1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,620 Well, we are continuing our series today entitled, The Conveniently Neglected Teachings of Jesus, 2 00:00:06,620 –> 00:00:08,880 and we come today to the subject of marriage. 3 00:00:08,880 –> 00:00:15,680 I had not originally planned to speak on this subject today, but as the debate over marriage 4 00:00:15,680 –> 00:00:21,340 in our society has intensified, it seemed appropriate for us to consider the teaching 5 00:00:21,340 –> 00:00:28,059 of Jesus on this subject lest it should become conveniently neglected in our land at this 6 00:00:28,059 –> 00:00:29,059 time. 7 00:00:29,120 –> 00:00:34,180 Now remember that our whole series really arises from a question that Jesus once asked 8 00:00:34,180 –> 00:00:35,180 his disciples. 9 00:00:35,180 –> 00:00:36,680 He said, 10 00:00:46,680 –> 00:00:51,740 To live under the lordship of Christ means that we want our thinking to be shaped by 11 00:00:51,740 –> 00:00:56,200 his words and our behaving to be shaped by his ways. 12 00:00:56,840 –> 00:01:02,119 Now I don’t suppose that any of us would claim that everything that we do represents what 13 00:01:02,119 –> 00:01:05,519 Jesus commands or that we do all that he commands. 14 00:01:05,519 –> 00:01:11,099 None the less, though we do not live perfect Christian lives, the commitment of our lives 15 00:01:11,099 –> 00:01:16,660 is to pursue belief in what he says and walking in his ways. 16 00:01:16,660 –> 00:01:21,480 That is the direction in which we have given ourselves, it is what the Christian life is 17 00:01:21,480 –> 00:01:23,040 all about. 18 00:01:23,040 –> 00:01:27,160 And of course, therefore it follows that the test of an authentic Christian will always 19 00:01:27,160 –> 00:01:33,879 come at that moment where the words and the ways of Jesus are in tension with the inclinations 20 00:01:33,879 –> 00:01:37,820 that we may find within our own minds and hearts. 21 00:01:37,820 –> 00:01:42,459 When that happens, we have to make a choice and go one of two ways, either we deny ourselves, 22 00:01:42,459 –> 00:01:48,440 take up the cross and follow him, or we follow the prevailing direction and inclination of 23 00:01:48,440 –> 00:01:49,980 our own hearts. 24 00:01:49,980 –> 00:01:55,199 These are two very different paths, and it’s important for us to understand that they lead 25 00:01:55,199 –> 00:01:58,379 to very different places. 26 00:01:58,379 –> 00:02:02,419 And so it is, perhaps not surprising, that what we are seeing at this time is really 27 00:02:02,419 –> 00:02:08,779 the emergence of two different versions of Christianity, two different paths that are 28 00:02:08,779 –> 00:02:12,259 being increasingly followed within the Church. 29 00:02:12,259 –> 00:02:20,880 In one, Jesus is Lord, and we are to be molded and shaped by Him. 30 00:02:20,880 –> 00:02:25,440 In the other, the individual becomes Lord, and what happens then is that the Jesus of 31 00:02:25,440 –> 00:02:31,520 the Bible is reshaped and remolded to fit the preferences of the individual. 32 00:02:31,520 –> 00:02:36,960 In other words, in one, the Bible stands in authority over me because it is God’s word, 33 00:02:36,960 –> 00:02:41,639 it is therefore relevant to every age and every time, and I therefore stand under its 34 00:02:41,639 –> 00:02:43,380 authority. 35 00:02:43,380 –> 00:02:46,479 In the other, we stand in authority over the Bible. 36 00:02:46,479 –> 00:02:52,059 It is proclaimed to be man’s word, it is therefore reckoned to be conditioned by culture and 37 00:02:52,059 –> 00:02:56,639 history, and therefore it is assumed that as 21st century people we have the right to 38 00:02:56,639 –> 00:03:00,080 stand in authority over it. 39 00:03:00,080 –> 00:03:06,520 In the first, you find that the Bible’s meaning is to be sought in what God put into it. 40 00:03:06,539 –> 00:03:12,100 In the second, the Bible’s meaning is sought in what an individual happens to want to take 41 00:03:12,100 –> 00:03:13,100 out of it. 42 00:03:13,100 –> 00:03:17,639 So you’re seeing these completely different versions of Christianity emerging across our 43 00:03:17,639 –> 00:03:19,820 nation at this time. 44 00:03:19,820 –> 00:03:27,820 And of course in a nation that has emphasized above all things individualism and affirmation, 45 00:03:27,820 –> 00:03:32,119 what could be more natural than a religion that affirms every individual in their own 46 00:03:32,279 –> 00:03:41,279 path and a Jesus whose words and ways become infinitely malleable to be reshaped to accommodate 47 00:03:41,279 –> 00:03:44,059 the desires of every heart. 48 00:03:44,059 –> 00:03:49,080 So that in general terms is the issue that we’re facing in the Christian church today. 49 00:03:49,080 –> 00:03:52,080 And you may wonder, of course, what all of this has to do with marriage. 50 00:03:52,080 –> 00:03:57,559 Well, the answer is that the current debate in marriage brings us once again to this fork 51 00:03:57,919 –> 00:04:03,860 in the road where we have to choose between receiving God’s word as the revelation of 52 00:04:03,860 –> 00:04:11,000 His purpose for us, and reinterpreting God’s Word so that it can flow conveniently with 53 00:04:11,000 –> 00:04:14,080 the prevailing winds of our culture. 54 00:04:14,080 –> 00:04:19,279 And that is the choice that is being fundamentally faced at this time. 55 00:04:19,279 –> 00:04:25,179 And if it’s right into the question that Jesus asked, if you call me Lord, why don’t 56 00:04:25,179 –> 00:04:28,859 you do what I command you? 57 00:04:28,859 –> 00:04:33,619 Well, let’s then turn to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel in chapter 19. 58 00:04:33,619 –> 00:04:37,119 I’d like you to look at this with me. 59 00:04:37,119 –> 00:04:42,820 You turn there, you’ll notice that Jesus is asked a question, is it lawful for a man 60 00:04:42,820 –> 00:04:47,359 to divorce his wife for any and every reason? 61 00:04:47,359 –> 00:04:52,579 And Jesus answers this provocative question about divorce with a clear statement about 62 00:04:52,579 –> 00:04:54,579 marriage. 63 00:04:54,640 –> 00:05:01,359 Haven’t you read, he says, Matthew 19 in verse 4, haven’t you read that at the beginning 64 00:05:01,359 –> 00:05:07,399 the Creator made them male and female and said, for this reason a man will leave his 65 00:05:07,399 –> 00:05:13,859 father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. 66 00:05:13,859 –> 00:05:20,739 So they are no longer two but one, therefore, what God has joined together, let man not 67 00:05:20,739 –> 00:05:21,339 separate. 68 00:05:21,420 –> 00:05:27,140 Now, notice this very significant fact that the first thing that Jesus says in answer 69 00:05:27,140 –> 00:05:30,899 to these religious leaders were trying to figure out what marriage should look like 70 00:05:30,899 –> 00:05:36,859 in their culture, the first thing He says to them is, haven’t you read, haven’t you 71 00:05:36,859 –> 00:05:37,059 read. 72 00:05:37,059 –> 00:05:42,559 In other words, He’s making it clear that marriage is not to be defined by the individual 73 00:05:42,559 –> 00:05:45,079 nor shaped by the culture. 74 00:05:45,079 –> 00:05:49,959 Because it is instituted by God and because it is God’s gift, it is God’s prerogative 75 00:05:49,959 –> 00:05:53,579 to tell us what marriage is. 76 00:05:53,579 –> 00:05:59,320 Marriage is therefore not a social or sexual convention that is shaped by history and culture, 77 00:05:59,320 –> 00:06:03,820 it is a gift of God and is the design of the Creator. 