Preamble: Jesus is talking to his audience about the way to pray as well as the results of prayer. (cf. the way to pray is not like the hypocrites, but...). The result of prayer is reward and depending on the way one prays the reward is concomitant. These two ideas, namely, the way to pray and the results of prayer are merged together here by Jesus with the resulting subject being: "the kind of prayer the Father rewards... with the complement following.

I have included in this exposition, the movement from the exegetical to the theological to the homiletical outline so that someone who wants to teach this material may see how it was prepared and that they too may be able to use the method as they deem necessary.

Exegetical Proposition and Outline

Subject/Complement

The kind of prayer Jesus said the Father rewards is one offered not as the hypocrites or pagans do, but offered in sincerity and confidence.

Exegetical Outline of Passage

1. The kind of prayer Jesus said the Father rewards is one offered not as the hypocrites do, praying to be seen by men, but one offered in sincerity in the solitude of one's room (5, 6).

A. The followers of Jesus were not to be like the hypocrites, who because they loved to pray in front of men to be admired had received their reward in full (5).

1. Followers of Jesus are not to pray like the hypocrites (5a).

2. The hypocrites love to pray to be seen by men (5b).

3. The hypocrites have received their reward in full (5c).

B. The followers of Jesus were to pray in secret, in their room, and the Father who sees them will reward them (6).

1. Followers of Jesus are to pray in secret to God who is unseen (6a).

2. The Father will reward those who pray to Him in secret (6b).

II. The followers of Jesus are not pray as the pagans do, babbling on with their many words, but are instead to pray with confidence knowing that their Father knows what they need before they ask (7, 8).

A. Followers of Jesus are not to pray like the pagans pray who babble on endlessly thinking they will be heard because of their many words (7)

1. Followers of Jesus are not to pray as the pagans (7a)

2. The pagans babble on endlessly in their prayers (7b)

3. The pagans think that God hears them because of their many words (7c)

B. Followers of Jesus are not to pray like the pagans because they know that the Father knows their needs before they ask (8).

1. Followers of Jesus are not to pray as the pagans (8a)

2. The Father knows their needs before they ask (8b)

Theological Proposition and Outline

Proposition

God rewards prayer that comes from a sincere heart and which demonstrates confidence in Him as a Father.

Outline of Passage

I. The Father rewards believers who pray in sincerity, not hypocritically (5, 6).

A. Believers are not to pray hypocritically for others to see and if they do so they receive only the admiration of men,¹ nothing from God (5).

1. Believers are not to pray hypocritically (5a).

2. Hypocrites love to pray to be seen by people (5b).

3. Hypocrites have received their reward, namely, the admiration of men (5c).

B. Believers are to pray sincerely and their Father who sees them will reward them (6).

1. Believers are to pray sincerely to God who is unseen (6a).

2. The Father will reward believers who pray to Him sincerely (6b).

II. Believers are not to babble in their prayers, but are instead to pray with confidence knowing that their Father knows what they need before they ask (7, 8).

A. Believers are not to pray like the pagans who babble on endlessly thinking they will be heard because of their many words (7)

1. Believers are not to pray as the pagans² (7a)

2. Pagans often babble on endlessly in their prayers (7b)

3. Pagans think that God hears them because of their many words (7c)

B. Believers are not to pray like the pagans because they know that the Father knows their needs before they ask (8).

1. Believers are not to pray as those who have no knowledge of God (8a)

2. The Father knows their needs before they ask (8b)

Homiletical Proposition and Outline

Homiletical Proposition

Pray sincerely and confidently and God will reward you.

Homiletical Outline

I. Introduction

A. Illustration

B. Orientation

C. Survey of main points

II. Pray sincerely and God will reward you (5, 6).

A. When we pray

1. Text (...when you pray) Jesus says when you pray, not if you pray.

2. Illustration: Day and Luther

3. Application

4. Transition Sentence: So when you pray Jesus says there is a way to pray to the Father and a way not to pray to the Father. First...

