Covenant Relationships Covenant Intimacy

Review Covenant relationships form the basis for all other human relationships Covenant relationships form the basis for all other human relationships

Review Karat Berit- cutting a covenant (blood) Karat Berit- cutting a covenant (blood) May God do this to me if I break this covenant May God do this to me if I break this covenant Unconditional, permanent, whole person Unconditional, permanent, whole person

Review Covenants take precedence over every other human relationship Covenants take precedence over every other human relationship

Review Her beauty comes from her inner self and is seen in her: Her beauty comes from her inner self and is seen in her: Love for God Love for God Respect for her husband Respect for her husband Quiet confidence and peaceable heart Quiet confidence and peaceable heart

Review His goal in life is to: His goal in life is to: Continually grow in his knowledge of her and then serve her according to her needs Continually grow in his knowledge of her and then serve her according to her needs Be involved in every aspect of family life Be involved in every aspect of family life

Genesis and the Creation of Man

Covenant Intimacy The man said, "This is now bone of my bones "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man…" for she was taken out of man…"

Covenant Intimacy For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame- Genesis 2:24-25

Covenant Intimacy God created us different on purpose - Original Creation - Giving and receiving - Bearing and caring

What’s God’s design for sex? For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh A man A woman A lifetime

What’s God’s Design for Sex? Karat Berit- covenants are sealed in blood Hymen= blood Covenant= a man, a woman, a lifetime commitment

Covenant Intimacy Does that mean that you are “married in God’s eyes” if you are having sex?

Covenant Intimacy What is the purpose of sex?

Unity Unity Pleasure Pleasure Procreation Procreation Protection Protection

Covenant Intimacy Context of Corinthians: Temple Prostitution- worship the flesh Gnosticism- everything related to the flesh is evil

Covenant Intimacy Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!...

Covenant Intimacy …Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit- 1 Corinthians 6:15-17

Covenant Intimacy Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? One of God’s purposes for sex is unity

Covenant Intimacy Implications: - Giving my heart away - Creates distance or causes closeness - Both can be self-perpetuating

Covenant Intimacy Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body…

Covenant Intimacy …Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body- vs

Covenant Intimacy If I belong to God, my body is a temple (dwelling place) for God’s Spirit Sex is sacred God should be brought into the bedroom

Covenant Intimacy Gnosticism vs. Gospel- Everything is spiritual

Covenant Intimacy God made sex pleasurable for a reason That with it we would worship God and serve one another God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment- 1 Timothy 6:17

Covenant Intimacy I will either worship God and serve others or I will worship my desires and use others

Covenant Intimacy The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband- 1 Corinthians 7:3 Gnosticism and Danny Partridge

fulfill- apodidomi- willingly give up, give over, give back fulfill- apodidomi- willingly give up, give over, give back duty- opheile- a debt owed, an obligation duty- opheile- a debt owed, an obligation

Covenant Intimacy By virtue of covenant position, each partner owes sexual intimacy to the other

Covenant Intimacy If I’m not in a covenant relationship, I owe God sexual purity You are not your own, you were bought at a price (crucifixion of Christ). Therefore, honor God with your body… If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

Covenant Intimacy Sex is never to be used as a bargaining chip- ever

Covenant Intimacy A spouse should never be made to feel like the partner is “doing me a favor”

Covenant Intimacy The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife - vs. 4

Covenant Intimacy belong to- exousiazo- have authority over Covenant marriage= “I trust you with my body and I promise to take care of your body”

Covenant Intimacy Comparison: “If this…how much more that”

Covenant Intimacy Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control- vs. 5

Deprive= apostereo- to defraud, to steal from through deception Deprive= apostereo- to defraud, to steal from through deception

Deprive= apostereo- to defraud, to deceive and thereby steal from Deprive= apostereo- to defraud, to deceive and thereby steal from How is depriving a spouse of sex stealing from him or her? How is depriving a spouse of sex stealing from him or her?

Abstinence in Marriage Both partners agree Both partners agree Temporary/Predefined time period Temporary/Predefined time period Predefined purpose of seeking God through fasting coupled with prayer Predefined purpose of seeking God through fasting coupled with prayer

AbstinenceHe…She… Strength and Awareness of Desire IncreasesDecreases Ease of ArousalMore easilyLess easily Stimulation Needed to Climax Less than normalMore than normal Ease of ClimaxingVery easyIncreasingly difficult Intensity of ClimaxStrongerShorter and less pleasurable

Covenant Intimacy “How often a woman engages in sexual behavior with a man strongly affects her endocrine system…”

“The benefits of the hormonal changes in those having intercourse at least twice a week include: better fertility, stronger bones, better cardiovascular health, less depression, lower incidence of fibrocystic breast disease and uterine cancer, and a decrease in menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and depression…” - TheMarriageBed.com

Covenant Intimacy Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control- vs. 5 Purpose of sex: protection of my spouse

Purposes of Sex UnityPleasureProcreationProtection Of these, most people ignore the first and last while exalting the second and third

Generally Speaking… He needs sex in order to feel connected emotionally to his wife She needs to feel emotionally connected in order to desire sex

Generally Speaking… Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ- Ephesians 5:21

Covenant Intimacy Sexually, we are required to give our spouse what is right in God’s eyes Limiters: Love, Jesus

Questions? (From last week) Is it possible for a man to force himself on his wife in a way that is sinful? (From last week) Is it possible for a man to force himself on his wife in a way that is sinful?

Questions? Can/should I demand sex from my spouse? Can/should I demand sex from my spouse?

Questions? What limits how far I go to satisfy him or her? What limits how far I go to satisfy him or her?