Marriage is a Beautiful Thing (That Love Thing Week 2)

Hela, what's so exciting to share this teaching message with you? From Sikhamo Church Ibadon, Nigeria, we believe God knows you and loves you. And through His word, He expresses His plans and purposes for your life. We hope that you open up your heart and really send God speak to you through this message from a pastor to Nulokbaem Nudi. Let's get right into the service and be blessed by this message. Now if you have a Bible, please pick it up. We're going to remain standing for the reading of God's Word. And if you have the Bible, just come down to the book of Matthew, the 19th chapter. I'm going to read from the message translation. If you have that, otherwise it would be on the screen. I'm going to read from the 4th verse to the 12th verse of Matthew and the 19th chapter. Then I'll read the verse in 1 Corinthians and the 7th chapter. Then we'll be good to go. I think chapter 19 and verse 4. He answered, "Haven't you read in your Bible that the creator originally made man and woman for each other male and female?" And because of this, a man leaves his father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh, no longer two bodies but one. And because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art, his art by putting them apart. They shot back in Rebudal and said, "If not so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?" Jesus said, "Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your heart-heartedness, but it is not part of God's original plan." I'm holding you to the original plan and holding you live before adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else and make an exception in the cases where the spouse has committed adultery. I'll verse 10. Jesus disciples objected. It does at the terms of marriage. Where's stock? Why get married? Jesus said, "Not everyone is maturing off to live a married life." It takes, it requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn't for everyone. Now watch this song from birth seemingly. Never keep married with art. Others never get asked. Accepted. Help me kind of ask somebody around you what category I am. I don't know. It's just simple. Okay, okay. Let's take on it. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you are capable of growing into the loudness of marriage, you and I. First Corinthians 7 chapter 1, I'm going to read in CEV. Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, "Is it best for people not to marry?" Jesus, I pray that as we try to expound on your word, I pray that you really speak to us. Let it really come to us in a way that is so simple that we don't understand. It's so profound that it will change our lives forever. I pray Lord in Jesus' name that this will be that moment for somebody here today. Thank you so much, Father. Thank you because Liverpool has won the league. Thank you because you also bless us with the Champions League on the FA Cup. Everybody said amen. Amen. Amen. Please be seated this morning. And let's get straight up into God's work. I have something to share with you this morning. Last week, I started out, we started out this series. We called that love thing. And last week I shared with you a message that we called love is a beautiful thing. So to that one, just take it a step further. Okay, just shoot me up. And my topic this morning is marriage is a beautiful thing. [Cheers and applause] Marriage is a beautiful thing. I was going to call it sex is a beautiful thing. But I was also sure we'd picture to put it like this. Let's just keep it. Marriage is a beautiful thing. I remember clearly when I first figured out this Adam Lay with Eve and they conceived the child then in the Bible. I mean, I used to read it and I used to think okay Adam was tired and he dozed off beside Eve. And then they had a child. That was the way I used to understand it. And then I wasn't about primary five. And one of my friends ran to me. I can tell you his name but I would say. And he said to me, he said to me, do you know that when the Bible says Adam Lay with Eve, it's not that they slipped next to each other. And he said, what was it? And then he began to explain to me, you know, probably a few other things that happened in that moment. Because in my mind I just thought Adam was tired. Eve was tired and the lay next to each other and they kind of had a child. And so it was really messed up for me before then because I remember that we had this auntie who was visiting us at the time. I was really young. And then there wasn't that much peace in the house and one day later I know that. And my auntie said, oh she would slip on my bed next to me. And I remember sincerely, brethren, all through the night I was praying that God really happy pregnant. God really happy pregnant. And so the revelation my friend brought me was really relieving in that. And for me it was pretty much like the start of, you could call it a journey of discovery and of learning, of unlearning, of relearning, of discovering myself, discovering God, discovering quite a lot of things. Maybe for you it's maybe a different story. I don't know if I could walk into your life and say, what are your experiences, what are your fears, when it comes to things of sex, of things of marriage. What's it like standing at your viewpoint? Maybe it's a story of exposures. There are people who sometimes I speak with and by the time they had a secondary school certificate, education wise, they had PhD in sex at that time. Or maybe even a professorship. And maybe it's a story when we talk about exposures and things. Maybe it's a story of you as the explorer. Or maybe it's a story of you as the victim. Or as a victim. It's not just a victimized victim. Or if I could step into your world and say, what are your top sex questions today, questions in that regard. Maybe you have a few. When I look around the world, the range is really wide. The range of questions and of, you know, it's the last thing should I be having sex with who, what category of human beings, with my spouse, okay, I'm married how many times, how often, how many times a week, you know. What really is