Participants: Terry McComb
Series Code: OR
Program Code: OR000007
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00:01 In the beginning,
00:04 the earth was without form and void. 00:08 Then God said, "Let there be light." 00:11 And there was light. 00:14 And God divided the light from the darkness. 00:17 So the evening and the morning were the first day. 00:34 So the evening and the morning were the second day. 00:41 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens 00:44 be gathered together into one place 00:46 and let the dry land appear. 00:53 Let the earth bring forth grass and herb 00:57 and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind." 01:02 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 01:09 Then God made two great lights. 01:11 He made the stars also. 01:13 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 01:21 Then God said, "Let the waters abound 01:23 with an abundance of living creatures. 01:29 And let birds fly above the earth 01:32 across the face of the firmament of the heavens." 01:38 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 01:45 Then God said, "Let the earth bring 01:47 forth living creatures according to its kind, 01:52 cattle and creeping things and beast of the earth." 02:04 Then God said, "Let us make 02:06 man in our image according to our likeness." 02:10 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 02:16 And on the seventh day, God ended His work 02:18 which He had done and He rested the seventh day 02:21 from all His work which He had done. 02:22 Then God blessed the seventh day 02:24 and sanctified it, because in it 02:26 He had rested from all His work 02:28 which God had created and made. 02:31 And indeed it was very good. 02:36 As we continue with our study of the sixth day. 02:44 God still was not finished with His creation. 02:47 And let us just pause for an added word of prayer. 02:51 Holy Father, we ask that you'll bless 02:54 the opening of Your word 02:55 and the planning of it in our hearts. 02:58 And that you will add your own divine energy to it, 03:02 that we can have a heart understanding 03:05 of this most important subject. 03:08 In Jesus holy name we pray, amen. 03:12 In Genesis the first chapter and in verse 26 and 27, 03:18 we read these words, "And then God said, 03:21 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, 03:26 and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 03:29 and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, 03:30 and over all the earth and everything creeping 03:34 and that creeps on the earth." 03:36 And verse 27, "And so God created man in His own image, 03:41 the image of God He created him, 03:44 male and female He created them." 03:48 And then verse 28, "And then God blessed them, 03:51 and said, be fruitful and multiply, 03:55 fill the earth and subdue it." 03:59 And so God commanded them. 04:01 He formed them of the dust of the ground 04:03 made in His Own image actually His own likeness. 04:08 And so when God created man in His own image, 04:11 He created them with a spirit. 04:14 He created man with a mind and He created man with a body. 04:19 And He created them in His own likeness. 04:22 Now we noticed God also said in Genesis 2:18, 04:27 He said, "It is not good that man should be alone, 04:31 I will make him a helper comparable to him." 04:35 And so we noticed in this creation story, 04:38 some people get confused 04:39 because they read the second chapter 04:41 and they think it's all kind of logical. 04:43 It's not kind of logical. 04:45 The Hebrew mind in the way, 04:46 he wrote it down it gives a bird's eye picture first 04:49 and then it goes back and it adds a details later. 04:53 And God is adding the details here in this second chapter. 04:56 After He made these animals and He brought them to Adam. 05:01 And Adam looked at them there was none like him, 05:03 but he noticed they all had a make. 05:07 He didn't have one. 05:08 And so what did God created next? 05:11 In Genesis 2:21, we want to notice, 05:19 "What did God do differently? 05:21 This was different than anything else 05:24 that God had made in all the creation story this far." 05:29 Genesis 2, beginning with verse 21, 05:32 "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, 05:37 and he slept, and He took one of his ribs, 05:41 and closed up the flesh in its place. 05:44 And then the rib which the Lord God had taken 05:47 from man He made into woman, 05:50 and He brought her to the man." 05:52 And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones 05:56 and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called Woman, 06:00 because she was taken out of Man. 06:04 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother 06:09 shall be joined to his wife, 06:11 and they shall become one flesh.' 06:15 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, 06:18 and they were not ashamed." 06:22 I'm gonna explain that last verse tonight. 06:24 So don't miss tonight. 06:26 We're gonna talk about that in more detail. 06:31 And so notice that here God took a creature 06:36 that He had already created 06:38 and He'd already breathe the breath of life into. 06:42 And now from that person, 06:44 He takes a rib out of his side closes it up and from that rib, 06:50 He now forms another creation, woman. 06:56 And it was the final act in God's creation. 06:59 She was part of him. 07:02 And the Bible simply states for that reason, 07:07 a man shall leave his father and mother, 07:10 shall cleave to his wife, and they should become one. 07:15 And we notice, He took the rib and He made it into woman. 07:19 And Adam said, "She is bone of my bones. 07:22 Therefore man shall leave his father and mother 07:25 and be joined to his wife 07:26 and they shall become one flesh." 