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The "One-Fleshed" Disciple
33 Plays1 month ago
Series: Acceptance of Jesus' Mission
Mark 10:1-12
Recommended
Transcript
Disposable Products and Relationships
00:00:00
Speaker
I'd like for you to help me finish this sentence. They just don't make them like they... Why is that?
00:00:12
Speaker
Have you noticed that? the Things just aren't made to last anymore. Nothing's built to last these days. That dryer that washer and dryer that you bought when you first...
00:00:24
Speaker
gotten to this world and you needed one of those that your parents didn't have? That washer and dryer lasted you what? 10, 15 years or more. And now what do we have? If you're lucky, five years, maybe.
00:00:40
Speaker
Just not meant to last like they used to. And what happens is, friends, we we just take them and we just discard them. We just throw them away because, well, it's not worth investing in.
00:00:55
Speaker
Well, like people. Or for men, how about you when you had your very first razor? You remember a first razor that you had? Maybe your dad gave it to you. Maybe an uncle.
00:01:07
Speaker
Or if if you were like me, when you went into the service, they gave you a razor. It was a nice, metal, sturdy razor that was meant to last you your entire life.
00:01:18
Speaker
But now what do you have? The disposable razor.
00:01:25
Speaker
You just use it until it's no longer sharp, and then you chunk it. Friends, we live in a throwaway world. We live in a disposable world.
00:01:36
Speaker
And it's no wonder the divorce rate is what it is.
00:01:43
Speaker
Calm down.
00:01:46
Speaker
You'll notice the top of your outline today says the one fleshed disciple. I did that on purpose because had I put the sermon on divorce, you know how many people wouldn't be here today?
00:02:01
Speaker
Friends, we treat marriage like it's disposable.
00:02:11
Speaker
Let that sink in for just a minute. When that washing machine that you had, that washer and dryer, when it was brand new and it was washing and drying just like it was supposed to, everything was great.
00:02:25
Speaker
When you had that brand new razor and it was sharp and it gave that nice, close, clean shave, everything was great. But the moment those stopped performing the way they should, we simply take them and throw them away.
00:02:43
Speaker
The moment your marriage isn't working out the way it used to, the world says, well, it's time to throw it away. It's time to discard that one. Get yourself a newer model, a better model, a younger model.
00:03:01
Speaker
That's what the world will have you think. It is a misconception of what marriage is. I want us to see today from God's word the proper view of marriage, this divine view of marriage, one that is not disposable.
Biblical Perspective on Marriage
00:03:16
Speaker
That God's original intent from the very beginning, that we'll see that Miss Loretta so kindly reminded reminded us here, is one of united flesh in one. Two becomes one, and we're going to see that, that that unity, that one flesh is supposed to be for life.
00:03:35
Speaker
And in that walk, we're supposed to do discipleship jointly. And that's that's where we're going land today. If you have your outline, you'll see this is what Mark 10 is all about.
00:03:46
Speaker
You'll also notice it's only 12 verses. I feel like you're getting cheated this morning. I'm going to try to give you your money's worth.
00:03:56
Speaker
Chapter 10 tells us there's this unique divine ordained relationship called marriage. It is one where two become one. And in this picture of discipleship, how how are we supposed to walk together? This is what we're going to look at today. You'll see in your outline the world's misconception of marriage.
00:04:15
Speaker
It's what we're going to talk about first. God's a divine conception of marriage second. And then you and I, if you are indeed married and you're here today, what does that walk look like jointly as you both pursue Christ together? That's that's where you're at today.
00:04:30
Speaker
Chapter 10, if you will, Mark chapter 10, we're going to continue. Now I want you to know, and I was reminded this week to say this, I want everybody's eyes up here for just a second. You have 25 minutes to sleep right after I say this, but just pay attention. I'm keenly aware divorce is a reality, period.
00:04:57
Speaker
And some of you have experienced divorce.
00:05:01
Speaker
I understand that. I also want you to know that I'm keenly aware that we serve a God who is both one of mercy and grace. And He is a God a second chances.
