This month of September the Lord has declared to us by His Spirit that it is a month of fruitfulness and amazingly, the Holy Spirit has instructed us that we should go into marriage series in this month of September in all of our meetings, which also includes the Leadership Fellowship. Last week, the vessel of utterance brought God's word powerfully on marriage and he made us to understand step by step bit by bit from the very beginning how God instituted marriage and how He caused marriage to become a platform through which He God is expressed on the earth. And today, we will be going forward also in that same line of thought and we will be looking at Fruitfulness in Marriage. And we will start from the very beginning so we will go to Genesis 1:28, where we heard the first mention of them. Genesis 1:28. "Then God blessed them"
If you read Genesis 1:1 to this point, you will not see them until you get to this point. In verse 27 it said; “He created them, Male and female.” Now in verse 28 it says; “Then God blessed them.” The them that we are talking about if we make reference to verse 27, you will see that "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” So, from that verse 27 you will see that when God created in His image, He created a unit. God created a unit "him" and at the point of expression of gender, then we now have them. So, in the image of God a man and a woman, male and female is a unit, but there are different expressions of gender. So, a male man and a female man are both in the image and the likeness of God. There's no difference.
So, God created man, both male and female in His image and according to His likeness. And in the image of God He created him. One unit! I don't want us to miss out that one unit. Because that one unit is like the Crux of our discussion this morning. He created Him. One unit! Male and female He created them. So, when God is looking at male and female, on the earth today, God is not looking at two units. God is looking at one unit because He created him. But when He was going to give expression to them, He now gave expression as male and female.
Just the same way if we are going to say about the God head. You have God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now those 3 expressions are not three different personalities. They are one. But in expression, they are; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And the same way God created man. Man was created body, soul and spirit. Because if you see Genesis 2:7 the Bible says; “and God formed the man, He breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.” So, you see that God created a unit, but that has three expressions. There is a body of man, there is a soul of man, there is a spirit of man. So, you won't see the man and say this man is three different personalities. No, it's a unit but in three expressions. The same way God created man. One unit but with two expressions male and female.
That's not where we are going so that we won't spend so much time there. Verse 28 says; "then God blessed them" God blessed the male and female expressions of the unit. God blessed them as a unit. “and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God blessed them. God commanded His blessing upon them after He created them. We could say it in another version of language, that God pronounced upon them. Because remember, God that we are talking about is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Bible says where the word of a king is there is power.
So, God pronounced power. God conferred authority to them. When a man is blessed, we know that the blessing of God is not in material things as it were it's just an expression. So, when we talk about the blessing of God, we must understand the context in which the Bible puts the blessing of God. The blessing of God is a conferment of certain authority on a man. When God blesses you, God confers on you an authority. God does not give you dollars, pounds and naira. But God confers on you an authority. That’s why the Bible says God is the one that gives you power to make wealth. What does that mean? God confers on you the authority to produce.
So, when we are talking about this verse 28, understand it in this context. Then God blessed them, God conferred on them a particular authority. So, the fruitfulness that we are talking about, is not as a result of human effort, it's about the conferment of an authority that came from one that was superior. God created them, God made them and God conferred authority over them.
For example, you have an earthy father and the father says “ok I am going to call a board meeting I have to many properties, in fact he is the chairman of the group of companies.” And decided he said I am calling a board meeting, and I want to bless one of my sons. And he said in the board meeting, this my first son with these names from today, this son is now the managing director of my oil and gas expression. Please did the father give that boy money? But in that pronouncement is there not money? Did the father give him a physical chair to sit upon? No! But in that pronouncement, there is going to definitely be the office of the managing director. So, the pronouncement confers authority but doesn't stop there. In that authority comes every other thing that will make that man function. So, when we are looking at this, I want us to understand what God is saying here. “Then God blessed them" God conferred authority on them and He said; “be fruitful, multiply”, I am making you the managing director of the earth.
I am conferring authority on you to become the managing director because I'm God I made the heavens and the earth and I am conferring on you the authority to rule this expression of mine on my behalf. So, when God said that to the male and the female, what happened is that they became responsible for whatever happens on the earth. They became responsible because God mentioned five things. He said “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” These five things God mentioned, are statements of responsibilities. I am giving you responsibility over the earth. When God confers authority, it's a portfolio. Anytime God confers authority on anyone, it's a leadership portfolio. But with that leadership portfolio comes responsibility and influence. So, when God said be fruitful that was the first command. The authority that God confers on every marriage is the same thing here in Genesis 1:28. Every marriage under God is conferred this authority. Anytime God brings a man and a woman together, and brings them into the institution of marriage, God activates this Genesis 1:28. He confers on them authority.
