Are All Marriages Really Made in Heaven?

I want to discuss some pitfalls that singles in particular. And again, many of them will apply to marriage as well, but singles in particular I want to discuss with you would be a series some pitfalls you need to intentionally avoid welcome to a brand-new year and a new message from Pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

While all marriage ceremonies take place on earth but for all of them made in heaven. Did God preordained that everyone would one day be married Esther Paul answers these and other questions Nexus. He begins a series that will help us live successful Christian lives.

Whether were married or single, stay with us now or visit Pastor Paul.net. Recent message on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net Pastor Paul joins me from a studio in California the end of today's teaching. First let's join him for today's message are all marriage is really made. I want to give you some cliff notes that were doing the will of God in some key areas of your life singles. I want you to take advantage of this season that we're in right now in our world. I want you to understand that while we were in this pandemic you put a time stamp on this because I realize these messages can be heard in a year any time in the future & preaching this message in March 2021. We are one year into the worldwide pandemic known as covert, 19, and while vaccines are coming online and is looking good for us to eventually get more people who choose the beat to be vaccinated. Some of our health officials right now are speculating that perhaps as early as this summer July or so, and I've heard even some say earlier they feel like we might have the vast majority of people who are willing to be vaccinated, vaccinated, and so they said it would not far from eventually getting to what they call herd immunity where we can live much more effectively with the presence of this virus.

Whether that's true or not, I think while we're still in the throes of it. This is an excellent time for all of us to take advantage of this opportunity to do some evaluation looking at our lives be introspective look inward for a while.

When looking out all my God society looking crazy and you gotta have social distance and you can't get together in church and get get together and party and close going on and people are looking outward. Let me help you look inward, take a moment now and look at yourself and let's talk married people' in the coming messages about some things that applied to our lives in some of the points will be exclusively for singles, others would be for singles and married sold medical billing to me out. I need you to help playmates through an the some of this information to help the kids and all the people need in your life. Anyway, who are single. I looked on the Internet just before I came to church and sit by the way, how many singles on and in society right now and based on what I saw this morning slightly over 50% of the American adult population is single, just ask. It was 50, and some change percent and so technically the singles out number the married folk so we deftly need to speak to the single folk and so quit acting like married is the way to go and singles are just the also-rans know that's not the case at all.

They are a slight majority according to the adult population right now so I want you to be introspective and let's evaluate our priorities are practices and our partnerships. During this time when we all kind of living differently than we were used to living in a house and so here's what I want to do. I want to discuss some pitfalls that singles in particular. And again, many of them will apply to marriage as well, but singles in particular I want to discuss with you when this series some pitfalls you need to intentionally avoid some pitfalls and let me give you the first in this message for fall number one is believing that God has promised a spouse to every single person who wants to get married now pastor I heard a whole lot of folks say that if I just be faithful and I just be true. God has promised to give me a spouse. So am I understanding you to say that is not what the Bible teaches. And my answer is I love you. I wish I could tell you that God has promised you a spouse, but I have to be true to the word I had. I cannot be true to what people want to hear a preacher of the gospel has to be true to the word on the mailman. I didn't write it, but I have to deliver it faithfully and so let me tell you something. This idea that God himself has promised a spouse to every single person who wants to get married is simply not a biblical teaching. Many will get married but I gotta preach the word. The word doesn't teach if you're just saying that your faithful you're gonna get mad if you want to get married. I have pastor friends preacher friends teacher friends who teach that I've heard of some of them have taught it in my pulpits over the years not hear a destiny in prior years. I've had people come through and teach it and I said wow I wish that was true, but is not. And so my job is to do permanent damage to people's ignorance, which means sometimes at the say things that are not necessarily popular but there right now. Here's what I am willing to be unpopular because while no such promise exist. You may very well get married if you choose to get married. And if somebody chooses the Mallory you I want you all to know the best things you need to know about how to make that marriage work and work well. So let's start by just building on a foundation of truth. So I want to just answer some questions as I support this idea that although it's a pitfall decided that God promised a spouse to every single person with good marriage is simply not taught in Scripture. You can go to a single passage.

I've spent my life in this book been saved. I was saved as a young man I have studied this book across the decade. It is simply not there. And I know all the people who teach it made they go to stores by Boaz and Ruth may go to all that yeah Boaz and Ruth had a wonderful marriage because God ordained the two of them to meet because that was part of redemptive history.

