Going the Distance

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

A little later in the program, we'll tell you how you can get a copy of the book, The Christmas Code. The first, here's his message, Going the Distance. Take God's Word and turn with me please to the Gospel of Matthew. We live in a throwaway mentality culture.

We're ready to quit on almost anything if it gets hard. And yet the Scripture is clear that God has called every one of us to go the distance in our marriages. And that's what Matthew 19 is about.

No marriage is easy. When you put two people together of different backgrounds and different lives, then bringing them together, merging them together, especially if you don't have Christ is next to impossible. So that is why Jesus said in Matthew 19, as the Pharisees came up and tested Him, they were seeking to trap Him regarding the law and the interpretation of the law and asked, Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? And He answered, Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, Therefore shall a man leave his mother and father and the two should become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

One plus one equals one in God's mathematics with marriage. And what therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate. The old King James, as we used to quote it in weddings years ago, says, And what God has joined together... I mean, this sounds really powerful. Get ready for this.

This was at your wedding maybe. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. I mean, asunder, I don't know what that is, but you know what it means to separate. Let no man separate or pull apart. Don't let the world or anything in this world pull your marriage apart because your marriage is a promise to God. And they said to him, Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away? They were always looking for loopholes in the law and he said to them, Because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning, God's intent, God's pleasure, God's plan, God's perfect pattern for life, from the beginning, the way God designed it, it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another, commits adultery. That's going the distance according to Jesus. That when you are married in Christ, that it is a lifetime, lifelong love that lasts. It's not easy.

Without God impossible, but with God all things are possible. God will give you this kind of life and this kind of marriage. You may be thinking my marriage isn't bad, it's not on the brink, but it's just boring, it's just bland, we're just empty.

Or maybe you have a really good marriage. But may your marriage not only be a good marriage, may it be a great marriage for the glory of God. The key word here is commitment. It's a word we throw around a lot, it's a word we throw away a lot, commitment.

If we're not careful, we can make commitment about us, it's what I commit as if we can give it and take it back. But commitment to God is a matter of yielding our lives, giving our lives unconditionally to Him. Psalm 37, one of my favorite Psalms, verse 5 says, commit your way unto the Lord. And as we commit our way unto Him, to His will, to His Word, we find that we will go the distance.

What kind of commitment is this? Very briefly, it is a commitment, number one, to purpose, to God's purpose in your life. That's why Jesus takes us back to the Word, back to the truth, back to the garden. And says this is the design, to become one, to become one in body and soul and spirit. We have physical life, we have psychological life, we have spiritual life when we know Christ. Therefore, this is a triunity and together in Christ we are one, body, soul and spirit. This is a commitment to this purpose, to God's design. And while many of us have heard this again and again and again and again and again and again, it's commitment, it's about being one, it's about that God is the designer, that God has a plan, God has a will for your marriage. While we think everybody knows that, not everybody knows that.

A lot of folks listening to me who don't know that. You have the idea that your marriage is just that thing you do. You got married or it's a social construct or it is a religious vow that can be broken or it is a promise to the state or even a promise to one another but marriage is a promise, a vow before God. That we would be one, that God's love will unite us which is eternal. I've loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I've continued my faithfulness to you.

Jeremiah 31, 3. When we love with the love of God, our faithfulness to Him and to one another continues. Love is not all about the emotions, though certainly we love to talk about the rekindling and revitalizing of romancing and the excitement of marriage and the thrill of marriage, all of that. But to love one another is to act in a loving way towards one another. To act lovingly. Paul breaks this down for us in Ephesians chapter five when he says, Husbands, love your wives enough to die for them sacrificially as Christ loves the church and wives submit yourselves unto your husbands as unto the Lord, lovingly, respectfully unto Him. Jesus said it would be different.

Male and female He created them. To become one is to bring together the difference that makes the difference. To become one is to stay together, to stick together and to fulfill our greatest human need and that is for a human relationship, for a life partnership.

