Preaching a sermon like I preached on Sunday is never easy. At every service there were many whose eyes were tear-filled for nearly the entire morning. I know that the topic of divorce and the broader topic of marriage strain and struggle cuts deep because the people we marry can provide some of the sweetest joy and some of the most horrific hurt.
The sweetest joys come from God as we bask in the wonder of the one-flesh union that is intended to communicate to the world the extraordinary love of God in a way that we might glimpse.
The greatest hurts are the work of the Devil as he constantly works to twist the meaning of marriage, divide the family, and convince us that our own happiness is more important that covenant-keeping.
My hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit used the sermon this past weekend to convince you that your marriage is worth fighting for. So, we wanted to provide some tools for the fight. The road to restoration and healing may be long and it may be extraordinarily difficult, but it will be worth it.
Local Christian Counselors
CVC trusts and partners with the following local Christian counseling organizations
- North Coast Family Foundation
- EMERGE Counseling Services
- Ryan Edlind Counseling and Education
- Dr. Walt Broadbent – 440.465.8430
- Fieldstone Counseling
Digital Resources
Marriage, Christ, and Covenant: One Flesh for the Glory of God – Sermon Series
You may recall that I opened my sermon with a reather lengthy quote from This Momentary Marriage by John Piper. This sermon series was the initial content that turned into the book. I cannot reccomend more highly that you listen to this sermon series.
The Gospel Coalition Marriage Resources
In a world littered with unbiblical opinions and teaching that claim to be Christian, it can be difficult to know where to look. The Gospel Coalition is a trusted, curated, biblical repository of excellent tools provided by biblically saturated, conservative evangelical teachers, preachers, pastors, and Bible scholars.
Books
CVC partners with an online bookstore called Ten of Those. The store is currated to include only the best, biblically conservative resources. You can click this link to find all of their marriage resources. Below is a short list of a few that we reccomend.
This Momentary Marriage – John Piper
The Meaning of Marriage – Tim & Kathy Keller
What Did you Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage – Paul David Tripp
Talking as Teammates: A 30 Day Devotional – Steve Hoppe
Gospel-Shaped Marriage: Grace for Sinners to Love Like Saints – Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn
Church Support
As I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday, we have a team of people who love you and are eager to prayerfully and biblically help you as you navigate difficulties in marriage. You can email connect@cvconline.org to request support and guidance. You don’t need to share all of the details via email. Simply let us know that you’re looking for help and one of our pastors, elders, or ministry leaders will reach out.