07:28 Let's take a careful look at what God is doing here. 07:33 Notice this scripture says, 07:35 "In His image He created a male and female." 07:40 I want you to notice that God did not create Adam and Steve. 07:44 And He did not create Eve and Genevieve. 07:49 Let's get a real straight that Creator 07:51 created male and female, He created them. 07:56 And God blessed them. 07:58 And he said, "Be fruitful and multiply." 08:03 It was God's intension that this crowning act 08:08 of His creation of man and woman in His own image, 08:12 they would be co-creators with Him. 08:17 We have to understand 08:18 that life is not something that man creates. 08:22 Although we are doing some pretty incredible things 08:24 in laboratories in genetic modifications, 08:27 please notice carefully, they're still using life. 08:32 When Darwin wrote his book 08:33 "The Origin of Species" in his book 08:37 in one of his closing chapters, 08:39 He said, "God breathe life into one cell." 08:44 That's what it says. 08:45 And Darwin never explains origin. 08:48 He starts with life, because he thought well, 08:50 life just a simple thing. 08:52 Well, as we've already noted this morning, it's not simple. 08:56 In fact every cell is more complex in New York City. 08:59 It is so complex and there are 75 to 100 trillion of those 09:04 that makes up the human body 09:07 and that is one of the demonstrations 09:10 that Darwin did not understand. 09:13 And he does not treat the subject of origins. 09:17 In his book per say he talks about life evolving 09:21 after life is already there. 09:24 Somebody has jokingly said that the engineers got to go 09:27 and they said, "God, we don't think it's such a big deal 09:29 that You made man and woman we can do that." 09:33 And God said, "Alright, well, go ahead." 09:34 And so the scientists got together 09:36 and they start scraping the dirt together. 09:38 And God said, "Now, make your own dirt." 09:43 You see man in His great wisdom, 09:47 he thinks he's doing such great awesome things, 09:50 but they're working with God's dirt. 09:53 You know, they didn't make this dirt. 09:54 And they are utilizing what he had. 09:59 And so God said, "Fill the earth and subdue it." 10:04 I remember it was spring morning at the campus 10:08 of Southern University, and I was there. 10:12 And I was dating this girl, 10:13 and I was sure she was going to be my wife. 10:18 She did not end up being my wife personally. 10:21 God had another plan. 10:23 But she asked me the question, Terry, what is love? 10:26 And I said, well it's a--well it's... 10:32 You know I was a theology student in my third year and, 10:37 you know, you should know a lot of these questions. 10:39 And my girlfriend asked me this question, what is love? 10:42 And I said, well it's a--well it's a... 10:47 And I couldn't define it. 10:49 And so I thought well, I go to the weekly prayer speaker. 10:53 They were having weekly prayer at that time. 10:54 And I gonna asked him, so I asked him the question. 10:56 I said, Sir, what is love? And he said, Hmm. 10:59 He said, that's a very good question. 11:00 Well, I knew that and so we talked a while. 11:06 We went around the mulberry bush about three times. 11:08 I went outside and I did know anymore than when I went in. 11:10 And I thought wow, what is love? 11:14 And I began to search the answer to that question. 11:17 I'm gonna give you the answer 11:18 that I've found that made a need in my life. 11:21 It's found in a very old book. 11:24 I found it in the Musty Archives of the Seminary Building. 11:28 It was the book by the title 11:29 "The Christian Doctrine of Sanctification" by F.B. Marsh. 11:33 And he was describing the relationship 11:36 that Adam had with Eve and God before sin. 11:43 And it goes like this, 11:46 "The constant flow of benevolent affection 11:50 is the most delightful of all human sensations. 11:53 And when fixed upon an object truly worthy of it 11:57 and this flowing is not impeded 11:58 or held back by any conflicting emotions 12:01 or counteracting influence, 12:03 it is itself a source of happiness inexhaustible. 12:07 Love desires the good or honor of its object, not its own." 12:14 that's an incredible definition. 12:17 What he's saying is simply this. 12:20 In order to have love, 12:21 you must have a beloved an object outside itself. 12:28 And when love is focused on that object not itself 12:33 and that object is truly worthy of it 12:35 and this flowing is not impeded 12:37 or held back they in a conflicting 12:39 or counteracting influence. 12:43 This is itself a source of happiness inexhaustible, 12:46 because love is always concerned 12:48 about its object not itself. 12:53 My wife and I had an argument going on at our marriage 12:56 for the last 44 years and it's simply this. 13:01 Who loves who the most? 13:04 Did you ever try to out love, love? 13:06 You know, it's a fun thing to try to do 13:08 that because the more you give, the more it comes back. 13:11 I say, well, I love my wife and I might give her $10. 13:15 So I give her $10. And then she fix my favorite meal. 13:21 And this just goes on and on and on. 13:24 You just can't out give love. 13:27 And then she takes the $10 and go and buys me a shirt. 13:30 Well that was before inflation. 13:31 And so the more you give then it comes back. 13:34 And the more you give and it's just absolutely unending. 13:38 God created man in His own image, in His own likeness. 13:42 And He created them for a relationship of love 13:45 and God intended that you and I have an infinite capacity 13:52 to receive love and to give love. 13:56 That was the way He made man 13:58 in His own image, in His own likeness. 14:03 That was God's idea. 14:06 And that was what His plan was for the human race. 14:10 There're four proofs that we were created in God's image 14:15 and they all have to do with the marriage relationship. 