Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021919A
|
00:35 Good morning, friends.
00:36 Welcome again to Sabbath School Study Hour 00:38 here at the Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:40 in Sacramento, California. 00:42 I'd like to welcome our online members 00:44 and our friends who are joining us 00:45 across the country and around the world 00:47 on various television networks. 00:49 And again we would also like 00:50 to welcome our regular Sabbath School members 00:53 that are here in person as well as those 00:54 who are visiting with us. 00:56 Always a joy to see you week after week, 00:58 here you are to study the lesson together. 01:01 Now few weeks ago, 01:03 we started new series 01:04 dealing with the subject of the family. 01:06 Our lesson quarterly is entitled Family Seasons. 01:09 And today we're looking at lesson number six, 01:11 entitled, "The Royal Love Song." 01:14 You can guess where our topic of scriptures 01:16 gonna be based upon that title. 01:18 Probably, you're gonna be looking 01:19 at the Song of Solomon, 01:20 but we'll get to that in just a few minutes. 01:23 We'd like to let our friends know, 01:24 those who are joining us online, 01:26 we do have a free offer. 01:27 It's entitled "Determining the Will of God." 01:30 And we'll be happy to send you this book. 01:32 All you need to do is give us a call 01:33 and ask for it. 01:34 The number is 866-788-3966 01:38 and you can ask for offer number 778. 01:41 We'll be happy to send this book out 01:43 to anyone who calls and asks 01:45 or if you're outside of North America, 01:47 you can download for free this book 01:49 by just simply texting the code "SH025" 01:54 to the number 40544. 01:57 You'll then get a link 01:58 where you'll be able to download the book 01:59 "Determining the Will of God." 02:01 And I think it'll be a blessing, 02:02 if you wanting to know what God's will 02:03 is for your life. 02:05 There are some good biblical principles 02:07 that will help you in making decisions 02:09 that are in harmony with His will. 02:11 Well, before we get to our study this morning, 02:13 we like to begin by lifting our voices in song. 02:16 I'd like to invite our song leaders to come 02:17 and they will lead us in our music. 04:35 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 04:37 Dear Father in heaven, 04:38 we thank You that we have this opportunity 04:40 to gather in Your house and open up Your Word 04:41 and study a very important topic 04:43 dealing with the family. 04:45 The Bible tells us that God is love 04:47 and it's Your desire, Lord, 04:48 that we'll reflect Your love to those around us 04:50 and in a special way to our family members. 04:52 So we ask Your special blessing on our study time this morning. 04:56 In Jesus' name, amen. 04:58 This morning, our lesson is gonna be brought to us 05:00 by our Family Life Pastor here at the Granite Bay Church, 05:03 Pastor Shawn Brummund. 05:06 Well, good morning, everyone. 05:07 Good morning. 05:08 It's good to see you 05:09 and it's good to hear a good morning 05:11 from you as well. 05:12 It is a beautiful morning. 05:14 Of course, it is a very special day 05:15 as we come together during our Sabbath School time 05:17 and we continue to study the Bible, 05:20 continue to grow as Christians 05:22 and continue to grow in the knowledge of the truth. 05:26 Now, this particular study is a very interesting study. 05:29 It's very unique 05:31 because we're looking at one of the most unique books 05:34 that we can find in all the Bible. 05:37 How many here have read the Song of Solomon? 05:41 How many hands? 05:42 Okay, I see several hands going up. 05:43 How many have not read the Song of Solomon? 05:47 Go ahead, put your hand up. 05:48 If you haven't, that's okay. 05:49 Okay, so we have a couple 05:50 that haven't read the Song of Solomon. 05:53 All right, so this is your first introduction, 05:55 perhaps to the Song of Solomon. 05:57 If you haven't gone through the quarterly study 05:58 throughout the week, then this for sure 06:00 will be your introduction to the Song of Solomon. 06:03 And you're gonna find out very quickly 06:05 why this is such a unique song 06:08 and book in the Bible. 06:10 And so, before I say too much, 06:12 I just want to introduce us to the actual lesson study 06:14 and go to page 46. 06:16 Because on page 46, we find there 06:19 the memory text 06:20 and I think that the memory text really... 06:22 I'm gonna use that as a closing 06:23 if we have time. 06:24 And look at the verse 06:25 that comes after this particular verse 06:28 as well. 06:29 But this really is an important verse 06:32 in the whole book. 06:35 And it's found in the last chapter, 8:6. 06:37 It says, let me... 06:39 "Set me," I should say, 06:40 "as a seal upon your heart, 06:43 as a seal upon your arm, 06:45 for love is as strong as death, 06:48 jealousy is as cruel as the grave, 06:51 its flames are flames of fire, 06:53 a most vehement flame." 06:56 And so, of course, 06:57 this is called the Song of Solomon. 06:59 Now, some of your translations 07:00 and editions of your Bible 07:02 may actually called the Song of Songs. 07:05 And traditionally both of those titles 07:07 have been used by different Christians, 07:09 by different Bible printers. 07:10 And both are accurate in the fact 07:13 that Solomon is referred to more than once 07:15 throughout the actual song and he is the groom, 07:19 so he plays the role of a groom 07:22 or a new husband. 07:24 And then, of course, 07:26 so we can rightly call it the Song of Solomon 07:28 because it's also believed 07:29 that Solomon was the inspired author 07:31 of this particular book. 07:34 The Song of Songs is also a title 07:37 that is fitting 07:38 because it is kind of the song of all songs. 07:40 It's one of the longest songs 07:42 that you can find in all the Bible by far. 07:45 It is a unique song 07:47 and the fact that it is a very romantic song. 07:50 Today, we would call it a love song. 07:53 In fact, the authors of our title 07:55 called it the Royal Love Song. 07:57 Anybody ever heard a love song before 07:59 outside of the Song of Solomon? 08:01 Okay, many of us have, haven't we? 08:03 Love songs are as old as the sun. 08:06 Was the Song of Solomon 08:07 the first love song that was ever sung, 08:11 that was ever written? 08:13 Well, not likely. 08:14 Okay, now Solomon lived around 900 to 950 BC. 08:19 And so we go back quite a ways before we come 08:22 to this particular inspired love song, 08:25 but not very likely 08:26 that that was the first love song 08:28 ever written. 08:29 Now I have to confess I never did any research. 08:31 I never looked and kind of dug 08:33 and saw what history tells us. 08:35 But you know, if I was a betting man, 08:37 which I'm not, I would put all my money 08:39 on the fact that there were many, many love songs 08:42 that were written before the Song of Solomon 08:44 was written. 08:46 There been quite a few love songs 08:47 that have been written since the Song of Solomon. 08:51 There's been hundred thousands and thousands 08:55 and maybe even in the millions, 08:57 if we were to look across all nations 08:59 since 900 BC 09:00 or over the last approximate 300 or 3000 years. 09:05 Love songs is of the most popular genres 09:08 of music and songs that you can find. 09:11 There's just something about a love song 09:13 that reaches the heart of millions and billions 09:16 of men and women throughout history. 09:18 And if it's written right, 09:21 certainly it is something 09:23 that can be a blessing and inspiration for us. 09:26 Love songs are still the best sellers today. 