00:05:13
Speaker
So if you fall into that camp this morning, listen to me closely. This is not a sermon of condemnation. This is not a sermon of beating up those who've been divorced.
00:05:28
Speaker
It's also not a sermon of permissibility. I want you to understand that as well.
Misconceptions of Love and Marriage
00:05:35
Speaker
We're going stick real, real close to what God's word says today. and And if you're not divorced and you're married for a really long time, this is for you too.
00:05:46
Speaker
Because this is a stark reminder of what God has called us to be in a married couple. If you're not married, but someday you're seeking to be married, this is good for you too.
00:05:59
Speaker
because this is what you're headed for.
00:06:03
Speaker
All right, Mark chapter 10. I want to um want to first look at what the world says, and and I like to tell you right up front.
00:06:14
Speaker
A little bit of this first part is going to be my perspective. but I'm going counter my perspective with what God's Word says, and they're going to line up real close. And so I just want to warn you front that what I'm about to tell you from the world's perspective, many of you will agree on, but it it it will line up with God's Word here.
00:06:36
Speaker
Just bear with me. What is the world's misconception of marriage? Well, I wish I could say it's simply about One man, one woman, but we see it's it's not even that anymore.
00:06:50
Speaker
The world will say it can be two men, it can be two women, it can be one man and and three women, it can be many women.
00:07:05
Speaker
A recent Pew Research survey that I found just last year, 2024, surveyed 2,500 unchurched people. I want you to understand this. This is unchurched people.
00:07:18
Speaker
And they were asked, do you still think marriage is a priority? Is marriage something you're interested in doing? 53% of them said yes, they still think marriage is something they should pursue.
00:07:32
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That has dropped 8% last 20 years. It's dropped 20% in the last 30 years. So just in the last 30 years, a whole lot more people, almost 75% of people thought marriage was something to attain, right? Something that you, a life goal.
00:07:51
Speaker
The same Pew Research said of those who said, yes, marriage is still a priority, they asked them to rank what is most important in marriage.
00:08:03
Speaker
This is unchurched people. The first and foremost thing that's important in a marriage is feeling that you're in love. That's the first thing. That you have this emotional love connection with your spouse. Second is that you'll have sexual compatibility, meaning that that you both want that as often and as frequent as the other person does.
00:08:25
Speaker
Third, financial stability. So you want to feel loved, you want to have that emotion, you want to have sex, and you want to make sure you're financially stable. and And fourth is that they think it's important to have similar life goals.
00:08:40
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Second to last on this list of 12 responses was have children as ah as an important means of why you get married. Over half of these people had no problem with the concept of same-sex marriage.
00:08:56
Speaker
So of these 53% who said, yes, I want to be married, half of them said we have no problem with two guys getting married or two girls getting married. It's a world's misconception of marriage that says marriage is a matter of convenience, is a matter of pleasure.
00:09:13
Speaker
And I, quite frankly, am not shocked by this survey because this is unchurched people. Unchurched people have no concept of what biblical marriage is all about. They have no concept of what biblical love is.
00:09:25
Speaker
Biblical love is not an emotion. If you've ever been in one of my Wednesday classes, you'll know that. Love is all about, biblically, it's an action. It's something that you do for your other partner quite often, and it's sometimes lined up with emotion, but but not often.
00:09:43
Speaker
and not Those of you who've been married a long time, I'm going ask you a question. Don't raise your hand. Don't embarrass your spouse. Hypothetical only. Those who've been married a long time, and I'm looking at you out there.
00:09:57
Speaker
Do you feel love today like you did when you first met your spouse? Do you feel that giddiness, that childlike love that you had?
00:10:12
Speaker
Or does it kind of ebb and flow throughout your marriage? Some some seasons you have you're really connected. Right? It's no wonder why the world thinks as soon as I stop feeling loved by my spouse, it's time to discard them.
