Be Careful Where You Sleep.

The Bible tells us "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed defiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

Sex is good...God designed it to be fantastic! He designed it to be practiced and enjoyed between husband and wife. Inside this covenant union, sex is blessed by God and can be fully enjoyed by the husband and the wife.

But outside of this covenant union...it is not blessed. The rest of Scriptures teach us that God's judgment against unrepentant fornicators and adulterers is that they will not inherit everlasting life...that is a scary price for a little 'nooky' outside of marriage.

God created Adam and Eve...God ordained their union...God presented Eve to her new husband and blessed their new union...God made the two individuals become one by the instrument of a covenant relationship...it pictures the Trinity.

In the Trinity there is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...and these three are One God. They are in perfect union and communion with each other.

The husband and wife are two and yet are to live as one.

Common law wants a relationship but the parties of it don't think that God needs to be a part of the picture. The Bible teaches us that both the church and the civil government are instruments in the hands of the Lord...both hold the Lord's authority...as long as both follow the words of the Lord.

God made marriage to be between one man and one woman for life...only death is to separate them.

God gave the church and the civil government authority to bless this marriage union.

You hear the pastor say..."now by the authority given to me...I now pronounce you husband and wife"...the authority given to him by God.

Just stop and think about ritual or ceremony for a short moment...how the Bible teaches its importance.

In the Old Test...a man from a certain tribe of Israel went through a certain ritual to become High Priest...before he was ordained High Priest he wouldn't dare enter the Holy of Holies...even on the proper time prescribed...because of if he did God would judge him...He would strike him dead!

What's the difference? After the ritual or ceremony...the man now had God's permission to enter that role...God gave His blessing...God's authority blessed him in his new position.

Let me give you an example that we can relate to today. Imagine you are driving your car and you see red and blue lights flashing behind you. You pull over squeezing your eyes in frustration...you really can't afford to pay for another speeding ticket. All of a sudden at your window is a guy in jeans and a t-shirt. You roll down the window and he tells you that you were speeding and you are going to get a ticket. You ask him if he is a police officer. He smiles and says no. He then tells you that he has always wanted to be a cop but didn't think that he really had to jump through all the normal hoops to be one. He hands you his home made ticket and walks back to the car.

Do you pay the ticket?

Of course not...because you do understand that the government has been given the authority to proclaim who is officially a police officer and who is not.

You breath a sigh of relief...tear up the ticket and throw it in the garbage.