The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, 00:00:01.36\00:00:04.17 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:00:04.20\00:00:08.44 It says to, "Receive with meekness 00:00:08.47\00:00:10.77 the implanted Word, 00:00:10.81\00:00:12.24 which is able to save your souls 00:00:12.27\00:00:14.58 and to be diligent 00:00:14.61\00:00:15.94 to present yourself approved to God, 00:00:15.98\00:00:18.45 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:00:18.48\00:00:21.38 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:00:21.42\00:00:25.75 Our study today is Family Seasons. 00:00:25.79\00:00:28.62 Hello, I'm Shelly Quinn, and we welcome you 00:00:34.43\00:00:37.47 to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:00:37.50\00:00:40.64 I'm going to do something I've never done 00:00:40.67\00:00:43.51 and I don't think we've ever done this 00:00:43.54\00:00:44.87 on the Sabbath School Panel. 00:00:44.91\00:00:46.61 Our study this week is on the Song of Solomon, 00:00:46.64\00:00:50.95 the royal love song. 00:00:50.98\00:00:53.25 This is a look at the beauty and the bliss of marriage 00:00:53.28\00:00:57.89 and actually it's the pure, devoted, 00:00:57.92\00:01:02.82 romantic love of a husband and wife 00:01:02.86\00:01:07.10 on the day of their wedding 00:01:07.13\00:01:10.27 and the night of their marital bliss. 00:01:10.30\00:01:14.24 I want to encourage parents. 00:01:14.27\00:01:17.81 If you think that your children are too young, 00:01:17.84\00:01:21.18 too immature to understand the Bible verses 00:01:21.21\00:01:25.65 or to even hear the Bible verses 00:01:25.68\00:01:28.38 that we will read in a Song of Solomon, 00:01:28.42\00:01:32.39 then I'd encourage you 00:01:32.42\00:01:33.82 to send them out of the room right now. 00:01:33.86\00:01:36.22 However, if you think your child, 00:01:36.26\00:01:40.10 if there is a child 00:01:40.13\00:01:41.46 who is maybe approaching the teen years 00:01:41.50\00:01:44.07 or in the teen years, 00:01:44.10\00:01:45.83 and you think that you need a way 00:01:45.87\00:01:47.90 to open up a discussion, 00:01:47.94\00:01:50.24 this is a beautiful lesson that will open that discussion. 00:01:50.27\00:01:54.08 And I just have to say this. 00:01:54.11\00:01:56.28 The secular world has stolen the narrative on sex. 00:01:56.31\00:02:02.92 That's right. 00:02:02.95\00:02:04.29 And they make it something that they degrade it 00:02:04.32\00:02:06.99 to a kind of like an animal passion, 00:02:07.02\00:02:10.33 but in some cultures, 00:02:10.36\00:02:12.93 and some times in the church we find people who think 00:02:12.96\00:02:16.33 that sex isn't something to be talked about. 00:02:16.36\00:02:20.14 If we look at the Bible, 00:02:20.17\00:02:21.70 either one of these extremes `is wrong 00:02:21.74\00:02:24.91 because God created us a sexual human beings 00:02:24.94\00:02:29.91 and He created marriage 00:02:29.94\00:02:33.01 with the arena of that expression, 00:02:33.05\00:02:35.72 and the romantic relationship between a committed couple 00:02:35.75\00:02:40.76 is a beautiful picture what we will see today 00:02:40.79\00:02:45.56 of emotional intimacy 00:02:45.59\00:02:49.86 and these fulfillment of sensuality. 00:02:49.90\00:02:55.40 So having said that, 00:02:55.44\00:02:58.61 we're going to give you a moment 00:02:58.64\00:02:59.97 to send your children out if you think so 00:03:00.01\00:03:02.78 because this is to me, 00:03:02.81\00:03:05.91 this is like revisiting the innocence 00:03:05.95\00:03:09.08 of Adam and Eve in the garden. 00:03:09.12\00:03:10.99 When you read this Song of Solomon, 00:03:11.02\00:03:13.32 there is just the beauty of this delightful innocence 00:03:13.36\00:03:18.76 and their love making is precious. 00:03:18.79\00:03:20.96 So what we're going to do first is tell you 00:03:21.00\00:03:24.40 that if you need a copy of this, 00:03:24.43\00:03:26.20 you can go to your Adventist Church, 00:03:26.23\00:03:29.00 and get a copy of our quarterly and study along with this 00:03:29.04\00:03:32.47 or you can download it from the internet 00:03:32.51\00:03:35.31 by going to ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:03:35.34\00:03:41.45 Ryan, I think that even before I read the memory text, 00:03:41.48\00:03:45.79 I think we need some special prayer for this. 00:03:45.82\00:03:47.56 Oh, absolutely. 00:03:47.59\00:03:48.92 Yes, let's pray. 00:03:48.96\00:03:51.23 Dear Father in heaven, 00:03:51.26\00:03:54.66 topic such as this need a special leader, 00:03:54.70\00:03:59.90 and, Lord, we certainly need Your leadership, 00:03:59.93\00:04:02.14 we need Your guidance right now. 00:04:02.17\00:04:04.14 We don't want our own thoughts, 00:04:04.17\00:04:05.51 our own ideas, our own opinions, Lord, 00:04:05.54\00:04:07.48 we simply just want Your truth, 00:04:07.51\00:04:09.11 Your word, your guidance, your mind to be ours. 00:04:09.14\00:04:13.21 Hide us behind Jesus. 00:04:13.25\00:04:14.58 May every person who hears to study 00:04:14.62\00:04:16.42 including ourselves, Lord, 00:04:16.45\00:04:17.79 may we been drawn closer to the savior, 00:04:17.82\00:04:20.19 and may we be drawn closer to each other 00:04:20.22\00:04:21.92 because we're talking about family, Lord, 00:04:21.96\00:04:23.86 and You created the family, 00:04:23.89\00:04:26.09 it is Your word who established. 00:04:26.13\00:04:27.76 And, Lord, we thank You so much 00:04:27.80\00:04:29.16 for all that You have done for us, 00:04:29.20\00:04:31.07 and for who You are, 00:04:31.10\00:04:32.60 we ask a special blessing upon this lesson right now, 00:04:32.63\00:04:35.54 in Jesus' precious name we pray, amen. 00:04:35.57\00:04:38.21 Amen. Thank you, Ryan. 00:04:38.24\00:04:40.08 Let me go ahead and introduce the rest of our panel. 00:04:40.11\00:04:43.21 Next to me is my dear friend Pastor Kenny Shelton. 00:04:43.24\00:04:46.68 We're so glad to have you here, 00:04:46.72\00:04:48.28 my own pastor, Pastor John Lomacang, 00:04:48.32\00:04:52.72 my dear friend and sister, Jill Morikone, 00:04:52.75\00:04:57.29 and then our wonderful pastor, Ryan Day. 00:04:57.33\00:05:00.70 We're so glad to have each one of you here. 00:05:00.73\00:05:03.57 Let's look at our memory text, 00:05:03.60\00:05:05.77 and this is Song of Solomon 8:6, 00:05:05.80\00:05:09.70 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, 00:05:09.74\00:05:12.04 as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, 00:05:12.07\00:05:16.08 jealousy as cruel as the grave, 00:05:16.11\00:05:19.08 its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame." 00:05:19.11\00:05:24.49 Now, marriage, we have looked at 00:05:24.52\00:05:27.46 as a grand change in life, 00:05:27.49\00:05:29.96 and marriage brings challenges and it brings blessings. 00:05:29.99\00:05:33.80 And conjugal love between a husband and his wife 00:05:33.83\00:05:40.60 is one of the wonderful blessings 00:05:40.64\00:05:42.87 that God has given to us and let me just say this. 00:05:42.90\00:05:47.54 This is not a taboo topic, this is not a topic of shame 00:05:47.58\00:05:52.61 because this is a wonderful gift 00:05:52.65\00:05:55.15 that God has given us. 00:05:55.18\00:05:56.52 Now yes, 00:05:56.55\00:05:57.89 outside of the marriage of a husband and wife 00:05:57.92\00:06:00.69 to misuse the gift of sexuality is sin, 00:06:00.72\00:06:04.83 but the Song of Solomon 00:06:04.86\00:06:07.50 unfolds this mystery of intimacy and sensuality 00:06:07.53\00:06:13.03 in a beautiful way. 00:06:13.07\00:06:14.90 Often this book is treated as an allegory, 00:06:14.94\00:06:17.57 which means it's a story or a point 00:06:17.61\00:06:20.54 with a hidden meaning 00:06:20.58\00:06:22.18 and certainly the hidden meaning in this 00:06:22.21\00:06:25.31 would be the reflection of God's perfect love 00:06:25.35\00:06:27.65 for Israel, did it not? 00:06:27.68\00:06:29.82 This song portrays marriage as a perfect love 00:06:29.85\00:06:36.12 that is patterned after the divine love of God. 00:06:36.16\00:06:39.63 So let's look at the indivisible life 00:06:39.66\00:06:43.90 in lesson number six, Sunday's lesson. 00:06:43.93\00:06:48.70 Some religions teach dualism. 00:06:48.74\00:06:52.27 And basically what dualism says 00:06:52.31\00:06:54.38 is, "Hey, the body is the problem, 00:06:54.41\00:06:56.75 you know, a problem to the spiritual life, 00:06:56.78\00:06:59.58 and they're separated and let's don't talk 00:06:59.61\00:07:02.35 about the body is bad, the spirit is good. 00:07:02.38\00:07:05.29 What we believe is, in scripture, the human body, 00:07:05.32\00:07:10.79 the person and its sexual characteristics 00:07:10.83\00:07:14.86 is integral to the whole being. 00:07:14.90\00:07:18.27 Life is body and spirit, right? 00:07:18.30\00:07:20.67 Genesis 2:7, 00:07:20.70\00:07:22.67 "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 00:07:22.70\00:07:25.41 He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 00:07:25.44\00:07:29.71 and man became a living being." 00:07:29.74\00:07:34.38 Man's more than a material being 00:07:34.42\00:07:36.85 because God breathed the breath of life, 00:07:36.89\00:07:40.16 that's the Neshamah into Adam. 00:07:40.19\00:07:44.73 And so body plus Neshamah, the breath 00:07:44.76\00:07:49.76 equals a living being. 00:07:49.80\00:07:51.67 In the Hebrew, that's Nephesh. 00:07:51.70\00:07:53.94 So this is used to describe other living beings, 00:07:53.97\00:07:56.94 animals are also described this way, 00:07:56.97\00:07:59.97 but we are special 00:08:00.01\00:08:02.04 because we were created in God's image. 00:08:02.08\00:08:06.98 So what we see, 00:08:07.02\00:08:08.48 if you want to see the whole of the life 00:08:08.52\00:08:11.69 as being spirit, and flesh, and body is all wrapped up. 00:08:11.72\00:08:15.72 Look at how the Psalmist worship God 00:08:15.76\00:08:20.43 with his whole being in Psalm 63:1, 00:08:20.46\00:08:23.90 he says, "O, God, you are my God, 00:08:23.93\00:08:26.94 early will I seek you, my soul thirsts for you, 00:08:26.97\00:08:30.97 my flesh longs for you, 00:08:31.01\00:08:33.74 in a dry and weary land where there is no water." 00:08:33.78\00:08:37.91 But what we want to remember 00:08:37.95\00:08:40.78 is that Paul tells us in 1 Corinthian 6:19, 00:08:40.82\00:08:45.52 "Our body is," what? The temple of God. 00:08:45.55\00:08:48.72 "The temple of the Holy Spirit." 00:08:48.76\00:08:52.39 And let's look at what 1 Thessalonians 5:23 has to say 00:08:52.43\00:08:56.83 because Paul tells us 00:08:56.87\00:08:58.37 we were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. 00:08:58.40\00:09:03.27 So when we consider our sexuality, 00:09:03.30\00:09:06.68 this is something that needs, 00:09:06.71\00:09:09.14 this gift needs to be sanctified to the Lord. 00:09:09.18\00:09:11.95 1 Thessalonians 5:23, says, 00:09:11.98\00:09:15.35 "May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely." 00:09:15.38\00:09:21.49 Who's doing this work of sanctification? 00:09:21.52\00:09:22.86 God. God is. 00:09:22.89\00:09:24.23 God. 00:09:24.26\00:09:25.59 Thesis, "May your whole spirit, soul, and body, 00:09:25.63\00:09:27.90 that's the person, 00:09:27.93\00:09:30.03 be preserved blameless 00:09:30.07\00:09:32.50 at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 00:09:32.53\00:09:35.77 So the total person including our sexuality, 00:09:35.80\00:09:41.84 that characteristic should be sanctified to God. 00:09:41.88\00:09:44.75 Amen. 00:09:44.78\00:09:46.11 But the Bible shows us 00:09:46.15\00:09:48.35 that a very positive view on the human body. 00:09:48.38\00:09:51.65 Let's look at the Song of Songs 1:2. 00:09:51.69\00:09:56.56 This is about King Saul and the Shulamite woman 00:09:56.59\00:10:00.40 that he's getting ready to marry. 00:10:00.43\00:10:02.16 King Solomon? Solomon. 00:10:02.20\00:10:03.87 What did I say? 00:10:03.90\00:10:05.23 Yes, King Solomon and the Shulamite woman, 00:10:05.27\00:10:08.30 and she says in 1:2, 00:10:08.34\00:10:11.67 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, 00:10:11.71\00:10:14.78 for her love is better than wine." 00:10:14.81\00:10:17.68 And then... 00:10:17.71\00:10:19.05 That reminds me of that we say, 00:10:19.08\00:10:21.32 "God's love is better than wine." 00:10:21.35\00:10:22.68 Right? 00:10:22.72\00:10:24.05 Song of Songs 1:13, says, 00:10:24.09\00:10:27.82 "A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me 00:10:27.86\00:10:31.16 that lies on all night between my breasts." 00:10:31.19\00:10:34.20 And then 2:6, "His left hand is under my head, 00:10:34.23\00:10:38.37 and his right hand embraces me." 00:10:38.40\00:10:41.17 So we see that throughout this sacred text, 00:10:41.20\00:10:46.21 the human body is elevated, if you will, it's admired. 00:10:46.24\00:10:52.71 Now, I'm not going to have time to read this 00:10:52.75\00:10:55.72 'cause I want to make my comments, 00:10:55.75\00:10:57.39 but I encourage you to read Song of Song 5:10-16. 00:10:57.42\00:11:04.19 This is the bride, the Shulamite woman, 00:11:04.23\00:11:08.73 she's talking about her beloved being white and ruddy, 00:11:08.76\00:11:13.60 chief among ten thousand. 00:11:13.64\00:11:15.44 She describes his head, his locks, his eyes, 00:11:15.47\00:11:19.07 his cheeks, his hands, his legs, and his mouth, 00:11:19.11\00:11:22.68 and then in 7:1-9, 00:11:22.71\00:11:27.55 He, then King Solomon is talking about his beloved, 00:11:27.58\00:11:32.05 and he starts off, this is so cute. 00:11:32.09\00:11:34.62 "How beautiful are your feet in your sandals." 00:11:34.66\00:11:37.73 I mean, and he talks about the curves of her thighs, 00:11:37.76\00:11:40.96 her naval, her breasts, her eyes, her head. 00:11:41.00\00:11:44.23 He talks about "the fragrance of your breath is like apples, 00:11:44.27\00:11:49.27 and the roof of your mouth like the best wine." 00:11:49.30\00:11:52.74 So throughout this sacred text, the human body is admired. 00:11:52.77\00:11:57.71 And I want to read something 00:11:57.75\00:11:59.85 I thought was a great comment from our quarterly. 00:11:59.88\00:12:05.49 It says, "The physical aspects of married love 00:12:05.52\00:12:09.42 are not an embarrassment, 00:12:09.46\00:12:11.56 a full range of emotion is openly presented. 00:12:11.59\00:12:16.53 Powerful sexual taboos 00:12:16.56\00:12:19.30 typically exist in many cultures, 00:12:19.33\00:12:22.80 and married couples does often find it difficult 00:12:22.84\00:12:26.88 to communicate in healthy ways regarding their intimate life. 00:12:26.91\00:12:32.51 Similarly, children are often deprived 00:12:32.55\00:12:37.55 of the opportunity to learn about sexuality 00:12:37.59\00:12:42.29 in the setting of a Christian home." 00:12:42.32\00:12:45.69 Oh, don't deprive your child of that 00:12:45.73\00:12:47.70 because if you don't teach them, the world will. 00:12:47.73\00:12:53.23 "So they are deprived through of the opportunity 00:12:53.27\00:12:55.10 to learn about sexuality 00:12:55.14\00:12:56.77 in the setting of a Christian home 00:12:56.81\00:12:58.54 where godly values can be integrated 00:12:58.57\00:13:02.64 with correct information." 00:13:02.68\00:13:04.75 The Bible's openness with sexuality, 00:13:04.78\00:13:08.72 calls his people to a greater level 00:13:08.75\00:13:10.69 of comfort with this topic, 00:13:10.72\00:13:12.95 so that this vital aspect of life 00:13:12.99\00:13:15.39 is treated with a respect and dignity 00:13:15.42\00:13:18.69 do so great a gift from the Creator. 00:13:18.73\00:13:21.86 One thing I have to say, 00:13:21.90\00:13:24.50 one really wonderful thing my mother did 00:13:24.53\00:13:27.80 is she always encouraged me, 00:13:27.84\00:13:29.94 she didn't talked to me prematurely. 00:13:29.97\00:13:34.14 But I can remember even from a small child, 00:13:34.18\00:13:36.14 she said, "Whatever you hear at school, 00:13:36.18\00:13:38.41 if you hear anything about sex or about your body, 00:13:38.45\00:13:41.22 Honey, come tell me 00:13:41.25\00:13:42.58 because kids get it wrong sometimes 00:13:42.62\00:13:44.62 and I'll give you the correct information." 00:13:44.65\00:13:46.96 And you know what? 00:13:46.99\00:13:48.62 My mother never made me feel ashamed of any question. 00:13:48.66\00:13:52.69 She satisfied my curiosity, 00:13:52.73\00:13:55.46 and I can remember even through high school, 00:13:55.50\00:13:58.07 you know, I'd be shocked to hear 00:13:58.10\00:13:59.43 that someone was sexually active. 00:13:59.47\00:14:02.47 Sometimes kids are sexually active 00:14:02.50\00:14:04.47 out of curiosity, 00:14:04.51\00:14:05.91 sometimes just because they haven't been taught. 00:14:05.94\00:14:09.14 So let's recapture the narrative 00:14:09.18\00:14:12.88 and teach our children. 00:14:12.91\00:14:14.45 Amen. All right. Wonderful job. 00:14:14.48\00:14:16.72 I have Monday's and the title of it, 00:14:16.75\00:14:20.22 "The loves of the love song." 00:14:20.26\00:14:23.43 And, you know, that might be little complex. 00:14:23.46\00:14:25.49 Some people might say, oh, my, this is... 00:14:25.53\00:14:27.33 But really, the lesson is very good. 00:14:27.36\00:14:30.13 It's something that we need to really look at here. 00:14:30.17\00:14:32.37 And I'm thinking about here Solomon, 00:14:32.40\00:14:34.77 it seems though that he wrote about his love. 00:14:34.80\00:14:39.17 The things that he experienced, he wrote about these things 00:14:39.21\00:14:42.08 and I think as we look in 1 Kings 11:1, 00:14:42.11\00:14:45.48 it says, "He had many loves." And so when you look at, 00:14:45.51\00:14:50.89 was it 1 Kings 11 and verse about 3, 00:14:50.92\00:14:53.15 it says, he had... 00:14:53.19\00:14:54.52 Was it 700 wives, 300 concubines, 00:14:54.56\00:14:58.49 and so on, and so I'll be... 00:14:58.53\00:15:00.86 Here I'm just going to ask the question 00:15:00.90\00:15:02.26 that which one of his loves was he writing about here? 00:15:02.30\00:15:06.33 Well, it's a request, 00:15:06.37\00:15:07.70 which one was he writing of here? 00:15:07.74\00:15:09.07 And I think it becomes pretty clearer, 00:15:09.10\00:15:10.44 we talked about the Shulamite woman here. 00:15:10.47\00:15:12.94 We call the country girl. 00:15:12.97\00:15:15.31 So there was something very special, 00:15:15.34\00:15:17.05 he was very active in lot of different areas there, 00:15:17.08\00:15:19.88 but there was one I think that really captivated him. 00:15:19.91\00:15:22.22 Like, maybe each one of you became your wife or whatever. 00:15:22.25\00:15:25.09 And so I thought that was interesting, 00:15:25.12\00:15:26.96 but his autobiography when you really look at, 00:15:26.99\00:15:29.16 it's kind of moral fallen, 00:15:29.19\00:15:30.59 and pretty sad is the end result. 00:15:30.63\00:15:33.06 A man that God gave so much wisdom, you know, 00:15:33.09\00:15:36.16 the history is he... 00:15:36.20\00:15:37.73 All he was doing it seems was searching for happiness, 00:15:37.77\00:15:40.04 and lot of you may be searching for happiness today. 00:15:40.07\00:15:42.44 And sometime we look in the wrong places. 00:15:42.47\00:15:44.74 Make sure you look in the right place 00:15:44.77\00:15:46.11 you're looking for, make sure you're looking at somebody 00:15:46.14\00:15:47.48 that you can love and hold on to for your life. 00:15:47.51\00:15:49.81 Now he always engaged. 00:15:49.84\00:15:51.18 He was a man that could engage in any kind of a conversation. 00:15:51.21\00:15:54.75 He's so intellectual, no matter what the subject was, 00:15:54.78\00:15:57.25 he could engage in it, and he loved to engage in it 00:15:57.29\00:15:59.95 because I think sometime was showing his wisdom, 00:15:59.99\00:16:02.52 like some people may like to do. 00:16:02.56\00:16:04.19 He gratified his love, he did it for pleasure 00:16:04.23\00:16:08.43 and then also we found that he had a... 00:16:08.46\00:16:11.83 His carnal heart wanted his own way 00:16:11.87\00:16:14.27 and what he wanted when he wanted it. 00:16:14.30\00:16:16.71 And, you know, I think about is, 00:16:16.74\00:16:18.37 even his experience, I mean... 00:16:18.41\00:16:20.11 If you really think about the experiences 00:16:20.14\00:16:21.68 that this man had, 00:16:21.71\00:16:23.48 you know, and the opportunities and privileges, 00:16:23.51\00:16:25.18 he had to be what God wanted him to do. 00:16:25.21\00:16:27.52 And all the things he experiences, 00:16:27.55\00:16:29.02 we've talked about before, he finally just summed it all, 00:16:29.05\00:16:31.32 he said, it's all what? 00:16:31.35\00:16:32.69 Vanity. It's all vanity. 00:16:32.72\00:16:34.06 So our lesson brings out many aspects 00:16:34.09\00:16:37.69 and certainly this panel has done 00:16:37.73\00:16:39.06 in previous lesson, aspects of love. 00:16:39.09\00:16:41.90 Things that we can do to make our relationships better, 00:16:41.93\00:16:44.97 things that we need to be doing that we're not doing, 00:16:45.00\00:16:47.70 things that we don't say 00:16:47.74\00:16:49.10 that we should be saying more often than we do, 00:16:49.14\00:16:51.44 and life is certainly be a lot easier for all of us 00:16:51.47\00:16:53.81 if we said the things that need to be said. 00:16:53.84\00:16:55.94 That's true. 00:16:55.98\00:16:57.31 And so love is... 00:16:57.35\00:16:58.68 We look in, and I've just kind of few things 00:16:58.71\00:17:00.12 that go over here. 00:17:00.15\00:17:01.98 Some of these you may relate to, 00:17:02.02\00:17:03.45 others you may not relate to. 00:17:03.49\00:17:05.65 Some things you've experienced, 00:17:05.69\00:17:07.02 maybe you really haven't experienced. 00:17:07.06\00:17:08.82 And the verse that you read, Sister Shelley, 00:17:08.86\00:17:10.59 was interesting, I jotted down too. 00:17:10.63\00:17:12.03 Song of Solomon 1:2, it says, 00:17:12.06\00:17:15.43 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, 00:17:15.46\00:17:17.93 for thy love is better than wine." 00:17:17.97\00:17:20.17 This is a Shulamite woman that was talking about 00:17:20.20\00:17:22.70 that you made very clear here. 00:17:22.74\00:17:24.94 And, you know, 00:17:24.97\00:17:26.31 the Jews considered the Song of Solomon 00:17:26.34\00:17:29.38 the most excellent in all the Bible. 00:17:29.41\00:17:32.11 So it's something that maybe 00:17:32.15\00:17:33.48 we need to look at very closely here. 00:17:33.52\00:17:34.85 Yes. 00:17:34.88\00:17:36.22 You know, Solomon had written... 00:17:36.25\00:17:37.59 I thought this is interesting 00:17:37.62\00:17:38.95 and some of you are song writers 00:17:38.99\00:17:40.32 and you write songs, 00:17:40.36\00:17:41.69 you do all kind of things like that. 00:17:41.72\00:17:43.06 He had written 1 Kings 4:32, over one thousand, 00:17:43.09\00:17:47.70 one thousand songs, 00:17:47.73\00:17:49.43 think about, they composed them. 00:17:49.46\00:17:51.33 That's quite a few songs in this, 00:17:51.37\00:17:52.77 so he had it in his heart, it was in his soul, 00:17:52.80\00:17:55.00 and he want to bring it out, and things that he did, 00:17:55.04\00:17:56.97 he want to pen it down, 00:17:57.01\00:17:58.47 and even put into poetry and so on and so forth. 00:17:58.51\00:18:01.01 The word for love is mentioned here 00:18:01.04\00:18:03.58 in the plural, 00:18:03.61\00:18:04.95 which indicates at least to me 00:18:04.98\00:18:06.35 there are many things that we can do. 00:18:06.38\00:18:08.65 I mentioned it a while ago to show, you know, tensions, 00:18:08.68\00:18:13.09 things that we can do 00:18:13.12\00:18:14.52 to manifest our love toward our mate, 00:18:14.56\00:18:16.93 and our fellowman, and so on and so forth 00:18:16.96\00:18:20.00 to show ways of loving, 00:18:20.03\00:18:22.56 and sometime, again, we forget that. 00:18:22.60\00:18:27.17 I kind of did that the other day. 00:18:27.20\00:18:28.54 Let me tell them of myself 00:18:28.57\00:18:29.90 just a little bit here if you don't mind. 00:18:29.94\00:18:31.27 And the rest, if you don't want to hear, 00:18:31.31\00:18:32.64 just close your ears, and it'd be all right. 00:18:32.67\00:18:35.94 Because sometimes, you know, 00:18:35.98\00:18:37.48 you want to do the right thing, right? 00:18:37.51\00:18:39.58 I need to do the right thing, sometime we forget. 00:18:39.61\00:18:41.68 Well, I gave my wife a dozen roses, I stopped. 00:18:41.72\00:18:44.65 First time I went to buy and I see them for sale, 00:18:44.69\00:18:46.22 I thought I'm really too busy to do this, 00:18:46.25\00:18:48.56 and then I got my attention, 00:18:48.59\00:18:49.92 I should never be too busy for her. 00:18:49.96\00:18:51.63 So I stopped and I bought a dozen roses, 00:18:51.66\00:18:53.86 I'll tell more about that in a minute. 00:18:53.90\00:18:56.16 But, you know, I thought, 00:18:56.20\00:18:57.53 "Well, I'll just take them where she's at work, 00:18:57.57\00:18:59.83 so I took the roses in, she wasn't in her office. 00:18:59.87\00:19:02.80 So I thought, "Well, I just get a little water, 00:19:02.84\00:19:04.17 and put them on the desk, and move right on." 00:19:04.21\00:19:05.67 You know, pretty soon, that wasn't very long. 00:19:05.71\00:19:08.48 I left there and my phone rang. 00:19:08.51\00:19:10.95 And she was on the other end, 00:19:10.98\00:19:12.31 Chris on the other end, she said, 00:19:12.35\00:19:15.08 "Is there something you need to tell me?" 00:19:15.12\00:19:18.99 You don't do this often enough. 00:19:19.02\00:19:20.46 Well, I'm telling myself just little bit, here she says, 00:19:20.49\00:19:23.46 "Is there something that you want to tell me?" 00:19:23.49\00:19:25.83 And I'm going, "Well, what do you mean?" 00:19:25.86\00:19:29.13 And all of sudden I start racking my brain. 00:19:29.16\00:19:31.37 Have I forgotten to say something 00:19:31.40\00:19:32.73 or do something I should have done, 00:19:32.77\00:19:34.30 what if I done, what somebody said, 00:19:34.34\00:19:36.71 well, I'm gonna have to do something. 00:19:36.74\00:19:38.07 No, I racked my brain, I said, "No, I hadn't forgot anything." 00:19:38.11\00:19:42.01 I said, "Honey, I don't think so." 00:19:42.04\00:19:43.81 She said, "Are you sure?" 00:19:43.85\00:19:45.88 Right then I thought, "Man, I must be guilty of something, 00:19:45.91\00:19:47.92 you know, all I have done is bring some flowers, 00:19:47.95\00:19:49.45 and, you know, show love. 00:19:49.48\00:19:51.42 Sometimes just say, it's easy 00:19:51.45\00:19:52.79 to say, Honey, I love you, and go on, 00:19:52.82\00:19:54.16 but sometime do something special. 00:19:54.19\00:19:55.52 And she said, "Are you sure?" 00:19:55.56\00:19:56.99 And I said, "Well, like what? 00:19:57.03\00:19:58.99 Tell me what it is?" 00:19:59.03\00:20:00.36 She said, "Well, I'll just tell you this, 00:20:00.40\00:20:02.00 I just found some beautiful flowers 00:20:02.03\00:20:03.40 on my desk, 00:20:03.43\00:20:04.77 and I loved them, and I'm just kidding you." 00:20:04.80\00:20:09.24 Well, I felt relieved, man did I feel relieved. 00:20:09.27\00:20:11.27 I'm just kidding, nothing I had to do, 00:20:11.31\00:20:12.81 nothing I had done wrong 00:20:12.84\00:20:14.41 and so I thought, "Well, okay, well that's good." 00:20:14.44\00:20:16.91 So I thought, "Okay, okay, Honey, thanks, that's good, 00:20:16.95\00:20:18.88 I'm glad you called and everything is all right." 00:20:18.91\00:20:20.55 But the thing is, it got deeper. 00:20:20.58\00:20:23.12 I don't know if any of you ever got deeper 00:20:23.15\00:20:24.49 because when I stopped and buy dozen one, 00:20:24.52\00:20:26.22 I bought two. 00:20:26.25\00:20:27.72 I didn't just buy one, I bought two. 00:20:27.76\00:20:30.39 So I already dug a little bit of the hole, 00:20:30.43\00:20:31.76 I thought, well, what am I going to do? 00:20:31.79\00:20:33.23 So one of them I leave at the office 00:20:33.26\00:20:34.60 and the other I take home. 00:20:34.63\00:20:37.07 And so anyway, I went home, she was already there, 00:20:37.10\00:20:40.10 but again she's in other room so I hurried right quick 00:20:40.14\00:20:43.17 and put some watered in the vas, 00:20:43.20\00:20:46.07 and I put the flowers in there, 00:20:46.11\00:20:49.48 and put them on the kitchen table, 00:20:49.51\00:20:50.85 and then I ran out to my study and I thought let's go in here. 00:20:50.88\00:20:53.05 Pretty soon I hear the voice, "Well, well." 00:20:53.08\00:20:56.65 Oh no, what have I done? 00:20:56.69\00:20:58.42 I've tried to do something that, you know, in the case, 00:20:58.45\00:21:00.79 you know, the love and you want to do something good. 00:21:00.82\00:21:02.56 She said, "Kenny, I'm sure now 00:21:02.59\00:21:05.89 there's something you want to tell me." 00:21:05.93\00:21:08.16 I said, "No, there's nothing I want to tell you." 00:21:08.20\00:21:10.57 She was trying to get something out of me 00:21:10.60\00:21:11.93 I didn't have enough sense to let it come out. 00:21:11.97\00:21:14.24 I thought, "Man, I just," you know, she played me. 00:21:14.27\00:21:18.27 You know, she pulled my leg again 00:21:18.31\00:21:20.11 and I said, "Honey, I really don't know of anything 00:21:20.14\00:21:22.11 I really need to tell you." 00:21:22.14\00:21:24.18 And sometime I think as men, 00:21:24.21\00:21:25.85 we think that if we buy something for them 00:21:25.88\00:21:28.18 or give them something, 00:21:28.22\00:21:30.12 it takes the place of saying, "Honey, I love you." 00:21:30.15\00:21:34.19 And really I think all long she wanted me to say, 00:21:34.22\00:21:36.62 "Is there something you want to say, 00:21:36.66\00:21:37.99 is there something you need to say?" 00:21:38.03\00:21:39.36 And I'm going, "What is it? What have I done? 00:21:39.39\00:21:40.96 Rather than "Well, there is, Honey, along with the flowers, 00:21:41.00\00:21:43.26 I want to tell you, I love you very much." 00:21:43.30\00:21:44.73 That's good. 00:21:44.77\00:21:46.10 So sometimes we men forget to do that 00:21:46.13\00:21:47.64 and I'm going to encourage men today, 00:21:47.67\00:21:49.70 please do that. 00:21:49.74\00:21:51.97 I think probably nothing better 00:21:52.01\00:21:53.34 than the wife probably wants to hear 00:21:53.38\00:21:56.11 melodious song to the heart. 00:21:56.14\00:21:58.91 So Solomon was writing about these things, you know, 00:21:58.95\00:22:01.68 music for the ears. 00:22:01.72\00:22:03.45 It's music to my ears 00:22:03.49\00:22:04.82 when someone says, "Oh Kenny, I love you." 00:22:04.85\00:22:06.55 That's music. 00:22:06.59\00:22:07.92 It really does something to the heart, 00:22:07.96\00:22:10.03 and so we need to say more often than we do, 00:22:10.06\00:22:12.53 "Honey, I really love you." 00:22:12.56\00:22:14.66 So this love, this lesson really brings out to be 00:22:14.70\00:22:17.03 about happy is the man, happy is the woman, 00:22:17.07\00:22:20.40 who your mate is yours, been brought out 00:22:20.44\00:22:22.60 is your very best friend. 00:22:22.64\00:22:24.27 Yes. 00:22:24.31\00:22:25.64 And in the confines of a husband 00:22:25.67\00:22:27.31 in relationship with a wife, 00:22:27.34\00:22:29.28 right here it was talking about a companion, a partner. 00:22:29.31\00:22:33.75 I like to think of marriage as, it's a partnership, 00:22:33.78\00:22:37.32 something that we're in together with 00:22:37.35\00:22:39.55 and we need that. 00:22:39.59\00:22:40.99 And, you know, in this kind of relationship, 00:22:41.02\00:22:44.23 we need to spend time, it's been brought out here 00:22:44.26\00:22:46.46 that we need to just sit down and just talk. 00:22:46.49\00:22:48.33 That's right. 00:22:48.36\00:22:49.70 It's time that we need to take apart 00:22:49.73\00:22:51.07 from everything else and just two of you sit down. 00:22:51.10\00:22:54.17 Share the things of the day's activities, 00:22:54.20\00:22:56.00 share the things of maybe you have, you know, 00:22:56.04\00:22:57.97 may the Lord's impressing you to do as you work in ministry 00:22:58.01\00:23:00.38 and so on and so forth, so you can pray about it. 00:23:00.41\00:23:04.55 The Adventist Home, page 99, just says this, it says, 00:23:04.58\00:23:07.88 you know, "Love is the... 00:23:07.92\00:23:09.65 You talking about it's the answer in the home 00:23:09.68\00:23:11.35 because love does this, when husband and wife together, 00:23:11.39\00:23:13.69 it refines, and purifies, and elevates any nobles. 00:23:13.72\00:23:17.99 I need everyone of it. 00:23:18.03\00:23:19.36 I need to be refined more than I am. 00:23:19.39\00:23:21.06 I need to be purified more than I am. 00:23:21.10\00:23:22.73 That can only be by the blood of the lamb, 00:23:22.76\00:23:24.63 and it elevates us, it nobles us. 00:23:24.67\00:23:27.67 True love is not natural, 00:23:27.70\00:23:29.57 it's not a natural thing, you know, in the human being. 00:23:29.60\00:23:32.47 It's a gift from the Holy Spirit, 00:23:32.51\00:23:33.84 Roman 5:5 tells us that. 00:23:33.88\00:23:35.94 So, you know, love binds a husband and wife together. 00:23:35.98\00:23:38.35 We need to make sure we show that 00:23:38.38\00:23:40.78 in every way that we possibly can. 00:23:40.82\00:23:42.72 And I'll close with this right here, 00:23:42.75\00:23:44.09 it talks about in your life union, 00:23:44.12\00:23:46.89 your affections are to be tributary 00:23:46.92\00:23:49.39 to each other's happiness. 00:23:49.42\00:23:51.26 Though it says, 00:23:51.29\00:23:53.43 this is the will of God concerning you. 00:23:53.46\00:23:55.86 So each one of us are to minister 00:23:55.90\00:23:57.97 to our husband or to our wife. 00:23:58.00\00:24:00.34 We're tributary, we're little revered, 00:24:00.37\00:24:01.74 we're little streamed 00:24:01.77\00:24:03.17 to make sure that their life is happy, 00:24:03.20\00:24:04.81 and I can guarantee you, you make the wife happy, right? 00:24:04.84\00:24:07.88 Everybody's happy. 00:24:07.91\00:24:09.84 This is what God would have us do. 00:24:09.88\00:24:11.21 This is a will of God concerning you, 00:24:11.25\00:24:13.38 it's to love and to make the other one happier. 00:24:13.42\00:24:15.62 That's right. Amen. 00:24:15.65\00:24:17.09 The loves of the love song we need to learn 00:24:17.12\00:24:19.69 how to express our love and appreciation, 00:24:19.72\00:24:21.86 give a good complement to our husband or wife. 00:24:21.89\00:24:25.89 Now, please stay with us, we'll be right back. 00:24:25.93\00:24:29.30 Ever wish you could watch 00:24:35.00\00:24:36.34 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 00:24:36.37\00:24:38.47 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 00:24:38.51\00:24:41.64 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 00:24:41.68\00:24:46.65 A clean design makes it easy 00:24:46.68\00:24:49.12 to find the program you're looking for. 00:24:49.15\00:24:51.32 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 00:24:51.35\00:24:54.69 so you can follow along. 00:24:54.72\00:24:56.52 Sharing is easy. 00:24:56.56\00:24:57.89 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 00:24:57.93\00:25:01.13 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 00:25:01.16\00:25:04.27 Now, we're going to continue our study 00:25:07.80\00:25:10.87 on this beautiful gift of sexuality that God gave us 00:25:10.91\00:25:15.34 to be expressed within the marriage. 00:25:15.38\00:25:17.75 John? 00:25:17.78\00:25:19.11 Mine is Tuesday, 00:25:19.15\00:25:20.62 it is entitled, "A loving knowledge." 00:25:20.65\00:25:23.99 And I'm glad that you lay disclaimer that you did 00:25:24.02\00:25:27.19 and, Pastor Kenny, thank you so much. 00:25:27.22\00:25:29.02 And we have really in our own hearts 00:25:29.06\00:25:31.03 pray to ask the Lord to give us guidance and wisdom 00:25:31.06\00:25:33.73 because we want to be scriptural, 00:25:33.76\00:25:35.43 but we also want to be expressive, 00:25:35.46\00:25:37.67 and not allow our expression 00:25:37.70\00:25:39.63 to override the beauty and the solemnity 00:25:39.67\00:25:42.80 of what God has written. 00:25:42.84\00:25:44.31 And we are peeking into what God established 00:25:44.34\00:25:49.01 to be beautifully expressed between a husband and a wife, 00:25:49.04\00:25:52.35 and I say that 00:25:52.38\00:25:53.72 because we live in a world today 00:25:53.75\00:25:55.22 where the expression of love 00:25:55.25\00:25:57.22 has taken on so many dimensions that is kind of been... 00:25:57.25\00:26:01.19 Let me just rephrase this, 00:26:01.22\00:26:02.56 not kind of been, it's been distorted. 00:26:02.59\00:26:04.06 Yes. 00:26:04.09\00:26:05.43 And the word love, we could say I love that car, 00:26:05.46\00:26:06.83 I love that house, I love that job, 00:26:06.86\00:26:08.43 I love that woman, I love that man, 00:26:08.46\00:26:10.43 and it's the word love 00:26:10.47\00:26:11.87 is so shallow in the English language 00:26:11.90\00:26:14.10 that it fails to capture the beauty of the word love 00:26:14.14\00:26:17.01 when it comes to the biblical language in Hebrew, 00:26:17.04\00:26:20.38 in Greek, in Aramaic, 00:26:20.41\00:26:21.74 it's so beautiful when it comes to that 00:26:21.78\00:26:23.14 because there are certain expressions of love, 00:26:23.18\00:26:25.35 for example, agape, godly love. 00:26:25.38\00:26:27.72 You have eros, which is a sensual love, 00:26:27.75\00:26:30.22 but the eros that the Bible talks about 00:26:30.25\00:26:32.12 a sensual love is not the kind of love 00:26:32.15\00:26:36.09 that's expressed between a husband and wife 00:26:36.12\00:26:37.69 because it's more of a carnal 00:26:37.73\00:26:39.89 rather than, there's a phileo love. 00:26:39.93\00:26:41.66 And so the Bible incorporates love 00:26:41.70\00:26:44.33 to give it the rubber stamp of God's approval 00:26:44.37\00:26:49.07 and that's where we're laying the foundation for today. 00:26:49.10\00:26:52.27 Sensuality, love 00:26:52.31\00:26:53.64 within the confines of marriage. 00:26:53.68\00:26:55.44 Go with me to the Book of the Song of Solomon 00:26:55.48\00:26:58.71 and the question that it leads into, 00:26:58.75\00:27:02.42 in the lesson on Tuesday, May 7 is, 00:27:02.45\00:27:06.15 how does the Song of Solomon 00:27:06.19\00:27:09.42 present a commitment to mutuality 00:27:09.46\00:27:12.13 in the intimate life of the married couple? 00:27:12.16\00:27:15.36 What you're going to see after I read this, 00:27:15.40\00:27:16.73 you're going to see some comparisons, 00:27:16.77\00:27:18.53 and the Bible uses the intimate language 00:27:18.57\00:27:21.07 to describe more than just a relationship 00:27:21.10\00:27:23.30 between husband and wife, 00:27:23.34\00:27:24.81 but it also uses an intimate language 00:27:24.84\00:27:27.14 to describe the relationship between God and the Christian. 00:27:27.18\00:27:30.51 That's right. 00:27:30.55\00:27:31.88 Because it says that prior to sin, 00:27:31.91\00:27:35.42 Adam and Eve were naked but they were not ashamed. 00:27:35.45\00:27:38.22 Amen. 00:27:38.25\00:27:39.59 After sin, Adam and Eve were naked 00:27:39.62\00:27:41.86 and they were ashamed. 00:27:41.89\00:27:43.76 Oh, yeah. 00:27:43.79\00:27:45.13 They were naked, they hid themselves. 00:27:45.16\00:27:46.49 So one of the things that we have to, you know, 00:27:46.53\00:27:48.76 I said this once I was preaching a sermon, 00:27:48.80\00:27:50.23 I said, at least in Adam and Eve's day, 00:27:50.27\00:27:52.17 they were naked and they knew it. 00:27:52.20\00:27:54.47 Today, the world glorifies nudity 00:27:54.50\00:27:58.57 or the world glorifies a sensuality 00:27:58.61\00:28:02.31 that is not rubber stamped by God's approval. 00:28:02.34\00:28:04.51 Right. 00:28:04.55\00:28:05.88 And it's leading men and women unfortunately 00:28:05.91\00:28:08.22 to glorify something that God does not approve of. 00:28:08.25\00:28:10.99 Amen. 00:28:11.02\00:28:12.35 You'll also see after I read this, 00:28:12.39\00:28:13.72 that there's a connection to the word "know" 00:28:13.76\00:28:15.66 the word when Adam knew Eve and when the Lord knows us. 00:28:15.69\00:28:20.70 You're going to see some similarities 00:28:20.73\00:28:22.43 that are amazing 00:28:22.46\00:28:23.97 as it describes the love that God has for His church, 00:28:24.00\00:28:27.04 the bride, 00:28:27.07\00:28:28.40 and the love that the husband should have for his wife, 00:28:28.44\00:28:30.34 and the wife should have for her husband. 00:28:30.37\00:28:32.34 Notice I didn't say the spouse for spouse 00:28:32.37\00:28:33.91 because today the word spouse 00:28:33.94\00:28:35.28 has even been polluted quite a bit. 00:28:35.31\00:28:37.58 Verse 4 of Song of Solomon, 4:7, beginning with verse 7, 00:28:37.61\00:28:44.45 and we're going to read all the way down to 5:1. 00:28:44.49\00:28:47.69 And now this is the beautiful language, 00:28:47.72\00:28:49.79 this poetic language. 00:28:49.82\00:28:52.23 Let me just say something here. 00:28:52.26\00:28:54.13 Solomon, I'm going to be very candid here. 00:28:54.16\00:28:56.46 Solomon was blessed not only with wisdom 00:28:56.50\00:28:59.20 but man, his dialect 00:28:59.23\00:29:02.34 would make any woman fall in love with him. 00:29:02.37\00:29:04.74 Could it be that he spoke 00:29:04.77\00:29:06.74 with such profound words of charm 00:29:06.78\00:29:09.38 that he had a thousand woman, they just fell when he spoke 00:29:09.41\00:29:13.45 because the man had 00:29:13.48\00:29:14.88 this metaphorical picturesque language 00:29:14.92\00:29:18.65 that when you read it, 00:29:18.69\00:29:21.26 I know that God has given him the wisdom, 00:29:21.29\00:29:22.92 but man, his words are so poetic 00:29:22.96\00:29:25.56 that any woman... 00:29:25.59\00:29:26.93 If I read this to my wife today, 00:29:26.96\00:29:28.90 she'll say, "Honey, man, that came from your heart." 00:29:28.93\00:29:33.07 And Solomon has given us men of today 00:29:33.10\00:29:35.97 some words that we can gather from, 00:29:36.00\00:29:37.34 to rekindle and strengthen our love. 00:29:37.37\00:29:39.47 Listen to this. 00:29:39.51\00:29:40.84 He says, verse 7, 00:29:40.88\00:29:42.64 "You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you." 00:29:42.68\00:29:49.12 Can you imagine, man saying to his wife, 00:29:49.15\00:29:50.89 "Honey, there is no blemish on you at all." 00:29:50.92\00:29:53.49 A woman will feel special. Oh, yeah. 00:29:53.52\00:29:55.42 Feels with, man, my husband really admires me. 00:29:55.46\00:29:58.59 "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, 00:29:58.63\00:30:00.86 with me from Lebanon, 00:30:00.90\00:30:02.23 look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir, 00:30:02.26\00:30:06.74 and Hermon from the lions' den, 00:30:06.77\00:30:10.61 from the mountains of the leopards." 00:30:10.64\00:30:12.51 Poetic language which she goes on later, 00:30:12.54\00:30:15.21 "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse, 00:30:15.24\00:30:19.91 you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, 00:30:19.95\00:30:25.12 with one link of your necklace." 00:30:25.15\00:30:27.96 And we were... And my wife and I were in Dubai, 00:30:27.99\00:30:30.79 where still today woman cover primarily up almost everything, 00:30:30.83\00:30:35.50 but they put such an accent on the way 00:30:35.53\00:30:38.07 that they painted their eyes, 00:30:38.10\00:30:40.20 the eye had become such a focal point, 00:30:40.24\00:30:41.90 so you see nothing, 00:30:41.94\00:30:43.27 some of them, all you saw was just the eyes, 00:30:43.30\00:30:45.87 but they've designed them, painted it in such a way 00:30:45.91\00:30:48.48 that when you look at their eyes like, boy, 00:30:48.51\00:30:51.21 this grabs your attention. 00:30:51.25\00:30:53.08 And I could imagine Solomon in that context, he is saying, 00:30:53.11\00:30:55.72 "Your eyes are speaking to me, 00:30:55.75\00:30:58.22 and is speaking from the content of your soul." 00:30:58.25\00:31:00.66 He goes on to say in verse 10, 00:31:00.69\00:31:03.49 "How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! 00:31:03.53\00:31:06.23 How much better than wine is your love, 00:31:06.26\00:31:08.60 and the scent of your perfumes than all spices! 00:31:08.63\00:31:12.57 Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb, 00:31:12.60\00:31:16.17 honey and milk are under your tongue, 00:31:16.20\00:31:18.44 and the fragrance of your garments 00:31:18.47\00:31:19.91 is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 00:31:19.94\00:31:22.14 A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, 00:31:22.18\00:31:26.08 a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 00:31:26.11\00:31:30.32 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates 00:31:30.35\00:31:33.12 with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard." 00:31:33.15\00:31:36.52 I mean, he's rapping. Can we say that, Ryan? 00:31:36.56\00:31:40.40 He's saying, "Honey, 00:31:40.43\00:31:41.80 we are about to consummate our marriage. 00:31:41.83\00:31:44.10 And I'm letting you know, 00:31:44.13\00:31:45.47 this is a special moment for me, 00:31:45.50\00:31:46.97 this is a moment I have been waiting for, 00:31:47.00\00:31:48.50 and I want you to know 00:31:48.54\00:31:49.87 that I'm treasuring you like every beautiful thing 00:31:49.90\00:31:52.57 that God has placed in His creation. 00:31:52.61\00:31:54.54 That's right. 00:31:54.58\00:31:55.91 He's describing her with all the beautiful incense, 00:31:55.94\00:31:58.38 all the beautiful elements of God's wonderful nature. 00:31:58.41\00:32:01.75 He goes on in verse 14, 00:32:01.78\00:32:03.59 "Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, 00:32:03.62\00:32:06.45 with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, 00:32:06.49\00:32:10.03 with all the chief spices, a fountain of gardens, 00:32:10.06\00:32:12.96 a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. 00:32:12.99\00:32:16.30 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! 00:32:16.33\00:32:19.10 Blow upon my garden that its spices may flow out. 00:32:19.13\00:32:22.40 Let my beloved come to his garden 00:32:22.44\00:32:24.57 and eat its pleasant fruit. 00:32:24.61\00:32:26.21 I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse, 00:32:26.24\00:32:28.34 I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, 00:32:28.38\00:32:31.48 I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey, 00:32:31.51\00:32:34.15 I have drunk my wine with my milk. 00:32:34.18\00:32:36.48 Eat, O friend! 00:32:36.52\00:32:37.85 Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!" 00:32:37.89\00:32:40.46 This is a night 00:32:40.49\00:32:41.82 that when she wakes up in the morning, 00:32:41.86\00:32:43.43 she has no doubt that her husband's love 00:32:43.46\00:32:47.13 and hers together has been meshed in a way 00:32:47.16\00:32:49.73 that is so beautifully, divinely presented. 00:32:49.76\00:32:52.80 I saw something recently 00:32:52.83\00:32:54.17 that I had not seen in a long time 00:32:54.20\00:32:55.97 which this verse illustrated. 00:32:56.00\00:32:58.14 In a marriage ceremony, 00:32:58.17\00:33:00.48 the bride had white sand, 00:33:00.51\00:33:03.95 the husband had purple sand. 00:33:03.98\00:33:05.31 Yes. 00:33:05.35\00:33:06.68 And they poured it in the same vase, 00:33:06.72\00:33:09.85 and the pastor said, 00:33:09.88\00:33:13.46 "It is impossible to separate the two from this day on." 00:33:13.49\00:33:15.62 That's right. 00:33:15.66\00:33:16.99 And that's what this picture is all about. 00:33:17.03\00:33:18.36 He pours his love into his wife, 00:33:18.39\00:33:19.79 she pours the love into him 00:33:19.83\00:33:21.30 in such a way that passion, that joy, 00:33:21.33\00:33:23.73 that love is impossible to separate 00:33:23.77\00:33:26.53 but it doesn't... And what I want you to see, 00:33:26.57\00:33:28.24 it doesn't begin in the bed chambers, 00:33:28.27\00:33:30.47 it begins in the heart, 00:33:30.51\00:33:32.31 it begins in mutual admiration of each other. 00:33:32.34\00:33:34.74 And what people need to remember today 00:33:34.78\00:33:36.78 is admiration is not something 00:33:36.81\00:33:38.21 that starts and ends in the bedroom, 00:33:38.25\00:33:40.18 but it starts in deep appreciation of each other. 00:33:40.22\00:33:42.82 A wife we hug during the day, 00:33:42.85\00:33:44.79 we send each other beautiful text, 00:33:44.82\00:33:46.76 we smile at each other, we wink at each other, 00:33:46.79\00:33:48.56 she knows I'm looking at her, she's looking at me. 00:33:48.59\00:33:50.49 Sometime she says, 00:33:50.53\00:33:51.86 "When you had on that suit today?" 00:33:51.89\00:33:54.46 I said, "Honey, you are dressed, 00:33:54.50\00:33:56.53 should we go out or should we stay home?" 00:33:56.56\00:33:58.73 But that's the mutual love, and that is something 00:33:58.77\00:34:01.17 that God approves of the beauty of the relationship. 00:34:01.20\00:34:04.51 That's why when the Bible says in Genesis 4:1, 00:34:04.54\00:34:06.74 "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, 00:34:06.78\00:34:08.54 and she conceived and bore Cain, 00:34:08.58\00:34:09.94 and said, 'I have acquired a man from the Lord.' 00:34:09.98\00:34:12.35 " That word "knew" is now illustrated by Jesus 00:34:12.38\00:34:16.69 in 1 John 3:9, that intimate connection. 00:34:16.72\00:34:19.12 So when somebody says, "I know the Lord." 00:34:19.15\00:34:21.66 There cannot be an intellectual accent, 00:34:21.69\00:34:23.09 it has to be an intimate connection 00:34:23.12\00:34:24.53 so that you know the Lord so much 00:34:24.56\00:34:26.36 that He says, "If you love me, keep My commandments." 00:34:26.39\00:34:28.60 That's a different love than intellectual 00:34:28.63\00:34:30.60 or the love that I approve of, 00:34:30.63\00:34:32.40 but a love that's really intimate 00:34:32.43\00:34:34.14 has no qualms about keeping the commandments of God. 00:34:34.17\00:34:36.71 Amen. 00:34:36.74\00:34:38.07 So much love today is distorted, 00:34:38.11\00:34:39.44 that's why Christian said, "I love the Lord, 00:34:39.47\00:34:40.81 but the test is, 00:34:40.84\00:34:42.18 'Do you love Him enough to keep His commandments?' 00:34:42.21\00:34:43.55 " Amen. 00:34:43.58\00:34:44.91 That's why eternal life is a love 00:34:44.95\00:34:46.28 that is based on knowing Him, and listen to this. 00:34:46.31\00:34:47.65 When that love is born, 00:34:47.68\00:34:49.02 here is how the Bible expresses it. 00:34:49.05\00:34:50.85 1 John 3:9, "Whoever has been born of God 00:34:50.89\00:34:53.89 does not sin, for his seed remains in him, 00:34:53.92\00:34:57.49 and he cannot sin, 00:34:57.53\00:34:58.86 because he has been born of God." 00:34:58.89\00:35:01.06 The intimacy of that love that knows its master, 00:35:01.10\00:35:05.33 keeps itself because the seed of God 00:35:05.37\00:35:07.57 is in that individual, 00:35:07.60\00:35:09.67 and they cannot sin they cannot break 00:35:09.70\00:35:11.44 that covenant given to both of them. 00:35:11.47\00:35:12.81 Amen. How beautiful the language. 00:35:12.84\00:35:14.98 Amen. Jill? 00:35:15.01\00:35:16.34 Amen. 00:35:16.38\00:35:17.71 Thank you so much, Pastor John, beautifully done. 00:35:17.75\00:35:19.41 What a beautiful picture. 00:35:19.45\00:35:21.32 Marriage is an incredible gift from God. 00:35:21.35\00:35:24.52 We know and that expression of sexuality 00:35:24.55\00:35:26.92 within the marriage relationship is such a gift. 00:35:26.96\00:35:29.72 As each member of the panel, I think has mentioned. 00:35:29.76\00:35:32.06 We have been in prayer about this topic 00:35:32.09\00:35:35.20 because it is a sensitive topic, 00:35:35.23\00:35:36.97 but it's a beautiful topic. 00:35:37.00\00:35:38.57 When you think about the Book of Song of Solomon, 00:35:38.60\00:35:42.10 it's talking about God's ideal for human love 00:35:42.14\00:35:45.41 and, of course, we have reference, 00:35:45.44\00:35:46.78 the allegory with Christ and the church. 00:35:46.81\00:35:48.88 But His ideal for human love 00:35:48.91\00:35:50.68 that sexuality is created by God that it is not dirty, 00:35:50.71\00:35:55.98 worldly or sinful in the context of marriage. 00:35:56.02\00:36:01.49 That in the Book of Song of Solomon 00:36:01.52\00:36:03.32 talks about how sexuality is heterosexual, 00:36:03.36\00:36:06.43 and it is monogamous. 00:36:06.46\00:36:07.80 That's right. 00:36:07.83\00:36:09.16 A husband and wife, 00:36:09.20\00:36:10.70 and talks about the full equality 00:36:10.73\00:36:13.34 of both husband and wife. 00:36:13.37\00:36:14.70 You don't see the dominance of one over the other, 00:36:14.74\00:36:16.97 but you see that mutual admiration 00:36:17.01\00:36:19.44 and sharing together. 