriage relationship is permanent unless or until a spouse leaves it for another relationship.

I think there's some really practical things. There's some interesting research that's been done on that and how the permanency of a marriage relationship leads to more happiness because people aren't walking on eggshells thinking that this person could leave at any time. That permanency is actually really, really beneficial to the health of the relationship, practically.

But spiritually, I think the marriage relationship and the permanency of that relationship is a reflection of The permanency of these other relationships. And especially as we think about this idea of unfaithfulness. I want you to turn to Matthew chapter 19, if you would. Matthew chapter 19, for just a moment.

This is another occasion where they're coming to Jesus. In the same book, in fact. Instead of Matthew 22, we got Matthew 19. This time it's the Pharisees coming and testing him, instead of the Sadducees.

And their questions are about marriage, too. In verse 3, the Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? You know, any, whatever it is, can he divorce his wife? And he answered and said to them, Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female?

And said, What are we doing? Going right back to Genesis chapter 2 again. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate. They said to him, Oh, we caught you.

Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and put her away? He said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts permitted you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. In order to protect these wives in this society and in this time, it was allowed under the law of Moses.

But that was not God's original design. I say to you, verse 9, Jesus says, Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. And whoever marries her who is divorced, commits adultery. This is a permanent relationship. With only one possible exception. And even then, that exception does not have to be taken.

This relationship can continue. There can be reconciliation. But the only possible exception is adultery. And that unfaithfulness, again, is carried out with these three images. In the Old Testament, their relationship with God was permanent. We've read through the Psalms, we've done lots of studies through Leviticus and Exodus as we've gone through the Bible over the course of these three years.

Have you noticed how many times God speaks of this relationship with the Jews, the people of Israel, and He talks about it being everlasting, forever and ever, all these sorts of things, we say, well, wait a second. That special relationship ended in some ways. The Gentiles were grafted in. We're under a new covenant.

Those sorts of things. Well, their relationship with God was permanent, unless, what? They left Him for idols. Unless they were unfaithful to Him. As Christians, our place in the church is permanent, and the church is just people. The church are God's people, the ones that He knows who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

And yes, that is a permanent relationship with God. Unless, what? We leave Him for the world. Even then, in both instances, God is willing and was willing to take us back if we returned to Him. But it is our choice to leave Him, not Him leaving us. Heaven is permanent. Heaven is eternal. And we will never leave Him.

Here God never leaves us, there we will never leave Him either. Like marriage, our relationship with God requires forsaking all others. Total commitment. And that's the primary difference between dating or even engagement and marriage. It becomes exclusive commitment in a permanent relationship. With God, it is not just one flesh that we are one in every way.

With God, it is not just till death do us part. We will never be parted for all eternity. And the more we value marriage, the more we can imagine heaven and our relationship with God, whether by comparison, positive comparison, or even by contrast. You don't have to have a great marriage to see this image.

Contrast in some ways does the same thing. Seeing bad or broken or ungodly marriages or marriages that have been destroyed by the sin of one or both parties causes us to think, what could it be like? What could it have been like if both people had mutually loved one another? Now, imagine that relationship in perfection.

Well, that is, in many ways, our relationship with God. Because, you see, the ultimate marriage, even the very best marriage here on Earth, is just a dim foreshadowing of the unity and the intimacy, one flesh and the permanency, till death do you part, of what we will have with God. Because God will never leave us or forsake us.

We can leave Him and sever that relationship, but He won't leave us. The image is one of faithfulness. I don't have to be a perfect spouse. Thank God, I don't have to be a perfect spouse. But I must be a devoted one. Raise your hand if you're a perfect husband or wife. I think Monty almost did this last time, so I'm going to ask the question again.

We've all Oh, we've all left clothes on the floor. Well, some of us have. We've burned dinner, or forgot that thing we were supposed to pick up at the store on the way home, or maybe something more substantial. Maybe we've said or done something truly hateful to our spouse because we know them better than anybody else.

And yet, perfection is not the standard that God uses for this relationship and the permanency of it. Do you see that? We can't. Divorce our spouse for any reason, for any cause. Well, I didn't like the way she did that. Oh, I didn't like the way he did that. That's not the way it works. And aren't we glad that God is not that way with us?

