Wedding Marianne Freeman and Jon Carnes

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Be seated. On behalf of John and Marianne and their families, it's my pleasure to welcome you today. We're gathered here in the presence of God and these witnesses to join John and Marianne in holy matrimony.

This is a sacred and it's a solemn and yet a joyful occasion. God established the institution of marriage at the very beginning. He saw that it was not good for man to be alone.

So, He made a helper suitable to him. God formed the first woman out of the rib of Adam and brought them together into a one-flesh relationship. God established the institution of marriage by saying, for this cause, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. John, Marianne, you're about to enter one of the most joyful yet challenging relationships known to man. Marriage is a mystery.

How two people come together and in a ceremony become one flesh. That's what God says He will do. And you have a part in that.

That is something you will work at for the rest of your married life. Let's bow and pray. Our Father and our God, we thank you for John and Marianne and for bringing them to this day. We thank you for their godly desires. They want this ceremony to be as much about you as it is about them. They desire your glory, your affirmation, your approval, and your blessing.

You have been working in them. You've brought them to yourself. You have worked in a wonderful way to bring them together.

And our confidence is that you who have begun a good work in them will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. And part of that work is bringing them together as husband and wife. Too often we enter into marriage with the idea that this person will make me happy. And that becomes the goal of marriage. And yet in reality, you have designed marriage not so much to make us happy, but to make us holy.

And we pray that you would do that in them as they trust you in this relationship. We bless you for the institution of marriage and for your wisdom in creating it. And the desire to do us good and to do John and Marianne good. So Lord we ask you to bless this ceremony today with your divine presence. We pray through the merits of your son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen. John, will you have this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of marriage? And will you love her as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her? Will you comfort her, honor and cherish her, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live? Marianne, will you have this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of marriage? And will you love him and comfort him, respect and submit to him, even as the church submits to Christ, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?

Who gives this woman to be married to this man? At this time we'd like you to take one of the hymnals that's in the pew in front of you, and we're going to sing together the hymn on page 476, May the Mind of Christ My Savior. Let's stand to sing please. May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day, my wisdom and my controlling, all I do and say. May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart, God and divine, some that always be agile, only through his power. May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in every way, that I may be called to comfort, sick and sorrowing. May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea, and exalt himself amazing, this his victory. May I run the race before thee, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward know. May his beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to live, and may they forget the channel, seeing only him.

You may be seated. John Marianna, it's a privilege to bring a charge to you on this occasion. I'd like to begin with a quote, one of my favorites, from the great Baptist John Bunyan.

I presume he needs no introduction in this place. If the husband doth walk towards his wife, as becomes him, he will therein be such an ordinance of God to her, besides the relation of a husband, that he shall preach to her the way of Christ to his church. Bunyan continues, I say also that the wife, if she walk with her husband as becomes her, she shall preach the obedience of the church to her husband.

You know, of course, Bunyan is meditating on Ephesians five and other portions of God's word, where God calls husbands to be like Christ to their wives and wives to be like the church is to Christ. And I want to charge you a lot of those things. And I particularly want to speak to you about preaching. You asked me to preach a little sermon.

I'm going to talk to you about preaching that you'll do. John, as you love Marianne as her husband, it will be a sermon of sorts to her. As you love her, as Christ loves the church. John, you will be able to do something for Marianne that everyone else in this room needs as well.

I'll tell you something about Marianne. It's true of her only because it's true of everyone else in this room. She will have a hard time in her life sensing the love of Christ. She believes that Christ loves her as we do. She knows the scriptures teaches this, but she, like everyone else here, is prone to doubt.

Does he really love me that much? John, you will have an opportunity as her husband, as you love her, to be a picture to her of the love of Christ. And as you love her sacrificially as Christ loves us, as you love her lavishly as Christ loves us, she will flourish under that love and she'll be reminded by the sermon of your love that Christ loves her. Matter of fact, it won't be just Marianne. Marianne will be hearing that sermon, seeing it, if you will, in your love for her. But so will the rest of us as we see you grow into a loving and faithful husband. And her doubts and ours with her about the love of Christ will be put to rest.

We'll see a picture of it in you. Marianne, I want to tell you something about John, and it's true of John only because it's true of everybody else in this room. Godly Christian man, though he is. He will struggle in the life that lies before him to be wholly surrendered to Christ's lordship in his life. He will struggle with that, as do we all. He knows that Christ is Lord. He's committed himself to Christ and to obedience to Christ.

But it will be a day to day challenge for him. You have an opportunity. It begins today to preach to him what it looks like to be wholly surrendered to the one who is your head, to be gladly embracing of of his authority as you are that to John as his wife. You will be a sermon acted out, if I may speak that way of what it is for all of us to gladly give ourselves to serving, to helping alongside of and under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he'll be blessed by that sermon. And so will the rest of us as we see you taking that role of a glad wife, being a helper to her husband, serving alongside of him and being obedient to him.

What do you think? You wanted me to preach. I want you to preach. Bunyan wants you to preach. As you are about to take your vows and to begin your marriage. Yes, both man and wife can preach in the manner in which Bunyan is speaking. As you live out these gospel roles, you will be to each other first and then to everyone else that sees your marriage.

A blessing reminding of the relationship that God has called us into with his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So that's my charge. And my question now is. Are you still ready to do this?

I thought you would be. Now it's time marriages are made by vows. Are you ready to take your vows? John, if you'll repeat after me. I, John, take you, Mary Ann to be my wedded wife. I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful husband in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want.

In joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live. Mary Ann, would you repeat after me? I, Mary Ann, take you, John, to be my wedded husband. And I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful wife in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.

Amen. John and Mary Ann have symbols of these vows. John, as you place that ring on Mary Ann's finger, repeat after me.

This ring I give you. As a sign of my pledge to keep this covenant by the grace of our Lord. Amen. Mary Ann, this ring I give you as a sign of my pledge to keep this covenant by the grace of our Lord. Amen.

Psalm 19 verse 14 says, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Let's pray together for these dear ones we love. Father, we pray you to make this new marriage a gospel sermon. We pray that all of us, but especially Anne Marie.

Mary Ann, sorry. Especially Mary Ann would find herself delighted by the love of the Lord Jesus Christ as she sees it. In her husband, it's our prayer that her doubts and ours with her will be put to rest by the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is modeled in John Carnes. We pray our Father that all of us, but especially John will find in Mary Ann this example of what we are to be in an utter surrender and glad obedience to the Savior. Any struggle we have will be helped and resolved as we are all the more able to see what we owe our Savior as we see it in her.

In this marriage, make a gospel sermon of this marriage, we pray. And we ask your richest blessing on all their days. This we pray in Jesus name.

Amen. In as much as John and Mary Ann have covenanted together in holy marriage, through the making of vows before God and this assembly, by virtue of the authority committed unto me by Christ and his church, I now pronounce them husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. I kiss your bride. The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord causes face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's my happy privilege to present to you for the first time, Mr and Mrs. John Carnes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.