sex, you know, as all young people are asking, you know, about the technicalities of the point where sex has happened. Because, okay, yes, God says. I should not have sex outside of marriage. So technically speaking, at what point shall we see, you know. It's masturbation and sin. Or is it just a cool thing to not offend God. So I just, you know, it's between myself. Or I'm trying to understand my body and my makeup, my composure. And so maybe for you, it's a story of, I hug the guy. And I feel really horny when I should be feeling holy. You know. If any of these things I'm saying relates to you, you can just be raising your hand as I say. Can I make out with somebody that I'm dating or seriously engaged to during off-road we hold hands? So, can I, or maybe for you, it's even something like, I'm able to buy all the items on the bright priceless. I have to buy every one of them. Especially when you see boo. I might buy all. You know. Should I, should I negotiate? Yeah. You know. But I'll start this morning by taking a cue from Paul. In first Corinthians chapter 7, which we read. And I really just want to lean off Paul's wisdom this morning. That's where I'll start from. Paul basically is right into the Corinthians who have written him a letter and they have asked him questions. And wonder what the questions were for them. You know, they're asking him questions like, you know, is it best for people not to marry this one? The questions in their own marriage space and they're talking a lot about, you know, adultery and things like that, sex, outside marriage. And they bombard that poem with a lot of questions. And so Paul was going to respond to them. And then Paul starts to write the book of first Corinthians. And so Paul then writes six chapters in which he's exploring quite a lot of themes. He's talking about stewardship. He's talking about the Church of God. He's talking about your identity in Christ. He's talking about a whole lot of things. And then in the seventh chapter, Paul now says, no, let's get to the questions that you asked. And I think there's another question. a lot of wisdom in what Paul is doing here because we think that our questions are all-gent and important and they are born in and give me an answer. But Paul is saying, look, before we start to, you know, react to questions, there is understanding we must lay as a foundation. We don't start out the conversation from where your questions are. We start out the conversation from answers that God has already laid. And so Paul begins to write to them and say, look, they're from the first chapter of Corinthians, you start to say about the identity of the believer, you start to see about what Jesus has done and what he calls us holy and how he has set us apart. You start to see Paul teaching about stewardship and how you are a steward and all that God has given to you is stewardship. You start to see Paul talking about, you know, this, this, like, like, the context of the church and of our identity and all of that in Christ Jesus are then based on that. Paul now says, let's start to talk about your questions. This is what I would say to you. You see, there is a story within which your questions must be sitting. There's a story within which you must be finding the questions. Don't throw away the story because you have a question. Paul is saying that the marriage question and everything in this space has to fit properly within a more general understanding. I was thinking about it this morning and I was going to say, what are the six chapters that you must be understanding before coming to your questions? What are the foundations that you must be laying before coming to your questions? This question space that we live in in this world is not just a space to be reactive. This is what I find. We become very reactive. I was betrayed so I will never trust anybody. Somebody broke my heart. I will never man like this. Women like that. We become reactive building philosophies without understanding as a foundation that there are six chapters to lay before we come into the space of our questions. And so people are living with defenses, all kinds of fences. From people it's just this thing of finally I have some liberty. I will explore. Finally I can be out where I want to be. I damn pee. I mean level peen. I will see the end for this person. You see, you become reactive if you don't lay foundations of understanding. So let me try and help you. Let's try and build a foundational understanding out of which we would come into some questions. So let me start from here. By stating emphatically and reminding us what the Bible teaches that God designed marriage as a beautiful union between a man and a woman. Yes, a man and a woman. God designed it. It's not just some cohabiting scheme so that two people don't have to best separate house rates. No. God designed marriage as a beautiful union between a man and a woman. Listen to me. Marriage leaks who God is. It is a very God thin through and through. It was a part of God's creation design. God designed marriage in this beauty. I believe God designed good beautiful hot sex for marriage. Let me help you this morning. The devil, in case you don't know, let me just help you. The devil did not invent sex. In case you are thinking of every challenge you are having your life in the area of sex. You say, "Sethan has given us something to do with." The devil did invent sex. What do you think, Satan? If I invent that, not then, he will be specializes in perfecting what God invent. The devil is not that smart. How could he have possibly thought about sex? He's not that wise. I promise you, he's not. Oh man, it's beautiful. Come on. So in Matthew 19 from verse 4, I'll be in King James, New King James. Jesus answered them and said, "Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female?" Then he says, and said, "For this reason, Charlie, man, so Jesus is telling them that, look, as you're coming into this marriage conversation and this marriage question, I want you to explore it out of understanding the creation design of God. I want you to know that God actually sat down and began to plan it out and began to think of how beautiful marriage would look and God thought of how a woman would be. God thought of how a man would be and God made them male and female." Then he began to bring them together and put a fusion and put a thinning in the man for the woman, the thinning, the woman for the man. Then he began to plan on out a beautiful God then and Jesus said, God calls it marriage and this is God's design. God said, "I am personally involved in it. What God joins together. It is God that does the joining. God puts it in and joins it and spumps it. It is a beautiful God then." It's not just some social arrangement for people that are 30 and above. It is a beautiful God then. He said, this was quite a shock for the disciples because they have seen all sorts and I think the same with us. I come down and I'm saying marriage is a beautiful thing. I. For the few that get it right, you probably have seen models and see things in front of you. Maybe you grew up in a marriage or in a home that it's just far from something you would ever desire for your enemy. But I'm standing to say, wait, let's rediscover the foundation chapters before we come into the questions. Okay? So marriage is a beautiful God then. We see professions. We see people who didn't get it right. Also, I'm not so right. We all have models and ideals that have affected how we see these things that have shaped us. But you see movies. Maybe you spend time on social media. You know, maybe you check statistics. Maybe they're home you grew up in. Maybe you grew up in the middle of violence. I then it has put a shape in your mind of when you think of the word marriage. But today, I'll say, let's rediscover Jesus would say, let us talk about God's original design. So His disciples are hearing these situations and questions they're facing and Jesus brings them to say, let's talk about God's original design here. Let's talk about the fact that God made this then. Let's rediscover the foundations and then based on that, we would come to your questions. Let's rediscover the God model. The bonding and intimacy of male and female is a God design. And what I want to try and build today is because in your own context, I believe you have a journey to play out. You know, as you put your own creative expressions to this God design, as you explore it in the realms of creativity or lack of creativity, as you explore and build your own journey, I just want us to discover the beauty of the principles that on the latest thing that God designed. And so everybody's story might look different, but I believe that there are principles that run through it. So let me start from Hebrew. I'm going somewhere this morning. I'm going to land somewhere in some minute. Hebrew is chapter 13 and from verse four, the Bible says, "Marage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled but fornicators and adulterers God will judge Hebrew. That's in verse four." So first in our honor and for signs is that marriage and God's sight is honorable. It's honorable. It's starting to keep them. And so we thought starts more, starts with themit again. The fact that people have played it down and we live in the world that just cheapens it somebody jumps into a married jumps out of it. It's just one of those things that an age in your life. Can we rediscover this morning and remind ourselves that it is an honorable routine. It is an honorable routine. It is not light. It is not just some sighting song. You know, it is an honorable routine whether you're in it or you're outside of it. I encourage you this morning to look at it again. The way God looks at it. God says, "I look at it as an honorable routine and look at it as a thing that carries honor. The car is weight. I don't just see it as a cheap thing that people just stumbling and around God says, "No, I treat it as an honorable thing." When God sat down to design this mystery called marriage. And I can imagine angels leading over his shoulder and saying, God, what are you designing? And he says, there's this beautiful thing in creation. I'm trying to plan out and put together angels and leaning over his shoulder and saying, God, what is that? And as God was designing it and he says, look, I'm going to put a man and a woman and they say, what would the man look like? What would the woman look like? And God is explaining to the angels how that would be a thing in the man for the woman and would work all of this out and God is saying, look, there'll be this beauty tree. And God says, you know what? I'm going to make it an honorable routine and the angels are wild about this God's creative design. God sees it as an honorable routine and we more see it as an honorable routine. Don't let people who have met up their marriages make you on the mind what God calls. Don't let people who have made mistakes and messed up their life make you on the mind what God calls it. Don't sit in a marriage like it's just a chimney that I did because no, no, no, it is an honorable routine. It carries a weight of God. It carries the honor of God. We more see it as such as an honorable routine. We must give it the honor that it is due. Marriage is not about a beautiful party that starts it. It's about an honorable pathway that we walk. Efficiency chapter 5, verse 25, Paul begins to write about the marriage picture then he's talking about husbands loving their wives just as Christ also loved the children. and he's writing this great narrative about love and submission and understanding and giving ourselves for one another and the second in our city this morning is that marriage is love based. Marriage is love based. The Bible says, "Hospins love your wives. Marriage is something that functions within the space of love. We try to explore that last week and we're talking about how love is large. Love is a safe harbor. This is how marriage functions. This is how marriage drives. It drives within the space of love. It is a commitment to allow God to lead us and find expression out of us. We began to say last week that there's something to Holy Spirit works in us that we can then work out. That there is an experience that we begin to give expression to and this is the story of marriage. That it is a working of the love of God. It is not just about what I like and how I feel. It is love based. It is a love based commitment. We are great larger and larger and kinder and kinder and some meeting to one another because bronze on the basis of love. The Bible is not so much filled when I say love. The Bible is not so much filled with stories of, you know, men married to woman you love. No, it is filled with stories of husbands love to woman you married. Hospins love your wife. You don't see your Bible married. You don't see your Bible. But the wife of married love her. Love is a commitment. Love is not a feeling. Are you hearing me this morning? You know, I know we live in a generation and like I say I'm going to step in some of our spaces. But we live in a generation where it's all, you know, married throughout the fancy thing and then I heard it and I felt it. I felt so good. I heard my father and I say, "Brown took a wife." Or he loved his wife. I know you feel on Monday morning that's fine. But I'm asking about a commitment to love. This is the Christian life. It was spending day and I said, "Do I really love?" You know, because sometimes. I think it took you away. Abraham took you away. Give it took you away. So do I. You took love. Say, "I tell him that you know five years ago when we married, I felt I love." Now that you love. You should love is full of transparency and sincerity. This was God's beautiful design when he put Adam and Eve together. "Have you picture your mind? God put it Adam and Eve in the garden. I'm marrying them in a shitting distinct order. Married this beautiful institution. Can you picture your mind? Eve now having a basket of fruits in one corner of Eden that Adam will not know about because in case one day Adam does not block enough fruits and we have just about sincerity and transparency. You don't absolutely receive a marriage. Mame, mame, marriage. God's beautiful design that we rediscover is a design of sincerity and openness and transparency and that's the journey we must be learning to travel. I'm going to land in the moment and be telling us that you see whether you're married or you're not yet married to truth is if you're not yet married I'll show you the moment that you're already on the journey that is going to land somewhere. All right. When it plain takes off and it's flying. The way it's flying, the time is where it will land. You cannot be flying towards America. I think you will land in Japan. Do you understand what I'm saying? When we see the directions you're already flying we know whether you can land in a sincere and open marriage. Talking your life group. I'm not the talking type. Tomorrow at 9.30 am, why are you consigned? A plain flight to America can no land in Japan. If you have not true, do you understand what I'm saying? Marriage is about sincerity. Love. Let God work in your heart. People. Kings of species. Kill it. Life of second death in suspicion. Reactive. Reactive to a broken world. I believe that marriage also brings us into a kingdom thinking this much more that God is doing in our lives. God wants us to see marriage as stewardship. Not just about us. God wants us to look in those spaces. Our spaces of He's still watch upon our lives. You see when God brings Eve to Adam, it was not just about Adam's feelings and Eve's feelings. It was about something missing in God's creation and design. God said it is no good in my creation. God had just said it is good, light is good. This is good. That is good. Then God looked in His creation and design and saw something that was missing. I think he brought a woman to him. I believe it's a statement for every marriage, a statement for every Christian home that God has seen something in the world and is bringing one of His children to another and saying it's more than just how you feel and what you don't like. This is God saying, "See more, dream more, come into more, live for more, come into the larger." So what I want to do this morning is that I'm touching it to spaces and finally going to land in a good place. But I was thinking about it this morning that when I start to talk about marriage and I thought I'd talk about some of the sex questions in my day and age, who likes cook? Fantastic. You really like cook? Who wants cook? That should have been a better question. I think I saw your hand just come. You want cook? I'll give you promise come. I'm tired of help me. He wants cook. So just bring it out. Just bring it out there. Thank you so much. So you want some coke? Thank you one or two people. You want coke? Do you really want coke? Or you want the bottle of coke? The bottle of coke? Or coke? I can give you coke in different ways. Do I want the bottle of coke? Or if you want coke, the different ways I can give you coke. I'll give it to you in a minute. Just sit for a minute. The different ways I can give you coke. And I think this is the language of a generation. We stand up shouting we want coke. And God is saying I want to give you bottle of coke. Watch this. We stand up saying sex is beautiful. It says yes I know. So I will put it in a package. Called marriage. I'll give it to you. Or we stand up. Listen, coke is really good. I promise you. But you really don't just want coke. You want the bottle of coke? It doesn't the mind want cookies. It doesn't take anything away from what cookies. It says God designs frameworks, not just experiences. God is so beautiful. And he plans out stories, not just moments. So you know the way we behave as a generation. This is how we act. So we say okay, okay. We want, okay, God's plan is that we have the bottle of coke. So we now start. I did not drink. Did I drink? Everything says we should not drink. They are not good like this. That is mistake. Why do you understand the heart of what God is saying? Is he saying I'm depriving you of love? No, he's saying it is so beautiful that I want to give it to you like that. I have become a thief. What do they want to give you as an owner? You see, we live in a generation that has on the mind the concept of a bottle of coke. So literally some people have pierced their pierced their pierced their pierced. Carrying a bottle that lacks meaning, that lacks the weight for God to say. When I start to say things to you like honor it, honor it. Don't see it as I, this is the thing that is deprived of snow, it is the beauty of God. Do you really want to put this thing on your hand and be walking around? It is the love of God. It gives you a good framework for it. God, it is the love of God. It was God that said let us make man in our image and then it is God that dreamed and designed to bring it together. I was God thought about it. So we start to talk about technicalities when this thing should just be in the fridge chilling. Leave it in the fridge. When it's time bring it out and drink. Amen? I always say no I don't like cookies from time like. Well good to see come on kids, come on. I can't explain but I just go to see come on kids who help you. 'So this is God then, it's a God then, it carries the weight of God. That's what I'm trying to show us. It's not a society that arrangement. It's not an age group satisfaction scheme. No, it's a God thing, that God dreamed of, that God is committed to. Think about how I tell all of you, you don't want my birthdays in two weeks time, everybody come to my birthday party. I'm going to spoil you guys with all kinds of food. Everything you can imagine, and then you'll stay awake overnight, and then you're practicing. If they give me rice, that's how I would chew. I would chew, chew, countdown, live your life two days time, come to my party. If you practice from today to tomorrow, the birthday is in two days time. So you're living your whole life losing the points, killing yourself, overtaken the qualities that God says I have designed a story. Leave the moments for what they are. The beauty is unlocked within the affirmation of the God story. So this morning I would ask you, what is your story? What is your story? As we come to the seventh chapter of your story, what can we point at in the first six chapters? What is your story? Can you stand up this morning saying things like God has never left me alone. God is not on the way of how I feel. God is a right on time. God is a very present God. God is a God that knows the deepest feelings of my heart. Can this be the story of our six chapters? Now give us a confidence and an affirmation for everything ahead. Can we live our lives in such a way that we're not just jump into the seventh chapter and trying to say that's the question. Or can we really lean this story of the six chapters that we have found? Can you stand up this morning saying things like God is at working me by the power of the Holy Spirit. Can you say things to yourself this morning like God is enlarging me to love. God is walking me through processes. God is teaching me. God is training me. God is shaping my mind. God is giving me a perspective of life. God is healing my heart of the heart of what people did. And all the things that I felt like I should be reacting to God is healing my heart. God is giving me a new image that is stronger than the marriage I saw of my parents and of people around God is giving me a new image. God is working in my mind. Can this be the story of your six chapters that you're leading into and committed to as you step into the seventh. Can you stand up this morning and saying that look I'm right on time and God's eternal processes. God is not a cheat. God is not a mock God. God is not a God who puts a smell in front of me and says don't touch. God is in love in Father. I have known this. I have walked in this and it is out of that that I would find the story. So two things that I would say to you as I close about marriage. Make ready to close this morning. First and I want to say please come on keys. First and I want to say is that marriage. I'm pleased to hear me through my two points. The first and I'll say this morning is that marriage is not even that deep. It's not even that deep. Because for many of you marriage picture you having your mind is like buying a phone and then the same send a text message and you say yes I'm going to send a text message but I'm trying to understand the intricacies of how the phone was wired and how when I type A how it's going to come out as A and I'm trying to understand how they designed it and if I press send where does it pass through for the message I will send the message but I'm trying to understand the technicalities of the phone. It's not that deep send the message. Send the message. I see people at 50 years old you say I'm trying to check the socio economic compatibility between me and I. It's not that deep. Abraham took a wife and loved his wife. It's not that deep. We want married but you know we don't have money for this ceremony. It's not that deep. You and your wife come to my office I will join you. It's not that deep. The day we want to marry the the vendor that is supposed to supply our flower is not around the vendor of the whole we want to use it's not available. It's not that deep. You want to come up with all those fancy stories. It's not that deep. Let me look at somebody's marriage. It's not that deep. I had in love to one in my life at some point who told me that he was married at a particular time and he said no he's not married and he's going to postpone his marriage by several months. I was saying why. He was trying to time his marriage for World Cup so that he and his wife can go on honeymoon to World Cup. Listen it is a beautiful God thing. God has already blessed it. God has already said it is good for the man to be with the woman. God has already honored it. We are stepping into a God thing when we step into those spaces. The favor of God is on this thing. He who finds the wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Did you hear that you are finding favor. You are finding help as you step into a God's space. It's not that deep. God has already done the wiring and the intricacies. I'm blessed in a thing called married as we take it up. We are stepping into God. It's not that deep. I've been saving for the last three years to marry. Why? Why? Do what you can afford. Go