78 00:06:03,820 –> 00:06:08,559 Now, I want us therefore to look at what Jesus quoted here. 79 00:06:08,559 –> 00:06:12,040 You’ll notice that he’s quoting from the Old Testament, the story that goes all the 80 00:06:12,040 –> 00:06:16,880 way back to the beginning, and so let’s turn back to the passage that Jesus quoted, 81 00:06:17,739 –> 00:06:21,720 first in his words, and you’ll find that in Genesis and Chapter 2. 82 00:06:21,720 –> 00:06:24,279 You see, what our Lord Jesus is saying? 83 00:06:24,279 –> 00:06:29,679 If you want to understand marriage, he says to these folks in the first century, if you 84 00:06:29,679 –> 00:06:33,320 want to understand marriage in the first or the twenty-first century, what you’ve got 85 00:06:33,320 –> 00:06:40,320 to do is go all the way back to the beginning, back to the Creator who made them male and 86 00:06:41,399 –> 00:06:42,339 female. 87 00:06:42,339 –> 00:06:45,760 So if you’ve got back to Genesis in Chapter 2, let’s follow the story. 88 00:06:46,679 –> 00:06:50,779 You’ll see there in Chapter 2 in Verse 15 of Genesis, that God had created Adam and 89 00:06:50,779 –> 00:06:53,100 put him in a garden. 90 00:06:53,100 –> 00:06:57,600 God had provided food for him in the trees, he only needed to reach up and pick the fruit. 91 00:06:57,600 –> 00:06:59,399 Isn’t this marvelous? 92 00:06:59,399 –> 00:07:04,839 No running with cart, run Jewel or Dominix, you just have your lunch and your dinner is 93 00:07:04,839 –> 00:07:06,480 right there. 94 00:07:06,480 –> 00:07:11,679 And he has meaningful work, wonderful employment, and it’s very fulfilling. 95 00:07:11,720 –> 00:07:16,640 But there is something missing, and God identifies it in Verse 18, where he says, 96 00:07:16,660 –> 00:07:19,279 “…It is not good for the man to be alone.” 97 00:07:19,279 –> 00:07:23,040 The reason for this is very obvious, that Adam was made in the image of God. 98 00:07:23,040 –> 00:07:28,420 And to be made in the image of God means that a human being is given the capacity to give 99 00:07:28,420 –> 00:07:30,260 and to receive love. 100 00:07:30,260 –> 00:07:33,260 This is part of reflecting the image of God. 101 00:07:33,260 –> 00:07:37,359 And God’s purpose was never to pop a lonely man in a garden and leave him there, but rather 102 00:07:38,339 –> 00:07:43,059 a community of people who would know what it was to give and to receive love. 103 00:07:43,059 –> 00:07:46,000 And so he says, It is not good for the man to be alone. 104 00:07:46,000 –> 00:07:49,420 I will make a suitable helper for him. 105 00:07:49,420 –> 00:07:56,260 Now, already, of course, the animals had been made, and No Doubt, Adam had great affection 106 00:07:56,260 –> 00:08:01,059 for the animals, surrounded by many furry friends and perhaps had great affection for 107 00:08:01,059 –> 00:08:03,220 them, as many still do today. 108 00:08:03,220 –> 00:08:06,459 But however much he enjoys the company of the cats, the dogs, the horses, and even the 109 00:08:06,500 –> 00:08:14,859 tame lions, there is such a great gulf between a person and an animal that in verse 20 we’re 110 00:08:14,859 –> 00:08:19,899 told, For Adam no suitable helper was found. 111 00:08:19,899 –> 00:08:26,380 So you see the way in which this scripture is going, it is all about who is the suitable 112 00:08:26,380 –> 00:08:28,779 helper for Adam. 113 00:08:28,779 –> 00:08:32,559 Who is to be Adam’s partner in life? 114 00:08:32,559 –> 00:08:39,739 And the answer to that question comes then when God intervenes in a special act of creation. 115 00:08:39,739 –> 00:08:46,640 The Lord puts Adam into a deep sleep, takes a rib from his side, and creates the woman. 116 00:08:46,640 –> 00:08:47,859 And then notice what happens next. 117 00:08:47,859 –> 00:08:49,960 This is my very favorite bit of the story. 118 00:08:49,960 –> 00:08:54,460 Verse 22, The Lord brought the woman to the man. 119 00:08:54,460 –> 00:08:56,099 Verse 22. 120 00:08:56,099 –> 00:08:57,559 The Lord makes the introduction. 121 00:08:57,559 –> 00:08:58,559 He brings them together. 122 00:08:58,559 –> 00:09:00,960 I expect Adam was highly delighted at this new companion. 123 00:09:01,200 –> 00:09:05,359 He must’ve been absolutely amazed when he saw her for the first time, could you imagine 124 00:09:05,359 –> 00:09:06,359 it. 125 00:09:06,359 –> 00:09:07,359 God brings them together. 126 00:09:07,359 –> 00:09:11,320 And he as it were joins their hand, and he said, now you two are to be partners together. 127 00:09:11,320 –> 00:09:13,599 You are to do life together. 128 00:09:13,599 –> 00:09:21,559 And in this way God creates and demonstrates and models for us the very first marriage. 129 00:09:21,559 –> 00:09:23,340 And Adam of course is highly delighted. 130 00:09:23,340 –> 00:09:28,599 He says, verse 23, This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. 131 00:09:28,599 –> 00:09:33,080 There’s this sense of, at last, I have found the one to whom I can fully relate. 132 00:09:33,080 –> 00:09:39,559 And, she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. 133 00:09:39,559 –> 00:09:44,559 Now notice what we’re being told here, the woman is created by God and she is created 134 00:09:44,559 –> 00:09:48,659 from or out of the man. 135 00:09:48,659 –> 00:09:55,320 So when God brings them together and they become one flesh in this first marriage, it 136 00:09:55,320 –> 00:09:58,419 is more than a union. 137 00:09:58,559 –> 00:10:02,840 It is actually, if you think about it, a re-union. 138 00:10:02,840 –> 00:10:07,659 It is a bringing together of what once was together and was taken apart, and it is a 139 00:10:07,659 –> 00:10:13,299 completion that both find together in each other. 140 00:10:13,299 –> 00:10:19,840 More than a union, it is a re-union of that which has been taken apart in this wonderful 141 00:10:19,840 –> 00:10:22,700 act of creation. 142 00:10:22,719 –> 00:10:30,780 John Stott says, and I think very helpfully, this explains the unique mystery of sexual 143 00:10:30,780 –> 00:10:36,380 intimacy between a man and a woman, which he says, poets and philosophers from every 144 00:10:36,380 –> 00:10:40,320 culture have celebrated down through the centuries. 145 00:10:40,320 –> 00:10:47,440 It is more than a union of bodies, it is a blending of complementary personalities through 146 00:10:47,520 –> 00:10:55,239 which in the midst of prevailing alienation the rich created oneness of human-being is 147 00:10:55,239 –> 00:11:00,159 experienced again. 148 00:11:00,159 –> 00:11:04,359 Notice that from this foundation God’s pattern for marriage is very clearly set out in verse 149 00:11:04,359 –> 00:11:11,280 24 of Genesis, and chapter 2, which is precisely the verse that Jesus quoted to describe marriage 150 00:11:11,280 –> 00:11:14,159 in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 19. 151 00:11:14,159 –> 00:11:18,659 If you can get a hold of this, you’ve got the foundations of biblical marriage. 152 00:11:18,659 –> 00:11:19,760 Number one. 153 00:11:19,760 –> 00:11:21,000 A man. 154 00:11:21,000 –> 00:11:24,760 For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother. 155 00:11:24,760 –> 00:11:25,799 Notice a man. 156 00:11:25,799 –> 00:11:27,640 It’s singular. 