Series Details
Of all the hot-button issues of our day, marriage sits near the top of the list. With a gaggle of voices clamoring for an audience, the masses have grown increasingly confused about the most fundamental understanding of marriage. As Christians place a high value on God’s Word, we look to it for clarity on the most significant questions. How does God define marriage? What direction does the Bible offer on making marriage last? What is the nature of commitment, and what does it look like in this day and age? This series from Chuck Swindoll will bring clarity and offer direction as you navigate the views and vices that threaten this most sacred union.
In an era of confusion regarding the definition and purpose of marriage, this series returns to the biblical blueprints. Pastor Chuck Swindoll addresses the threats to the sacred union and provides direction on how to maintain a vibrant, lifelong commitment. By “striking the original match,” couples can reignite the passion and purpose God intended for marriage from the beginning.
Message 1: Let’s Consult the Architect
- Overview: Before we can fix a marriage, we must understand its design. This message takes us back to the original “Architect” of marriage to see His definition and purpose for the union between a man and a woman.
- Key Fact: Marriage is a divine institution, not a social contract; therefore, its rules and definitions are set by God rather than cultural trends.
- Scripture: Genesis 2:18–25 – “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Message 2: The Project: Let’s Consider the Cost
- Overview: Building a lasting marriage requires a realistic assessment of the investment involved. Chuck discusses the emotional, spiritual, and physical “costs” of maintaining a healthy, growing relationship.
- Key Fact: A successful marriage is a lifelong “project” that demands consistent effort, sacrifice, and the counting of the cost before and during the journey.
- Scripture: Luke 14:28–30 – “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost…?”
Message 3: Let’s Repair the Foundation
- Overview: When a marriage begins to lean or crack, the issue is often at the foundation. This message focuses on identifying and repairing spiritual and relational cracks before they lead to structural failure.
- Key Fact: Repairing a marriage starts with a return to the foundational principles of honesty, mutual respect, and a shared spiritual life.
- Scripture: Psalm 11:3 – “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
Message 4: In Defense of Monogamy
- Overview: In a culture that often devalues exclusivity, Chuck offers a biblical defense of monogamy. This message explores why total faithfulness is essential for the depth and security of the marital bond.
- Key Fact: Biblical monogamy is the only context in which the “one flesh” union can truly flourish and provide lasting emotional security.
- Scripture: Proverbs 5:15–23 – “Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well.”
Message 5: Bricks that Build a Marriage
- Overview: This message identifies the specific “bricks” of character and habit that build a strong home, such as unselfishness, patience, and a sense of humor.
- Key Fact: A strong marriage is built one small act of service and one kind word at a time, rather than through occasional grand gestures.
- Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 – “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant…”
Message 6: Watch Out for Cheap Substitutes!
- Overview: Couples often look to career, children, or hobbies to provide the fulfillment that only a healthy marriage and relationship with God can give. Chuck warns against these “cheap substitutes.”
- Key Fact: Substituting secondary activities for primary intimacy leads to a hollow marriage that lacks the resilience to face trials.
- Scripture: Jeremiah 2:13 – “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me… to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Message 7: Who Says the Honeymoon Must End?
- Overview: Romance and passion are not just for the early days. This message encourages couples to intentionally keep the “spark” alive throughout every season of life.
- Key Fact: Sustaining romance in marriage is an act of the will and a matter of priority, not just a spontaneous feeling.
- Scripture: Song of Solomon 4:1–10 – “How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful you are!”
Message 8: Termites in Your Troth
- Overview: Termites are small, hidden pests that cause massive damage. Chuck identifies the “hidden” sins and habits—like resentment or neglect—that eat away at the strength of a marriage.
- Key Fact: The greatest threats to a marriage are often not the “big” crises, but the small, unaddressed issues that accumulate over time.
- Scripture: Song of Solomon 2:15 – “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards…”
Message 9: How to Have a Good Fight
- Overview: Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be destructive. This message provides biblical “rules of engagement” for resolving disagreements with grace and respect.
- Key Fact: The goal of marital conflict should be resolution and growth, not winning an argument or hurting the other person.
- Scripture: Ephesians 4:26–27 – “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
Message 10: Til Debt Do Us Part
- Overview: Financial pressure is a leading cause of marital stress. Chuck offers practical biblical wisdom for managing money and avoiding the trap of debt that threatens family peace.
- Key Fact: Financial unity requires shared goals, honest communication, and a commitment to living within God’s provided means.
- Scripture: Proverbs 22:7 – “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.”
Message 11: Commitment Is the Key (Part One)
- Overview: In the first part of this look at commitment, Chuck explores why a solid “covenant” is the essential ingredient that holds a marriage together when feelings fade.
- Key Fact: Biblical commitment is a promise kept regardless of the circumstances, modeled after God’s covenant with His people.
- Scripture: Malachi 2:14–16 – “She is your companion and your wife by covenant.”
Message 12: Commitment Is the Key (Part Two)
- Overview: This message continues the study of commitment, focusing on the practical “how-to” of staying faithful and devoted through the long haul of a lifelong union.
- Key Fact: Staying committed requires a daily decision to choose your spouse and protect your relationship from outside interference.
- Scripture: Matthew 19:6 – “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
Message 13: Don’t Just Get Older, Get Better!
- Overview: Addressing the later years of marriage, Chuck encourages couples to view aging as an opportunity to deepen their love and refine their character together.
- Key Fact: A “seasoned” marriage can be the most beautiful phase of the relationship as couples reap the harvest of years of faithfulness.
- Scripture: Psalm 92:14 – “They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green.”
Message 14: What to Do with an Empty Nest
- Overview: The series concludes with advice for the transition after children leave the home. Chuck discusses how to rediscover your spouse and find new purpose in this significant life stage.
- Key Fact: The empty nest is not an end, but a new beginning—a chance to focus on the “original match” that started the family.
- Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:9 – “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life…”
