Next Level Relationships:Marriages II

Genesis 2:19-25

¹⁹ So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man* to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs* and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. ²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’ ” ²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. ²⁵ Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

I.             MARRIAGE IS A COVENANT.

Contract (n) an agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law. Contracts are based on protection and mistrust. They allow the parties involved to look for loop holes and exist clauses, and are centered on your rights and protection. In fact, the Bible doesn’t say anything about “contracts” anywhere in scripture!

The term “covenant” means “a coming together.” In the Bible, the word covenant is translated in Hebrew over 300 times!

The meaning of the Old Testament word is bond; a covenant refers to two or more parties bound together. The New Testament term has usually been translated as covenant, but testimony and testament have also been used. The generally accepted idea of binding or establishing a bond between two parties carries with it the concept of “cleaving,” or sticking together like Super Glue!

1.    Covenants require Sacrifice.

Psalm 50:5

⁵ “Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”

2.    Covenant Requires Death.

Hebrews 9:16-18

¹⁶ For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. ¹⁷ For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. ¹⁸ Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.

Contract: I take thee for me.
Covenant: I give myself to thee.

Contract: You had better do it!
Covenant: How may I serve you?

Contract: What do I get?
Covenant: What can I give?

Contract: I’ll meet you halfway.
Covenant: I’ll give you 100% plus.

Contract: I have to
Covenant: I want to

3.    Covenants Bring Certainty.

Hebrews 6:16-17

¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute (strife). ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.

II.            TIPS FOR A STRONG COVENANT MARRIAGE.

1.    Realize Happiness alone is not the intended purpose of Marriage.

Genesis 1:28

²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” NLT

Genesis 2:18-20

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” ¹⁹ So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. NLT

a.    The Kingdom in general is not about our Happiness. It’s about our Obedience and Service.

                   Luke 14:15-27

¹⁵ Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” ¹⁶ Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. ¹⁷ When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’ ²¹ “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ ²³ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. ²⁴ For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ” ²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Husbands are to Love Wives like Christ Loves the church. Wives Submit to Your Husbands and Respect them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

2.    Husbands cannot see their wives apart from Themselves.

She is bone of our bone.

“This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!

3.    Wives must understand that you were given to Help Him.

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18

4.    You must leave when you get married.

5.    You must Cleave (Glue).

No spirit of separation or divorce.

                   Ephesians 4:27

                   Nor give place to the devil…

III.         DUTIES TO OBEY.

Husbands are to:

1.    Provide for wife and family.

1 Timothy 5:8

⁸ But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. NLT

2.    Lead Wife and Family.

1 Corinthians 11:3

³ But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. NLT

3.    Love as Christ loves the Church.

Ephesians 5:25

²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her. NLT

4.    Not be bitter against her

Colossians 3:19

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. NKJV

5.    Honor and consider her a joint heir.

1 Peter 3:7

⁷ In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. NLT

Wives are to:

1.    Submit to their leadership as Christ Submits to the Church.

Ephesians 5:22-24

²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. NLT

2.    Respect (Reverence) your Husband.

Ephesians 5:33

³³ So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

3.    Help Your Husband.

Genesis 2:18

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

4.    Love Him.

Titus 2:4

⁴ These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.

5.    Satisfy His Sexual Desires

1 Corinthians 7:3-5

³ The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. ⁴ The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.