00:36:19.47\00:36:21.61 There is a holistic sexuality, not just the physical act, 00:36:21.64\00:36:25.48 but it's the entire person, 00:36:25.51\00:36:27.08 the body, the mind, the soul, the emotions, 00:36:27.12\00:36:30.59 everything is involved in that. 00:36:30.62\00:36:32.72 It is exclusive, it's permanent, 00:36:32.75\00:36:34.72 and God intended it to be shared 00:36:34.76\00:36:36.86 with your spouse, with your husband or wife 00:36:36.89\00:36:40.00 for the rest of your life. 00:36:40.03\00:36:42.26 It's a beautiful, joyful gift from God. 00:36:42.30\00:36:44.60 So I have Wednesday's lesson, 00:36:44.63\00:36:46.23 which is "Love at the right time," 00:36:46.27\00:36:50.01 reserving this beautiful expression of human sexuality 00:36:50.04\00:36:54.48 for the marriage relationship 00:36:54.51\00:36:57.25 when and where the God ordain 00:36:57.28\00:36:59.78 for human sexuality to be expressed 00:36:59.81\00:37:02.12 that's within the context of marriage. 00:37:02.15\00:37:05.35 You referenced pastor, a couple of these scriptures. 00:37:05.39\00:37:07.86 Song of Solomon 4:12 00:37:07.89\00:37:11.43 tells us clearly that the Shulamite was a virgin 00:37:11.46\00:37:14.76 when she got married. 00:37:14.80\00:37:17.00 It says, "A garden enclosed" 00:37:17.03\00:37:18.53 in Hebrew it means to bar, to bolt, to lock. 00:37:18.57\00:37:21.40 "A garden enclosed 00:37:21.44\00:37:23.20 is my sister, my spouse, my bride, 00:37:23.24\00:37:25.74 a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." 00:37:25.77\00:37:27.98 So he's acknowledging that she's entering 00:37:28.01\00:37:30.31 the marriage relationship as a virgin, 00:37:30.35\00:37:32.95 he's acknowledging that. 00:37:32.98\00:37:34.52 And then she invites him. 00:37:34.55\00:37:36.22 You see that coming in verse 16. 00:37:36.25\00:37:37.92 She invites him into her garden 00:37:37.95\00:37:39.99 and the marriage is consummated. 00:37:40.02\00:37:41.89 We get to 5:1. 00:37:41.92\00:37:45.89 Many commentators say 00:37:45.93\00:37:47.26 this is God actually speaking His approval 00:37:47.30\00:37:49.96 over what takes place. 00:37:50.00\00:37:51.50 "Eat, O friends! 00:37:51.53\00:37:53.23 Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!" 00:37:53.27\00:37:57.71 God created human sexuality. 00:37:57.74\00:38:00.18 There's another verse that tells us 00:38:00.21\00:38:01.94 that the Shulamite saved herself for marriage. 00:38:01.98\00:38:05.35 That's in Song of Solomon Chapter 8, if you turn over. 00:38:05.38\00:38:08.18 Song of Solomon 8:8-10. 00:38:08.22\00:38:12.52 Now this is the Shulamite's brothers speaking here. 00:38:12.55\00:38:16.19 They say, "We have a little sister 00:38:16.22\00:38:18.06 and she has no breasts." 00:38:18.09\00:38:19.56 Meaning she's young still. 00:38:19.59\00:38:21.20 "What shall we do for our sister 00:38:21.23\00:38:22.70 in the day when she is spoken for? 00:38:22.73\00:38:24.43 If she is a wall, 00:38:24.47\00:38:25.80 we will build upon her a battlement of silver, 00:38:25.83\00:38:28.44 and if she is a door, 00:38:28.47\00:38:29.80 we will enclose her with boards of cedar." 00:38:29.84\00:38:33.04 And then the Shulamite speaks. 00:38:33.07\00:38:34.44 She says, "I am a wall." 00:38:34.48\00:38:36.98 So there's two different words used here. 00:38:37.01\00:38:38.51 One is a wall, one is a door. 00:38:38.55\00:38:42.15 It symbolizes the two paths 00:38:42.18\00:38:43.82 that she could have chosen to walk as a young woman. 00:38:43.85\00:38:47.39 The wall being pure and inaccessible, 00:38:47.42\00:38:51.59 that would be the path of saving yourself 00:38:51.63\00:38:54.63 for the chastity, that's right, the man that God has for you. 00:38:54.66\00:38:59.00 The other is the door 00:38:59.03\00:39:00.37 that means promiscuous and available. 00:39:00.40\00:39:03.34 She chose the path of purity. 00:39:03.37\00:39:05.14 It says, "I am a wall." 00:39:05.17\00:39:07.31 She also encouraged other women, 00:39:07.34\00:39:09.91 other daughters to choose the path of purity. 00:39:09.94\00:39:12.71 We see that in Song of Solomon 2:7, 00:39:12.75\00:39:15.22 in Song of Solomon 3:5, and 8:4. 00:39:15.25\00:39:17.59 It's really the same thing repeated three different times. 00:39:17.62\00:39:20.42 She's writing or speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem. 00:39:20.46\00:39:23.79 And in Song of Solomon 2:7, 00:39:23.83\00:39:25.33 she says, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, 00:39:25.36\00:39:28.26 by the gazelles or by the does of the field, 00:39:28.30\00:39:30.73 do not stir up nor awaken love, until it pleases." 00:39:30.77\00:39:35.60 Now, in the Hebrew, the word for stir up 00:39:35.64\00:39:39.11 and the word for awaken is the same word. 00:39:39.14\00:39:41.44 And it means to arouse or to excite. 00:39:41.48\00:39:44.65 So she's challenging other young women 00:39:44.68\00:39:49.32 to not engage in activities 00:39:49.35\00:39:54.32 that would lead to fornication 00:39:54.36\00:39:57.19 that would lead to premarital sexual relationships 00:39:57.23\00:40:01.03 until the right time. 00:40:01.06\00:40:03.50 And that right time we know from the Word of God 00:40:03.53\00:40:06.00 is when you say I do, when you are married. 00:40:06.03\00:40:09.20 The Bible is clear 00:40:09.24\00:40:10.57 in condemning sexual relationships 00:40:10.61\00:40:12.34 outside of marriage. 00:40:12.37\00:40:13.84 Galatians 5:19-20. 00:40:13.88\00:40:15.61 This is before the list of the fruit of the Spirit. 00:40:15.64\00:40:17.95 We have the list of the works of the flesh, 00:40:17.98\00:40:19.61 and there's quite a few there. 00:40:19.65\00:40:21.02 But it says the works of the flesh are evident, 00:40:21.05\00:40:22.78 which are adultery, fornication, 00:40:22.82\00:40:25.05 uncleanness, lewdness, and the list goes on 00:40:25.09\00:40:27.39 but the beginning of that all deals with sexual sin 00:40:27.42\00:40:30.83 outside of marriage. 00:40:30.86\00:40:32.86 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4. 00:40:32.89\00:40:35.06 "This is the will of God, your sanctification: 00:40:35.10\00:40:38.47 that you should abstain from sexual immorality, 00:40:38.50\00:40:41.80 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel 00:40:41.84\00:40:45.31 in sanctification and honor, 00:40:45.34\00:40:47.24 not in passion of lust, 00:40:47.28\00:40:49.21 like the Gentiles who do not know God." 00:40:49.24\00:40:52.41 One more verse for this, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 00:40:52.45\00:40:55.18 Paul says, "Flee sexual immorality. 00:40:55.22\00:40:58.52 Every sin that a man does is outside the body, 00:40:58.55\00:41:01.32 but he who commits sexual immorality sins 00:41:01.36\00:41:03.76 against his own body." 00:41:03.79\00:41:06.49 Now you might be listening in today and saying, 00:41:06.53\00:41:09.00 I've engaged in sex outside of marriage 00:41:09.03\00:41:13.44 for many years, or with many different people. 00:41:13.47\00:41:17.34 No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, 00:41:17.37\00:41:22.01 today we can make a choice, 00:41:22.04\00:41:24.35 today God can enable us to be pure again. 00:41:24.38\00:41:28.48 And I love that. 00:41:28.52\00:41:29.95 There's a term used a lot, 00:41:29.98\00:41:31.32 that's called spiritual virgins. 00:41:31.35\00:41:33.42 I'm not sure I even like that term, 00:41:33.46\00:41:35.02 because it seems a little confusing to me. 00:41:35.06\00:41:38.79 God can make us all virgins again, 00:41:38.83\00:41:40.83 whether we are initially from the beginning 00:41:40.86\00:41:42.80 and we never stepped outside the bonds of marriage, 00:41:42.83\00:41:46.37 or whether we stepped many times 00:41:46.40\00:41:48.60 in other relationships, 00:41:48.64\00:41:49.97 physical relationships with other people. 00:41:50.01\00:41:51.94 But God can give us a pure mind. 00:41:51.97\00:41:54.21 He can restore our hearts. 00:41:54.24\00:41:55.94 He can restore us emotionally, physically, spiritually 00:41:55.98\00:41:58.88 and make us new. 00:41:58.91\00:42:01.08 So I have four encouragements for you in closing. 00:42:01.12\00:42:05.09 Number one is the Lord Jesus will accept any of us 00:42:05.12\00:42:09.22 at any time. 00:42:09.26\00:42:10.86 One of my favorite scriptures is John 6:37. 00:42:10.89\00:42:14.13 He says, "Whoever comes to me, I will never cast aside." 00:42:14.16\00:42:20.10 Sometimes I think in society or in the church, 00:42:20.14\00:42:23.41 we might say the sin of sexual immorality 00:42:23.44\00:42:26.24 might be worse than me hanging on to some pride, 00:42:26.27\00:42:29.78 or me hanging on to some bitterness 00:42:29.81\00:42:31.55 against the brother or sister, 00:42:31.58\00:42:32.98 but in the sight of God, 00:42:33.01\00:42:35.42 all of that is sin. 00:42:35.45\00:42:36.79 All of that is equal in the sight of God. 00:42:36.82\00:42:39.15 So there's no sense of worth, 00:42:39.19\00:42:40.96 this is a greater shame than this. 00:42:40.99\00:42:44.16 I'm a sinner in need of grace, just like everyone else 00:42:44.19\00:42:48.50 and the Lord Jesus accepts us at any time. 00:42:48.53\00:42:50.77 Number two, He can forgive anything. 00:42:50.80\00:42:52.83 1 John 1:9, Mollie always quotes this scripture. 00:42:52.87\00:42:55.80 "If we confess our sins, 00:42:55.84\00:42:58.57 He is faithful and just to forgive us 00:42:58.61\00:43:00.68 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 00:43:00.71\00:43:05.15 Number three, He can and will make us pure again. 00:43:05.18\00:43:10.19 Psalm 103:12, 00:43:10.22\00:43:11.55 "As far as the east is from the west, 00:43:11.59\00:43:14.09 So far has He removed our transgressions from us." 00:43:14.12\00:43:20.33 And I love Isaiah 1:18, 00:43:20.36\00:43:22.43 "Come now, and let us reason together," 00:43:22.46\00:43:24.20 says the Lord, "though your sins be a scarlet," 00:43:24.23\00:43:26.23 and you might feel shame, you might feel dirty, 00:43:26.27\00:43:30.67 you might feel worthless, though your sins are scarlet, 00:43:30.71\00:43:34.58 "they will be white as snow. 00:43:34.61\00:43:37.35 Though they're red like crimson, 00:43:37.38\00:43:38.71 they shall be as wool." 00:43:38.75\00:43:41.82 This is one of my favorite scriptures. 00:43:41.85\00:43:43.75 1 Corinthians 6:11. 00:43:43.79\00:43:46.35 Before that there's a whole list of sins 00:43:46.39\00:43:48.86 fornicators, adulterers, 00:43:48.89\00:43:53.90 homosexuals, sodomites, 00:43:53.93\00:43:55.90 thieves, covetous, drunkards, revelers, extortioners, 00:43:55.93\00:43:59.17 quite a few in that list 00:43:59.20\00:44:00.54 is actually dealing with sexual sin. 00:44:00.57\00:44:02.70 Verse 11, Paul says, 00:44:02.74\00:44:04.57 "And such... 00:44:04.61\00:44:05.94 such were some of you, 00:44:09.04\00:44:12.18 such was Jehovah's 00:44:12.21\00:44:13.68 but you were washed, you were sanctified, 00:44:13.72\00:44:18.15 you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 00:44:18.19\00:44:21.86 and by the Spirit of our God." 00:44:21.89\00:44:24.13 God says, I can sanctify, 00:44:24.16\00:44:26.63 I can wash you, I can cleanse you. 00:44:26.66\00:44:28.96 And finally, number four, 00:44:29.00\00:44:30.40 he will transform all of us into something entirely new. 00:44:30.43\00:44:35.27 2 Corinthians 5:17, 00:44:35.30\00:44:37.77 "If anyone's in Christ, he or she is a new creation." 00:44:37.81\00:44:42.78 Now the word in Greek for new kainos, 00:44:42.81\00:44:45.68 means new in quality, meaning, 00:44:45.71\00:44:47.78 something you really have never seen before, 00:44:47.82\00:44:50.09 brand new, or a new creation. 00:44:50.12\00:44:52.59 Old things have passed away, 00:44:52.62\00:44:55.22 behold all things have become new. 00:44:55.26\00:44:58.89 You and I can be pure, spotless white by the blood of Jesus, 00:44:58.93\00:45:03.93 and in the sight of other people as well. 00:45:03.97\00:45:06.13 Good news. Praise the Lord. 00:45:06.17\00:45:07.54 Amen! 00:45:07.57\00:45:08.90 Wow, this is as much insight to a subject 00:45:08.94\00:45:12.27 that sometimes we avoid. 00:45:12.31\00:45:13.88 We avoid this subject 00:45:13.91\00:45:15.24 because it is a sensitive topic to some, 00:45:15.28\00:45:17.91 but we don't have to avoid the truth, 00:45:17.95\00:45:19.55 the plain truth from God's Word. 00:45:19.58\00:45:20.95 And you guys set it up so beautifully 00:45:20.98\00:45:24.19 in portraying, communicating what the Bible has to teach 00:45:24.22\00:45:28.16 on human sexuality 00:45:28.19\00:45:29.52 and how God created that to be a beautiful gift. 00:45:29.56\00:45:32.29 You know, I want to quote the scripture 00:45:32.33\00:45:33.66 because the Bible says that Jesus, 00:45:33.70\00:45:39.27 He could sympathize with us 00:45:39.30\00:45:40.64 because He's been tempted in every single way 00:45:40.67\00:45:43.44 that we have. 00:45:43.47\00:45:44.81 Yes. 00:45:44.84\00:45:46.17 No matter what the situation is in life, 00:45:46.21\00:45:47.54 no matter what particular trial difficulty 00:45:47.58\00:45:51.11 that you may be going through, may be experiencing. 00:45:51.15\00:45:55.02 There is nothing that Christ has not endured, 00:45:55.05\00:45:57.49 there's nothing that Christ has not experienced. 00:45:57.52\00:46:00.56 When I think of Christ being tempted, 00:46:00.59\00:46:02.16 I think of His response to temptation, His response. 00:46:02.19\00:46:06.03 And that's Matthew 4:4, 00:46:06.06\00:46:09.76 "It is written," Jesus said, 00:46:09.80\00:46:12.20 "man shall not live by bread alone, 00:46:12.23\00:46:14.27 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 00:46:14.30\00:46:19.41 And I just want to emphasize that right now, 00:46:19.44\00:46:21.51 because what I'm about to dive into 00:46:21.54\00:46:25.11 is a very sensitive topic. 00:46:25.15\00:46:26.98 Because all that we have discussed 00:46:27.02\00:46:28.68 is kind of culminating to this point, 00:46:28.72\00:46:30.29 and that is that the Creator has given us a gift, 00:46:30.32\00:46:34.46 and we are to safeguard the Creator's gift. 00:46:34.49\00:46:37.73 In fact, that's exactly 00:46:37.76\00:46:39.09 what Thursday's lesson is entitled 00:46:39.13\00:46:40.50 "Safeguarding the Creator's gift," 00:46:40.53\00:46:42.30 but how do we do that? 00:46:42.33\00:46:43.67 How can we make sure 00:46:43.70\00:46:45.03 that we are allowing that beautiful gift 00:46:45.07\00:46:46.94 that God has bestowed upon us 00:46:46.97\00:46:48.97 that we are keeping it in the place 00:46:49.00\00:46:51.71 and within the parameters that God intended it to be? 00:46:51.74\00:46:55.54 I think first and foremost we need to establish 00:46:55.58\00:46:57.51 that we cannot follow our heart. 00:46:57.55\00:47:00.15 The Bible says that "The human heart is deceitful 00:47:00.18\00:47:01.82 above all things who can trust it." 00:47:01.85\00:47:03.25 At the end of the day, the one thing 00:47:03.28\00:47:04.65 that I can count on is the Word of God. 00:47:04.69\00:47:07.49 And so I'm just gonna let the Word of God speak today 00:47:07.52\00:47:09.76 because I can give you my opinions, 00:47:09.79\00:47:11.33 I can give you my, 00:47:11.36\00:47:12.86 you know, a personal ideologies and things that I've studied, 00:47:12.89\00:47:15.66 and things that I've read and encountered. 00:47:15.70\00:47:17.07 But at the end of the day, 00:47:17.10\00:47:18.43 the Word of God surpasses everyone's understanding. 00:47:18.47\00:47:23.07 It's final on every single point. 00:47:23.10\00:47:25.11 And so I would just want to start in Genesis 1:27-28, 00:47:25.14\00:47:29.14 just to establish this beautiful gift 00:47:29.18\00:47:32.35 that God has given us in relation to man and woman 00:47:32.38\00:47:37.59 and human beings in general, 00:47:37.62\00:47:39.35 and this creative gift that God has bestowed upon us. 00:47:39.39\00:47:41.86 It says, "So God created man in His own image, 00:47:41.89\00:47:47.40 in the image of God He created him," 00:47:47.43\00:47:49.93 notice this, "male and female and..." 00:47:49.96\00:47:54.44 He created. No. 00:47:54.47\00:47:55.80 No, "Male and female He created them." 00:47:55.84\00:47:58.44 And I'm not meaning that with any disrespect. 00:47:58.47\00:48:00.38 It's just the plain truth of God's Word. 00:48:00.41\00:48:01.94 He created... 00:48:01.98\00:48:03.31 When He created in the beginning 00:48:03.35\00:48:04.68 human beings it was male and female, 00:48:04.71\00:48:07.25 then God blessed them. 00:48:07.28\00:48:08.72 And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, 00:48:08.75\00:48:12.29 fill the earth and subdue it, 00:48:12.32\00:48:13.89 have dominion over the fish of the sea, 00:48:13.92\00:48:15.59 over the birds of the air, and over every living thing 00:48:15.62\00:48:18.03 that moves upon the earth. 00:48:18.06\00:48:19.39 So God set His perfect intended plan 00:48:19.43\00:48:22.66 in order at creation. 00:48:22.70\00:48:24.30 Now, of course, you guys have set it up beautifully. 00:48:24.33\00:48:26.70 You've established a very clear biblical foundation 00:48:26.74\00:48:29.20 on what this gift is. 00:48:29.24\00:48:30.74 But, you know, the devil comes along 00:48:30.77\00:48:32.97 and he takes that beautiful gift 00:48:33.01\00:48:34.41 that God meant to be good, 00:48:34.44\00:48:35.78 that God meant to bring happiness and joy 00:48:35.81\00:48:38.61 and just comfort among us, 00:48:38.65\00:48:39.98 but the devil is going to pervert it. 00:48:40.02\00:48:41.82 The devil is gonna take that gift 00:48:41.85\00:48:43.18 and he's gonna pervert it, he's going to skew it, 00:48:43.22\00:48:44.75 he's going to distort it 00:48:44.79\00:48:46.12 in every which way that he possibly can. 00:48:46.15\00:48:48.32 And so the only way that I really know 00:48:48.36\00:48:50.19 the best way to approach this particular topic 00:48:50.23\00:48:52.43 is to allow God Himself tell us 00:48:52.46\00:48:56.06 His attitude towards the perversion of this gift 00:48:56.10\00:49:00.70 And I'm gonna let the Bible just speak for itself. 00:49:00.74\00:49:02.54 It's very plain. 00:49:02.57\00:49:03.91 It's not gonna be much personal interpretation of this at all 00:49:03.94\00:49:06.34 but there shouldn't be because God is very clear. 00:49:06.37\00:49:08.54 I'm gonna start in Leviticus 20:7-21. 00:49:08.58\00:49:12.95 Now, obviously, I'm not gonna be able to read 00:49:12.98\00:49:14.32 all these verses, but I just want to highlight 00:49:14.35\00:49:16.18 just a few things from these verses. 00:49:16.22\00:49:17.65 Again, that's Leviticus 20:7-21. 00:49:17.69\00:49:22.36 Notice how right in the opening portion 00:49:22.39\00:49:24.36 you say, Ryan, how can I make sure 00:49:24.39\00:49:25.96 that I'm safeguarding this beautiful gift 00:49:25.99\00:49:28.96 that the Creator has bestowed upon me? 00:49:29.00\00:49:31.63 Verse 7, I think really answers that clearly, 00:49:31.67\00:49:34.20 "Consecrate yourselves therefore, 00:49:34.24\00:49:37.84 and be holy, for I am the Lord your God 00:49:37.87\00:49:41.08 and you shall keep My statutes, and perform them, 00:49:41.11\00:49:44.85 I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 00:49:44.88\00:49:47.35 Consecrate yourself, 00:49:47.38\00:49:48.82 bring yourself in harmony with the will of God. 00:49:48.85\00:49:51.25 Surrender yourself to the Lord in every aspect, 00:49:51.29\00:49:53.86 that's the only hope we have 00:49:53.89\00:49:55.49 because Ryan can't tell Ryan, how to live. 00:49:55.52\00:49:58.03 Ryan can't tell Ryan how things are to be. 00:49:58.06\00:50:00.53 At the end of the day, I'm fully dependent 00:50:00.56\00:50:02.26 upon God's guidance to lead me 00:50:02.30\00:50:04.10 and to help me bring my thought into submission with His. 00:50:04.13\00:50:08.30 It's just for everyone. 00:50:08.34\00:50:09.67 This is verse 9, "For everyone 00:50:09.70\00:50:11.04 who curses his father or his mother 00:50:11.07\00:50:12.41 shall surely be put to death." 00:50:12.44\00:50:13.78 And notice now the language of this passage 00:50:13.81\00:50:16.34 kind of starts to turn a little negative here, 00:50:16.38\00:50:18.91 but it's the Lord opening up. 00:50:18.95\00:50:20.52 I believe in love and showing us 00:50:20.55\00:50:22.68 His heart on this issue. 00:50:22.72\00:50:24.45 Verse 10, notice, 00:50:24.49\00:50:25.82 "The man who commits adultery with another man's wife 00:50:25.85\00:50:28.96 is he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife." 00:50:28.99\00:50:31.26 So he's committing adultery. 00:50:31.29\00:50:32.73 It goes down to verse 11. 00:50:32.76\00:50:34.10 Notice, "The man who lies with his father's wife," 00:50:34.13\00:50:36.80 he starts giving examples. 00:50:36.83\00:50:39.13 Now verse 12, "If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, 00:50:39.17\00:50:41.90 both of them shall be surely put to death" 00:50:41.94\00:50:44.27 This was something that the Lord said, 00:50:44.31\00:50:45.64 you know, this sin, as we know Romans 6:23, 00:50:45.67\00:50:48.88 "The wages of sin is death" 00:50:48.91\00:50:50.95 Okay, so these type of actions, 00:50:50.98\00:50:52.51 these type of perpetual continual choices 00:50:52.55\00:50:55.35 bring nothing but death. 00:50:55.38\00:50:57.09 And it's sorrowful, God is not happy again. 