Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190019A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:04 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:08 It says to, "Receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:12 which is able to save your souls 00:14 and to be diligent 00:15 to present yourself approved to God, 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:21 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Family Seasons. 00:34 Hello, I'm Shelly Quinn, and we welcome you 00:37 to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:40 I'm going to do something I've never done 00:43 and I don't think we've ever done this 00:44 on the Sabbath School Panel. 00:46 Our study this week is on the Song of Solomon, 00:50 the royal love song. 00:53 This is a look at the beauty and the bliss of marriage 00:57 and actually it's the pure, devoted, 01:02 romantic love of a husband and wife 01:07 on the day of their wedding 01:10 and the night of their marital bliss. 01:14 I want to encourage parents. 01:17 If you think that your children are too young, 01:21 too immature to understand the Bible verses 01:25 or to even hear the Bible verses 01:28 that we will read in a Song of Solomon, 01:32 then I'd encourage you 01:33 to send them out of the room right now. 01:36 However, if you think your child, 01:40 if there is a child 01:41 who is maybe approaching the teen years 01:44 or in the teen years, 01:45 and you think that you need a way 01:47 to open up a discussion, 01:50 this is a beautiful lesson that will open that discussion. 01:54 And I just have to say this. 01:56 The secular world has stolen the narrative on sex. 02:02 That's right. 02:04 And they make it something that they degrade it 02:07 to a kind of like an animal passion, 02:10 but in some cultures, 02:12 and some times in the church we find people who think 02:16 that sex isn't something to be talked about. 02:20 If we look at the Bible, 02:21 either one of these extremes `is wrong 02:24 because God created us a sexual human beings 02:29 and He created marriage 02:33 with the arena of that expression, 02:35 and the romantic relationship between a committed couple 02:40 is a beautiful picture what we will see today 02:45 of emotional intimacy 02:49 and these fulfillment of sensuality. 02:55 So having said that, 02:58 we're going to give you a moment 03:00 to send your children out if you think so 03:02 because this is to me, 03:05 this is like revisiting the innocence 03:09 of Adam and Eve in the garden. 03:11 When you read this Song of Solomon, 03:13 there is just the beauty of this delightful innocence 03:18 and their love making is precious. 03:21 So what we're going to do first is tell you 03:24 that if you need a copy of this, 03:26 you can go to your Adventist Church, 03:29 and get a copy of our quarterly and study along with this 03:32 or you can download it from the internet 03:35 by going to ABSG.Adventist.org. 03:41 Ryan, I think that even before I read the memory text, 03:45 I think we need some special prayer for this. 03:47 Oh, absolutely. 03:48 Yes, let's pray. 03:51 Dear Father in heaven, 03:54 topic such as this need a special leader, 03:59 and, Lord, we certainly need Your leadership, 04:02 we need Your guidance right now. 04:04 We don't want our own thoughts, 04:05 our own ideas, our own opinions, Lord, 04:07 we simply just want Your truth, 04:09 Your word, your guidance, your mind to be ours. 04:13 Hide us behind Jesus. 04:14 May every person who hears to study 04:16 including ourselves, Lord, 04:17 may we been drawn closer to the savior, 04:20 and may we be drawn closer to each other 04:21 because we're talking about family, Lord, 04:23 and You created the family, 04:26 it is Your word who established. 04:27 And, Lord, we thank You so much 04:29 for all that You have done for us, 04:31 and for who You are, 04:32 we ask a special blessing upon this lesson right now, 04:35 in Jesus' precious name we pray, amen. 04:38 Amen. Thank you, Ryan. 04:40 Let me go ahead and introduce the rest of our panel. 04:43 Next to me is my dear friend Pastor Kenny Shelton. 04:46 We're so glad to have you here, 04:48 my own pastor, Pastor John Lomacang, 04:52 my dear friend and sister, Jill Morikone, 04:57 and then our wonderful pastor, Ryan Day. 05:00 We're so glad to have each one of you here. 05:03 Let's look at our memory text, 05:05 and this is Song of Solomon 8:6, 05:09 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, 05:12 as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, 05:16 jealousy as cruel as the grave, 05:19 its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame." 05:24 Now, marriage, we have looked at 05:27 as a grand change in life, 05:29 and marriage brings challenges and it brings blessings. 05:33 And conjugal love between a husband and his wife 05:40 is one of the wonderful blessings 05:42 that God has given to us and let me just say this. 05:47 This is not a taboo topic, this is not a topic of shame 05:52 because this is a wonderful gift 05:55 that God has given us. 05:56 Now yes, 05:57 outside of the marriage of a husband and wife 06:00 to misuse the gift of sexuality is sin, 06:04 but the Song of Solomon 06:07 unfolds this mystery of intimacy and sensuality 06:13 in a beautiful way. 06:14 Often this book is treated as an allegory, 06:17 which means it's a story or a point 06:20 with a hidden meaning 06:22 and certainly the hidden meaning in this 06:25 would be the reflection of God's perfect love 06:27 for Israel, did it not? 06:29 This song portrays marriage as a perfect love 06:36 that is patterned after the divine love of God. 06:39 So let's look at the indivisible life 06:43 in lesson number six, Sunday's lesson. 06:48 Some religions teach dualism. 06:52 And basically what dualism says 06:54 is, "Hey, the body is the problem, 06:56 you know, a problem to the spiritual life, 06:59 and they're separated and let's don't talk 07:02 about the body is bad, the spirit is good. 07:05 What we believe is, in scripture, the human body, 07:10 the person and its sexual characteristics 07:14 is integral to the whole being. 07:18 Life is body and spirit, right? 07:20 Genesis 2:7, 07:22 "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 07:25 He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 07:29 and man became a living being." 07:34 Man's more than a material being 07:36 because God breathed the breath of life, 07:40 that's the Neshamah into Adam. 07:44 And so body plus Neshamah, the breath 07:49 equals a living being. 07:51 In the Hebrew, that's Nephesh. 07:53 So this is used to describe other living beings, 07:56 animals are also described this way, 08:00 but we are special 08:02 because we were created in God's image. 08:07 So what we see, 08:08 if you want to see the whole of the life 08:11 as being spirit, and flesh, and body is all wrapped up. 08:15 Look at how the Psalmist worship God 08:20 with his whole being in Psalm 63:1, 08:23 he says, "O, God, you are my God, 08:26 early will I seek you, my soul thirsts for you, 08:31 my flesh longs for you, 08:33 in a dry and weary land where there is no water." 08:37 But what we want to remember 08:40 is that Paul tells us in 1 Corinthian 6:19, 08:45 "Our body is," what? The temple of God. 08:48 "The temple of the Holy Spirit." 08:52 And let's look at what 1 Thessalonians 5:23 has to say 08:56 because Paul tells us 08:58 we were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. 