Permanence. Jesus said marriage is permanent. It should not be severed or we should not be separated.

It is a commitment to permanence, to leave mother and father and cleave unto your wife or your husband. Leave your mother and father. That would include, don't call your wife mama.

Alright? She's not your mama. He's not your daddy. Unless you just want to splash cold water all over the romance of your marriage. Leave mother and father. Cleave unto your wife as one together.

One flesh. This is why divorce is so devastating. It's not just signing papers.

It's not certainly, you know, giving your letter jacket back. It is the separating of two lives. It is the tearing apart of a love that should last. It is the ripping of the relationship and of the soul. No wonder God says in Malachi chapter 2 and verse 16 that God hates divorce.

Why? Because it is so hurtful, it is so harmful. It's another message, another time to talk about the issues of divorce and the causes and the reasons and so on but the fact is, let's hold the standard high. Anyone in here who's been through a divorce and we recognize there are many in this culture who have been through it in this church, have been through this, you would say, pastor, hold the standard high because really you never get over a divorce.

It never really gets settled. There's still issues and there are kids and there's, well, all kinds of circumstances and just then the emotional scars that it leaves behind. But God, we're not smarter than God. God says, the Lord Jesus affirms that we are one together for life. And it is only because of the hardness of hearts, because we don't listen to God that we're not sensitive to the work of His Spirit. That we're disobedient to God, that we're going our own way.

Or maybe you're the total victim of a divorce, I understand that some people didn't want a divorce and you got divorced anyway, your partner wanted a divorce, I get all of that. But I'm raising the standard high for these students, for these boys and girls, for these young couples and for all of us to say in life and in legacy of life, let us commit together. Let's commit together for one purpose and for permanence. Sometime today or maybe this week, I want you to look at each other as husbands and wives, hold one another's hands and say to each other, divorce is not an option in this household. And if you can't say that and mean that, then go and get some help with a biblical counselor or a pastor who can help you get to the place that you can say that. And that you will say that and mean it.

Honor Him with your marriage and your faithfulness to each other. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Going the Distance. We want to help you bring the peace and joy of Advent to your heart this Christmas with Dr. O.S. Hawkins 25 day devotional, The Christmas Code.

A longtime friend of Dr. Jack Graham's, Dr. Hawkins invites you to slow down and soak up the sacred meaning of Christmas. The Christmas Code is our thanks for your gift today. And because today is Giving Tuesday, generous partners have offered a ten thousand dollar matching grant that doubles whatever you can give to reach more people with God's word.

This Giving Tuesday offer is for today only. So call now knowing your support will be doubled by the match. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store or give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, Going the Distance. Thirdly is the commitment to purity. Jesus is dealing with issues of purity and adultery here. Marriage is a pure relationship. This is in direct contrast of course to the view that the world takes on human sexuality.

Sexual activity outside of marriage either before or during marriage is not harmless recreational activity, but rather it is the purity and the purpose of God in your life. There's a way that seems right to man but the end thereof is death. Over and over again we find in the Scriptures the call to purity in our lives. It's not what your flesh says, it's not what the world says, maybe not what your friends say, but God says it very clearly.

Let me give you just a few examples. 1 Peter 2-1, 2-11 rather, Beloved I urge you to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against the soul. Talk about an eternal civil war, a war on the soul.

That's impurity. 1 John 3, Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself. Speaking of the hope of the return of Christ, and yes we all ought to be on tip toe with expectation of the return of Christ, perhaps today, but don't get caught up in the next wing nut who comes along and says He's coming a certain date. That's false teaching, Jesus warned us against it. But I tell you, rather than setting dates, we're setting our course to walk in purity. He who has this hope in him purifies himself.

If you really believe that Jesus is coming again and coming soon, it will change the way you live your life. Paul says the same thing in Titus chapter 2. For the grace of God has appeared, this is verse 11, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. How about this one, 1 Thessalonians 4-3, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is to become more and more like Christ by the power of His Spirit in you, that you abstain from sexual immorality.