home with your wife. You are borrowing money to marry. Why? Why? Listen let me tell you the truth. The day you finally fix your wedding and you say that they were going to shut down down. Let me tell you the truth. They are like ten other people that are saying the same thing. We may know all then. We might call for your wedding for ten minutes and go to the next one. So whatever you have or don't have, we will stick it in the next one. Let me tell you the next one. If you are waiting there is no coke. We will manage your pay or not. We will go if you have or we will burn our way to the next one. There will have just the adieu. It's not that deep. Don't kill yourself. Listen the plague of our generation. The plague of our generation. It's beautiful wedding ceremonies for ugly marriages. Beautiful ceremony ugly marriages. We don't understand marriage as a God. We think it's a ceremony party. So you dance your head instead of thinking with that head of the commitment of love. Empty. Somebody stand into exchange vows in a marriage. They are making a commitment with their vow. They are thinking ahead. They rise for the friends of the siblings of the wife. They brought it. It's not that deep. Exchange your vows. Anything that would distract you from your vow is not worth it in this ceremony. It's not worth it. It's an honor about that. They got that. So people go late to their wedding. I feel like floating. I feel like flogging you. They go late to your marriage. They call it what are you doing? Make up. You will lead to your wedding. You don't understand. It's not that deep. If we have picture fine. If we don't have a picture fine. It's not that deep. That's the point. That's the point. Somewhere you're mind you are thinking no there's something that most listen the favor and the blessing and the hand of God is more than enough. Everything we get to add bring it on. But whatever we can't we can't. It's not that deep. So people sit down in their homes and the first two months they don't even find their balance. Because they have healed themselves for the ceremony that people have forgotten about. The people that came have forgotten. I'll tell you because they have turned it another 10 after your own. That day they went to another one. It's not that deep. You are thinking that it is deeper than it is because you have lost the picture of the architect who designed it. That's why you are thinking because you lost the sense of God designed it. The second point this morning is that second marriage is actually very deep. It's actually very deep. And what I want to say is that because of all that it is to God we must discover a response of responsibility to it. Because of what it weighs to God it must not be a light mind that then to us. It's like your mother sent you to go and buy a crate of eggs and they are saved in your family. They put money together and say okay come back and go and we can be eaten in this month. I think you went to buy the eggs and you are coming back. I think you saw your friends playing ball. You dropped the eggs there and you are drinking them to. The femur is going to grind paper one. You know that one. Then you went to grind paper and you are coming back. Then you saw that play. You said let me join them for five minutes. Then you used the paper to make a post. So this is what I'm saying to you that when we see the honor that God puts on it then it must be waking up his sense of responsibility. We must be responding with a sense of responsibility of weight and of large heartedness and of honor on this thing that God said. It is not that deep in the things that call you to trust God as a good father. But it is deep in the things that call you to be responsible. It is deep in the things that call you to build character. I just jump into marriage. I give everybody a piece of my mind. I can't take notes as I can. Build guys deeper than that people. Do you hear what Jesus said? Those who grow into the largeness of marriage. But there is a largeness he must be allowing God to bring you into it. Helahti, kailahti. Aki, haahti, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. And I'm very grateful for you and all the precious people in our church. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. Aki, haahti. I want to love her. I want to stretch myself. I want to do all I can. I want to be in the front foot of, of growing into this space called marriage. It is a dipty. We live in a very empty generation. And I'm sorry to say a very stupid generation. That doesn't value things that are valuable. All the models that we have as a culture, a weak, foolish model. I'm sorry to say. Everything that is celebrated is just skill, emptiness, moment, flushes. The days when we're growing up, you would win. You would be on CV for winning, you know, an academic intellectual contest. Now, you would win 5 million dollar by dancing. So, you see, value is good. So, people who knowery, dancing, they will practice it dance. So, you see why we have big problems. Because when, set on try to infiltrate your home. And if you infiltrate your home. Ah, you start dancing. That's it. So, we have problems. The world teaches us that it's all about ceremonies. You know, somebody, one of my guys texted me last night. He said, "Hey, pastor, it's so in Europe." He said, "Pastor that night." We're getting our congratulations. Proposed, they engage 20th year on to do. But don't based on fanfare, loose substance. I did not propose to my wife. Comment, challenge our marriage. Come. Come, stand up. Slap you. Slap you. I did not say it is wrong to propose. But, from the day I came to her. I told her I want to marry her. I asked her for a relationship that is needed to marry. So, I don't know what was surprising. I thought, "No, I didn't see that coming." What were we done doing before? So, I may look like an old man to you. But I'm happy in my marriage. I think it's unfortunate that we switch it. We make married deep in the things of questions that are simply about God's goodness. And then we make it shallow in the things we should have responsibility about. We just switch. So, we had deep on things