CHAPTER SIX

The Bible gives clear facts about marriage. When a man is first married, he leaves his father and his mother, and becomes the head of a new family unit, called his 'House'.

The wife is united to him in holy wed lock, so much that she becomes one with him. According to Jesus Christ, they are not two, but one flesh, because God, in a way that seems mysterious to us, joins them together. That joining is more than mere sexual union, as in the case of fornication. God does not enjoin marriage upon fornicators. That is a sin.

It should be noted that the husband NEVER becomes the SPIRITUAL head of his wife! That is reserved for her Lord, Jesus Christ, alone! If he became her head, she would have to pray through him to get to God. Instead, she can pray directly to God through Jesus Christ.

Now let us consider why mere human love is not the ultimate basis of marriage. Our vows and wedding and Divine joining are. When those are correct, we are married, even if we don't love each other. Truly, in the Gospel of Christ, we are bidden to love each other, but even if we don't, we are still married.

It is also true that love is the best environment for a marriage. I am saying that mere human emotion is not the source of the marriage bond. If it were, all Christian believers would be married to each other, because Jesus Christ commanded us to love one another as He loved us. John 15:12. No, the marriage bond is something that God establishes.

Through union with her husband the woman enters into his 'House', and it becomes jointly her 'House'. Normally the spouses devote themselves to each other, and work to make their 'House' their home. They enter into the sacred union by covenant first, and then they consummate their wedding with sexual union. It is at that time that they become one flesh, in the way that Adam said in Genesis 2:24.

The sexual union of husband and wife is primarily for pro creation of children, but it's purpose is by no means limited to producing children. Notice what 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 says.

"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that satan tempt you not for your incontinency." (Lack of self control.)

This Scripture shows that sexual union is to be rendered duly each to husband and wife. that is so that satan can't tempt them with adultery because of the lack of sexual satisfaction in wed lock.

In this way, married sex is a God given safeguard against sex sin, which might become enticing because of unrequited desire. God has placed in the marriage union a Divinely sanctioned way to meet the insistent demands of the sex desire that He gave to man and woman. He created it in us, and He graciously provided a pure way to deal with it.

Notice that married sex is not sinful: it is right, and it is blessed by God, as we noted in Hebrews 13:4. "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled."

Married sex is not a reward for behavior that is deemed acceptable by either spouse, and it ought not to be withheld to punish behavior deemed unacceptable by either spouse. (This presumes behavior other than adultery. Adultery is the Biblically recognized grounds for divorce. Also, adultery may expose a spouse to deadly venereal diseases. That fact must be considered.) Married sex is the conjugal right of each spouse. It is meant to be a willing gift shared with each other by consent.

Of course, there are many other aspects of wedded life. I repeat that one of the most important things in all Christian living, is to learn to forgive and forget offenses. that is especially important between spouses. That requirement does not find it's place only in marriage. It is a solemn warning and requirement in order to gain forgiveness from God for our own trespasses.

Mark 11:25-26: "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Each husband and each wife MUST learn to forgive the offenses of their spouse. When such is an unconditional response, there can be no offenses to cause resentment or bitterness. Each spouse must guard their heart and mind, so that they do not lay up grudges and offenses. Don't 'keep track' of each little detail of offenses so as to use them for leverage in future disagreements. Don't use them as a cause for seeking revenge.

Another thing that the husband and wife should learn to do, is to agree on things of concern for the welfare of their 'House', including the children and social activities. The Lord Jesus Christ taught that agreement of two or more is a powerful way to assure answered prayers. Matthew 18:19.

The correct usage of our confession of God's provisions and promises is very important for obtaining His help. Mark 11:23: "For verily, I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."

Other advantages accrue to believers who live in holy wed lock. First, they have access to God through faith. He makes all things work together for their good. By using the Scripture as the Lord teaches us to, we can powerfully affect the life and welfare of our children, e.g., Proverbs 22:16: "Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

God's grace touches every aspect of their lives. They can be free from fear, anxiety and stress. God's peace can be in their home.