157 00:11:27,640 –> 00:11:33,859 So marriage is an exclusive union between two individuals, not three or four or five. 158 00:11:33,859 –> 00:11:38,799 Second shall leave his father and mother, there is to be a decisive act here. 159 00:11:38,799 –> 00:11:43,859 This is not a private arrangement, it is a public attachment. 160 00:11:44,179 –> 00:11:48,059 The way in which this happens of course, has varied across cultures and across history, 161 00:11:48,059 –> 00:11:53,000 but every culture has identified some way of marking this coming together. 162 00:11:53,320 –> 00:11:56,979 It is a public attachment, not a private arrangement. 163 00:11:56,979 –> 00:12:02,859 Thirdly, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be united or sometimes other 164 00:12:02,859 –> 00:12:06,739 translations use the word cleave to his wife. 165 00:12:06,739 –> 00:12:10,059 In other words, this is to be a lasting relationship. 166 00:12:10,059 –> 00:12:16,179 It is to be a relationship of spiritual union, of heart engagement. 167 00:12:16,179 –> 00:12:21,299 The word cleave has such warmth within it and therefore, I think adds colour to the 168 00:12:21,299 –> 00:12:24,159 word that is being used in the original here. 169 00:12:24,159 –> 00:12:28,500 A man shall leave his father and his mother, not just live with his wife, but cleave to 170 00:12:28,500 –> 00:12:29,500 his wife. 171 00:12:29,500 –> 00:12:36,020 He shall be united with his wife, it is a lasting relationship, characterized by love. 172 00:12:36,020 –> 00:12:38,059 Cleave to his wife. 173 00:12:38,059 –> 00:12:42,900 In other words, this relationship is between one man and one woman. 174 00:12:42,900 –> 00:12:48,520 Then, God says, they shall become one flesh. 175 00:12:48,520 –> 00:12:56,299 In other words, the union of their hearts is to be signed and sealed and strengthened 176 00:12:56,299 –> 00:12:59,820 by the union of their bodies. 177 00:12:59,820 –> 00:13:03,659 It is to be a sexual union. 178 00:13:03,659 –> 00:13:07,179 The Church of England liturgy and the marriage service that has been used for many hundreds 179 00:13:07,200 –> 00:13:11,919 of years at least in England and many other places around the world expresses this very 180 00:13:11,919 –> 00:13:18,419 beautifully when in the marriage service the minister will say these words. 181 00:13:18,419 –> 00:13:25,559 Strengthen the union of their hearts by the union of their bodies. 182 00:13:25,559 –> 00:13:26,559 That’s beautiful. 183 00:13:26,559 –> 00:13:33,880 As we’re taking hold of and keeping hold of, strengthen the union of their hearts by 184 00:13:33,880 –> 00:13:35,359 the union of their bodies. 185 00:13:35,380 –> 00:13:37,239 Yes, it’s that way around. 186 00:13:37,239 –> 00:13:44,500 The union of the heart strengthened in marriage by the union of the body. 187 00:13:44,500 –> 00:13:45,719 Now this is God’s design. 188 00:13:45,719 –> 00:13:50,400 Very simply, right at the foundation of the very beginning of Creation, before the emergence 189 00:13:50,400 –> 00:13:56,520 of many various cultures, God designs the man and the woman to complement each other. 190 00:13:56,520 –> 00:13:59,799 Physically, they compliment each other. 191 00:13:59,799 –> 00:14:03,320 Emotionally and spiritually they complement each other. 192 00:14:03,380 –> 00:14:09,280 And He brings this man and this woman together and He seals their relationship in a loving 193 00:14:09,280 –> 00:14:13,559 and lasting union that is called marriage. 194 00:14:13,559 –> 00:14:19,679 And this is the Creator’s design for the strength and for the health and for the growth 195 00:14:19,679 –> 00:14:21,559 of the human race. 196 00:14:21,559 –> 00:14:26,479 Now says Jesus, this is how it was in the beginning. 197 00:14:26,479 –> 00:14:31,200 If you want to understand marriage, that’s where you have to go. 198 00:14:32,000 –> 00:14:36,719 Now there’s a second thing that becomes very obvious as we look at both the Scriptures 199 00:14:36,719 –> 00:14:42,640 first and then at the world around us today and I’m going to use the word catastrophe 200 00:14:42,640 –> 00:14:44,520 to describe it. 201 00:14:44,520 –> 00:14:49,280 If we are to understand ourselves and the world in which we live today, we need to grasp 202 00:14:49,280 –> 00:14:55,000 not only the Bible truth about creation, but the second biblical truth that we’ll use the 203 00:14:55,000 –> 00:14:57,760 word catastrophe to describe. 204 00:14:58,239 –> 00:15:01,979 What I mean by this word catastrophe is that obviously the world today, as we know it, 205 00:15:02,000 –> 00:15:04,580 is very different from the world as God created it. 206 00:15:04,580 –> 00:15:10,640 There are, after all, famines and droughts and volcanoes and earthquakes. 207 00:15:10,640 –> 00:15:13,780 None of that was there at the beginning. 208 00:15:13,780 –> 00:15:17,119 Our bodies are very different from the way we were created by God. 209 00:15:17,119 –> 00:15:22,880 We get diseased, we get arthritis, we age, and eventually we die. 210 00:15:22,880 –> 00:15:26,320 None of that was the case at the beginning. 211 00:15:26,320 –> 00:15:29,219 We live in a world that is afflicted by evil powers. 212 00:15:29,219 –> 00:15:34,039 We see war and violence and abuse and pain. 213 00:15:34,039 –> 00:15:36,219 We see greed. 214 00:15:36,219 –> 00:15:38,739 We see all manner of hatred and fear. 215 00:15:38,739 –> 00:15:41,039 This was not how it was at the beginning. 216 00:15:41,039 –> 00:15:43,059 And of course this leaves us perplexed. 217 00:15:43,059 –> 00:15:49,479 We say, how can the world be so beautiful and yet at the same time be so painful? 218 00:15:49,479 –> 00:15:52,940 How is it that human life can be so full of pleasure, 219 00:15:52,940 –> 00:15:57,020 and yet at the same time so full of pain? 220 00:15:57,020 –> 00:15:59,880 Something has happened obviously to God’s creation 221 00:15:59,880 –> 00:16:04,820 and the Bible tells us that indeed there has been a great catastrophe 222 00:16:04,820 –> 00:16:08,599 and it has resulted in the disordering of God’s creation 223 00:16:08,599 –> 00:16:12,039 and all of us have been damaged by it. 224 00:16:12,039 –> 00:16:16,780 The disorder touches every person who has ever lived 225 00:16:16,780 –> 00:16:20,340 and it touches every area of our lives. 226 00:16:20,340 –> 00:16:22,200 Now the Bible spells this out in many ways. 227 00:16:22,299 –> 00:16:24,260 Let me just give you one or two examples. 228 00:16:24,260 –> 00:16:28,820 The human mind as a result of this catastrophe is darkened. 229 00:16:28,820 –> 00:16:31,820 Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 4 in verse 4 230 00:16:31,820 –> 00:16:35,020 that the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, 231 00:16:35,020 –> 00:16:38,460 we can’t see the light of the truth that’s in Jesus Christ. 232 00:16:39,219 –> 00:16:43,059 Jesus made it very clear that human emotions are distorted. 233 00:16:43,059 –> 00:16:47,500 Men love darkness instead of light even though light has come into the world 234 00:16:47,500 –> 00:16:49,299 and the reason for this of course 235 00:16:49,299 –> 00:16:52,140 is that there is a distortion within the human heart. 236 00:16:53,039 –> 00:16:55,460 The conscience becomes disoriented, 237 00:16:55,460 –> 00:16:58,200 it is not a reliable guide as to what is good and bad 238 00:16:58,200 –> 00:17:01,340 because it is influenced by environment and education 239 00:17:01,340 –> 00:17:03,679 and our own personal prejudices. 