“BENDING THE KNEE” TILL DEATH DO US PART
Genesis 3
I. INTRODUCTION:
A. Prioritizing marriage as unto Christ the Lord:
1. The Biblical emphasis of marriage:
2. The sacredness (sacrament) of marriage: (Eccl. 5:4)
3. The twofold purpose for your marriage:
a. Redemption:
b. Peace:
“The pre-determined plan of Christ as King is to bring salvation and
peace to a sinful world.” Christ’s purpose - Jn. 3:16; 10:10b; Lk. 19:10
B. Visualizing marriage as your perpetual act of worship:
Worship – (proskuneo) – “to kiss toward” conveying the idea of showing
reverence or surrendering obeisance. It is a subjective feeling of awe, reverent
humility, and respect as well as an objective activity of bowing, praising,
prioritizing, and serving in prompt obedience. It is defined simply in Isaiah 46:6b
as “they fall down, yea, they worship”. It very rarely in Scripture (less than 20%)
has anything to do with music evidenced by a journey through any Bible
concordance. The religious community again has chosen to redefine a Biblical
term to make it less convicting and more palatable to our “Christian” culture. (Ex.
20:3, 5) (Idolatry is placing work, relationships, and activities ahead of Christ)
- The point of “bending the knee”:
- The “give and take” that misses the point of “bending
the knee”:
C. How a “chaste” marriage must begin: (II Cor. 11:2)
1. The “what” (no exceptions): (II Cor. 6:14)
2. The “why” (painful reality): (II Cor. 6:15-17)
D. The roles you will be commanded to embrace and why:
1. Equal yet different roles:
a. “A servant-leader is a husband who makes decisions for
his wife and children that from Christ’s perspective, are the
best thing for them, at the expense of himself. Being a servant
leader is responsibility, not rank; it is a sacrifice, not
selfishness; it is duty, not domination. The daily sting of his
own death to self, is always the beginning point for his
servant-leadership.” (Lk. 22:25-26; Eph. 5:25)
b. “A helper is a wife who is a husband lover and a child lover,
giving the woman a dual role in a marriage. Being a husband
lover simply means being available to him, giving him time,
energy, prioritizing him over anyone and everything (including
her career) but Christ; giving thought and creativity to
continually building him up at the expense of criticizing and
tearing him down. Her husband needs the awesome power of
her “being there” to be unleashed on him and If Christ blesses
her with children, they will also need this attention, support,
and love unleashed on them, while continuing to prioritize her
husband.” (Tit. 2:4-5)
2. “As unto the Lord”, the basis to obediently comply:
(Eph. 5:22)
II. CHRIST ILLUSTRATING THESE MARITAL ESSENTIALS:
A. Beginning with a Christ centered marriage:
1. Bright beginnings with marital roles in place:
Gen. 2:23-24
2. Daily enablement on the basis of their obedience:
(Gen. 3:8)
B. Compromising the marital roles with foolish temporal choices:
Gen. 3:6 (* shift in worship)
1. Eve chooses to abandon her role (fooled):
2. Adam chooses to abandon his role (not fooled):
(See I Tim. 2:14)
C. Experiencing separation and the absence of a peaceful
marriage:
1. For her: Gen. 3:16 (See I Tim. 2:15)
2. For him: Gen. 3:17-19
III. PRINCIPLES TO PERSONALLY APPLY:
(Together becoming “people of the Word” in practice)
A. The sacredness of your marriage hinges exclusively
upon choosing daily to make Christ the center of your
worship even over your mate/children. (Ex. 20:3, 5)
(Idolatry is putting work, relationships, and activities ahead
of Christ)
B. Getting and staying married is not about finding the
right person (feeling driven) but rather, being the right
person (fact driven). (knowledge/wisdom)
C. Your marriage is designed to be used as an instrument
to regularly lead others to Christ, with the peace of
Christ ruling your heart, in the midst of life’s storms.
(* See Col. 3:15) (It is never too late to get started)
“The pre-determined plan of Christ is to bring
salvation and peace to a sinful world.”
Sinners Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I was made by you and I was made for
you, but I have been living for myself. I am sorry for that self-
rule you call sin. I believe that Jesus Christ being my creator
God, died, was buried, and rose again to pay the
insurmountable debt that my sin has created since birth. So
right now, I am turning from a life of going my own way, to by
faith, place my trust in Jesus Christ, to pay the debt of all my
sin, and to get me to heaven, when I breath my last breath.
Lord Jesus, from today on, I am yours. Thanks for saving me,
this very moment, in Jesus name, Amen.
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