Romans chapter 7. If you're using a pew Bible, you'll find this on page 1526. 1526. Romans chapter 7. We'll be reading the first four verses. Romans chapter 7. Romans chapter 7. I'm sorry, 1526, page 1526. Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter seven, verses one through four. Or do you not know, brethren, for I speak to those who know the law, that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then, if while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ that you may be married to another to him who was raised from the dead that we should bear fruit to God. It was the best of times. it was the worst of times. I'm sure you're familiar with that saying. It's a way of talking about a time period in which there are a lot of good things going on and yet a lot of bad things going on at the same time. And that can certainly be true of a lot of periods in history. But what I'm specifically referring to today in talking about the best of times and the worst of times, is 16th century England. Now, I meant to bring up the map of the world before, but we'll look at it later, Lord willing, so that we can be reminded where England is. Of course, you know that's where the First Lady is from. 3,000 miles the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. So 16th century England, that is to say about 500 years ago. And so England had been in religious and political upheaval, and indeed would face even more upheaval in the decades ahead. It was the year 1547. King Henry VIII, you remember Henry VIII, I am, I am, remember him, you know, with six wives, right? Henry VIII died that year, and his son, a pious boy king, Edward VI, came to the throne. As a matter of fact, Edward was only nine years old when he came to the throne. Now, perhaps we know some nine-year-old boys, I don't know, but in any case, In any case, think about that. If there are any nine-year-old boys here, think about coming to the throne of England at nine years old. Or think, for those of us that aren't nine-year-old boys, let's think about that. That's kind of amazing, isn't it? Obviously, he had advisors and so forth. But his son, a pious boy, a godly young man, Edward VI, came to the throne. And this nine-year-old boy was determined to continue the Protestant Reformation with its proclamation of the gospel of God's grace. The Archbishop of Canterbury. So in the Church of England, in the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest church official. So the Archbishop of Canterbury was Thomas Cranmer. a godly churchman who helped promote an English translation of scripture during the reign of Henry VIII. England was becoming reformed, Calvinistic, theologically, and was promoting that reformation in, and promoting that reformation in thought, was the Book of Common Prayer, in which Cranmer also played a significant role. So the book, A Common Prayer, it's a prayer book. This 1549 prayer book, along with the 1552 version, would shape the English language almost as much as the later King James Version of the Bible would, and perhaps as much as the writings of William Shakespeare. Among the most memorable and most meaningful of the expressions found in this prayer book are words associated with the marriage ceremony in which bride and groom pledge to each other that they will live together as husband and wife as long as they both shall live. The groom pledges and the wife pledges in similar language, I name, take thee the name, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death us depart. according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I plight thee my truth, that is to say, I pledge thee my word. For close to five centuries, this classic phrase, till death us depart, or till death us do part, or alternatively, till death do us part, has been repeated millions of times. It has been recited by genuine believers in Jesus Christ who desire to keep their word, and many of whom, by his grace, have kept their word. It has been recited by those who hold formal membership in the visible church, often peasantry, peasants, the poor folk, sometimes royalty, nobility. those who hold formal membership who lack a credible faith, and many times who end up not keeping their word. It has been mouthed by giggly teenagers who perhaps do not realize the seriousness of that upon which they are about to embark and who are trying out marriage on a lark. It has been said solemnly by soldiers and their brides from English civil wars to World War II, who may realize all too well the fragile nature of life and of marriage. Now, Romans 7 verse 2 teaches the truth that is embedded in this phrase, namely, that marriage is both permanent and impermanent. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul is pointing out the sinfulness of man. In chapter 7, he's dealing with the relationship between the law and a sinner. Paul writes that the law has dominion over a man in his natural, that is, in his fallen state. However, When united with Christ, that person no longer is wedded to or bound by the law, but is married, as it were, to Christ. Or to use the terminology of Romans 6 and elsewhere, the person is united with Christ. The believer's union with Christ is the main point of this first section of Romans chapter 7. But in making this point, Paul uses an illustration in verse 2. He appeals to the relationship between a husband and a wife in order to illustrate the relationship that a redeemed sinner is to have to the law, that is, the law with respect to his justification, his getting right with God, his being declared not guilty. And so he's illustrating that relationship by means of this analogy in terms of the relationship between a man and his wife. Now please note that what is expressed in this verse is merely an illustration. Some theologians and denominations have adopted the view that Paul is making a broad statement that only death can dissolve a marriage. However, as we shall see, divorce can also legitimately dissolve a marriage. Therefore, it is important not to read too much into verse two. But nevertheless, apart from the idea of divorce, the principle which Paul states here applies. A wife is to be bound to her husband while they both live. That situation is what is normal and expected. Consider then this notion of marriage, that is, that husband and wife are to be bound each other for life under these three basic points. One, the permanence of marriage. Two, the impermanence of marriage. And three, how marriage prepares both parties for eternity. So first of all, the permanence of marriage. Besides, till death do us part, another phrase associated with marriage is the bond of holy matrimony. And that phrase, too, reflects biblical truth. In marriage, husband and wife are chained to each other. They are chained together. They are handcuffed to each other. In Espanol, in Spanish, esposa is wife and esposa is handcuffs. Interesting. They are legally one. They are bound. That's the point. In the eyes of the law, at least historically speaking, they were viewed as inseparable. But more than merely legally, that is in the eyes of the law, they are actually one. The Bible says that the two have become one flesh. In other words, there's an organic significance to the marriage bond. The two people are not merely legally bound to one another, rather they begin to think like to act like and to resemble one another. Remember I made reference to 101 Dalmatians, right, in terms of that cartoon flick from around 1960, where the master that would, the master's mistresses that would take the dogs out, right, and you could, for a walk and you could see in that flick how the dogs and the masters tended to look alike. And even so, Even so, we find that true in terms of husband and wife. I mentioned that a couple of weeks ago, a young lady came to church and she commented how Penny and I look like brother and sister. Because again, there is this affinity that happens. And indeed, you start to come to the point where you finish each other's sentences because you're thinking alike. There's a oneness between husband and wife. And they have come together sexually. But that which is literally true in the sexual union has a deeper significance than the merely physical. This notion of one flesh has deep implications. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5, a man does not hurt his own flesh, but rather nourishes and cherishes it. But since a married man is one flesh with his wife, then he must likewise nourish and cherish the one with whom he has become one. What is important to note here is that having an organic relationship implies a permanence. It is one thing to seek to dissolve a business partnership or to divest oneself of ownership in a corporation, but it's quite another to seek to cut off a part of oneself. The picture that Paul paints is that of two people living together as one unit. They are one. The idea of the bond of holy matrimony carries at least one more idea, and it is this, that when you are married, the fact of your marriage is always there. You cannot get away from it. It follows you wherever you go. When a man first gets married, especially if he's been in a single state for most of his adult life, getting used to being married can be an adjustment. For example, for years, he would have checked the single box on any number of government or other forms. Now, all of a sudden, he must check the box marked married. Now, it usually does not take all that long for him to make the switch. And as soon as he does, he never again has to catch himself checking the wrong box on a form. And that realization that he really is married not only continues with him, but it grows on him as he grows in that relationship. Everywhere you go, you are known as Mr. and Mrs. When there's a social event, unless it's designed for one gender only, it is expected that you and your spouse will attend. When you talk about your family, you naturally talk about your spouse first and foremost. When you fill out your income tax, your marital status plays a role. And this is true with regard to life and health and auto insurance and numerous other matters. But there is a more personal dimension to married life. Whether it has to do with one who has dibs on the shower, or how the toothpaste tube is squeezed, or what and when you're going to eat, or what program you will watch on TV, or what recreational activities you will enjoy, or where you will go on vacation, or even where you will live, you must take someone else into account. You have lost your freedom to act without reference to another person. Neither husband nor wife can escape the reality of being one flesh with the spouse. Sometimes it may seem as awkward as having a gigantic tree growing in the living room. This is an analogy, an illustration that the author Mike Mason has made. It's like a gigantic tree growing in the living