Gtcotr/042716
Genesis 17:4 As for Me,
behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
Marriage is a covenant relationship between a man and a woman before
God.
3
years ago this past October 5th, Brenda and I bought a TV. It was the
newest thing on the market. Apparently some guy purchased it and took it home
and when his girlfriend saw how much it cost she made him take it back. This TV
is amazing. The bells and whistles are cutting edge. When I walk in the room it
listens for my voice and waits for my command. It will even follow my hand
gestures and I can play angry bird from across the room with just by waving my
hand. It has all the built in features of a Smart TV with apps and web
browsing.
It
is a really smart TV with 3D on demand – it will take a 2D program and 3D it
with some depth effects and everything … anyway it is awesome. And, because it
had been brought back the manager of the store, who didn’t realize they even
had this kind of TV according to the young excited sales lady who said that if
it wasn’t against store policy she would have already taken it and put it in
her car … anyway … the store manager marked it down to one third its original
cost and then the store had another percentage sale going on and as well if we
applied for a credit card they would take another amount off plus it came with
some rebates connected with this new model and then it qualified for a free
sound bar and cables … it went on and on and on. By the time we walked out of
that store with our new TV and the keyboard that it came with and the two
remotes, one of which I have never learned to use, and all the other stuff it
was getting close to the store and Samsung owing us money. These kinds of deals
follow my son around all the time – his favor is incredible. We usually send
him to buy us anything - - - but on this deal I was too concerned to involve
him since I was beginning to feel sorry for the store. If he had of been there
we might not have had room for all of the other stuff they would have thrown
in.
Then,
while paying for the TV they offered us a 4 year warranty, not based on the TV’s
original cost but rather on the sales price we had paid!!! That meant that we
got a full in home warranty which would repair or replace the whole thing with
no cost or hassles to us and we only paid a fraction of the cost it should have
been. Plus – the TV worked really really really great … I didn’t understand how
it did what it did but that didn’t keep me from enjoying it – at least for the
first 3 years.
Because
it was so high tech and cutting edge bells and whistles I figured the coming
technology would outpace this television and I certainly didn’t understand how
it all worked so how could I ever fix it if it broke.
Sure
enough about 5 months ago it stopped working and I had to call the repairman
out and he asked questions, opened it up, ran tests and figured out what was
broke and worked on it until it started working again. I’m really glad there
was somebody who understood it enough to troubleshoot the problems and knew how
to fix them. If it had been left up to me I would still have an unworkable TV …
not that it couldn’t work … just that it wasn’t and I didn’t know what to do
about getting it to work.
A
man and woman can get married and be happy and raise a family and celebrate
their 50th wedding anniversary and love Jesus and each other without
understanding the dynamics and strength of their relationship. We can enjoy and
benefit from many things in life without fully understanding them or how they
work … we just know that they do.
Take
electricity or the internet or cell phones – I dare say most of the people who
have them and depend on them could not begin to describe their inner workings
but they reap the benefits anyway. Take away electricity or the internet and we
certainly hope that someone around us understands it and knows how it works and
can either tell us how to fix it or come to our house and fix it for us. We
enjoy the benefits of many things which we don’t fully understand.
Many
couples are enjoying marriage that do not have a clear understanding as to why
their lives are always filled with joy and peace and love and patience and
gentleness and faithfulness and goodness and self control. Others however
wonder why their marriages are so stress and strained and pressured and filled
with aggravations and arguments and frustrations and thoughts of wanting to run
away or crack someone over the head with a bottle. It is just not working and
they don’t know how to fix it.
Good
news!!! Somebody else does know how to fix it! His name is God and He has
trained representatives and fully accredited technicians equipped and in your
area ready to help you reboot and repair your covenant.
You
know, much like that TV – just because I didn’t understand it didn’t mean
someone else didn’t know how to find the problem and fix it. Of course, that
technician, no matter how good or expert they were in their field or their
capabilities to find and know how to fix problems, if I didn’t let them look at
it or didn’t follow their instructions or tore out or tore up the work they
were doing or fought with them through each appointment – I have a feeling that
the problems with my TV might never have gotten fixed. It’s the same with our
relationships.
Tonight
we are continuing in our Marriage Basics Series by surveying:
The Roles, Rules, Rights and Responsibilities of the Marriage
Covenant.
Marriage
is a Covenant which is different from a Contract. If we are to ever understand
marriage we must first understand covenant. Marriage has been designed by God
to work. When marriage stops working it can be fixed. However it will take both
people doing their part to make marriage what God designed it to be and
accomplish what God designed marriage to accomplish.
Covenant
is a giving of myself to fulfill my role and do my part in a relationship. The
Bible teaches covenant. Contracts, as good as they are, will not serve in
marriage relationships to create the same advantages and benefits as will a
covenant. Contract by nature is a protective instrument. A contract says, “I
will if you will … and If you don’t, I won’t and on top of that it will cost
you …” A contract protects us from the other individual and provides penalties
for not keeping the contract.
While
a contract is basically my good at your expense, a Covenant is your good at my
expense. A covenant says, “I will … even if you don’t.” A contract is often a
50/50 relationship while a covenant is designed to be a 100%/100%
responsibility. A covenant says I am 100% responsible to do my part irrespective
whether or not anyone else does theirs.
As
well, success in the critical areas of life should not be left to trial and
error. If we do not teach our sons to change flat tires and provide for their
families and if we do not teach our daughters to be nurturing, keep a home and
care for the family … how shall they ever learn? If we do not instruct our
children how to manage a healthy home and build happy relationships how shall
they know? Trial and error is not the best way … we need model the most
important lessons we wish to teach our children and one of those areas is the
covenant of marriage!
To
begin our discussions tonight allow me to share an unpopular truth:
Men and Women are Different!
Each
one designed by God and endowed with certain abilities and most often gifted
with certain perspectives and strengths generally found within that gender.
Variations do not disprove but rather stand as markers to validate a norm.
Allowing a deviation to establish a new norm is to imagine no standards or
rules of life and law does or should exist. Add to any subject the fact that
God has spoken so directly to the matter and we recognize truth which will
stand regardless as to whether individuals or society agrees or not. Such is
the truth that defines the differing roles of a man and a woman in the covenant
of marriage.
God
is the one who designed marriage and offers His blessings on this covenant. God
had defined marriage and its:
·
Roles
·
Rules
·
Rights
·
Responsibilities
Marriage
Roles
(Information from Marriage Basics guide;
Number Two)
Genesis 2
21 ¶ And the LORD God caused
a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and
closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the
LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the
man.
23 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."
24 Therefore a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become
one flesh.
25 And they were both naked,
the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Ephesians 5
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.
30 For we are members of His
body, of His flesh and of His bones.
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.
33 Nevertheless let each one
of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see
that she respects her husband.
The
husband is the primary provider, protector, defender and leader.
The
wife is the primary homemaker, nurturer, helpmate and support.
Marriage
Rules
Marriage
Rights
Marriage
Responsibilities
