The Vow, Part 2: The Vow of Pursuit

  Title of message: The Vow of Pursuit   1.  We want what we don't have.          (Genesis 2:24) “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”          Dabaq – Hebrew – “cling or adhere; to catch by pursuit, pursue hard with affection and devotion.”   2.  Successful Marriages never stop pursuing their two!   (Ephesians 5:21-24) (The Message) “Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.  Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:25-28) (The Message)  “Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage.” (Ephesians 5:29-33) (The Message) “No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh." This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.” Practical Pursuits:   1)  When you think something good, say it!   (Hebrews 3:13) “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”   Men: We must Pursue her with Words of Affection.   Ladies: You must Pursue him with Words of Affirmation. 2.  If you think something special, DO IT!   (James 4:17) “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”          A.  Men:  Serve Her.            B.  Ladies: Do IT!!!             3.  If you want something different, BE IT! (Revelation 2:4,5) (NLT) “…You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!  Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.” Challenge & Assignment:   Challenge: I Vow to pursue my #2   Assignment: The Pursuit Notebook?