00:50:57.12\00:50:59.82 He says, what is it Ezekiel, 00:50:59.85\00:51:01.32 I believe it is, chapter 33 verse 11, 00:51:01.36\00:51:04.56 I believe it is where He says, "I do not take pleasure 00:51:04.59\00:51:07.10 in the destruction of the wicked, 00:51:07.13\00:51:08.46 but that man turn from his evil ways and live 00:51:08.50\00:51:11.10 for why should you die, turn you turn you." 00:51:11.13\00:51:13.27 You can just imagine 00:51:13.30\00:51:15.07 the pleading heart of the Father 00:51:15.10\00:51:16.67 saying, please, I don't want you to die. 00:51:16.71\00:51:19.04 Turn from your evil ways. 00:51:19.07\00:51:20.41 He gives these examples of them right here, verse 13. 00:51:20.44\00:51:23.68 "If a man lies with a male," that's a man with a man, 00:51:23.71\00:51:27.42 "as he lies with a woman, 00:51:27.45\00:51:28.85 both of them have committed an abomination." 00:51:28.88\00:51:31.29 That type of lifestyle, that type of choice 00:51:31.32\00:51:33.69 is an abomination to God. 00:51:33.72\00:51:35.76 And my heart breaks because in no other time, 00:51:35.79\00:51:38.33 perhaps in history that we're seeing this 00:51:38.36\00:51:40.36 on such displayed in our world today. 00:51:40.40\00:51:42.76 People confused, 00:51:42.80\00:51:44.13 people their minds and their thoughts distorted 00:51:44.17\00:51:46.20 and confused on gender, on sexuality 00:51:46.23\00:51:50.04 and things that is plaguing this world and our country. 00:51:50.07\00:51:53.91 There's a list, an array of lists there. 00:51:53.94\00:51:55.71 If a man mates with an animal 00:51:55.74\00:51:57.81 can't even imagine such a thing, 00:51:57.85\00:51:59.18 but God addresses it, 00:51:59.21\00:52:00.55 because the devil has distorted this gift. 00:52:00.58\00:52:03.02 He's perverted this gift. 00:52:03.05\00:52:04.82 And so who shall stand and fill the gap 00:52:04.85\00:52:07.42 and allow God's Word and God's truth 00:52:07.46\00:52:09.89 to be broadcasted 00:52:09.92\00:52:11.43 that they may turn their evil hearts, 00:52:11.46\00:52:13.50 these hardened hearts to soft hearts of flesh, 00:52:13.53\00:52:16.23 that they may have the Lord's truth 00:52:16.26\00:52:17.93 that may transform them. 00:52:17.97\00:52:19.90 Notice Romans 1:24-27, 00:52:19.93\00:52:23.71 I'm gonna go through these rather quickly. 00:52:23.74\00:52:25.07 But I want you to notice this, it says, 00:52:25.11\00:52:26.44 "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, 00:52:26.47\00:52:30.78 in the lusts of their hearts, 00:52:30.81\00:52:32.38 to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 00:52:32.41\00:52:35.48 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, 00:52:35.52\00:52:38.52 and worshiped and served the creature 00:52:38.55\00:52:40.49 rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever." 00:52:40.52\00:52:43.22 Amen. 00:52:43.26\00:52:44.59 And in verse 26, it says, "For this reason 00:52:44.63\00:52:46.29 God gave them up to vile passions. 00:52:46.33\00:52:49.03 For, notice even thee women exchanged the natural use 00:52:49.06\00:52:52.80 for what is against nature. 00:52:52.83\00:52:54.17 Likewise also the men, 00:52:54.20\00:52:55.60 leaving the natural use of the woman, 00:52:55.64\00:52:58.07 burned in their lust for one another, 00:52:58.11\00:53:00.01 men with men." 00:53:00.04\00:53:01.38 This is negative language. 00:53:01.41\00:53:02.81 God is not saying, oh, it's okay. 00:53:02.84\00:53:04.35 It's okay, I understand, 00:53:04.38\00:53:05.71 He's saying no, this is not what I created. 00:53:05.75\00:53:07.65 This is not the way I wanted it to be. 00:53:07.68\00:53:10.05 God forbids and detest any sexual lifestyle 00:53:10.09\00:53:14.26 that is not in harmony with His intended plan. 00:53:14.29\00:53:17.26 You know, I think of this, 00:53:17.29\00:53:18.63 you know, this whole, 00:53:18.66\00:53:20.00 you know, LGBT, 00:53:20.03\00:53:21.56 we were talking about it earlier, 00:53:21.60\00:53:23.13 it started out as just a kind of an LGBT type thing, 00:53:23.16\00:53:26.77 but now it's grown into this LGBTIQAP 00:53:26.80\00:53:32.17 I mean, it's just A, B, C, D and nothing in it 00:53:32.21\00:53:34.34 in any disrespect but it's just, it's so sad. 00:53:34.38\00:53:38.08 I mean, we're talking about lesbian lifestyle, 00:53:38.11\00:53:40.65 gay lifestyle, bisexual, transgender, 00:53:40.68\00:53:43.55 this whole transgender movement. 00:53:43.59\00:53:45.09 People that are just desperately, 00:53:45.12\00:53:47.42 you know, it just almost seems like they're crying out. 00:53:47.46\00:53:49.62 You know, for help in that lifestyle, 00:53:49.66\00:53:51.73 in that choice 00:53:51.76\00:53:53.09 confused about who their Creator is 00:53:53.13\00:53:55.46 and how He created them to be. 00:53:55.50\00:53:57.27 My heart breaks, my heart yearns 00:53:57.30\00:53:59.00 for those type of people. 00:53:59.03\00:54:00.57 You know, and then there's just downright rebellion. 00:54:00.60\00:54:04.17 You know, the Bible says right here 00:54:04.21\00:54:05.61 in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, 00:54:05.64\00:54:08.38 "And with all unrighteous deception 00:54:08.41\00:54:10.05 among those who perish, 00:54:10.08\00:54:11.41 because they did not receive the love of the truth." 00:54:11.45\00:54:14.32 That's the foundation. 00:54:14.35\00:54:15.68 The truth brings love 00:54:15.72\00:54:17.09 that we should have a love for the truth 00:54:17.12\00:54:18.45 that they might be saved. 00:54:18.49\00:54:19.82 Notice verse 11, and for this reason, 00:54:19.85\00:54:21.49 God says, "I will send them a strong delusion 00:54:21.52\00:54:23.76 that they should believe a lie." 00:54:23.79\00:54:25.13 And I have friends, I have acquaintances people 00:54:25.16\00:54:29.13 that I love dearly that support this lifestyle, 00:54:29.16\00:54:32.63 and it almost as if they've just been programmed, 00:54:32.67\00:54:34.64 they're just ultimately decided on the fact that it's okay 00:54:34.67\00:54:38.14 they can be a Christian, they can serve God, 00:54:38.17\00:54:40.81 while still living in that counterfeit 00:54:40.84\00:54:42.91 backward lifestyle. 00:54:42.94\00:54:44.28 And you know what? 00:54:44.31\00:54:45.65 I want to with love and with compassion 00:54:45.68\00:54:47.95 as much as I can muster up, 00:54:47.98\00:54:49.38 but I want to be bold in saying 00:54:49.42\00:54:51.09 that lifestyle is not of the Lord. 00:54:51.12\00:54:53.32 It is not biblical. 00:54:53.36\00:54:55.12 And we need to exercise righteous judgment, 00:54:55.16\00:54:57.73 godly judgment against such exercises as this. 00:54:57.76\00:55:01.16 And I just want to say this, 00:55:01.20\00:55:02.53 I know I have just a few seconds 00:55:02.56\00:55:03.90 but you're a child of God. 00:55:03.93\00:55:05.87 Every person is a child of God, no matter what the sin, 00:55:05.90\00:55:08.24 no matter what the choice, 00:55:08.27\00:55:09.60 God loves you with all His heart, mind and soul. 00:55:09.64\00:55:12.47 And you know, I just want to leave everyone with this. 00:55:12.51\00:55:15.08 You know, if we confess our sins 00:55:15.11\00:55:16.78 and that lifestyle, those choices 00:55:16.81\00:55:18.95 counterfeit from that which God created, it is a sin. 00:55:18.98\00:55:22.75 "If we confess those sins he is faithful" 00:55:22.78\00:55:27.02 1 John 1:9 "to forgive us our sins 00:55:27.06\00:55:29.86 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 00:55:29.89\00:55:32.23 We do not need to wait for victory. 00:55:32.26\00:55:34.23 We can have victory today in Jesus Christ. 00:55:34.26\00:55:37.13 Amen. Amen! Thank you, Ryan. 00:55:37.17\00:55:38.73 I am just so proud of each and every one of you. 00:55:38.77\00:55:41.37 I've learn from you 00:55:41.40\00:55:42.74 and I believe it's been a beautiful lesson. 00:55:42.77\00:55:44.77 We just have to remember the royal love song. 00:55:44.81\00:55:48.88 The Song of Solomon, 00:55:48.91\00:55:51.48 Song of Songs is a beautiful picture 00:55:51.51\00:55:55.08 of marital bliss, conjugal love. 00:55:55.12\00:55:58.25 And we do not have to be ashamed of the topic, 00:55:58.29\00:56:03.63 if we are reading 00:56:03.66\00:56:05.73 from and expressing God's opinion on it. 00:56:05.76\00:56:08.96 Let me give you each a few seconds. 00:56:09.00\00:56:11.30 We're close, surely running out of time. 00:56:11.33\00:56:13.87 Solomon's marriage to the Shulamite lady in there, 00:56:13.90\00:56:16.60 you know, it talks about here, 00:56:16.64\00:56:17.97 they confirm number one that they belong to each other. 00:56:18.01\00:56:20.68 They affirmed that there's... 00:56:20.71\00:56:22.71 She affirms she was in submission to him. 00:56:22.74\00:56:24.85 And then he affirmed, 00:56:24.88\00:56:26.28 he expressed his desire for her. 00:56:26.31\00:56:28.88 I think if we do that, it makes the marriage 00:56:28.92\00:56:30.32 stick together as a seed. 00:56:30.35\00:56:32.19 I think not only to appreciate the wife 00:56:32.22\00:56:33.86 that God has given to us, 00:56:33.89\00:56:35.22 but to help her become everything 00:56:35.26\00:56:36.59 that God envisions here to be 00:56:36.62\00:56:38.39 by loving her the way the Lord loves His church. 00:56:38.43\00:56:42.06 Amen. 00:56:42.10\00:56:43.47 God calls us to walk in purity. 00:56:43.50\00:56:45.47 Sometimes it's not an easy choice. 00:56:45.50\00:56:48.24 Ryan, what a beautiful job with that, 00:56:48.27\00:56:50.44 no matter whether it's outside the bonds of marriage 00:56:50.47\00:56:52.61 or in some sort of perversion, 00:56:52.64\00:56:54.31 but no matter where we are, 00:56:54.34\00:56:55.94 God calls us to come back and return to himself. 00:56:55.98\00:56:59.05 Amen. 00:56:59.08\00:57:00.42 And just in closing Romans 8:1, this whole conversation, 00:57:00.45\00:57:04.49 "There is therefore no condemnation in those 00:57:04.52\00:57:08.16 who are in Christ Jesus, 00:57:08.19\00:57:11.13 who do not walk according to the flesh, 00:57:11.16\00:57:12.89 but according to the Spirit." 00:57:12.93\00:57:14.96 Just submit to Jesus and live. 00:57:15.00\00:57:16.77 Amen. 00:57:16.80\00:57:18.13 And you know something, God is our Creator. 00:57:18.17\00:57:20.57 He's the one who created us with these characteristics. 00:57:20.60\00:57:26.11 He knows how best they should be fulfilled. 00:57:26.14\00:57:29.11 We thank you for joining us today. 00:57:29.14\00:57:31.28 We hope you have enjoyed this study of the Word. 00:57:31.31\00:57:34.52 And if you have children, talk to them 00:57:34.55\00:57:38.15 about godly principles for sexuality. 00:57:38.19\00:57:41.46 Bye. 00:57:41.49\00:57:42.82