B. Do not pray as the hypocrites: Believers are not to pray hypocritically for others to see, and if they do so, they receive only the admiration of men, nothing from God (5).

1. Text

a. Believers are not to pray hypocritically (5a).

b. Hypocrites love to pray to be seen by people (5b).

c. Hypocrites have received their reward, namely, the admiration of men (5c).

2. Illustration: Pharisees

3. Transition Sentence

C. Pray Sincerely: Believers are to pray sincerely and their Father who sees them will reward them (6).

1. Text: Believers are to pray sincerely to God who is unseen (6a). The Father will reward believers who pray to Him sincerely (6b).

2. Illustration: From my days with the Navigators

3. Application

4. Transition Sentence to second main section

III. Pray confidently and God will reward you: Believers are not to babble in their prayers, but are instead to pray with confidence knowing that their Father knows what they need before they ask (7, 8).

A. Do not pray as the pagans

1. Text (Negative): Believers are not to pray like the pagans who babble on endlessly thinking they will be heard because of their many words (7)

a. Believers are not to pray as the pagans (7a)

b. Pagans often babble on endlessly in their prayers (7b)

c. Pagans think that God hears them because of their many words (7c)

2. Illustration

3. Transition Sentence

B. Pray with confidence to your Father: Believers are not to pray like the pagans because they know that the Father knows their needs before they ask (8).

1. Text: Believers are not to pray as those who have no knowledge of God (8a) The Father knows their needs before they ask (8b).

2. Illustration

3. Application

IV. Conclusion

A. Summary

B. Illustration

C. Application

Sermon on Matthew 6:1-8

Introduction

We live in a generation of people who do not know how to have relationships. We struggle in relationships ourselves, as Christians, and often feel lonely and isolated. Sometimes we grow up with parents that are distant and uninvolved, who, it seems, could not have cared whether we existed or not. I have a friend whose parents, especially her alcoholic mother, could only talk to her seriously when she was drunk. She would often times just use her daughter, my friend, to get what she wanted. She never had an encouraging word for her daughter except when she wanted something. Have you ever been around a person like that? It seems that the only time they are nice to you, is not for you yourself, but what they can get out of you. Perhaps you have even done that to others yourself. I think we have all been victims in this kind of sin against others as well as agents.

But, you know I don't think that we just treat other people that way, there are times when we treat the Lord the same way. The relationship that we want to work the most, if we're honest, is often times reduced by us to a powerplay with God to get what we can out of him. We fall away from loving Him for who He is and at times descend into demanding from Him that He do what we want and execute our agenda, pain free. In essence we use Him for a variety of reasons.

We use Him to cover up sin... we say things like "I feel that is what the Lord would have me do," when in reality we have not sought Him at all. We use Him to keep from becoming involved in people's lives as well as to secure for us a pain free life.

We can even use God to sustain an enjoyable and admired reputation with outsiders. This is the case with the Pharisees and religious leaders that Jesus confronts in the sermon on the mount, Matthew chapters five through seven. Jesus excoriates them for their deep seated pride in their religiosity and their smugness. They had taken holy things, in the context of the relationship YHWH offered them, and turned them into a means of parading their spirituality and holiness. Jesus accuses them in Matthew six of using giving, fasting and prayer as a means to enjoy tremendous notoriety before men. They used God and spiritual things for their own advantage.

We do the same things ourselves, don't we? There are times when, while were giving, we desire that others see what we're doing for God. Or we want someone to know just how much we pray.

Understanding that we all have this tendency to use God for our own ends, I want to focus today on a small section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus addresses this issue of relating properly to God, as far as prayer is concerned. Jesus discusses prayer, some underlying principles as well as a pattern, in Matthew 6:5-15. I want us to look at Matthew 6: 5-8 today, focusing on the underlying principles. Jesus warns of this attitude, of trying to use God for our own ends, and in effect says that when it comes to prayer, there is a way to pray and a way not to pray, if you want the reward God has to offer you.