I'm going to mess up, and I'm going to mess up again. But I must be faithful. And I don't deserve the chances that I've been given by God. Or maybe by Stephanie either. I cannot earn it by how good I'm going to be, but out of gratitude I am willing to try and be the best version of myself as a husband and as part of this Bride of Christ.

Not in pride and self righteousness, but in gratitude. Not in perfection, but in faithfulness. And even if I am unfaithful, God is always willing to forgive and bring me back. He will never leave us or forsake us. That is the image, the image of faithfulness. And so often we say, well, why is it this way? If it were up to me, I would have given a lot of other reasons why somebody might have gotten out of this relationship and been able to remarry.

But I think God is trying to show us something about His relationship with us and the standard to which He is holding us. Aren't we glad that that standard is faithfulness and not perfection? The third and final thing, how does this impact our marriages? Maybe I'm cheating a little bit because it's to the unmarried.

Let me ask you this question, these questions. What kind of spouse, husband or wife, for what kind of spouse are you looking? Does he or she, whether that's a real person and you're dating or engaged, or whether that's an at this point, imaginary person, somebody you would like to be with at some point.

Does he or she give you an image of what these other relationships are supposed to be like? I think that's, that's a pretty good consideration for who it is we choose to date, and certainly who we choose to marry. Do they give us an image of what a relationship with God is like? What the church is supposed to be like?

And what heaven will be like? Will they help you get into that church? Will they help you go to heaven? Because God has given us this relationship in part so that we might be fellow heirs of the grace of life. Are you looking for someone who is committed to you and committed to the Lord even before you who loves Jesus more than even them loving you?

There but for the grace of God go I is a phrase I think about a lot. And I think about how often in my life God saved me from myself. When, when I was when I was starting to date. I determined early on in my dating life, I was only going to date Christians. And, and that was my standard. I'm only going to date Christians.

And for a while that worked okay. I didn't date much at all in high school, until my senior year, and I dated a Christian. And she was a, a very nice young lady, a very faithful Christian, that went okay. And then we broke up in college, and so then I started dating lots of people, and my standard was a Christian.

And I think I had kind of a pretty box checking kind of mentality about that, right? Just, well, they're a Christian. And then I came to realize that just because somebody is a Christian or says that they're a Christian doesn't mean necessarily that they're really putting Christ first in their life, that they're really good for me and what is best for me in terms of trying to get to heaven.

And so what I would encourage you young people to think about, yes, a good place to start is I'm going to date, and certainly I'm going to marry somebody who's a Christian, But can you hold them to a higher standard than even that? Are you looking for someone with a good and honest heart who is seeking God with everything that they are?

Because that's the kind of person you are. That's the kind of person you're trying to be. Is that what you're looking for? Is that what you find most attractive?

Loved ones, that is what lasts.

And though we are neither married nor given in marriage in heaven, that's the way that we can be in heaven with that person. you Someday. I asked earlier, does he or she give you an image of what heaven is like? And maybe, you know, some corny pickup lines came to mind. You know, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

Have you heard that one? Yeah. Oh yes. The look of this person, and yet we know that it's really about the heart. It is about the heart of that man or woman. They give us that image of heaven, not by how pretty they are, though they may be, but how godly they are.

And I hope. that seeing that God is using this image to describe this most precious of physical relationships reminds you and encourages you to look for someone who gives you that image. An image of God and your relationship with him, an image of Christ in the church, and an image of heaven itself. Well, I don't know that I, that I have all of the answers to my question about why we won't be married in heaven, but I think I'm closer to the answer and hopefully the things that we've thought about tonight.

We'll be helpful to us. We'll be helpful to us in our physical marriages, certainly. But more importantly, I hope these things will be helpful to us in seeing a clearer picture of what, of what and who God has called us to be as His people. If you're here this evening and you've not entered into a covenant relationship with God, we know about covenant relationships in large part because of the marriage relationship.

This, this is a relationship of that is mutually beneficial. This is a relationship that is permanent. This is a relationship of blessing where God is there for you and with you, looking out for you in all things. And if you've not yet come to Christ in humble submission to establish that relationship, You can be baptized into Christ, into that relationship to rise to walk in newness of life.

And if you're already a Christian and you realize that you've not been faithful to Christ, He still loves you. And He wants you to come back. And He is willing to forgive you of all sin and all unrighteousness if you'll come to Him. And if we can help you with that even tonight, come now. For together we stand, and while we stand The Savior