Best of 2020: God's Plan for Sex & Marriage: Building on the Right Foundation

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God don't want to hear from you. Would you consider emailing me you can reach me at greg@harvest.org again that's Greg harvest.org and you can also make me one of your friends on Facebook and drop me a comment.

It's amazing to me how people… About weddings forget about marriage spent more time talking about the house purchase rather than the whole bill today. Pastor Greg Laurie helps couples get their marital priorities is recognizing what's important and what lasts till the most important thing is nothing else it's a home.

The most important thing is not the wedding the marriage build your marriage on the right front then when he opens it up.

He's more excited about the box.

The gift, the gift itself today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out how couples often with those things that surround the marriage see how to make sure we honor our relationships the way God wants us to.

It's a good reminder today that marriage is a company between a husband and wife. God himself edited the article in the paper while back about a well-known actress who was getting the divorce and that she sounded a cynical note about marriage in general. She said and I quote I don't want to sound bitter because I'm definitely not, but I don't know if people are meant to be together forever" though this article goes on to say that this actress is not alone in wondering there's no doubt, particularly as lifespans of increase that there's less certainty about finding and keeping lifelong love with just one person, 2014 survey of millennial's commission by the USA Network trauma satisfaction found 43% with some of this 3% would support a beta marriage model that is testing relationship for two years before deciding to commit or dissolve a beta marriage model and then also 36% back the real estate marriage model in which couples would commit to a separate of time ranging from 5 to 30 years that the end have to renegotiate if they want to remain married. Let me help you out if you think this is some validity. The Beta test and the marriage test are not going to work you do it God's way and it'll work you do with these other ways you already setting the stage for failure you. I think that sometimes "will just live together and will have all the fringe benefits of marriage without the commitment and passivity, sort of a test run to see how will do later. If were ever to get married but actually that is a good way to set the stage for a divorce, not a successful marriage or read an article that said couples who live together are gambling and are losing listen and 85% of the cases. Many believe the myth that there in a troubled marriage. Actually, it's more like a trial divorce in which eight out of the 10 couples will break up before the wedding, or afterwards in the horse okay so a successful marriage is a total commitment. You just go for or you don't go for. Let me say a word about not going for. Really, if this is your attitude. If you're not sure if you're marrying the right person. Do not get married, you know, as Benjamin Franklin once said, keep your eyes wide open before marriage and half shut afterwards. The problem is we walk in the marriage of the rise have shot sometimes agreeable sake. I this guy has a lot of flaws but he's going to be my project I'm going to fix it. Newsflash he's probably going to get worse is going to just become a more exaggerated version of himself. If you can love them as he is. If you think you're going to change of you might be in for a real shot thing for the guy marrying the girl.

That's why I say if you're not married yet. If you're recording or even if you're engaged in it doesn't work out, go ahead and break up do us all a favor, break up, get the breakups over with before the marriage.

So the be none after the marriage is the know my wife and I we broke up three times. We were young kids to.

I might add. We recorded for three years.

There's a word you don't hear anymore court three years we went out if you will, and it became an annual event. We broke up and you know it. It was one of those breakups, like I never want to see your face again. Then we got back together and finally after the third one we said okay this is it. We know were meant for each other and we got married. But honestly, this might even surprise you. Even if you had your wedding announcements printed in a month.you decided this is a bad decision.

Go ahead and cancel just give the gifts back to the people. That's all I'm saying don't be a runaway bride trying not to do it on the actual wedding day, but my point is figure this out. I had a time because wedlock should be a padlock and if you're not willing to make that commitment then do us all a favor and stay single. Okay. But God is a plan that will do it his way. He can bless, and you know what God has given us an instruction manual online that includes marriage and that includes family that includes raising children. That includes being single. It's called the Bible. BI BLE basic instructions before leaving earth. We need to pay attention to what the Bible says God will tell us how to do this right. Notice why this series is anchored in attacks but we wonder, is it possible to have a marriage where we live happily ever after woman. We are to lose the fairytale and just rephrase it as I said earlier to you can live happily even after if you build your marriage on the right foundation wasn't. If you see a strong and thriving marriage that did not happen by accident or by default of a marriage is strong and thriving.

That's because two people are doing their part. The man has his part and the woman has her part and it's amazing to me how people will obsess about weddings, but forget about marriage at the spend more time talking about the house again or purchase rather than the home they're going to build so the most important thing is nothing else it's a home. The most important thing is not the wedding. It's the marriage and here's how to do it right. Ephesians 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 that 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 a Paul Harris taken his back to the book of Genesis specifically to the garden of Eden, the garden of the eye when you think of when you envision this amazing place. I think sometimes we see it as more of a mythological place like this city of Atlantis or Neverland or Camelot. But no, listen to this, the garden of Eden was a real place and I was a real guy and he was a real girl this is a real story. These are historical event but even surpassed any beautiful place you've ever seen. Think of the most gorgeous place you've ever been to and magnify that a thousand times and you get a glimpse of the beauty of Eden and was surrounded by all of God's handiwork in creation in the plant life and the animals and have them have the coolest job of all time. His job was to discover what God had made it give names of the animals to ensure he started running out after a while.