If Boaz and Ruth had gotten married, you wouldn't be saved is the Lord at work out well. I don't history of the lineage that brought us Jesus Christ you know he came to the line of David will I need you to back up a few generations before David and you will find that Boaz and and Ruth, gotten married, had a baby. That baby got married and had a baby that maybe got married and had a baby and one of their eight sons was David and Boaz and Ruth are responsible for the line that brought us David the line that brought us Jesus Christ the line that saved your soul so yeah Boaz and Ruth is a wonderful story but that's not going applied a everybody. God absolutely has ordained certain things in redemptive history because he loved you enough. You want to make sure your Savior got here to get you to the place where you are. We can know Jesus and where you can live a victorious life with him. So it's simply not a biblical teaching that every single who wants to get married we'll get married. However, if you are available for marriage, and you choose to get married, you may very well get married. My job is to make sure you have some sound reasoning for why you want to hook up. I will talk along the way about some things you got to avoid so that you will be successful as you move toward that goal of one day being married and I want to give proper recognition to the many singles all around the world in the country and our church who did they say love Jesus and they singled and not necessarily looking to get married and I need you all to know pastor feels you loves you and I don't want to ignore you can sometimes be black like marriages everything in it to you get married you know I mean some love songs on the one time Luther Luther Vandross and set number one hit songs long ago and also far away, so I am I'm going back I'm going back to superstar in my mind with Luther, but that's all he would set up and I went to the concert. He said, and it opened up, you're nobody till somebody loves you. I sell my God, should nobody till somebody loves his balls of his name is Jesus to get into good fellowship in a good charge of the people will love you if you build relationships which will talk about more people will love you and so you're nobody till somebody loves you. Are you out of your somebody loves you. Best of all the talking exclusively about romantic love.

That doesn't mean that your life is great because how many all have been in the loved ones and then suddenly to stop that work and you realize I would've been better off never have been picked in the first place, then to have picked it up married. It been through hell with it and then we had to drop one another, all in a way pastor is preaching right even if you don't like it but I love you enough to tell you to give some helpful point number one is every good marriage made in heaven and stay with us the second half of pastor Paul Shepard's message is coming right up. But first, a reminder that you can always listen to the broadcast on demand@pastorpaul.net that's pastor Paul.net. We'll find a host of great resources that are online store you can also listen on your mobile device by downloading the free destined for victory, mobile search destine for victory in the app store and listen to pastor Paul's messages were every stay with us after today's message when pastor joins me for a studio in California.

First is listen closely, as he answers the question is, every good marriage made in heaven. Once again, here's pastor Paul Sheppard is every good marriage made in heaven.

That's one of the common questions that we need to answer so that I can help you avoid this pitfall of assuming that there's this spouse just automatically come in because you saved in love Jesus and want to get married. So let me walk you through is every good marriage made in heaven. Here's my answer.

The uniting of one man to one woman is indeed an institution ordained by God. They put that on the screen for me so if you want to write it down. You can write it down. The uniting of one man to one woman is indeed an institution ordained by God, but marriages are voluntarily entered into by those who will officially and legally competent to live together in the holy matrimony keep that up for another 30 seconds somebody might be writing that down. I need to walk you through what I mean by that.

The uniting of one man's, one woman is indeed an institution ordained by God because we live in a society now that has decided men to marry men and women can marry women.

I remember and what was a 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that that is a national right. If you're an American citizen. You can marry man to man, woman to woman. I get it. That is the light of citizens. The Allied IG HT. However, it is not a right RI TE of the Christian church, at least the segments of the Christian church that have a high view of Scripture and want to do things the way God has ordained.

So we simply recognize in society. There are people married outside of the biblical definition of the church we recognize eidetic.

We live in America and those people have all IG HT as Americans to be married. My job is to say, but what does the Scriptures teach and the Scriptures teach that marriage by God's design. He's the one who designed it is one man to one woman yes there is polygamy in the Bible, but that was never God's expressed will and it never will be, and sometimes men read the Old Testament's home and Emma's been some who have had to live back in home in the Quiktrip. It you got your hands full with the one you really don't want to try to fantasize all I could just do to know you got your hands full with the one they went back to this here so you need to know that God's design is what I'm talking about here. I fully observed the rights of people in society but in the church of Jesus Christ.

We have to do things the way our Savior and our heavenly father taught and so that's why marriage according to Scripture as one man to one woman, then the notice of second since good marriages are voluntarily entered into by those who officially and legally covenant together, and matrimony. What I write that sentence because I've been around a long time and I have a whole lot he could was in the past, are we not married in the in the sense that you talk about but we are spiritually married. We are spiritually woman I been told that we spiritually married and you know we are in the eyes of God. I will not hurt THE Bob Malone time. Bless your heart. You are single, there is no such thing as spiritual marriage does not recognize that City Hall in the office that holds the records public records. That's why put in language I put in it's got to be official is gotta be a legal covenant recognize legally and not just spiritually so is every good marriage made in heaven now that I believe this foundation marriage is ordained, but it is for those who voluntarily enter into it. God doesn't predetermine that people get married. Those two people say they love each other or for whatever reason they want to marry and they choose to get married bam and if they do illegally, and they do it properly. God recognizes it. So what happens God blesses God blesses and sanctions the covenant that two people, a man and a woman voluntarily enter into the get it.thank you all get back God shotgun weddings you will you will marry him. That's not the God we said our you can get married if somebody else to marry you and there legally able to marry you and your legally married male y'all can get Mariposa in first Corinthians 7 marry who you will just make sure there were in the Lord, make sure to save, make sure they're in the Lord. He's able to confirm if you want to and you know just talk to some real married friend. They decide they want to marry some happy and so but they decided to get married and they got married. And God blessed the union because they voluntarily entered into a covenant, an institution that he had ordained now who said pastor I know I marriage was made in heaven, I'm not busy trying to change somebody's mind feels like I'm in a marriage that was God ordained God himself wanted us marriage just like he ordained Bob Boaz and Ruth and many others. I'm not going argue with you. I'm not saying yours was a made in heaven & Lamarr made in heaven. How about we lay in bed so if you're sure that some do and yours was one praise God. God bless you, but I know who started out thinking, God brought them together. By the time I caught up with him. You they said the devil dated got the shoes. I'm sorry. I know some some full name when they got married.

It was downright spooky how they got together, it just seems so spooky. So God, Lord, any praise God sometimes. I've heard people curse the day they met but that used to be God. I was simply making the point that marriage is a covenant people voluntarily enter into God blessed and God can prosper it but y'all got a Newmark sleep.

That's what scares me about people who always try to make it a God thing.

God is not going to make you discipline your life.

Love is below sacrifice what you suppose a sacrifice take long when you got to take low God will make you do that you have to chose to do that if you choose at your blast if you go some of things will happen. So I'm simply trying to make the point that yes many people feel like all God himself brought me together with my spouse wonderful on glad for those I know people have really exciting testimonies.

I'm simply saying that not every marriage is made in heaven, and that since because really, marriage is a is a covenant people voluntarily enter into based on the institution. God created in Scripture, even if it's made in heaven as God be lived on earth say amen wherever you all even if it was made in heaven, you who had the smoke is coming together. And you know it was God. Y'all just be honest about the telephone gambit have been days when I wondered what exactly was going on in heaven that day when they put us together.

Thanks so much for being here for two days destined for victory message are all marriages really made in heaven look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on-demand@pastorpaul.net again that's Pastor Paul.net one pleased to have Pastor Paul here in his studio in California. Pastor here we are in a brand-new year. So much focuses on setting goals and losing weight and exercising more coming up with just the right New Year's resolutions.

Certainly these are bad things but let's talk a bit about we are feeling the perspective that we as believers in Jesus, should have as we begin this new year. Yeah, I think it is great to set goals, get all these turn of the new year. That's a great reset time.

It's kind of a built-in reset button refocus button, it gives us the opportunity to say okay take a deep breath and think about where you been more importantly about where you want to go from here and let's make some practical plans to get it done.

It's a good thing I don't fight anybody was making great goals and don't get bent out of shape when you set a resolution and you've already broken it by January 13. That could be at the end.

You don't even bother getting upset about it when it comes to weight loss. I definitely need to do that and man when this pandemic hit it. So, shook me that it just took me off that focus and I hear my friends home and I lost X number pounds during the pandemic. I said don't worry I found them and pick them up by the laws but I gotta go a little more about. But the reality is setting goals is good but at the end of the day. I think what we've got to do is keep the main thing the main thing and for me, at least that means I am determined to get stronger. I am determined to get better. I am determined that I am going to have progress in my life.

Setbacks happen, but progress toward the things that are really important.

The goals I've been given in Scripture is what I'm focused on. I would encourage our listeners as we move toward and as we move into 2022. Let's keep the main thing the main thing and let God take us to deeper depths and higher heights in our relationship with him. Well, that's what it's all about is a pastor drawing closer to Jesus day by day so that we can be conformed more and more into his image.

Well, a brand-new year deserves a brand-new resource and we have one for you today when you send a generous gift to Destin for victory will gladly send you by request Pastor Paul shepherds DVD message influencers for Christ.

Did you know that less than half of all Americans identify themselves as members of a church, synagogue, mosque or any other religious organization that may sound discouraging, but Pastor Paul believes it certainly should excite us to tell you why does DVD message influencers for Christ is our gift to you for your generous donation to Destin for victory. Please call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 once again the addresses Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 and I'm going to give you three ways believers historically have found their marriage partners number one, seeking a spouse according to what I called the Cinderella theory was that that's the theory that there is one that that slipper perfectly fits. There is one person walking this earth that you supposed to be married to.

That's tomorrow and Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message are all marriages really made in heaven.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory