Getting Back on Target, Part 1

Today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll. We can make a difference. Don't ever let someone tell you that because the times are likely are some of our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. One who has written history has to acknowledge that he sees it through the eyes of divine perspective, God has his way, and he always works through a remnant at the beginning of time, God instituted marriage is an integral part of his master plan. A man, a woman helpmate joined together as partners in life today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from God's manual on Mary, few would argue that this holy institution union of husband and wife has been under attack couples without overwhelming pressure culture that views the relationship is dispensable matter where you are in the process getting back to biblical basics and keep a relationship healthy and on course brought the Bible with you this morning to the first book Genesis and the second chapter. Please want to read for you from Genesis 2. Beginning in verse 21 through the end of the chapter and then just a few verses across the column in chapter 3 to 21 of Genesis. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and he slipped that he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which he had taken from the man and brought her to the man. The man said, this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh, and the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Verse eight of chapter 3.

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day in the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you he said I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked so I hid myself said, who told you you were naked.

Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat the man said the woman whom you gave to be with me. She gave me from the tree and I ate and the Lord God said to the woman, what is this you have done. The woman said the serpent deceived me, and I ate sure is easy to become a prophet of doom when you just check the landscape and you talk about the family and you realize the erosion that is taking place over the last 3040 50 years knowing that that kind of emotion would, I made the Lord a promise when I dug into the series on home and family. The 21st century promised him I would not become just doom and gloom in my perspective, I would not allow the statistics to get me down or the facts and figures that relate to erosion of the home and family to make me a person who just sees the dark side of life. I won't lose my sense of humor. Lord, I promise you so keep me looking up. As I look at what's really happening. All that to say I have a story to read you that my son sent me that just made me laugh out loud. Six retired Floridians were playing poker in their condo clubhouse when Myra Witts loses $500 on a single hand clutches his chest and drops dead at the table showing respect for their fallen comrade. The other five continue playing standing up. Finkelstein looks around and asked not who's going to tell his wife. They draw straws in Goldberg pics the short the billing to be discreet, be gentle. Don't make a bad situation any worse discreet. I'm the most discreet person you'll ever meet.

Discretion is my middle name. Leave it to me, says Gober goes over the Margaret's apartment locks on the door.

Wife answers and asks what you want. Goldberg declares your husband just lost $500 in our poker game and he's afraid to come home to put she said, telling the dropdead see how cynical you can become when you let it happen. I am fully aware. I read all the stuff you read see all the things you see, I hear all the things you hear. I am fully aware that the scene is tough. The setting is bad, we are not going from good to better were going from bad to worse and it will get only worse as time passes. However however I am convinced that the Lord is God. He still is working out his plan. We are still his people he still wants to change our lives and our direction and if were married, our homes, our marriage and our families. If nothing else is changing were responsible for our what is interesting is that this is not a new phenomenon. Matter fact I came across a remarkable book this past week by Dr. Carl Zimmerman of Harvard who back in the 1940s was doing a study on the empires as they began to disintegrate fall apart and he noticed there was a correlation between the demise of the family and the home like Keith endears with the demise of empires as they fell.

He put all of his research together in a book titled family and civilization, and he writes publishing the book back over a half-century ago, 1947, as he shows the family moving through three stages in its erosion in the third stage, which he describes as the final phase occurring shortly before the Empire fell apart. He points out several characteristics want to pass along some of those to you. Even he listed more than five, but I want to limit my comments to five.

These are five conclusions that tie in with former empires as they ultimately crumbled the client info here they are. Each is true of every one of the empires by the way he studied Roman and Greek empires. He studied the French and German and even the United States in the process of coming to these conclusions. So this is across the board.

He didn't read any of our current event see them live at this time he didn't see the movies we now see he didn't watch the prime time television. We now watch wasn't such a thing. These are from his academic and professional observations. These are the five characteristics of the ultimate stage before the fall, one marriage loses its sacredness. Matter fact, marriage is frequently broken by divorce, alternative forms of marriage are introduced and advocated in each of these empires. He studied number two. Feminist movements flourish within this category. He states women lose their inclination for childbearing and child rearing. Naturally, the birth rate decreases as the second characteristic.

Third, there is an increasing desire for and acceptance of adultery.

Adultery was in fact celebrated rather than frowned upon. Number four to be expected. There was a growing disrespect for parental authority. Matter fact for authority in general Zimmerman ads with this came an increase in juvenile delinquency promiscuity and the spirit of rebellion.