Let's read the passage (read passage).

In effect, Jesus gives us two negative examples here, models to avoid in our prayer life. In verses 5 and 6 he says that we must pray sincerely, that is, not like the hypocrites who do it for show. In verses 7 and 8 he says by way of example that we should pray with confidence and not like the pagans who hope that God hears them because, after all, they babble on endlessly. Surely God must be impressed!

So the question surfaces again, How are we to relate to God in our prayer lives that demonstrates the fact that we are not trying use Him to get what we want, but are truly relating to Him as He desires. I think Jesus would say to us, among other things, that we must first, pray sincerely and second, pray with confidence. Jesus says that prayer done in this way will be rewarded by God.

Main Body

Let's look at the first of these, praying sincerely. This is what I think Jesus is getting at in verses 5 and 6. But notice first of all, reading in verse 5 that Jesus does not say if you pray as if it were an option, but when you pray, seeing it to be a necessity for life and communion with God. He says the same thing in verses 6 and 7— not if you pray, but when you pray. Albert Edward Day has said that "We Protestants are an undisciplined people. Therein lies the reason for much of the dearth of spiritual insights and serious lack of moral power." The point for us is that prayer is not an addendum to our lives, it is rather at the heart of our lives because it reflects the deepest relationship we have. We need to learn to discipline our souls to pray whether we feel like it or not. Martin Luther said, "As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray." Jesus assumes that you will pray. Now we can begin to talk about what it means to pray sincerely to your Father in heaven.

So Jesus says, when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, referring primarily to the Pharisees and religious leaders. He says they love to pray standing in the synogogues and on the street corners and catch this... to be seen by men. It was nothing more than a show for them in order to win the admiration of men. They were using God to promote themselves. And Jesus says for that attitude they win a zero, a goose egg from God. They have the reward of men, that is, their applause, but that's about where it begins and ends.

No... Jesus says that we are to pray sincerely, that is, to go into our room and pray in secret and that our Father who sees that kind of sincerity in seeking after Him alone, not the applause of men, will indeed reward us. You see, Jesus is not condemning public prayer, but He is condemning prayer in public for the purpose of putting on a show in an attempt to win the respect of others. We must pray sincerely to God if we desire His ear and His response.

I'll never forget the time when I was working in a campus ministry, co-leading it with a friend of mine. I was responsible to organize the meetings on Friday nights at the university. I distinctly remember one Friday night in which I knew that I was not prepared for the meeting. At the last moment I was fumbling around trying to organize exactly what I wanted to say and as the time for the meeting drew near I feared that this thing was not going to go well at all, and that I was going to be caught off-guard. As I was driving over to the meeting I remembered praying a prayer that went something like this: "Father I pray that everything would go well tonight and that you would encourage others through our time together. I ask that you would help me to recall all that I need to say and that I would be a help to the students." Now on the surface there appears to be little wrong with that kind of prayer..I mean after all...I was asking for God's help and blessing upon our time together. But it was not until after the meeting that I believe the Holy Spirit pointed out to me what was really at the heart of my prayer. At one level I really did want God to help the students. But, on another level, I was not praying so sincerely after all...in fact I believe God revealed to me, through His word, that what I really wanted was not his glory at all, but the salvation of my reputation. You see, what I was saying was God please help me to recall all that I want to say...not so that you can use me to glorify yourself and strengthen the people, but so that I won't look like a sixth grader who had forgotten his lines in the school play. "God! Keep me from looking like a first class fool—my worst nightmare."

Not too many of us can relate to praying on the street corners for men to see. However, I'll bet there are more of us that can relate to praying in front of church members for them to see and admire us. But who among us is willing to say that we have never prayed, in a less than sincere manner, to get God to do what we want to Him to do for our sake's. Jesus says that this is hypocritical, to be understood for what it really is and abandoned.

