Untitled Sermon (2)

Please Silence your phone, and refrain from taking pictures as there are photographers who will be catching the day, and Breanna and Jacob wish for you to be fully present with them in this ceremony.

The Charge

Who gives this woman to be married to this man? I do, we do?

Welcome/Greeting/Prayer

Good Afternoon, My name is Corey Brown, and I have been in the lives of these two wonderful young adults for a very long time.

Breanna and my sister Hilary have been very close for years, and so Breanna has been another little sister for me.

Jacob has been a young man that I’ve seen incredible potential for leadership, godliness, and humble manhood for years.

BAND - IN Christ Alone

Breanna and my sister Hilary have been very close for years, and so Breanna has been another little sister for me.

Scripture Reading - Brittany - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Jacob has been a young man that I’ve seen incredible potential for leadership, godliness, and humble manhood for years.

I remember years ago - a very persistent Jacob as a teenager was in love with a very disregarding Breanna, and today - we see the culmination of what it looks like to lovingly pursue someone

I know the Jacob wouldn’t say that he has done this perfectly - as I know he’s aware that he will not love Breanna as his wife perfectly, he will continue to lovingly pursue his bride.

Today I’ve been asked to charge the couple from God’s word. After all - it is important to know that at the centre of Marriage is not a bond between 2 people, but a bond between 3.

Marriage is God’s idea - he created it in , and he designed it to be the way that it is

Genesis 2:22–24 NLT

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’ ” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

When God creates something - he puts freedoms and restrictions to it. He gives values, and purposes to it.

And in Marriage we have God’s design for people to become complete. Because in Marriage a man is not completed until he and his wife are one, and a wife is not completed until she completes her husband.

The Passages

The passages that Breanna and Jacob have chosen to be shared today to start them on their journey are beautiful representations of Love. Not all of these True things from the Bible are directly about Marriage - but all of them will help the two of you be successful in your marriage.

Often People say that Marriage is a lesson in Compromising, and that there is a lot of give and take, or that we can meet each other half way. That a successful Marriage is 50/50.

Well - guys - I’m sorry to say. That just isn’t true. Marriage is about reflecting the Love of Christ to one another, in service, in humility, and in self sacrificing love of %100’s.

Jacob - that means that you are to love Breanna - as Jesus Loved the Church - and to give yourself up for her. Regardless of any benefit you may recieve due to that.

Breanna - this means that you are to lovingly support, submit to and pursue your husband in the same way that the church should submit to Christ.

The first passage we are going to look at flows directly from this idea of 2 people at %100

1 John 4:19–21 NLT

We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

1 John 4:18–21 NLT

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

1st John 4:

The verse that we are most interested in is

1 John 4:19 NLT

We love each other because he loved us first.

This states to us not only that we are to love one another, but that there is purpose for this love.

Just as Marriage has an intended purpose and design, Love, has a specific purpose and design.

In Marriage - 2 types of love need to be pursued and embraced in order that a marriage will mirror the Love that God has for his children, and Christ for his Church - and these two together will lead to healthy joys of the 3rd type of love, sexual love.

1 - Phileo Love - or Brotherly Love

2 - Agape Love - or Sacrificial/Unconditional Love

Agape Love is the most important to understand. Your responsibility in your marriage is to mutually submit yourself to the other. Without any expectation of reward, or reciprocation.

This idea flies in the face of our culture where we expect other people to complete us by doing whatever we want them to do for us.

Agape is not love that says serve me, Agape is love that says how can I serve you - let me serve you - let me care for you - let me pursue you.

Agape Love is the love that Jesus Christ displayed on the Cross for us, in dying for the sin of the world, and giving us hope for forgiveness and life!

So we love because he first loved us - is a statement about the Fact that God has always been self sacrificing, self effacing, and always pursuing us in an unconditional love that is perfected in Jesus Christ.

the other type of love is Phileo - which is brotherly love, this is love that looks like friendship, deep, commitment to a relationship, one that is beneficial to both people involved. A friendship that is a close as family, a friendship that seeks to know, encourage, and uplift the person we are in this type of relationship with.

