Sermon Recap: Hilltops

SERMON RECAP: HILLTOPS & VALLEYS
WEEK 4
CHRISTY & DEREK MAXSON

Happy Monday, church family. We sure loved spending time with you yesterday and can't wait to see you again next week. If you missed the interview with Keri Conlin (our new Worship Ministry Assistant) and the Shirley's, please click here. What a great lead in to where God faithfully brings us!

What happens when a theologian and therapist talk marriage? I feel like there should be some clowns in a Volkswagen punch line here but we actually had a theologian and therapist talk marriage on Sunday! Christy Maxson is a local therapist and Derek, her husband, is a theologian. They are celebrating 30 years of marriage and have 3 daughters. The Maxson's have been a part of the Sierra Bible Church family for 25 years and we are so glad to have them here with us.

So what does the Bible say and teach us about marriage? Derek and Christy led us through 4 main questions:

1. What is God's design for marriage? 
Back into Genesis 1, and now today, we see the core of our being is the image of God being placed in us. We see it in how we create, how we choose and how vast the differences are between us all. We have the choice of choosing unity- which isn't just married filing jointly, it's the choice after choice after choice to pursue the depth to your spouse that is ever-changing. Unity is the continued choice of pursuing depth. 

2. If this is God's design, why is marriage so difficult? 
Conflict in marriage is somewhat inevitable. Our need and want to be close to one another can also result in the pokes of being uncomfortable or hurt. So how do we identify our patterns in pulling away or pushing against that could result in those conflicts, and what are the strengths you find in one another to build resolve? 

3.  How do we live out God's love in marriage? 
God started the world in love. Because our faith is built upon love, we see that God loved us first. He leads with restoration. What does that mean for us? Love isn't always easy. It's definitely a choice, especially in the times when we're angry or disappointed or hurt. 

4. What does marriage teach us about God?
In Ephesians 5:25-30, Paul tells us to love our husbands or wives as Christ has loved us. The image here is humble, laying down our own lives to serve and love the other. The love that we have always so richly desired is available to us. That He would send His son to be the sacrifice of our sins is the ultimate love. We need to stop relying on others to fill the spot God deserves in our lives because of what He's done. 

Church, we hope you were as encouraged as we were by this message. Thank you to Christy & Derek Maxson for living well, being transparent with us in your marriage, and sharing the truth of what God has for us not only in marriage, but in our individual, daily lives. Amen.