A 6-week sermon series from Pete Wilson, Cross Point Church.

This series is the essential guide for anyone who is married.
And a cheat sheet for anyone who hopes to be someday.

We dream about one day finding that special someone and starting a life together. What happens when life collides with that dream? How do we handle managing work, relationships, and obligations so we do not give our partner the leftovers? What do we do when we wake up and realize we have not kept God at the center of our relationship? How do we handle life when our expectations far exceed our realities and the person we thought would be our best friend forever lets us down? How do we reconcile forgiveness, truth, and hurt?

5 Things That Will Destroy Your Marriage explores what God thinks about the mystery of life, love, and relationships.

 

Week 1: Leftovers

Despite the time and energy we put into relationships early on, the temptation develops over time to give our spouse what's left over. We need to relearn how to passionately pursue one another, giving one another our best.

 

Week 2: Expectations

Everyone enters marriage with certain expectations, which we develop from our families of origin or perhaps from an idealized image of what married life will be like. To truly "submit to one another in love," we must focus on our responsibilities more than our rights, and more on what we're giving than what we get.

 

Week 3: Leaving God Out

After debunking what marriage is not about, take a look at God's real purposes for marriage--companionship, childbearing, and partnership in significant work. To discover the mission God has for us as a couple, however, we must seek God together in prayer.

 

Week 4: Failing to Forgive

Jesus' parable in Matthew 18:21-35 reminds us that we must forgive because we ourselves have been forgiven so much. But we often withhold forgiveness from those closest to us, holding grudges that can kill our relationships. Forgiveness doesn't mean automatically trusting or excusing another person's actions, but not letting resentment eat away at ourselves and our marriage.

 

Week 5: Withheld Truth

We all know lying is wrong, but withholding truth is no different. And it's not just about hiding our own wrongdoing, but about deceiving ourselves and hiding our true selves from the one we love most. Exposing our past, our hurts, our deepest secrets to our spouse is key to true intimacy in marriage.

 

Week 6: Q&A

Marriage is too big a topic to cover entirely in six weeks. So find out what people are still wondering about by having people write or text in questions and responding live in worship. Answering in tandem with your spouse (or perhaps having a panel of respected married couples) offers several perspectives on people's most pressing questions.