09:28 If you were to look at the top 10 09:30 of the best charts 09:31 and the hits of our popular radio stations today 09:34 here in America, 09:35 you can be bound to find at least five, 09:38 probably more, over half of those 09:39 will be some kind of love theme 09:42 to the actual lyric in song. 09:44 And so love songs are still bestsellers today 09:47 and not just in country music either, 09:50 you know, when you look at your pop music 09:52 and the pop culture 09:54 that we find in the music today, 09:56 you'll find all kinds of love songs there as well. 10:01 Now sadly, 10:02 just like country music love songs, 10:04 if you look into the pop scene 10:05 and you look into these other music genres 10:08 and industry and so on, 10:09 the vast majority of them failed miserably 10:14 in regards to the love song 10:15 that God has inspired 10:16 and the love that God would desire 10:20 to be found between a man and a woman, 10:22 between a groom, a bride, between a husband, 10:25 and between a wife, 10:27 and so love songs can be a beautiful thing. 10:30 In fact, it's such a beautiful thing 10:31 that God had inspired the Prophet Solomon 10:35 to write an entire Bible book, 10:37 a whole long song on love. 10:42 And, of course, when we talk about love songs, 10:43 we're talking about love that takes place 10:45 between a man and woman. 10:46 There's just something that touches the heart 10:48 about a love story. 10:50 And a love song quite often will reflect 10:52 that love story. 10:54 Now, historically, 10:55 the Song of Solomon is a song 10:57 that has been quite controversial over the years, 11:01 over the centuries, 11:02 over the millennia, 11:04 especially during the Christian era. 11:06 And so it's an interesting thing, 11:08 when you look back in Christian history, 11:10 you'll find that there have been times 11:11 when different church organizations locally, 11:14 denominationally, 11:15 individually as Christians have banned 11:18 the Song of Solomon, 11:20 that was a forbidden book to be read by its members. 11:23 Some have referred to it as the R rated book 11:27 that we find in the Bible. 11:30 And so we asked the question, why? 11:33 Why has it been banned? Why is it been forbidden? 11:34 Why is it referred to sometimes as the R rated book 11:37 of the Bible? 11:39 Well, it's probably due to the fact 11:40 that even today, 11:41 there are more than one mainstream radio station 11:44 that would kind of hesitate 11:46 to air all the lyrics that are found 11:49 in the Song of Solomon. 11:50 If you were to come up with some new tune 11:53 and record a well sung version 11:56 of the Song of Solomon, 11:57 bring it to a local radio station. 11:59 Most of them would probably hesitate, 12:00 say, you know, "I'm not sure if this is going to fly. 12:04 I'm not sure if this is family friendly enough 12:06 for all of my, our viewing audience." 12:11 And so the response 12:14 of more than one Christian or Christian denomination 12:17 has sometimes hesitated to promote 12:21 the Song of Solomon. 12:23 And yet, as Bible Christians, of course, 12:25 we understand that this is part of the sacred text of the Bible 12:28 that God had inspired it, 12:29 that the Holy Spirit was responsible for it. 12:31 He had chosen a prophet, 12:33 in this case, the Prophet Solomon. 12:34 And He said, I want you to write about your experience 12:37 in this first love experience, 12:39 and marriage experience, a wedding experience 12:41 that Solomon had experienced. 12:44 And so God says, 12:45 "I want you to put it down 12:46 in a very beautiful and poetic text, 12:50 and I want you to tell the world 12:51 and I want you to tell all of my children," 12:53 God told Solomon, 12:54 "what romance truly is intended to look like." 12:58 And so that's what makes the Song of Solomon 13:01 a very important book. 13:02 Now, I have to confess 13:03 that there are certain portions of the Bible 13:05 not only in the Song of Solomon 13:07 but other portions of the Bible as well 13:09 that I would have to rate as PG. 13:11 Everybody know what PG means? 13:14 PG stands for parental guidance. 13:16 And, of course, the entertainment industry 13:17 came up with that term 13:18 as they were trying to determine how do we rate 13:22 different movies or TV programs and so on, 13:26 so that parents can make decisions 13:28 on what is appropriate 13:30 for their younger children to watch 13:32 and what is not appropriate. 13:34 Now, of course, as Christians, there is a number of things 13:36 that are not appropriate for any age, 13:38 and so I'm thankful for some of those ratings 13:40 for that regard as well. 13:42 But this particular book of the Bible is one 13:44 that I would have to rate as PG, 13:47 or perhaps PG 13, 13:50 you know, and some of us might even put it up 13:53 near the R rated version. 13:55 So that being said, 13:57 you know, when I had raised our daughters, 14:00 you know, one of the pleasures 14:02 that I had was be able to take my children 14:04 at night at times and when it was my turn 14:07 to be able to take one of our daughters into bed, 14:10 in their first growing years, 14:12 I would read the Bible, 14:13 verse by verse to them 14:15 as part of our tuck in devotional time. 14:17 And as a result of that, 14:18 by the time they got into their early teens, 14:20 they had been exposed to every verse of the Bible. 14:22 And I wanna highly recommend 14:23 that you do that with your children as well. 14:26 Now when I say every verse, 14:27 I have to kind of qualify that a little bit, 14:30 because the fact of the matter 14:31 is that there were certain verses 14:32 that it came along or even a passage 14:35 that would have come along too, 14:36 and I would just kind of conveniently, 14:38 you know, skip that passage 14:39 and continue on 14:40 knowing that that was something 14:42 that was intended for my daughter 14:44 when she became just a little older 14:45 and a little bit more mature, 14:46 that was a PG portion. 14:49 And so what am I saying? 14:51 What I'm saying is that I would not recommend 14:53 that you read this particular book 14:55 to your seven year old 14:56 as part of their tuck in devotional time. 15:00 It just wouldn't be appropriate for that age bracket. 15:04 But that being said, 15:06 I think it's also important to understand 15:08 that I would highly recommend 15:09 that all Christians 15:10 eventually come to read, and study, 15:12 and pray over this particular book. 15:14 Why? 15:15 Because God doesn't give us any of the counsels 15:18 and any of the sacred text for no reason. 15:21 He has a very needful reasons for us. 15:24 And so God gives us priceless counsel. 15:25 In this case, He gives us priceless counsel 15:27 and direction on romantic love 15:30 that is found between men and between women. 15:34 And romance is one of the most popular experiences 15:37 and portions of life 15:38 that there is in all of the human experience 15:41 in all of history. 15:42 And it's no different today. 15:45 But the problem is that we live in a world 15:46 where romance has been distorted 15:48 on a number of different fronts. 15:50 We live in a world 15:51 where romance has been changed 15:53 and it has been altered in ways 15:55 that bring some very negative consequences and results. 16:00 And so God says, listen, 16:01 I came up with romance. 16:03 I invented it. 16:04 It was My idea. 16:05 But the problem is 16:07 that we have so many different alternate ideas 16:09 about it, 16:10 that I wanna make sure that you understand 16:13 the real romance that I came up with, 16:15 just like every other topic. 16:17 And so does that make the Song of Solomon 16:18 a very priceless important book? 16:22 Sure it does, doesn't it? Yeah. 16:25 Okay, now not only is it priceless direction 16:28 and counsel in regards to romantic love 16:30 that takes place between a man and a woman, 16:32 a bride and a groom and such, 16:34 but there's also a very powerful allegory 16:37 that some of the earliest Christians 16:38 had also discovered 16:40 in concern to the relationship 16:41 between Christ and His church. 16:44 There is a deep love and transparency 16:48 that God desires 16:49 for us to be able to have with Him 16:50 as our maker. 16:52 And so there's nothing 16:54 that we should be ashamed of 16:55 to be able to share with our maker 16:57 in regards to our hearts, 16:59 in regards to our struggles or thoughts, 17:01 and even our thought life, 17:03 and some of our shortcomings that take place, 17:05 you know. 17:06 And so there's a deep allegory 17:09 that is also available in the same book 17:12 between the relationship of Christ 17:14 and His church. 17:16 But we don't have time to look at both 17:18 because one in itself, 17:19 the allegory in itself would be a whole week study 17:21 and a whole program study in itself. 17:24 And so I'm gonna take the direction 17:25 of the actual theme of this quarter 17:27 and this week lesson study 17:28 and look at the practical counsel 17:30 and implications that are there 17:32 concern the earthly romance, 17:34 concerning the romance between a man and a woman. 17:40 Now, although the Bible speaks about sex in a positive light, 17:44 in several places 17:45 you would be hard pressed 17:47 to find another Bible passage or book 17:50 that speaks of sex in the context of spirit lead, 17:53 and spirit filled romance, 17:55 romance that takes place between a bride and a groom, 17:59 between a husband and a wife. 18:02 Now, this brings up a very important subject. 18:05 And one of the days 18:07 of this week's lesson study points that out. 18:09 Now, I don't think that we'll have time to go 18:10 into all the details on that particular subject. 18:13 But I think it's important for us 18:14 to be able to pick up at this point, 18:16 that the context, 18:17 one of the first context 18:18 that we wanna pick up 18:19 in regards to the romance 18:20 that we find God directing and counseling 18:23 in this beautiful book, 18:24 is the fact that it's all found in the context 18:27 of the commitment of marriage, 18:30 that there is a bride 18:32 and that there is a... 18:33 There is a groom, there is a husband, 18:35 and there is a wife 18:37 throughout the entire book. 18:39 And so it's important for us to be able to understand. 18:41 And by the way, 18:42 the book of the Song of Solomon confirms that, 18:44 we're gonna look at that in a future text 18:47 in our study here today. 18:48 But there's several other passages 18:50 in the Old and New Testament 18:51 that make it very, very clear 18:52 that God has always intended sex and romance 18:54 to be found within the marriage union. 18:57 And so it's not by surprise 18:59 that we should find that context 19:00 in this beautiful love song. 19:03 Now, is that different from most of the love songs 19:05 that we hear on the radio today? 19:07 Is that different from most of the love stories 19:09 that we watch on television today? 19:12 It is, isn't it? 19:14 And so that's the first takeaway 19:16 that we have. 19:17 And the counsel that God gives to us 19:19 is that the context of romance and sex 19:21 is always and only been intended 19:23 to be found within the marriage union. 19:26 And so that's important for us to be able to, 19:29 to pick up as well. 19:31 And so the Song of Solomon, 19:32 that becomes a vital handbook for every husband, 19:35 for every wife, every potential husband, 19:37 every potential wife. 19:39 And so if you were one of those 19:40 that didn't put your hand up when I asked, 19:42 have you read the Song of Solomon before, 19:44 this is your introduction. 19:46 And so we're gonna get a good taste of it here today. 19:48 But I wanna encourage you to read it all the way through 19:50 and pray over it, and talk to the Lord about it 19:52 and ask Him how it fit in your life, 19:54 perhaps as a present husband or wife, 19:56 and then how God is talking to you 19:57 as a future husband 19:59 or a potential wife as well. 20:05 Well, as we look at Sunday's lesson, 20:06 we find that there's a bit of a brief history lesson 20:09 in concern to some Greek philosophy. 20:12 In this case, the Greek philosophy 20:13 is referred to as dualism. 20:16 And some of you are familiar with that, 20:18 some of you are not. 20:19 Now Plato, the ancient and famous Greek philosophers, 20:22 the one that kind of came up with it, 20:24 or at least he's the one 20:25 that made it well known and infamous, 20:29 and that is the philosophy of dualism. 20:31 Anybody know who had tutored 20:33 and had taught Plato by the way? 20:36 Anybody know who tutored and taught Plato? 20:39 Socrates. 20:40 Okay, so Socrates had tutored 20:43 and discipled Plato, 20:45 and then Plato discipled and tutored Aristotle. 20:49 Okay. 20:50 Does anybody know 20:51 who Aristotle tutored and taught? 20:54 Alexander the Great! Good. 20:56 Yes, yes, Vonda. 20:57 It was Alexander the Great, 20:58 the great Greek General and King. 21:01 Of course, he's famous in history not for philosophy 21:04 by any means, 21:05 but he's famous as a king 21:07 and a very successful general of wars. 21:10 He led his kind of Greek army to overcome 21:14 and develop his world empire. 21:17 And, of course, 21:19 the Persian Empire then was conquered 21:21 and expanded by Alexander the Great. 21:24 So that's just a little bit of side trivia, 21:26 but Plato 21:28 is in the middle of these three famous, 21:31 very influential Greek philosopher 21:33 that had preceded the Christian church, 21:35 and had influenced the Roman Empire 21:37 in which the Christian church was born 21:39 in a very real and sadly in a very detrimental way. 21:44 Now, the gist 21:46 or the simple gist of dualism 21:49 is that it rejects the physical world 21:51 and the flesh, the body, 21:52 all anything that you can touch, see, 21:54 smell or feel 21:57 or hear is evil, 22:00 and it's inferior. 22:01 The only thing that is not evil and inferior 22:03 and that is pure is the invisible soul or spirit 22:06 that is said to exist within ourselves. 22:09 Now, of course, that opens a whole other can of worms 22:11 because of course, 22:12 that's where the Christian church 22:13 that was born in that context 22:14 was influenced to start to adopt. 22:16 The soul is something that is invisible 22:18 and separate from the physical body, 22:20 which the Bible actually doesn't teach. 22:23 But we don't want to get sidetracked on that too far, 22:25 but in regards to the Song of Solomon, 22:27 romance and so on, 22:29 Plato's philosophy also influenced Christianity 22:32 and introduced ideas of holiness 22:34 that are actually opposed to the religion 22:37 of the Bible. 22:39 Dualism is not something that is, comes from the Bible. 22:44 It's not something that God wants us 22:46 to understand and live by, 22:48 and it certainly doesn't want us to influence us 22:50 into ideas of holiness. 22:52 Now, some people have got little bit confused sometimes 22:54 because the Apostle Paul actually was inspired to use 22:57 the popular philosophy and thought process of dualism 23:00 in some of his scriptures in the New Testament. 23:03 Ever heard of the sinful flesh that Paul talks about? 23:06 Okay, some of us have read that many times. 23:08 You know, Paul in several different times 23:10 talks about the flesh 23:12 and he uses the flesh 23:13 to symbolize the sinful nature 23:16 that all of us have been born with, 23:18 that we've been inherited because of Adam and Eve sin. 23:21 And so we all are born with a natural bent to sin, 23:25 we all have a propensity to this particular error. 23:29 And so Paul then was inspired to say, 23:32 well, that we can use the flesh to symbolize that. 23:37 But Paul was not asking us 23:39 or inviting us to adopt dualism. 23:41 No, not at all. 23:42 In fact, he said, 23:43 the only way that we can overcome 23:45 the sinful flesh 23:46 that we all experience 23:48 is through accepting 23:50 and having the abiding Holy Spirit 23:53 in our hearts, okay? 23:55 Does that sound like dualism? 23:57 No. 23:58 Okay, it sounds similar to it 23:59 and again Paul is kind of using something 24:01 that the minds of his generation 24:03 understood to a certain degree, 24:04 but now he's altering it 24:05 and putting the gospel in there. 24:07 And so he's saying the gospel experiences 24:09 that we are all born sinners, 24:10 we're all born condemned, 24:11 as we are all guilty and all have sinned 24:13 and therefore all face death. 24:15 But the good news 24:16 is that Jesus Christ came to die 24:17 in place of our sin, in place of our guilt, 24:20 and now we are open to the Holy Spirit, 24:22 we become born again 24:24 as Jesus placed it and coined it, 24:26 and therefore 24:27 we are now filled with the Spirit 24:29 that is outside of ourselves, 24:31 not some invisible soul or spirit 24:33 that we have internally 24:35 and intrinsically existing within us 24:37 as Plato taught in dualism, 24:38 but rather it is the Holy Spirit 24:41 that comes from outside, 24:43 God Himself starts to dwell in us 24:44 and our bodies are holy temples of the Holy Spirit. 24:49 Now, if our bodies are holy temples 24:50 of the Holy Spirit, 24:52 does that make our bodies important? 24:54 Sure, it does, 24:55 and that's in harmony with all the rest of the Bible, 24:58 all of the scriptures tell us 24:59 that God views us in a holistic way. 25:02 He created us. 25:03 He created Adam out of the material, 25:06 dust and elements of the earth. 25:08 And then He breathed into his nostrils 25:10 the breath of life, the spark of life 25:12 that helped his heart to start beating, 25:14 his mind to start thinking, 25:16 his lungs to start breathing. 25:18 And so we find that God has always intended 25:21 for us to understand 25:22 that there is a union between the mind and the body, 25:27 and our thinking or consciousness in the body. 25:31 And so the Bible takes a much more holistic 25:33 different view than that of Plato. 25:36 In Galatians 5:17, 25:39 it says, "I say, then walk in the Spirit," 25:42 now that's a capital S Spirit, Holy Spirit, 25:45 "and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." 25:49 Once again, so the key differences 25:50 that we need to be led 25:52 and live by the Holy Spirit, 25:53 not by our own spirit, 25:55 not by our own intrinsic soul 25:57 invisible of some kind, but by the Holy Spirit. 26:01 And so Paul never intended to tell us 26:03 that our physical bodies and its functions are evil. 26:05 It's something to be shunned. 26:08 And let's confirm that with one verse 26:09 and we have a volunteer 26:11 that has kindly agreed to read Romans 12:1. 26:16 And so we're gonna invite 26:19 Hoftis to read that for us. 26:21 Thank you, Hoftis. 26:22 Romans 12:1, 26:24 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 26:26 by the mercies of God, 26:28 that you present your bodies 26:29 a living sacrifice, 26:31 holy, acceptable to God, 26:33 which is your reasonable service." 26:36 Okay, so what does God want us to present to God? 26:41 Your bodies, 26:43 okay? 26:44 Does that include your mind? 26:46 Sure it does, okay? 26:47 Biologically includes your brain 26:48 but includes the rest 26:49 that's attached to it, right? 26:51 Okay, so God is asking us and telling us, 26:53 invited us to present our bodies, 26:55 everything from the top of our head 26:56 to the tips of our toes. 26:58 God wants to present us as a holistic person. 27:02 Our entire soul as the Bible properly teaches 27:05 of what a soul is. 27:06 And so as we bring that before the feet of Christ, 27:10 our entire being, 27:12 as a living sacrifice, 27:14 that we may demonstrate 27:15 that which is good and acceptable, 27:18 that good and acceptable service to prove 27:20 that God can work through us in a powerful way. 27:22 This is the pervading theme 27:25 that we find throughout the New Testament. 27:27 But again, sadly, many of the early, 27:29 most influential names and leaders 27:32 and pastors within the church 27:34 began to adopt much 27:36 of which they had been indoctrinated 27:37 before they were converted to Christianity, 27:39 and that is Platonism, or platonic thinking 27:41 and philosophy, 27:43 dualism, 27:44 and that is that there's something 27:46 evil intrinsically in the body, 27:49 ever since physical existence came into being. 27:52 And, of course, that would also include anything biologically 27:56 that exists within our bodies as well. 27:59 And so as it turns out, 28:00 the subject that we're looking at today 28:02 is romance 28:03 and a big part of romance within marriage 28:05 also includes biological sex, 28:07 it includes a sex life. 28:10 And so the early Christians and believers, 28:14 leaders started to view physical sex 28:16 as a necessary evil 28:19 to procreate at best. 28:22 And some of them even went further 28:23 and said that the texts that come in after the fall, 28:27 and before that one had even suggested 28:30 that we used to reproduce by some form of vegetation, 28:33 and in such. 28:36 And by the way, 28:37 I wanna be very sensitive 28:39 as we look at this particular subject 28:40 because I know 28:41 that there's some very sincere Christians 28:43 and people that I know and love very well 28:45 in this room that are watching online 28:46 or on TV and such. 28:48 And I've been pastoring for 20 something years now. 28:51 And in that I've been exposed 28:53 to a lot of different members' 28:54 perspectives and so on. 28:56 Now, I had some sincere, beautiful Christians 28:59 that will come to me and said, 29:00 "I always understood sex as something 29:01 as a result of sin 29:02 that came in after sin." 29:04 And so this is not just ancient history 29:06 that we're looking at, 29:07 we're also looking at some perspectives 29:08 that some of you may have even here this morning. 29:12 And so we wanna be able to find out 29:14 what the Bible teaches. 29:15 Amen? 29:18 And so sadly, 29:20 again in early history in the very first centuries, 29:22 many of the biggest and most influential names 29:24 in early Christianity, they even conclude 29:27 that indeed physical sex was a necessary evil 29:31 that came in as a result of sin. 29:34 Now, Clement was one of those names, 29:36 Alexandria, Tertullian, Ambrose, Chrysostom, 29:41 Jerome is a more well-known historical name origin, 29:45 Thomas Aquinas, 29:46 Augustine 29:48 or Augustine as some of us might pronounce it. 29:51 All concluded that sex was either a result 29:54 of the original sin 29:55 or was never intended for pleasure 29:57 and only was to be practiced 29:59 when you're intending on having more children. 30:02 It was only to be practiced 30:03 when you're intending on making babies. 