In a world where love has been redefined, repackaged, and reduced to fleeting emotions and social media soundbites, this message calls us back to the foundation: love originates with God, not with us. Drawing from 1 John 4:7-12, we're reminded that God is love, and that true agape love—unconditional, sacrificial, divine—is something we receive first before we can reflect it to others. The message challenges our culture's transactional approach to relationships, where chemistry and feelings reign supreme, and instead presents marriage as a sacred covenant witnessed by God himself. Genesis 2:24 establishes God's unchanging design: one man, one woman, for life. This isn't about restrictive rules but about God's best plan for human flourishing. The call is clear—marriage isn't built on what we can get from each other, but on what we're willing to give, mirroring Christ's sacrificial love for the church. When we root our relationships in God's love rather than our own emotions, we discover something powerful: a love that actually lasts through seasons when feelings fade or fail, a love that endures because it's anchored in something greater than ourselves.

Title: A Love That Lasts: Building Covenant Marriage on God's Foundation

Sermon Summary:

This sermon explores the biblical foundation of marriage as a covenant relationship rooted in God's agape love rather than cultural definitions based on feelings or chemistry. The pastor emphasizes that true love originates with God and must be received from Him before it can be reflected in marriage. Marriage is presented not as a contract based on transactions and meeting needs, but as a sacred covenant that requires mutual death to self, sacrifice, and faithfulness. The message challenges the contemporary view of marriage as disposable, calling believers back to God's original design of one man and one woman united as one flesh for life. The sermon stresses that biblical marriage models Christ's sacrificial love for the church, requiring husbands to lead through servant-hearted sacrifice and both spouses to practice mutual humility. While acknowledging the difficulty and brokenness many experience, the pastor offers hope that God is a redeemer who can restore even the most damaged marriages.

Key Points:

- Love begins with God, not with us; He is the source and author of all love

- Love is not an emotion or feeling but a choice and an action demonstrated through sacrifice

- We must receive God's love before we can properly reflect it to others

- Marriage without God as the center becomes transactional rather than covenantal

- Marriage is a covenant (forever commitment) not a contract (conditional agreement)

- God defined marriage in Genesis as one man and one woman becoming one flesh, and this definition hasn't changed

- God takes covenant marriage so seriously that mistreating one's spouse can hinder prayers

- Biblical love in marriage looks like sacrifice, not getting one's needs met

- The model for marriage looks more like a cross than culture—it requires death to self to find true life

- Mutual humility and self-giving service are keys to a happy marriage

- Husbands are called to lead through cherishing and sacrificing, not dominating

- True love is marked by giving, not getting

- God is a redeemer who can restore broken marriages and relationships

Scripture References:

- 1 John 4:7-12 (God is love; love comes from God)

- Genesis 2:24 (A man leaves father and mother and is joined to his wife, becoming one flesh)

- Malachi 2:14 (God witnessed marriage vows and holds spouses accountable)

- 1 Peter 3:7 (Husbands must honor wives or prayers will be hindered)

- Ephesians 5:21-33 (Mutual submission; husbands love wives as Christ loved the church; wives respect husbands)

- Ecclesiastes (Two are better than one; three are better than two)

Stories:

- Personal anecdote about Saturday mornings working on equipment that needed maintenance but lasted

- Reference to the movie "Jerry Maguire" and the problematic cultural message "you complete me"

- Personal testimony about making bad relationship decisions in the past before understanding biblical love

- Story about counseling a couple and wanting to get home to his wife, illustrating proper priorities

- Mention of his mentor reading Ephesians 5 from The Message Bible before his wedding and telling him not to worry about the wife's part, only focus on his own responsibilities

- General references to counseling couples who have reduced marriage to transactions

Chapter 1: Love Begins with God

We explore how genuine love originates from God, not from human emotion or cultural definitions, and how He is the ultimate source and author of love.

Chapter 2: Marriage as Covenant, Not Contract

We examine the fundamental difference between viewing marriage as a sacred covenant before God versus a transactional contract based on personal needs and feelings.

Chapter 3: Love in Marriage Looks Like Sacrifice

We discover that biblical marriage requires both spouses to die to themselves, following the model of Christ's sacrificial love for the church rather than cultural expectations.

Chapter 4: God Redeems and Restores

We are reminded that no matter how broken our marriages or relationships may be, God is a redeemer who can restore and transform any situation when we surrender to Him.