Do you want God to answer your prayers, to reward you as you seek Him? Then be careful how you pray. Pray sincerely!

The second underlying principle that Jesus mentions with regard to prayer is that we should pray confidently. The whole idea of confidence in verses 7 and 8 is not as immediately apparent so let me explain to you where I'm getting this idea. First, let's read verses 7 and 8 again (read text).

To summarize what Jesus is saying we might put it this way: Believers are not to babble in their prayers, as the pagans do (that is, those who really don't know God...whether they're religious or not makes no difference), but are instead to pray with confidence knowing that their Father knows what they need before they ask. You see Jesus says that we are not to pray like people who have no knowledge of God, who think that God is more likely to hear and do something if they wear Him out with their words—its kind of like a nagging child whose mother finally gives in and grants the child's demands, just so that she won't have to listen any more. Jesus says, don't be like that—these people demonstrate nothing by their prayers except a want of true knowledge of God. Religious or not, Jesus says they are truly pagans! Jesus says God is our Father and as such knows what we need before we ask. This is where the idea of confidence comes from—Our father knows what we need already. We don't need to try and placate Him or beat Him into submission by our many words. Apparently Jesus is saying that God wants to answer our requests. In fact the apostle John says that "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us...like a good Father He listens to the desires of His children...and if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we've asked of Him." We can pray with a great deal of confidence that God is listening ever so closley.

In his book entitled, "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life," Donald Whitney describes something called the Very Large Array or VLA for short. Perhaps some of you are familar with the VLA. The VLA is the world's largest radio wave receiver located in New Mexico. According to Whitney the VLA is a "series of huge sattelite disks on thirty-eight miles of railways. Together the dishes mimic a single telescope the size of Washington, D.C." The function of this thing is to receive even the weakest radio signals emitted from outer space. Apparently it is able to pick up extremely faint radio signals—the impact of such signals being comparable to the impact of a single snowflake hitting the ground. Basically the device functions as a huge ear, listening to what's going on out there in the universe.

Our Father has a similar ear. We might even say that He has a VLE or a Very Large Ear. He is listening even to the fainest of prayers and desires to answer them. Knowing what we need even before we ask, He waits and listens for the request and then desires to reward us by answering our prayer—be it in line with His will.

Do you feel that way when you pray? I know that there are many times when I pray that I just feel like giving up because it seems that He doesn't hear or for some reason does not want to respond. But we need to keep in mind that Jesus says that God does listen and our Father loves to reward us by answering our prayers, prayers that we can make with the utmost confidence that He is indeed listening.

Conclusion

We do live in a world confused about how to relate to one another and even more confused about how to relate to a personal God. Many times we are not at all unlike the Pharisees who attempted to use God for their own ends and we are equally as guilty of treating God as the pagans treat Him—Somebody unknown. Jesus says when it comes to prayer you need to understand something: If you want God's reward, that is, His answers to your prayers, then you must pray sincerely and with confidence. [Note: For those teaching this material, you will want to finish here with a positive example of your central proposition, i.e. an example that is personal and embodies what our Lord is saying.]

1 Admiration of man seems to be their reward in full. cf. D.A. Carson (EBC, 165).

2 pagans are defined here as anyone who does not have enough knowledge of God as Father to put an end to vain repititions in their prayers. In other words, these people do not understand some of the most basic attributes of God; His personality, omniscience, love and mercy.

Opening Remarks

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of this company, to unite ___________ and ___________ in holy matrimony. Marriage was ordained by God in Eden and confirmed in Cana of Galilee by the presence of the Lord Himself, and is declared by the inspired Apostle Paul to be honorable among all men. It is therefore, not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, soberly and in the fear of God. It is fitting, therefore, that we should on this occasion, begin by asking God's blessing on this marriage service. Let us pray.