00:10:32
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That spouse that used to clean up for me and cook for me and lay out my clothes. When they stop doing that, well, friends, it's time to look for a new model that does that.
Societal Influences on Marriage Perception
00:10:44
Speaker
A better model. That's what the world will tell you. That's a misconception of marriage. I put down here today, if you're looking for some type of foundation for your marriage, other than what God's word says, if you're looking for stability, whether it's financial or emotional, there's going to come a time when those things aren't there for you, and you're going to want to discard them.
00:11:12
Speaker
Because that's what the world will tell you. It's just easy to discard them and move on. And when you take that approach, marriage becomes disposable. And it becomes easily undone. And the moment becomes easily undone, we're left at this point where we're now so asking ourselves, well, where's the next model?
00:11:29
Speaker
Where's the next wife? Where's the next husband?
00:11:34
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It's this idea of a replacement spouse. That's what the world will have think. thank And I thought to myself this week, what are some of our misconceptions of marriage here?
00:11:48
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If we're talking about unchurched people from this pew research, how about you guys in the pews here? What are some of our misconceptions of marriage? Well, I'll just tell you, living together before you're married is a very common thing that maybe some of you didn't do, but I bet your kids are doing.
00:12:10
Speaker
And I bet some of your grandkids are doing. It's idea that I am planning to get married, so I might as well start playing house now and living together now.
00:12:25
Speaker
that's That's a misconception that you and I have. Kim and I had some good friends in Houston and a very godly couple. oh Well, they they are now, but when they were dating, she came to me and said one time, this particular boy that she was dating, it's not somebody that she married, but she said, ah Pastor, have a question. My boyfriend that I'm really in love with, he has no problem with two men marrying.
00:12:51
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Do you think that's a issue critical to our marriage?
00:12:58
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And I said, well, it sounds like your boyfriend has no problem with sin. He has a real sin issue because he's he's allowing that permissibility of two men together, two women together, you name it.
00:13:11
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I think quite frankly, friends, we have people that we know, some in our own family that think that's okay.
00:13:20
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If you're not living together, Well, you might as well be.
Jesus' Teachings on Marriage and Divorce
00:13:25
Speaker
If you're having some type of same-sex relationship, well, it's not for me, but maybe that's okay for them.
00:13:32
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What about those who are divorced but thinking about getting remarried, but but maybe they're scared to get remarried because they think in doing that somehow they're going to sin?
00:13:45
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Well, we're going to address that too, some common misconceptions about what marriage is today. All right, so enough about what I say. Let's look at what God says.
00:13:55
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Mark 10, verses says this. It will be on your screen. Then Jesus left Capernaum and he went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again, crowds gathered around him and as usual, he was teaching them. Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question. Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?
00:14:17
Speaker
Jesus answered them with a question. What did Moses say in the law about divorce? Well, he permitted it, they replied. He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.
00:14:30
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But Jesus responded, he wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. But God made them male and female from the beginning of creation. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife.
00:14:45
Speaker
And the two are united to one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together. Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again, and he told them, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery against him.
00:15:10
Speaker
What is the question at hand here in verse 1? Verse 3, excuse me.
00:15:22
Speaker
The question comes here from these Pharisees. I like the New Living Translation. says they're trying to trap him. right This is not just some off-the-cuff question. They're trying to put Jesus in in a tough spot.
00:15:34
Speaker
They're trying to get him to say yes one way or no another way. and So they ask him this question. Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife? There were two schools of thought in Jesus' time.
00:15:50
Speaker
There's two Jewish rabbis, Rabbi Shammai, he was one who took the more conservative route, saying divorce is only permitted if there is some type of sexual immorality.
00:16:03
Speaker
By the way, ladies, pay attention. This is, can a man divorce a woman? There's no women divorcing men back here Jesus' times.
00:16:16
Speaker
Just understand that as we talk about this. Rabbi Shammai's more conservative approach said, you can only divorce your wife if there's sexual immorality, where Rabbi Hillel, who held the majority view, basically said, anything that displeases the husband is grounds for divorce.