30:07 Now, since the position of the priest 30:09 came to be known as the holiest of all callings, 30:12 and certainly comes with a high responsibility, 30:15 and even though we don't use the term priest today 30:17 within our church rightly and biblically so because this, 30:20 we only have one priest, and that's the high priest, 30:22 Jesus Christ. 30:24 And the Old Testament priesthood 30:26 and priests were only designed 30:27 as a shadow pointing to the ultimate substance, 30:29 which is Christ. 30:30 But nevertheless, I stand in a position 30:32 that is very similar as a pastor to that 30:34 of the early priests of the first centuries. 30:36 And that comes with a lot of responsibility 30:38 and we feel, if you're sincere, 30:40 the weight of that responsibility 30:43 that God gives to us. 30:45 Does that mean that God has called me 30:46 to lead a holier life than you? 30:49 Well, it's another subject but the answer really is no. 30:52 All of us are called to the same standard of holiness, 30:55 yes or no? 30:56 Sure, we are. Okay. 30:58 Some of you are starting to process that. 31:00 You know, I've had some people come up to me, 31:02 even my daughters and they say, "Have you ever sinned?" 31:07 You know, they are welcomed, 31:08 though I'd swear they could almost see a bit of a glow 31:11 over their heads, you know and in such. 31:15 And so, no, God has called us all 31:17 to the same standard of holiness. 31:18 But another thing that came into the early church 31:21 in the first centuries was that 31:22 to be a priest was a holiest calling, 31:25 it was the holiest of callings. 31:27 And God has called every man to be a man of God, 31:30 yes or no? 31:31 Not just me. 31:32 Every Christian should be recognized 31:34 that they're just as called to be a man of God as I am. 31:38 All of us are called to be men and women of God. 31:41 And so the priest was the holiest of callings. 31:43 And so the next natural step in this kind of distorted view 31:46 that dualism had brought into the church 31:48 and into the theology 31:49 and the thinking of the Christians 31:51 of those early centuries, 31:52 is that it was to lead to the next mistake 31:55 was to forbid priests and their holy calling 31:58 and the holiest of callings to either marry 32:00 and therefore also not engage in any kind of romantic 32:03 lifestyle and experience. 32:06 And so, of course, if sex is evil, 32:10 then of course, to be in the holiest of callings, 32:13 you need to be able to make sure 32:14 you never expose yourself to that evil. 32:16 And so it was forbidden to be married. 32:19 Now unknown to the church, and this is fascinating, 32:21 but the church in the sixth century, 32:23 now this is in the 500s AD, 32:25 not too long into the church's history 32:26 compared to our day and age. 32:28 The church also began to forbid any of its married members, 32:31 married members from engaging in any sexual activity 32:35 on certain days of the year. 32:37 In fact, they got so carried away that 32:38 over half of the calendar days were forbidden. 32:41 And, you know, interesting, fascinating stuff. 32:45 Now, is this biblical? 32:47 No, not at all. 32:51 Now, it's important to understand that 32:52 all of this stems from a very wrong 32:54 and unbiblical understanding of our bodies and of sexuality. 32:58 Whenever we depart from God's plan 33:00 and Bible truth, 33:01 I think it's important for us to understand that 33:02 we always suffer negative consequences. 33:05 And this is no exception. 33:08 We can't ignore this. 33:10 Is it a more uncomfortable subject? 33:12 Yeah, some of us get a little bit squirmy, 33:14 you know, when we talk about this subject. 33:16 We're saying, "Hey, you know, 33:17 I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this." 33:19 But you know what? 33:20 The fact of the matter is, it comes from God. 33:23 And it's so important that He gave us 33:25 a whole book in the Bible 33:26 to give us some important counsel 33:28 and directive on it. 33:32 So to view sex within marriage, 33:34 and some of us have mistakenly come to that conclusion 33:37 that sex is either gross, or it's sinful, 33:41 this is not in harmony with the Bible. 33:43 It will always bring unhappiness. 33:46 And not only do we, 33:47 if we have this distorted view of sex, 33:50 it also will come with some very real sins 33:53 that can result 33:54 from that particular conclusion and perspective. 33:57 And God wants you to have a happy marriage. 34:01 And God wants you to be able to avoid real sin, 34:03 yes or no? 34:04 And so that's why it's important for us 34:06 to be able to open our hearts and our minds 34:07 to what God wants to speak to us 34:10 in regards to this particular subject. 34:13 We don't want to be found fighting 34:14 against the wisdom and plan of God. 34:17 This is where the Song of Solomon 34:18 can come to our rescue. 34:20 This is where the Song of Solomon can speak to us 34:23 in a needful way. 34:24 It presents sex in its proper light. 34:27 It presents it in true love between one man 34:30 and between one woman, again and the commitment of? 34:33 Of the marriage commitment. 34:35 Okay. 34:36 It is here that we find biblical romance 34:38 that God wants all married people 34:41 to experience. 34:44 Now, at the same time, 34:46 I wanna stop and just spend a couple of minutes 34:48 telling one or more individuals 34:50 that I know is in this room today, 34:53 that I know is watching this program right now. 34:56 And that is in regards to sexual abuse. 34:59 Now sadly, sexual abuse is something 35:03 that many of us have experienced. 35:06 More than one of us in this room 35:07 has experienced it as a child. 35:09 When we are exposed to sexual abuse 35:11 either as a child and some of us have been 35:13 exposed to criminal rape and so on. 35:16 When we experience that, and now and again as a pastor, 35:19 you know, I'm fortunate I wasn't exposed to that. 35:22 I've never experienced that, 35:24 my wife has never experienced that 35:25 and so our marriage doesn't struggle with that. 35:27 But I know that more than one marriage 35:29 here struggles with that, 35:30 more than one person is struggling with that. 35:33 And sadly, more than 50% of us 35:37 are exposed to that before we reach adulthood. 35:40 That's the reality of our day and age, 35:43 you know. 35:44 The reason I bring it up is 35:45 because we're looking at the subject, 35:47 and the Song of Solomon is something that presents it 35:49 in a needful, and positive, and contextual way. 35:54 But I understand that if sex is something 35:56 that you've concluded is either gross or sinful 35:59 or something that is distorted 36:01 and you understand that that's tied 36:03 to your experience in the past 36:04 because you've been abused, you've been victimized 36:08 because of it. 36:09 And I just wanna encourage you 36:12 to spend some prayerful time 36:14 going through the book of the Song of Solomon, 36:16 and saying, Lord, help to straighten things 36:19 out of my heart and my mind, 36:20 help me to understand 36:22 how you view romance 36:24 and how you want my marriage to be. 36:26 And God can do some beautiful things in your heart. 