February 14th, 2021

​Covenant Relationships
​(with a Special focus on The Marriage Covenant)

God’s love for us is great.  If He promised it he will do it!
Today we learn about Covenant Relationships with a Special focus on THE MARRIAGE COVENANT. It is THE INSTITUTION GOD HAS ESTABLISHED FOR THE FAMILY AND FOR SOCIETY AT LARGE.

​Our God is a God that establishes and keeps covenant.

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”  Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)
 
A covenant is a contract, promises made to fulfill obligations by both parties.   What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine.  There is an exchange and giving of ourselves one to another.

What he promises, He will fulfill.  “He is not a man that He should lie”
Numbers 23;19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Psalm 103:17, Psalm 105:42
He made a covenant with Noah to build an ark. Noah and his family and the animals were protected on the ark.
With Abraham,  blessed with faithful Abraham through faith. 
Abraham and his seed after him; those blessings are still being manifest today.
Natural and spiritual seed. The blessings of Abraham have come upon the Gentiles through faith. We have a powerful Abrahamic covenant. Those of us who have put their trust in God.
Understand the relationships blessings we are to have especially in the marriage covenant.
Genesis 17:1-6  KJV   And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
 my covenant is with thee… a father of many nations   commitment to obligation from both sides
 
There are 4 or 5 levels of covenant in life
Priorities are based on LONGEVITY,   length of time the relationships will be maintained…
1.Eternal marriage to God himself forever and natural marriage to a spouse on earth ‘til death do us part”.
Our eternal relationship with God:  the strongest of all covenants, established by the born again experience.  We have an everlasting covenant with God.
Everlasting covenant with God - John 3:16  “I will never leave you or forsake thee
Except you be born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God
2. Earthly Marriage – until death do us part  a man shall Leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.  They shall be one flesh. 
In heaven there will be no marriage, only one marriage (to God) in heaven -  the marriage feast of the Lamb.  Behold the bridegroom cometh. God ye out to meet him. 
Mathew 25:6
IThes 4:16,17  16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
3.*Parental covenant – God has blessed many marriages with children/ the heritage of the Lord
Train them up, be examples to them  
children learn more about what they see you do than what you say,  children obey your parents in the lord..  honor thy mother and father In the Lord that your days may be long in the earth.
parenting is a great challenge, but it is a powerful covenant
it is a responsibility with great  promise
Ephes 6:2,3 "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise-"that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.
Exodus 20:12 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
as children you are commanded to obey, as older adults, your responsibility is to honor them
 
4.  occupation/calling/job/ministry
There are seasons of assignment, the longevity in those changes also.
*hobbies in our free time but honoring children above marriage is not good,  more time spent on hobbies than job puts the job in danger.
  
In the days to come we plan to discuss relationships and communication.
 
God established the blueprint for marriage.
God created woman from the rib of Adam and brought her to Adam.  Adam says she is “bone of my bone” and flesh of my flesh
Marriage is honorable above all…
 Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is honorable. in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremungers and adulterers God will judge.” King James Version (KJV)  
Over 50% of marriages end in divorce
 
Whatever God establishes has an adversary
Satan roams around seeking whom he may destroy (1 Peter 5:8)
 Marriage is the main institution he will attack
If he can, he will destroy the foundation concerning the tenants of the faith concerning marriage
One of Satan’s greatest desires is to destroy marriage because there is power in the marriage bond. There is a domino effect  If he destroys the marriage, the family, the church the community,  society as a whole are in a domino decline.
 
There is power of agreement in the word.
Amos 3:3 how can two walk together except they be agreed…   
Psalm 133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.
Two that are in agreement has 10 times more power and spiritual authority than you by yourself.  Satan brings deception to anything God has established.
 
There is power in agreement and unity
4 affirmations
Covenant goes beyond legal agreement
 Lifelong commitment to bring good into the life of another and to help them  fulfill their God-appointed purpose
On one accord, agreement to fulfill a purpose and plan for God.
So many distractions causing people to drift away in their minds.  They find themselves drawn away.    James 1:14-16 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 
Drawing away in media, etc.  drawing people away from commitment.
 
We have substituted God with selfishness,
No longer about you when you go into a marriage or relationship.   Selfishness will try to rise up and must be dealt with.
It’s commitment that takes work and character to have a successful marriage
Endeavor
Ephesians 4:3-5 (KJV) 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord one faith, one baptism,  
Character must be above convenience, above comfort.   Communication and some compromise necessary.
It ensures the strength of the covenant.
Psalm 89:34 my covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that goes out of my lips.
Do what’s right regardless of the cost.  Integrity built on hard decisions

4 affirmations in the success of a marriage (settle in your heart and mind)
      1. God must be first in your life and personality: in marriage in everything. 
Proverbs 3:5  trust in the Lord…  seek Him Ephesians 5  husbands love our wives…
Wives be submitted to your own husbands as unto the Lord
    2.  Pledge to protect,  Defend one another, Not publicly humiliate but  speak good one of another. Pledge to protect and defend, not to damage.      
Genesis  - Satan came in the form of a serpent, Presented the tree to Eve,  tempted her to partake of the tree. Eve took of the fruit and gave to her husband with her.  Fight for, pray in spiritual warfare for one another!.  Although Adam was there when  the lord warned them and then again when Satan tempted Eve, he failed 
   3.  Promise to be honest, even when it hurts Be open and transparent.  Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed.  Nothing hidden from one another  speak truth in love .  Honest and upright.
   4.  Make a vow never to leave - “to death do us part – God gives strength to do what is right.  If God is not first, none of these things can work. If God is your priority you can work to maintain those vows and  have the strength to love one another as you love him.…God will keep and bless that union.
      Elisha (Elijah’s younger understudy) made a promise to Elijah (the older prophet of God)  2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho." But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho
He knew there would be a blessing as a result of his faithfulness to stay with the man of God.
Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
 
Great blessings come if God has established In these last days, it is as Jesus said it would be in the area of covenant:  the love of many waxes cold.
 Covenant relationships in other relationships as well.
 Ruth 1:16  But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  If all but death part thee from me.
 
Jesus said I will never leave thee or forsake thee.  He warned that love would wax cold and men would be lovers of themselves.*

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Be people of character and integrity.  The grace to be faithful to whatever commitments we make.  Faithful to follow through with what you say you will do.
 
If he promised it he will do it!