that are just about trusting God. I call many people and I say, "When do you want to get married? What is the top of your mind? Hey, when I get the money, when I get that trust God." The things that should be, "You are deep in those things." And then the things that should be deep about wish and right now. I think character strength. I learned discipline. I got to let the Holy Spirit work. Wherever you are on this fly and blink. Now, your plane has landed on a road. Whether you are somewhere figuring out your way. Wherever you are in this journey, I'm just saying to you that the way you fly is the way you land. The direction you fly is the direction you land. So, in a moment, I'm going to pray. I would love to pray for people wherever you are on this journey. Whether you are building a home, whether you are engaged. Whether you are single trusting God. Whether you are not even trusting God at this time for that. Wherever you are on this journey, I would love to pray for you in a moment. Because I would love to see people growing the largeness of these directions. I would love to see people growing the largeness of what God says. It's beautiful and it's popples and it's God's mind for you. I would love to see people growing. I would love to see our homes, take more ground and be expanded. And you know, see more of God's kingdom. I would love to see us grow in these directions. Marriage does not start on a wedding day. And it doesn't end on a wedding day. But as I close this morning, Tim, come. As I close this morning, I'm going to show you efficient. I'm referring to efficiency up to five again. Because when we read the Bible, there are two things that I think we must constantly be looking out for. I think that as we read the Bible, I could not promise to cook. I promised you to cook. I know what some people do with that cook again. They then, you know, no. So you remove the God. Ouch. Sorry. Sorry. So I read efficiency up to five. Anybody been blessed this morning? No. No. Maybe this means anyway. This morning, I'm thinking about how, you know, we can read the Bible as this story of principles. And of how marriage is honorable. And how I must love. And how I must live up to the largeness. And how it must be a stewardship. And we can read it as a story of principles and principles. And that's one way to read your Bible. There are so many principles in the Bible. But I think there's also a more beautiful way to read the Bible. As a story of a principle that there is a person that is just points towards. That the scriptures are appointed towards Jesus. And I love what Paul does in efficiency. I probably say, look here in this house, but in this house, you're in this synchronous space. You have questions. You're not sure how to interpret that. What to do with that. But Paul says, you know what? Let me use these things. You're dealing with to point you to Christ. You're dealing with to show you that it's really about the love of Christ towards us. And an expression that we would find out of that. And so this morning, I want to encourage people. And I want to encourage people to point that this morning. More than where you are on this journey. Can there be a point that this morning to Christ? Who has shown you a model? Who has loved you? Who has said, look, I am a model for you. And as you live your life. And as you take one more step, you are committed to that full picture of who I am to you. It's crazy to me. That Paul would like me loving my wife to Christ. Loving the judges. It's audacious. It's crazy to me. But I can't get over the fact that God doesn't just want me to take these things as principles to live up to. And I want to give you a relationship to come into. A relationship with Jesus with God. That will fuel me. That would empower me in every day. I would show me how to live. That would teach me how to love. That would help me get over that struggle. That would help me deal with where I can't help myself. That would help me. The place is where I'm confused. And there's a relationship with Jesus. That is very present. That is not far away. Here with me that understands what I'm dealing with. Do you know that out of that relationship with Jesus, I can be a better man. I can be a better husband. Do you know I can do with my attitudes better. Do you know that by the power of the Holy Spirit. I can be more in charge of how I feel on a Monday night. And when I don't even feel like I'm when I feel like I've handed out to my limit. Do you know that God can work in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. I can give us a freshness. And we can build strong homes. And build strong spaces. And build our lives in a strong meaningful way. So I would love to pray for people this morning. I believe that wherever you are, God is bringing us into larger spaces, God is bringing us into more. I believe that God is challenging us and calling us to live lives that are strong and prospering these peoples. And so this is how I'm going to do it this morning. Can we just stand together to our feet where you are? If you're next to your husband or your wife, please hold your hands where you are. If you're next to somebody engaged to you, you can also hold your hands. If you're next to your husband or your wife, let's do this. Look at your husband, look at your wife. Say these words say I do and I still do. Say it all again say I do and I still do. I honor you, finally you. I make a commitment to love you. As God empowers me for the rest of my life. And everybody said amen. If you're next to somebody engaged to you, you say this after me. I'm not joining you but you say these words. Say I will leave and I will leave. God will have power me to love you, to honor you. And together we will discover God's beautiful peoples for us in Jesus name. Amen. If you're single, would you say these words? Say I'm being prepared. God is right on time. God is never late. I will not lose my voice. I will not cheapen the honorable. Say my cleave and strength is intact in Jesus name. Father I pray for everybody under the sound of my voice this morning. I know God people are at different points in their