Gates of the City

Just return home from officiating at my son’s wedding. Was a glorious event. Just figured I would share  . . . 

I would like to welcome everyone and thank you all for coming to both celebrate and witness today’s ceremony of uniting Jesse  and Rebecca  in holy matrimony. Without a doubt, this a glorious day. One in which I am honored and yet truly humbled to be standing here before God and you today to officiate this wedding between my son and his beautiful bride.

But please let’s take a moment and consider that phrase, “Holy Matrimony.” You don’t really hear that term used much anymore, and that’s sad, because marriage is the most glorious institution God has given to mankind. Marriage is meant to be the willful coming together of two hearts and souls through a mutual covenant, agreeing to forsake all others and to be faithful one to other, striving together towards one mind that will always rejoice in honesty and truth. That is why it is unfortunate that for some Holy Matrimony has lost its “holiness,” having been reduced by modern society to simple pre-nuptials and selfish agreements. Marriage, when done God’s way, is truly a great gift from God to all humanity, for it was given to help us know and appreciate the heart and will of God towards us all.

I believe this marriage is ordained of God, as was the very first marriage. Back in the beginning when God created man, He stated it was “very good,” and God placed him in a glorious place called the Garden of Eden with abundance to enjoy as he took care of it and had privilege to walk with God in the cool of the day.

But shortly after creating Adam, God stated “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.” So God did a peculiar thing, He had Adam name all the animals. He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the scriptures say –

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever he called a living creature, that was its name. And Adam gave names to all the cattle, to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

It may seem odd, that by having Adam name all the animals perhaps God got a bit sidetracked from the thought that it was not good Adam was alone. But everything God does has purpose, everything. For at the conclusion of naming all the animals it was clear to Adam, that while even amongst all the other creatures, he was still alone with no suitable mate.

In order to fully understand and appreciate this we should reflect on what God’s word says about how and why Adam was created. Scripture states –

And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

 God created man in His own image, after His own likeness and then gave him dominion over “over all the earth.” God had placed Adam over all living things, yet even among all those creatures there was “was not found a helper suitable for him.”

Without God’s word we could never fully appreciate what this truly means, therefore consider the words of the Apostle Paul –

I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

Every man who covers his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head.

For a man ought not cover his head since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

For man was not made from woman, but woman from man;

Nor was man created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.

Therefore ought the woman to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

What we are told here is the “head” of every man is Christ. Now what that means is simply this, Jesus Christ is Lord over all men. Some may boldly say, “He’s not my Lord,” but they will all too soon find out that yes, as a matter of fact, He is. For when Jesus returns He will have written on His robe and on His thigh, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

But Paul plainly tells us that the head of the woman is the man, “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.”

This may sound archaic and chauvinistic to some, that man is the head of the woman, but I would suggest that perhaps that is because you have not had opportunity to fully consider and appreciate God’s wisdom in this matter until now. Because what the scripture also tells us is that God intended the woman to be the glory of the man.

I don’t care how you look at that, it means exactly what it says. But the scripture also tells us that man was created in the image of God and was meant to be glory of God. Believe it or not, it is these two truths that prove marriage is an institution established by God that has both an incredible purpose and a fearful responsibility.

The purpose: To give all mankind a means whereby they may know and understand and appreciate the heart of God.

The responsibility: For us to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

First, let’s look at the purpose of marriage and how it is a means whereby we may know and appreciate the heart of God. Consider how God placed Adam in a parallel dimension to His own. Just as Adam was on earth without a suitable mate, God too was sitting in the heavens amongst the entire angelic host with all the seraphims, the fiery ones, and the cherubims and was still alone.  “Alone” meaning that amongst the entire angelic host there was none found suitable to complete God’s own heart’s desire.

From a rib from near Adam’s heart and beneath his arm, God created woman for man, to be the glory of man. That she should be forever near his heart and always under the strength of his protection. By divine and royal design the King of kings and Lord of lords fashioned woman so as to be the receiver of the man, that through intimacy the two could become one and by man’s seed bring forth fruit, the gift of life. Through God’s design and purpose, marriage is the means whereby a man and woman adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

For as Paul tells us-

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

It was God’s desire that through holy matrimony we might know, experience and appreciate the heart of God. Certainly God could have made things differently; there could have been no great distinctions between man and the woman. Procreation could have easily been accomplished through other means void of intimacy, like two distant plants in a field where one merely catches by chance the pollen let off by another.

But no, God intended us to understand that just as the woman was intentionally designed to be the glory of man, to receive him into her own body through intimacy to bring forth the gift of life, so have all of us here today been design by our Creator to receive His Spirit into our bodies as His earthly temples, that He may impart His incorruptible seed of life in us, even His word whereby we may be born again.

God’s word tells us, “Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

This why God expects us to be faithful in our relationships, for God will always be faithful in His. That is why man being the head of the wife is not just a lording of authority over her, no, because he too has an authority over himself. Rather God gave man the responsibility to love, care and nurture his wife as one held accountable unto God to properly adorn the doctrine of God our Savior loving His church and laying down His life for it.

God loves us. God loves you. He created each and every one of us here to be His temple whereby He may live in us, changing us by His grace into His glory. But, we have all sinned, but God so loved, He sent His Son to die for our sins that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have life eternal. But what Jesus meant by “believe” was to fully entrust ourselves unto Him, that He could cleanse us of our sins that He might save us by His indwelling Spirit. That being justified by His death, we can be saved by His indwelling life. For those who willingly purify their souls as the Apostle Peter said, by obeying God’s word through the enabling of His Spirit, Jesus is coming back soon to claim them for eternity as His bride, Him in us and us in Him forever. Amen

Regardless of the illusions abounding in the world today that there are many ways to God, that is simply not true. For there is only one groom spoken of in scripture that is coming soon for His bride, the church. There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved, or whereby we can be made holy and acceptable in our beloved Savior. It is through Jesus Christ alone, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And now I stand here before you all most humbled as I find myself in a parallel position with my heavenly Father who sent His only begotten Son to redeem and take for Himself a bride, and a beautiful one she is too. Today, My son, Jesse Males is about to bring into my family a precious daughter, Rebecca Strang . . . at least that is her name for a few short moments longer.

Therefore it would be appropriate now for Jesse and Rebecca to express their vows to each other before God and man that we may witness and hereafter confirm that by forsaking all others they have agreed to allow God to make of them as one.

1. Son’s vows. 2. Wifes’s vows. 3. Exchange the rings.

 Heavenly Father, I ask your blessing upon Rebecca and Jesse, that by your grace, mercies and wisdom, they may always grow together in love for you and each other. May their lives always be a tremendous testimony to the doctrine of God our Savior, even the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May they always remember, if you be for them, who then can be against them. Let your peace guide their hearts and may their hearts always be centered on you. It is in your glorious name Lord Jesus we pray. Amen – Live for the King!

Friends and family, we came before God today to acknowledge both His gift and wisdom of marriage between a man and a woman. We have witnessed the vows expressed by Rebecca and Jesse towards each other; they have exchange wedding bands a sign of the endless intent of their covenant to each other. It is therefore with great joy that I pronounce you both husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no one try to separate. Son, you may kiss the bride!

I now present unto Mr. and Mrs. Males 

Now, please forgive me if I am beaming over with pride . . . after all, that’s my boy . . . and my new daughter in law ;)

A special thanks to all my sons who participated and helped greatly at the service. It was a blessing to stand together with my four sons as we all held hands and  prayed together for their brother and his wife to be. All you boys make me proud, may God continue to direct and enrich all your lives . . . and again, Live for the King!

God is good.