240 00:17:03,679 –> 00:17:06,760 And so Paul talks in 1 Corinthians 4 in verse 2 241 00:17:06,760 –> 00:17:11,579 about people who have consciences seared as with a hot iron. 242 00:17:12,819 –> 00:17:16,540 So a person’s thinking and feeling and discerning 243 00:17:16,540 –> 00:17:18,900 are not reliable instruments 244 00:17:19,739 –> 00:17:21,719 and therefore not reliable guides 245 00:17:21,719 –> 00:17:24,180 for finding our pathway in life. 246 00:17:24,180 –> 00:17:27,800 This is simply the teaching of the Bible. 247 00:17:27,800 –> 00:17:30,420 Now it’s so important that we grasp this 248 00:17:30,420 –> 00:17:32,359 if we’re to think Biblically about ourselves 249 00:17:32,359 –> 00:17:33,979 and about the world in which we live. 250 00:17:33,979 –> 00:17:36,719 Let me try and use an illustration to reinforce it. 251 00:17:37,959 –> 00:17:39,180 I want you to imagine for a moment 252 00:17:39,180 –> 00:17:42,719 that you are flying solo in a plane. 253 00:17:43,780 –> 00:17:46,979 And about an hour into this flight, 254 00:17:47,040 –> 00:17:49,180 you receive a message over the radio 255 00:17:49,180 –> 00:17:50,780 from the air traffic controller. 256 00:17:51,739 –> 00:17:53,239 The mechanics, he tells you, 257 00:17:53,239 –> 00:17:55,780 who were working on your plane yesterday 258 00:17:55,780 –> 00:17:58,579 had not finished what they were doing. 259 00:17:58,579 –> 00:18:00,300 And he’s very sorry to tell you 260 00:18:00,300 –> 00:18:02,780 that the instruments in front of you in this plane 261 00:18:02,780 –> 00:18:06,079 as you are flying right now are not reliable. 262 00:18:07,260 –> 00:18:09,040 So you say to the air traffic controller, 263 00:18:09,040 –> 00:18:12,459 are you really telling me that 264 00:18:12,459 –> 00:18:16,800 all of my instruments are giving me wrong readings? 265 00:18:16,800 –> 00:18:19,920 And he said, oh no, no, no, no, it’s not that bad. 266 00:18:19,920 –> 00:18:22,959 Some of them are right some of the time. 267 00:18:25,880 –> 00:18:26,979 And you scratch your head 268 00:18:26,979 –> 00:18:29,439 as you look at this mass of dials in front of you 269 00:18:29,439 –> 00:18:30,760 and you say, boy, that’s even worse 270 00:18:30,760 –> 00:18:32,319 than if they were always wrong. 271 00:18:33,319 –> 00:18:35,199 How am I supposed to know 272 00:18:35,199 –> 00:18:37,680 when the faulty instruments are right and when they’re wrong 273 00:18:37,680 –> 00:18:40,199 and which ones are right and which ones are wrong? 274 00:18:41,439 –> 00:18:42,459 And then it dawns on you 275 00:18:42,459 –> 00:18:43,300 as you’re trying to work this out 276 00:18:43,300 –> 00:18:46,000 that this is not a theoretical exercise. 277 00:18:46,000 –> 00:18:48,040 Your life depends on it. 278 00:18:51,060 –> 00:18:53,560 Now see, if you are flying with faulty instruments, 279 00:18:53,560 –> 00:18:57,780 you desperately need fixed points of reference. 280 00:18:59,140 –> 00:19:01,300 And that is precisely our position 281 00:19:01,300 –> 00:19:04,099 as we are trying to navigate our way through this life. 282 00:19:05,459 –> 00:19:10,459 If my mind, heart, and conscience were reliable guides 283 00:19:10,560 –> 00:19:13,079 to discerning the path of wisdom, 284 00:19:13,079 –> 00:19:14,180 there would be no problem 285 00:19:14,400 –> 00:19:15,339 in me following the thoughts 286 00:19:15,339 –> 00:19:18,739 of my mind and the inclinations of my own heart. 287 00:19:18,739 –> 00:19:20,560 But if my heart, mind, and conscience 288 00:19:20,560 –> 00:19:23,939 have been disoriented through a great catastrophe, 289 00:19:23,939 –> 00:19:26,920 that would be a recipe for disaster. 290 00:19:27,859 –> 00:19:30,619 Now, this is precisely the teaching of the Bible, 291 00:19:30,619 –> 00:19:32,579 that the human heart, mind, and will, 292 00:19:32,579 –> 00:19:35,579 and conscience are faulty instruments. 293 00:19:36,500 –> 00:19:38,719 Not that they’re always wrong, 294 00:19:38,719 –> 00:19:40,780 but that they need to be measured 295 00:19:40,780 –> 00:19:43,500 by some external point of reference. 296 00:19:43,780 –> 00:19:47,939 That is why the Christian cannot live by inclination, 297 00:19:50,000 –> 00:19:52,920 but must live instead by revelation. 298 00:19:55,199 –> 00:19:58,000 We need a fixed point of reference 299 00:19:58,000 –> 00:20:00,540 to know when our thoughts and our feelings 300 00:20:00,540 –> 00:20:02,079 are in line with the purpose of God 301 00:20:02,079 –> 00:20:03,300 and when they are not. 302 00:20:03,300 –> 00:20:04,800 And that is precisely what God 303 00:20:04,800 –> 00:20:06,859 has given us in the Scriptures. 304 00:20:06,859 –> 00:20:08,599 That is why I have to look up 305 00:20:08,599 –> 00:20:12,599 to the Scriptures as being an authority over me. 306 00:20:13,439 –> 00:20:17,339 They test me, they show me where I am in line 307 00:20:17,339 –> 00:20:20,260 with the purpose of God and where the instruments 308 00:20:20,260 –> 00:20:23,339 of my mind and heart are outside of that line. 309 00:20:23,339 –> 00:20:25,560 They critique me. 310 00:20:25,560 –> 00:20:28,199 If I come as one who sees myself as over the Bible, 311 00:20:28,199 –> 00:20:31,219 all I do is impose my own prejudices 312 00:20:31,219 –> 00:20:34,219 and my own faulty readings upon the Bible 313 00:20:34,219 –> 00:20:36,219 so that it ends up being a pale reflection 314 00:20:36,219 –> 00:20:39,020 of where I was already wrong. 315 00:20:39,640 –> 00:20:42,979 Now, this catastrophe has affected 316 00:20:42,979 –> 00:20:46,880 every area of human life, including sexuality. 317 00:20:49,479 –> 00:20:52,479 We are created with this wonderful and powerful gift 318 00:20:52,479 –> 00:20:53,939 from God. 319 00:20:53,939 –> 00:20:57,020 And yet this beautiful gift has become 320 00:20:57,020 –> 00:21:01,000 the focus of so much human heartache and pain. 321 00:21:01,000 –> 00:21:02,500 And I want you to hear me clearly. 322 00:21:02,500 –> 00:21:04,900 I’m not saying that the catastrophe 323 00:21:04,900 –> 00:21:08,619 has affected sexuality in some people. 324 00:21:08,680 –> 00:21:11,640 I’m saying that the catastrophe has affected 325 00:21:11,640 –> 00:21:14,500 sexuality in all people, 326 00:21:14,500 –> 00:21:17,319 that it affects all of us in every area of life 327 00:21:17,319 –> 00:21:19,599 in some degree or other, and of course it’s different 328 00:21:19,599 –> 00:21:21,780 in different situations. 329 00:21:21,780 –> 00:21:25,579 You look at the explosion of pornography in our land 330 00:21:26,739 –> 00:21:30,060 and you’ll see just how difficult it is 331 00:21:30,060 –> 00:21:33,239 for many thousands and thousands of people 332 00:21:33,239 –> 00:21:36,380 to keep the fire in the hearth 333 00:21:36,380 –> 00:21:39,319 and not to have it spilling out all over the floor 334 00:21:39,319 –> 00:21:42,119 and then destroying the house. 335 00:21:42,119 –> 00:21:45,140 For others, the difficulties are in different areas. 336 00:21:45,140 –> 00:21:49,140 They are more in the area of being inhibited, 337 00:21:49,140 –> 00:21:53,140 lacking freedom, feeling a sense of oppression. 338 00:21:54,400 –> 00:21:57,180 What I’m suggesting to you is that none of us 339 00:21:57,180 –> 00:22:01,219 escapes the effects of the catastrophe 340 00:22:01,219 –> 00:22:05,300 touching in some measure every part of our being. 341 00:22:06,099 –> 00:22:10,680 Now this is why it is a great mistake for any person, 342 00:22:10,680 –> 00:22:13,180 including a homosexual person, 343 00:22:14,260 –> 00:22:16,880 to look at his or her own inclinations 344 00:22:16,880 –> 00:22:18,199 and then to say, 345 00:22:19,040 –> 00:22:21,479 Well, this is the way I am 346 00:22:21,479 –> 00:22:24,119 and this therefore is the way that God has made me 347 00:22:24,119 –> 00:22:26,199 and therefore this must be good. 348 00:22:26,199 –> 00:22:29,479 We’ve all heard people say that. 349 00:22:29,479 –> 00:22:33,939 And it sounds like an affirmation of the Creator. 350 00:22:33,939 –> 00:22:38,760 What it actually is doing is denying the catastrophe. 351 00:22:38,760 –> 00:22:40,520 And we do not understand ourselves 352 00:22:40,520 –> 00:22:42,579 nor the world in which we live correctly 353 00:22:42,579 –> 00:22:45,420 unless we hold these two things together, 354 00:22:45,420 –> 00:22:48,160 the creation and the catastrophe. 355 00:22:49,680 –> 00:22:52,500 I’m not navigating my way through this life 356 00:22:52,500 –> 00:22:53,819 with accurate instruments. 357 00:22:53,819 –> 00:22:56,040 I need to know that the mind and the human heart, 358 00:22:56,040 –> 00:22:57,959 and the inclinations of the soul are faulty. 359 00:22:57,959 –> 00:23:00,160 They are not always reliable. 360 00:23:00,160 –> 00:23:02,400 I need the external point of reference 361 00:23:02,540 –> 00:23:04,260 and to submit myself to it. 362 00:23:04,260 –> 00:23:06,719 Otherwise I will fly myself to disaster. 363 00:23:08,739 –> 00:23:10,400 Now we cannot leave a biblical framework 364 00:23:10,400 –> 00:23:11,619 for understanding life there. 365 00:23:11,619 –> 00:23:13,920 So very briefly let me put in the other two pieces 366 00:23:13,920 –> 00:23:15,500 that I think are very important. 367 00:23:15,500 –> 00:23:20,420 Creation, catastrophe, recovery begun. 368 00:23:20,420 –> 00:23:22,020 That’s number three. 369 00:23:22,020 –> 00:23:23,479 The good news of the gospel of course 370 00:23:23,479 –> 00:23:24,939 is that the God who created us 371 00:23:24,939 –> 00:23:27,199 has not left us in the catastrophe. 372 00:23:27,199 –> 00:23:30,060 He’s not left us with all the pain and the brokenness 373 00:23:30,099 –> 00:23:31,660 of what’s gone wrong in our world 374 00:23:31,660 –> 00:23:33,319 and what’s gone wrong within us. 375 00:23:33,319 –> 00:23:35,719 He has sent his son into the world 376 00:23:36,619 –> 00:23:39,839 and there is hope of recovery for every person 377 00:23:39,839 –> 00:23:41,959 in every area of life. 378 00:23:43,319 –> 00:23:46,380 It begins when you open your mind and your heart 379 00:23:46,380 –> 00:23:51,380 to faith in Jesus Christ, the great physician 380 00:23:51,520 –> 00:23:54,280 who heals the inner life of a person. 381 00:23:55,500 –> 00:23:58,939 It continues as the Holy Spirit strengthens you 382 00:23:58,939 –> 00:24:01,819 in the struggle to live a holy life. 383 00:24:02,780 –> 00:24:06,099 And it will be completed when your body will be redeemed 384 00:24:06,099 –> 00:24:10,319 and you will stand anew in the presence of Jesus. 385 00:24:11,260 –> 00:24:13,900 That day, of course, has not come for any of us yet. 386 00:24:15,040 –> 00:24:18,099 That is why I call it recovery begun. 387 00:24:19,479 –> 00:24:21,699 We are still in the process of recovery 388 00:24:21,699 –> 00:24:23,319 from this great disaster. 389 00:24:24,260 –> 00:24:26,979 Paul speaks about it in Romans Chapter 8 in verse 23, 390 00:24:27,000 –> 00:24:29,140 a very important verse in the New Testament 391 00:24:29,140 –> 00:24:31,300 for understanding the Christian life now. 392 00:24:32,300 –> 00:24:34,420 We who have the Holy Spirit, he says, 393 00:24:34,420 –> 00:24:36,300 so he’s talking about real believers. 394 00:24:36,300 –> 00:24:41,300 We who have the Spirit, we groan inwardly 395 00:24:41,599 –> 00:24:43,660 as we wait for our adoption as sons, 396 00:24:43,660 –> 00:24:45,739 the redemption of our bodies. 397 00:24:45,739 –> 00:24:49,520 This final adoption, this completion of God’s salvation, 398 00:24:49,520 –> 00:24:51,900 we are groaning as we wait for it, 399 00:24:51,900 –> 00:24:53,540 even though we have the Holy Spirit, 400 00:24:53,540 –> 00:24:54,780 that’s what he’s saying. 401 00:24:55,739 –> 00:24:58,780 So the struggles of living the Christian life 402 00:24:58,780 –> 00:25:03,420 continue in some degree throughout the whole of a lifetime, 403 00:25:04,880 –> 00:25:07,640 and struggles with sexuality 404 00:25:07,640 –> 00:25:11,819 may often be part of that groaning. 405 00:25:13,160 –> 00:25:17,520 We live with a pool of many different inclinations 406 00:25:17,520 –> 00:25:20,079 to greed and to lust and to pride 407 00:25:20,079 –> 00:25:21,859 that may afflict us in different degrees 408 00:25:21,859 –> 00:25:23,459 throughout the course of a life, 409 00:25:24,459 –> 00:25:27,599 but it will not be forever, 410 00:25:28,800 –> 00:25:30,020 and that’s why the forth thing 411 00:25:30,020 –> 00:25:32,380 is absolutely essential to keep in mind, 412 00:25:32,380 –> 00:25:35,859 recovery begun, but that leads to recovery complete. 413 00:25:35,859 –> 00:25:38,599 When you stand in the presence of Jesus, 414 00:25:38,599 –> 00:25:41,439 then you will not only see him, 415 00:25:41,439 –> 00:25:45,060 but you will be like him, 416 00:25:45,060 –> 00:25:48,699 and all the effects of catastrophe on your mind, 417 00:25:49,540 –> 00:25:53,300 all of the fears and the anxieties 418 00:25:53,339 –> 00:25:54,520 that have come as a result. 419 00:25:54,520 –> 00:25:57,140 They’ll all be completely healed then. 420 00:25:57,140 –> 00:25:59,560 You may groan struggling with them until then, 421 00:25:59,560 –> 00:26:02,579 but they’ll be completely healed then. 422 00:26:03,979 –> 00:26:06,719 All the effects of the catastrophe in your heart, 423 00:26:06,719 –> 00:26:10,500 the pain, all the effects of the catastrophe 424 00:26:10,500 –> 00:26:12,780 in your imagination and even in your memory 425 00:26:12,780 –> 00:26:14,000 will be completely healed. 426 00:26:14,000 –> 00:26:16,579 You will have a new body and the whole creation 427 00:26:16,579 –> 00:26:21,500 itself will be renewed and sin will be no more. 428 00:26:22,459 –> 00:26:26,459 Now I have found that four-fold grid, if you like, 429 00:26:26,459 –> 00:26:31,380 to be a very helpful way of thinking about myself 430 00:26:32,219 –> 00:26:35,739 and about the world in which we live. 431 00:26:35,739 –> 00:26:39,979 That outlined very simply creation, catastrophe, 432 00:26:39,979 –> 00:26:44,099 recovery begun, recovery complete. 433 00:26:44,099 –> 00:26:46,300 Let me just run through that grid 434 00:26:46,300 –> 00:26:48,819 very simply and very quickly. 435 00:26:48,819 –> 00:26:51,719 Let me put myself through that grid. 436 00:26:51,719 –> 00:26:52,560 You’re ready for this? 437 00:26:52,560 –> 00:26:56,640 Here’s Colin Smith, the whole story. 438 00:26:56,640 –> 00:26:57,739 All right? 439 00:26:57,739 –> 00:26:58,579 Right now. 440 00:26:59,619 –> 00:27:04,619 I am the result of a creation and a catastrophe. 441 00:27:06,699 –> 00:27:08,540 You say, well we guessed the second, 442 00:27:09,699 –> 00:27:11,380 but it’s true. 443 00:27:11,380 –> 00:27:13,479 And I do not understand myself 444 00:27:13,479 –> 00:27:16,459 unless I grasp both of these things. 