Is there anything we don't understand about the word abstain? Same book, Thessalonians 1, 5-23, one of my favorites. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may you behold spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 6, 18, flee from sexual immorality. Goes on to say, verse 20, you're not your own, you're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body and your soul which belongs to Him. Alright, here it is, the motivation for purity in our lives, the motivation for marriage, getting together, staying together, even getting back together. It's not about us, it's about Him to glorify God. To glorify God with our lives. 1 Corinthians 6 again, flee sexual immorality, glorify God.

Run from temptation and don't leave a forwarding address. Like Joseph, young Joseph, when he was seduced by Potiphar's wife, he ran from the room. He didn't stay around and discuss it or pray about it, talk about it, work it out.

He put on his PF flyers and he hauled right out of there. Say he was a coward, well his courage was strong and his character was intact. Don't give the devil a stick to hit you with. If you're having problems in your marriage, it's a really, really, really, really bad idea to discuss it with somebody at your office who's also having problems in their marriage. Don't be discussing the problems of your marriage with someone of the opposite sex.

Because guess what can happen and does happen again and again and again. If you have problems in your marriage, you discuss it with your husband, your wife, a trusted friend, a trusted spiritual friend, an advisor and counselor or a pastor, someone who will give you good advice and will not be seducing you along the way. Bad companions corrupt good morals. Proverbs 13, 20, whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companions of fools will suffer harm.

Students, watch the crowd you're running with. You show me the people that are your closest friends and advisors and I'll show you the kind of person you'll be soon, if not already. Realize the terrible consequences of sexual sin and the reward and the promise and the riches of living life God's way. I have loved one woman in my life for all these years and I am exceedingly happy in our life and in our love together. Number four and lastly, a commitment to priorities. Jesus is first. Jesus is first in your life and when Jesus is first, your mate will be second.

Deb Graham knows that she is second in the priorities of my life. But listen to this, she also knows that I love her more and better and stronger longer because of my love for Christ and I can love her with a love that is unlike anything in this world if I first love Christ. It's a greater love. And when Christ is in control of your life, you will be filled with God's Spirit. In the same passage in which the Apostle Paul describes the relationships of marriage between husbands and wives in Ephesians chapter five, it's right in the context of verse 18 which says, be ye constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit in your life. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you want to possess and to profess the life of Christ in you, this is by being filled with God's Spirit. Marriage is hard work and it demands God's power. If you find your marriage is running on low, running on empty, you need renewed fuel. That fuel as a believer in Christ is the Spirit of God, the fruit of the Spirit which is love. Think about this in your marriage.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. How would that work in your marriage? That's the work of the Holy Spirit as we yield to Him. So your marriage can be renewed. If you've got a bad marriage, a broken marriage, it can be rebuilt, it can be renewed. If you have no marriage, you can be rescued. Even your marriage, there's no one too far from God.

I want to say to those of you who have messed up along the way, it's never too late for a new beginning. I received a great letter, email not long ago and it's from a man by the name of Brooks. He says, talks, says a few words in the opening and he says, the Lord has been speaking. He says, you see, my Christian walk has been in shambles for a number of years.

As a result, my marriage to my dear wife was about to go down the drain too. I have been receiving the daily Word since around 2008. The daily Word is our devotional that we put out through PowerPoint and through the church's ministry that we write.

And he's been receiving that from 08. However, there were certain devotionals that stood out more than others and there always seemed to be a devotional, which is all based on the Word of God, that jumped out at me as God was speaking directly to me. I was struggling with sin and just when I thought there was no escape, one of the daily Word devotionals would pull me back from the edge. I resisted the will to change too, but looking back on it all, it was evidence God was calling me back home. He wasn't going to stop calling. Things were coming to a dreadful climax earlier this year when I finally broke down and reached my hand up to God and asked Him to please pull me back up.