But what a wonderful time that was in the animal kingdom was containment wasn't hostile like it is now and so here's this incredible environment, but something was missing and actually was a someone and I didn't know what that was.

Yet because she had not yet been brought into this world so the Lord instead of all of his creation.

It is good. It is coded is good, but then God looked at the aloneness of man and said it is not good. So I will make my help meet for him.

Genesis 218. Make a helper comparable to him.

That's an interesting phrase to be translated from the Hebrew when the Bible speaks of the role of the wife to the husband a helper is someone who assists another to reach fulfillment can also be translated.

Someone who comes to rescue another Eve would rescue Adam and Adam would rescue Eve from loneliness and much more story may not have heard the story, but God and Adam were having a conversation in and out of mascot after the Lord made Eve while Lord why did you make are so beautiful God said to Adam, so you would love for God, why did you make are so soft, God said again.

So you would love her.

Then Adam asked God why did you make are so stupid. God said so she would love you, not just a joke course women are not stupid like to say that the onset that's a silly story.

But God has invented marriage and it's insane to me that we think we can all redefine it. God the thoughts we built our very nation, United States of America, on the foundation of marriage and the family George Washington our first president warned that we can never expect in his words, the smiles of Heaven on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained those we disregard God's rules disregard God's laws were going to pay a price for it.

It's been said that a family can survive without a nation but the nation cannot survive without the family God has given us this template and the further we get from it the worse things, by the way this institution of marriage is been tested by millions of people over centuries and in multiple cultures and a family survive hits for Mr. Greg Laurie about the second half of this message in just a moment. We love to hear stories of how lives have been changed to pastor Greg's radio teaching from God's word a lot, but the Lord came to pray. Having a hearing on the radio here in between every lane in every part of my help me and I'm so grateful.

Thank you were so glad to hear that this program is changing lives. If you have a story to tell.

I hope you'll contact us today. Tell us your story by calling 86687111446 866-871-1144 or subject today is marriage from a series of most requested messages of the last year. Pastor Greg is highlighting God's plan for six and marriage okay so let's drill down a little deeper now. Why did God bring the woman to the man because she would bring what was missing in his life and the purpose and objective of marriage can be summed up in two words go back to Ephesians 531 for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleaving those wife and the two shall become one flesh. I want to write down two words if you're taking notes. The words are leave and flee leave and cleaved two very important words that must be in constant play in the marriage relationship to keep it vibrant, strong. So it's leave and cleaved or sever and attach to or loosen and secure a successful marriage begins with a leaving a leaving of all of the relationships that are misunderstanding. I'm not saying that you don't have other relationships are still at a child to your parents sure you're still a sibling. Your you're still that person. But now a new relationship. A new family has emerged and that should become your number one priority. The closest relationships outside of marriage is specified here. A man will leave his father and his mother, meaning that if it's necessary to leave your father a mother then all lesser ties must be broken. Change or left behind.

The primary responsibility of a husband is to his wife. The primary responsibility is wife to her husband.

You still honor your parents put a leaving must take place, and this can be detrimental in the marriage.

If you don't do it so get this figured out ahead of time.

I heard about a guy that wanted to get married in the worst way. So he found a girl and took her home to meet his parents. His mother didn't like her. He got another girl took her home to meet his parents again.

His mother didn't like her. He took four more girls home to meet his parents. Mother didn't like her.

So when Anna found the girl that look like his mother dressed like his mother talk like his mother back. She was like his mother in every way, but the problem is now his father didn't like her so that there is that this boy needed to leave his father, mother, I think doing this like leaving also means giving other relationships.

Lesser degrees of important. Let me say that again leaving as a leaving cleaving also means giving other relationships.

A lesser degree of importance.

Listen guys, you can still live your bodies girls you can select your girlfriend.

You can have those relationships but the most important relationship is that of you to your spouse though. It's kind of hard to have a best friend that isn't your husband or wife you can have), but your best friend should be your spouse and I hope I don't need to tell you that it's very problematic to have close friendships with members of the opposite sex right so if you sit here waiting on and going out with my best friend Mary ever get to go to dinner and then do a movie but there's nothing here to worry about, forget that.

Okay, that just has to stop. You can't do that, your best friend should be your spouse.

Here's a really key verse, you might want to write it down and look at it later, but I'll read it to you. It's Malachi 213 God says the Lord is good with this between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless although she is your companion and wife is interesting to God's are proving the individual for unfaithfulness, but he's refers to the wife is not just the white but your companion and your wife see your wife is just your wife sees your companion and your wife in the world. Companion means someone that you united with an thoughts, goals, plans, and offer thoughts, goals, plans and efforts.

Your companion are the same ideas communicated over first Peter three husband's throat with your wives with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel as being heirs together of the grace of life, so your prayers be not hindered so actually what Peter is saying is Hank you need to understand how important your wife is because of you know if your you're not united with her as you want to be your prayers will be me ask a question of some of you guys have you wondered maybe why your prayers don't seem to go anywhere lately couldn't be that because you got honored your wife is.

