Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church     
 
Pastor Tim Janiszewski - "Here and There"

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Messages of Grace

(Past Recorded Sermons) 










This Sunday
May 1, 2016



Sermon Title:
"Making Much of Marriage"



Scripture:
Malachi 2:10-16  
Picture of Pastor Tim
April 29, 2016
 
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:
 
This coming weekend, our church family will be worshiping in two locations. One part of the family will be rejoicing in Christ at Salt Fork Lodge near Cambridge, Ohio, as about forty of our MLEPC women go on their annual spring retreat. The name they are giving it is something like "Lavender Springs Spa." Sorry ladies, I'm a guy and can't quite connect, but I'm very glad that you can. I'll keep the home fires burning by keeping an eye on the Penguins as they take on the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
 
What I can identify with is the book of Psalms on which the ladies are basing their retreat. These 150 God-inspired gems, which are arranged into five books, speak to women and men alike. They are filled with celebration that rejoices in God with deep passion. They contain words of despair and pathos that pour out in raw emotion before God. They remind us of the protection and care that come to all who call on the name of the Lord. And they warn of judgment and destruction to those who oppose the God of Angel Armies. Most every Christian experiences the range of emotions in relationship to God that the book of Psalms contains.
           
Let's pray for our MLEPC women as they open their Bibles to Psalms and listen to what the Spirit says to them this weekend. Let's ask Christ to help each woman take the next step of faith into a more intimate daily walk with the Lord.
 
For those of us who remain in the South Hills, we look to worship at our Contact and Heritage services on Sunday morning as we continue our series on the Old Testament book of Malachi, turning to chapter two, verses 10-16. In it, we are reminded that our relationship with God must necessarily be reflected in our relationships with fellow human beings. Our covenant with the Lord is demonstrated in the context of our covenant with other believers.

The most fundamental of these human relationships is that which we share with our spouses--our husbands and wives. In no uncertain terms, these verses tell us that failure to uphold marriage constitutes a fundamental departure from our relationship with God. In particular, God through Malachi urges us only to marry someone with whom we can share a walk of true faith. More men will be more like Christ when they marry women who are more like Christ. More women will be more like Christ when they marry men who are more like Christ. When men and women who are more like Christ then have children, these children are more likely to grow up to be more like Christ, as well.
 
God through Malachi goes on to say that believers are to remain committed to their marriage vows until death do they part. The way of easy divorce so prevalent in the ancient world and in our contemporary world is not the way of faithfulness to God in the most basic human relationship. God wants us to be true to the wife of our youth--and to the husband of our youth, too, we might add. No words are minced when Malachi announces that God hates divorce (verse 16).
 
This teaching on who we marry and how we function in marriage is quite countercultural in our time. Most people don't think matters of faith are important enough to guide our choice of marriage partners. Many people don't consider the marriage bond to be permanent and inviolable, except in rare cases. But God wants us to make more of marriage than does our culture. We hold fast to it as one building block for life and society because it reflects our commitment to the God who reigns over us in love.
           
So, if you are not a woman attending the retreat, plan to join us in making much of marriage at MLEPC. And again, let's pray for the ladies as they enjoy study, fellowship, and rest at Salt Fork Lodge.
 
Pastor Tim

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