445 00:27:16,520 –> 00:27:19,599 I’m created and loved by God, 446 00:27:19,599 –> 00:27:21,719 but throughout my whole being there are the effects 447 00:27:21,719 –> 00:27:25,199 of this great disaster that has touched every one of us. 448 00:27:25,199 –> 00:27:26,719 I live with that. 449 00:27:26,719 –> 00:27:28,239 Creation, catastrophe. 450 00:27:30,040 –> 00:27:31,640 Throughout the course of this life, 451 00:27:31,640 –> 00:27:35,420 I remain a sinner, but in the process of recovery 452 00:27:35,420 –> 00:27:38,000 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 453 00:27:38,000 –> 00:27:40,359 whose grace now reaches and embraces me. 454 00:27:42,099 –> 00:27:43,280 And by the mercy of God, 455 00:27:43,280 –> 00:27:45,859 that recovery will one day be complete, 456 00:27:46,680 –> 00:27:48,819 I long for the day when I stand 457 00:27:48,819 –> 00:27:51,579 in the presence of Jesus and then I will be 458 00:27:51,579 –> 00:27:53,020 everything he made me to be 459 00:27:53,020 –> 00:27:54,880 and everything he calls me to be. 460 00:27:54,880 –> 00:27:57,859 Not till then, but that will happen on that day. 461 00:27:57,859 –> 00:27:59,479 And I live in that hope and I progress 462 00:27:59,479 –> 00:28:00,420 towards that goal. 463 00:28:03,199 –> 00:28:06,280 I find this a helpful way to think about marriage. 464 00:28:06,280 –> 00:28:07,640 Let’s take a moment just to put marriage 465 00:28:07,640 –> 00:28:09,479 through the four fold grid, shall we? 466 00:28:10,219 –> 00:28:11,900 Marriage. 467 00:28:11,900 –> 00:28:18,140 Number one, marriage is a wonderful gift from the creator. 468 00:28:18,140 –> 00:28:20,959 That is why it should be honored and cherished 469 00:28:20,959 –> 00:28:25,619 and protected by all who love Christ. 470 00:28:25,619 –> 00:28:30,180 And we pray that it would be so in our entire country. 471 00:28:30,180 –> 00:28:35,859 Two, no marriage is all that it could be. 472 00:28:35,859 –> 00:28:39,380There is no perfect marriage, right? 473 00:28:39,380 –> 00:28:41,939 There are no perfect husbands. 474 00:28:41,939 –> 00:28:43,099 There are no perfect wives. 475 00:28:43,099 –> 00:28:44,439 Some of you are looking not so sure. 476 00:28:44,439 –> 00:28:45,819 You’re sitting next you’re wife. 477 00:28:45,819 –> 00:28:46,819 It is true! 478 00:28:46,819 –> 00:28:48,859 Of course it is true. 479 00:28:48,859 –> 00:28:51,780 If we grasp that it is true it would be much easier to live with, wouldn’t we? 480 00:28:51,780 –> 00:28:53,239 You know, please be patient with me. 481 00:28:53,239 –> 00:28:57,339 God isn’t finished with me yet. 482 00:28:57,339 –> 00:29:02,380 The crushing expectations of perfectionism that some husbands and wives put on each other, 483 00:29:02,380 –> 00:29:03,979 it is impossible. 484 00:29:03,979 –> 00:29:06,099 There are no perfect marriages. 485 00:29:06,619 –> 00:29:08,520 Three. 486 00:29:08,540 –> 00:29:12,339 No marriage is beyond hope where two people are ready to come in genuine repentance and 487 00:29:12,339 –> 00:29:14,599 faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. 488 00:29:14,599 –> 00:29:16,560 No, serious. 489 00:29:16,560 –> 00:29:20,619 There is recovery because there is a risen Saviour. 490 00:29:20,619 –> 00:29:25,760 And where two people, whether or not they have been Christians in the past, whether 491 00:29:25,760 –> 00:29:28,900 or not they are Christians now, will come to the place of saying you know, there’s 492 00:29:28,900 –> 00:29:30,640 a hollow sham going on here. 493 00:29:30,640 –> 00:29:32,359 And we are ready to come now. 494 00:29:32,619 –> 00:29:39,640 The two of us and say we can’t fix this but Lord your grace can. 495 00:29:39,640 –> 00:29:44,359 We believe in our risen Saviour who is going to recreate the world. 496 00:29:44,359 –> 00:29:48,619 And he’s able to do amazing things above and beyond what we ask or think where two people 497 00:29:48,619 –> 00:29:56,180 are ready to come then say we need what only you can do for us. 498 00:29:56,180 –> 00:30:01,339 Lastly, the highest joy is of the best marriage. 499 00:30:01,339 –> 00:30:10,040 Think of the highest joy of the best marriage is only a tiny glimpse, a foretaste, a long 500 00:30:10,040 –> 00:30:18,339 view into what God is preparing for every one of his children not for a moment but for 501 00:30:18,339 –> 00:30:20,459 all eternity. 502 00:30:21,400 –> 00:30:32,180 And I’ve found that this grid is a helpful way for me to frame biblical thinking about 503 00:30:32,180 –> 00:30:33,560 the whole issue of homosexuality. 504 00:30:33,560 –> 00:30:37,079 Let’s just run this through together. 505 00:30:37,079 –> 00:30:38,859 Number one creation. 506 00:30:38,859 –> 00:30:45,520 I must remember that every person on the face of this planet is created in the image of 507 00:30:45,520 –> 00:30:51,160 God I must therefore regard a homosexual with the same love and respect that I owe to all 508 00:30:51,160 –> 00:30:52,160 people. 509 00:30:52,160 –> 00:30:57,780 And I think we have to admit today that sometimes within conservative evangelicals circles we’ve 510 00:30:57,780 –> 00:31:01,760 not done very well on upholding that truth. 511 00:31:01,760 –> 00:31:07,439 Second I must remember that every person has been affected by the great catastrophe and 512 00:31:07,439 –> 00:31:11,680 that the inclination of our hearts are not there for a reliable guide to the life that 513 00:31:11,680 –> 00:31:13,160 God wants us to pursue. 514 00:31:13,160 –> 00:31:21,439 Third, I need to remember that there is grace mercy and hope for every person in Jesus 515 00:31:21,439 –> 00:31:22,719 Christ. 516 00:31:22,719 –> 00:31:27,819 That homosexuals who come to Christ in repentance and faith may continue to experience many 517 00:31:27,819 –> 00:31:32,400 struggles with their sexuality in the same way as heterosexuals do. 518 00:31:32,400 –> 00:31:36,280 All of us have our battles and some of them last a lifetime. 519 00:31:36,280 –> 00:31:42,319 But Christ calls us to a life of sexual purity and he is able to sustain us as we follow 520 00:31:42,680 –> 00:31:43,160 him. 521 00:31:43,160 –> 00:31:50,000 And, fourthly, the recovery that has begun in Christ will one day be complete and John 522 00:31:50,000 –> 00:31:52,160 Stott writes these words. 523 00:31:52,160 –> 00:31:56,319 Complete healing of mind, body and spirit. 524 00:31:56,319 –> 00:32:00,420 Complete healing, he says, will not take place in this life. 525 00:32:00,420 –> 00:32:05,839 Some degree of deficit or disorder remains in each of us. 526 00:32:05,839 –> 00:32:09,439 But not forever. 527 00:32:09,439 –> 00:32:11,140 Not forever. 528 00:32:11,180 –> 00:32:15,739 One day every thought and inclination of body and soul and mind and spirit will be brought 529 00:32:15,739 –> 00:32:21,219 into subjection to Jesus Christ and the struggle will be over and we will all enter into that 530 00:32:21,219 –> 00:32:22,819 perfect freedom. 531 00:32:22,819 –> 00:32:27,479 The liberty of the sons, the daughters of God. 532 00:32:28,920 –> 00:32:33,500 Well now you don’t need me to tell you that we are seeing a great assault on marriage 533 00:32:33,500 –> 00:32:36,939 as God has given it to us in our society in these days. 534 00:32:36,939 –> 00:32:40,400 And the obvious question therefore is what can we do? 535 00:32:40,500 –> 00:32:45,439 Because I want very briefly to give four practical suggestions by way of response and for us 536 00:32:45,439 –> 00:32:49,739 to come to prayer for ourselves and for our country. 