God’s Plan for Sex & Marriage: Boundaries

Everybody Greg Laurie her thinking all of you who have supported us in this last year with your prayers and financial support, 20, 21, was an epic year for harvest ministries. Listen to this over 100,000 people made a profession of faith to follow Christ from viewing or watching or participating in one of our events and we gave away 20,000 new believers Bible shifted people that help them get started in their new relationship with Jesus Christ will think you I could not do what I do in view did not do what you do so please continue to pray for us continue to support us as we enter in two 2022. Let's see what the Lord will do. Sometimes people think that God disapproves of sound are ridiculous.

God created set our culture has hijacked God created pastor Greg Laurie says we need to get back to God's original plan doesn't have to be a dirty word doesn't have to be a taboo subject.

It's something that can be enjoyable, pleasurable and licit it is even less only in the boundaries and safety of a marriage relationship and make God's advice on this is like taking the principal's advice on how to have a fun day of school and a lot of tears today on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie reminders God created insects was his idea see that as we follow his guidelines will find the moment we long for its one in our series of top 10 most requested messages go to harvest.org. My message today is God plan for sex and marriage.

How many of you are glad you came to church today. Okay.

So yes, I use the word sex and I'm gonna talk about that God is a lot to say about the subject and I want to grab your Bible and turned to Ephesians chapter 5 God takes us back to the very beginning.

Verse 31. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife as himself, let the wife see that she respects her husband. There know it's interesting operetta. Many were married. The Bible says God called their name Adam. He saw them as one flesh to become one and so when you're married, your note technically one flesh. It's a lifetime now discovering what that means the first to leave and then you cleave what is the word cleaving what does it mean to divide is in the meat cleaver it actually needs to bring together the fit just to determine action. There's nothing positive about the act of cleaving. It's like climbing a mountain you're hanging on, I see these people who go and stay over the sides of mountains and the other little tools in their in their little hammers and nails and in the lines of thinking that I can't believe what these people do you know they can apparently reach up and in the thinking thinking thinking, and they put a little but the group in the swing, that's insane to me but that's what marriage should look like your holding on your clinging to each other doesn't mean you're stuck together. It means you're sticking together ever work with superglue that some bad experiences with it actually. I was always a bad model builder when I was a kid, but I love models I think was because I was impatient you know because I would wait for the glue to dry and then I would want to peanut before was ready and all that but then superglue came along and you know the first time I pulled another that once like you. There's nothing really even there it's almost like it's invisible. And so I did something they told me not to do. Don't put it on both your fingers and I glued my thumb to my finger like this and some people thought it was saying okay for about a month so something stuck to its holding on to each other and one of the ways that we express that love. One of the ways that we demonstrate that love through the sexual union. You know I think sometimes people think that God disapproves of sex.

How ridiculous God created sex clearly in the Bible, we can see that he gave it to us to be fruitful and multiply. So yes it's for procreation, yet since were bringing children in the world but God and say you couldn't have some fun while you're doing it and you can have fun insects.

It doesn't have to be a dirty word. It doesn't have to be a taboo subject. It's something that can be enjoyable, pleasurable, and listen to this even blasts but only in the boundaries and safety of a marriage relationship. That's the only place God will bless outside of marriage actually said to be an extremely destructive thing. It's sort of like dark, rich soil is beautiful in the garden not so nice of you bring it in on your white carpet in the house so we need to keep sex in its proper place.

But casual sexual encounters are made to look harmless and fun in sitcoms and in music today and celebrated about all these things that people are going to do to each other in and you know you think of the impact it's had on our culture. Think of how different our world would be if we just obeyed one of the 10 Commandments, just one that also not commit adultery.

That means that families would be together so many families are broken up because of adultery. And then there are people that are premarital sex and never get married so the child is conceived out of wedlock. I was conceived out of wedlock by the way, so I know little bit about this. I know what it's like to never have a stable father figure in my life. I know what it's like to make a lot of bad choices and face the consequences for them.

That was my trajectory until Jesus Christ came and turned my life around.

But so many kids today haven't heard about Jesus Christ.

There's no doubt there's never been a dad mom just got pregnant and maybe it even happened two or three times so they get out hears or maybe it's even different dads if you want to call him dad's. The really not much of a father in my book. So you have a bunch of kids that are stepbrothers to each other, stepsisters, and so forth. And then you have this kind of lifestyle that's been live and you could take almost every social ill in America today and specifically break it down to the breakdown of the family and to the absence of fathers there's a lot of steps to back that up.

By the way, 63% of teenagers to attempt suicide live in fatherless homes 71% of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes. 90% of all runaways and homeless children from fatherless homes 85% of all youth sitting in prison grew up in a fatherless home fatherless sons are 300% more likely to be incarcerated in state juvenile institutions all my we would just do what God said we would just get back to what he tells us about a husband and a wife and a father and a mother, it would change our country, but we say all know God doesn't know what he's talking about, you know, I want to go out there and I want to have fun and I want to have sex with whoever I want to have sex with them.

