The Joy of Physical Intimacy Pt. 2

May 14, 2006. Joyful Intimacy Pt. 2. Genesis 4:1.
Last week we began the first half of this message on how the people of God can experience joyful intimacy. From the Scriptures we learned that God’s people can experience the joy of intimacy by embracing, believing and pursuing the reality that God created our souls, minds and bodies for His glory.
We also learned that we can experience joyful intimacy by practicing the biblical principles of a growing, godly marriage. It is within the safe confines of such a marriage that we‘re free to begin knowing one another. We ended last week’s message by referring to Hosea 3 a touching account of how the prophet had to actually buy back his adulterous wife who was about to be sold into slavery. That story ultimately highlights how our Lord Jesus paid for our sins, releasing us from the penalty of sin and taking us to Himself. It also reminded us that no marriage no matter how bad off is beyond God’s gracious power.

There are three more reasons concerning how God’s people can experience the joy of physical intimacy within marriage.

God’s people can experience the joy of intimacy by delighting in the process of sacred romance that leads to beautiful expressions of intimacy.

The Song of Solomon is a whole book dedicated to romantic love. It’s a book that speaks of the real love Solomon had for his wife, but also speaks of the love Christ has for His bride the church.
The Song of song teaches that romance is a gift and art which builds the emotional intimacy that should lead to physical intimacy between a husband and wife. This book also teaches the value of romance as an important and significant part of marriage. Romance isn’t about putting on your best front just to catch a mate. Rather, it’s the particular blessing given to a husband and wife to enhance and enrich their intimacy.

Song of Solomon 2 gives some insight into biblical romance as the prelude to intimacy between a husband and wife.
The chapter opens with the couple sharing how they value each other above all others. Solomon compares his wife to an especially beautiful and valuable flower among all other women. Thus husbands are to express our delight in the physical beauty of our wives.
Solomon’s wife exults and rests in his love. She too sees him as especially desirable among all other men. With him she feels safe, protected and particularly valued. Men can begin to fan the flames of intimacy by taking care to protect, provide for and show our wives how much their valued.
Her husband’s appreciation of her unique beauty, his care to protect and provide for her, his effort to make to make her feel special and valued begins to arouse her desire for him. Though she looks forward to experiencing his love she knows that it will have to wait. This is why God’s people shouldn’t get caught up in America’s dating scene. We should not want to share kind of special intimacy to anyone we haven’t made a commitment to.
The beloved’s excitement continues at the sound of her husbands voice. He speaks tenderly to her inviting her to join him for a time of love. He comes to get her and take her away to be swept up in each others love. Husbands can build intimacy by telling our wives of our desire to be with, care for and love them. Because no relationship is perfect the bride warns her husband to be careful of the things that can destroy their emotional/psychological/spiritual intimacy and thus ruin physical intimacy.
This entire expression of delightful romance occurs between two people are committed in the bond of covenant marriage. Both know that this isn’t a one night stand or just a season to kick it with someone. They’ve pledged not just to spend one night together but to spend a lifetime together. Unlike worldly romance, biblical romance begins on the day of the wedding. For biblical romance is the art of nourishing holistic intimacy that leads to a joyful expression of physical intimacy.

We can experience the joy of intimacy knowing that the love in the marital relationship reflects Christ’s love for His bride the church.

Jesus Christ left His own Father to come and take His bride to Himself. Christ showed the unselfish concern a husband ought to have for His wife by giving up the splendor of glory to take up a frail body of flesh and blood.
Christ’s example shows us that unselfishness in marriage and physical intimacy within marriage is the pathway toward lasting fulfillment.
Jesus Christ’s holds fast in faithful covenant love toward His people. He demonstrated the extent of His love and faithfulness on the cross.
Christ’s example highlights that intimacy within marriage flows from a husband’s total commitment to the complete well being of his wife.
The blessing of physical intimacy within marriage is that it is one of the chief ways that a couple can give themselves to each other without reservation or fear.

Like a husband is to know his wife intimately on every level and a wife her husband, so Christ has brought the church to Himself that we might grow in our knowledge of Him that leads to heartfelt, intimate worship. Hosea 2:19-20 (ESV) And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

Our relationship with Christ is one in which we increasingly grow in our knowledge of Him which leads to obedience and heartfelt, intimate worship. That’s why theology is important in our intimate walk with the Lord. Just as the physical intimacy of marriage is enriched and enlivened when husbands and wives take the time to grow to really know each other so our worship of God is enriched the more we know of Him. It’s important to remember that God compares our worship of him to the physical intimacy between a husband and wife. That’s how valuable, sacred and intimate it is. This kind of worship can’t happen if we aren’t growing in our knowledge of God.

Jesus promises to show the full extent of His infinite, affectionate love to His bride at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Rev. 19:6-9 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

Finally, we can experience the joy of intimacy by asking for, receiving and experiencing God’s forgiveness of sexual sin as well as being healed from the wounds of sexual abuse.

All of us have experienced the pain of sexual brokenness and sin in one form or another. Either we’ve engaged in sexual sin or been sinned against sexually.
The comfort of Scripture is that there’s grace and abundant forgiveness for those who violated the God’s word regarding physical intimacy. 1 Cor. 6:9-11 (ESV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
By God’s grace, through the death and resurrection of our Lord and the power of the Spirit three things have happened to those of us who were formerly sexually immoral.

Our conscience and souls have been completely cleansed from all guilt and shame associated with our former sexual immorality.
We’ve now been set apart for God’s exclusive use and glory. That includes enjoying physical intimacy within the bonds of holy matrimony. God does not view repentant, forgiven and redeemed saints who were sexually immoral as second class Christians who can’t fully participate in His worship and service.
We’ve been given the complete, perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Satan nor anyone else can ever bring a charge to God regarding our lives that would cause our Lord to reverse course on our salvation.
God can and will bring emotional, spiritual and psychological healing to those who’ve been sexually abused, misused and violated. Those who are victims of sexual abuse can turn to Jesus Christ for full healing and wholeness.

To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance