By Bishop Gary S. Brooks

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The Marriage Covenant

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This writing has been transcribed from a recorded message given by Bishop Gary S. Brooks in 1999 and has been edited for content to make for easier reading and clarification.

Scripture text from Ephesians 5:17-33 KJV

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PART 1
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- The Foundation of Covenant

- Be Wise Concerning the Marriage Covenant

- Submit One to the Other in the Fear of God

- The marriage Covenant is Between a Christian Man and a Christian Woman

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The Foundation of Covenant

There is a covenant that is employed by all of us based in the New Testament blood of Jesus Christ, employed by all of us who are servants of His, and faith in His blood has joined each of us to Christ. Covenant is based upon His blood, but our fellowship is based in light. And if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, then we have fellowship one with another. Light simply means our understanding of Him. You may love many people but you may not be able to fellowship with them all because things conflict. It ought not be like that but let’s get real, it is! Things conflict in relationships because you don’t maybe understand or agree with me and maybe I don’t understand or agree with you. The foundation of covenant relationship is “The Lord be between us.” You see, I just met this brother the other day and I don’t know him. But I know the Lord is between us, and therefore we can covenant together. That’s the understanding and agreement of the one Person, Jesus Christ, Who’s between us. This brother doesn’t necessarily have to agree with me, and I don’t necessarily have to agree with him. In fact, I don’t know any two that really see completely eye to eye about everything. Do you? All we really need to do is agree with Him Who is between us.

Be Wise Concerning the Marriage Covenant

Now we’re here today to talk about The Marriage Covenant. Ephesians 5, and I’m reading from verse 17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. What I’m going to be reading here is concerning the marriage covenant as it is illustrated out of these Scriptures here. What we have to begin looking at is, if we’re not going to be unwise then we need to understand what the will of the Lord is concerning a marriage covenant. How many would rather be wise concerning the marriage covenant and not be unwise? Because this is where this Scripture’s leading us. We need to understand what His purpose is, what He has determined, and what His pleasure is concerning marriage. What does it mean? What does it show? What does it reveal? The next Scripture verses (18-20) say, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; The marriage covenant is a Spirit filled relationship!

Submit One to the Other in the Fear of God

Now the reason I’m reading it like this is because, normally, when the Scripture is being given concerning marriage, it begins right at verse 22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. What I want us to understand is, and I believe it’s what the LORD wants us to understand today, is that we should not be unwise. We ought to know what the will of the Lord is concerning marriage. Now the next verse (21) says, Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. You see, now some of us husbands, we thought like we’re coming into marriage and that makes us the boss now! How many of you bosses found out that you’re not the boss? It just does not work like that! It’s been a religious ideology that talks about the husband being the boss! But the very first thing you must realise about a marriage covenant is that we need to submit ourselves one to the other in the fear of God. All right? And now, he begins to illustrate here. I’m saying, “he”, meaning Apostle Paul.

The Marriage Covenant is Between a Christian Man and a Christian Woman

Let me just say something first before I get on with this. I’m going to just act like you don’t know anything. Is that OK? I’m not messing with you who do know, but I’m just going to act as if you don’t know anything. And maybe there are some of you here today who need to know something about the marriage covenant. The Book I’m reading from is a letter. It’s like somebody sat down and wrote you a letter and signed his name at the end. His name happened to be Paul. He was an Apostle. But the letter was addressed to those who were in a Church in Ephesus and was addressed to those who are the saints, those who are in Christ, as those who would follow the will of God. They were Christians. They were people who were saved. How many hear what I’m talking about? This was a letter that was addressed to Christians. It wasn’t a letter that was addressed to the world. What has taken place is that the world has taken and distorted that which is Holy and sanctified, and belonging to the Body of Christ, which reveals the marriage covenant between a Christian man and woman. This is the understanding of what the will of the Lord is for a marriage covenant. That which is Holy has just been dealt out into the world to say that husbands are the bosses! Wives, you’re somewhere down on the pecking order! This understanding has been something that’s worldly. It’s not been something that’s been Godly. So, how many are here today who are Christians? You must realise then that this letter is addressed to you! It’s not addressed to somebody who’s not in Christ. You’re in Christ because you’re saved! Let’s keep it simple. All right? So the first thing it says here in verse 21 is, Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God; husband and wife submitting themselves one to the other in the fear of God.

next to PART 2