room, but there it is. It's there. What are you going to do? You cannot cut down the tree without damaging your own house. For better or for worse, you are married. and you had better get used to it. For you pledged to live together as husband and wife as long as you both shall live. There's another phrase often associated with the marriage ceremony is this, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. These words to point to the permanence of marriage. Whatever else they mean, they certainly indicate that marriage is not something to be treated lightly or frivolously. These words definitely tell us that so-called easy divorce is totally out of the will of God. Jesus condemned easy divorce, as we read from Matthew 19 today. The Jews had thought that divorce could be obtained on very slight grounds and appealed to Deuteronomy 24 for scriptural support for their view. But the Lord Jesus corrected them by noting that those provisions in Deuteronomy 24 were given by God because of the hardness of the Israelites' hearts. No, marriage is not something that can be taken up and put off like a coat. What then are the valid grounds for divorce? The Bible teaches that there are only two, either adultery, or willful desertions such as cannot be remedied by either church or state. In either of these two scenarios, the offended party has just cause to sue for divorce which should be granted. These two reasons form the exceptions to the general rule that only death should dissolve a marriage. Having exceptions to the general rule for marriage is similar to the fact that there are three exceptions. As you remember, I preached on this several weeks ago. Three exceptions to the general rule of the Sixth Commandment, thou shalt not kill. Those three exceptions being capital punishment, just war, and self-defense. God allows for a person's life to be taken under any of those circumstances, and such is not to be considered murder. Similarly, it is not a violation of God's law on the part of the innocent party to sue for divorce when either of the conditions is met, namely adultery or willful desertion that cannot be remedied. But apart from those situations, marriage is permanent. It is, to quote the Book of Common Prayer, till death do us part. But now we are faced with what may seem at first a paradoxical statement that there is also an impermanent nature of marriage. Of course, when we say that marriage is permanent, we are affirming that marriage is something which is not to be set aside lightly and that in point of fact, nothing but death ought to end a marriage. If a marriage ends in divorce, It is because blatant sin is involved on the part of one or both partners. Marriage indeed is to be till death do us part. However, the very fact, the very fact that death will mark the end of a marriage is a way of saying that the marital state will not last forever. While it is permanent in this life, it is impermanent From the perspective of eternity, it is impermanent. When we factor in the reality of death, we are hereby reminded that marriage is a sin-cursed institution. Now to be sure, marriage is also a wonderful institution. The Bible is clear that a man and a woman are to rejoice in their love for one another. But marriage is inevitably and of necessity because of man's fall into sin, a sin-scarred institution. And we are reminded of that dark side of marriage by means of the various manifestations of sin within the marital relationship. Quarrels, bitterness, the lack of a forgiving spirit, physical violence, cutting words, unfaithfulness. These are among the aromas of death that often swirl about a marriage. All of these are tokens of the reality that sin attaches to and taints every aspect of marriage. We like to look through rose-colored glasses at the marital state. But realistically speaking, there is a dirty, dingy side to marriage. And there is a corruption, a decay that eats away at every marriage. This is one of the reasons why being a good husband or a good wife takes a great deal of effort. It is not automatic. In the garden of one's marriage, weeds must constantly be spotted and rooted out and killed off. Or as the Apostle Paul acknowledges in subsequent verses in Romans 7, there is a spiritual warfare that goes on all the time. He exclaims in verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? What we must remember also is that no matter how much progress we may make in our spiritual lives and in our life together as a married couple, the principle of death, at least in terms of physical death, will eventually catch up to us. Not only sin, but the effects of sin. Color marriage and in our more sober moments of reflection will cause us to realize that there are yellowed tints as well as rosiate hues. Every marriage will end. It is inevitable. Sin, Satan and death are our great enemies and they are the great enemies of marriage. And because we are not delivered from physical death in this life, this enemy preys upon and hunts down and will consume every marriage that has not been destroyed by divorce. When a couple prepares for the wedding day, it is perhaps not uncommon to speculate about how long the marriage will last. In the summer of 2005, news came of a couple in England that was celebrating 80 years of marriage. He was 105 and his bride was 100. 