Besides, what's the problem as long as their consenting adults. Why is God evenly down a law like this because they know we have raging hormones godly those laws done for your own good.

July traffic laws. You know when you're back up for 2 miles in traffic and then you see the ongoing Lane in the other direction is empty it can be tempting sometimes to leave your lengths are like the Way They Dr. in Italy.

Last time I was there I had an afternoon off that I rented a Vespa scooter it's I think Kathy Letts is right around and wrong and she was really excited about this idea but I was. I rent a motorcycle to so I feel pretty confident in commandeering a little scooter and so we got on it, but I realize people in Rome Italy drive differently than we do here in the United States. They see light says I guess a suggestion. I'm not even sure that they go around they going to oncoming traffic. I it's crazy so there's so many scooters there that they're like little swarms of bees that just going to go to those lanes and they going to the oncoming lane to come on the front.

At first I thought this is crazy doesn't say this. I like that Kathy's terrified which he was holding a very tightly so it was good to know. But see, that's a crazy weighted have a road system we need order.

We need structure. People get killed when you live that way and the same is true of marriage. If we would just obey what God says in his word. Because you see when you engage in a sexual relationship with a person you enter into a state of oneness. Sex is meant to show oneness upon so if you say will it meant nothing yet is a one night stand know it wasn't actually the apostle Paul said, if you're even a ball with a prostitute UN ritual oneness with her first Corinthians 616 don't you know that when a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her for the Scripture says that you are united into one but the spirit is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

So run away from all sexual sin and be joined to the Lord and because sexual sin affects the body and it's a sin against your own body, so there's no such thing as a one night fling.

There's no such thing as some little hookup you God that you think is meaningless.

It means a lot to God that you mean a lot to you so you need to do it God's way, welcome on now correct doesn't really hurt anyone get hurt a lot of people. What about innocent babies killed through abortion.

What about that that alone is mind blowing how many millions of children have been eliminated. Who knows. Out of all those millions of children that have been aborted if we would've not had the next doctor who would've found the cure for cancer. We not, it would have none of had the next. Who knows great preacher to reach our country. Whatever. But all those lives needlessly thrown away and then doesn't hurt anybody.

What about the mother that contends with the abortion.

Years later, sometimes the pain of the abortion doesn't fully sink in until that young girl who may have got it in her teens now realizes what she did and as the years passed by and she sees other little children, it would have been the age of her child if she had brought the little one to term. She realizes the significance of what she's done. What about that one about venereal disease. What about the AIDS virus. Yeah it does hurt people. God is laid these laws down for our own good. So we want to pay careful attention to him because God will bless says as you come together in his perfect plan master Greg Laurie have something special. Today's program continues in just a moment.

Sometimes, we can always make sure here's the church is coming to you is coming due on your TV screen or on your tablet or your computer or even your phone every weekend and it's called harvest home. We worship we have a message of the word of God. If you want to find out more, just go to harvest.org joined us this weekend for harvest at all. Were talking about the sexual aspect of marriage relationships today and recently Pastor Greg was part of a panel discussing the subject alongside a couple of his associate pastors at his home church.

It's a frank discussion and parents. If there are younger ears listening, you might want to consider another activity for them for a few minutes. Sex outside of marriage is destructive. So there's somebody listening right now they're saying like having sex outside of marriage is a lot of fun and they're enjoying themselves in any of the Bible even says that there can be pleasure in sin for a time were not denying that fact. But there's repercussions people think about the long-term. Why don't we talk to so moment.

How can sex or why is sex outside of marriage destructive. But what do you think Jason wanting obviously it's a direct disobedience to God and God designed it so I said you shouldn't run so your separating yourself from God is just sin before God and this is what God says about its ascent and it's wrong now. On top of all of that, you reap your reaping what you sow. Here you are to get as I mentioned, you know thoughts and you might even repeat repercussions as less as a pregnancy or an STD.

But even more than that I think I just your relationship with God you really becomes. I'd say in jeopardy because of your your decisions here in in sex outside of marriage. Yeah that's right you know since you know must be compared to been drunk drunk people don't always know their drunk they think they're funny. They think they're cool they think their control and their out of control when you come under the power of sin. It's amazing how stupid you can be so you know sin makes you stupid. And so if someone's listening right now and there like having sex and they somehow rationalize this is outside of marriage. Of course I knew somehow rationalize it and said no.

I think in my case it's all right. The Lord spoke to my heart. It said it's cool. My child have fun or some like that.

Okay, first of all that was in God because God will never contradict his word. But if you got into a state where you managed to rationalize it and you feel okay about it that sexy an indication you are under the power of sin and you're not thinking clearly. So that's why will become a descriptor sort of realigns us like right this is what is true because our emotions and culture and so many things are well there in war with the word of God is a reality think Jonathan absolutely is is so easy to feel like a lima I'm a special case.

God made us a special exception for me I can have sex with my girlfriend or hey I'm I'm viewing pornography and so is not the same as going out and sleeping with different girls, this is okay with God. This is special listen. First Thessalonians 434 this is the will of God our sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality.

