Join us in this enlightening episode where Brother Hardy delves into the divine design of marriage, emphasizing the harmonious union of two individuals as one flesh. Through a profound exploration of biblical teachings, this discussion illuminates how marriage is not only about companionship but a sacred obligation ordained by God Himself. Discover the vital roles each partner plays and how they can complement each other in the journey of life.
Praise the Lord. Welcome to this program of R.G. Hardy Ministries because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I’m Sharon Notts thanking you for tuning in today because we have a very special message for you if you are married or are planning to be married. If so, this message by my father, Brother Hardy, is one you don’t want to miss. Two shall be one. Even if you have a good marriage, you can benefit from this down-to-earth biblical teaching, two shall be one.
SPEAKER 02 :
This morning we want to talk on the subject, marriage. Two shall be one. Marriage. Two shall be one, and I want to answer by the Scriptures the husband’s part in a marriage. and the wife’s part in the marriage. First of all, in Hebrews 13, 4, the Word of God says, “‘Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge.'” So God says marriage is an honorable vocation. In fact, God was the first matchmaker. God was the first matchmaker. He brought Adam his wife and he blessed the institution of marriage. In fact, He said in Genesis 2.18, it’s not good for man to be alone. In other words, he ordains marriage, and God says that man really should get married. How many say amen? I know some of you might have a little reservation since you got married, but nevertheless, God said it’s not good for man to be alone. In other words, that he should have a wife. Let’s go to Genesis the second chapter and the 18th verse and let’s see the first matchmaker, God, in his job of getting Adam a bride. The 18th verse said, and the Lord God said, it’s not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmeet for him. So it’s not good for man to be alone. Man should have a wife. God said about Adam, the first man, I’m gonna make him a help or a helper meet. And the word meet here means fitting, proper for him. But first of all, God created all the animals out of the ground birds of the air, the animals, the creepers, and he brought them to Adam to see what Adam would call them and whether Adam would have chosen one of them to be a helpmate. And all the animals paraded by and God let Adam join him in creation by naming the animals. And he named every one of them. 20th verse said, And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a help meat for him. In other words, when God brought all of the families of the animals before Adam and he named them, he said there’s not one suitable to be my wife. Adam says, I don’t choose any of them. You know, so all these theories that we come from, you know, of evolution, we evolved from animals. That blows that right there. That just throws that out. Adam said, no, there’s not an animal that’s fit to be my mate and help me to produce a race of our kind. How many say amen? So when all of these educated nimcompoops say that we evolved two theories, we come from scum or we climb from slime, that’s not what the Bible says. I didn’t come from scum and I didn’t climb from slime. I’m a product of God’s direct handiwork. Give him a good clap for us. Made in his image and after his likeness. So said then that God named all of the animals, but there was not one suitable of the animal kingdom to be his mate. God said it was not good for him to be without a mate, so God… put him to sleep. 21st verse said, and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the 22nd verse said, and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto him. He made a woman. And that word in the Hebrew is very special. It means skillfully made. So women, you’re skillfully made. God skillfully made you and created you. And then God now… fulfills his role as matchmaker, he brings Adam’s wife to him. How many say amen? And let’s see Adam’s reaction in the 23rd verse. And Adam says, and the Hebrew says, finally. In other words, he watched all the animal kingdom come by. He watched Adam’s the male line, and then his mate, the female line, and everyone. But there was no helper for him, no counterpart for him, no mate for him. But when God brought Eve after he skillfully made her, the Hebrew said, finally, this is Eve. Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. 23rd verse. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Amen. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. How many say amen? You see, no other creature was suitable. God had to take a part of Adam The rib, but the Hebrew word means he took more than the rib. He took flesh because Adam said, she’s not only bone of my bone, not only a rib, but flesh of my flesh. How many say amen? Some people said, why God, did God take it out of a side? Well, some people believe that he didn’t take it out of her head so she’d be above him. Didn’t take a bone out of her foot so she’d be underneath him. but took him out of his side so that she would be close to him and he would love her. How many say amen? And protect her. Is that all right? So Miss Eve was skillfully made, specifically designed for Adam. And I believe if you let God be your matchmaker, especially young people that I’m talking to here in the service and by radio and television, you Christian young people that are not married, I believe, and I believe it’s the most important thing after you get saved, is to find who is your mate. And I believe that if you will pray that God, just like he was the first matchmaker for Adam, God will get your mate and bring your mate to you. Now they were supposed to be, Eve was supposed to be a counterpart. In fact, you could translate that verse and I was gonna make him a helpmate or I’m gonna make him an equal counterpart. which is like the right hand and the left hand. Now, Miss Eve wasn’t inferior to Adam because she was taken out of Adam. She was Adam’s flesh, not an inferior flesh. How many say amen? Huh? She was equal to him. She was of the same substance. Of his same bone and of his same flesh. Adam said, boy, this is my mate because she’s me. She’s my bone. She’s my flesh. We are one flesh. And we’re equal. She’s not inferior. You see, if the woman was inferior, that would mean that her children would be inferior. Amen. And if her children would be inferior, then the seed of the woman, the Lord Jesus Christ, that would ultimately come by the woman would be inferior. And how many knows that Jesus is not inferior? How many say amen? She was equal. She was the counterpart. God was supplying what was lacking in Adam. Amen. And if you will pray, God will give you the right mate to complement your weaknesses and supply that weakness. How many say amen? He’ll make you that right hand that you are as a man. He’ll give you the left hand. Now, I don’t think my left hand’s inferior to my right. Not at all. I don’t tell my left hand, you’re inferior. I don’t know why God gave you to me. How many say amen? I know this is a right-handed world mainly. And most of us are right-handed. And we do so many things with our right hand. But God gave us our left hand as a compliment. Amen. an enablement and a helper tie your left hand behind your back and began to go through the day and see how many things you can’t do without it and I believe God will give you your compliment I believe God will give you your mate with the talents and the abilities that you lack you know we just think we’re perfect How many say amen? And we got everything, but you know, we lack. And God said it’s not good for man to be alone, said not only because of his loneliness, but because he lacks some things. And I’m gonna give him a helper equal to him, fitting for him, proper for him, not inferior, but equal on the same footing. to compliment him, and that together they’re going to rule the earth. They’re going to take care of this part of my kingdom. They’re going to be my viceroys, my administrators of this great creation that I got. so the woman wasn’t inferior she was an equal because she was of his same flesh and of his same bone and was to compliment him somebody said well brother hardy why didn’t god make eve out of the ground did you ever wonder that you see he created adam out of the ground how many knew that so man we’re not so much we just dusted god created out of the ground you know sometimes we could get lifted up we but and David said that God remembers that we’re frail and dust and we need to remember that how many say Amen did you ever wonder why God didn’t make Eve out of the ground too I’m gonna tell you because God didn’t want two species of mankind If there were two species, then they would be competitive. How many say amen? But he wanted one species of mankind, one flesh, so that they wouldn’t be in competition, but that they would compliment one another, and that they would love one another, and that they would help one another, and they would make up one another’s lack. They would supply the lack and the need of the other. How many say amen? And that they would be one flesh so that they would love one another, not be in competition. So many marriages are competitions instead of unity, instead of oneness of flesh. How many say amen? Amen. So God didn’t want man to be alone. He wanted someone to come and relieve his loneliness, and that was the woman’s part. She was to take care of Adam’s loneliness and be there to be a helpmate and to be a counterpart and to make up what he lacked, and together they were to rule the world. How many say amen? Is that all right? Now when God said to Adam, here is Eve and he said, now at last, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. I shall call her woman or Isha because she’s been taken out of Ish. How many say amen? Then God gave a command and he said for this cause, Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. And literally Adam and Eve were one flesh because of Eve taken out. But mystically, every marriage, every man and woman joined together become one flesh. And as it were, man finds his lost rib. And the most important thing for man and rib is to make sure you get connected to the right one. Because if you get your wrong rib, man, you’re going to have trouble. And woman rib, if you get your wrong man, you’re going to have trouble. But if you pray and let God be the matchmaker and stick you together, because when it says that man and woman would be cleaved, the man should cleave with the woman, the Hebrew word means get stuck to the woman. Now, I know a lot of people think they’re stuck, but if you’ll pray, you know what I mean, you won’t get stuck, but you’ll get stuck together. You’ll get glued, that’s what it means. Huh? This new miracle glue, you can’t tear it apart. And that’s what God wants. He wants you to be stuck together with your spiritual miracle glue that you can’t be ripped apart. And God is on record, one man for one woman. He said, therefore shall a man, singular, leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife, singular, and they shall be one flesh. How many say amen? Not in competition, but to complement one to another. and get so glued to one another that they’re one. Listen to what Jesus takes this setting in the New Testament. And in Matthew 19, 3, the Pharisees came to Jesus and was giving him a question, a trick question on divorce. And they asked him, is it lawful to put away or divorce your wife of every cause? Now, I’m not talking about divorce, but I’m giving