00:16:34
Speaker
Anything that he came up with, I didn't like that meal last night, I don't like the what you're dressing, I don't like that you spoke out of turn, I want a divorce. The question isn't, can you get divorced? Because divorce was allowed during this time. The question was, well under what circumstances was divorce permitted?
00:17:00
Speaker
Jesus says, well, what does Moses say in verse 3? What does Moses say about the law, about divorce? And he's pointing them to Deuteronomy 24,
00:17:13
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which says basically a woman can receive a divorce certificate from a man. Because ladies, this is what happened when you wanted a divorce or your husband wanted to divorce you.
00:17:24
Speaker
he He would say, here's the cause, I'm divorcing her and I'm writing her a get out of jail free card, basically. And ladies, you would take that, I'm divorced and I'm free to remarry to your next potential husband.
00:17:39
Speaker
And only then, if he saw that certificate, would he be willing to remarry you. But we're going to get to that just a second. The Pharisees respond, Moses permitted divorce, but Jesus says, well, hold on a second.
00:17:55
Speaker
What he's really saying here is the only reason he gave you that permissibility, if you will, is because of your hard heart. ever thought about that, friends who've been divorced?
00:18:09
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And I know there's all sorts of circumstances. There's all sorts of cases of why people get divorced. But I bet you that the root of a lot of those is due to an issue with a hardness of heart.
00:18:24
Speaker
Something has happened in that relationship where you've become stubborn-hearted or hard-hearted or callous-hearted. And Jesus says, this is why Moses permitted this in the first place. It was because of you people.
00:18:39
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and your hard hearts.
00:18:44
Speaker
But I love how Jesus doesn't just stop there with the law of Moses. He says, no, let me show you what the original intent of marriage is all about. Let's go back to the garden.
00:18:57
Speaker
That's why I had Miss Loretta read today's passage. Let's go back to Genesis. And aren't you glad, all of y'all, that we did our long study in Genesis now? Because you know exactly where I'm going.
00:19:09
Speaker
Genesis 1.27 is basically what he's saying here in verse 6. Look with me in verse 6. He says what here? But God made them male and from the very plan was for one man and one woman.
00:19:38
Speaker
Friends, I could do an entire sermon just on that alone.
00:19:43
Speaker
His an original intent, his divine intent, his divine conception of marriage is between one man and one woman, this holy union, this remarkable union. And he goes on and says in verse 7 and 8, read with me here.
00:20:00
Speaker
he says, this explains why a man leaves his father, his mother, and is joined to his wife. And the two are united into one flesh.
00:20:10
Speaker
divinely sanctioned this union is. And I think often if you've never performed a biblical marriage with somebody, and I get it, if you're on if you're a bride or if you're a groom, the last thing you're really thinking about is what's happening in your wedding ceremony. Because you're thinking if you're the bride, is my dress right? Is the veil right?
00:20:35
Speaker
Did the right music come on? Is the food ready? And if you're the soon-to-be husband, you're thinking, I sure hope he has the ring, the ring bearer, right? All these other things are going through your mind, but what you're failing to realize is there is a union happening here.
00:20:57
Speaker
Between one man and one woman, joined together in one flesh, and I and i like this, it says, let God. No man separate.
00:21:10
Speaker
it's It's something that God has united that man shall not but cannot separate. that's That's the idea here. He's saying these two have been physically united, if you will. There's no pulling them apart.
00:21:28
Speaker
That's God's original intent. He said you'll be joined. Husbands, you're joined with your wives. Wives, you're joined with your husbands. Joined is this a senzouken, is this verb. right It is a joining, a pairing. it is It is if you're a farmer putting the yoke on two oens right so So the oxen, one wouldn't pull forward, the other one wouldn't pull, they wouldn't go in two different directions. You put a yoke across both of their necks and then they both begin working together as one. This is this picture of the union of marriage. And I thought to myself, unless you're a farmer, this doesn't really make a whole lot of sense today, does it?
00:22:09
Speaker
How many of y'all have ox? How many of y'all know what you being yoked together even means? Let me give you a better picture this week than I thought of. And when it hit me, I thought, why have I never used this illustration before?
Divorce, Remarriage, and Redemption
00:22:22
Speaker
How many of y'all have done a three-legged race before? You know three-legged race is? It's where you have somebody stand next to you and they tie your ankles together and then they tie just below the knee and then they tie your thigh together and you're stuck right next to somebody.
00:22:38
Speaker
And then they fire the gun. Go! Right? And those who don't navigate that very well, they're all over the place, right? They're left, they're right, no, this leg, no, that leg, they look silly. The ones who know how to win the race are the ones who run together as one.
00:22:59
Speaker
it's It's this picture, friends, of you and i jointly running the race with our spouse, right? in discipleship. right What does this look like for you and I today? And I thought the more I kept pressing this illustration, I thought this is so true to life it.
00:23:28
Speaker
But what happens if that one-legged partner says, I'm done with this race. I want out.
00:23:37
Speaker
I want to run that race with you anymore. And now you're stuck, what am I to do? What's going on? And in friends, it's this image or this picture of remarriage after divorce.
00:23:47
Speaker
And that's where he picks up here, Jesus says in verse 11, look with me. He says, and I want to be real clear when I read this because i'm going to read it exactly the way it is and then I'm going to exposit what he's saying and how do we apply this today because I think this is quite often misunderstood.
00:24:03
Speaker
Jesus says in verse 11 and 12, he says, whoever divorces his wife and remarries someone else commits adultery against the first wife. And if a woman divorces divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.
00:24:19
Speaker
Jewish divorce was allowed during these times, but it was only for a man to divorce a woman.
00:24:27
Speaker
She would get the certificate, she would take it to the new husband and the new husband would say, Oh yeah, I see you're free to to remarry. And he would remarry could remarry her at that point. Jesus is correcting this picture and he's kind of elevating it one step further.
00:24:43
Speaker
He's saying it's not just Jewishness that we're talking about here. It's not just Jewish weddings. It's not just Jewish couples. It's not just Jewish divorce.
00:24:53
Speaker
I'm elevating this to all all women. oh women He's saying, men, if you divorce somebody, you're liable. Women, if you divorce somebody, you're liable.
00:25:06
Speaker
And I think what happens is he he's elevating it and saying, if you choose to remarry, you're gonna be in violation of God's will for marriage as it was originally intended.
00:25:17
Speaker
Because in the garden, it was intended, one man, one woman united for life. Okay, running that race together, that's what i put here for all eternity for life right now but i want to temper this with what the reality is of the situation right so the reality just like moses said given the the law of deuteronomy twenty four it was after the fact what do we do with those people who've experienced divorce because that's the reality it was a reality back then it's still reality now what do we do with those people
00:25:56
Speaker
who for whatever circumstance it is, experiences divorce. Can they get remarried?
00:26:06
Speaker
I'm gonna throw that out to you. Can they get remarried?
00:26:12
Speaker
And there's a hush. Nobody wants to take a stance. Here's what I put. wanna temper this once again with this full understanding that we serve a God who is merciful and grace-filled, and He's a God who gives second chances.
00:26:28
Speaker
But God's word is also very, very clear on this matter. He's saying that divorce is outside of God's original intent for marriage. Now, if you've gone through that, and you've walked through a divorce, I will just tell you there's no winners in divorce.
00:26:43
Speaker
There's none outside the lawyers. They're the only ones who make out in divorce.
00:26:51
Speaker
Can you find another spouse once you're divorced? If you've repented of that and you understand the the nature, the sanctity of marriage, can you then find another spouse and remarry?
00:27:10
Speaker
And yes, I will say that that is no different than some other sin that God can forgive and bless in that second union. now I temper that saying, okay, are you in your sixth or seventh marriage?
00:27:24
Speaker
And at that point, I don't think you really understand the sanctity of marriage. I will say, I do think there is cause and condition for some divorce. There some real reasons that people get divorced. It's either ah sexual immorality is one. I think there's abusive relationship that calls for that.
00:27:45
Speaker
I'm just here to tell you that what God's word is very clear on this, that the and original intent for marriage is between one man and one woman. And it's supposed to be a lifelong union to which no man can separate.
00:27:59
Speaker
Can you get divorced and in God's mercy and in his grace, find somebody else and paired back up. And then you two now are running that three legged race together. You bet. I believe that you may hold a different belief than I do.
00:28:14
Speaker
Um, i don't I don't think that that the word disallows that. So if you are now married, whether or not you're divorced or not, if you're attached to somebody else in this holy matrimony, this new union, how do you live that out as a couple married together moving forward in discipleship?
Encouragement for Lasting Marriages
00:28:38
Speaker
That's that's where we're going to end today. Just a couple of ideas for us. What does it look like to serve or to to be jointly
00:28:45
Speaker
ah tied together with your spouse serving jesus three three things of good they're up there on the on the screen for you i think it involves uh... studying together i think it involves praying together and i think it involves uh... serving together And in just like I tempered this entire sermon with this idea that we serve a God who is merciful and graceful and it god a God of second chances, I am keenly aware that there are some of you who are here and your spouse is not here with you.
00:29:19
Speaker
Right? It's a reality that we live in. Sometimes the wife is here and the husband, sometimes the husband is here and the wife is not here. What does that look like in this ideal picture of both husband and wife together stepping forward?
00:29:32
Speaker
And I will just tell you that if that's you, if you're in the crowd today and your husband's not here, oh pray for him. Hey, pray for him that he that he gets it, that he understands that this is a joint walk.
00:29:49
Speaker
Come along some alongside somebody else who will pray with you for that husband.
00:29:55
Speaker
Specifically, my husband Frank is not here. He's a believer, he should be, will you help him? Or my wife Susie is not a believer, but I really wish she would. I really wish she would come here and serve alongside me. pray Pray with them. But if you're here together and you're joined, what do we first do? I put study together. We follow Jesus jointly as a couple by studying his word together. What does this look like?
00:30:20
Speaker
um It might just begin with you ah attending a Bible study class here together. And here's here's the the words I've heard from various people.
00:30:33
Speaker
I just don't study the Bible well with my spouse. i know I can't open up if my husband's sitting right there. I really want to share, but my wife's sitting right there and i don't feel comfortable sharing. right these These are valid reasons that people come up to me for not serving together.
00:30:53
Speaker
Might I suggest that you do this then, if that's you. You may study separately. I recommend you study separately. I also recommend that you come together then at some point and you discuss what you've studied separately so that you can get on the same page.
00:31:13
Speaker
So that you can read the Bible together, not just reading it as I'm just reading chapter 10 verses 1 through 12, but studying it. but taking the time and really learning what it says.
00:31:28
Speaker
And you'll be surprised if you ask your spouse, what do you think about that? What does that mean that Mark says this? You'd be surprised just to hear your wife respond a certain way and you go, never even thought about that.
00:31:42
Speaker
But we'll never know unless we start studying together.
00:31:46
Speaker
So my first challenge to this week is get in a routine of studying together asking each other about what you studied together, and I guarantee you will lead to a deeper spiritual intimacy.
00:32:01
Speaker
Second, pray together. Those who pray together, oh, there's a couple of people who pray together, right? Those who pray together stay together. It is the truth. ah It's powerful. Psalm 37, verse 4 says, Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your your heart.
00:32:19
Speaker
right? His desires will become your desires. When you pray, i can't oh i can't overstate this enough. I can't emphasize this this enough, this this idea of praying together. in in
00:32:36
Speaker
We never prayed together for a very long time when we got married. I'll just be completely transparent. We just didn't do it. It was something we would pray separately, and I had somebody really convict me one time and say, what does your wife think about that in prayer?
00:32:48
Speaker
And I thought, I never asked her to pray out loud. Pray together with me. Then thought to myself, why am I not doing that? and And my good friend said, oh man, prayer with your spouse is fantastic.
00:33:05
Speaker
And I thought, really? He said, it's great. He goes, you can ask for forgiveness, but do it in prayer. He goes, you could screw up in the morning and say something you shouldn't have said in a moment you're in prayer together. Lord, forgive me for saying that.
00:33:20
Speaker
He goes, it it just washes over that entire relationship. He goes, and it really draws you all closer. He goes, because I bet you, you don't even know what's on your wife's heart when she's what she's praying for and vice versa. Ladies, there's a lot of times if you're praying for your husband right now, it might start really, really small.
00:33:37
Speaker
Hey, let's read this psalm together. out loud. It can be very mechanical in the beginning. It's kind of like what I told the men in our men's prayer group. We're going to force it until it becomes natural.
00:33:50
Speaker
For some of us men, that praying together as ah as a body of men is not something that naturally comes. You have to kind of get in the habit of doing it.
00:34:03
Speaker
Pray together. put an emphasis on communicating with our spouse it's it's key to successful marriage not just the communication with one another but communication with our Creator
00:34:16
Speaker
and I just put the number one killer of marriage is not miscommunication you know most all psychologists will tell you that oh it's because y'all just haven't learned to communicate you what is it's prioritization you have prioritized something else other than your spouse in that marriage
00:34:37
Speaker
Spending quality time together in prayer with your spouse, making it a priority, and communicating with God is of great importance. Third, serve together. James 2.26 says, Faith without the works is what?
00:34:50
Speaker
Everybody knows it's dead. Serving together puts your action, your faith in action. Serving humbles us together, reminds us that we're not simply the center of everything that revolves. ah Quite often what happens is with your spouse, your spouse can become you're the center of everything that you do.
00:35:09
Speaker
Well, got to get the house ready because as soon as he's home, the meal's got to be ready for those of you who stay at home, right? oh you know the husband i got to make sure all this stuff's ready so that when we're together you know we're just completely focused on ourselves and i think sometimes what we do is friends we get in that spot where we we just need to step back and go we're not the center your spouse is not the center our goal is to go out and be the hands and feet of christ and to serve somebody else who is in need and i just put a note the needs of your spouse
00:35:44
Speaker
is important, but the needs of somebody else serving along with your spouse, ah, it's a whole other level. It brings you a whole other level of service if you can go out with your spouse and both of y'all are serving together.
00:35:59
Speaker
And it's a great model I put for the children in your family to see that your mother and their father not only study God's word, They not only pray together, but they also serve together.
00:36:11
Speaker
it You're modeling that for your kids, right? They see that. One of my good friends, Sam, who who preached here a Sunday for us, he said, the one thing I really wish I would have seen more from my dad is him studying the Bible.
00:36:27
Speaker
He said he woke up so early in the morning and he was in his separate room and he would study his Bible all by himself. He goes, only one time, like I had got up early to go to the bathroom. He goes, wonder what my dad's light is on. He goes, and I peek in and I saw him study the Bible. He goes, I really wish I would have seen that modeled over and over and over again.
00:36:45
Speaker
So husbands, maybe think about that. If you have kids, maybe let them see you out studying. but Let them see you have a discussion with your wife. Hey, what does this verse mean to you? Maybe you're open the kids. Hey, what do y'all think about this? Maybe this becomes a ah family of event instead of looking at the phones at dinner that nobody does.
00:37:09
Speaker
Friends, we live in a disposable world where nothing is made to last.
00:37:13
Speaker
But God's word teaches us that the marriage, this holy, sanctified, divine union is meant to last. May we be a people who treat marriages differently, as God had originally intended them to be, to be one of a lifetime commitment to one another.
00:37:32
Speaker
And may we celebrate those marriages this week by studying, praying, and serving together. And all God's people said,