Fifth and finally a greater tolerance for sexual perversions any name several. This according to Carl Zimmerman marked what he calls the final stage, signaling the demise of a culture see what I mean about how easy it is to become doom and gloom and once perspective that put a little chill up your back when you look around. This is not just history on record.

This speaks to our time in the nation. We love but let me add once again with God nothing is impossible if he moves upon enough of us so that we realize he's speaking to us about where we are in this situation in which we find ourselves, and if he hears from us a repentance and a willingness to change forever change is needed, there is hope we can make a difference.

Don't ever let someone tell you that because the times are likely are were sunk. Our God is in the heavens.

He does whatever he pleases.

The one who has written history has to acknowledge that as he sees it through the eyes of divine perspective, God has his way, and he always works through a remnant always Arnold Toynbee is perhaps right it's doubtful the majority has ever been right, which is a little scary. Would you stop to think about it. God works through minority remnant godly people in the midst of an ungodly society. Remember it's never too late to start doing what is right. There is a future there is a hope.

God is all about that. With that in mind, I want to turn from history and the writings of Zimmerman to Genesis, God's word in the writings of Moses chapter 2 I mentioned earlier, the civilizations, plural, and now call your attention the fact were looking at civilization on singular as it begin for the first time there's Homo sapiens on the planet. God is made the animal kingdom. He is made, the things about us as a planet is made the planet and is made, the things within it. Now he makes the man there was a quick broadbrush picture of that in chapter 1 the zoom lens of the Scriptures are the spirit of God focuses on the man first and then the woman in the second chapter of the book of Genesis and what you look at verse seven sort of where it all starts.

The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.

Great moment in full adult form. There is a male that God has created God places him in a pristine setting, the garden of Eden. Perfect environment it's idyllic there's no sin. There was no fear. There was no cover-up. There is no deception.

There is no death. There isn't even a mention of death oral thought of death until God gives Adam instructions regarding one area of prohibition. Look at verse 15 then the Lord God took the man and put them into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. That's his job description. The first occupation was farming gardening.

There you have it cultivate and keep the garden.

The Lord God then commanded the man saying from every tree of the garden you may eat freely how great it must've been.

Every vine was loaded with fruit trees beautiful fruit abundant in growth, it must've been delicious just to look at, to say nothing find nourishment from of all of this, you may freely eat but there is one tree you don't eat from 17 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it dying. You will die literally there will be a spiritual death immediately as you an IRA related from each other and their will begin the process of a physical death. As you begin to die age grow old. It's often asking hypothetical question if Adam hadn't said would have live forever. Obviously it is in the evening of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The death is introduced. If there is disobedience, Adam. There is an instant change in everything God doesn't stumble or stammer over his words is clear. He's precise. Adam heard it.

Adam understood it. Lord then takes a quick appraisal of the man in his aloneness as we saw last time, and we read that the Lord God. Verse 18 observes it is not good that he remain alone being the God of grace that he is, he immediately provides a solution to the dilemma God says I will make him a helper suitable for him. I want to look at two words in the solution that are important enough to linger over. Let's just hover here a few moments see the word helper to us. It it's it's a word that the sort of sounds like it's subordinate to. There is no subordination in the term helper.

Matter of fact, it means one who is in a beneficial relationship to another one who aids supports as a friend as an ally. How can I say there's no there's no sense of subservience in the word, or subordination, because in Psalm 46 one as well as other Psalms. God uses the term of himself.

He says I am a very present what help in time of trouble same Hebrew derivative as the word trend rendered helper here. God says I'm a helper in time of trouble, and he is subservient. He is subordinate to no one. It is a term that has to do with being an ally, a friend, a support, especially in time of need.

The other term worth looking at is suitable I will make him a companion suitable for him. The word could be rendered counterpart or complement one who assists and if you will, fills in the empty spaces gives strength where there is weakness provides answers where there are questions that will be a completion in this life that is right now alone, and the beauty is that the Lord does exactly what he says he will do.

Verse 21 he causes a deep sleep to fall upon the man and he closes up the flesh at that place any fashions into a woman the rib which is taken from the man and and then he brings her to the man I love this setting Adam's ghetto just getting over surgery and he is now realizing that that scar has yielded a marvelous result in standing before him for the first time in his entire existence is old is is a woman and he is he is just ravished in her press. He just he says this is now bone of my bones, flesh of my face is a Hebrew colloquialism for closeness, oneness wanted heart.