537 00:32:49,739 –> 00:32:51,839 What can we do? 538 00:32:51,839 –> 00:32:55,180 Number one, we can contact our leaders. 539 00:32:55,180 –> 00:32:58,719 We really must do so. 540 00:32:58,719 –> 00:33:03,900 You will be aware perhaps that there are different views about what is the wisest political strategy 541 00:33:03,900 –> 00:33:07,819 for defending marriage is a union between one man and one women. 542 00:33:07,819 –> 00:33:09,800 Recognize that. 543 00:33:10,280 –> 00:33:16,180 But what matters of first importance is that our leaders in this nation grasp that this 544 00:33:16,180 –> 00:33:23,939 issue of marriage is of great importance to millions and millions and millions of people. 545 00:33:23,939 –> 00:33:29,619 And we have not, it seems, done a good job of communicating that up to this point. 546 00:33:29,619 –> 00:33:35,619 I want to urge you that we take as citizens our responsibility seriously in regard to 547 00:33:35,619 –> 00:33:37,339 expressing our thinking. 548 00:33:37,339 –> 00:33:41,400 One of the great blessings of this country is that our leaders are put in a position 549 00:33:41,400 –> 00:33:45,739 where they are trusted with the responsibility of listening to the people, and that includes 550 00:33:45,739 –> 00:33:47,180 us. 551 00:33:47,180 –> 00:33:50,380 So let us use that opportunity. 552 00:33:50,380 –> 00:33:58,339 Remember that once the definition of marriage is opened up to be based on or to include 553 00:33:58,339 –> 00:34:07,160 a person’s inclination, it is very very difficult to see how we would not then have to go down 554 00:34:07,180 –> 00:34:12,760 the road of opening up marriage to a person who wants to be married to both a man and 555 00:34:12,760 –> 00:34:18,199 a woman because that is their inclination, and then you are one step from polygamy and 556 00:34:18,199 –> 00:34:21,399 beyond. 557 00:34:21,399 –> 00:34:29,739 The nation that loses its moorings in the Law of God, quickly ends up adrift. 558 00:34:29,739 –> 00:34:34,840 If you want a picture of what that’s like, read the book of Judges. 559 00:34:34,939 –> 00:34:39,739 The book of Judges describes what happened to a nation that was given the wonderful gifts 560 00:34:39,739 –> 00:34:43,860 of freedom and prosperity. 561 00:34:43,860 –> 00:34:48,899 They were given freedom and prosperity, but they cut adrift from their moorings in the 562 00:34:48,899 –> 00:34:53,860 revelation of God, and what happened was—and this is the slogan that’s written across 563 00:34:53,860 –> 00:34:59,540 the whole book—every man did what was right in his own eyes, and the nation descended 564 00:34:59,719 –> 00:35:05,280 into chaos, and freedom never survives chaos. 565 00:35:05,280 –> 00:35:08,260 It just doesn’t. 566 00:35:08,260 –> 00:35:12,159 Freedom never survives chaos. 567 00:35:12,159 –> 00:35:20,459 Secondly, let’s encourage singles, and here I want to speak with all the warmth and with 568 00:35:20,459 –> 00:35:27,080 all the passion and with all of the encouragement that I possibly can. 569 00:35:27,080 –> 00:35:33,399 To all who are single, whatever age, I want to say this. 570 00:35:33,399 –> 00:35:40,500 Our nation desperately needs to see communities of single believers who demonstrate that a 571 00:35:40,500 –> 00:35:44,639 chaste life is possible. 572 00:35:44,639 –> 00:35:50,000 God’s calling after all to homosexuals is no different from His calling to others who 573 00:35:50,000 –> 00:35:52,719 are single. 574 00:35:52,719 –> 00:36:00,639 And I want to say to our singles today that your pursuit of sexual purity may just turn 575 00:36:00,639 –> 00:36:06,040 out to be one of the most important factors in the shaping of this country at the beginning 576 00:36:06,040 –> 00:36:08,360 of this century. 577 00:36:08,360 –> 00:36:12,399 I do not think that to be an exaggeration for one moment. 578 00:36:12,399 –> 00:36:20,040 If sexual activity among singles in the church is basically a mirror of sexual activity among 579 00:36:20,280 –> 00:36:26,679 singles in the world, then we as the church have little to contribute to our society, 580 00:36:26,679 –> 00:36:31,600 and certainly nothing to say to the homosexual community. 581 00:36:31,600 –> 00:36:35,959 If we cannot demonstrate that a chaste life is possible within the community of the church, 582 00:36:35,959 –> 00:36:40,000 what right do we have to speak about such things to the homosexual community? 583 00:36:40,379 –> 00:36:48,159 But if there can be communities of single believers who encourage each other in the 584 00:36:48,159 –> 00:36:56,219 pursuit of purity, who embrace and restore one another when one falls, who model the 585 00:36:56,219 –> 00:37:01,879 joy of a full and balanced Christian life in community together, if there can be that 586 00:37:01,879 –> 00:37:08,399 demonstrated across our land, then a door of hope will be opened for thousands upon 587 00:37:08,479 –> 00:37:14,340 thousands of people who will want to know the Christ who makes such a life possible. 588 00:37:16,899 –> 00:37:25,540 That’s the challenge. None of us lives unto ourselves. And we want to do everything that 589 00:37:25,540 –> 00:37:32,280 we can to encourage those who are called to singleness at this time to see the critical 590 00:37:32,280 –> 00:37:37,600 nature of your testimony and your discipleship, not just for yourself and a few around you, 591 00:37:37,600 –> 00:37:41,659 but for us in our contribution to this whole nation. 592 00:37:41,659 –> 00:37:50,679 Third, we must strengthen marriages. The sad reality today is there are more heterosexual 593 00:37:50,679 –> 00:37:54,320 people wanting to get out of marriage than there are homosexual people wanting to get 594 00:37:54,320 –> 00:38:01,959 into it. We should think about that. Of course there are situations, I know, where 595 00:38:02,000 –> 00:38:10,040 it is right for a faithful Christian to be open to consider reluctantly, and yet rightly, 596 00:38:10,040 –> 00:38:18,199 the possibility of divorce. But the reality across this country over these last 20, 30 597 00:38:18,199 –> 00:38:22,560 years, the reality throughout the Christian church, and I’m speaking very, very broadly 598 00:38:22,560 –> 00:38:29,560 here, but the reality is simply that we’ve not been able to sustain it on marriage and 599 00:38:29,580 –> 00:38:35,239 the family. We’re just not. It’s where we’ve lost it. 600 00:38:35,239 –> 00:38:40,340 I will never forget talking with a friend in India. It’s very interesting how people 601 00:38:40,340 –> 00:38:46,600 from outside of the culture see us. And I got into conversation with this Christian 602 00:38:46,600 –> 00:38:53,060 brother and he said to me something I will never forget. He said, in the West, a man 603 00:38:53,659 –> 00:39:00,659 the woman he loves. Here in the east, a man learns to love the woman he married. Now, 604 00:39:04,540 –> 00:39:11,540 there’s something very profound in that. In the west, a man marries the woman he loves. 605 00:39:12,199 –> 00:39:19,199 Here in the east, a man learns to love the woman he marries. Perhaps it’s an overstatement. 