Love Self 2 ~ Love Others: Passion in Marriage

Marriage is the GOSPEL personified, the greatest earthly representation of the spiritual Union of Christ and His Church

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

Ephesians 5:31-33 NIV

SUBMIT TO CHRIST:

The Head and the Body

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Ephesians 5:21 NIV

Christ is our Head

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Ephesians 5:22-24 NIV

Christ is Our Example

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.”

Ephesians 5:25-30 NIV

"Love, in the Christian sense, does not mean on emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have other people."

C.S. Lewis

"We never know whom we marry; we just think we do.... 

The primary problem is... Learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married."

Stanley Hauerwad

CELEBRATE THE DIFFERENCE:

Husband and Wife

““For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.””

Ephesians 5:31 NIV

Opposite attract : DESIRE

Opposite Annoy: DUTY

Opposire Affirmed DELIGHT

Agape: Servant

Philia: Friend

Storge: Sibling

Eros: Lover

SHOWCASE THE GOSPEL'S POWER: 

Christ and the Church

The first purpose in marriage -

Beyond happiness, sexual expression, the bearing of children, company's hip, mutual care and provision, or anything else - is to please God. 

The challenge, of course, is that it is utterly selfless living; rather than asking, " What will make me happy?" We are told that we must ask, " What will make God happy?" Gary Thomas

"If you understand what holiness is you come to see that real happiness is on the far side of holiness, not the near side." Timothy Keller

The Spirit Power

The Sacred Promise 

" I didn't marry you because you were perfect. I didn't even marry you because I love you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine.

Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that protected them; and it wasn't our love that protected them - it was that promise." Thornton Wilder

Marriage is your loudest Gospel message 

Peter Scazzero

When God says "No"

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

Acts 16:6-10 NIV

I : Your dream must die for His Vision to Rise.

God closes doors to open other doors.

God will open doors in His own time.

Dr. David Lim is in GraceAOG Bukit Gombart! 

II: Know God as Father

- Jesus in John: Father Son

- John 3:16 His only begotten son (Huios)

- John 5:19-20 Relationship with the Father.

Ministry is relationship with Father 

- John 20:-22 "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

III: Claim Your Sonship! 

Reject the Orphan Spirit

- If He is Father (John 14:18) 

No leave you as orphans 

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.””

Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

He has a plan , a purposes 

This is God's kingdom, God's plan. 

Don't accept "No" as personally.

Let go or becomes bondage.

Don't let the devil take charge of you. Don't give up. 

Don't give up your vision.

God is still going to use you even now He said "No" . He has a destiny in your life and the best is still yet to come !

God uses everyone! 

A Father's Blessing

To All Dads out there, Happy Father's Day! 

To my daddy, thank you. For all you've done.

Thank you Abba Father for my daddy.

AMEN! 

Today's sermon that I felt I want to share here....

Exodus 20:12

““Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Fathers are key in ensuring the continuation and conveyance of God's blessings in our homes, church and communities. 

Proverbs 4:1-4

“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.”

His DIVINE Calling

A) WHO - A Father is divining called by God

- Appointed by God , ordained by God to your family

- It's transgenerational 

B) WHAT - Role model to your child

Ephesians 6:4

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Exasperate - to provoke

To bring up - to nurture 

 

" Yes I love you, and No, you can't have your way! "

Authoritarian | Disconnected | Permissive | Affirming 

Yes I love - unconditionally 

Fathers - Be Interested, Be There

His Spiritual Contribution

Remember Esau's Cry: Gensis 27:34,35

Remember Job's Concern : Job 1:5b,c

What blessing? 

A) Priestly blessing 

Numbers 6:24-26

““ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’”

Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

God's Promise | Protection | Presence | Peace

B) Prophetic Blessing 

Gensis 49:28

“All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.”

Affirmation of God's Work | Recongition of God's Gifts | Declaration of God's Purpose

His Godly Children 

Hebrews 13:17

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

A) Filial 

Ephesians 6:1-3

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.””

B) Forgive 

What you thinking is so important. What are you pondering?

Today sermon at church that I felt to share....

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Philippians 4:8 NIV

Your thinking is very important.

Is it true?

Is it noble?

Is it right ?

Is it pure?

Is it lovely?

Is it admirably?

Is it excellent?

Is it praiseworthy?

Ponder - focus what is right

It begins with your mind.

Your mind and my mind is so powerful.

    

Practice 

- what are you filling your mind?

- what are the conversations you do in your office?

- what are the people you mix with?

"The food that enters the mind must be watched as closely as the food that enters the body"

Patrick Buchanan 

Discipline of the mind

- Adjust

    - Align 

It's important that you uses the word of God to fight off the negative thoughts and voices inside you.

Discipleship of the mind 

The peace is with Jesus!

““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””

John 16:33 NIV

Pray 

The mind is the battleground for warfare. 

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV

Through Christ we can overcome! 

Overcome 

Overcomer