This is the fulfillment is the idea the completion. This is everything I would've ever wanted.

It's a magnificent scene and in this idyllic setting. You just can't beat this for a love story now on the heels of that verses 24 and 25 we have the first here's a passage of primary reference on principles for a marriage there timeless as they are true.

They up they applied to the 10th century, as they do the 21st. They will apply to the 24th century is that if there is such just as they applied to the first century and centuries before as long as there has been married you. There have been these four principles which I will give you an one word terms.

There are four of them. Each of these four is important enough to hold a marriage together.

Every time I've worked with people who struggled in their marriage one or more of these four principles has been ignored or disobeyed what I find happy marriages. I find all four are clicking along on eight cylinders. Their work.

The first is the word severance verb first verse first work for this might reason a man shall leave his father and mother severance. I don't miss read that don't don't read into it more than God is is say he's not to disrespect or she's not the disrespect parents are parents are not to be ignored or forgotten done away with in one's mind. It's that idea of leaning on and needing clinging to that. When you marry because you now lean on and cling to one another. It's amazing.

I I see people getting up in years it still haven't left mom and ahead that there still hanging on emotionally tied in to their parents, if not both the one of the it occurred to me in the little folk song we sang when we were kids called Billy boy perfect example. I did little exposition of Billy boy this past week have made an interesting discovery where you been Billy boy where have you been charming Billy a bit to seek a wife sees the joy of my life. She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother every one of the of the of the stanzas ends with. She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother's… Wonder how old she is.

And then when I read through the song Darren appeared listen to one of those verses. How old is she Billy boy Billy boy how old is she charming Billy 3×64×728 and 11. She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

So I got my calculator and I did the math Billy boy's girlfriend is 85 years of a live Billy boy C is not one you would hold her mother is a she's 85, is he taking care of her mother on the point is, I want to go to forward this on the go sermon on the Billy boy but you know if you got a woman that you're dating and she can't leave her mother. You don't want to present. Why a meeting.she's tidy and she's hanging on. She's clinging in the same with a guy by the way, for whatever it's worth assessing guys playing tighter than than wives guys were the ones that say, good taste like mom's cooking right really wanted to do that. Stop doing that. You gotta sever the ties you to love your parents and you still need your parents in many ways. You don't cling to them in your life doesn't survive because of they played a vital role, but now that you're married, your relationship is now with your partner as a second word permanence severance is followed naturally by permanent see the word and he will be joined to his wife same Hebrew word is used by Joe when he describes his tongue cleaving to the top of his mouth and his sickness member are timing Joe when he was in the depths of sickness. His mouth was so parched. His tongs done to the top of the smell of the idea of sticking to clinging in affection and loyalty. This is not a clinging vine kind of clinging. This is a wonderful and healthy connection and linkage a permanent bonding is the idea Jesus goes a step further and Mark 10 verse nine says God has joined together let no one what put asunder, or separate. In other words, it's to be permanent.

You're listening to Insight for living and we're midway through a message from Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll titled getting back on target and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org. Well it's been many years since we've addressed marriage and the family on this broadcast and we know many in our listening family are prepared to make the most of this study.

The series is called marriage from surviving to thriving as your check teach today. Perhaps he began to project your own marriage into this passage in Genesis. Maybe you're ready to bring your relationship back into alignment with God's design will I remind you Insight for living has prepared a number of resources for you including books. The online study notes called searching the Scriptures, and even a daily devotional you can have sent directly to your inbox. Each item is designed to help you get a great spiritual truth into your daily life.

Even when relationships are in conflict to take advantage of these resources go to insight.org in the filing as a complement your worship experience in your local church this coming Sunday morning whenever you can also celebrate with Chuck Swindoll by viewing the worship service@insight.org/Sundays. This not only includes trucks pulling sermon, but the sacred music and congregational singing as well. One of our viewers in Sacramento, California Rd., Chuck, because of illness I been unable to attend church and whether pandemic hit the lifestream of your worship service is given me a church home. I love the full orchestra music. The fact that using him and have a full choir and during the sermon.

I even stand with the congregation, read the Scriptures.

Thank you Chuck thank you for reminding me that Jesus is Lord Christ is King and God's ultimate control but would love to have you join us Sunday morning to find all the instructions for video streaming. The weekly worship services insight.org/Sundays.

Join us again Monday. Swindoll continues his message on marriage about getting back on target your own insight for living. The preceding message getting back on target was copyrighted in 2004 and 2006, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2006 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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