09:03 So when we consider our sexuality, 09:06 this is something that needs, 09:09 this gift needs to be sanctified to the Lord. 09:11 1 Thessalonians 5:23, says, 09:15 "May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely." 09:21 Who's doing this work of sanctification? 09:22 God. God is. 09:24 God. 09:25 Thesis, "May your whole spirit, soul, and body, 09:27 that's the person, 09:30 be preserved blameless 09:32 at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 09:35 So the total person including our sexuality, 09:41 that characteristic should be sanctified to God. 09:44 Amen. 09:46 But the Bible shows us 09:48 that a very positive view on the human body. 09:51 Let's look at the Song of Songs 1:2. 09:56 This is about King Saul and the Shulamite woman 10:00 that he's getting ready to marry. 10:02 King Solomon? Solomon. 10:03 What did I say? 10:05 Yes, King Solomon and the Shulamite woman, 10:08 and she says in 1:2, 10:11 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, 10:14 for her love is better than wine." 10:17 And then... 10:19 That reminds me of that we say, 10:21 "God's love is better than wine." 10:22 Right? 10:24 Song of Songs 1:13, says, 10:27 "A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me 10:31 that lies on all night between my breasts." 10:34 And then 2:6, "His left hand is under my head, 10:38 and his right hand embraces me." 10:41 So we see that throughout this sacred text, 10:46 the human body is elevated, if you will, it's admired. 10:52 Now, I'm not going to have time to read this 10:55 'cause I want to make my comments, 10:57 but I encourage you to read Song of Song 5:10-16. 11:04 This is the bride, the Shulamite woman, 11:08 she's talking about her beloved being white and ruddy, 11:13 chief among ten thousand. 11:15 She describes his head, his locks, his eyes, 11:19 his cheeks, his hands, his legs, and his mouth, 11:22 and then in 7:1-9, 11:27 He, then King Solomon is talking about his beloved, 11:32 and he starts off, this is so cute. 11:34 "How beautiful are your feet in your sandals." 11:37 I mean, and he talks about the curves of her thighs, 11:41 her naval, her breasts, her eyes, her head. 11:44 He talks about "the fragrance of your breath is like apples, 11:49 and the roof of your mouth like the best wine." 11:52 So throughout this sacred text, the human body is admired. 11:57 And I want to read something 11:59 I thought was a great comment from our quarterly. 12:05 It says, "The physical aspects of married love 12:09 are not an embarrassment, 12:11 a full range of emotion is openly presented. 12:16 Powerful sexual taboos 12:19 typically exist in many cultures, 12:22 and married couples does often find it difficult 12:26 to communicate in healthy ways regarding their intimate life. 12:32 Similarly, children are often deprived 12:37 of the opportunity to learn about sexuality 12:42 in the setting of a Christian home." 12:45 Oh, don't deprive your child of that 12:47 because if you don't teach them, the world will. 12:53 "So they are deprived through of the opportunity 12:55 to learn about sexuality 12:56 in the setting of a Christian home 12:58 where godly values can be integrated 13:02 with correct information." 13:04 The Bible's openness with sexuality, 13:08 calls his people to a greater level 13:10 of comfort with this topic, 13:12 so that this vital aspect of life 13:15 is treated with a respect and dignity 13:18 do so great a gift from the Creator. 13:21 One thing I have to say, 13:24 one really wonderful thing my mother did 13:27 is she always encouraged me, 13:29 she didn't talked to me prematurely. 13:34 But I can remember even from a small child, 13:36 she said, "Whatever you hear at school, 13:38 if you hear anything about sex or about your body, 13:41 Honey, come tell me 13:42 because kids get it wrong sometimes 13:44 and I'll give you the correct information." 13:46 And you know what? 13:48 My mother never made me feel ashamed of any question. 13:52 She satisfied my curiosity, 13:55 and I can remember even through high school, 13:58 you know, I'd be shocked to hear 13:59 that someone was sexually active. 14:02 Sometimes kids are sexually active 14:04 out of curiosity, 14:05 sometimes just because they haven't been taught. 14:09 So let's recapture the narrative 14:12 and teach our children. 14:14 Amen. All right. Wonderful job. 14:16 I have Monday's and the title of it, 14:20 "The loves of the love song." 14:23 And, you know, that might be little complex. 14:25 Some people might say, oh, my, this is... 14:27 But really, the lesson is very good. 14:30 It's something that we need to really look at here. 14:32 And I'm thinking about here Solomon, 14:34 it seems though that he wrote about his love. 14:39 The things that he experienced, he wrote about these things 14:42 and I think as we look in 1 Kings 11:1, 14:45 it says, "He had many loves." And so when you look at, 14:50 was it 1 Kings 11 and verse about 3, 14:53 it says, he had... 14:54 Was it 700 wives, 300 concubines, 14:58 and so on, and so I'll be... 15:00 Here I'm just going to ask the question 15:02 that which one of his loves was he writing about here? 15:06 Well, it's a request, 15:07 which one was he writing of here? 15:09 And I think it becomes pretty clearer, 15:10 we talked about the Shulamite woman here. 15:12 We call the country girl. 15:15 So there was something very special, 15:17 he was very active in lot of different areas there, 15:19 but there was one I think that really captivated him. 15:22 Like, maybe each one of you became your wife or whatever. 15:25 And so I thought that was interesting, 15:26 but his autobiography when you really look at, 15:29 it's kind of moral fallen, 15:30 and pretty sad is the end result. 15:33 A man that God gave so much wisdom, you know, 15:36 the history is he... 15:37 All he was doing it seems was searching for happiness, 15:40 and lot of you may be searching for happiness today. 15:42 And sometime we look in the wrong places. 15:44 Make sure you look in the right place 15:46 you're looking for, make sure you're looking at somebody 15:47 that you can love and hold on to for your life. 15:49 Now he always engaged. 15:51 He was a man that could engage in any kind of a conversation. 15:54 He's so intellectual, no matter what the subject was, 15:57 he could engage in it, and he loved to engage in it 15:59 because I think sometime was showing his wisdom, 16:02 like some people may like to do. 16:04 He gratified his love, he did it for pleasure 16:08 and then also we found that he had a... 16:11 His carnal heart wanted his own way 16:14 and what he wanted when he wanted it. 16:16 And, you know, I think about is, 16:18 even his experience, I mean... 16:20 If you really think about the experiences 16:21 that this man had, 16:23 you know, and the opportunities and privileges, 16:25 he had to be what God wanted him to do. 16:27 And all the things he experiences, 16:29 we've talked about before, he finally just summed it all, 16:31 he said, it's all what? 16:32 Vanity. It's all vanity. 16:34 So our lesson brings out many aspects 16:37 and certainly this panel has done 16:39 in previous lesson, aspects of love. 16:41 Things that we can do to make our relationships better, 16:45 things that we need to be doing that we're not doing, 16:47 things that we don't say 16:49 that we should be saying more often than we do, 16:51 and life is certainly be a lot easier for all of us 16:53 if we said the things that need to be said. 16:55 That's true. 16:57 And so love is... 16:58 We look in, and I've just kind of few things 17:00 that go over here. 17:02 Some of these you may relate to, 17:03 others you may not relate to. 17:05 Some things you've experienced, 17:07 maybe you really haven't experienced. 17:08 And the verse that you read, Sister Shelley, 17:10 was interesting, I jotted down too. 17:12 Song of Solomon 1:2, it says, 17:15 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, 17:17 for thy love is better than wine." 17:20 This is a Shulamite woman that was talking about 17:22 that you made very clear here. 17:24 And, you know, 17:26 the Jews considered the Song of Solomon 17:29 the most excellent in all the Bible. 17:32 So it's something that maybe 17:33 we need to look at very closely here. 17:34 Yes. 17:36 You know, Solomon had written... 17:37 I thought this is interesting 17:38 and some of you are song writers 17:40 and you write songs, 17:41 you do all kind of things like that. 17:43 He had written 1 Kings 4:32, over one thousand, 17:47 one thousand songs, 17:49 think about, they composed them. 17:51 That's quite a few songs in this, 17:52 so he had it in his heart, it was in his soul, 17:55 and he want to bring it out, and things that he did, 17:57 he want to pen it down, 17:58 and even put into poetry and so on and so forth. 18:01 The word for love is mentioned here 18:03 in the plural, 18:04 which indicates at least to me 18:06 there are many things that we can do. 18:08 I mentioned it a while ago to show, you know, tensions, 18:13 things that we can do 18:14 to manifest our love toward our mate, 18:16 and our fellowman, and so on and so forth 18:20 to show ways of loving, 18:22 and sometime, again, we forget that. 18:27 I kind of did that the other day. 18:28 Let me tell them of myself 18:29 just a little bit here if you don't mind. 18:31 And the rest, if you don't want to hear, 18:32 just close your ears, and it'd be all right. 18:35 Because sometimes, you know, 18:37 you want to do the right thing, right? 18:39 I need to do the right thing, sometime we forget. 18:41 Well, I gave my wife a dozen roses, I stopped. 18:44 First time I went to buy and I see them for sale, 18:46 I thought I'm really too busy to do this, 18:48 and then I got my attention, 18:49 I should never be too busy for her. 18:51 So I stopped and I bought a dozen roses, 18:53 I'll tell more about that in a minute. 18:56 But, you know, I thought, 18:57 "Well, I'll just take them where she's at work, 18:59 so I took the roses in, she wasn't in her office. 19:02 So I thought, "Well, I just get a little water, 19:04 and put them on the desk, and move right on." 19:05 You know, pretty soon, that wasn't very long. 19:08 I left there and my phone rang. 19:10 And she was on the other end, 19:12 Chris on the other end, she said, 19:15 "Is there something you need to tell me?" 19:19 You don't do this often enough. 19:20 Well, I'm telling myself just little bit, here she says, 19:23 "Is there something that you want to tell me?" 19:25 And I'm going, "Well, what do you mean?" 19:29 And all of sudden I start racking my brain. 19:31 Have I forgotten to say something 19:32 or do something I should have done, 19:34 what if I done, what somebody said, 19:36 well, I'm gonna have to do something. 19:38 No, I racked my brain, I said, "No, I hadn't forgot anything." 19:42 I said, "Honey, I don't think so." 19:43 She said, "Are you sure?" 19:45 Right then I thought, "Man, I must be guilty of something, 19:47 you know, all I have done is bring some flowers, 19:49 and, you know, show love. 19:51 Sometimes just say, it's easy 19:52 to say, Honey, I love you, and go on, 19:54 but sometime do something special. 19:55 And she said, "Are you sure?" 19:57 And I said, "Well, like what? 19:59 Tell me what it is?" 20:00 She said, "Well, I'll just tell you this, 20:02 I just found some beautiful flowers 20:03 on my desk, 20:04 and I loved them, and I'm just kidding you." 20:09 Well, I felt relieved, man did I feel relieved. 20:11 I'm just kidding, nothing I had to do, 20:12 nothing I had done wrong 20:14 and so I thought, "Well, okay, well that's good." 20:16 So I thought, "Okay, okay, Honey, thanks, that's good, 20:18 I'm glad you called and everything is all right." 20:20 But the thing is, it got deeper. 20:23 I don't know if any of you ever got deeper 20:24 because when I stopped and buy dozen one, 20:26 I bought two. 20:27 I didn't just buy one, I bought two. 20:30 So I already dug a little bit of the hole, 20:31 I thought, well, what am I going to do? 20:33 So one of them I leave at the office 20:34 and the other I take home. 20:37 And so anyway, I went home, she was already there, 20:40 but again she's in other room so I hurried right quick 20:43 and put some watered in the vas, 20:46 and I put the flowers in there, 20:49 and put them on the kitchen table, 20:50 and then I ran out to my study and I thought let's go in here. 20:53 Pretty soon I hear the voice, "Well, well." 20:56 Oh no, what have I done? 20:58 I've tried to do something that, you know, in the case, 21:00 you know, the love and you want to do something good. 21:02 She said, "Kenny, I'm sure now 21:05 there's something you want to tell me." 21:08 I said, "No, there's nothing I want to tell you." 21:10 She was trying to get something out of me 21:11 I didn't have enough sense to let it come out. 21:14 I thought, "Man, I just," you know, she played me. 21:18 You know, she pulled my leg again 21:20 and I said, "Honey, I really don't know of anything 21:22 I really need to tell you." 21:24 And sometime I think as men, 21:25 we think that if we buy something for them 21:28 or give them something, 21:30 it takes the place of saying, "Honey, I love you." 21:34 And really I think all long she wanted me to say, 21:36 "Is there something you want to say, 21:38 is there something you need to say?" 21:39 And I'm going, "What is it? What have I done? 21:41 Rather than "Well, there is, Honey, along with the flowers, 21:43 I want to tell you, I love you very much." 21:44 That's good. 21:46 So sometimes we men forget to do that 21:47 and I'm going to encourage men today, 21:49 please do that. 21:52 I think probably nothing better 21:53 than the wife probably wants to hear 21:56 melodious song to the heart. 21:58 So Solomon was writing about these things, you know, 22:01 music for the ears. 22:03 It's music to my ears 22:04 when someone says, "Oh Kenny, I love you." 22:06 That's music. 22:07 It really does something to the heart, 22:10 and so we need to say more often than we do, 22:12 "Honey, I really love you." 22:14 So this love, this lesson really brings out to be 22:17 about happy is the man, happy is the woman, 22:20 who your mate is yours, been brought out 22:22 is your very best friend. 22:24 Yes. 22:25 And in the confines of a husband 22:27 in relationship with a wife, 22:29 right here it was talking about a companion, a partner. 22:33 I like to think of marriage as, it's a partnership, 22:37 something that we're in together with 22:39 and we need that. 22:41 And, you know, in this kind of relationship, 22:44 we need to spend time, it's been brought out here 22:46 that we need to just sit down and just talk. 22:48 That's right. 