I remember when I was single, I will just say God I want to do great things for you, I want to do this and that, and He will tell me, I understand your heart but go and get married. He wasn't saying that because He doesn't want to be part of the business. But He was telling me that there are some things you want to step into that can't be yet activated in your life until you come into the union of marriage. And that's why marriage is not a light thing. Last week we were made to understand that marriage is not something you just stumble at. Marriage is purposeful because from the beginning God has made it so. It's purposeful. God did not just create them and left them aloof and say you know what? I have created you, just enjoy. Just have fun, go for holidays in the Bahamas and come back have children and just have fun. No there is a reason. That's why I came to understand from the Scriptures in Ephesians 5 when Apostle Paul was talking about the mystery of Christ and the church, you want to wonder why did he link it with marriage?
I want us to go there. Ephesians 5 if you read from verse 22 down to verse 33, I won't read all of it, just some parts of it. You will see how that the semblance is so strong. Ephesians 5 let me take it from verse 23. “23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [g]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husband’s ought to love their own wives as their own bodies” Let me skip to verse 30. It says; “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”
Did you see that? What did Adam say about Eve when God brought Eve to him? "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh and she shall be called woman" see what the Bible is saying in verse 30, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”
That's why when Bro. Abiola was sharing with us, about how God has betrothed us to Himself is so strong. That message of marriage is a message of our relationship with God. And if you don't understand and have a vital relationship with God you can't function properly in marriage. See what it said: “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” See verse 31, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Do we see the link? Apostle Paul was talking about the faithfulness of Christ to the church. And it says the same kind of faithfulness is required in marriage. A husband must be faithful to his wife love the wife, the kind of that is unconditional, love of life time commitment. Because that's the kind of commitment Christ has for the church and see the same thing from the beginning. Because Jesus did not come to show us a new thing. Yes, He came to show us what we lost. So that's why every time you go back to Genesis, we see how it all began. And we see that truly this relationship is not new, this is how God has been relating with man.
And God confers authority, the same way God confers authority on the church. The same way God conferred authority on man. So, when we are talking about fruitfulness in marriage, it is tied to faithfulness. There can't be fruitfulness without faithfulness. And that's why in that Genesis 1:28, when He blessed them and said to them, be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, have dominion.
That fruitfulness, that assignment, that authority that was conferred on the male and the female, that God created, required them to be faithful. And that is why when they sinned in Genesis 2 it was a sin of unfaithfulness. God gave an instruction; see I conferred my authority to you to do these and these but there is a clause. It is not an open-ended covenant. There is a clause. God said to them of all the trees in the garden, you can freely eat but see this one that has the knowledge of good and evil don't eat it. That was the clause. And that's why in marriage, it's the same thing.
You are free as husband and wife to express everything that God has given you but with a clause. The clause is marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled. That's why faithfulness is key to fruitfulness. You cannot say I am enjoying the blessing of God, in fact in my marriage I am fruitful and you are unfaithful, you negate the authority of fruitfulness. Once you become unfaithful, you negate the authority of fruitfulness in your marriage. Marriage is honorable among all, the bed undefiled.
I want us to see proverbs 5:15. Yesterday in the evening Bible School we were discussing about marriage being a covenant. Proverbs 5:15-20. It says: Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh. “Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?17 Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you.18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.” No matter what you are going through. “As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.” Love her despite and in spite whatever.
Verse 20, “For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress?” Why? Why should you be unfaithful in your marriage? God gives no room for unfaithfulness. We read that Scripture how the children of Israel have played harlotry. How they have gone under the trees, over the mountains, under the rocks and they were playing harlotry and God was displeased. Even though God was going to take them back but their fruitfulness was stalled.
You can say you will apologize, you will make peace, but faithfulness is tied to fruitfulness. You can't be faithful and not be fruitful because when God confers authority on you to be fruitful, it's with that clause. No wonder the Bible was making us understand, it says deal with your wife with understanding so that your prayer, your source of fruitfulness will not be hindered. And the same thing applies to the women. You can't be unfaithful and expect to be fruitful. You have disconnected yourself by your actions.
When Eve did what she did, she felt God is our friend, in fact God comes down every evening to fellowship with us. He is so sweet and wonderful. But He is also principled. When they sinned, they discovered for the first time in their life that they were naked. And they hid themselves. People that used to be free. And God said Adam, where are you? And he said God we heard your voice and we hid ourselves. Something that has never happened before. God knew what they did, so when they opened up about what they did, their fruitfulness was taken away. I want us to see it. Genesis 3:16. “To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be [e]for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” 17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife” Because you have become unfaithful “and eaten from the tree . of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it” The offense was clear, so that they will not think what did we now do that is so grievous? This is what you did. You became unfaithful. And see what Said; "cursed is the ground for your sake" God withdrew fruitfulness. “In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread”
Is this fruitfulness? No! “Till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” For the first time Adam knew the material that made him, because of unfaithfulness. He never knew he was dust, walking in the garden, enjoying everything. Until he became unfaithful, he now realized that everything he was enjoying where the share mercies of God.
