Fighting For Your Marriage | 1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Summary

Marriage doesn’t exist for our happiness, companionship, or physical fulfillment. The ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the glory of God on display to an unbelieving world (Genesis 2:24). To fulfill the purpose of marriage, we must do two things:

1. Safeguard your marriage.
   • Move from occasionally to regularly – develop a healthy habit of sex inside marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-2).
   • Realize your responsibility in marriage to fulfill each other’s sexual needs (1 Corinthians 7:3-4).
   • Communicate with your words. Communication brings clarity, and clarity drives out insecurity, and you could be communicating frustrations or insecurities nonverbally by withholding sex (1 Corinthians 7:5).
2. Stay in your marriage.
   • Believe that divorce is not an option (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).
   • Pursue what is most glorifying to God, not what is most relieving or satisfying to you (1 Corinthians 7:12-13).

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

Remember the gospel. When we were unfaithful, God was still faithful (Romans 5:8).

• If your marriage is on the doorstep of divorce, push pause. How can you most glorify God with your marriage?
• If you’ve gotten a divorce and haven’t remarried, pray that God would prepare your heart to take the next faithful step toward reconciliation. What does that next step look like for you?
• If you’ve gotten a divorce and are remarried, do these three things:
  • Sit with your spouse and acknowledge that you may have taken a step in getting remarried that, at that time, was not God’s best, and ask Him for forgiveness.
  • Make a commitment that divorce will never be an option in your current marriage. How can you and your spouse put safeguards in place to ensure you fight for your marriage?
  • Walk forward in confidence that God is for your marriage and wants to use your remarriage to put Him on display to an unbelieving world.
• If you’re planning to get married, don’t rush into marriage. Know that saying your wedding vows is not just a ritual, but a commitment before God. Are you ready to become one flesh with another person for the rest of your life?
• If you’re married, husbands should have conversations with their wives around the following questions:
  1. In your opinion, what is a realistic and helpful frequency of sex?
  2. When we do have sex, what is most enjoyable and satisfying to you?
  3. Are there any hurts or frustrations in our marriage that would hinder you from wanting to have sex?
  4. Do you have any insecurities regarding sex that would be helpful for me to know?
  5. Is there anything I need to start doing to help us cultivate a healthier sex life?
  6. Is there anything I need to stop doing to help us cultivate a healthier sex life?

Other Mentioned or Recommended Resources

• Additional Scripture: Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Philippians 2:4-5, Mark 10:11