14:18 Let's walk our way through those. 14:20 And so you answer these questions in your own mind. 14:22 I've asked these questions, they're four of them. 14:25 I've asked them of all kinds of audiences. 14:28 Number one, would you be willing to enter 14:31 into a lifetime relationship with a member 14:33 of the opposite sex if it was on the condition 14:36 that they could have other lovers? 14:40 No, don't think so. Okay, question two. 14:43 Would you be willing to enter to the relationship 14:45 with a member of the opposite sex 14:47 it was on the condition that they can have a red corvette 14:50 and spend 80 percent of their time waxing it, 14:52 polishing it, and driving it, 14:54 but you wouldn't be allowed to? 14:56 Would you like to be married to that kind of person? 15:00 Number three, would you be willing to enter 15:03 into a relationship with a member of the opposite sex 15:06 if he was on the condition 15:08 that the relationship is only at night? 15:11 They do not want anyone to ever know 15:14 that they have any connection with you. 15:17 Would you be willing? 15:19 And then number four, 15:22 would you be willing to enter into a relationship 15:25 with a member of the opposite sex it was on a condition 15:27 that they never have to keep a time-frame commitment 15:30 and it would be perfectly all right? 15:32 Do you agree, we're gonna meet for lunch at noon on Wednesday, 15:35 you've to show up and it's perfectly okay 15:37 and there's no question asked? 15:39 Would you be willing to change that relationship? 15:43 And they say, no, those are limbering questions. 15:46 Well, notice very carefully those four questions, 15:50 because they're the first four of our relationship 15:55 with God in the Ten Commandments. 15:57 Have no other Gods before me. 15:59 Don't make any graven images. 16:01 Don't take My name in vain. 16:03 And give Me the day that I said was Mine. 16:06 Listen to me carefully. 16:07 God is not willing to enter into a relationship 16:12 that you and I are not willing to enter into. 16:15 And to me, that's one of the strongest proofs 16:18 that we were created in His image after His likeness, 16:22 because we are not willing set up for our relationship 16:25 that He is not willing to set up for. Is that clear now? 16:30 Our God wants to write that law to dear people in your heart. 16:36 And the first part of our love as you got to receive it, 16:40 because you can't give if you don't have. 16:42 And the first act of that love is to receive God's love 16:46 and then you have a love with which to impart. 16:49 Now we notice He created man with a spiritual nature, 16:52 a mental nature, and a physical body. 16:55 Created in His image after His likeness. 16:58 After 6,000 years of sin, the spiritual power is blunted, 17:03 the image and likeness is almost 17:06 gone as it was from Adam. 17:09 And God is love and at the cross, 17:13 He demonstrated unselfish love 17:16 that He was willing to die for the creature. 17:20 And if you receive that love, 17:22 then you get back the kind of love 17:25 that is the only kind of love that will make 17:28 the marriage relationship work the way 17:31 that creator created it. 17:33 We notice in the human relationship side, 17:36 I'd like to snowflake. Love is not unlimited. 17:40 It has six boundaries of love. 17:44 That's respect, life, procreate life, 17:48 ownership, truth, and contentment." 17:52 And it works like this. Love has six sides, 17:56 six boundaries, six limits, and the kind of love 18:00 that God created will stay within those six sides 18:03 and those six sides are fragile. 18:06 Each one is kept in place by the neighbor next door to you 18:10 and as long as they have a self denying love 18:13 that will stay within the limits of those six sides 18:18 you find they live next door to. 18:20 Even trying to live with. 18:22 But lawlessness and sin respects no boundary. 18:27 And it will go pass that boundary and will invade 18:30 other people's space whether they like it or not. 18:34 Now we notice nature, gives a lot of attention to buds, 18:39 and flowers, and plants. 18:43 I wanna talk about the role of women. 18:45 Satan hates women, because you see 18:50 in Genesis 3:15, he said, 18:52 "I will put enmity between thy seed and Her seed, 18:54 you will bruise his head and he will bruise your heel." 18:58 In that setting, Satan recognized 19:01 as he studied the prophecy 19:02 that one day there would come a Redeemer 19:05 who would set the world free. 19:07 So he waged war on men. 19:10 But, there was a moment 19:15 that the seed of the woman, 19:18 the child of Mary, Emanuel 19:23 came into this world. 19:27 And I had one scientist tell me one time, 19:29 he thought that God created Eve 19:31 with one egg without a nucleus. 19:34 It could never be fertilized. 19:35 That was passed on from generation to generation 19:38 and finally when it came to Mary, 19:42 God created a nucleus and that one egg, 19:46 23 chromosomes from father. 19:49 And God's word says, 19:51 "He will be called the Son of God." 19:54 Emanuel was capable through woman 19:58 and through no other way. 19:59 I'm sorry guys, no matter how hard you try 20:02 and no matter how good you are, 20:03 there's just one thing you cannot do, 20:05 you cannot create a baby. It can't be done. 20:10 Only a woman, the crowning act of God's creation is capable 20:18 of performing that service for the human race. 20:23 And I'd like to just suggest 20:25 you ladies in this dying planet, 20:27 Satan has done everything in his power 20:30 to degrade the role of womanhood. 20:34 And drag it down be anything in this world 20:36 but don't be a mother, be anything but that. 20:40 And I'd like to suggest 20:42 Satan knows that the mother is the one, 20:47 is the architect of that next generation. 