Next Level Relationships: Marriages I

In order to properly understand marriage, we must understand the intent of God’s heart for creating it.

Revelation 19:7-9

⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” NKJV

FACTS

1.    Jesus knew the course of History before He created the earth. 

         Revelation 13:8

⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. NKJV

2.    God promised His Son an Eternal Reward for His Sacrifice—A Bride to reign with Him.

I.             THE BRIDE OF CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

1.     John the Baptist Introduced Jesus as a Bridegroom.

John 3:25-30

²⁵ A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew* over ceremonial cleansing. ²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.” ²⁷ John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ ²⁹ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. ³⁰ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. NLT

2.     Jesus Declared Himself as the Bridegroom and the Disciples as Friends of the Bridegroom.

Matthew 9:14-15

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. NKJV

3.    One of Jesus’ Last Messages was about a Wedding.

Matthew 22:1-6

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, ² “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. ³ When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! ⁴ “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ ⁵ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. NLT

4.     After this He Gave the Greatest Commandment.

Matthew 22:35-40

³⁵ Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”³⁷ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

5.     Jesus Privately Told His Disciples about the wedding so they would be wise.

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids* who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, ⁴ but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. ⁵ When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ ⁷ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. ⁸ Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. ¹¹ Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ ¹² “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ ¹³ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. NLT

6.     Paul Talks about marriage in Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:25-29

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. NKJV

Ephesians 5:31-32

³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

7.     Revelation is the Consummation of the Bridal Revelation.

Revelation 21:9 Come and I will show you the bride the Lamb’s Wife.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the Bride Say Come.

II.           THE GARDEN IS A PROTOTYPE.

1.     God desires an equal partner for Eternity.

John 17:20-24

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. NKJV

Ephesians 1:4

⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. NKJV

2.    God Didn’t want Adam Alone like He doesn’t want to be Alone. Genesis 2:18

3.    Adam Went to Sleep to get Bride / Jesus went to Sleep on cross

4.    Eve taken Out of Adams side / Bride taken out of Jesus side on Cross. John 19:34

5.    Adam Cleaves to Eve / Jesus Cleaves to us in Shame free love.

III.         EARTHLY MARRIAGE IS A PROTOTYPE OF OUR HEAVENLY MARRIAGE.

EPHESIANS 5:22-33

HUSBANDS…

1.    Love (agapao) wives as Christ Loves us. Ephesians 5:25

2.    Give yourself for her to. Ephesians 5:25

3.    Make her better for you. Ephesians 5:25

4.    Love her as you love your own body. Ephesians 5:28

5.    Nourish and Cherish Her. Ephesians 5:29

6.    Love her as we love ourselves. Ephesians 5:29

7.    Cleave to her. Ephesians 5:31

WIFE….

1.    Submit to the Lord by Submitting to your Husband. Ephesians 5:22

2.    Be subject to husband’s leadership in everything. Ephesians 5:24

3.    Respect /Reverence your Husband. Ephesians 5:33