Presentation of Bride

Pastor -- Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Bride's Father -- Her mother and I do.

To the Congregation

Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is connected in our thoughts with the magic charm of home, and with all that is pleasant and attractive as being one of the most important events of our lives. It its sacredness and unity it is like the mystical relation between Christ and His Church and is therefore the most significant and binding covenant known in human relations.

From the Story of Creation in the book of Genesis: For God created man in His own image . . . then the Lord formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being . . then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him" . . . So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs, and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Again, let us hear the Word of God from the New Testament, the writings of Paul: "Live life then with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don't be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of our Lord. Thank God at all times for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 'fit in with' each other, because of your common reverence for Christ."

"You wives must remember to adapt yourselves to your husbands, as you submit yourselves to the Lord, for the husband is the 'head' of the wife in the same way that Christ is the Head of the Church and Savior of His body . . . but remember, this means that the husband must give his wife the same sort of love that Christ gave to the Church when He sacrificed Himself for her . . .

In practice what I have said amounts to this: Let every one of you who is a husband, love his wife as he loves himself, and let the wife honor and love her husband."

To the Bride and Groom

It is your duty, ___________, to be to ___________ a considerate, tender, faithful, loving husband: to support, guide and cherish her in prosperity and trouble; to thoughtfully and carefully enlarge the place she holds in your life; to constantly show to her the tokens of your affection, to shelter her from danger, and to cherish for her a manly and unalterable affection, it being the command of God's Word, that husbands love their wives, even as Christ loved the Church and gave His own life for her.

It is your duty, ___________, to be to ___________ a considerate, tender, faithful, loving wife; to counsel, comfort and cherish him in prosperity and trouble; to give to him the unfailing evidences of your affection; to study, as time passes to make the place he holds in your heart, broader and deeper; to reverence and obey him, and to put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is, in God's sight, an ornament of great price. His Word commanding that wives be subject unto their own husbands even as the church is subject unto Christ, and forsaking all others to cling to him with a love which fails not as long as you both shall live.

Let me charge you both to remember, that your future happiness is to be found in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. It is the duty of each to find the greatest joy in the company of the other; to remember that in interest as in affection you are to be henceforth one and undivided.

Wedding Vows

If you are ready to assume the obligations and duties before God, as I have defined them, you will unite your hands and pledge your love and your lives to each other.

Pastor -- Do you, ___________, standing in the presence of God and these witnesses, solemnly pledge your faith to ___________ . Do you promise to live with her according to God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony; do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, and through God's grace to promise to be to her a faithful and devoted husband as long as you both shall live?

Groom -- I do.

Ring Vows

Pastor to Groom -- ________ , have you a token of your love for ___________ ?

(The best man hands the ring to the Minister.)

Pastor to Bride -- ________ , do you receive this ring in pledge of the same on your part?

Bride -- I do. (Groom puts ring on bride's finger.)

Pastor to Bride -- ________ , have you a token of your love for ___________ ?

(The maid of honor hands the ring to the minister.)

Pastor to Groom -- ________, do you receive this ring in pledge of the same on your part?

Groom -- I do. (Bride puts ring on groom's finger.)

The wedding ring is the outward and the visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. The circle, the emblem of eternity; the gold, the type of what is least tarnished and most enduring--it is to show how lasting and imperishable is the faith now pledged. Let the ring, a fit token of that which is unending, continue to be to you both a symbol of the value, the purity, and the constancy of true wedded love, and the seal of the vows in which you have both pledged your most solemn and sacred honor.

Pronouncement

By the authority committed unto me as a Minister of the Gospel of the Church of Christ, I declare that ___________ and ___________ are now husband and wife, according to the ordinance of God and the law of the State of ___________ , in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Charge to newlyweds

Dear Ones, I strongly charge you both as husband and wife, to preserve sacredly the privacies of your own home, your marriage state, and your heart. Remember our Lord's urgent counsel: "What God hath joined together let not man put assunder". Therefore, let no one ever presume to come between you, or to share the joys or the sorrows that belong to you two alone.

Introductory remarks

Friends, we come together in this holy place to share with ___________ and ___________ a most important moment in their lives. Marriage was instituted by God in the Garden of Eden when He saw that it was not good for man to be alone. Christ beautified marriage with His presence in Cana of Galilee when He wrought His first miracle. It is commended by the Apostle Paul who likened it to the holy union which exists between Christ and His Church, in which our Lord Jesus is called the Bridegroom and His Church, the Bride.

Prayer

Opening Remarks

We have been invited to hear ___________ and ___________ promise to face the future together as husband and wife. __________ and _________, you must recognize that this covenant is more than a legal contract. This is a bond of union made in heaven. It is to be entered into with reverence. You are about to assume mutual relationships and responsibilities and to promise undying devotions. Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing harder than living them day by day.

Love between a Christian man and wife means caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about yourself. You will be looking in the same direction together. Burdens will be lighter because you divide them. Joys will be more intense because you share them. No other human tie is more tender, no other vows more sacred than these you are about to assume. Now as you stand in the presence of God, you must remember the responsibilities of a Christian man and wife.

Wedding Vows

Pastor to Groom -- ___________, you are to love ___________ as Christ loved the Church. You are to be the head of your wife. You are to respect and comfort her. Will you take ______ for your wife?

Groom -- I will.

Pastor to Bride -- ___________, your duty as a Christian wife is to submit to ___________. You are to be his helpmate. You are to obey, serve, and honor him. Will you this day take ___________ as your husband?

Bride -- I will.

Prayer

Giving away of Bride

Pastor -- Who is bringing ___________ to be united to ___________?

Father of the Bride -- Her mother and I.

Pastor to Bride's Parents -- Mr. and Mrs. ___________ are you willing now and always to support and strengthen this marriage by upholding ___________ and ___________ with your concern?

Bride's Parents: We are.

Pastor to Groom's Parents: Mr. and Mrs. ___________ are you willing now and always to support and strengthen this marriage by upholding ___________ and ___________ with your concern?

Groom's Parents: We are.

Ring Vows

Pastor -- ___________ and ___________, do you have tokens of the sincerity of these vows?

Bride and Groom -- We do.

Pastor to Groom -- What token do you give of the vows you have made?

Groom -- This ring.

Pastor -- Bless this ring, O Lord, that he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in Thy peace, and continue in Thy favor, unto their life's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Groom to Bride -- ___________ I give you this ring as a pledge of the sincerity of my vows. (Groom places ring on bride's finger.)

Pastor to Bride -- ___________, what token do you give of the vows you have made?

Bride -- This ring.

Pastor -- Bless this ring, O Lord, that she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in your peace, and continue in your favor, until their life's end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Bride to Groom -- ___________ I give you this ring as a pledge of the sincerity of my vows. (Bride places ring on groom's finger.)

Pastor -- You, ___________ and ___________ have pledged your devotion to each other. It is not these words that have made your marriage real, but the God of love, who has welded your hearts together as one. He has said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and the two shall become one flesh."

Kneel for Prayer

Solo

Pronouncement

Ministering in the name of the Lord Jesus, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May Christ be the Head of your home. May He be the unseen Guest at every meal, the Listener to every conversation. May Christ's love rule your hearts and lives.

Benediction

Embrace

Introduction

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you: Mr. and Mrs. ___________

Recessional

Introductory Remarks

We learn from the inspired record that the Lord Jesus honored the marriage ceremony with His presence working there the beginning of His miracles. These miracles indicate that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Sovereign and the Creator of the universe, and the wedding ceremony was the first used to demonstrate this glorious fact.

His purpose on earth was to "seek and to save that which was lost," As the scriptures declare, "God commended His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The one who sanctifies the marriage union is the Savior of the universe. And the scripture says, "neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." And therefore His invitation to all who witness the wedding ceremony is to "come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.", "And Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."