Jacob -

it is your responsibility as Breanna’s husband to lead and pursue her in these ways. My charge to you is that you would Give yourself in Agape love for Breanna, unconditionally loving her, putting your %100 into your marriage - putting her first in everything (although you’ll never do it perfectly), and setting her needs, and her benefit above your own.

The Best way you can do this - is by pointing her to Jesus, by being submissive to Christ’s leading, and to following Christ’s example in servanthood.

It is also your responsibility to love her as her best friend, to date her. I mean it - Date your Wife. Pursue her, make time for her, enjoy her, help her find her passions and joys, and encourage her in these things, champion her, cheer for her.

Breanna -

your responsibility is to pray for Jacob - to lovingly submit to his leadership as Christ’s representative in your marriage. It is up to you that he is pushed to Love God before he loves you. It is your responsibility to lovingly come alongside and encourage his shortcomings, and to help him to be the Man of God the Lord wants him to be.

Your Agape Love is to be there, believing in your husband, championing him as he lives his life, to be ever present counsel, and to serve him, his needs, and his passions, as he follows after God.

Your phileo love is to pursue your husband, to make him know that he is your only best friend. To encourage the things he enjoys, and to participate in the things that you can both enjoy together. My encouragement is that you would be adventurous together and passionate about your friendship with each other.

And When these two types of love intersect and are lived out consistently

You will enjoy sexual love - intimacy that you have been unable to experience to this point in your lives. and in giving yourselves to each other, and to each other only - you will deepen your marriage in both of these other aspects of Love - Agape, and Phileo, UNconditional and Friendship in much greater ways.

The other thing that helps us understand how you should love one another, is by loving other people. God has set the example of love, and in this passage - paul starts off by telling us that our love must be sincere, not faked, not jaded, literally the word is unhypocritically.

As you serve one another, as you grow your marriage - my prayer is that it would attract other people to want to have marriages like yours.

and there are

Because you will have lived out hating evil, and loving Good.

That you would be so devoted to one another that others want to have that kind of relationship - that the way you love one another would make those around you curious as to why.

that you would honour one another above yourselves, that you would take all the opportunities you can to uplift and inspire your spouse

that you would show your circles, your world, what it looks like to be passionate for Jesus, pursuing Him and what He desires before what you desire.

And that when you have done these things - and while you are doing these things that:

you would practice hospitality and use what God has give you to bless others

that you would do life alongside of people in the good times and in the bad times, that you would make an effort the better the lives of those who aren’t as well off as you are, and make it a priority to love those who are marginalized

that as a couple you would be willing to serve your neighbours, and your friends - to show them what real love looks like.

VOWS - own vows, Jacob 1st, Breanna 2nd - I have copies with me.

Rings - Aaron has rings

Jacob & Breanna, you have chosen rings as a symbol and seal of your covenant together. Jacob, please place the ring on Breanna’s finger and repeat after me:

I, Jacob Baribeau, / give you this ring, Breanna Ste. Marie, / as a token of my love, / and I pledge you my loyalty / and devotion / until death separates us.

Breanna, please place the ring on Jacob’s finger and repeat after me:

I, Breanna Ste. Marie, / give you this ring, Jacob Baribeau, / as a token of my love, / and I pledge you my loyalty / and devotion / until death separates us.

I DO’s

Jacob, do you commit to being faithful to Breanna alone until Christ Returns or Death parts you?

Breanna, do you commit to being faithful to Jacob alone until Christ Returns or Death Parts you?

Pronouncement

It gives me great joy in the sight of God and these witnesses to pronounce you Husband and Wife

What God has brought together let no one bring asunder

Jacob, you may Kiss your bride

Kiss

Signing of the Registry (Mark)

Parents Prayer (Mark)

Announcements

Thank you for being here today

For the Family who has been asked to stay back for pictures - after we are finished please make your way directly to the house behind you to your left.

Please stay around and celebrate with Breanna and Jacob with refreshments.

For the Guests who are invited to the sit down reception, please be in the barn for 6pm.

Introduction

Ladies and Gentlemen - please stand

for the first time - it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you,

Mr and Mrs Jacob and Breanna Baribeau.

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