1/5/07 - Clayton Wedding - Psalm 73:25

THE LORD IS WITH YOU
- What else could you want?
- What else could he want?

Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friends, relatives, family members, guests, Rachel and Chris - why are you here? Why are you here? And don’t tell me: to get married. I realize that, but why are you here at a worship service? Because there are many places you could have gone to get married. You could have flown to Vegas to be legitimately joined in holy matrimony. You could have driven down to the courthouse and asked a judicial officer to sign the papers. You could have gone to a Caribbean resort and had one of their people officially pronounce you husband and wife. In fact, in the state of Colorado, you could have even married yourselves! That’s right: sign the paper and hand it to the county clerk. So let me ask you again: why are you here?
I know what some of you are thinking: they’re here because Rachel’s dad is the pastor, they don’t have a choice! And OK, I’ll give you that. But I would hope that both Rachel and Chris are here for a far more important reason. I would hope that they are here because on the celebration of their marriage, they don’t only want to be with each other, they want to be with the Lord. And that’s the same reason I hope all of you are here today. As we join in the celebration with Chris and Rachel on their wedding day, hopefully we don’t just want to be with our family and friends, but we, too, want to be with the Lord. Because in the end, if the Lord is with us, there isn’t anything else we need.
Chris and Rachel’s wedding text for this day of celebration is taken from Psalm 73, verse 25. The Psalmist speaks to the Lord and says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth.” Aren’t those interesting words? He says that since the Lord is with him, he doesn’t want anything else on this earth! So Chris and Rachel, I have good news for you: the Lord is with you! So what else could you possibly want? And I’m serious about that! The Lord is with you. What else could you possibly want on this earth? What more could you need to be happy, to be content? Would you say about yourself: since the Lord is with me I don’t want anything else? Has that been your attitude? Is that the way you live your life? During these last few months of wedding preparations has that even crossed your mind?
Rachel, how many things have you wanted for this wedding? How many things did you have to have so that this day would be exactly the way you wanted it? Chris, what were those things about which you said, “This detail doesn’t matter to me and that particular item doesn’t matter, but this, this is something that I want. This has to happen.” Parents, what were those few things that you wanted for your child’s wedding? What did you have to have today so that you would be happy about the way it turned out? Everyone else: I know you’re thinking about the reception. What do you really want the reception to have? What are those things that you have to have there to make you happy?
And it obviously doesn’t stop there, does it? It doesn’t stop at weddings or receptions. It’s our whole lives! We always want more! We want that bigger house, that nicer car, that better vacation spot, the most up-to-date electronic equipment… the list is endless. And we work for those things, don’t we? We work overtime for them! We look forward to them and we strive for them and we wait to get them. And it’s OK to want things in this life to an extent. The Lord gives us many blessings in this life to enjoy. But sometimes we get so caught up in what we want in this life that we forget what we already have. We forget the wedding text, Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth.” If the Lord is with you, then you have everything you need.
And so it’s good that you’re here. It’s good that everyone is here at a worship service thanking the Lord for what he’s already given us, but especially you, Chris and Rachel, it’s good that you are here. Because, I’m telling you, this is the only time all day when you will be able to think. These few minutes will be the only time when you will not be bombarded by people, when you will not be overcome by the details, when you will not be surrounded by the wants and the worries that a day like this brings. And so relax. Relax. Don’t think about what you have to do after this. Don’t think about how the reception will go. Don’t think about tomorrow. Right now, I want you to think about and remember this: the Lord is with you. What else could you possibly want?
Because the truth is, Rachel, Chris will let you down at times. He will make you angry! You know it will happen, it’s happened before! And Chris, Rachel will let you down at times. She will make you frustrated! You know it will happen, it’s happened before! And no matter how hard both of you try, things will not be perfect. And if, Lord willing, you have children, they will not be perfect either. They will let you down. There is no person on this earth that can be there for you 100%. And so that is why I want you to remember: the Lord is with you. He will never let you down. He will never leave your side. He will never break his promises. No matter what happens in the years to come, no matter how many times you get upset with each other, no matter who may pass away, the Lord will never leave. He will always be with you. What else could he possibly want?
Have you ever thought about that before? The Lord is with you. What else could the Lord possibly want? Well, the short answer is: nothing. The Lord wants nothing else than to be with you. And if you doubt that, just look at what he did so that he could be with you. He looked down from heaven and saw you sinning against him, he saw you lost, he saw you without any hope whatsoever and not caring about it, but instead of leaving you to what you deserved, he decided to come down to this earth. Your God put on human flesh as if he were a creature and not the Creator. The Almighty Creator became a servant of all human beings to be spit on, scourged, beaten, and mocked by those he came to save. He allowed himself to be nailed to a piece of wood and bleed to death. He willingly suffered the pains and torments of hell itself on that cross. Why? Why did God willingly go through all of that suffering and agony? So that he could be with you. So that he could pay the penalty you deserved and win you back by the ransom price of his blood. God died for you. God died for you. And he rose from the grave to prove that his death mattered. And so don’t think for a second that he will let you out of his sight now. He has suffered so much to bring you into his arms that he will do anything to keep you there. And so that means: you will go to heaven. Since the Lord is with you in this life, since the Lord will never leave your side, you will live with him in perfection for eternity. That’s a promise from the Lord himself.
Rachel and Chris, this will be your comfort throughout your marriage. The Lord is with you and he wants nothing else. And that’s what you can rely on, that’s what you can keep coming back to. As an individual Christian and as a Christian couple. As you daily read your devotions on God’s Word. Always, every day keep your eyes focused on the one who is always there - your Savior, your Rock.
And that goes for everyone here. Keep your eyes focused on the Lord - the God-man who has won your salvation, because compared to that, every other want in this life is trivial, isn’t it? We will celebrate with Rachel and Chris today, but tomorrow it will be over and life will continue on as normal. We may get new houses, new cars, new toys, but they will not last either. We will continue to live with and love those closest to us - our spouses, our kids, our parents, our relatives, but neither will they be with us forever. They will move. They will leave. They will die. The Lord will never leave. The Lord will never move. The Lord will never die on you - just for you. The Lord is your Rock. He is the only stability you and I can have in this life. And he is the only stability that we need.
Rachel, Chris, you have been blessed with many things already in your lives. Good education, great friends, Christian parents, caring brothers and sisters, a wonderful spouse. It’s nice to see you blessed in so many different ways and I’m sure that you will continue to receive a variety of different blessings from the Lord throughout your lives. But whether you do or not, it doesn’t matter. Because you already have everything you need. You have forgiveness. You have salvation. You have the promise of eternal life in Paradise. You have the Lord by your side. And being with him, what else could you possibly want?
Amen.