36:30 Spend some time praying over it. 36:31 And if you haven't talked to your spouse about it, 36:34 I wanna encourage you 36:35 to open up to your spouse about it. 36:37 You know, I've talked to one or more members 36:39 over the years that have come to me and said, 36:40 "Pastor I was raped repeatedly times 36:43 when I was growing up as a girl." 36:44 And, of course, I'm not going to share the gory details, 36:47 but she had been married for well over 25 years, 36:50 and she knew that her sex life, 36:52 her romance was not where it really should be, 36:56 and where God wanted it to be. 36:57 And she knew the reason 36:58 and so she opened up with me first, 37:01 but I said, "You know, 37:03 you got to work through this with your husband as well." 37:07 So I just wanna encourage you, 37:09 talk to your spouse open up with them 37:11 and start to share your heart and work through it together 37:13 as you prayerfully work through that together. 37:15 Because if you hadn't, 37:17 it's affecting your marriage inevitably, 37:18 at some measure it's affected your marriage 37:21 in a negative way. 37:22 And it's robbing you from some happiness 37:24 that God wants you to have, 37:26 that you're not experiencing now. 37:28 So 37:30 I'm really sorry that, you know, 37:31 that we have to talk about these things sometimes. 37:34 You know, because 37:36 I know they're not easy to talk about 37:38 and yet they're part of the human experience. 37:41 And we are in a worst place, if we don't talk about it. 37:47 And so it makes the Song of Solomon a priceless tool 37:49 for you as well. 37:51 Now, this is a very long intro to a book 37:53 that we've only read one verse from so far, isn't it? 37:57 Let's read some sample verses that reveal the romance. 38:00 Now I just wanna tell volunteer number two 38:01 that I did save 38:02 and they probably read it already ahead of time. 38:04 I've saved the easy verses for the volunteers 38:06 just to be easier. 38:08 Okay, so Solomon 1:2, 38:12 and then we're also gonna look at 2:6-7. 38:16 And so our volunteer number two, 38:19 Alberto is gonna be a little bit busier. 38:21 Case, Song of Solomon 1:2. 38:25 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, 38:30 for your love is better than wine." 38:33 Solomon 2:6-7, 38:35 "His left hand is under my head, 38:38 and his right hand embraces me. 38:40 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, 38:43 but the gazelles or by the does of the field, 38:46 to nastier up nor awaken love until it pleases." 38:52 Okay, thank you. Does that sound romantic? 38:55 Does it sound physical? 38:57 Sure, it does. Okay. 38:59 Within the marriage union, 39:00 physical romance is part of God's plan. 39:03 You know, even as he is describing there, 39:05 you know, the groom's, 39:07 the man's hand is behind her head 39:09 and embracing here and so on. 39:11 And this is more intense intimacy, isn't it 39:15 that's been described here. 39:16 This is more than just a quick peck on the cheek 39:18 or a peck on the lips, you know. 39:20 This is real romance within the marriage union. 39:24 And so the Bible talks about it in a very real and open way, 39:28 in a holistic way. 39:30 Sounds very romantic. 39:31 And it's also good counsel here. 39:33 And I just want to talk about 39:35 I should say in a way that counsels our young people, 39:38 those who are single that are listening here today, 39:41 and that is that 39:43 God has also told us in that 2:7, 39:46 we have some advice from the bride 39:49 to those who are not brides yet, 39:51 from the bride to those who are single yet. 39:54 And she's saying, hey, listen, when it comes to engaging 39:56 in some of this more intense intimacy, 39:59 including this particular style of kissing, 40:02 is designed and withheld or should be reserved 40:05 until marriage, until you find the one 40:07 that you're gonna spend the rest of your life with. 40:10 You know, there's a saying, 40:11 and maybe I'm making up the saying, 40:12 I'm not sure exactly how it goes. 40:14 But once you start warming up the oven, 40:17 it can be very difficult to cool it back down. 40:21 And some couples have made the mistake 40:23 of warming up the oven 40:24 and then they can't cool it down. 40:25 And next thing, you know, they have a bun in the oven. 40:30 And I know that we're getting a bit of chuckle out of that, 40:33 and we need to break the tension a little bit. 40:34 But I'm telling you, as a pastor, 40:35 I've had more than one or two young women 40:39 that have come to me and some of them, 40:40 you know, they had demonstrated 40:41 through the years before that 40:42 they were saving their virginity 40:43 for the special man that they were gonna marry. 40:46 They were saving themselves 40:47 and they'll come up to me in tears in privacy 40:49 and they're just bawling. 40:50 And they're saying, "You know, Pastor, 40:52 I made the mistake, I started to engage in, 40:54 start to warm up the oven and we couldn't cool it down. 40:57 And now I'm pregnant." 40:59 You know, the first time 41:02 she compromised and now she's with child. 41:06 You know, this is serious stuff, 41:07 is it not? 41:08 Yeah, there's some very negative consequences. 41:10 And so we find that it's repeated three times, 41:13 verse 7 is repeated later in Chapter 3 41:15 and then I think it's later in Chapter 8, 41:18 three times we find this counsel 41:19 from the bride and saying, "Hey, listen, 41:21 don't start warming up the oven too much 41:22 until you know that, that's the one, 41:24 until you know that you found your bride, 41:26 you found your groom." 41:29 Even worse than that, bun in the oven 41:31 is falling in love, 41:32 you start to fan the flames too much, 41:34 you start to warm up the oven too far 41:36 and then all kinds of hormones and emotions 41:39 start to flood into your brain, and your mind, 41:41 and your heart and now you can't think straight. 41:44 And now you're making decisions that you shouldn't 41:47 because this is not the woman that God intended for you. 41:49 Maybe this is not the man that God intended for be. 41:52 But now you're seeing red 41:55 because you started to fan the flames too early. 42:00 Now scientific research has revealed 42:01 that our bodies release several different hormones 42:04 during sexual experience. 42:06 One of those is oxytocin. 42:08 Now oxytocin is more familiar 42:10 and more well-known to be the hormone 42:12 that God has created in a woman, 42:13 in a mother that is released in a very substantial measure 42:17 when she is both giving birth to a child 42:20 as well as when she's breastfeeding. 42:22 Why? 42:23 Because science research has discovered 42:25 that hormone develops an emotional bond 42:30 that would never be as strong 42:31 if it wasn't for that hormone being released. 42:33 And so God is forming a bond 42:35 between the mother and the child 42:37 in a very powerful way. 42:40 Now, the fascinating thing is 42:42 that science has also revealed and discovered 42:44 that oxytocin is released in a very substantial measure 42:48 when a woman is engaged in sexual activity. 42:51 Why? 42:52 Because God had designed that 42:55 for the heart of the woman and also the man 42:56 to a real degree as well. 42:58 It releases oxytocin to bind an emotional binding 43:03 and bond that was never designed 43:06 to be broken again. 43:09 And that's why God designed it that way. 43:10 Why? 43:11 Because when you consummate your marriage, 43:13 when you have your fun in your honeymoon and so on, 43:15 you are bonding your hearts together in a way 43:19 that God has designed you to become one 43:21 and never to be separated again. 43:23 It's a beautiful picture biologically and scientifically 43:26 when you see it in the context of the commitment of marriage, 43:28 but when we start to engage in it outside of marriage, 43:31 it creates a big mess, doesn't it? 43:33 And that's why we have so many broken hearts. 