20:50 And if she's not doing her job, who will? 20:54 And Satan has come up 20:55 with a lot of alternative plans and none of them work. 21:00 There's only one person 21:01 who can really take that child of her womb, 21:04 and nurtured and cultivated it, 21:06 that same that got their love. 21:09 But let's just notice the role of woman. 21:13 "The distinctive duties of women are more sacred 21:17 and more holy, than those of men. 21:20 The king on his throne 21:21 has no higher work than has the mother." 21:26 The who? The king on his throne 21:27 has no higher work than has a mother. 21:31 "An angel could not ask for a higher mission, 21:34 than for doing the work that she is doing service for God. 21:40 No other work can equal hers in importance. 21:46 It is hers, with the help of God, 21:49 to develop in the human soul the likeness of the divine. 21:56 Next to God, the mother's power for good 22:00 is the strongest known on earth." 22:05 Is that clear to all? And you know, 22:10 I don't think people really believe 22:11 that it's the one occupation in this world 22:16 for which there's the least systematic education given. 22:22 And it's almost like if you had a good mother 22:24 where you learn from your mother 22:25 and you became a mother. 22:26 But if you had a bad mother, an irresponsible mother, 22:32 where you gonna learn this? 22:33 You know, how're you gonna fulfill this role, 22:37 this divine role where 22:40 we co-create with God that next generation. 22:46 That's not the only role. 22:48 What about our Father in Heaven? 22:52 In 1960, 90 percent of the Black children 22:55 grew up without a dad. 22:56 Are you aware of that? 22:58 No dad, where have all the men gone? 23:01 I wanna speak to the men for a minute. 23:02 Today only 20 or 30 percent 23:04 live in a home with their father. 23:05 Are you aware of that? Where have the men gone? 23:09 There are 1,484 references 23:11 to "Father" or "Fathers" in the word of God. 23:13 Thirty four times it talks about the "Fatherless" 23:17 and God says I'll be a father to the fatherless. 23:20 When we pray about your father which is in heaven. 23:24 Do you have a father in heaven? 23:28 And Jesus spoke about His Father. 23:30 They have the title of "Father" 23:32 gentlemen is an incredible title. 23:37 And it carries with it infinite responsibility. 23:40 Well, you know, when we relate to each other 23:43 fathers and mothers in our homes 23:45 that complete message how important are words. 23:49 If you notice this chart right here, 23:51 only 7 percent of the messages ever communicated with words. 23:56 The tone of the voice 38 percent 23:59 of the communication is with the voice. 24:03 Mary, Mary, Mary. 24:07 Yeah, we can say so much by what? 24:10 The tone of your voice. It says so much. 24:14 And then there is the nonverbal communication. 24:17 You know, and so forth 24:21 and I'd like to suggest to you people 24:23 when we are sharing love, we want to get across 24:26 the whole message and it functions in the home. 24:30 The role of father on earth. 24:33 There's the Fifth Commandment blessing. 24:36 There's holy sexuality. 24:39 The role of father and mother and God, it produces children. 24:44 Now as I said holy sexuality. 24:46 Some people didn't know they were such a thing. 24:49 Yeah, God created it. 24:50 It was not an afterthought. It was God's idea. 24:54 And He created men and women to be uniquely different, 24:59 not alike, on purpose not an afterthought, not a mistake 25:04 but specifically created for that particular role. 25:08 And fathers, if you read Ephesians 5:25 very carefully, 25:14 I find nowhere in the Bible where the Bible says, 25:16 "Wives that they love their husband." 25:18 Did you know that? It's not there. 25:21 But there is a commandment for men to love their wives. 25:26 But here's the point, gentlemen, 25:27 if you love your wife and she receives that love, 25:30 guess what she can give back? 25:32 The same kind of love that you gave her. 25:35 And if you are not giving it 25:37 and she is not getting it, guess what? 25:41 The flow isn't going to happen the way God created it to be. 25:46 There're seven basic needs of a woman. 25:49 And gentlemen, now one of those seven, 25:53 a man would think of. 25:56 And I have a handout on that. 25:58 And if you're watching this on DVD, 26:00 if you'll contact me, I'll send you a copy of it. 26:03 But gentleman, those needs 26:05 are so basic that when they were-- 26:08 the secretaries were taping this up and it was developed 26:11 because they interviewed 4,000 women 26:13 and only when they all agreed 26:15 that it was a real need that they commit. 26:17 And the secretaries were taping, 26:19 and they said, "Wow, who got this up? 26:21 Oh, really knew a lot about woman." 26:24 The major point of Malachi 4, 5, and 6 26:26 is God wants to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children 26:30 and the children to their fathers. 26:31 Notice very carefully the text does not say, 26:34 He wants to turn the hearts 26:35 of the fathers and mothers to the children. 26:38 Now why you think He left out mothers? 26:41 Any mother in here can tell me the answer to that? 26:43 Listen, when you carry that child for nine months. 26:46 There is a bond and there is a connection 26:49 between that mother and that child that gentleman 26:52 you'll never know, and you'll never understand. 26:57 But only when she is loving and caring for, 27:00 can she fulfill that role? And so the role of father, 27:07 the family used to take the fathers name. 27:09 That's changing quite 27:11 dramatically in this world today. 27:14 He used to be the head of that household. 27:16 And in the Bible and all the genealogies, 27:18 it traces it through the father 27:21 and he used to be the law-maker. 