Knowing God's Will for Marriage
Pastor Tan Thai · Aug 12, 2012
This sermon based on Matthew 19:4-6 guides the congregation to seek God's will for marriage rather than relying on worldly standards or signs and miracles. The pastor presents four foundational biblical principles for marriage: not marrying an unbeliever, marriage being only between one man and one woman, the purpose of marriage being to fulfill God's design, and marriage being a covenant with God.
The sermon opens with the familiar imagery of modern matchmaking websites such as match.com, eHarmony, and chemistry.com — platforms that promise to find an ideal life partner based on preferences, personality, and appearance. The pastor points out that none of these websites mention seeking God's will for marriage. From this, the sermon establishes that because God Himself is the Creator of marriage, He understands it better than anyone — just as the manufacturer of a machine best knows how to operate and repair it.
The pastor then addresses the common reasons believers hesitate to seek God's will: not knowing where to look, fear of getting it wrong, or feeling it is too late because of past wrong choices. He cites Isaiah 45:18-19, Psalm 32:8, and Romans 12:2 to affirm that God has promised to teach and guide His people. Four means by which God reveals His will are presented: a personal relationship with God, knowledge of His Word, obedience to Scripture, and counsel from mature believers. The sermon also warns against the dangers of seeking God's will through specific signs and miracles or private revelations, citing Jeremiah 23 and Mark 8:11-12.
The central portion of the sermon presents four specific expressions of God's will for marriage grounded in Scripture. First, believers should not marry unbelievers, based on 2 Corinthians 6:14 about not being unequally yoked. Second, marriage is only between one man and one woman — not same-sex unions, not polygamy — based on Matthew 19:4-6 where Jesus recalls God's original design from creation. Third, the purposes of marriage according to Genesis include having children, mutual support and companionship, and the sexual union of husband and wife — but most profoundly, God uses marriage to shape and sanctify each spouse through family life.
Fourth, marriage is not merely a covenant between two people but also a covenant with God. The pastor cites Malachi 2:14-16 to remind the congregation that the Lord is a witness to the marriage covenant and that He hates when a man is faithless to the wife of his youth. The New Testament image of marriage in Ephesians 5:32 further reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church, revealing the deep spiritual dimension of the marriage covenant. The sermon closes by noting that divorce is only permitted because of human sin and hardness of heart, and was never part of God's original design for marriage.