In order to have a firm security in these things, we must daily follow Jesus, and be taught by Him how to apply the provisions and promises of God to ourselves. Those functions aren't just automatic without our co-operation.

We must exercise personal faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God, according to Hebrews 11:6. Also, the Lord Jesus said that unless we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him, we cannot be His disciple. A disciple is a learner; we might say a student. We must learn to be led by the Holy Spirit, so that He can guide us into all truth. He will show us how to receive what God has promised.

As the Holy Spirit thus taught me, I learned a great lesson that I had never heard anyone teach before.

During a Church service one Sunday morning, I heard the Lord say in my spirit: "You send My power unto (He called the name of my son) your son.

At first, I didn't quite know what He meant, but I began to say, "Lord, I send your power unto (I called the name of my son) my son." As I continued to do this on a frequent basis, I got bolder in it. I began to realize that if I could do it for one of my children, I could do it for all of them. To my delight, it worked wonderfully. One of my wayward children walked into Church one Sunday morning some time later, and re-dedicated their life to Christ. Therefore, I know that it will work for all of them!

I began to realize that this was part of the blessing of Acts 16:31. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house."

The Lord continued, over time, to reveal to me more and more of what is available to us, through applying the Scripture as He taught us to do.

It is a wonderful privilege to connect Matthew 7:24 with Acts 7:31, and with other Scriptures. It works in this manner. I know by the Scripture that I have a 'house' because I am married and with my wife I have five children. We prayed over each one of our children and dedicated them to the Lord when they were but new born infants. We persevered in seeking to train them in the ways of the Lord when they were growing up in our home. In our own daily life, we sought to build our 'house' on the Word of the Lord Jesus, by doing what He says. We believe His Word, and also in His faithfulness.

Notice now the words of Matthew 16:16-18: "And Simon Peter answered and said unto Him, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

The revelation that God gave Peter, is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus builds His Church upon that revelation in all those who by it believe in Him. God puts it in them, and Jesus builds His Church upon it.

Therefore, we can withstand the onslaughts of hell also. Jesus is anointed by God with Divine abilities to deliver us.

"And there was delivered unto Him the Book of the Prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:17-19)

Jesus is anointed By God to do all these wonderful things for everyone, but especially for those who believe in Him. God wants all these things to be done for us because of His love. John 3:16. Praise the Lord.

In Psalms 89:19: "Then Thou spakest in vision to thy Holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people."

This is a Messianic Psalm, speaking of Jesus Christ before He was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ is the Mighty One, exalted by God out of the people. He is mighty to save, and He is my Lord! Praise God. God has anointed Him with all the help that I or any other person could ever need in this world. That anointing became active in His ministry after He was baptized by John the Baptist. Acts 10;38 says He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power, and that He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil.

He is still the same today. He still does good, and heals those who are oppressed by the devil. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We can build our life on Him as our foundation, (our Rock) by doing what He said in the Gospel.

If we habitually practice what He said, both God and man 'see us' as being what we practice. Thus, our works verify our character, good or bad.

We may connect this fact with Mark 11:23, and say without doubting in our heart: "Jesus Christ is my Rock: I am built upon Him, through doing what He said." In that way we are establishing in ourselves what God promised in Acts 16:31. We can boldly say: "My 'house' shall not fall, it shall stand: when the storms of life assail us.

It is vital for us to understand how to get what God has promised. The facts of redemption exist due to what God and Jesus Christ did. We have access to everything that Christ did. We have access to everything that God has provided for us through believing His promises. Faith does not cause those facts or promises to exist; faith makes it possible for us to receive them. We experience their results through believing God's promises. For example, God's gift of eternal life can only be gotten through faith.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

In a parable Jesus used winds and floods as symbols of contrary circumstances that threaten a 'house'. Floods of ungodliness threatens our 'house' in many ways today. E.g., through drug abuse, alcohol, sex sins, and now also the Internet. But we can boldly say: "My house shall not fall, it shall stand, it's built upon the Rock." Let us hold fast our confession without wavering, for He is faithful that promised, Hebrews 10:23. We ought to engraft our confession into our spirit, so that it is our ready response to any threat.