27:24 And you're right to do that gentleman 27:25 is because you know the needs of everybody 27:28 under that jurisdiction and he used to be the priest 27:32 of that household, not the pastor. 27:35 He used to be the spiritual leader for that home. 27:38 And so let's take a look at Authority. 27:41 "Is one who gives protection and direction 27:44 to those whom God has called him to serve 27:46 within the limits of his responsibility. 27:50 All legitimate authority is derived from God's authority 27:53 and to oppose that authority is ultimately to oppose God." 27:59 So keep that in mind. God created authority 28:05 and He is authority and He created us 28:07 in His own image and His own likeness. 28:10 And only right to authority is that you know 28:12 how to meet the needs of those under that authority. 28:15 And every authority is only a bigger servant 28:17 unless we first learn to be a servant, 28:19 there is no way you can possibly 28:21 be in legitimate authority. 28:24 Well, you know, when a couple comes to get married. 28:28 By the law of genetics, you'll influence 680 people 28:34 if each one had four children 28:38 and those four children had four children and so forth 680. 28:43 And so this business of marriage, someone says, 28:45 well, it's nobody's business but mine. 28:47 Think again, no it's everybody's business, 28:50 because you will affect by the law of genetics 28:54 way more than just each other. 28:57 Look into my great-grandmother at 103, 29:02 that's five generations passing through there. 29:05 Does each generation affects the next generation? 29:09 Yes, they do, by the law of genetics most profound way. 29:14 Well, you know, young people, they wanna Fly United. 29:21 And let's just suppose we go to the airport, 29:24 and we gonna fly united, 29:25 we just can't wait to fly united. 29:27 We're gonna fly united, 29:28 we go to the counter there to pick up our ticket 29:31 and then we see the sign on the air and it says, 29:35 only one out of every one hundred flights 29:38 ever reaches its destination. 29:41 Would you be interested in flight? 29:44 But you still don't know how we're gonna fly, 29:45 you know, we're gonna fly united. 29:47 So we go to, we're just right about in 29:48 and we know there is another sign it says, 29:50 half of all our planes crashed. 29:53 Would you still wanna fly? 29:55 Hear me carefully you that's your chances statically 30:02 of flying united for a lifetime together. 30:08 That's the chances statistically. 30:12 God had a plan and Satan dynamited 30:14 that plan in everyway he could. He's still dynamiting. 30:19 And let's just take a look at the way 30:24 marriages are arranged in today's world. 30:28 The modern marriage arrangement 30:30 breaks every rule of God's law. 30:34 First of all I wanna marry who I please 30:37 and God is never consulted, He's second to the lover. 30:42 That spouse become so important I can't pray, 30:44 all I can do is see your face. 30:46 You know, it's just the most dominating thing 30:49 and we worship them. We take their name in vain 30:52 what God has joined together. 30:54 Let no man put asunder, 30:55 we take the name and we forget it. 30:58 And they cannot enter His rest 31:00 because they are all wrapped up in him or her, 31:02 that's all they can think about. 31:05 And then when we think about it on a human level, 31:07 young people fall in their marriages 31:09 and they choose their spouse whom they wanna marry 31:12 and they come in all starry night one night 31:14 and they announce to father and mother saying, 31:16 we're getting married, you wanna pay for the wedding. 31:19 But the parents were never consulted. 31:22 The killing, the murder, 31:23 the suicide all over jilted lovers. 31:26 The adultery, the fornication, 31:28 sex with no commitment is the theme of every pop song, 31:32 is the theme of nearly every movie. 31:33 Satan is dynamiting what God put the stealing of affection. 31:38 They're lying and they're playing with hearts. 31:40 They're coveting of a neighbor's girlfriend 31:42 or wife, and it goes on and on. 31:46 It's not the way it's happening in our world today. 31:48 And to the youth in my audience 31:49 I would say to you, if you're gonna have a home 31:52 like God created it to be, 31:54 then you're gonna have to do something 31:55 dramatically different in the society around you. 32:02 Just notice the leap in the U.S. divorce rate. 32:06 In 1900, it was around 15 percent 32:09 and then we notice as the years went by it gradually increased. 32:15 Between 1970 and 1975 it took a big jump. 32:20 And now, you know, statistically 32:22 if you plan to see there is a length of time 32:27 when there is a gap between you sow the seed 32:31 and you reap the harvest. 32:33 And so my question to you 32:35 is what happened 20 years earlier in 1970 32:42 that could have produced that dramatic jump in divorce? 32:47 What happened 20 years earlier? 32:50 That's a generation 20 years earlier. 32:52 What happened to make that huge jump in the divorce rates 32:56 if we were to statistically just sit and think 32:59 for a moment, what happened? 33:02 All right, rock 'n' roll came in. 33:04 That was a new kind of music it came in 33:07 and it was exploiting its name itself was an immoral name 33:12 and it came in to the scene, 33:16 but there're something else that happened. 33:19 T.V, yes and I remember 33:23 and I'm now right old I don't think, 33:26 but I remember the first T.V. show very clearly. 33:28 I remember how far my grandpa 33:30 had to drive to go to where we watched it. 33:33 I remember everything we watched that night. 33:35 And it has made a profound affect on the marriage role. 33:42 Devastating result, two things, 33:43 music and the TV and the movies, 33:47 they have all added their contribution. 