You should that is actually kindred. Your prayer life. The Bible says I can happen. By the way the word the Peter uses. Therefore, dwell with your wife doesn't mean just live with her and means to be aligned to or give maintenance to be aligned to her to give maintenance to. We maintain our homes, things break. If the real landscape repaint changes change that some was always breaking in the house right things happen and cars do you have to maintain your car. You know you have all of you, but gotta put gas in your car after but oil in your car periodically have to change the tires on your car you take your car in for a tuneup but some of us waiting until the idiot light goes off to do that that would be me that you very much and I would if we need an idiot light in our marriages. When I be nice like those of idiot, idiot, you're neglecting your wife idiot, idiot, and not respecting your husband idiot, idiot, pay attention… Is a warning we neglect these things and so can the analogy of a car. I love old cars that have been restored to any of you like old cars. I love okay so when I see a perfectly restored unit 57 Chevy cruise along as it got his beauty on wheels right there. I love that my wife doesn't understand home will look at what that car yeah so it's an old car look at it it's perfectly restored.

You know, I don't know why, just notice things like that. Okay so think of your marriage is a car.

The idea is not to take your spouse and trade them in on the new model. The idea is to be the original owner and turn it into a classic that will stay on the road forever do that with your marriage so periodically it's a good idea to take stock of your life in your marriage and say, is there anything I'm doing that asserting my relationship with my spouse not be attention. Which of these is great.

I don't like it when you do that or this concerns me knowing may seem trivial to me. Okay, I may dismiss and say what that's ridiculous noble weight if it means something to her, it should mean something to me, and same with her and I when this I don't like this thing here that is happening you need to listen to each other in these areas and take stock and if there is another relationship.

Or maybe it's your career. It could even be your ministry is becoming more important to you, then your first ministry which is to your wife and your children then you need to reevaluate and you need to realign again as a Scripture tells us we should listen to this. I believe that husband's hold the key to a successful marriage to know will Greg why do you single out the husband's will because God is called the man to be the spiritual leader in the home.

God is called the man to be the initiator would've been told to do. They're told to love their wife as Christ loves, well, why does the church love Christ because he first loved us. So the wife submission, the wives respect comes as a response to her husband's loving servant leadership is seen just like we became Christians because Jesus won us over with his undying love for this everlasting love and we said, I want to follow Jesus all the husband can win over his wife for the way that he loves her and the way that he servicer, but sadly into many relationships of the husband is not the spiritual leader affect the wife is often the spiritual leader of the husband is well passive advanced and sometimes hostile awards. We don't want that now doing. We want the husband to be the leader God has called him to be good insight from Pastor Greg Laurie's message today called God's plan for sex and marriage is from our series of top 10 most requested messages of the year you're on a new beginning. If you like a permanent copy of today's insight get in touch and mentioned a message titled God's plan for section marriage and we can help you with your order when you call 1-800-821-3300 were here to take your call 24 seven.

Again, the number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org Pastor Greg a year ago, when 20/20 started we were all thinking no brand-new year rainbows and butterflies yes and and then it just seemed to turn to mushroom clouds and murder Hornets yet another year just disintegrated. Yeah. Well, as we start 2021. We do have hopes and dreams in spite of last year's tumult, we saw more than 140,000 people. Professions of faith through this ministry. So we have even bigger plans for 2021 wanted to explain some of that to us. Well, we had we had some pretty lofty planter 2020 we came out and said we want to see hundred thousand people come to Christ by the end of the year. This is before culvert and we have a number of ways are hoping to do this, including the giant crusade we were doing in the stadium in Los Angeles. Our three night crusading Angel Stadium plus movie called Jesus revolution which is going to be a feature film in the theater.

Well, everything changed when COBIT 19 showed up theaters shut down. We couldn't do our live stadium events so we pivoted online for our weekend program that we call harvest of home which is like church in your home and through that and also our outreach film that we did called a rush of hope.

We saw well over 100,000 people make a profession of faith. So we not only meant that the goal that we said we exceeded it and I have to give God the glory and I think in this coming year, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think people are really searching right now. There's so much uncertainty in the air and people need answers and we have the answers folks those answers are found in the Bible and there found in a relationship with God that takes place through Jesus Christ we took 30 years of what we have learned in evangelistic crusades and build them into a movie, a movie that presents beautiful stories of lives of the big change for the gospel in a concise, straightforward message from the gospel telling people how to accept Christ, and thousands have responded to that invitation. Imagine you can now have this tool in your hand to play when you want to play it for whoever you want to play it for, and it's a DVD version of our film a rush of hope and I want to get you a copy as quickly as possible. A list of the best I could charge you forward and say this is how much you have to pay no were giving it to you for your gift of any size whatever you can send to support our ministry will be used to reach more people with the gospel. So I want to encourage you order your copy of a rush of hope in closing gift. I hope it's a generous one so we can see more people come to know Jesus Christ. I think you're gonna love it. You absolutely, and we hope to get in touch right away. And when you send that donation would like to thank you.

With this new DVD of a rush of hope.

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So get in touch today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 anytime 24 hours a day. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org the next time more insight from Pastor Greg about God's plan for sexual intimacy within marriage sure to turn in for more from her series of most requested messages of the year and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org