It is the operation of the Holy Spirit to show us the things of Christ and of God. The Lord Jesus said that He would do that and that He will guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit wishes to reveal Jesus to us in a personal way. More than just knowing that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus teaches us through the anointing that we have received as believers, according to 1 John 2:27. "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you."

That working of the Holy Spirit in believers is defined in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God path prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

In such a way we need the Lord to reveal Jesus to us as the Anointed One. Yes, we know that Jesus is the Anointed One, because the Scripture says that He is. But we each need a personal grasp by revelation of that fact.

If we deal with a broken heart, we need a revelation that Jesus is the healer of broken hearts. He was anointed to do it, according to Luke 4:18. If we deal with sickness, we need an inner revelation of Jesus as our Healer. He was anointed to do it, per Luke 4:18. When things seem hopeless, and useless, we need an inner revelation that God quickens (makes alive) even the dead, and calls those things that be not as though they were. Romans 4:17.

We can tell when we have an active revelation of some aspect of Christ's anointing. It will give energy and direction to our faith. it will be emphasized in a personal application to our service or need.

Note that Christ, the Spiritual Rock that followed Israel out of Egypt, was not only a shelter, but He heard their words. He was a supplier of all their needs. He even worked in ways that they didn't ask for. Their shoes didn't wear out, their clothes didn't wear out for the space of forty years! See Deuteronomy 8:4. Christ also heard their murmuring, and judgment came on them because of it.

Christ is not a passive Rock, but an active One. That same Jesus lives in believers today, by His Holy spirit. He desires to be active in us, and to meet our every need. He still works in ways that we may not ask for, at least in His heavenly administrations for us.

In Isaiah 63:1, our Lord is described as "Mighty to save." He is the One upon Whom God laid help for our benefit. Jesus is anointed of God to help us in any way that we need. For instance, we NEED His help to save our loved ones. Acts 16:31 is one of God's responses to that need. It is worth repeating, Jesus is anointed of God with Divine ability in order to help us in any form that we need.

God revealed the Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God to Peter. Jesus explained to Peter that he had been given a Divine revelation. He also added to the revelation, so that other believers could be blessed by it. By means of that revelation, Peter became infallible certain that Jesus was more than just a man who did miracles. He was more than any of the Old Testament Prophets. He was actually God in the flesh. Every person who is born again, must have the same revelation. The Church that Jesus builds, is composed of people who have it.

Through that revelation Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. God gives US the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven also through that revelation. According to Acts 16:31, BELIEVING on the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven that will work for us and our house!

The Word of Faith in our mouth is another key of the Kingdom of Heaven, according to Romans 10:8. Verse nine shows that the Kingdom of Heaven opens to us, by using that key. This means that we believe God's Word in our heart, and confess with our mouth what we believe n our heart. That 'unlocks' salvation for us. Acts 16:31 shows that it can include the salvation of our house. The word of faith in our heart and mouth is such a powerful combination that it can work in any way we need.

I believe that in my heart, and therefore, I confess: "My house shall not fall, it's built upon the Rock!" Of course, our confession must not be an empty statement. It must have Divine substance through doing the sayings of Jesus.

"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." (Matthew 7:24).  Also: "For if any be a hearer, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was."(James 1:23-24)

By faith then, and with the word of faith in our mouth, God's help that He laid upon Jesus becomes active in me. It's also active in my 'house'. I am a doer of God's Word. Therefore, I confess: "My 'house' shall not fall, it's built upon The Rock, Christ, the One Whom God anointed with all the help that I need." How often have I witnessed God's help in things that I could not deal with!

Because Christ abides in me, the anointing abides in me and teaches me all things. Note 1 John 2:27: "But the anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him."

Again, in Hebrews 4:14: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." Also: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward." (Hebrews 10:35)

"My house shall not fall, it's built upon The Rock." In this form, I am mixing God's Word with faith in my heart, and I am confessing what I believe in my heart.

The Lord Jesus said in Mark 11:23: "For verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Because of that fact, I repeat: "My house shall not fall: it's built upon the Rock."