33:52 Love, it's not the way God created to be. 33:56 There's something to be exploited and misused. 34:00 I want you to notice how the relationships are forming 34:04 in our world today in the society level. 34:08 And so here we have a normal boy meets a normal girl. 34:12 And they are not born again. 34:16 And their physical bodies you notice is as strong as dynamic. 34:21 And when they meet what's the first part that meets? 34:25 They meet on a physical level. 34:27 They're kissing and hugging and the physical aspects 34:31 are all a major part of that relationship, 34:34 but you'll notice in the center part mind wise 34:38 and spirit wise there's no connection. 34:40 I don't know whether they serve the same God. 34:42 They don't know whether they like onions or not. 34:45 They don't know-- well, you know, 34:46 there's so much they don't know, 34:48 all they know is the meeting on the physical level first. 34:52 And they think wow, this is so fantastic 34:55 there is just a piece of cake. 34:56 But all the rest is totally unknown. 34:59 But notice the spiritual round. 35:01 Born again guy meets a born again girl. 35:06 And they begin to form a relationship. 35:08 Now where do they meet first? 35:11 First they meet on the spiritual level. 35:14 If you're looking for a spiritual spouse to people 35:17 you won't find them in a bar. 35:19 You'll find them in a church. 35:21 You will find them in a synagogue. 35:23 You'll find them in a mosque. 35:24 You'll find them in some place 35:26 where God is adored and worshiped. 35:29 And so that's where you go looking. 35:31 They meet on the spiritual round first and then they meet 35:34 on the mental round of relationships. 35:38 They become best friends. 35:41 And notice they still haven't met on the physical over yet. 35:45 And as that relationship deepens and builds, 35:48 they will come on a wedding day, 35:51 then they become unitedly one. That's God's idea. 35:56 Developing a friendship. As my brother said, 36:00 while his marriage is just being best friends. 36:04 And you know what is? It's being best friend. 36:07 But you know what if you're not best friends, 36:10 it's not best friends and the way you become 36:12 best friend as you build a relationship of friendship. 36:16 Be alert to the people around you, have a cheerful, 36:18 friendly countenance and smile. 36:20 Learn and remember the name. Greet them by name. 36:22 Ask them appropriate questions. Be a good listener. 36:26 And remind yourself of the initial interest 36:29 that God has for that person. 36:31 And then as you have a casual friendship, 36:34 discover their strong points. 36:36 Learn about their hopes and desire 36:38 they have for their life. 36:39 Develop and ask appropriate specific questions. 36:42 Show an interest and concern 36:44 if they share a problem with you. 36:46 Be honest about yourself 36:48 and acknowledge your faults to them 36:50 when appropriate and reflect interest. 36:53 Talk about God to them. 36:55 And then you have the close friendship. 36:58 See potential in their life. 37:00 Discover and discuss specific goals. 37:03 Assume personal responsibility for their development. 37:07 Discern conflicts that would hinder 37:09 the development of these goals. 37:11 Be creative in designing projects 37:13 that would help reach those goals. 37:15 Learn how to build interest for these projects. 37:18 And be alert to scripture which will encourage and guide them. 37:22 And then intimate friendships. 37:25 And we don't have too many intimate friends. 37:29 Learn to give comfort in time of trial. 37:33 Assume personal responsibility for their reputation. 37:37 Be sensitive to traits and attitudes 37:39 which need improvement both in yourself and them. 37:42 Learn to discover basic causes of character deficiencies. 37:45 Build interest for correction of these deficiencies. 37:49 Be able to talk about your faults. 37:52 And share scriptures for key solutions to those fault, 37:56 and a commitment to faithfulness, 37:58 loyalty, and availability. 38:02 Qualities to look for. Make a list. 38:05 You know, I made a list. I was in high school 38:08 and a weekly prayer speaker said, 38:10 "Be inquest for the best and settle for nothing less." 38:13 And that's my appeal 38:14 to the young people here this morning. 38:16 God has a plan for you. 38:19 He has a spouse in mind for you 38:20 and it's not just anybody. 38:25 So make a list, do they love the Lord 38:28 and are they His disciple. 38:29 Listen if they don't love the Lord, 38:31 they will not have a self-denying love 38:34 that you will be worthy of. 38:36 Step two, are they cheerful? 38:40 Beware of the person who says, 38:41 "Oh, I can't live without and you're the only one 38:44 who can make me in happy in all world." 38:46 Listen, a wedding vow never made a non-happy person happy. 38:52 Get it real straight if they're not already happy without you, 38:55 you're not gonna make them that happy. 38:57 They got to have that happiness already there 39:01 and then that adds to your happiness but there is-- 39:04 if they're miserable 39:05 and just can't commit that they are unhappy. 39:07 Girls, I don't care how attractive, 39:09 your marrying him is gonna change him 39:12 to become cheerful and happy, 39:14 if he's not first already happy. 39:16 Are they thankful? Are they grateful? 39:19 Are they discontented and grumpy and growly? 39:22 Marriage doesn't change that attitude. 39:26 Are they thankful for their father and mother? 39:28 Are they a creative hard worker? 39:32 You know, two people can live cheaper than one. 39:36 That's not true. They cannot live cheaper than one 39:41 and now they don't stay one for very long. 39:45 And that leads us to the next point. 39:47 Do they love children? Do they like to be around children? 