Covenant Week 2

 Covenant wk 2 ~Marriage is not a contract two people sign. ~It's a covenant two people swear - and God designed it as a living picture of the covenant Christ made with His church. ~When a husband and wife keep covenant, they preach the gospel without saying a word. Part 1: In Genesis 15, God walked the covenant path alone and bound Himself to keep the promise. Marriage is meant to echo that kind of love - ~a promise kept because of who you are, not because of what the other person does. Ephesians 5:22-33 (ESV) ' Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.' ~Contract vs. covenant - Contract is something with your cell provider. "What happens when stop delivering? You cancel." Then ask: ~"Is that what you promised at the altar?" ~ today's question - what is marriage really, and why does God care so much about it? ● Marriage is a COVENANT → a CALLING → a WITNESS Point 1 - Marriage Is a Covenant, Not a Contract "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." - Genesis 2:24 ● Gen 2:24 - leave, cleave, one flesh. "Hold fast" = glued, bonded - not a trial arrangement ● Malachi 2:14 - "your companion and your wife by covenant" - God names marriage a covenant and says He is the witness ● Prov 2:17; Matt 19:4-6 - Jesus: "What God has joined together, let not man separate" Contract vs. covenant: ○ Contract = exchange of goods and services; conditional; ends when terms are broken; protects ME ○ Covenant = exchange of selves; unconditional; lasts until death; ○ Ancient covenant parts → wedding parts: ○ Oath/vows ("for better or worse, till death do us part" ○ Witnesses (God + the gathered community) ○ A sign (the ring - ○ A covenant meal (the wedding feast) ~You didn't sign a deal that day. You swore an oath before God. Point 2 - Marriage Was Designed to Picture Christ and the Church "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." - Ephesians 5:32 ● Eph 5:31-32 - Paul quotes Gen 2:24 and says marriage was always about something bigger ○ Isaiah 54:5 - "Your Maker is your husband"; Isaiah 62:5 - as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God rejoices over you ○ Hosea 2:19-20 - "I will betroth you to me forever"; Ezekiel 16:8 - "I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you" ○ John 3:29; Matt 25:1-13; 2 Cor 11:2 - Jesus the Bridegroom, the church His betrothed ○ Rev 19:7-9; 21:2 - the marriage supper of the Lamb: where the story is headed ● Marriage isn't the destination - it's the SHADOW. Christ and the church is the SUBSTANCE. ● God didn't invent a metaphor from marriage. He invented marriage to be a metaphor of the gospel. Point 3 - The Bridegroom's Love: Husbands, Love Like Christ "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:25 ● What Christ did for His bride: ○ Gave Himself up - Eph 5:25; Rom 5:8 (loved her while she was unlovely) ○ Pursued and redeemed her - Hosea 3:1-3 (Hosea buys back Gomer - the picture of unfaithful bride, faithful Groom) ○ Bound Himself to keep the covenant - Gen 15 (God walks alone) → Luke 22:20 ("the new covenant in my blood") ● What that looks like for husbands (Eph 5:26-29): ○ Sacrificial - leads by laying down his life, not by laying down the law ○ Nourishes and cherishes - provides, protects, builds her up (v.28-29) ○ Honors her - 1 Peter 3:7 ("heirs with you of the grace of life"); Col 3:19 ("do not be harsh") ● Christ's authority looks like a cross. A husband who wants Christ's headship must accept Christ's cost. Point 4 - The Bride's Response: Wives, Respect and Trust "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21 ● Paul starts: v.21 - mutual submission to one another, then the specific callings ● Eph 5:22-24, 33 - wives respond to loving, Christlike leadership with respect and trust, as the church does to Christ ● This is NOT about worth: ○ Gen 2:18 - "helper" (ezer) is the same word used of God Himself (Ps 33:20; Ex 18:4) - not a lesser role ○ Gal 3:28 - equal standing before God ○ Jesus Himself modeled willing submission with no loss of worth - Phil 2:5-8; Luke 22:42 ● Mutual picture: the church trusts Christ because He proved His love at the cross. Trust follows sacrificial love. ● Husband's job isn't to demand respect. Wife's job isn't to earn love. Each answers the other's calling - as Christ and the church do. Point 5 - Why Marriage Matters: The Importance of Keeping Covenant ● It's God's first institution - Gen 2, before government, before Israel, before the church ● It's honored by God - Heb 13:4: "Let marriage be held in honor among all" ● It preaches a sermon the world can see: ○ John 13:35 - they'll know we're His by our love ○ An enduring marriage says "Christ keeps His covenant." An abandoned covenant blurs that picture - Mal 2:13-16 ● It's the soil where the next generation grows - Mal 2:15 ("godly offspring"); Deut 6:6-9, faith lived at home ● It's how God holds us together through hard seasons: ○ Eccl 4:9-12 - a cord of three strands is not quickly broken ○ 1 Cor 13:7-8 - love bears, believes, hopes, endures; love never fails ○ Eph 4:32 - forgive as God in Christ forgave you Full circle line: In Genesis 15, God walked alone through the pieces so the covenant would hold no matter what. On the cross, Jesus kept the covenant for a bride who didn't deserve it. When a husband and wife stay faithful - not because it's easy, but because they swore - the world gets to see what that kind of love looks like. ● Married couples: You are a walking picture of the gospel. Renew your vows - in your heart this week, and out loud to each other. ● Engaged/dating: Ask not "is this person right for me?" but "am I ready to swear a covenant with them before God?" ● Single: You are not a half-picture. Every believer is part of the Bride. Marriage is a shadow; the Bridegroom is your portion now - 1 Cor 7:7-8, Isa 54:5. ● Divorced or hurting: God's grace is bigger than your story. The Bridegroom never abandons His Bride - Rom 8:38-39. Come, don't hide. Application Questions 1. Have you been treating your marriage like a contract - keeping score - or a covenant - giving yourself? 2. Where is Christ calling you to love more sacrificially (husbands) or respond with more trust (wives)? 3. What would it look like this week to renew your vows - in actions, not just words? 4. What does your marriage currently preach about Christ and the church to the people watching? 5. For single or hurting believers: how does the Bridegroom's covenant love meet you right now?