Hebrews 13:4,5 - Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Husband and wife are meant to pursue the pleasures God has created for this relationship
Proverbs 5:18,19 - Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.
Song of Solomon 1:2 - Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine.
Faith honors the body and its appetites as God’s good gifts
Faith increases the joy of sexual relations in the marriage because it frees us from the guilt of the past
Faith uses sex against Satan by being a means to overcome the temptation to sin within the confines of the marriage
1 Corinthians 7:3-5 - Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(vs. 4) The man and woman have rights over each other’s bodies.
Husbands and wives are instructed to always be ready to give his or her body when the other wants it.
The goal is to give the other what they want and satisfy them as fully as possible
CHAPTER 12
Ephesians 6:1-4 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
The purpose of marriage is not merely to add more bodies to the planet, but to increase the number of followers of Christ on the planet
Father has a leading responsibility in bringing the children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Both mother and father bear responsibility in bringing up the children in the Lord, but the father has leading responsibility.
The father and mother should be a united front in bringing up the child.
The mother and father must show God to the children.
To know God for who He is
Live in such a way that the children see and know God
You are a husband and wife before being a mother and father.
God’s design is that children grow up watching Christ love the church and watching the church delight in following Christ.
CHAPTER 13
Ephesians 6:1-4 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
The husband bears the leading responsibility for the upbringing of the children
Married man:
Sacrificial, lowing headship in relationship to our wives
Firm, tender leadership in relation to the united task of raising our children in the Lord
Ephesians 4:31, 32 - Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 5:1, 2 - Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Fathers take initiatives to prevent or diminish the anger of their children
Overcome your own anger and replace it with tenderhearted joy
