WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:01.120 My gosh. 00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:02.160 Thank you, Jesus. 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:03.120 How's everyone doing? 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:07.519 Any everyone have a good Valentine's Day night or day? 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:09.759 Who brought their kids and like went on a date? 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:10.960 Who was able to enjoy that? 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:12.160 Wasn't that awesome? 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:27.280 I figure this time next year our children's ministry will double by the yeah, that's how you grow a church. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.239 Okay, Lord, help me. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.439 Oh, Jesus, Jesus. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:37.840 Father, I thank you for what you're doing in this service today. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:39.280 I thank you for what you intend to do. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.399 Lord, we we recognize your presence. 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:46.960 We recognize your kingship and authority over this church, Lord, and over our life. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:49.520 Jesus, you are the King, Lord. 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:52.479 I lift up every single marriage in this place. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.359 I would lift up every single person watching online who's married. 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:59.039 I lift up every single person who's not married yet, but one day will be. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:03.439 I ask God that you would pierce our hearts with your word. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.200 The word that separates lie from truth. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.239 The word that separates, Father. 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.920 I thank you that you are bringing revival to marriages, Lord. 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.879 Not just marriages that are alive, but that are abundantly living, Father. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:21.680 Come and have your way today in the name of Jesus. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.480 We say no weapon formed against the marriages in this place is going to prosper. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.040 We thank you, Father, that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:35.200 I ask for a spirit, Lord, of grace, freedom, release, Lord. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:39.519 I thank you, Lord, that your blood washes us and cleanses us as white as snow. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:42.319 In the mighty name of Jesus. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:49.439 And I thank you, Father, that you are the ultimate healer, Lord, and we invite you today to heal wounds that need to be healed. 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:56.480 We invite you today to go to those deep areas of our life and our heart, the things that even we don't want to talk about or think about, Father. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:57.439 You know about them. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:03.040 We give you access today to heal and restore, not cover up. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:05.200 In the mighty name of Jesus. 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.080 Everybody said, Amen, amen, amen. 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:09.360 It is so good to see you all. 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:13.199 It is so good to be here today in the house of the Lord, Garnet. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:14.639 Anna, I am so pumped. 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:17.360 Next time you all see them, they're going to be married. 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.919 The Lord is the best matchmaker. 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:27.039 Their story is a story of God matchmaking. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:34.400 God, I, you know, the Lord brought us together, and I I mean, you know, it had to be God for me to catch her. 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:39.360 God of the impossible! Why are you laughing at that? 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:41.680 I'm just joking. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.840 But this is something it's so interesting to me when I talk to young people. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:46.719 I really encourage them. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:51.360 I'm like, okay, so God who knows all the plans he has for you is unaware of who your spouse is. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:57.680 So you've got to go and like date 30-something people and you feel like you need to sleep around, bask and robin's, try every flavor. 00:02:57.759 --> 00:02:59.280 What if the God who designed you? 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:07.439 What if the God that designed you actually knows who he intended for you, and maybe he knows you better than know yourself, and maybe he knows the spouse he has for you. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.000 Why not just consecrate yourself to him and trust him? 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.360 Doesn't the Bible say men treat the single ladies as sisters? 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.280 How many of y'all making out with your sisters? 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:19.280 Let's go there. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:20.639 Right? 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.000 That's not today's message, though. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:28.879 It's a little taste. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:31.759 But the Lord has brought them together. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.680 When he calls you, he knows even the ministry that when you're united, you're one, you're called. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:36.960 But there's an anointing on them. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:38.639 I'm I'm grateful to have you here. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:40.080 There's a breaker anointing. 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:41.680 We are contending for revival. 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:42.560 That's not easy. 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:48.000 We are stepping in and saying there's spiritual warfare and we're suiting up and diving in, okay? 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:50.000 And I believe that you're called here too. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:55.919 I believe that you're here today because the Lord says you play a part of the body and the body of Christ that I am doing that you are needed of. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:57.280 That you're needed. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:03:58.800 Amen. 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.680 So, revival and all the stuff we talk about, this is about a harvest. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.639 If we boil this down, that's what this is about. 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:10.080 The body of Christ is meant to be the witness of Jesus Christ on this earth. 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:12.800 He ascended, and all of a sudden, we're the body now. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:14.319 And we're intended to do a work. 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:15.840 We're intended to have a hard harvest. 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.360 God does not want anyone to perish. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:19.920 He's coming back, and I think he's coming back soon. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:27.120 Well, we know he's coming back soon, but the definition of soon, you know, is a little bit, I'm not really sure if that's 2,000 years or 50 more years. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:29.759 But he doesn't want anyone to perish. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:31.519 And there is a lost and dying world. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:42.800 I look at the stats, you know, there's there's thousands upon thousands of people living just in a twelve twenty-mile radius of this church that are not Christians, not saved, that if they die today, they would go to hell. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:44.079 God cares about that. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:56.639 So he wants the church not to just come together and have, you know, really awesome services and worship, which I love, but there's meant to be a point that we're coming, encouraged, trained, and equipped to go out and do the ministry of Jesus Christ. 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:58.000 And you're called to that. 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.439 If you're not doing that, what happens is this is my personal conviction. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:04.399 But if we're not doing the work in the ministry, we're stagnant Christians. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:05.600 We're lukewarm, okay? 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:08.319 We're cups that are being filled but never pouring out. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:11.759 God's reviving that. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:20.240 God's convicting my heart just as much as He's convicting y'all's, I'm sure, that He wants some things revived because He wants He wants people to be saved. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:24.959 But revival starts in the home. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:36.560 You are not going to be able to function the way that you need to function as part of the body, like when I say the corporate body, until your home life, that's your first call to ministry. 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:42.560 This is a pet peeve of mine, and I'll go ahead and share it to you, and I'll vent for just like two minutes. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:52.000 I see guys in particular that they get really passionate about fire, and a lot of times what they have because they're pursuing purpose is that they want to do ministry. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.000 I see this a lot, it drives me nuts. 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:59.680 And what they do is that they want to go and spend all their time going and ministering, witnessing, serving. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:05.759 They got some type of ministry they're passionate about, and you know what they do is that all of a sudden they don't go and provide for their families. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:15.040 Their bills are tight, their bank accounts are tight, their wife is stressed, they neglect even being able to be with their kids and their wife a lot because they're doing ministry, and that's not God's calling. 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:22.319 The Bible says a man that doesn't provide and take care of his family is worse than an unbeliever. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:26.639 Ministry can become an addiction. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:28.959 It's a way to like feel like you have purpose in life. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:30.079 I'll go ahead and tell you this. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:37.680 It can become something, and I'll see men and I'll see women do this, and then in their minds are thinking, well, I'm serving Jesus, but you're neglecting the home. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:40.480 You've got to get the marriage right first. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.319 I don't I don't want you trying to serve. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:47.759 I don't want you trying to lead life groups, I don't want you trying to do all this stuff until the home life is tended to. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:49.199 I'm not talking about being perfect. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:52.480 None of us are perfect, but let's just go ahead and address it. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:55.680 Your call to ministry starts with the home. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:58.959 Men, the most important thing in your life is your wife. 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:01.920 Well, I gotta serve Christ. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:03.519 Well, you know what he says? 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:05.519 Make that the priority right now. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:08.560 Anything else is secondary. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:14.000 And an overflow of that, when you get the home life right, then all of a sudden this beautiful thing is gonna overflow. 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:15.040 Okay? 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.879 So I just want to go ahead and make sure we get that clear. 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:22.399 Anyone that wants to serve and lead at this church, this is questions I'm going to ask you. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.240 I'm going to look, and I'm good at observing. 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.120 I'm not trying to be braggy, but I look at things. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:28.720 I notice things. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:30.879 I notice the posture of wives and their attitude. 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:32.720 The men are on fire for God, their wife's miserable. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:34.560 And I'm like, you're not tending to her. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:35.920 You're neglecting her. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:38.560 I don't want you leading and serving right now. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:44.079 So I do love you though. 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:49.120 If you're new here, if you're a first-time visitor, welcome to this house of love. 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:56.879 The first last week we talked about covenant. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:07:59.680 A lot of people come into marriage thinking it's a contract. 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:01.199 I'll do my part if you do your part. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:02.240 That's not covenant. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:06.639 Covenant says when you don't do your part, I'll pay the cost to make sure that we stay in relationship. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:09.040 We have a secularized view of marriage. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:10.959 And how do why do I say that so boldly? 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.879 Because the divorce rates in the church are just as bad as the divorce rates in the world. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.399 The marriages in the church are just as secular as the marriages in the world. 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.160 We come into this with the wrong perspective. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.160 I'm coming in to satisfy myself. 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:23.839 I need my life to be fulfilled. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:26.240 I want to have someone that emotionally fulfills me. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:27.360 That's not marriage. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:29.759 That's a secular perspective of marriage. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:31.360 That's very new, by the way. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:33.840 That's only like really 30, 40 years old. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:36.480 This idea that marriage is for emotional fulfillment. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:39.039 How many thousands of years has marriage been around? 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:46.960 The challenges that we have in marriage today are have skyrocketed compared to the challenges that people had 34 years ago, even 20 years ago. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.080 The challenges you have today, if you're young and you're newly married, you need to know something. 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:52.639 There's a lot of things working against you more than anything else. 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:56.720 Culture, perspectives. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:02.240 Then we got people writing books that claim to be Christian books and they completely miss the Word of God, what it means, what it's intended for. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.039 People are thinking reading these thinking, oh, this is the way it's supposed to be. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:05.840 They're getting deceived. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:10.480 Their whole perspective is deceased, their interpretation and application of marriage is just off. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.200 And then we wonder why do we have dead marriages in the church? 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.600 We pray and we cry out, but nothing changes. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:17.919 God cares about this. 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.399 But also, God is the author of marriage. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:21.759 God's the one who defines it. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:22.720 He doesn't need our help. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:23.360 He doesn't need to. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:26.080 Even the Bible says, don't act in here. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:29.840 But what we do is we come to this and we think that we're better and more wise than God. 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:32.159 We think that marriage is something that meant to be improved upon. 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:33.279 It's not technology. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:39.600 I understand technology gets better over time, but you don't just make changes to something that God and things are going to get better. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:41.200 What is happening is getting worse. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:45.279 Even to the point that people aren't wanting to get married. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.360 Do you know there's this thing where men are just not wanting to get married anymore? 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:52.240 Women are losing their minds. 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:56.159 They're losing their minds. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:56.960 I understand. 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:00.080 Okay, let me just I'm gonna I'm doing a lot of venting today. 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:02.399 Probably something I ate. 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:09.919 I understand that it's been like a man's world for a long time, and then what happened was was there's a backlash. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:15.039 You know, I understand that there's been you know imbalances, there's been unhealthy things done for many years. 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:24.399 But what happens is when there's a problem, people what happens, they respond to something that's wrong, and they say, Well, I'm never gonna do that again, I'm not gonna have that happen, so they pin them swing. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:29.279 And what happens sometimes is they go too far to fix the problem, and now they've created another problem. 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:33.600 We're living in a time where it's not the man's world problem, it's the woman's world problem. 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:36.480 And men are being kind of pushed out. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:40.799 We don't need you, we don't respect you, you don't have a place, you know. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.759 Just go get in art, what is it, artificial insemination? 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:45.360 You don't even need a man, just have a baby. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:46.240 We don't need men. 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:49.200 You can have a job, you can make money, you can have your own career, you don't need a man. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.799 And so men are men that are be are being treated a certain way, and they're just disengaging. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.240 They're like, I don't even want to get married. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:58.879 And then people are just sleeping around. 00:10:59.039 --> 00:10:59.840 Like it's nothing. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:01.279 Like people don't even feel convicted about it. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:03.360 They talk about body counts, they're sleeping hundreds. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:06.720 I mean, women brag about have sleeping with like hundreds something people. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:08.320 Dudes as well. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:09.200 Why get married? 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:10.159 They don't have to. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:11.840 Okay. 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:15.120 Now we're gonna get into the message. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:20.080 Covenant is about fixing a relational problem between us and God. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:22.000 He's holy, we're not holy. 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.240 We cannot be in his presence and survive. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:24.799 Okay. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:31.919 And so part of this is that this is the agreement that demonstrates God's faithfulness, but then there's another purpose of marriage. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:40.240 And the purpose of marriage is to is for transformation because, in order for something unholy to be in the presence of something's holy, that unholy thing has to become holy. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:44.240 So, what that means is we have to change. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:49.519 So God uses marriage as a tool to change us. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:56.480 We come into marriage a lot of times thinking, oh, I'm just adding something to my life to make my life better. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:01.039 No, marriage is actually meant to transform you, it's going to expose what's wrong with you. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.120 And then we're shocked when it does that, like, oh my gosh. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:12.159 I'm gonna hit, I'm gonna hit a controversial place in the Bible. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:13.679 It's Ephesians 5. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:15.679 Let's go to this verse. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:19.120 It says, And further submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:24.399 The verses following after this, verses 22 through 33, can be very controversial, okay? 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:28.159 Primarily it's controversial, and this is hard to receive on women's perspective. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:32.799 Women do not like or tend to not like the next few verses that I'm about to read. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:34.879 Amen. 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:36.000 They should. 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:38.159 But they don't. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:40.080 It's triggering. 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:42.480 They don't like it. 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:45.519 They they they assume, oh, it must mean something else. 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:47.600 This this doesn't apply to me. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:50.320 We live in a woman's world right now. 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:55.759 We live in a culture that's rebelling against God's model and God's order of the home. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.360 And we're seeing the fruit of that. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:01.840 We're seeing the fruit of that. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:10.080 A lot of times, before I go into these verses that are so controversial, is a lot of times what we miss is this first verse that opens up this section. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:10.960 It's verse 21. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.519 It says, and further, this is talking to men and women. 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:16.639 It says, further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:17.600 I want you to know something. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.120 This is a hot topic world. 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:20.960 Is this word submit? 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:24.720 Men love to say submit. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:27.759 They love to have this expectation of woman, submit. 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:29.519 Me man, hear me roar. 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:31.200 Submit, right? 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:36.879 Well, Paul opens up and he says, both of you submit to each other. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:39.519 Men say amen. 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.320 They're like, I'm a submissive husband. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:44.240 I'm gonna make a shirt. 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:46.320 Submissive husband. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.159 It says out of reverence for Christ. 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:52.559 This is the big thing, okay? 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.279 A lot of times we come into marriage, and you know what we do? 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:58.720 We wait to be motivated to do our part in the marriage. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:02.159 And our motivation comes from looking at our spouse. 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:07.600 I'm going to come into the marriage and I'm going to watch you, and if you do your part, then I'll be motivated. 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:14.480 But if you don't do your part, I'm not going to be motivated. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.720 And I'm not going to do my part. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:24.480 This section here opens up saying the reason that you're going to do your part is because you want to obey Christ. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:28.399 This is beautiful, okay? 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:29.759 God is such a genius. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:31.440 Oh, he's such a genius. 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:37.440 He understands that people are now coming into a covenantal union. 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:38.480 Alright? 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.559 Two imperfect people. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:46.879 And he says, I'm going to tell you to do some things that's going to be very hard for you to do, and you're not going to want to do it. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:48.879 And this is why I want you to do it. 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:50.480 It has nothing to do with them. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:55.759 It has nothing to do with their conduct, has nothing to do with whether they're willing to do it or not to do it. 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:56.960 This is why you're going to do it. 00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:58.879 You're going to do it in reverence to me. 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:03.200 Submit to one another. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:05.919 And this is where the tricky part comes in. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:06.879 And I understand why. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.399 It's legitimate reasons. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.919 The tricky part is, is does submit look the same for men and women? 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:14.159 Or does it look different? 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.960 God made them man and woman. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:22.000 God made man and woman women different, regardless of what the world says. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.879 The world is coming against the truth of God. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:25.679 Okay? 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:27.679 God made them man and woman. 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:28.399 We're different. 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:30.399 We're programmed different. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:37.759 They'll get the music going. 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:38.720 I'm like, whoa. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:39.600 Okay. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:43.120 This is beautiful. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:44.559 I actually noticed this this week. 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:45.440 It's always been there. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:50.240 You ever have something in the Bible that's right in front of you the whole time and then you notice it after years? 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:52.000 That's what happened to me this week. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.399 This verse starts with and further. 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:58.559 Now understand that with this translation, they added that just to give clarity to what's happening. 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:05.919 There's not like an and further in the Greek, but what is happening is that this verse is a continuation of something that's already been set and founded. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:07.840 Did y'all hear that? 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:12.480 Like there's a foundation set that we need to look at before we go into the hard verses. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:14.000 Y'all want to do it? 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:16.159 Okay, this is good. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:21.360 So in Ephesians 5, verse 1, it says this. 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:28.879 This is the foundation, okay, again, and further, this is going to be the stuff that comes before the further. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:29.679 Alright? 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:39.759 This is going to be the foundational perspective that before we get to the hard stuff that we're going to challenge and not really want to do, let's get the foundation correct. 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:40.399 Alright? 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:42.799 The whole reverence for Christ, what does that mean? 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:44.720 Paul's going to show us. 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:50.559 Verse 1, it says, Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.399 Okay, so we're coming to marriage. 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:53.360 Y'all can take note. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:55.440 What's the goal of our conduct? 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:56.480 Imitate God. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.480 To imitate God, you've got to know who God is. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:02.080 You gotta know what God does. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:05.279 You can't imitate what you don't see. 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:07.440 You've got to have the Lord. 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:08.640 You've got to be a person of prayer. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.640 You've got to be a person of the Word. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.680 Then if we don't read our Bible, if you don't know about God, how are you going to imitate Him? 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.279 The job is not just for pastors to understand the Bible. 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:20.559 You've got to read the Bible. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:24.640 Ladies, you too, amen. 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.160 Just make sure I'm keeping it even, right? 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:30.799 Equal conviction. 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:32.640 That's the type of church we are. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:34.240 Okay. 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:35.759 Verse 2. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:37.359 Live a life with love. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:39.279 Following the example of Christ, okay? 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:40.160 Imitate God. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:41.200 What's that look like? 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.119 Live a life of love. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:45.599 Not just emotional love. 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:50.240 It's love in action, like Christ. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:52.720 What kind of love does Christ show? 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:54.319 Sacrificial love. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.000 Sacrificial love. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:02.160 That means that he's going to do something hard for the sake of someone else. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:05.359 I'll show you what sacrificial love looks like. 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:10.480 It's Jesus who's perfect. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:12.480 No sin. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:15.839 Doesn't deserve any bad stuff to happen to him. 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:20.240 And he's about to go, and he talks to his father. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.480 I'm about to be brutally murdered. 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:24.079 And I'm going to be mocked. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.480 And the mocking is going to be so heavy and demonic. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:28.480 Understand, like all the demons of hell mocking him. 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:29.680 It wasn't just people. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:33.759 I'm going to be naked on a cross. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:35.759 Brutal. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:39.200 The most almost the most painful thing that you could experience that is drawn out. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:40.240 It's not a quick gunshot. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:41.039 You don't die in a minute. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:42.720 This is drawn out for hours. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:44.799 I don't want to do this, Father. 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:47.440 Is there any other is there any way that I could get out of this? 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:49.759 Is there any other way that we can redeem them? 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:51.119 No, son. 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:52.720 You have to do it. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.720 So out of reverence for his father, he does it. 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:16.799 And what we do is that we get with our friends the moment that our spouse does one little thing and we banter about them and we become rebellious, and all of a sudden, the very least amount of showing in any type of mercy and any type of grace, we're ready just to feud with them and just to repay evil for evil for evil. 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:20.480 And we wonder why our marriages have problems. 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:23.119 Because we're meant to imitate God. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:29.599 We're meant to have suffering, sacrificial love towards the other, the kind that Jesus displays. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.319 This is not an argument on what is fair. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:34.720 This is not an argument on what is deserved. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:37.039 Because Christ did not deserve to go to the cross. 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:40.160 He went to the cross to redeem us and show us mercy. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:42.400 He didn't want to keep score. 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:49.119 This is the kind of love that we're doing out of reverence for Christ. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:58.160 He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:58.640 Okay. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:02.799 Verse 3, let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:05.920 Such sins have no place among God's people. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:08.079 No sexual immorality. 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:09.599 That includes your thought life. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:16.880 That includes the books, what you're watching, watching porn, having lustful thoughts of other people. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:23.440 Let there be no greed. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.160 If you look at the heart of greed, it's not just financial, it's selfishness. 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:28.960 I want to accumulate more for me, more for me, more for me. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:32.960 I had my boy Tyler. 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.480 Ty, my boy. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:35.599 My boy Ty. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.680 Ty, my boy Thai. 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:40.400 He made me some Ori Bros. 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:51.119 Ori bros is where you take Oreo, you mash it up, like crumble it up, and you put it with cream cheese, and you make like a cake pop and cover it with melted white chocolate. 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:53.839 It's the best dessert in the world. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.160 And they're dangerous, they're addictive. 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.720 And so he's my dealer. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:05.599 So he brought me some Ori bros Wednesday, had a whole container of them. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.000 And I don't share them. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:11.519 Like I'm very generous, but when it comes to those things, I'm like, no, you can't have them. 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:15.759 I'm just trying to be open and transparent here, okay? 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:17.039 I'm in a process. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:19.440 And so we have Garner Annan over. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:20.720 We're doing some premarital counseling. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:21.440 Yeah, brother, you better. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:23.759 Hey, no, no, no, come back to the seat. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.440 I go upstairs to print off something. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:29.200 My wife's down there hosting them. 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:32.319 You know what she we we we fed them well, but we forgot dessert. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:33.039 You know what she does? 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:34.880 She gets my Ori bros. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:40.240 And and she gives them the Garner Anna. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:41.599 I had like four left. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:42.400 I had planned it out. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:44.720 Like, I'm gonna eat these two tomorrow and then I'll wait. 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:46.400 And they're gone. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:50.559