22:49 It's time that we need to take apart 22:51 from everything else and just two of you sit down. 22:54 Share the things of the day's activities, 22:56 share the things of maybe you have, you know, 22:58 may the Lord's impressing you to do as you work in ministry 23:00 and so on and so forth, so you can pray about it. 23:04 The Adventist Home, page 99, just says this, it says, 23:07 you know, "Love is the... 23:09 You talking about it's the answer in the home 23:11 because love does this, when husband and wife together, 23:13 it refines, and purifies, and elevates any nobles. 23:18 I need everyone of it. 23:19 I need to be refined more than I am. 23:21 I need to be purified more than I am. 23:22 That can only be by the blood of the lamb, 23:24 and it elevates us, it nobles us. 23:27 True love is not natural, 23:29 it's not a natural thing, you know, in the human being. 23:32 It's a gift from the Holy Spirit, 23:33 Roman 5:5 tells us that. 23:35 So, you know, love binds a husband and wife together. 23:38 We need to make sure we show that 23:40 in every way that we possibly can. 23:42 And I'll close with this right here, 23:44 it talks about in your life union, 23:46 your affections are to be tributary 23:49 to each other's happiness. 23:51 Though it says, 23:53 this is the will of God concerning you. 23:55 So each one of us are to minister 23:58 to our husband or to our wife. 24:00 We're tributary, we're little revered, 24:01 we're little streamed 24:03 to make sure that their life is happy, 24:04 and I can guarantee you, you make the wife happy, right? 24:07 Everybody's happy. 24:09 This is what God would have us do. 24:11 This is a will of God concerning you, 24:13 it's to love and to make the other one happier. 24:15 That's right. Amen. 24:17 The loves of the love song we need to learn 24:19 how to express our love and appreciation, 24:21 give a good complement to our husband or wife. 24:25 Now, please stay with us, we'll be right back. 24:35 Ever wish you could watch 24:36 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:38 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:41 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:46 A clean design makes it easy 24:49 to find the program you're looking for. 24:51 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:54 so you can follow along. 24:56 Sharing is easy. 24:57 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:01 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:07 Now, we're going to continue our study 25:10 on this beautiful gift of sexuality that God gave us 25:15 to be expressed within the marriage. 25:17 John? 25:19 Mine is Tuesday, 25:20 it is entitled, "A loving knowledge." 25:24 And I'm glad that you lay disclaimer that you did 25:27 and, Pastor Kenny, thank you so much. 25:29 And we have really in our own hearts 25:31 pray to ask the Lord to give us guidance and wisdom 25:33 because we want to be scriptural, 25:35 but we also want to be expressive, 25:37 and not allow our expression 25:39 to override the beauty and the solemnity 25:42 of what God has written. 25:44 And we are peeking into what God established 25:49 to be beautifully expressed between a husband and a wife, 25:52 and I say that 25:53 because we live in a world today 25:55 where the expression of love 25:57 has taken on so many dimensions that is kind of been... 26:01 Let me just rephrase this, 26:02 not kind of been, it's been distorted. 26:04 Yes. 26:05 And the word love, we could say I love that car, 26:06 I love that house, I love that job, 26:08 I love that woman, I love that man, 26:10 and it's the word love 26:11 is so shallow in the English language 26:14 that it fails to capture the beauty of the word love 26:17 when it comes to the biblical language in Hebrew, 26:20 in Greek, in Aramaic, 26:21 it's so beautiful when it comes to that 26:23 because there are certain expressions of love, 26:25 for example, agape, godly love. 26:27 You have eros, which is a sensual love, 26:30 but the eros that the Bible talks about 26:32 a sensual love is not the kind of love 26:36 that's expressed between a husband and wife 26:37 because it's more of a carnal 26:39 rather than, there's a phileo love. 26:41 And so the Bible incorporates love 26:44 to give it the rubber stamp of God's approval 26:49 and that's where we're laying the foundation for today. 26:52 Sensuality, love 26:53 within the confines of marriage. 26:55 Go with me to the Book of the Song of Solomon 26:58 and the question that it leads into, 27:02 in the lesson on Tuesday, May 7 is, 27:06 how does the Song of Solomon 27:09 present a commitment to mutuality 27:12 in the intimate life of the married couple? 27:15 What you're going to see after I read this, 27:16 you're going to see some comparisons, 27:18 and the Bible uses the intimate language 27:21 to describe more than just a relationship 27:23 between husband and wife, 27:24 but it also uses an intimate language 27:27 to describe the relationship between God and the Christian. 27:30 That's right. 27:31 Because it says that prior to sin, 27:35 Adam and Eve were naked but they were not ashamed. 27:38 Amen. 27:39 After sin, Adam and Eve were naked 27:41 and they were ashamed. 27:43 Oh, yeah. 27:45 They were naked, they hid themselves. 27:46 So one of the things that we have to, you know, 27:48 I said this once I was preaching a sermon, 27:50 I said, at least in Adam and Eve's day, 27:52 they were naked and they knew it. 27:54 Today, the world glorifies nudity 27:58 or the world glorifies a sensuality 28:02 that is not rubber stamped by God's approval. 28:04 Right. 28:05 And it's leading men and women unfortunately 28:08 to glorify something that God does not approve of. 28:11 Amen. 28:12 You'll also see after I read this, 28:13 that there's a connection to the word "know" 28:15 the word when Adam knew Eve and when the Lord knows us. 28:20 You're going to see some similarities 28:22 that are amazing 28:24 as it describes the love that God has for His church, 28:27 the bride, 28:28 and the love that the husband should have for his wife, 28:30 and the wife should have for her husband. 28:32 Notice I didn't say the spouse for spouse 28:33 because today the word spouse 28:35 has even been polluted quite a bit. 28:37 Verse 4 of Song of Solomon, 4:7, beginning with verse 7, 28:44 and we're going to read all the way down to 5:1. 28:47 And now this is the beautiful language, 28:49 this poetic language. 28:52 Let me just say something here. 28:54 Solomon, I'm going to be very candid here. 28:56 Solomon was blessed not only with wisdom 28:59 but man, his dialect 29:02 would make any woman fall in love with him. 29:04 Could it be that he spoke 29:06 with such profound words of charm 29:09 that he had a thousand woman, they just fell when he spoke 29:13 because the man had 29:14 this metaphorical picturesque language 29:18 that when you read it, 29:21 I know that God has given him the wisdom, 29:22 but man, his words are so poetic 29:25 that any woman... 29:26 If I read this to my wife today, 29:28 she'll say, "Honey, man, that came from your heart." 29:33 And Solomon has given us men of today 29:36 some words that we can gather from, 29:37 to rekindle and strengthen our love. 29:39 Listen to this. 29:40 He says, verse 7, 29:42 "You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you." 29:49 Can you imagine, man saying to his wife, 29:50 "Honey, there is no blemish on you at all." 29:53 A woman will feel special. Oh, yeah. 29:55 Feels with, man, my husband really admires me. 29:58 "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, 30:00 with me from Lebanon, 30:02 look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir, 30:06 and Hermon from the lions' den, 30:10 from the mountains of the leopards." 30:12 Poetic language which she goes on later, 30:15 "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse, 30:19 you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, 30:25 with one link of your necklace." 30:27 And we were... And my wife and I were in Dubai, 30:30 where still today woman cover primarily up almost everything, 30:35 but they put such an accent on the way 30:38 that they painted their eyes, 30:40 the eye had become such a focal point, 30:41 so you see nothing, 30:43 some of them, all you saw was just the eyes, 30:45 but they've designed them, painted it in such a way 30:48 that when you look at their eyes like, boy, 30:51 this grabs your attention. 30:53 And I could imagine Solomon in that context, he is saying, 30:55 "Your eyes are speaking to me, 30:58 and is speaking from the content of your soul." 31:00 He goes on to say in verse 10, 31:03 "How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! 31:06 How much better than wine is your love, 31:08 and the scent of your perfumes than all spices! 31:12 Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb, 31:16 honey and milk are under your tongue, 31:18 and the fragrance of your garments 31:19 is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 31:22 A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, 31:26 a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 31:30 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates 31:33 with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard." 31:36 I mean, he's rapping. Can we say that, Ryan? 31:40 He's saying, "Honey, 31:41 we are about to consummate our marriage. 31:44 And I'm letting you know, 31:45 this is a special moment for me, 31:47 this is a moment I have been waiting for, 31:48 and I want you to know 31:49 that I'm treasuring you like every beautiful thing 31:52 that God has placed in His creation. 31:54 That's right. 31:55 He's describing her with all the beautiful incense, 31:58 all the beautiful elements of God's wonderful nature. 32:01 He goes on in verse 14, 32:03 "Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, 32:06 with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, 32:10 with all the chief spices, a fountain of gardens, 32:12 a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. 32:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! 32:19 Blow upon my garden that its spices may flow out. 32:22 Let my beloved come to his garden 32:24 and eat its pleasant fruit. 32:26 I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse, 32:28 I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, 32:31 I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey, 32:34 I have drunk my wine with my milk. 32:36 Eat, O friend! 32:37 Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!" 32:40 This is a night 32:41 that when she wakes up in the morning, 32:43 she has no doubt that her husband's love 32:47 and hers together has been meshed in a way 32:49 that is so beautifully, divinely presented. 32:52 I saw something recently 32:54 that I had not seen in a long time 32:56 which this verse illustrated. 32:58 In a marriage ceremony, 33:00 the bride had white sand, 33:03 the husband had purple sand. 33:05 Yes. 33:06 And they poured it in the same vase, 33:09 and the pastor said, 33:13 "It is impossible to separate the two from this day on." 33:15 That's right. 33:17 And that's what this picture is all about. 33:18 He pours his love into his wife, 33:19 she pours the love into him 33:21 in such a way that passion, that joy, 33:23 that love is impossible to separate 33:26 but it doesn't... And what I want you to see, 33:28 it doesn't begin in the bed chambers, 33:30 it begins in the heart, 33:32 it begins in mutual admiration of each other. 33:34 And what people need to remember today 33:36 is admiration is not something 33:38 that starts and ends in the bedroom, 33:40 but it starts in deep appreciation of each other. 33:42 A wife we hug during the day, 33:44 we send each other beautiful text, 33:46 we smile at each other, we wink at each other, 33:48 she knows I'm looking at her, she's looking at me. 33:50 Sometime she says, 33:51 "When you had on that suit today?" 33:54 I said, "Honey, you are dressed, 33:56 should we go out or should we stay home?" 33:58 But that's the mutual love, and that is something 34:01 that God approves of the beauty of the relationship. 34:04 That's why when the Bible says in Genesis 4:1, 34:06 "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, 34:08 and she conceived and bore Cain, 34:09 and said, 'I have acquired a man from the Lord.' 34:12 " That word "knew" is now illustrated by Jesus 34:16 in 1 John 3:9, that intimate connection. 34:19 So when somebody says, "I know the Lord." 34:21 There cannot be an intellectual accent, 34:23 it has to be an intimate connection 34:24 so that you know the Lord so much 34:26 that He says, "If you love me, keep My commandments." 34:28 That's a different love than intellectual 34:30 or the love that I approve of, 34:32 but a love that's really intimate 34:34 has no qualms about keeping the commandments of God. 34:36 Amen. 34:38 So much love today is distorted, 34:39 that's why Christian said, "I love the Lord, 34:40 but the test is, 34:42 'Do you love Him enough to keep His commandments?' 34:43 " Amen. 34:44 That's why eternal life is a love 34:46 that is based on knowing Him, and listen to this. 34:47 When that love is born, 34:49 here is how the Bible expresses it. 34:50 1 John 3:9, "Whoever has been born of God 34:53 does not sin, for his seed remains in him, 34:57 and he cannot sin, 34:58 because he has been born of God." 35:01 The intimacy of that love that knows its master, 35:05 keeps itself because the seed of God 35:07 is in that individual, 35:09 and they cannot sin they cannot break 35:11 that covenant given to both of them. 35:12 Amen. How beautiful the language. 35:15 Amen. Jill? 35:16 Amen. 35:17 Thank you so much, Pastor John, beautifully done. 35:19 What a beautiful picture. 35:21 Marriage is an incredible gift from God. 35:24 We know and that expression of sexuality 35:26 within the marriage relationship is such a gift. 35:29 As each member of the panel, I think has mentioned. 35:32 We have been in prayer about this topic 35:35 because it is a sensitive topic, 35:37 but it's a beautiful topic. 35:38 When you think about the Book of Song of Solomon, 35:42 it's talking about God's ideal for human love 35:45 and, of course, we have reference, 35:46 the allegory with Christ and the church. 35:48 But His ideal for human love 35:50 that sexuality is created by God that it is not dirty, 35:56 worldly or sinful in the context of marriage. 36:01 That in the Book of Song of Solomon 36:03 talks about how sexuality is heterosexual, 36:06 and it is monogamous. 36:07 That's right. 36:09 A husband and wife, 36:10 and talks about the full equality 36:13 of both husband and wife. 36:14 You don't see the dominance of one over the other, 36:17 but you see that mutual admiration 36:19 and sharing together. 36:21 There is a holistic sexuality, not just the physical act, 36:25 but it's the entire person, 36:27 the body, the mind, the soul, the emotions, 36:30 everything is involved in that. 36:32 It is exclusive, it's permanent, 36:34 and God intended it to be shared 36:36 with your spouse, with your husband or wife 36:40 for the rest of your life. 36:42 It's a beautiful, joyful gift from God. 36:44 So I have Wednesday's lesson, 36:46 which is "Love at the right time," 36:50 reserving this beautiful expression of human sexuality 36:54 for the marriage relationship 36:57 when and where the God ordain 36:59 for human sexuality to be expressed 37:02 that's within the context of marriage. 37:05 You referenced pastor, a couple of these scriptures. 37:07 Song of Solomon 4:12 37:11 tells us clearly that the Shulamite was a virgin 37:14 when she got married. 37:17 It says, "A garden enclosed" 37:18 in Hebrew it means to bar, to bolt, to lock. 37:21 "A garden enclosed 37:23 is my sister, my spouse, my bride, 37:25 a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." 37:28 So he's acknowledging that she's entering 37:30 the marriage relationship as a virgin, 37:32 he's acknowledging that. 37:34 And then she invites him. 37:36 You see that coming in verse 16. 37:37 She invites him into her garden 37:40 and the marriage is consummated. 37:41 We get to 5:1. 37:45 Many commentators say 37:47 this is God actually speaking His approval 37:50 over what takes place. 37:51 "Eat, O friends! 37:53 Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!" 37:57 God created human sexuality. 38:00 There's another verse that tells us 38:01 that the Shulamite saved herself for marriage. 38:05 That's in Song of Solomon Chapter 8, if you turn over. 38:08 Song of Solomon 8:8-10. 38:12 Now this is the Shulamite's brothers speaking here. 38:16 They say, "We have a little sister 38:18 and she has no breasts." 38:19 Meaning she's young still. 38:21 "What shall we do for our sister 38:22 in the day when she is spoken for? 38:24 If she is a wall, 38:25 we will build upon her a battlement of silver, 38:28 and if she is a door, 38:29 we will enclose her with boards of cedar." 38:33 And then the Shulamite speaks. 38:34 She says, "I am a wall." 38:37 So there's two different words used here. 38:38 One is a wall, one is a door. 38:42 It symbolizes the two paths 38:43 that she could have chosen to walk as a young woman. 38:47 The wall being pure and inaccessible, 38:51 that would be the path of saving yourself 38:54 for the chastity, that's right, the man that God has for you. 38:59 The other is the door 39:00 that means promiscuous and available. 39:03 She chose the path of purity. 39:05 It says, "I am a wall." 39:07 She also encouraged other women, 39:09 other daughters to choose the path of purity. 39:12 We see that in Song of Solomon 2:7, 39:15 in Song of Solomon 3:5, and 8:4. 39:17 It's really the same thing repeated three different times. 39:20 She's writing or speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem. 39:23 And in Song of Solomon 2:7, 39:25 she says, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, 39:28 by the gazelles or by the does of the field, 39:30 do not stir up nor awaken love, until it pleases." 39:35 Now, in the Hebrew, the word for stir up 39:39 and the word for awaken is the same word. 39:41 And it means to arouse or to excite. 39:44 So she's challenging other young women 39:49 to not engage in activities 39:54 that would lead to fornication 39:57 that would lead to premarital sexual relationships 40:01 until the right time. 40:03 And that right time we know from the Word of God 40:06 is when you say I do, when you are married. 40:09 The Bible is clear 40:10 in condemning sexual relationships 40:12 outside of marriage. 40:13 Galatians 5:19-20. 40:15 This is before the list of the fruit of the Spirit. 40:17 We have the list of the works of the flesh, 40:19 and there's quite a few there. 40:21 But it says the works of the flesh are evident, 40:22 which are adultery, fornication, 40:25 uncleanness, lewdness, and the list goes on 40:27 but the beginning of that all deals with sexual sin 40:30 outside of marriage. 40:32 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4. 40:35 "This is the will of God, your sanctification: 40:38 that you should abstain from sexual immorality, 40:41 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel 40:45 in sanctification and honor, 40:47 not in passion of lust, 40:49 like the Gentiles who do not know God." 40:52 One more verse for this, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 40:55 Paul says, "Flee sexual immorality. 40:58 Every sin that a man does is outside the body, 41:01 but he who commits sexual immorality sins 41:03 against his own body." 41:06 Now you might be listening in today and saying, 41:09 I've engaged in sex outside of marriage 41:13 for many years, or with many different people. 41:17 No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, 41:22 today we can make a choice, 41:24 today God can enable us to be pure again. 41:28 And I love that. 41:29 There's a term used a lot, 41:31 that's called spiritual virgins. 41:33 I'm not sure I even like that term, 41:35 because it seems a little confusing to me. 41:38 God can make us all virgins again, 41:40 whether we are initially from the beginning 41:42 and we never stepped outside the bonds of marriage, 41:46 or whether we stepped many times 41:48 in other relationships, 41:50 physical relationships with other people. 41:51 But God can give us a pure mind. 41:54 He can restore our hearts. 41:55 He can restore us emotionally, physically, spiritually 41:58 and make us new. 42:01 So I have four encouragements for you in closing. 42:05 Number one is the Lord Jesus will accept any of us 42:09 at any time. 42:10 One of my favorite scriptures is John 6:37. 42:14 He says, "Whoever comes to me, I will never cast aside." 42:20 Sometimes I think in society or in the church, 42:23 we might say the sin of sexual immorality 42:26 might be worse than me hanging on to some pride, 42:29 or me hanging on to some bitterness 42:31 against the brother or sister, 42:33 but in the sight of God, 42:35 all of that is sin. 42:36 All of that is equal in the sight of God. 42:39 So there's no sense of worth, 42:40 this is a greater shame than this. 42:44 I'm a sinner in need of grace, just like everyone else 42:48 and the Lord Jesus accepts us at any time. 42:50 Number two, He can forgive anything. 42:52 1 John 1:9, Mollie always quotes this scripture. 42:55 "If we confess our sins, 42:58 He is faithful and just to forgive us 43:00 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 43:05 Number three, He can and will make us pure again. 43:10 Psalm 103:12, 43:11 "As far as the east is from the west, 43:14 So far has He removed our transgressions from us." 43:20 And I love Isaiah 1:18, 43:22 "Come now, and let us reason together," 43:24 says the Lord, "though your sins be a scarlet," 43:26 and you might feel shame, you might feel dirty, 43:30 you might feel worthless, though your sins are scarlet, 43:34 "they will be white as snow. 43:37 Though they're red like crimson, 43:38 they shall be as wool." 43:41 This is one of my favorite scriptures. 43:43 1 Corinthians 6:11. 43:46 Before that there's a whole list of sins 43:48 fornicators, adulterers, 43:53 homosexuals, sodomites, 43:55 thieves, covetous, drunkards, revelers, extortioners, 43:59 quite a few in that list 44:00 is actually dealing with sexual sin. 44:02 Verse 11, Paul says, 44:04 "And such... 44:09 such were some of you, 44:12 such was Jehovah's 44:13 but you were washed, you were sanctified, 44:18 you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 44:21 and by the Spirit of our God." 44:24 God says, I can sanctify, 44:26 I can wash you, I can cleanse you. 44:29 And finally, number four, 44:30 he will transform all of us into something entirely new. 44:35 2 Corinthians 5:17, 44:37 "If anyone's in Christ, he or she is a new creation." 44:42 Now the word in Greek for new kainos, 44:45 means new in quality, meaning, 44:47 something you really have never seen before, 44:50 brand new, or a new creation. 44:52 Old things have passed away, 44:55 behold all things have become new. 44:58 You and I can be pure, spotless white by the blood of Jesus, 45:03 and in the sight of other people as well. 45:06 Good news. Praise the Lord. 45:07 Amen! 45:08 Wow, this is as much insight to a subject 45:12 that sometimes we avoid. 45:13 We avoid this subject 45:15 because it is a sensitive topic to some, 45:17 but we don't have to avoid the truth, 45:19 the plain truth from God's Word. 45:20 And you guys set it up so beautifully 45:24 in portraying, communicating what the Bible has to teach 45:28 on human sexuality 45:29 and how God created that to be a beautiful gift. 45:32 You know, I want to quote the scripture 45:33 because the Bible says that Jesus, 45:39 He could sympathize with us 45:40 because He's been tempted in every single way 45:43 that we have. 45:44 Yes. 45:46 No matter what the situation is in life, 45:47 no matter what particular trial difficulty 45:51 that you may be going through, may be experiencing. 45:55 There is nothing that Christ has not endured, 45:57 there's nothing that Christ has not experienced. 46:00 When I think of Christ being tempted, 46:02 I think of His response to temptation, His response. 46:06 And that's Matthew 4:4, 46:09 "It is written," Jesus said, 46:12 "man shall not live by bread alone, 46:14 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 46:19 And I just want to emphasize that right now, 46:21 because what I'm about to dive into 46:25 is a very sensitive topic. 46:27 Because all that we have discussed 46:28 is kind of culminating to this point, 46:30 and that is that the Creator has given us a gift, 46:34 and we are to safeguard the Creator's gift. 46:37 In fact, that's exactly 46:39 what Thursday's lesson is entitled 46:40 "Safeguarding the Creator's gift," 46:42 but how do we do that? 46:43 How can we make sure 46:45 that we are allowing that beautiful gift 46:46 that God has bestowed upon us 46:49 that we are keeping it in the place 46:51 and within the parameters that God intended it to be? 46:55 I think first and foremost we need to establish 46:57 that we cannot follow our heart. 47:00 The Bible says that "The human heart is deceitful 47:01 above all things who can trust it." 47:03 At the end of the day, the one thing 47:04 that I can count on is the Word of God. 47:07 And so I'm just gonna let the Word of God speak today 47:09 because I can give you my opinions, 47:11 I can give you my, 47:12 you know, a personal ideologies and things that I've studied, 47:15 and things that I've read and encountered. 47:17 But at the end of the day, 47:18 the Word of God surpasses everyone's understanding. 47:23 It's final on every single point. 47:25 And so I would just want to start in Genesis 1:27-28, 47:29 just to establish this beautiful gift 47:32 that God has given us in relation to man and woman 47:37 and human beings in general, 47:39 and this creative gift that God has bestowed upon us. 47:41 It says, "So God created man in His own image, 47:47 in the image of God He created him," 47:49 notice this, "male and female and..." 47:54 He created. No. 47:55 No, "Male and female He created them." 47:58 And I'm not meaning that with any disrespect. 48:00 It's just the plain truth of God's Word. 48:01 He created... 48:03 When He created in the beginning 48:04 human beings it was male and female, 48:07 then God blessed them. 48:08 And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, 48:12 fill the earth and subdue it, 48:13 have dominion over the fish of the sea, 48:15 over the birds of the air, and over every living thing 48:18 that moves upon the earth. 48:19 So God set His perfect intended plan 48:22 in order at creation. 48:24 Now, of course, you guys have set it up beautifully. 48:26 You've established a very clear biblical foundation 48:29 on what this gift is. 48:30 But, you know, the devil comes along 48:33 and he takes that beautiful gift 48:34 that God meant to be good, 48:35 that God meant to bring happiness and joy 48:38 and just comfort among us, 48:40 but the devil is going to pervert it. 48:41 The devil is gonna take that gift 48:43 and he's gonna pervert it, he's going to skew it, 48:44 he's going to distort it 48:46 in every which way that he possibly can. 48:48 And so the only way that I really know 48:50 the best way to approach this particular topic 48:52 is to allow God Himself tell us 48:56 His attitude towards the perversion of this gift 49:00 And I'm gonna let the Bible just speak for itself. 49:02 It's very plain. 49:03 It's not gonna be much personal interpretation of this at all 49:06 but there shouldn't be because God is very clear. 49:08 I'm gonna start in Leviticus 20:7-21. 49:12 Now, obviously, I'm not gonna be able to read 49:14 all these verses, but I just want to highlight 49:16 just a few things from these verses. 49:17 Again, that's Leviticus 20:7-21. 49:22 Notice how right in the opening portion 49:24 you say, Ryan, how can I make sure 49:25 that I'm safeguarding this beautiful gift 49:29 that the Creator has bestowed upon me? 49:31 Verse 7, I think really answers that clearly, 49:34 "Consecrate yourselves therefore, 49:37 and be holy, for I am the Lord your God 49:41 and you shall keep My statutes, and perform them, 49:44 I am the Lord who sanctifies you." 49:47 Consecrate yourself, 49:48 bring yourself in harmony with the will of God. 49:51 Surrender yourself to the Lord in every aspect, 49:53 that's the only hope we have 49:55 because Ryan can't tell Ryan, how to live. 49:58 Ryan can't tell Ryan how things are to be. 50:00 At the end of the day, I'm fully dependent 50:02 upon God's guidance to lead me 50:04 and to help me bring my thought into submission with His. 50:08 It's just for everyone. 50:09 This is verse 9, "For everyone 50:11 who curses his father or his mother 50:12 shall surely be put to death." 50:13 And notice now the language of this passage 50:16 kind of starts to turn a little negative here, 50:18 but it's the Lord opening up. 50:20 I believe in love and showing us 50:22 His heart on this issue. 50:24 Verse 10, notice, 50:25 "The man who commits adultery with another man's wife 50:28 is he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife." 50:31 So he's committing adultery. 50:32 It goes down to verse 11. 50:34 Notice, "The man who lies with his father's wife," 50:36 he starts giving examples. 50:39 Now verse 12, "If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, 50:41 both of them shall be surely put to death" 50:44 This was something that the Lord said, 50:45 you know, this sin, as we know Romans 6:23, 50:48 "The wages of sin is death" 50:50 Okay, so these type of actions, 50:52 these type of perpetual continual choices 50:55 bring nothing but death. 50:57 And it's sorrowful, God is not happy again. 50:59 He says, what is it Ezekiel, 51:01 I believe it is, chapter 33 verse 11, 51:04 I believe it is where He says, "I do not take pleasure 51:07 in the destruction of the wicked, 51:08 but that man turn from his evil ways and live 51:11 for why should you die, turn you turn you." 51:13 You can just imagine 51:15 the pleading heart of the Father 51:16 saying, please, I don't want you to die. 51:19 Turn from your evil ways. 51:20 He gives these examples of them right here, verse 13. 51:23 "If a man lies with a male," that's a man with a man, 51:27 "as he lies with a woman, 51:28 both of them have committed an abomination." 51:31 That type of lifestyle, that type of choice 51:33 is an abomination to God. 51:35 And my heart breaks because in no other time, 51:38 perhaps in history that we're seeing this 51:40 on such displayed in our world today. 51:42 People confused, 51:44 people their minds and their thoughts distorted 51:46 and confused on gender, on sexuality 51:50 and things that is plaguing this world and our country. 51:53 There's a list, an array of lists there. 51:55 If a man mates with an animal 51:57 can't even imagine such a thing, 51:59 but God addresses it, 52:00 because the devil has distorted this gift. 52:03 He's perverted this gift. 52:04 And so who shall stand and fill the gap 52:07 and allow God's Word and God's truth 52:09 to be broadcasted 52:11 that they may turn their evil hearts, 52:13 these hardened hearts to soft hearts of flesh, 52:16 that they may have the Lord's truth 52:17 that may transform them. 52:19 Notice Romans 1:24-27, 52:23 I'm gonna go through these rather quickly. 52:25 But I want you to notice this, it says, 52:26 "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, 52:30 in the lusts of their hearts, 52:32 to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 52:35 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, 52:38 and worshiped and served the creature 52:40 rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever." 52:43 Amen. 52:44 And in verse 26, it says, "For this reason 52:46 God gave them up to vile passions. 52:49 For, notice even thee women exchanged the natural use 52:52 for what is against nature. 52:54 Likewise also the men, 52:55 leaving the natural use of the woman, 52:58 burned in their lust for one another, 53:00 men with men." 53:01 This is negative language. 53:02 God is not saying, oh, it's okay. 53:04 It's okay, I understand, 53:05 He's saying no, this is not what I created. 53:07 This is not the way I wanted it to be. 53:10 God forbids and detest any sexual lifestyle 53:14 that is not in harmony with His intended plan. 53:17 You know, I think of this, 53:18 you know, this whole, 53:20 you know, LGBT, 53:21 we were talking about it earlier, 53:23 it started out as just a kind of an LGBT type thing, 53:26 but now it's grown into this LGBTIQAP 53:32 I mean, it's just A, B, C, D and nothing in it 53:34 in any disrespect but it's just, it's so sad. 53:38 I mean, we're talking about lesbian lifestyle, 53:40 gay lifestyle, bisexual, transgender, 53:43 this whole transgender movement. 53:45 People that are just desperately, 53:47 you know, it just almost seems like they're crying out. 53:49 You know, for help in that lifestyle, 53:51 in that choice 53:53 confused about who their Creator is 53:55 and how He created them to be. 53:57 My heart breaks, my heart yearns 53:59 for those type of people. 54:00 You know, and then there's just downright rebellion. 54:04 You know, the Bible says right here 54:05 in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, 54:08 "And with all unrighteous deception 54:10 among those who perish, 54:11 because they did not receive the love of the truth." 54:14 That's the foundation. 54:15 The truth brings love 54:17 that we should have a love for the truth 54:18 that they might be saved. 54:19 Notice verse 11, and for this reason, 54:21 God says, "I will send them a strong delusion 54:23 that they should believe a lie." 54:25 And I have friends, I have acquaintances people 54:29 that I love dearly that support this lifestyle, 54:32 and it almost as if they've just been programmed, 54:34 they're just ultimately decided on the fact that it's okay 54:38 they can be a Christian, they can serve God, 54:40 while still living in that counterfeit 54:42 backward lifestyle. 54:44 And you know what? 54:45 I want to with love and with compassion 54:47 as much as I can muster up, 54:49 but I want to be bold in saying 54:51 that lifestyle is not of the Lord. 54:53 It is not biblical. 54:55 And we need to exercise righteous judgment, 54:57 godly judgment against such exercises as this. 55:01 And I just want to say this, 55:02 I know I have just a few seconds 55:03 but you're a child of God. 55:05 Every person is a child of God, no matter what the sin, 55:08 no matter what the choice, 55:09 God loves you with all His heart, mind and soul. 55:12 And you know, I just want to leave everyone with this. 55:15 You know, if we confess our sins 55:16 and that lifestyle, those choices 55:18 counterfeit from that which God created, it is a sin. 55:22 "If we confess those sins he is faithful" 55:27 1 John 1:9 "to forgive us our sins 55:29 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 55:32 We do not need to wait for victory. 55:34 We can have victory today in Jesus Christ. 55:37 Amen. Amen! Thank you, Ryan. 55:38 I am just so proud of each and every one of you. 55:41 I've learn from you 55:42 and I believe it's been a beautiful lesson. 55:44 We just have to remember the royal love song. 55:48 The Song of Solomon, 55:51 Song of Songs is a beautiful picture 55:55 of marital bliss, conjugal love. 55:58 And we do not have to be ashamed of the topic, 56:03 if we are reading 56:05 from and expressing God's opinion on it. 56:09 Let me give you each a few seconds. 56:11 We're close, surely running out of time. 56:13 Solomon's marriage to the Shulamite lady in there, 56:16 you know, it talks about here, 56:18 they confirm number one that they belong to each other. 56:20 They affirmed that there's... 56:22 She affirms she was in submission to him. 56:24 And then he affirmed, 56:26 he expressed his desire for her. 56:28 I think if we do that, it makes the marriage 56:30 stick together as a seed. 56:32 I think not only to appreciate the wife 56:33 that God has given to us, 56:35 but to help her become everything 56:36 that God envisions here to be 56:38 by loving her the way the Lord loves His church. 56:42 Amen. 56:43 God calls us to walk in purity. 56:45 Sometimes it's not an easy choice. 56:48 Ryan, what a beautiful job with that, 56:50 no matter whether it's outside the bonds of marriage 56:52 or in some sort of perversion, 56:54 but no matter where we are, 56:55 God calls us to come back and return to himself. 56:59 Amen. 57:00 And just in closing Romans 8:1, this whole conversation, 57:04 "There is therefore no condemnation in those 57:08 who are in Christ Jesus, 57:11 who do not walk according to the flesh, 57:12 but according to the Spirit." 57:15 Just submit to Jesus and live. 57:16 Amen. 57:18 And you know something, God is our Creator. 57:20 He's the one who created us with these characteristics. 57:26 He knows how best they should be fulfilled. 57:29 We thank you for joining us today. 57:31 We hope you have enjoyed this study of the Word. 57:34 And if you have children, talk to them 57:38 about godly principles for sexuality. 57:41 Bye. |
Revised 2019-05-10