Real Relationship Goals, Part 1

What is the purpose of romantic relationships?

Can I find my forever love outside of a traditional romantic relationship?

In the beginning

Genesis 2:20–24 ESV

The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. After Grandpa Adam’s fall

After Grandpa Adam’s fall

They reach for the standard of “one man, one woman, one flesh” but don’t make it.

Genesis 4:19–24 ESV

And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

Genesis 12:10–12 ESV

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

Genesis 12:11–14 “When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.

Jesus in the flesh reveals God’s intention for “one man, one woman, one flesh”

It is a sign showing us the kind of relationship we can have with the Groom of all Grooms.

Ephesians 5:25–32 NLT

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.* He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”* This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

What Does that mean?

The natural order of male/female relationships mirrors what happens in eternity. A man who like the Father sets his self to commit

and to love a woman who becomes what is the very best of him --not vice versa.

Christian man can not be another man's glory (wife). If he tries he will be an impotent man and a fake wife. There is just Jesus and he don’t care about his Bride.

—A Christian woman can’t be involved with an. another woman sexually there is not hope because there is no Jesus. Just a church that needs saving.

-- A Christian man can not merely be involved sexually with a woman (the relationship will be less than Godly and will not be truly love) for the Spirit of God in him desires to Love as the Father loves the Son and as the Son loves his church.

-- A Christian man can not be married to a woman and then have a mistress for it is confusing which one is his glory, for the Spirit of God in him, wants to Love wholeheartedly with everything he has.

It is also now primarily loving himself, taking the life and love from both of these women for himself. He has now turned into their glory and the object of their affection. He has become the woman.

--A Christian man can not be involved sexually with a woman who is not his wife, for he may be giving away his glory that belongs to

his wife. ("defrauding")

--Nothing less than marriage images and displays the eternal

commitment of the Father and the Glory of the Son. Nothing else

images the Son's imitation of the Father in loving the church the exact same way. The Spirit of God in a Christian would not have it another way. He would be grieved, for He is not participating in the Love of God, but the hate and waste of the Devil.

What heaven looks and feels like:

Revelation 19:7–8 NLT

Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

Applying the Message to Your Life?

What does the passage suggest about the creation of woman in relation to man?

What were the names of Lamech's wives and what does his declaration to them signify?

How does the relationship between husband and wife reflect the relationship between Christ and the church?

What can we learn about love from the way Christ loved the church?

In what ways can you ensure that your marriage reflects the love described in Ephesians?

How can you apply the principles of loving and respecting one another in your friendships?

Why did Abram ask Sarai to say she was his sister when entering Egypt?

What ultimate purpose does the 'wedding feast of the Lamb' serve according to the passage?

In what ways can we prepare ourselves to be part of the Bride of Christ?

How does understanding our identity in Christ shape the way we interact with others?