43:35 Many of us have experienced a number of deep 43:38 and broken hearts 43:39 before we ever find the person that we marry, 43:41 because we left the counsel of God. 43:45 And on the same vein, 43:46 I wanna talk some on dating and going steady. 43:48 The Shulamite's counsel 43:49 also can apply in principle to the youth. 43:52 And that is don't make the mistake of following 43:54 what the world models for you and don't start dating 43:57 and going steady with men and women 43:59 or even worse with boys and girls. 44:02 Okay, boys don't get married. 44:05 Girls don't get married or they shouldn't 44:08 not in our day and age anyway. 44:10 Okay? 44:11 Men get married 44:13 and by the way ladies don't pipe down, 44:14 I don't get start preaching a sermon 44:15 I have coming you know, you know, 44:16 don't marry a boy, you marry a man. 44:19 Okay, ladies. 44:20 And sometimes well say, well, boys will be boys. 44:22 Yeah, that's right. They are still boys. 44:24 If he's still a boy don't marry him. 44:25 He's not a man. 44:28 God has only intended women to marry men. 44:31 And so make sure that he's a man 44:32 before you marry him. 44:33 That's a different subject. 44:36 So yeah, don't follow what the world models. 44:39 Now, I know the world models 44:40 that once you reach grade school time nowadays, 44:43 you know, it's cool, it's invoke, 44:46 you know, that in fact, 44:47 some parents are encouraging you 44:48 to start engaging and dating and going steady. 44:51 Start practicing for that special person 44:53 you gonna have in the future. 44:54 Listen, that's just a bunch of hogwash. 44:59 Don't follow it. Don't fall for it. 45:00 That's what the world models, 45:01 but that's not what God gives to us. 45:04 You start dating 45:05 and you start going steady with somebody 45:06 only when you know that you're seriously ready 45:08 and that person is seriously ready in considering marriage. 45:11 You'll save yourself 45:12 a whole lot of pain and heartache. 45:16 Now, because of this, my wife and I 45:17 had decided very early on 45:19 after we had our first child 45:20 that we would not allow our children 45:21 to watch any entertainment that involved 45:23 or model teenage romance. 45:25 Now, teenage romance is just pervasive. 45:27 There's so much of our entertainment industry 45:29 today. 45:30 And we decide we are not gonna expose our children, 45:33 our daughters to any kind of teenage romance. 45:35 Why? 45:36 Because that's not part of God's plan. 45:38 So why would I want to expose them 45:39 to a model that tells them 45:40 something different than what God has planned for them. 45:44 Now for some of us, 45:45 I know that kind of steps on some toes, 45:48 you know, one of Denise's favorite movies 45:49 when she grow up was "The Sound of Music." 45:54 Now The Sound of Music has some real teenage romance 45:56 and so Denise and I scratched our head and we thought, 45:59 "Where do we go with this?" 46:00 You know, this is one of the classics 46:01 but friends, we decided no. 46:03 We're not gonna allow our daughters 46:04 to be exposed to any teenage romance, 46:06 even if it's as benign as the Sound of Music. 46:10 So this is something for you to take away 46:12 and talk about. 46:13 Okay, we're almost out of time. 46:16 In one way I can say, 46:18 I don't have to get into the deeper stuff, 46:21 but let's go to Chapter 4. 46:25 And we're just gonna go to the punch line of the book, 46:28 4:1, says, "Behold, you are fair, my love." 46:32 Now this is the groom. 46:34 This is Solomon, the groom speaking to his bride, 46:36 he says, "Behold, you are fair, my love! 46:38 Behold, you are fair! 46:39 You have dove eyes like your veil, 46:41 behind your veil. 46:42 Your hair is like a flock of goats 46:44 going down from Mount Gilead." 46:47 You know, when my wife and I read this together 46:49 years and years ago 46:50 at the beginning of our relationship, 46:52 and we used to tease each other and you know, 46:54 we read somewhere, 46:55 I went to a marriage encounter and they said, 46:56 "Never go to bed 46:57 without telling your spouse you love them, 46:58 and always give them one compliment." 47:01 And so when we say good night, at night, 47:02 I'd say, "Good night, honey, 47:03 and so by the way, I love you 47:05 and your hair's like a flock of goats." 47:11 She wasn't sure how to take it, 47:12 we still kind of giggle over that. 47:15 "Your teeth are like the flock of shorn sheep," 47:18 of course, nice and white and clean, 47:20 "which have come from the washing, 47:21 every one which bears twins, 47:23 and none is barren among you. 47:25 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet 47:26 and your mouth is lovely. 47:28 Your temples behind your veil 47:29 are like a piece of pomegranate. 47:31 Your neck is like the Tower of David, 47:33 built for an armory, 47:34 on which hang thousand bucklers, 47:36 all shields of mighty men." 47:39 Now I have to confess, I'm gonna go ahead 47:40 and skip number five. 47:42 And the reason being is that 47:44 I know this is program for family, 47:45 programming on different television networks. 47:47 And so I'm not gonna put them on the spot that way. 47:49 You go ahead and read that yourself. 47:51 Verse 6, it says, "Until the day breaks 47:53 and the shadows flee away, 47:54 I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh 47:56 into the hill of frankincense. 47:58 You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you." 48:03 As far as he was concerned she was perfect. 48:05 Now, not too many wives find themselves 48:08 with a perfect body, 48:10 you know, like the models in the magazines and so on. 48:13 And this one probably wasn't perfect either 48:15 in regards to her physical body 48:17 but the point is that for him she was perfect. 48:20 And that's the view that God wants us 48:22 to have about all our wives. 48:24 "You are fair, oh my love, and there is no spot in you. 48:27 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse," 48:30 and there's the context of marriage again, 48:32 "with me from Lebanon. 48:33 Look from the top of Amana, 48:35 from the top of Shenir and from Hermon," 48:37 these are all mountains in Israel, 48:38 "from the lions' dens 48:39 and from the mountains of the leopards." 48:42 Sounds a whole lot like lookout point here, doesn't it? 48:46 "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse," 48:49 now she wasn't his physical sister 48:51 but sister in the faith as Jesus said, 48:54 if you believe and follow the will of God, 48:55 you are my sister. 48:57 "You have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, 49:01 with one link of your necklace. 49:03 How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! 49:05 How much better than wine is your love, 49:07 and the scent of your perfumes than all spices! 49:10 Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb, 49:13 honey and milk are under your tongue 49:15 and the fragrance of your garments 49:16 is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 49:18 A garden enclosed, is my sister, my spouse, 49:21 a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." 49:23 And by the way, 49:24 this is symbolically speaking of the bride 49:26 presenting her virginity before her groom. 49:30 Now that's another subject 49:31 if you've already lost that part of your experience 49:34 and you haven't found that special person to marry, 49:37 God can still make you a spiritual virgin. 49:40 "Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates 49:42 with pleasant fruits, and fragrant henna 49:44 and spikenard. 