Intro - Recap series up till now. This morning I want to look at a "Gospel-Centered Marriage" We're going to ask 3 questions...1. What's wrong? 2. Why are we married? 3. How do we fix this? I. What's Wrong? What is the biggest problem facing your marriage? You. Vertical...Horizontal (when we aren't vertically aligned we begin to look for our horizontal relationships to fulfill us). What we believe to be true about God and his purposes in this world will not only affect our ultimate convictions about the "chief end of man," but also the way in which we seek to relate to others. Like it or not, our theology does matter--certainly in marriage! As Martyn Lloyd-Jones once remarked: "A Christian is something before he does anything...the gospel puts a much greater weight upon what we are than upon what we do." II. Why are we Married? What is the overall purpose for our marriage. Paul tells us that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, and he refers to creation...calling marriage a mystery much like the gospel. It seems that what Paul is saying is that God created marriage from the very beginning as a way to dimly reflect His pursuit, sacrifice, and love for the church. Then Paul makes it clear that the reason we're married is the same reason we've been called by Jesus in general...to set us apart, to shape us into the likeness of Christ. Has it ever occurred to you that the difficulties, struggles, and hardships of your marriage are designed by God as an opportunity for Him to do his ultimate work in you? Instead of kicking against it, see it as God sovereignly working in your life. Caring for one's spouse even as we "love and cherish our own bodies" (Eph 5:28-29) goes against every grain of our fallen condition. Perhaps the most important question that can be asked of any marriage is simply this: how much more does our spouse reflect the image and glory of God because of it? Christ did not love the church by doing what he wanted but by doing what the church needed. III. How do we fix this? If marriage is a picture of Christ and the church...let us think about how we (the church) get our relationship right with Jesus? Confession and Repentance Let's look at Revelation 2:1-5 Their strength (lots of work vv. 1-3) was also their weakness (vs. 4). They allowed work for God to get in the way of love for God. Has this happened in your marriage? How do we fix this? vs. 5 - Remember, Repent, Return