80 years, can you imagine? At the other end of the spectrum, there was the young man who had come down to Atlanta from out of state, had met, fallen in love with, and married a Georgia peach. And as they were driving down a rain-soaked I-75 on their honeymoon, she was killed in an automobile accident the day after the wedding. He recounted the story of their romance and brief marriage in a book entitled, At Least We Were Married. How long do you think your marriage will last? Whether it is 80 years or 24 hours, your marriage will end. For your marriage is till death do us part. And thinking about the fact of a marriage's eventual end can be a painful, a painful reality. To be sure, there are some people who would be just as happy to be out of an unhappy relationship, even if its termination came about through their own death. More about that in a moment. But for most Christians who have enjoyed sweet, pleasant, fun times with a spouse, the thought that their marriage will someday end is painful. Indeed, the sweeter the relationship, the more bitter the end. The more you love, the more you hurt. But that very bittersweet nature of the matter is necessarily part of the very nature of love itself. A love which is not self-centered but selfless. A love whose essence is that of giving, not getting. That of sacrifice, not grasping. Marital love is that which lavishes itself upon another person. Even though you know the particular relationship will not go on forever. No, it won't. It can't go on forever. It is only till death do us part. Perhaps you are thinking at this point, what a morbid subject. What an awful thing to be reminded of at a wedding. You see, we often think of this phrase and its twin expression, as long as you both shall live, is emphasizing the permanence of marriage. But these phrases just as readily emphasize the truth that there is an ending point. There is a termination to the marriage. And there are two good reasons why it is important to be so reminded. First, love, as already noted, is self-sacrificial. And that sacrificial nature of love is like a sweet-smelling perfume that permeates the atmosphere and overpowers the scent of death. That love, of course, is present throughout a marriage, enabling a couple to bear up under hardships, to continue to pledge to each other their fidelity, whether experiencing poverty instead of wealth, sickness instead of health, or worse times rather than better. But when the final sickness comes, when after being subjected to the ravages of disease, the partner begins to fail physically, when perhaps after agonizing times, of seeing the partner suffer deterioration in mind as well as body. The spouse is still beside the partner's side, holding his or her hand, relieving a fevered brow with a cool, damp cloth, stroking combing his or her hair, speaking words of affection and encouragement. Ah, there is something beautiful and wondrous and glorious about all of that. And it is celebrated by the words, till death do us part. Second, these words remind us that marriage is not an end in itself. We do not live for ourselves, nor do we ultimately live for each other. Rather, we live for God. Marriage points beyond itself to the reality of eternity. And so this now is the third point. Marriage points beyond itself. Marriage, like life itself, points beyond itself to heaven and the eternal state. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells us that in eternity there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage. However, those who have been married, as well as those who have been always single, will face the God of the living. More than that, marriage is a preparation of ourselves and our partner for that eternal state. Marriage is for your spiritual good. It is in order to make you holy. How is it that marriage has this sanctifying influence? As already noted, love in marriage implies sacrificial service, a servant's attitude which should lead to and grow out of humility. This sacrificial service is true even of those who are in bad marriages or unhappy marriages. Oh, it is so much easier to serve those who are lovely and appreciative of our labors on their behalf. And how frustrating it can be to feel trapped in a permanent relationship with apparently no way out. But God has not always caused us to ease and comfort in this life. In point of fact, it is a veil of tears. And it is precisely in such a situation that we can demonstrate the selfless attitude which God expects of us. A second way in which marriage prepares us and our partner for eternity is through edifying, that is, building up the other person. Of course, we should not so denigrate ourselves that we worship the ground on which the other person walks. To build up the other person does not mean to puff him or her up. Rather, what is meant is that we assist our spouse in understanding what God expects of him or her, and so edify that person spiritually. And a third way in which marriage prepares us and our partner for the life beyond the grave is by encouraging one's spouse in the pilgrim way, as we journey to the celestial city, or the heavenly city. Here we could be reminded of John Bunyan's book, The Pilgrim's Progress, featuring Pilgrim, Christian was his name, and his wife, Mrs. Pilgrim, Christiana, as the husband encouraged his wife in her spiritual walk. Are you about to fall into the slough of despond, that is to say the swamp of despair, or to be seduced in the town of Vanity Fair? What a blessing. when you can speak the appropriate word, whether of comfort or rebuke, to your