49:45 Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, 49:47 with all the trees of frankincense, 49:48 myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. 49:52 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, 49:54 and streams from Lebanon." 49:57 And then we have the Shulamite 49:59 that's the bride who comes from the town of Shulem. 50:02 "Awake, O North wind, and come, O south! 50:04 Blow upon my garden that it spices may flow out. 50:08 Let my beloved come to his garden 50:10 and eat its pleasant fruits." 50:12 And then the groom responds. 50:13 "I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse. 50:16 I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. 50:18 I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey. 50:20 I have drunk my wine with my milk." 50:24 Is it just me or is it getting hot here? 50:32 The groom has arrived to the Promised Land. 50:35 Okay, he's using the language of milk and honey, is he not? 50:39 All right. 50:40 So this is beautiful love romance 50:43 that God has designed for us 50:44 to be able to experience as a husband and as a wife. 50:48 This not only speaks of having a good romantic 50:51 physical relationship with each other, 50:52 one that brings happiness and joy and bonding of hearts. 50:56 Of course, but it's also something 50:57 that is based on pure love, godly love. 51:01 And that's important for us to understand as well. 51:05 Well, we're wrapping up and I think we're out of time. 51:07 And, of course, there's always some other good stuff 51:10 that I was looking forward to be able to share with you. 51:14 And, of course, one of those as it points out on Monday, 51:17 and I'm just going to close with that. 51:19 And in fact, I'm gonna ask our volunteer, 51:21 if they can read and 51:22 we can see if we can fit that into this program or not, 51:24 we'll see. 51:25 Go ahead, please. 51:27 "His mouth is most sweet. 51:30 Yes, he altogether lovely. 51:34 This is my beloved. 51:36 And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." 51:39 Okay, so what is the spouse refer to? 51:45 I think it's her as spouse, I mean as a friend, 51:50 and too often as husband and wife, we lose that. 51:54 And we think well, it's just about the romance, 51:55 it's sharing the bills and sharing the kids and so on, 51:58 and we forget 51:59 and we missed one of the main points of marriage 52:02 and that God has called the husband 52:03 to be the best friend of the wife. 52:05 And for all husbands out there, 52:07 your wife should be your best friend, 52:09 your closest companion. 52:11 If you're spending more time 52:12 with friends outside of your marriage 52:15 of the same gender 52:16 rather than with your spouse, that's a problem. 52:20 You know why? 52:21 Because God has called 52:22 your closest and most constant companion 52:24 to be your spouse. 52:26 "Well, I don't like my spouse!" 52:28 Well, then you have a bigger problem. 52:30 And you need to address both of those problems, 52:32 if you want happiness in your marriage and in your life. 52:34 And so we'll leave it at that. 52:36 We are just so thankful that you've joined us here today. 52:38 I know that this has been a unique subject, 52:41 we're happy that we could study it here together. 52:43 We look forward to seeing you next week 52:45 and God bless you. 52:46 Until then we love you. 52:48 Don't forget to request 52:49 today's life changing free resource. 52:51 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 52:54 you can download a digital copy straight to your computer 52:56 or mobile device. 52:58 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 53:00 simply text the keyword on your screen 53:02 to 40544 53:04 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 53:07 And be sure to select a digital download option 53:10 on the request page. 53:11 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 53:14 with Amazing Facts 53:16 wherever and whenever you want 53:17 and most important, to share it with others. 53:22 Did you know Amazing Facts has a free Bible school 53:24 that you can do from the comfort of your own home? 53:27 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons 53:30 to aid in your study of God's Word. 53:32 Sign up today for this free Bible study course 53:35 by calling 1-844-215-7000. 53:38 That's 1-844-215-7000. 54:11 We are all part of the family of God. 54:14 This is what you heard each of our friends just say. 54:17 Hi, we're here in Papua New Guinea, 54:18 where the people speak over 800 different languages. 54:22 In fact, this is the most language diverse place 54:25 in the entire world. 54:27 The reason for that 54:28 is because of the topography of this country 54:31 with the tall mountains, steep ravines, 54:33 deep gorges and rushing rivers. 54:35 Over the millennia, as the country was settled, 54:38 the different people and tribes were isolated by the terrain. 54:41 So they evolved their own very distinct languages. 54:45 When people cannot communicate, 54:47 sometimes it causes misunderstandings. 54:49 So the people in New Guinea have overcome that 54:51 by speaking a common Pidgin English. 54:57 It's a very beautiful dialect that combines some German, 55:00 some English words and some of the tribal words. 55:08 You can read in the Bible in Genesis Chapter 11, 55:11 there was once a time 55:12 when all the world spoke one language. 55:15 But then men began to rebel against God. 55:17 They started to build a tower as a monument 55:19 to manmade salvation and manmade worship. 55:23 It's better known as the Tower of Babel. 55:25 Matter of fact, after God confused the languages, 55:28 people started babbling, which is where we get the word. 55:31 For thousands of years, 55:32 this confusion of tongues 55:34 caused all kinds of problems in communication, 55:36 even wars were fought. 55:38 But then, in Acts Chapter 2, in the upper room, 55:41 God did something extraordinary 55:43 to reverse the curse of the confusion of tongues. 55:46 He poured out the Holy Spirit, and Jesus did what He promised. 55:50 He said, "You will speak with other tongues," 55:53 Mark Chapter 16. 55:54 The disciples were supernaturally 55:56 given the ability 55:57 to communicate in many different tongues 56:00 the good news of God. 56:01 Throughout the Bible, we learn that sin causes division. 56:04 On the other hand, God is love. 56:06 And so when we're filled with the Spirit of God, 56:09 we naturally have love for one another. 56:11 This is the big command in the Bible 56:13 that we should love one another. 56:14 Jesus' prayer for His people in John 17 is, 56:17 "Father, that they might love each other and be one, 56:20 even as we are one." 56:22 Paul says in the Book of 1 Corinthians, 56:24 "That we're many different parts, 56:26 but we are one body." 56:28 And so this is God's plan that we might all be one 56:31 and speak the language of heaven. 56:33 So if we have the Spirit of God, 56:35 we will have the love of God 56:37 because love is the language of God 56:39 and we will all be of one family. 57:34 The heavens were parted for him. 57:36 The Holy Spirit came down. 57:38 This is what God wants you to experience. 57:40 You come to Christ, 57:41 your sins are washed away, you become a new creature. 57:45 It's a land of beginning again, 57:46 and how many of you wish you can restart. 57:50 "For I was hungry 57:52 and you gave Me something to eat. 57:55 Inasmuch you shall do it to one of the least of these, 57:58 My brethren, you did it to Me." |
Revised 2019-05-07