Introduction

A. Top 10 marriage killers

1. Immaturity
2. Bad family background
3. Unrealistic expectations
4. Inability to enjoy life
5. Pettiness
6. In attention
7. Affair
8. Constant Conflict
9. Financial conflict
10. Over commitment to things outside of marriage

B. Marriage vs. work

1. Most of us want our marriage to work.
2. All of us have to work on our marriage.
3. Many marriages don’t work.
4. Most of us don’t know how to work on our marriage.

I. Love Never Fails

A. Romance vs. love

1. Romance is fleeting = Love is long
2. Romance is seeking perfection = Love is forgiving faults
3. Romance is flattering attention = Love is genuine thoughtfulness
4. Romance is tingly excitement = Love is tenderness, consistency

B. True love bears all things

1. Puts up with anything.
2. Never gives up.
3. Is not overbearing.
4. Prevents yourself from saying and doing something stupid.
5. Patient, controls your feelings.
6. “During Oliver Cromwell’s reign as lord protector of England a young soldier was sentenced to die. The girl to whom he was engaged pleaded with Cromwell to spare the life of her beloved, but to no avail. The young man was to be executed when the curfew bell sounded, but when the sexton repeatedly pulled the rope the bell made no sound. The girl had climbed into the belfry and wrapped herself around the clapper so that it could not strike the bell. Her body was smashed and bruised, but she did not let go until the clapper stopped swinging. She managed to climb down, bruised and bleeding, to meet those awaiting the execution. When she explained what she had done, Cromwell commuted the sentence.”
7. Prov. 10:12
8. We can measure our love for a person by how quick we are to cover their faults.
9. Jesus is our great example. Every day He “puts up” with our weaknesses and failures. He washes our feet every day.

C. True love believes all things.

1. Never loses faith.
2. Trusts God always.
3. Looks for the best in each other.
4. Believes in God’s work in your spouse.
5. Jesus believed in Peter. Matt. 16:18
6. Job’s 3 friends believed the worst of Job. Job 21:27

D. Ture love hopes all things.

1. Always hopeful, looks for the best, never looks back,
2. Remains steadfast during difficult times.
3. “The parents of backslidden children, the spouse of an unbelieving marriage partner, the church that has disciplined members who do not repent – all hope in love that the child, the spouse, or the erring brother or sister will be saved or restored. Love refuses to take failure as final. The rope of love’s hope has no end. As long as there is life, love does not lose hope. When our hope becomes weak, we know our love has become weak.”
4. Jesus had true love for Peter. Luke 22:31-32
5. Jesus hoped for Peter’s restoration. Jesus never ran out of love or hope for Peter.

E. True love endures all things.

1. Endures through every circumstance, keeps going to the end.
2. Stays married, perseveres, puts up with unpleasant things.
3. Jesus’ love endured. John 13:1
4. Marriage vows: I,Tim, take you,Rhonda,to be my lawful wedded wife, to be joined to you, as the head of our union as Christ is the head of His church, to love you as my own self, to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, to forgive readily, in sickness and in health, in testing and in prosperity, to love and to cherish, until the Lord shall come, or death shall separate us.

F. Five expressions of love

1. Love by surprising.
2. Love by remembering.
3. Love by pleasing.
4. Love by creating memories.
5. Love by affirming.

Conclusion

A. If you practice God’s love in your marriage, what would your marriage look like in 3 months?

B. Express your love this week to your spouse by one of the fives expressions of love.