They were just the grace of God in his life expressed. Why because he was faithful. At the moment he became unfaithful, his fruitfulness was withdrawn, the grace was sapped from him. That's why when Jesus came. Jesus came to show us how he used to be. That man was not created to be like this, man was a creature of God that was conferred on authority.
Man was not cursed, he was blessed. Unfaithfulness in the marriage, Eve ate it and gave to her husband, and at the point where the unfaithfulness scripted that was it, they lost their fruitfulness. So, any marriage that wants to remain in fruitfulness, don't entertain unfaithfulness. Because unfaithfulness rips you. If you go to the book of proverbs, go and read from chapter 3, 4, 5 down, you will see how that there is always an attention paid to immoral women, infidelity. Any man or woman that tries it is going down. Marriage is honorable among all, the bed undefiled not for any reason, you are not justified. That's why when Adam wanted to justify himself God said you are inexcusable.
So, we understand that fruitfulness is commanded by God, it's an authority that God has conferred on man, but what rips man of that, number one is unfaithfulness. What is the second thing that reaps man because when you are talking about man now, we have established it, it's a unit with male and female expressions. What reaps man of that fruitfulness? Psalm 133:1-3. There is an instruction from the Holy Spirit to us there. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.” What are we talking about here? Unity. Verse 3. “It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”
What is the second thing that calls for fruitfulness? Unity. It said how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, In oneness. And that's why when God from Genesis 1:27 created man in His image, male and female He created them. And He bless them. He Blessed them as a unit. Not as two units. One unit. So, this Scripture Psalm 133 from verse one emphasized unity and nothing else. But it is now telling us how we can describe unity. It says unity is like a precious oil, it is like the dew, "not the dew" it is like the dew. All these things are talking about unity. Then it got to the b part of verse 3. "It says for there" unity! Unity is a location in the Spirit. “For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.”
That's where God confers authority. In unity. The authority for fruitfulness, lands on the platform of unity. So, where there is discord and disunity, there is no fruitfulness. Fruitfulness lands on the platform of unity. And when we are talking about unity as children of God, what does it mean? Unity talks about a common front. A joint identity. A connection of soul, Spirit and body. So, in your marriage there is unity when you and your husband have a common and a joint front. Your soul and your spirit are intertwined.
When the Bible was going to describe unity at some point, it used example of Jonathan and David. They were United friends, the Bible described them by saying their soul was jointly knitted. And that's the kind of unity that God excepts in marriage. And I will show us the reason why this unity is so critical to God. So important. John 15:4-5, See what Jesus said; “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” So, fruitfulness is tied to unity. Jesus is saying here if you are not joined with me, if the church will not join with Christ the church cannot be fruitful. If the husband is not joined to the wife and the wife not join to the husband, they cannot be fruitful. And that's why the Bible says that for this reason, a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined. That word "joined" is deliberate. It talks about unity. Will be joined to his wife and the two will become a unit.
That's the platform in which God will command His blessing. Let's see John 17:20 the prayer of Jesus. It says; "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” That's where God commands His blessing. That they maybe one. And this prayer of Jesus was answered explicitly. In Acts 2:1-4. The Bible says; “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord “ Accord talks about unity. “they were all with one accord in one place “Same spirit, same location one Spirit one administration, one Lord over all. The unity of the church is the authority of the church, the unity of your marriage is the authority of the marriage. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled”
They were all filled but what was the criteria? They were all in one accord in one place. In the place where there is unity, that's were God commands His blessings. They wanted to scatter Jesus said don't go. Tarry here in Jerusalem until" create a platform for the Holy Ghost, create a platform for the outpouring of the power of God. When you become a United front in your marriage, you have created a platform for power for God on the earth.
God's power flows in the direction of unity. That is why the devil fights the church. That's why he fights marriages. Why? Because it's a platform for God's power. A marriage that is United and faithful is a platform for God's expression on the earth. And that's why the devil will fight tooth and nail to make sure that that Institution does not stand. But see what the Bible says in Psalm 133:1-3. It’s like a dew of Harmon, it's like what comes upon the mountains of Zion. That's where God commands His blessing. God is challenging us as wives, sons and daughters, to step up into this responsibility. Be faithful, be United. Create a platform for God to move, so that your fruitfulness can be evident to all. So that people will see that you belong to God. So that they will see that the authority that God has conferred on you it's not a joke.
That's why Jesus said to them, "go into all the world, make disciples of all nation's baptizing them" that instruction is not just for the church but for every marriage. Have influence, move, let your marriage be a platform for God's power. Let God find expression and the best way to do it is for to be United and faithful.
I believe you have been blessed!