journey. People are at different points in discoverances. A lot of us are big to say that man would leave and he would cleave. This is the thing you work in us that gives us the power to leave one thing and to cleave to this beautiful design of God. And God I pray the name of Jesus we are empowered for it. And wherever people are on that journey this morning I pray the hand of God and I pray the favor of God and I pray the goodness of God in the name of Jesus. I pray that God will uphold you in your very present situations. And you will know the love of God indeed. And it will be a new experience in you every day so that it can be a fresh expression out of your life in Jesus name. And everybody can tell to a man if you receive God's word this morning let's give God the praise of the gloom. Amen. Why would stay standing? I want to make invitation this morning for somebody to be reconciled with Jesus. I don't know who you are or how you came about being in church this morning. But I just request that we honor the moment wherever you are in the sound of my voice let's just make standing remains till and let's just be meditative. How are you moment to think about where you stand with God? You see if anybody has a right standing with God there's only one way we can. It's through relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the one who said I'm the way I'm the truth and I'm the life. Nobody can come to the Father except by me. There's no hard work there's no striving that will put you right with God. I don't know what your story is this morning where you've been what you've done maybe you've really messed or maybe you feel like a victim maybe you've made poor choices in these areas we speak maybe in some area of your life you just know this morning that as we speak you're needed of Jesus you need to be forgiven you need to be made right with God. Maybe at some point in your life you had made a decision to be born again but as we speak today you know you walked away from it. You made poor choices you're living far away from God. You are you are cheapening the honorable you prefer to what God designs for beauty in your life and you need help this morning to take and be a miracle in your life. Just going to ask where you are that we all just close our eyes and bow our heads. Let's just honor this moment we're a friend we loved one. Somebody needs Jesus this morning. If that's you and you say you're speaking to me God bless you already see your hand there already see your hand. If you want to join in please join in one two three should it up high and on a shame. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else anybody else God bless you. God bless you I see your hands all the way to the back God bless you miracles all around this room people need Jesus God bless you anybody else anybody else want to join in God bless you God bless you I see another hand there God bless anybody else anybody else raise it high and on a shame let him know let him know there's a miracle that is about to happen in your heart let Jesus see you let him know you God bless you God bless you more hands God bless you God bless you there's a miracle in this house people people don't don't harden your heart to the love of a savior. Don't harden your heart God bless you more hands anybody else want to join in raise it high and on a shame it's a miracle it's a miracle God bless you God bless you God bless you God bless you God bless you it just takes the humility of surrender God bless you I see more hands there God bless you God bless you it just takes the humility of surrender it's it's me this story your life does not have to be a story of condemnation and of mistakes it can be a story of grace it can be a story of grace people say yes to Jesus today that's what you're doing you're making it a story of grace the story of the gracious savior who died for your worst and believes your best God bless you God bless you if there your heart is not genuine you are not bold enough to take its time in church and I promise you can't take its time in the world this is your chance somebody this is your chance anybody else this is your chance I give somebody 10 more seconds 10 more seconds let's see if we have one more miracle God bless you God bless you 10 more seconds God bless you there you go God bless you miracle miracle I love miracles I love miracles well you just put your name on the miracle somebody I love miracles hands all over the world God bless you it's a new day it's a new season now if you raise your hand I want you to put that hand on your chest I want everybody in church this morning to say these words this is a family not a crowd we want to stand with you we want to identify with you the Bible says without hearts we believe that's why masking put your hand there is a sign of a heart that is surrendered and then the Bible says without mouth we confess and salvation so you're going to say these words say we faith in your heart can we all say together this morning Heavenly Father I come to you today because you've made a way for me to come to you through the death the burial and the resurrection of your son Jesus I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God and he's the savior of the world say today I confess Jesus as my Lord and my savior say I give everything every to follow you say I will live for you I will stand for you stand say forgive me of the past please give me a whole new start now say I am yours I'm your child empowered by the Holy Spirit renewed by your grace say one day I'll be with you in heaven and Jesus name amen amen come on come on we are so honored to have been able to share this teaching message with you from Sikhamo church in Badona in Nigeria we really hope you found it to be a blessing to find out more about us or how you can receive more resources from our church or our pastor to look by with me please visit our website www.sikhamo.church that's s-y-c-a-m-o-r-e.church or on Facebook and YouTube at Sikhamo Church and on Instagram and Twitter at Sikhamo on the Scott Church if you're ever anywhere around us would be super honored to welcome you at one of our services