606 00:39:20,040 –> 00:39:25,020 But it speaks a very profound truth to us, I believe. Husbands and wives need to learn 607 00:39:25,020 –> 00:39:31,080 to love one another. And there are some husbands and wives even here today, and you desperately 608 00:39:31,080 –> 00:39:36,959 need to hear this word of grace from the Lord Jesus Christ. We could come before him in 609 00:39:36,959 –> 00:39:43,800 a spirit of repentance and say, we don’t have within us what it takes, so give us what it 610 00:39:44,479 –> 00:39:51,479 rekindle that which will strengthen this marriage, make it new and beautiful, the means of mutual 611 00:39:59,159 –> 00:40:06,159 blessing and glory to God. Where do you begin? How do you grow a rose? How do you grow a 612 00:40:07,159 –> 00:40:14,159 beautiful rose? You take it and you plant it in the richest of soil. And you see, that’s 613 00:40:19,760 –> 00:40:24,280 what the apostle Paul prays for the church. He says, ìI pray that you will be rooted 614 00:40:24,280 –> 00:40:31,280 and grounded in love.î Where is love rekindled within a marriage? Where a man and a woman 615 00:40:31,719 –> 00:40:38,719 put deep roots down into the love of God that is going to be the rich source of the nutrient 616 00:40:39,379 –> 00:40:44,159 of love that then can blossom within a person’s life. 617 00:40:44,159 –> 00:40:50,239 There is hope for a man and for a woman who are ready to come together and to say, ìThat’s 618 00:40:50,239 –> 00:40:57,239 what we need in our lives. Lord Jesus, give us what we do not have.î Then we need to 619 00:41:01,520 –> 00:41:04,560 pray for our churches. 620 00:41:04,560 –> 00:41:11,560 I believe that the debate over marriage is a wake up call to our churches. Across this 621 00:41:11,739 –> 00:41:18,739 country, the church has become almost dysfunctionally obsessed with the culture. The agenda of the 622 00:41:21,280 –> 00:41:26,919 culture has become the big thing in the church. We have fashioned too often a God after our 623 00:41:27,040 –> 00:41:33,459 own convenience. We have lived too often in a way that is indistinguishable from the world 624 00:41:33,459 –> 00:41:40,459 around us. And what we need is not a new welter of programs. God deliver us from that. What 625 00:41:41,500 –> 00:41:47,219 we need is a visitation of the Spirit of God, and I am convinced increasingly that we need 626 00:41:47,219 –> 00:41:52,780 one thing more than anything else, and that is to rediscover the biblical doctrine of 627 00:41:52,820 –> 00:41:58,639 conversion. To be a Christian is not just for a man or for a woman to believe the creed 628 00:41:58,639 –> 00:42:03,379 and come to church and try and live a decent and respectable life. It is for the life of 629 00:42:03,379 –> 00:42:09,879 God to come into the soul of a person. For the power of the Holy Spirit to indwell a 630 00:42:09,879 –> 00:42:15,379 person, engaging in all the struggles of life through this process of recovery begun. And 631 00:42:15,379 –> 00:42:20,800 for the love of God to touch our inner being bringing increasingly healing to one who is 632 00:42:20,800 –> 00:42:28,199 broken. That’s what the gospel opens up to us. That’s what we’ve been trusted to bring 633 00:42:28,199 –> 00:42:42,919 to the world. God have mercy on us and heal our land. Let’s pray together shall we? Father 634 00:42:42,919 –> 00:42:55,820 in heaven, I come before you with a sense of humility and brokenness. We live in this 635 00:42:55,820 –> 00:43:11,340 wonderful country, uniquely founded upon principles in your word, uniquely established 636 00:43:11,340 –> 00:43:25,939 Be like a light where freedom and blessing are known, where your name is honored, where 637 00:43:25,939 –> 00:43:35,620 many would say in God’s name we trust. We see ourselves squandering our heritage in 638 00:43:35,620 –> 00:43:46,199 our own lifetime, we feel the tragedy of it. We see that there’s a world of a difference 639 00:43:46,199 –> 00:43:53,500 between a people who stand under the authority of God and of His Word and feel our accountability 640 00:43:53,500 –> 00:44:02,719 to you, which one day, every person ever created will know. This self-obsessed kind of arrogance 641 00:44:02,719 –> 00:44:07,120 that wants to reshape everything you’ve ever said so it’s merely a dim reflection 642 00:44:07,120 –> 00:44:16,080 of our own prejudices. Have mercy upon us. We see it not just in the land. We see it 643 00:44:16,080 –> 00:44:24,879 in the church that bears the name of the Lord Jesus. They would cause us, oh Lord, to weep. 644 00:44:24,879 –> 00:44:35,560 Have mercy upon us, oh God. We bring to you the great burdens of our hearts. We want to 645 00:44:35,560 –> 00:44:46,280 confess that there has often been within our own hearts a despising of homosexual people, 646 00:44:46,280 –> 00:44:53,620 sometimes a hatred. We ask our father that you will change our hearts that they may reflect 647 00:44:53,620 –> 00:45:04,699 the heart of the Lord Jesus. Confess our father that the way in which we live within the church 648 00:45:04,699 –> 00:45:09,239 has so often been very little different from the world. And none of us can change the past, 649 00:45:09,239 –> 00:45:16,500 but we can come before you. We can offer ourselves today and say, Lord, let me live in the power of 650 00:45:16,500 –> 00:45:22,459 your spirit in a way that pleases and honors you. We pray for every person who is single today in 651 00:45:22,520 –> 00:45:30,260 this congregation. Grant a renewed resolve to walk in ways of purity. Know your help. 652 00:45:30,260 –> 00:45:36,040 Grant that this vision may be increasingly realized of a community who encourage one 653 00:45:36,040 –> 00:45:40,179 another in all the struggles of life. Let there be a breaking through of the loneliness, 654 00:45:40,179 –> 00:45:47,219 the alienation, the isolation that brings bleakness to the lives of so many. Let us 655 00:45:47,219 –> 00:45:53,800 express together the love of Jesus Christ, as together we follow in His way. 656 00:45:53,800 –> 00:46:00,179 And for all who are called to marriage, Oh Lord, turn the heart of a husband even today 657 00:46:00,179 –> 00:46:07,260 towards his wife. Turn the heart of a wife even today towards her husband. Strengthen 658 00:46:07,260 –> 00:46:17,199 the bonds that You have created and grant that as our roots are sunk deep into the very 659 00:46:17,199 –> 00:46:24,159 love of Christ, that that love may be increasingly reflected and kindled and may become as of 660 00:46:24,159 –> 00:46:32,199 holy flame within many marriages that even today are so much less than would be desired, 661 00:46:32,280 –> 00:46:38,760 so much less than what you would call them to be. Thank You that we are in the process 662 00:46:38,760 –> 00:46:45,399 of recovery begun, we do groan, we do struggle in so many ways, but we thank You that the 663 00:46:45,399 –> 00:46:51,020 struggle is not the end, but that we struggle with our eye upon the end when we shall be 664 00:46:51,020 –> 00:46:56,199 with You and we shall be like You and we thank You that that eternity is infinitely worth 665 00:46:56,199 –> 00:47:01,679 all that it takes. So hear our prayers for ourselves for one 666 00:47:01,679 –> 00:47:10,159 another for the Church, for this land oh! Breath of life comes sweeping through us. 667 00:47:10,159 –> 00:47:17,719 Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me. Lord have mercy upon us. 668 00:47:17,719 –> 00:47:23,120 We hear our prayers. In Jesus name. Amen.