you the setting. And Jesus, in the fourth verse of the 19th chapter of Matthew, said, And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read that he which made them in the beginning made them male and female? See, counterpart. And said for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave or be stuck to his wife. And they twain shall be one flesh. Now Jesus answers their question on divorce. Therefore they are no more twain or two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together together. Let no man put asunder. God said that marriage is so holy and in the sight of God is such a mystical union that these two people are no longer two anymore, but one. And what God in this mystical union has made one, no one is to put it asunder or tear it apart. Because when you tear apart something and a marriage that’s been glued together and become one, you’re gonna damage both members. In other words, God is on record, one man with one woman forever. Now he said that in the garden before sin. That’s God’s highest will, one man with one woman forever. But when sin came on the scene, God had to make other laws to protect the innocent. But originally, one man with one woman forever. Because in the sight of God, they have become glued together, stuck together, and they are one flesh forever. And God’s command, this is a command, wherefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. How many say amen? Let no one tear it down and destroy it because they are eternally one in God’s sight. Hallelujah. Praise. Give the Lord a good clap offering for that. How many say amen? Let me give you a little background on the ancient world and family setup. Of course, in this 20th century America, we’ve lost all family values, and it’s really no more that way. In fact, a lot of families are single-parent families. A lot of people… A lot of families don’t have a father, don’t even know the father. Single parent and they don’t know. But in Bible days and in the beginning, a husband or a man would stay in his father’s house. And it’s still so in Europe. I’ve been to Europe a lot of places and They still have that family culture the way it was in the Bible and in Bible times. And they would live together as a family in a family unit, which America has lost. And the man and even the woman, the daughter and the son would stay in the house of their parents and be under their protection and their care until the time came for the son to marry. And when it came time for him to marry, he left his father’s house from under his father’s leadership because the father was the high priest and the leader of the family. He was the protector, provider, and leader of the family. And they were under their care, daughter and son, until it came time for the son to marry. Now when it came time for the son to marry, he left the protection and the leadership of his father and started his own house. And that’s what God was saying and Jesus was reminding that when a man gets ready to marry and picks out a suitable wife, then he is to leave his father and mother’s care and leadership and set up his own family and be the leader of his own family. And then When it came time for the daughter to be given as a wife, the father would send her out of his house from under his care, from under his protection, where he supplied her need and protected her to her husband, her new leader and new protector. But the trouble with it is of a lot of mothers and fathers They have never sent their son out of their house and they have never gave their daughter to her husband. They still try to rule them. Can I get an amen? And that is against the Word of God. The husband is the leader and head of the house. And he is supposed to be the protector, the leader, the feeder, the protector and lover of his wife. The husband is supposed to lead and the wife is supposed to follow his lead. The husband is to love and the wife is to follow his loving lead. How many say amen? You see, that’s why we have in the ceremony where the father gives away the bride. Amen. That’s taking over from the ancient Bible order where the father would send the daughter out from his care. And as soon as he sent her out from his care, his rulership and leadership and protectorship and providership of his daughter ceased to be. It was now transferred to her husband. How many say amen? But we got too many parents still trying to run their sons and daughters’ marriage.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. I hope you’re blessed by this informative and inspirational message by my father, Brother Hardy. Two shall be one. We feel strongly that every Christian marriage should examine itself in the light of God’s word to be sure that they are applying godly principles for a healthy and holy marriage. This teaching defines and expounds the very important meanings of the terms headship and submission, and these are areas that are often misused and abused in marriage. Also addressed are the questions, what is the biblical role of the husband in marriage? What is the biblical role of the wife? And what about the role of sex in marriage? These issues are soundly addressed in this vital, practical, and enlightening teaching, Two Shall Be One. Now, you may want to add this to your spiritual library or share it with someone who is getting married or someone having marital problems. It is available on a double CD set for a love gift of $15 or more to the radio ministry. Request offer 215. That’s offer 215. Our mailing address is Brother Hardy, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or if you prefer, order online at rghardy.org. That’s rghardy.org. Again, this is a two-CD set for a love gift of $15 or more. Request offer 215. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Until next time, this is Sister Sharon saying, Maranatha.
