"Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Heb 13:4 KJV)

This Sunday has been called by some Protect Marriage Sunday and Monday is call your Representative Day (September 19-20,2004). These days have both been announced by the American Family Association. Now I know that the message we are to preach come from the Lord. And I know that I don’t make a point of following the lead of the world and what day to preach and teach what. But this is a subject that we have not preached on in particular although our position has been and will be quite clear. But this morning I want to give to you the Basis for our position.

On Weds. Night Mary Peterson related a conversation she had at her door with a candidate for office in Montana. The office and the candidate remain unknown to me and I not standing againt that person, but there position. Mary ask what about “same sex marriage.” The person would not at first directly answer, but Mary, shy timid Mary, pressed on until she got her answer. “I am opposed to same sex marriage, but I favor civil unions”  Mary then told her not to come back, and that she would not be voting for her.

But why do we take such a position. I felt that It is necessary to take a Bible position on this matter.

I did a yahoo search this morning “sermon Marriage” and found this quote from a Sermon by a Kenneth F. Baily, Senior Pastor, The Newton Highlands Congregational Church. First of all he stated that he was starting his sermon with a prayer that was prayer for love that was written 1600 years ago. “What happened to Scripture.”  I will just highlight some key false thoughts in this six paragraph section of his meditation.

“In order to continue our conversation about the history of marriage, which was discussed last week, today I want to see how our scriptures of transformation and transfiguration speak to communities and a culture immersed in an examination of gay marriagee. I want to consider some history and encourage some ministry regarding the moment and the call that embraces us. And I want to reclaim a true prayer together.

“This whole discussion of marriage does not come to us in an orderly way, and I can't organize it easily myself. In fact, historian John Boswell says we find great disorder throughout this examination. Indeed, he argues strenuously that for many hundreds of years, gay and lesbian persons have been culture's despised exiles and that that opinion did not originate in scripture. That is, cultural anti-gay sentiments have arisen from a source other than our Bible, then they get read into it: an odd order. Otherwise, he says, we would be consumed with greed, hypocrisy, or even skin diseases, all of which are Biblically more condemned than is homosexuality. Yet he turns early to the scriptures as a resource for people of faith. For when we know our history it is not misused with our unwitting consent.

“Let me take a moment to address that task. Let me speak of the Bible, of Jesus' words, of the Church's record, and then of our own visions and proclamations. In all this I can't be comprehensive, but I'll do what I can.

“There are three primary texts in our Bible cited as proof that homosexuality is condemned. They are, the story of Sodom, the prohibitions of Leviticus, and the citation at the beginning of Paul's letter to the Romans. Let's take them in order. Five sources within the Bible, including the words of Jesus in Matthew, say that the issue in Sodom was inhospitality, pride, and idleness. You can read the citations yourselves and see that they are not confusing. It was much later in history that Sodom became a synonym for some evil. But fundamentally its story is not about homosexuality.

“Second, Leviticus calls certain acts toevah, or an abomination. They were therefore ritually, not morally, unclean. The modern faithful who cite them should also condemn eating pork, shellfish, rabbit, and the hybridization of animals among other things. And we don't do that. Because at the Council of Jerusalem, reported in the Bible, all these prohibitions were put aside for Christians. New Testament believers simply don't hold to the Levitical cleanliness code.

“Then there is Paul. What Paul offers in Romans is a general condemnation of infidelity -- faithlessness -- with lists and examples. He has a theological concern and says, in fact, heterosexual men shouldn't give up their identity in homosexual practice, just as we shouldn't give up the One God for alternate gods. He could, but does not, condemn gays or lesbians. Instead he drops the topic after one phrase in a sixteen-chapter book.

“Walter Wink says that in the same way that you can construct a defense of slavery from the Bible, you can create a condemnation of gays. But it is a tenuous creation and overlooks the guiding principles of the new covenant such as love of God, neighbor, self, and enemy. Personally, professionally, it is a weak construct and as many scholars have pointed out, at its very best it addresses gays but it never addresses lesbians. Does this silence indicate approval? Or is this the silliness of tenuous arguments stripped of their roots and purposes? Personally I return to the love ethic, as does Wink, who says if we go to the Bible for insight here the real question posed is, "How can I love my homosexual neighbor?"

“So what does Jesus say? Well, one school of thought says "nothing." He never uses a word clearly about gays or lesbians. Yet some scholars wonder about a curious reference made in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, call no one raca or you will be sent to the court. Raca is usually translated "fool," but that doesn't make much sense. Some prestigious translators think it is an Aramaic slang term for gays. If they are right, then Jesus did say something. He said you're in trouble if you denigrate gays. Yet there is scholarly confusion over this ancient word.”

