"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:24-25 ESV).

There are four laws of marriage:

1. The law of PRIORITY-"A man shall leave his father and his mother..."

• Legitimate jealousy
  • Instinctive, like mothering
  • One of God's names is "Jealous."
  • It means to resent anything that competes for priority.
• You prove priority with:
  • Sacrifice-What will you give up for me?
  • Time-Money is the commodity of business, but time is the commodity of relationships.
  • Energy
  • Attitude-I actually WANT to be with you.
• Things that try to steal priority
  • Money and vocation
  • Kids
  • Hobbies
  • Other relationships: friendships, extended family
• Priorities in order
  • God, spouse, kids, church, extended family and friends, work, hobbies
• Are any of the following things currently getting more of your sacrifice, time, energy, and attitude than your spouse? (Kids, jobs, friends, pursuits, hobbies)

2. The law of PURSUIT-"... and hold fast to his wife..."

• Human nature is to take for granted anything we have and sacrifice to get whatever we don't have.
• Guys like to think in terms of POINTS. Flowers, take care of the kids, house duties, date night, girl movie All points evaporate at midnight.
• Four lies of pursuit
  • If I marry the right person, I will always have that good feeling.
  • If my emotions change towards my spouse, I must have married the wrong person.
  • Positive events should fuel our marriage long-term. If we have lost the passion and romance, there is no way to get it back.
• How can you intentionally pursue?
  • Revelation 2:5 NLT-"Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."

3. The law of POSSESSION-"... and they shall become one flesh."

Whatever you will not share will become a place of resentment. We share, to name a few:

• Decisions
• Homes
• Beds
• Ourselves
• Money

• Kids

• This rule is violated by:

  • Dominance
  • Protection
  • Independence

4. The law of PURITY-"The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

• We have never been assaulted with so many things trying to steal our purity as we are today.
  • Cultural norms are invading our homes.
  • Digital communications have made adultery more rampant and easily accessible.
  • Online pornography in a home increases the chance of divorce by 300 percent.
• When the law of purity is violated:
  • Trust is an issue.
  • Guilt is an issue.
  • Shame is an issue.
  • Anger is an issue.

We need to... see how far we've fallen, turn back to each other, do the works we first did.