39:53 Marriage is all about children. 39:55 Marriage is all about passing 39:56 onto that next generation of life 39:59 that was passed onto you. 40:00 And if they don't love children, 40:02 how're we gonna make a good spouse? 40:04 Discerning God's choice for a life partner, 40:08 Only date and marry a growing Christian. 40:10 I don't find anything in the Bible 40:11 that talks about missionary dating. 40:13 In fact, God specifically said, 40:15 "Do not marry the unbelievers." 40:19 And that was a great prohibition 40:21 that Israel failed to keep much to herself. 40:25 Relate dating and marriage to God's purpose in my life. 40:29 You know if God's calling you to be a concert pianist, 40:33 but then would you really want to marry a rancher 40:35 in the middle of Texas somewhere. 40:36 You got to think about purposes, 40:38 do they go together? Are they compatible? 40:42 "Do not defraud the one I date." 40:45 Don't build a fire you can't fulfill. 40:48 "Both of us must be in harmony at home." 40:52 If our parents don't approve with that relationship, 40:55 it probably won't be a safe one 40:57 and wait for God's timing and marriage. 41:00 "And I will yield my right to date and marry to God." 41:04 And a result will be, "God will bring 41:06 that person into my life at the right time." 41:11 Is God concerned about who we marry, 41:14 and this is idea. He established it. 41:18 His holy law is all about relationships 41:22 from beginning to end and He wants to create that law 41:25 in our heart of hearts through His seed catalog 41:30 that our homes can be all that God created them to be. 41:36 Nature put so much attention to the buds 41:40 that grow on that next generation. 41:44 And God will have us do the same. 41:48 I can't close this discussion without just saying one thing, 41:53 what about damaged or broken relationships? 41:57 Jesus talked about that in Matthew 19:3, 42:02 as He talked about it, He made it real clear 42:06 to the religious leaders of His day 42:08 when they asked Him that question 42:12 and Jesus said in verse 4, "Have you not read 42:17 that He who made them in the beginning made them 42:19 male and female for this reason 42:21 they shall leave their father and mother, 42:22 be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. 42:25 So they are no longer two but one flesh. 42:27 Therefore what God has joined together 42:29 let not man separate." 42:30 Because they asked Him a question about divorce. 42:32 Is it lawful for a man to get divorce? 42:36 And notice when those 23 chromosomes join together, 42:40 they become one in such a way 42:42 that no divorce court can ever separate it, ever. 42:46 That's a oneness that only God could create. 42:51 But He hates divorce. And they said, 42:54 "Why did Moses command 42:55 to give her a certificate of divorce and put her away?" 42:58 Notice His answer, "Moses, 43:00 because of the hardness of your hearts, 43:02 permitted you to divorce your wives, 43:05 but from the beginning it was not so." 43:09 That was not God's plan. 43:12 And so then He says, "Whoever divorces his wife, 43:14 except for sexual immorality, marries another, 43:16 commits adultery, and whoever marries her 43:19 who is divorced commits adultery. 43:21 And His disciples said, wow, 43:22 that's why it is to better not to marry." 43:25 Jesus made it real clear. 43:28 He hates divorce, but it happens. 43:33 And with the sound of my voice 43:34 and those who are watching this on T.V, flee to the cross 43:38 and find the love that can forgive its enemies. 43:43 Rejected love is no pain like it. 43:47 Jesus knows all about it. 43:49 But He was rejected and was all alone. 43:54 And in First John 1:9, He wants to give that love back. 43:57 He wants us to have it. 44:00 And focus on the family that's its phone number. 44:04 If you're in a pain of a divorce, 44:06 they have a lot of help for you and its available to you. 44:11 And I would encourage you to find a godly 44:14 counselor to help you to work through the pain and suffering. 44:18 God is in the restoration business. 44:21 And He wants to restore back 44:23 all the years of the locus of Eden. 44:27 His prayer is "That they may be one even is real one." 44:31 And I wanna draw a conclusion to this message today. 44:38 Its God's planet they may be one. 44:40 His name was Emmanuel. 44:42 He came to unite the human race. 44:45 His word is truth. And His glory was the cross 44:49 because at the cross you see a love 44:51 that couldn't stop loving. It just never quit loving. 44:56 And He wants to restore that love back into the human heart 45:01 so that God and man and woman 45:07 can enter into that original relationship 45:10 when He created man in His own image, in His own likeness. 45:15 But that could be the relationship and at the cross, 45:22 that love was discovered to be infinite, unlimited. 45:28 And when we open our hearts to that love in, 45:32 then we have that love to share with the one 45:36 that God might bring into our life. 45:38 I want to draw a conclusion to this message. 45:52 Jesus, when He gave His famous sermon on the Mount, 45:59 drew a conclusion to that sermon in the seventh chapter. 46:04 It was His last story to summarize 46:08 the sermon on the Mount. 46:12 And He said there were two men 46:19 who build a house, 46:22 and to the young people here today, 46:30 you're seeking to build a home. 46:38 What kind of home will it be? 46:42 And how will you build it? 46:45 The world has many plans. 46:50 And even house building. 46:55 The question is, are you gonna build it 46:59 like the Creator had in mind 47:04 or are you gonna try to follow 47:05 the dying decayed society around us? 47:09 People walking and they sparks with their candle. 47:14 And Jesus said, "The wise man 47:16 build his house on a rock, a foundation." 