Edification Company (Part of Edification Ministries)
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Date 05.03.2023
People of God GREETINGS!
It is another week and we thank and rejoice in the Living God, our Heavenly Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, for His provision, love, care, and his indwelling peace in us by the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit.
Main Bible Scripture:
Mark 10 v 7-9
Other Associated Scriptures: Genesis 1 v 27, Genesis 5 v 2, 1 Corinthians 7 v 1-16, Mark 10 v 2-12, Matthew 22 v 29-30, Hebrews 13 v 4, Galatians 15 v 50, 1 Corinthians 15 v 50, Ephesians 5 v 22 – 33, 1Peter 3 v 1-7, Revelation 19 v 6-9 and so on.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for another week of divine health, divine peace, divine provision and divine wisdom and revelation of God, the Father of spirits. We come today, this very hour, in our own accord, to feed our born-again spirit-beings with the rich nutrient of God’s Holy Word. We agree that your Word is the truth. We trust the Holy Spirit to bring the light of God’s Word into our minds and the direction of that Word into our spirits. We trust you, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we will be doers of your Word and not hearers, readers or speakers only. In Jesus Name. Amen
Theme/Subject: Marriage, Divorce & Sex
Our theme or subject is “Marriage, Divorce & Sex.” This is series 02.
To get the most out of this teaching series, it is more important that you listen or read the previous teaching on the subject.
In series 01, we noted that there are two main marriages which God’s Word teaches. They are: the marriage between the husband and his wife and the marriage between the Lamb [Christ Jesus] and the church or the body of Christ (see Genesis 1 v 27, Mark 10 v 7-9, Revelation 19 v 6-9).
Under the marriage between the husband and his wife, there are three sub-categories which God’s Word teaches. These three sub-categories are: the marriage between believing husband and his believing wife, the marriage between the believing husband and his unbelieving wife (hybrid marriage) and the marriage between the unbelieving husband and his believing wife (hybrid marriage) – see 1 Corinthians 7 v 10 – 16). As far as I am aware God’s Word does not teach on any other marriage.
In series 02, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, we shall focus our attention on the ‘marriage between the believing husband and his believing wife’.
The marriage between the believing husband and his believing wife
This is the marriage that God desires for all his children. In this marriage, the husband and his wife are both children of God in Christ Jesus albeit their spiritual maturity may differ. Here, the husband and his wife spirits are alive with God, the Father of spirits. It is important to mention that although both the husband and his wife are born-again children of God in Christ but in the marriage they are still one flesh. The challenges of the fleshly desires are still there. They are never one spirit. The one flesh the believing husband and his wife becomes in marriage serves as a warning and at the same time a reminder of the challenges ahead. However, the challenges presented by the one flesh in this marriage can easily be overcome by the agape love of God which lives in the believing husband and his believing wife (see Romans 5 v 5). Should they choose to continue to grow or mature in Christ Jesus and continue to accept and act on their respective divine roles and responsibilities in the marriage as per what God’s Word teaches. Despite the fact that the believing husband and his believing wife are both born-again in Christ, should they fail to grow together in Christ and fail to put into practice their respective divine roles and responsibilities in the marriage as per God’s Word, they will be definitely overcome by the challenges of the one flesh.
Jesus said this in Mark 10 v 7-8 and it reads ““For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, so then they are no longer two, but one flesh (see Mark 10 v 7-9).”
It was noted in series 01 that many pastors at weddings misquote what Jesus taught. They say “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. Jesus did not teach anywhere that the husband and his wife shall become one but He taught that the husband and his wife shall become one flesh (see Mark 10 v 7-9). The key phrase is One Flesh.
In order to really grasp the one flesh clause in the marriage between the husband and his wife we need to understand first of all what the Holy Written Word of God teaches about the ‘flesh’.
The Greek word Jesus used in Mark 10 v 8 which translate flesh is spelt ‘sarx’ and the same word also translates carnal, carnally minded, human being, human nature. It is the same Greek word used in 1 John 2 v 16. It is the same Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 15 v 50. It is the same Greek word used in Galatians 5 v 17, 19, 24 and so on. God’s Word teaches that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established (see 2 Corinthians 13 v 1). Therefore, to understand what God’s Word teaches on the flesh we have witnesses from 1 John 2 v 16, from Galatians 5 v 17, 19, 24 and from 1 Corinthians 15 v 50. These witnesses can teach us about the flesh. Please pause and reflect.
On the subject of the flesh, 1 John 2 v 15-16 says this “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.” From this witness in the Holy Word, the lust or desire of the flesh is not of the Father but it is of the world. We need ask the question - Who rules this ‘world’ that the flesh lusts for? Jesus said this when He spoke of Satan “the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me (see John 14 v 30, 2 Corinthians 4 v 4).” Jesus calls Satan the ‘ruler of this world’. The lust of the flesh is of the world which Satan controls and rules and not of God and His kingdom. This is why the one flesh serves as a warning and at the same time a reminder of the fragility and challenges exist in the marriage.
