God's Design for Marriage Part 1

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Recap of 5/12/13 (Genesis 1:26):

1.  Ethics offers two choices, Objective truth (seen in absolutes) or Subjectivism (seen in Cultural Relativism, Situation Ethics and Behaviorism).  One says that God is sovereign over life, death, and sexuality.  The other says that man is sovereign over life (abortion), death (euthanasia), and sexuality (gender).  Cultural relativism centers on culture, believes that culture has the power to decide what is right and what is wrong, thus culture (man) is sovereign, there are no absolutes to guide individuals, there are no universal moral standards, and cultural relativism leads to individual relativism, thus ultimately truth is determined by the individual.  As Christians we believe in ethical absolutes as found in the Word of God.  Ethical absolutes insure order and civility in civilization and bring joy, freedom from sin, and personal fulfillment.  Ethical relativism insures moral anarchy and is self-destructive personally and societally.  Christians need to be ready to give an answer in the area of Ethics because:  of the lack of absolutes in our society coupled with the desperate need for ethical standards to guide our abilities and technologies; of the ‘slippery slope’ nature of so many ethical questions (e.g. abortion leads to devaluing children at all stages of life); Christians must learn to think Biblically and Christianly about ethical issues; and Christians often know where they stand on ethical issues but cannot defend their position. (Source: Christian Ethics in a Postmodern World by Dr. James P. Eckman, Ph.D.)

2.  Any discussion about marriage, its’ definition, its’ participants, and how it works best, starts with a simple premise: society doesn’t define marriage…God does.  So we start a study of marriage with creation, Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25.

3.  Some diminish the Genesis account of creation by making it simply an allegory, but that doesn’t square with the teaching of the rest of the Bible.  Adam is listed in extensive genealogies in Genesis 5, 1 Chronicles 1, and Luke 3:23-28 where Luke begins with Jesus and goes all the way back to Adam.  If one is historical, the other is historical.  Jesus treats the Genesis account as historical in Matthew 19 and Mark 10.  Paul treats the Genesis account of creation as historical with references to Adam, Eve, the Fall, etc. in Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Corinthians 15:22,45; 2 Corinthians 11:3; and 1 Timothy 2:13,14. Jude and John do as well in Jude 14 and 1 John 3:12.  Hebrew treats the early chapters of Genesis the same way in chapter 11, citing it with other historical people and events.

How to Serve Without getting your nose out of Joint

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1.  Jesus restores Peter publicly, reassuring him of His love.  In the words of Dr. Edwin Blum: “No matter how great a person is [they] may fall (cf. 1 Cor 10:12).  But God’s grace and forgiveness will restore the repentant.” Regular examination of our lives should produce godly repentance and restoration.  A good prayer to pray in the process is:  “O God, search out the weak places in my life, the parts of me that are vulnerable and immature.  Establish Your rule there so that I may grow into wholeness, receiving Your strength and expressing it in the love You revealed in Jesus Christ. Amen.” (Eugene Peterson)

2.  Jesus’ challenge to Peter is to love Him above these other disciples, above his old life and vocation.  Out of love for Jesus should flow ministry to Jesus’ sheep.  All ministry flows from love for Christ (“wholehearted devotion to Jesus”).  The primary qualification, motivation and prerequisite for service is love for Jesus.

3.  “Just before Jesus left this earth, He instructed Simon Peter to care for the dearest object of His love—His sheep.  How could anyone care for them as Jesus cares?  Only out of love for Him.  There is no other way.  Three times Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love Me/’  He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead—that arduous, demanding work of caring for people’s souls—perhaps the hardest work of all.  Jesus did not ask Peter if he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him.  Affection for God’s people in itself will not sustain us.  His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them.  In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.  The ‘love of Christ’—our love for Him—is the only sufficient motivation that will enable us to stay the course, to continue to feed the flock of God.” (Excerpted from Our Daily Bread)

4.  “Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him.  A great many Christian workers worship their work….A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed.” (Oswald Chambers)

5.  Jesus instructs Peter to “keep on following Him.” This is the dominant issue in the life of every Christian.  We are not to look back, look around, look at others, look at the circumstances, or even look at ourselves.  We are not to deviate from concentration of Jesus and following Him.