Song of Solomon 8:5-8:7

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Song of Solomon 8:5-7
• Scripture Reading — Romans 8:35-39
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Marks of a Lasting Marriage

Scripture: Song of Solomon 8:5-7

I. A Mature Marriage Is Marked by Growing Together

A. The couple is seen coming out of the wilderness leaning on each other — no entourage, no grand ceremony, just two who have become inseparable B. Healthy marriages, even among unbelievers, are characterized by common interests, communication, compromise, and mutual respect C. Spouses who live as mere roommates, each pursuing separate lives, drift apart and functionally fail even if they remain technically married

II. A Mature Marriage Remembers Its Roots

A. Returning to the apple tree — a place associated with love — represents going back to where the relationship began

1. The couple returns to the place their love started, recalling why they first fell in love
2. Looking back helps couples see how God uniquely orchestrated events to bring them together B. The word labor appears twice, pointing to the reality that marriage involves both joy and pain, beauty and sacrifice, pleasure and hard work C. Wedding vows articulate both the good and the difficult — for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health — because we know life will bring both

III. A Mature Marriage Is Sealed Both Inwardly and Outwardly

A. In Song of Solomon 8:6, a seal is placed on both the heart and the arm — representing inward disposition and outward action

1. The heart represents what we feel; the arm represents what we do
2. A wedding band is a public, outward sign of commitment — but one can wear it faithfully while the heart wanders B. True marital commitment is both internal and external; both a public declaration and a private devotion

IV. A Mature Marriage Is Grounded in Agape Love

A. The three Greek words for love — eros, phileo, and agape — have all been present throughout Song of Solomon

1. Eros: passionate, physical attraction between the couple
2. Phileo: deep friendship that develops over time
3. Agape: self-sacrificing love — the focus of these closing verses B. Love is described as strong as death — just as death yields to no one, committed love does not quit or yield under any circumstance C. Jealousy is fierce as the grave — a possessive, active love that pursues what rightfully belongs to it, as God is jealous for his people D. Flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord — love is both passionate and refining, useful and dangerous; it must be treated with care and not trifled with E. Many waters cannot quench love — even floods cannot extinguish this fire; committed love is unstoppable

V. Agape Love Cannot Be Purchased

A. Physical pleasure can be bought; even friendship can in some sense be cultivated through wealth — but self-sacrificing love cannot be purchased by its very nature B. The moment you pay for it, it ceases to be sacrificial love — just as salvation cannot be earned or purchased C. Nothing of earthly value — not even what we treasure most next to God and spouse — is worth sacrificing a marriage to keep D. Marriage is meant to be lifelong; a great marriage is revealed at the end, when the race has been successfully run and won

VI. The Love of Christ as the Model and Foundation

A. Romans 8:35-39 — nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus

1. The love of Christ endures through tribulation, persecution, famine, danger, and death itself
2. Romans 8:36 — we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered — love includes suffering and sacrifice, not only blessing B. The husband-wife relationship is a living allegory of the relationship between Christ and the church; spouses are called to reflect Christ's unstoppable, self-sacrificing love toward one another C. A marriage that reflects this love becomes a witness to the world and a picture of God's love for his people