47:24 And so as we build on that... 47:34 rock. I build a house in Montana on a mountain top. 47:40 I'm here to tell you 47:42 when you build a house on a mountain top, 47:44 that's different than building it in town. 47:49 It's a lot more difficult. And... 47:57 as you build on a mountain top, 48:10 it's more work... 48:12 to take the building materials up there. 48:19 The children know about this story of Jesus. 48:26 I decided that I wanted to build my house 48:31 on the solid promises of God's word. 48:43 There's another choice, by the way, up on the mountains 48:47 where I build in Montana, 48:52 the trees look like that most of the time. 48:58 It was in the Snow Belt and the snow would... 49:04 come... 49:15 and it lasted and it lasted and it lasted. 49:18 But when I built that house, 49:21 our first house there in Montana, 49:26 we never saw the ground again two weeks after it was built. 49:29 It was just to show I had no insulation nothing, 49:33 no windows, just partly kind of windows, 49:35 we never saw the snow again for the next-- 49:37 I mean we never the ground again for next four months. 49:40 That was an interesting experience. 49:42 Well, there was another man, Jesus described him 49:46 and Jesus said that every home 49:48 is gonna have to have three tests, 49:52 the test of rain, the test of wind, 49:56 and the test of flood. 49:58 And the married people within this auditorium 49:59 always know that your marriage 50:01 will pass all those three tests. 50:04 But the foolish man, he build his house differently. 50:10 I ask you the question, 50:14 what made the difference 50:16 between the wise man and the foolish? 50:19 And you'll say, wow, the wise man, he built it on a rock 50:23 and the foolish man built it on the sand. 50:26 No solid foundation. I'll tell why? 50:31 What made the difference? 50:32 We often miss the point of the story. 50:37 Jesus put it this way. 50:40 All those who hear my words 50:45 and do them are like the wise man 50:49 who built his house upon a rock. 50:53 For those who hear my words and don't do them, 50:59 they are like the foolish man 51:01 who built his house on the sand. 51:04 And so my question to you is this, 51:09 young people, 51:11 are you gonna build your home on the solid, 51:17 unchanging, 51:20 eternal... 51:23 principles of the word of the living God, 51:28 or are you gonna build your home on hormones 51:33 and feelings like the dying decayed society around us? 51:40 Or if you would take this book 51:42 and make it the pattern 51:48 upon which you're going to build your relationships 51:53 and harmony with this holy law of love. 52:02 And as we see this picture of the way it really ends 52:09 you will be building your life on the solid, 52:13 unchanging principles of the life of Emanuel. 52:20 And that unselfish love will make your home stand 52:26 when the winds blow, the winds of strife, 52:30 when the rains of tears come, 52:32 when the flood of difficulty challenges 52:35 the foundation upon which you built it, 52:40 then your home will stand. 52:44 And I wanna challenge the youth here today. 52:47 How you're gonna built? 52:51 I decided I was gonna build my home 52:55 on the principles of this book. 52:58 I had a friend who had a girl in every port, 53:01 he bragged about it. 53:04 As you practice, you'll perform. 53:09 When he got married 53:12 he never could keep his kisses at home he never had. 53:18 And he went through three divorces 53:19 the last time I counted 53:23 because he built his home 53:25 on the shifting plan of feelings and hormones. 53:30 But I decided that I would build my home differently. 53:35 I believe that kisses were sacred and holy 53:37 and belonged only on just one person. 53:41 That was the person that I was gonna love for a lifetime. 53:46 The first girl I kissed, I thought would be my wife. 53:49 The second girl I kissed is my wife. 53:53 We've had 44 years of fantastic hugging and kissing. 53:56 I wouldn't trade places as my buddy for anything. 54:02 Will you build your home on a solid, unchanging, 54:08 immovable, unchangeable word of the living God 54:13 and allow Him to put those principles in your heart 54:19 and love those best who love Christ most. 54:26 Could we pray? 54:28 Eternal Father, we thank You for the privilege 54:31 of being co-creators and having a relationship called love. 54:38 And there's this dying world Lord 54:40 you want our homes to be like a light in a dark place, 54:46 demonstrating a guppy, a guppy love 54:52 such a prayer today. 54:54 I like to raise your hand and say by God's grace 54:57 young people particularly even others 55:00 build your home on the promises of God's word. 55:04 If that's your prayer, you just wanna raise your hand and say, 55:06 yes and if you're marrying you want to recommit to that, 55:09 God will help thou. 55:12 Thank you, Father, 55:14 for making that possible in this dying world 55:19 because we ask you in Jesus holy name, amen. 55:43 Worship Him 55:51 Worship Him, worship Him 55:56 Worship Him that made heaven 56:00 The heaven, the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters 56:10 Worship him that made 56:17 Worship him, worship him 56:31 Fear God Fear God and give glory to him 56:38 Worship him that made 56:43 Fear God Fear God and give glory 56:48 Give glory to him Glory to him 56:55 The birds declare the glory of God 57:01 And the firmament showeth his handiwork 57:08 The earth is a void and a formless thereof 57:14 The earth is formed of land and regions fall 57:30 Worship Him 57:39 Worship Him, worship Him 57:45 Worship Him that made heaven 57:48 The heaven, the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters 57:58 Worship him that made 58:05 Worship Him, Worship Him 58:21 Worship Him |
Revised 2014-12-17