This is the word of God. This is what the Bible says that's what it comes down to, you know, a lot of times people will take I need to know the will of God, which is will in the start with the no-brainers the Bible ask you some things very clear is very clear and certain topic like this is the will of God. And this is one of them there and Thessalonians. This is the will of God's abstain from these things, you know, David fell into adult with Bathsheba and after he was confronted he he lived in sin for quite a long time. He was confronted about the prophet Nathan and he finally repented and after that he wrote Psalm 51 and among other things, he said God created me a clean heart of God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Restore to me the joy of my salvation. And then sinners will be converted to you. So really what David is saying is what I blew it.

Give me a new heart change may help me and so it's an acknowledgment of that and I do think that once there's been a breakdown in one of these areas, you, it's easier to fall in that area again to be very careful, you can almost like like it may be to you broke your arm once and maybe there's a vulnerability. There may be a little more vulnerability than if you'd never broken your number four.

Having said that doesn't mean that now you can appalled at whatever because God will never give you more than you can handle. And sometimes we think when there's no way I can resist it once because you put yourself in a situation that was insane you know like all you I put this all hotel room with this girl that I'm not married to where he leaned on the bed in talking and then we kind of got tempted.

Got your an idiot.

Okay what are you talking about so of course you fell into sin doing something like that so sometimes the best way to get out of the sinful situation is literally walked out the door not pray for the strength to resist it would literally save I'm walking out. I'm kidding the off button.

I'm terminating the phone conversation.

I'm not in I'm I'm knocking I'm in a block.

You are not going to talk anymore via text or whatever it is, but put a stop to it and and you don't see have to take a practical step and then you need pray in your mind and heart with the word of God so you don't get into that situation again and I think of Joseph when is your talking about a way of escape.

Look at literally what Joseph did on Potiphar's wife tried to pull him down and have sex or listen. There is nobody around this item, then maybe this is maybe my way up to climb the corporate ladder justified a copy know he honored God and Joseph ran out of the room that Sherry ripped his cloak off anything and ran out of there make it and it's like, hey he was doing what was right and he did what was embarrassing and made what the culture, what is that you're an idiot for doing now.

But God provided a way of escape, and sometimes I way of escape is literally an off button, a doorknob, or literally a window that you need to climb out of them get out of that situation as studies have been done that show that people who live together before marriage actually have far higher divorce rates than people that don't so you think all you were practicing work in the checking it out know actually what you're doing your sabotaging that's what you're going to come when the movant of this house before I do. I wanted take a know about: tear the foundation apart as I'm living in it.

Yeah, that's a way to ruin your marriage in the future not to set the stage for a successful marriage and you know sex is a wonderful part of marriage but that someone marriage is all about and there's a lot more to it. It's really for you know as time passes and we been married well over 40 years.

Kathy and I you know we we come to value each other so much as not you know it husband-and-wife yes but that's just friends. The closest friends to an end partners in every way and and it's so wonderful. I must say, as we look back in our life we have memories going back decades. Remember this time.

Remember that in and watching our children grow, watching our grandchildren grow all of this lesson comes from honoring the word of God Pastor Greg Laurie speaking with his associate pastors Jason Powell and Jonathan Lori about God's plan for sex within marriage. An important addition of a new beginning today, one of our top 10 most requested messages of the year in our series of best of messages will extend into the new year pastor Greg evangelism is our heart beat your harvest ministries, it pervades all we do, and were making available a great resource that undergirds our evangelism efforts season one of the chosen on DVD yes how can we use this as an evangelism tool, especially with those who just just don't go to church. Yeah, that's a great question because were dealing with the generation now that it has been born with screens they've never normal life without iPhone are tablet device or or a big screen in front of them somewhere.

So this is how many of them process information. Of course, would like them to become more literate Readmore but hey, let's meet people where they are and so that one of the best ways you can come to them is through Cinema of through film through dramatizing something and selling a true story, but in a way that can next to them culturally and I can't think of anyone who's done a better job of this than director Dallas Jenkins in this series called the chosen. The chosen is a dramatic depiction of the life and ministry of Jesus, and it's done in a way like I've never seen before. These apostles come to life. These Bible stories just jump out at you in a way like you've never seen before and I'm very excited to announce that we are offering season one of the chosen to you this month for your gift of any size. What a great time to sit down to watch these stories with your family.

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The harvest ministries. Yes, the perfect time to have a DVD that tells the real story of Jesus. It would make for good quality time with your kids or grandkids as pastor Greg said will send it to you to thank you for your investment in this ministry and the lives that will be touched in the coming year and does in our culture need a touch from the Lord right about now, so thanks for your investment today and will say thanks tangibly with season one of the TV series called the chosen and today is our last opportunity to mention this, so get in touch right away you could donate securely online@harvest.org or write us at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 seven at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 pastor Greg has more counsel's top 10 message called God's plan for sex and marriage good insights on helping our marriages go the distance.

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