I simply couldn't turn away from His calls any longer. Pride can be a horrible obstacle to a personal relationship with Christ. I was baptized at a very early age, but I wasn't fully appreciative of the enormity of that decision. So on Sunday, March 27th, with my dear wife, her name here at my side, I walked down during the invitation and I rededicated my life to Christ. And on Good Friday, I had the wonderful privilege of demonstrating my decision through baptism with my wife, my extended family, and friends looking on. I felt like a kid on Christmas all day on Friday.

I couldn't keep still because of my excitement. It was incredible and a moving service. My wife and I celebrated 14 years of marriage on April 19th, I've never met a more devoted and loving wife than her.

She has been by my side through all the storms of my life and we are treating April 22nd as our new anniversary in remembrance of our new life in Christ together in Him. We have a wonderful testimony to share and we're making plans to put pen to paper so that we can get dedicated and faithful service of our Lord through sharing Him. If you will give your life unconditionally to Christ, your life can be reborn, your marriage can be rebuilt, even rescued, and your home can stand as a household of faith.

You can say with Joshua, that saintly old man whose legacy was left behind with these words, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Going the Distance. We want to help you slow down and soak up the sacred meaning that's at the heart of the holiday season with Dr. O.S. Hawkins, 25-day Christmas devotional, The Christmas Code.

Dr. O.S. Hawkins is a longtime friend of Dr. Graham and in The Christmas Code, he'll help you see the birth of Jesus with fresh eyes and rejoice in what really makes this season so special. The Christmas Code is our thanks for your gift to help boldly proclaim God's word through PowerPoint.

Today is Giving Tuesday and thanks to a $10,000 matching grant, your gift will be doubled to reach even more people with the gospel. So be sure to request your copy of The Christmas Code when you give. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store or give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? God's ideal for your marriage is that it would last a lifetime, that it would go the distance. We understand that there are imperfections in our lives, there are problems that exist in marriages and there's much brokenness in people's married lives. However, God has given us the resources we need, His Spirit, His word, His church to encourage us to keep going even when we feel like quitting. It's a commitment that we make to one another and to God that endures through good times, bad times, ugly times, awful times. But if you will stay committed to God, to His will, if you will look to Him and His word, then the permanence and the purity of your marriage will stay intact. Stay committed to one another in your marriage. And I may be talking to someone right now, you're thinking about giving up on your family, thinking about walking away from your spouse. I just really want to challenge you to seek the help that you need from God. Seek Godly Christian counseling, those who have expertise really not in just marriage itself but marriage God's way. If you've experienced divorce, then I can tell you that God can heal the hurt and the brokenness that God will give you forgiveness and grace for every experience in life and that includes divorce.

Some of us grew up in an era in which divorce was considered some kind of unpardonable sin. I assure you that God pardons all of us of our sin because of the cross and you can run to Him and find forgiveness and grace and healing and hope for your life and a brand new beginning. I believe that if I didn't believe that, I would close my Bible and never preach again. So to those of you who find yourself broken in life or broken in marriage or a relationship, then I want to encourage you to run to the cross and there find your grace and salvation and renewal in Him. I really want to encourage you to be a part of this PowerPoint family. Thank you for so many who are joining us on Facebook and Twitter and at Jack Graham.org where you can find inspiring resources for your life, for your marriage, for your family, for your daily walk with Christ. I want to pray for you. We want to pray for you. In fact, there are people that are standing by right now who will receive your call if you have prayer requests. Maybe you have a prayer request regarding your marriage and your family. Someone is waiting who loves you, who loves God, who will pray with you and for you. You can also go to our website and leave your prayer request and I promise you we will pray for you. God bless you.

And again, stay strong in Christ, stay strong in your marriage and God bless you as you live for Him. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint we'll send you a copy of the book Christmas Code as our thanks.

Call 1-800-795-4627, 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. On the next PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the infallible Word of God. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.