Now I am not going to examine and refute each of his points, but I what to take Scripture this morning and build the case for marriage, one man one woman.

I.  Marriage Was Instituted By God. --

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Ge 2:24 KJV)

A.   Now this presents a problem to many because they don’t believe in God and the Humanists are into interested in what God say, or does, because the don’t believe that He should even be brought into the equation.

1.   This will very likely be one of the argument against an amendment to the constitution. “Separation of Church and State”

2.   They will very likely argue also that it is just a private matter, and it is just about sex.

B.   I want you to note that there are two distinctly different person mention here.

 1.   A man,

a)   vya ‘iysh eesh  contracted for 0582 [or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant];

b)   It is translated in our KJV man 1002, men 210, one 188, husband 69, any 27, misc 143; 1639

 2.   His wife.

a) shshah ish-shaw’, irregular plural yvn nash ym naw-sheem’  from 0376 or 0582;

b)   Translated in the KJV-wife 425, woman 323, one 10, married 5, female 2, misc 14; 779

C.   There are still two other persons mentioned in the passage.

1.   Father

a)   01(very first word in the Strong Hebrew Lexicon.) ba ‘ab awb  a root;

b)   In the KJV-father 1205, chief 2, families 2, desire 1, fatherless +03699 1, forefathers +07223 1, patrimony 1, prince 1, principal 1; 1215

2.   Mother

a)   0517 a ‘em ame ; a primitive word;

b)   In the KJV-mother 214, dam 5, parting 1; 220

D.  It is evident that God’s first marriage was to be between a man, who was born of a union of a man and woman, and a woman..

1.  We make light of it but God did not Create Adam and Steve, or Eve and Amanda. He created Adam and Eve

2.  He created them male and female.

“So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Ge 1:27 KJV)

 “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” (Ge 5:2 KJV)

E.  Even their names declare a difference.

1.  Adam is another word for man or even mankind

2.  Eve hwx Chavvah khav-vaw’; causatively; life-giver; Chavvah (or Eve), the first woman:— Eve

3.  Adam was the first man, but woman, eve, was the life giver. Man alone would dwell alone. He need Eve to procreate.

II. What Was The Purpose Of Marriage.

“27  So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Ge 1:27-28 KJV)

A.  It was to bring forth children.

B.  Before there were laws regulating marriage there was marriage.

1.  Man did not write laws that required marriage.

2.  Man did not institute marriage for the purpose of procreating.

3.  God establish rule, man has added unto them that regulate marriage.

C.   Man is seeking to disrupt God plan for marriage just like he did with God’s plan for nature. Instead of man having dominion of the created thing, they are being put on an equal or higher level that man.

D.   Be fruitful and Multiply.

1.   Fruitful—

a)   To bear fruit.

b)   KJV-- fruitful 19, increased 3, grow 2, beareth 1, forth 1, bring fruit 1, make fruitful 1; 29

2.   Multiply—

a)   KJV multiply 74, increase 40, much 29, many 28, more 12, great 8, long 3, store 2, exceedingly 2, greater 2, abundance 2, misc 24; 226

III.   Marriage In Scripture Is Express By Various Phrases.

A.   Joined together

“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mt 19:6 KJV)

1.   To be yoke together

2.   To be joined by a process.

3.   They are no more twain but one flesh.

4.   They are bound together for the task of bearing and raising children.

B.   Making affinity

“And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.” (1Ki 3:1 KJV)

1.   Solomon literally became a son-in-law.

2.   It was a union that Brought Pharaoh’s daughter to Jerusalem. –A forbidden relationship in the Mosaic Law. We use the verse only to illustrate the word affinity.

3.   To make your self a son-in-law

C.   To take a wife

“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took [to wife] a daughter of Levi.” (Ex 2:1 KJV)

1.   He took her from her father and brought her to his house.

2.   This would indicate a changing of who would provide for the needs of the woman.

D.   Giving Daughters to Sons, and Sons to Daughters

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.” (De 7:3 KJV)

“Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an inheritance to your children for ever.” (Ezr 9:12 KJV)

1.   Again note that sons are given to daughter, and not to sons. Daughters are given to sons and not to Daughters.

IV.   What About The Laws That Govern Marriage.

A.   The Prohibition concerning whom not to marry or unite with in a sexual relationship. Lev. 18

“1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. 3  After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4  Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I [am] the LORD your God. 5  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the LORD.

