MARRIAGE THAT WORKS

Needless to say, there are a lot of “marriage issues” that have to be dealt with when you’re a pastor. Some of them are discovered in premarital preparation. Others show up later on. Pretty much no marriage is immune to some form of tension that threatens the harmony that should be there. That God intends. Then there are those who have simply bailed out on marriage altogether, as the culture around us questions its validity and redefines its basis. Christians are not immune from any of this, and yet we hold in our hands (or there it sits on a shelf) the very solution to any issue we may face. The “secret” of making marriage work. The gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells the whole story: the origin of marriage, as well as the end of it in eternity, and all that is in between. We have examples, instruction, metaphors, and goals to reach; everything that we need to have a marriage that works. As part of our Imitators of God series, we’ll be looking at 1 Peter 3:1-7 in order to see what that looks like for both husbands and wives. So, bring your bad marriages and your good ones on Sunday to hear what God has to say about it. Be determined to hear from the Spirit through the Word. Imitate what God says about what he made for us. See you Sunday, in person and online.

Series: Imitators of God
Message: 3 – Marriage That Works
Text: 1 Peter 2:13, 21; 3:1-7
Harvest Bible Chapel
Todd Dugard
April 26, 2026

If I am to imitate God in my marriage, I will be subject to my spouse… (1 Peter 2:13)

Genesis 2:22-25

be subject Gr: ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso) – prefix hupo – to place oneself under; tasso – to be appointed to a certain position or place; lit. to place under the authority of another; voluntarily yielding in love

Wives, to your husbands… (1 Peter 3:1-6)

…to win them to Christ

…with respect and purity

…prioritizing imperishable beauty

Husbands, to your wives… (1 Peter 3:7)

…by understanding them

…with honour and protection

…sharing in God’s grace with them

…because this is what Christ did for me! (1 Peter 2:21)