”Married Life” Sermon. Sunday, 6/7/2026.

Scripture and Marriage

How to handle relationships

To be single is to be complete in Christ

Scripture Series: I Corinthian Series

Scripture Title: Married Life

Pastor Greg Wiest

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭16‬ “Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”

Sermon Summary:

     The Bible gives us the template for human relationships. It begins in the book of Genesis where God created us male and female to be in relationship with one another in marriage.  In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus makes it clear that males and females join together in marriage and become one.  Our Scripture today says that each man should have only one wife and each woman only one husband. It teaches against sexuality outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Paul also says that he wishes that Christian brothers and sisters could remain single as he is single.  The unmarried person can be more focused on serving Christ and having a life more dedicated to the Lord.  We are complete in Christ whether we are married or unmarried.

    If one is married, then you must be devoted to your spouse and your life belongs to your spouse as well as to yourself. Marriage can be tough sometimes.  We have periods of time where we don’t get along. The circumstances of life can make marriage hard.  We have to work at loving each other, forgiving one another and communicating better with one another.  Most of us are not experts at marriage and don’t know how to fix a broken relationship.  Fortunately we have a God who has given us an instruction manual in the Bible.  There are also many good Christian books on marriage and Christian counselors who can help.  We need to study marriage, how it works and get help if we need it. The Bible is clear that married people should remain married if at all possible. Marriage is intended to be a permanent relationship. We need to keep working at our marriage all through life. Put effort into loving your spouse and make up your mind that you will keep your vow till death do us part.  If your marriage does not work out, God will restore you and heal the wounds that have taken place. If you find yourself single after divorce, Paul encourages us to remain single and devote ourselves to the Lord.  I would approach remarriage very cautiously.  Take your time, get counseling and consider singleness as an alternative.

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