lover, the partner of your bosom." I'm reminded of Martin Luther, who married Catherine Van Bora, who had been a nun. And, of course, Martin Luther was the founder of the Reformation. And one time she got dressed up all in black, and she said, she came in, and he said, well, who died? And she said, God did. He said, God didn't die. And she said, but you've been acting like it, you say. And so she snapped him out of his despair. What a blessing it is when you can speak the appropriate word, whether of comfort or rebuke, to the one who is your partner. And now, let me mention in terms of application, there is much application that comes from the reality of marriage. The first point of application is this. Cherish the moments of your marriage. Just like your life, the days of your marriage are numbered. The minutes of your marriage are numbered. As we sang from Psalm 90, count your days. Therefore, cherish each precious moment, for it cannot be recaptured or replayed. In this regard, make the most of your marriage. That idea of making the most of your marriage is not merely to say have the most fun that you can. Indeed, having fun is a part of it, but it's not the whole of it, nor the most important thing. Use the opportunities you have to build each other up in the faith. Make the most of every moment of your marriage, redeem the time of your marriage, and prepare for eternity. Yes, cherish each precious moment. Second, keep your accounts short. There will be times, of course, when things do not go well in a marital relationship. Sin afflicts every one of us. but it is important not to let the sun go down on your anger, particularly in a marriage. Indeed, you do not know when you say goodbye while on the way to work, if that is the last time you will see your spouse in this life. If it turns out to be your last goodbye, will it have been a sweet memory, an embrace, a kiss, a look of love and longing? Or will it have been a bitter memory of anger and unresolved tension? Every time I drive out of the driveway, guess who's on the front porch waving goodbye to me? Keep your accounts short, for you never know when the grim reaper will come knocking and will end your marriage. Third, please remember how costly was God's sacrifice for his people. We lay down our lives every day in sacrificial service to our spouses. Jesus laid down his life in order to bring about the marriage of the lamb and his bride. And while there is pain involved in the separation of a husband and wife at death. Think of the agony when the son of God, who'd enjoyed sweet fellowship with his heavenly father, was separated from him at the cross and cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Remember how costly God's sacrifice was for his people. And finally, by way of application, let us remember once again Thomas Cranmer. This great churchman was both an heroic and a tragic figure. He was heroic in his efforts to reform the Church of England, but his was a tragic life in at least two ways. One, he was burned at the stake by Bloody Mary and her Roman Catholic regime. And two, for a brief time after he was arrested, he renounced his Protestant faith. Remember I said at the beginning it was the best of times? It was the worst of times. Indeed, many good things going on in England in the 1500s. Many bad and wicked and horrible things as in the persecution by Bloody Mary of the Protestants. And so, his was a tragic life. He was burned at the stake, and for a brief time, he actually gave up his Protestantism. But when time came for his execution, as he was being burned at the stake, burned to ashes, He thrust his right hand, the hand that had signed his renunciation of his biblical faith, he thrust his right hand into the flames first, saying of his hand, this hath offended. At the last, he was faithful to Christ, and by that act of courage helped preserve England for the Protestant faith. We can be grateful that our eternal salvation is not dependent upon our faithfulness or lack thereof in our lives or in our marriages. That doctrine is the very biblical basis which Cranmer championed, salvation by faith alone through grace alone. But we who are saved by faith alone have a duty to live in a faithful manner. Indeed, we who are married are bound to our spouse till death. Till death us do part. Amen. We please stand for prayer. And our father, we give thanks for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We give thanks father for the fact that we are called to sacrificial service. Be pleased to work that grace in our hearts and lives based upon the grace of justification and the imputation of Christ's blood and righteousness as our sole basis for being accepted by thee. We thank thee, our Father, that Jesus is the one who cried from the cross, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And we pray, our Father, that for ourselves and for all those who would name the name of Christ, that this truth of justification by faith alone would resonate with us and be embraced by us. And so, our Father, again, we thank thee for thy truth. We thank thee for marriage, the institution of marriage. and we pray, Lord, that thou would strengthen the marriages represented here in this congregation. We pray, Lord, for those who seek marriage that thou would be pleased to grant them a spouse to whom they could be faithful. So, Lord, hear this our prayer. We prayed in Jesus name. Amen. Please turn to Psalm 48 B. Psalm 48