1.   They were not to do as the Egyptians, and Canaanites do, but as the Lord commanded. Verse. 1-4

2.   They were to follow his commands because he shall live in them. Shall have a prosperous life.  Verse 5

3.   The Prohibition listed.

a)   No near of kin

6 ¶  None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover [their] nakedness: I [am] the LORD.

b)   Not your mother

7  The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she [is] thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

c)   Not your step mother

8  The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it [is] thy father’s nakedness.

d)Not your sister

9  The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

e)   Not your son’s daughter

10  The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs [is] thine own nakedness.

f)   Not your step sister

11  The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she [is] thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

g)   Not your fathers’s sister—your aunt

12  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she [is] thy father’s near kinswoman.

h)   Not your mother’s sister—your aunt

13  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she [is] thy mother’s near kinswoman.

i)   Not your uncles wife.—They are one flesh.

14  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she [is] thine aunt.

j)   Not your daughter in law

15  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she [is] thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

k)   Not your brother’s wife—your sister-in-law.

16  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it [is] thy brother’s nakedness.

l)   Not a woman and her daughter. Or her sons daughter, or her daughters daughter.

 17  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; [for] they [are] her near kinswomen: it [is] wickedness.

m)   Not your wives sister.

18  Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex [her], to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life [time]. 1

n)   Not a woman during her time of uncleaness.

9 ¶  Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.

o)   Not your neighbor’s wife.

20  Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.

p)   Your are not to offer you children to Molech. – burn your children as a sacrifice.

(1)   Be careful that you don’t sacrifice your children to any of the gods or pleasures of this world.

(2)   They are a heritage of the Lord they must be raised for him, and you are accountable to him.

21  And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD.

q)   Not with mankind as with woman kind.

(1)   Abomination—Wickedness, uncleaness, in both the ritural sense and the ethical sense.

(2)   The “Rev” we quoted at the beginning of the message. Wanted to make a distinction. Does it make much difference if we live unclean six day a week, and then come clean into the house of God on the seventh. No!!!.

(3)   We live every day in the presence of God.

r)   Not with beasts.

23  Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion.

4.   All the nation before the Jews were cast out because of these defiling things AV-unclean 74, defile 71, pollute 14, uncleanness 1, utterly 1

24  Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

a)   God will viist the iniquity of the land upon them. The land itself will vomit out the inhabitants.

25  And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

b)    They are an abomination, and shall be cut off from among their people. (not able to worship. Not able to partake of the blessings, Not able to claim the promises. Have not a hope of salvation.))

29  For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit [them] shall be cut off from among their people. 30  Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that [ye] commit not [any one] of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I [am] the LORD your God.” (Le 18:1-30 KJV)

B.   Marriage is designed for

1.   The happiness of man

“And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Ge 2:18 KJV)

2.   Increasing the human population

 “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” (Ge 9:1 KJV))

3.   Raising up godly seed

“And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” (Mal 2:15 KJV)

4.   Preventing fornication

#“Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” (1Co 7:2 KJV)

V.   What About The Sin Of Sodomy. What Does The Bible Say About It.

A.   In the Law it calls it an abomination.

B.   In Sodom it brought about the destruction of the city. Gen. 19: The men at the door want to know the two angels. Lot refused, and offered his two daughters.

1.   The wickedness of there sin is seen.

2.   the bondage of there sin is seen in the fact that they would not leave.

3.   The men were struck with blindness—and yet they wearied themselves to find the do.

C.   It was a term of reproach A sodomite.

“There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” (De 23:17 KJV)

 “And there were also sodomites in the land: [and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” (1Ki 14:24 KJV)

 “And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.” (1Ki 15:12 KJV)

 “And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.” (1Ki 22:46 KJV)

 “And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.” (2Ki 23:7 KJV)

 “They die in youth, and their life [is] among the unclean (sodomites).” (Job 36:14 KJV)

D.   God gives them over to vile affection, and a reprobate mind.

 “26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28  And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” (Ro 1:26-28 KJV)

1.   How can one not understand that this is a sin of sodomy.

2.   There is nothing good in the consequences of this sin. In scripture or in life.

VI.   Conclusion

A.   The article that we gave you at the begin of the service give you the social and philosophical  reasons why we must stand for marriage as being one man and one woman.

B.   But even if these things were not true. The Word of God is.

C.   Marriage, was instituted by God, for the good of man and the procreation of the race. He intended it and used it as an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church,

D.   Therefore we should promote it, and help it to prosper.

1.   The violation of God’s law and plans brings dire consequence. And we are seeing that in our nations children.

2.   The holding to God’s standards bring blessing and that is what we should want for our nation.

God's Simple Plan of Salvation

This Was Your Life

Rodeo Cowboy's Prayer