Moving on with the flesh, our second witness from Galatians 5 v 19-21 teaches us this “the works or practices of the flesh includes immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5 v 17 also says this about the flesh. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit lusts against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do things that you wish.” From our second witness, it is clear that the practices of the flesh are completely opposite to the practices of the Holy Spirit who lives in the born-again spirit of the believing husband and his believing wife as children of God.
Still moving on with the flesh, our third witness from 1 Corinthians 15 v 50 reads: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” Flesh and blood are limited to the things of the natural. The one flesh clause in the marriage between the husband and his wife also denotes that such marriage arrangement is earthly; meaning it ceases to exist once the believing husband and his believing wife departs their bodies to be with Christ Jesus. In heaven, children of God are like the angels meaning they possess the heavenly or the spiritual body and not the natural flesh. This is because in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heavens. God’s Word teaches that angels are spirits, they possess spiritual bodies (see Hebrews 1 v 13-14, Matthew 22 v 29-30, Mark 12 v 24-25).
Therefore, do not expect to live with your believing husband or wife in heaven inside the mansion that Christ Jesus will provide you when you depart your natural body. Anything of the flesh, including the one flesh this believing husband and his wife becomes in marriage are left behind on earth. It is therefore of great importance to enjoy marriage whilst we still live inside the body in this natural world. And the only way to enjoy marriage always is the believing husband and his believing wife continue to remain in Christ together and grow together in Him through the feeding and practising of God’s Word.
As part of growing together in Christ to overcome the challenges of the one flesh in the marriage is the believing husband knowing and acting on his divine roles and responsibilities as per what God’s Word teaches. Similarly, the believing wife should know and act on her roles and responsibilities in the marriage as per what God’s Word teaches. Please pause and reflect.
Conditions for the marriage between the believing husband and his believing wife
The marriage between the believing husband and his believing wife is the marriage God desires for His children in Christ Jesus. Because of this, there are some divine condition which God’s Word teaches that governs such marriage.
The first condition is that such marriage should be sealed not with one flesh but with the agape love of God which now lives in both the believing husband and his believing wife (see Romans 5 v 5, 1 Corinthians 13 v 4-8). The love of God should underpin and define this marriage as the believing husband and his believing wife continue to grow in Christ by continuous feeding and practising of the Holy Written Word of God together. Let me ask you… believing husband or believing wife, do you make time every 24hours to feed together on God’s Word?
Keep your response to yourself but if you do not already do this, then I will encourage you to start this divine practice together. I know you both go to church together; this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the believing husband and his believing wife coming together every day between 10-20 minutes to feed on God’s Word together at home or depending on the circumstance a virtual arrangement on various technological platforms e.g. WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, ZOOM and so on.
The second condition is that divorce is out of question in the marriage between the believing husband and his believing wife (see Mark 10 v 10-12, 1 Corinthians 7 v 10-11).
The third condition is that the ‘marital bed’ of the believing husband and his believing wife must not be defiled (Hebrews 13 v 4). Please pause and reflect.
It is the divine role of the believing husband to offer his believing wife security and protection. Although, Christ is the ultimate security and protection in the marriage but at home the believing husband is the natural source of security and protection to his believing wife and the home. It is the divine role of the believing husband to teach or train his believing wife the Word of God at home to present her to himself a glorious wife (see Ephesians 5 v 26-27). This dine task of the believing husband in the marriage at home is not for pastors. It is the divine responsibility of a believing husband to love his believing wife unconditionally as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (see Ephesians 5 v 25). This means that you do not take advantage and abuse her support, her respect and her submission. It means that you support her at home. You support her with the school run, swimming run, dancing class run and so on. She is your believing wife. She needs your love, your attention, your care, your godly guidance through the Holy Word and so on. Always be appreciative of your wife and present her to yourself a glorious wife without blemish.
It is the divine role of the believing wife to participate and contribute to the teaching of the Word of God at home as led by her believing husband. It is the divine responsibility of the believing wife to support, submit and respect his believing husband at all times (see Ephesians 5 v 22). Never insult or belittling your believing husband regardless of where the believing is career wise, academically, geographically in this life. As the head of the family, support your believing husband to lead. Never abuse or take it likely the compassionate nature of a believing husband. Present yourself modestly outwardly (words or action) but the true adornment should come from your spirit as you mature in Christ. Surround yourself with friends who have reverent for God and His Word.
Remember, God’s Word teaches that the husband and his wife are one flesh. Therefore, believing husband and believing wife should live, remain and grow in Christ to overcome the challenges of the one flesh in the marriage. You do this by continuous feeding and acting on God’s Word. For we who are in Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh (see Galatians 5 v 24).
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus we thank you for your incorruptible living Word, that Word has come to us, help us to be doers thereof. In Jesus Name. Amen.
To God be the glory forever and ever in Jesus Name by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that you are blessed by these teachings, why don’t you share them with others to be blessed also? It is also important to get your feedback and how together, through these teachings we are growing in faith in God’s Holy Written Word. By: Bro Thomas
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