The Beauty of Marriage
Notes
Transcript
Context
Context
Hosea prophecies following one of the most peaceful and prosperous times in the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim).
also in the midst of the downgrade leading to the Assyrian takeover
Yahweh’s judgment is coming, but never will He forget or forsake the covenant love He has for those called by His name - therefore Hosea proclaims hope of reconciliation and new beginnings.
the renewal of the covenant, or a new covenant is coming
Hosea 2:14–23 “14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. 21 “And in that day I wil…”
Hosea 11:8–9 “8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. 9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.”
Michael Reeves says this marriage between Yahweh and His people “is no marriage of convenience.” For better or worse, God will not divorce His people even though His covenant is made with a people not yet glorified. He will remain steadfast in His lovingkindness…Why? How? Hebrews 7-8 - read
Deuteronomy 7:9 “9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,”
1 Kings 8:23 “23 and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;”
Psalm 103:17 “17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,”
Psalm 136 - His steadfast love endures forever
Romans 8:38–39 “38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
His New Covenant Love
His New Covenant Love
Ephesians 5:25 “25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”
His love is a major aspect of His character that glorifies Him and displays to us what love is
1 John 4:9–11 “9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Knowing God is knowing His glory in the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ and thereby His love. Those who know, personally and intimately His love, love others
Matthew 22:37–39 “37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
That is what happens horizontally with others when that loves comes vertically to us
The priority then, in having and maintaining loving fruitful human relations, is to see and savor the beauty of relationship with God in Jesus. Everything flows from that.
He loves us - He comes to save, taking on the form of a servant, obedient to the point of death on a cross.
Isaiah 53 -
Now we will recognize and praise Him by this love
Revelation 5:9–14 “9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
What does this have to do with your marriage?
What does this have to do with your marriage?
1. puts your love for Christ into action and proves you to be a disciple
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
1 John 4:20–21 “20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
2. knowing the love and beauty of Christ puts Him on display in your relationships, glorifying Him
John 17:22–23 “22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
Ephesians 5:32–33 “32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
our marriages are metaphors for the realities of Christ’s love for His bride, the church
no marriage in heaven because no need for a metaphor, it is a reality in consummation
John 13:34–35 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””
3. Knowing the love and beauty of Christ in covenant love gives you a hope that transcends human relationships and makes you look solely to Him to be fulfilled. Thereby, making yourself available to give to the good of your spouse as He gives to your good.
your hope and glory is sure in His unending love
1 Peter 1:8–9 “8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Michael Reeves (Rejoicing in Christ) - “The greatest benefit of union with Christ is Christ.”
John Piper - God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Matthew 5:14–16 “14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Psalm 73:22–28 “22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. 23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”
2 Corinthians 5:18–19 “18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
If your union with Christ is rightly ordered so that He is the greatest love of your life, then love will issue forth from your life to others in the most pure and true form.