Marriage: Love Wins

• 1 Corinthians 7:28 (MSG)
• 1 John 4:7 (MSG)

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1 John 4:7-11 since God so loved us, so we should love each other.

In marriage, life gets difficult quickly. The honeymoon doesn't last long... We argue about money, food, communication... I thought marriage was supposed to be easy! Shouldn't it bring me more happiness than frustration? Disconnect between expectations and reality. A lot more to marriage than what we see on sitcoms.

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. Real love is not the same thing as romantic love. Keats, Wordsworth, DH Lawrence, wrote about romantic love and popularized that ideal. Marriage is meant to fulfill personal emotions.or notions of romantic love. Romantic love is not elastic, real love stretches.

We have the right value, but the wrong perspective. What if marriage isn't designed to make me happy, but holy?

In 1 John, love is linked to knowing who God is. God is love (4:16). Understanding love = knowing God. Love comes from God.

This means also that love is linked to God's word. Cohabitation b/f marriage, for example, is not part of God's design. B/c we hang onto the notion that we can leave; there's an out.

Love is a verb. An action. God's love is a sacrificial love. He loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for us.

I give you my life as a gift. I take it. This is a sacrificial commitment in marriage. It's hard stuff! Sacrifice hurts! In romantic notions of love, sacrifice isn't part of it.

Love is also forgiving. A holy place is where God meets his people. Marriage can be that holy place. There is a divine relationship. Love your wives as Christ loved the church! (Paul to Ephesians.) At times, you have to let go of the past, start again.

We don't have to do marriage alone. The church is here. Talk to older couples. Let's be transparent. This all related to the character of a Christ follower; not just for married people.

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