The Bible, which is the Word of God declares marriage to be honorable. It was ordained of God in the time of man's innocency, before he had sinned against the Lord. Since marriage has always been a divine institution, it is to be entered into soberly and discreetly, as in His sight.

God Himself united the first members of human family, which fact alone should abolish all light and frivolous views of marriage. The bridegroom and bride are partners in life, each forsaking mother and father to cleave unto the other. They share a common name, a united household, a common experience, and a love which blesses and transcends all the cares and trials of life. The mathematics of love--Add and multiply joys while subtracting and dividing the sorrows.

___________ and ___________ You now have common interests and occupations. You've become co-workers for common ends. You hold property and possessions in common, and you have essentially one history and one destiny. Inscribed in the Word of God is the counsel you will need for this mutual and blessed relationship. The vows are to be broken only by death.

In token of having chosen each other as partners for life, you may now join your right hands.

Wedding Vows

Pastor to Groom -- Do you, ___________, take ___________ whom you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded wife?

Groom -- I do.

Pastor to Groom -- Do you promise to love, to cherish, to honor to protect, forsaking all others, in sickness as well as in health. In adversity as well as in prosperity. For better or for worse, and to cleave only to her so long as you both shall live?

Groom -- I do.

Pastor to Bride -- Do you, ___________, take ___________ to be your lawful and wedded husband?

Bride -- I do.

Pastor to Bride -- Do you promise to love, to cherish, to honor, to obey, forsaking all others, in sickness as well as in health, in adversity as well as in prosperity, for better or for worse, and to cleave only to him so long as you both shall live?

Bride -- I do.

Giving away of Bride

Pastor -- Who giveth ___________ to be married to ___________ ?

Bride's Father -- Her mother and I.

Ring Vows

Pastor to Groom -- ___________, What token do you give to show that you will faithfully perform these vows?

Groom -- A ring.

Pastor -- The circle which forms this ring is the emblem of eternity, and the beautiful metal out of which it is wrought is the type of that which is least tarnished and most enduring. It is to show how lasting and imperishable, the faith now mutually pledged. You will place this ring on ___________ 's finger and repeat after me . . . "WITH THIS RING . . . I PLEDGE MYSELF TO THEE . . . WITH ALL THE AFFECTIONS OF MY HEART . . . SO LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE."

Pastor to Bride -- And, ___________, what token do you give to show that you will faithfully perform these vows?

Bride -- A ring.

Pastor -- Please place your ring on your Groom's finger and repeat after me. "WITH THIS RING I PLEDGE MYSELF TO THEE . . . WITH ALL THE AFFECTIONS OF MY HEART..SO LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE."

Prayer

Let us unite in Prayer. We thank Thee, heavenly Father, for this home that is now called into existence, and we ask Thy blessings upon ___________ and ___________ all the days of their lives. That as unite into one family, they might glorify thee. That they might serve Thee acceptably, and that their lives together, might present the glorious truth of God's Word--the union of Christ and the Church. Bless them to this end, for we ask it in the name of the Kind of Kings and Lord of Lords, even Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.

Pronouncement

The scripture declares love is forbearing and kind; love knows no jealously, love does not brag, is not conceited. She is not unmannerly, nor selfish, nor irritable, nor mindful of wrongs. She does not rejoice in injustice, but joyfully sides with the truth. She can overlook faults. She is full of trust; full of hope; full of endurance. Love never fails.

Having heard the pledges of your affection, and the vows of your fidelity, I do therefore by virtue of the authority invested in me by the laws of the State of ___________, before God, whose grace to you is unmeasured, and before these witnesses, pronounce you husband and wife, and what God hath joined together, let no man put assunder.

Benediction

Embrace

Presentation of Bride and Groom

Ladies and Gentlemen; May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. _______________.

Recessional