God expects us to do marriage and family his way.
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SERMON NOTES:
God’s Expectations for Marriage and Family
Malachi 2:10-16
God expects us to do marriage and family His way.
God expects us to marry people who are also actively pursuing Christ. (10-12)
God expects us to embrace our marriage covenant. (13-14)
Contract:
Covenant:
God expects us to intentionally launch young adults who love Jesus. (15a)
God expects us to be faithful to our family commitments. (15b-16)
study questions:
For the Next Lesson: Malachi 2:10-3:6
1.Read verses 2:10-12. What is God’s charge against the people of Israel (vs. 10)? What have the people done to be “faithless” to God (vs. 11)? What are the consequences for this sin (vs.12)? Compare the sin of Malachi 1:11 to the command the apostle Paul gives in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. When taking these two verses together, what is important to God when choosing a spouse? Why do you think this is important to Him? Based on these verses in Malachi and 2 Corinthians, what advice would you give to those looking for a spouse?
2.Read verses 2:13-16. What have the people done to be “faithless” according to verse 14? What does God desire for those who are married? Look up verse 16 in 2-3 other translations. How does God view divorce? What can we do to divorce-proof our marriages? Take some time to talk about both attitudes and actions that are necessary to divorce-proof our marriages.
3.Read verse 2:17. What charge does God bring against the people? How do the people respond? What do the people say about God that proves the charge God has brought? Do you ever struggle to weary God with your attitude or what you say about God?
4.Read verses 3:1-6. Who is the “messenger” in the first part of verse 1? Who does Jesus say this messenger is according to Matthew 11:9-10? Who is the “Messenger of the covenant” in the second part of verse 1? What will the “Messenger of the covenant” do when He comes according to verses 2-4? Who will God judge according to verse 5? What is the foundation of the people’s hope in verse 6?
5.So what. Take some time to list the things that are important to God in our actions and attitudes according to Malachi 2:10-3:6. Are these same things important to you? Why or why not? What is one principle from Malachi that you can better live out in your life? What is one truth about God that you can claim that will encourage you?