The Truth About Love (Part 4)

In the pulpits of many churches.

Topics viewed as offensive are avoided. Open the pages of the Bible, you'll see that nothing is off limits and because Dr. Michael Yousef passionately proclaims uncompromising truth from God's word, today's leading the way will delve into an often avoided topic intimacy in marriage in earlier messages in this series. Dr. USF led you through the verses of first Corinthians 13, often referred to as the love chapter of the vital. It is endlessly quoted at weddings and is known by those inside and outside of the church well today Dr. Yousef turns back a few pages to chapter 7 Paul pointedly answered some difficult questions from the Corinthian church, and these questions and his answers are important for Christians and are sexually charged society here as well. And don't worry, nothing inappropriate will be spoken of.

Simply, the uncompromising truth of God's word that will help you navigate life in our current culture. Listen with me now is Dr. Michael Yousef against today's leading the way, I am convinced that the more knowledge we have about the relationship. The more we have on the subject, the more preaching and teaching we have on marriage America relationship.

The more we focus on marriage America relationship.

The more we see marriages in trouble not understand of course that every culture.

I understand that every generation have their own challenges. I understand that that is normal and we do have our own challenges and I thank God for those who preach and teach and counsel. I'm not against any of but I will submit to you today. The more we make asylums out of marriage relationship other than obedience to the word of God the father we move away from the solutions to the problem the more accommodation we make to the sentence all the problem. The further we get away from the cure to the problem.

The more we focus on the peripheries the further we get away from the center and the core of the problem. So what is a problem you know the problem is what so probably no sin will massacre the policy and until we are willing to call soon soon we are exasperating. The problem the bill is right whenever I act selfishly toward my wife.

I can get all the secular counseling in the world I can get even the pastor counseling and I can tell me why I am selfish and tell me the specific times in which I am more likely to be selfish, they can tell me all the psychological reasons for my selfishness. They can about the events and the circumstances in my life that triggers my selfishness they can tell me how to avoid certain times in my wife's lifecycle that triggers my selfishness.

All this analysis is gonna do one thing I can tell you all is going to do is going to get me in the merry-go-round merry-go-round the merry-go-round and merry-go-round merry-go-round is not dealing with the court of my problem in the core of my problem is what sin the core of my problem needs to be confessed, but instead what we do with our marital problems. As we go around and around and around and around, often wasting months or even years, months or even years of government strength in joy and happiness wasting months or even years of arguing and fighting when we could have spent those months and years in peace and tranquility wasting months or even years in hating each other when we can have the pleasure of fellowship and productivity in life wasting, so even years trying to prove that the other one is wrong simply comes off soon. Forgive me.

That would save a great deal of pain.

It would save a great deal of headache. It would save a great deal of difficulties and and misery in life, love the sport by the name of Ogden Nash put it this way. Listen to what he said.

He said you know if you want your marriage to sizzle with love and the loving cup whenever you're wrong. Admitted whenever you're right, shut up. I wanted to turn with me please the first Corinthians chapter 7 first Corinthians chapter 7, today's the truth about his in the series truth about love and today were going to talk about the truth about intimacy in marriage is in first Corinthians chapter 7 beginning a verse from the first five verses of first Corinthians the other Corinthian Christians were so confused about this whole question of intimacy and murder. There were so confused about it.

So much so that some of them were acting selfishly toward each other in the whole between husband and wife. There were so confused that some of them were acting ignorantly in the relationships and still others had fallen into the moral corruption of the culture of the day and saw they said down the congregation sat down and wrote the apostle Paul, a letter, and so that prompts the apostle Paul to write back. In response, the truth about intimacy and marriage which is the subject of today, but I wanted to remember this.

I think we often forget when read the Scripture that this is 2000 years ago when the words are inspired by the Holy Spirit given to the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians in which to thousand years ago they did not have 2000 years of Christian history as we do. But here's the sad part is that we seem to be making a full circle to paganism just as the days of the apostle Paul, but you must understand Paul's answer to them. You have to understand them. The worldview of the Greeks at that time which is really in many ways so much like worldview of Hollywood today and the great worldview in the first century.

They believe that everything that is physical and that includes the body.

The human body is evil and consequently if it is evil is of no value. In fact, the Greeks used to say that the body is merely the prison that imprisons the soul.

I wanted to him about please it's very important.

This is a live from the pit of hell. And because it is a lie from the pit of hell you going to find that whoever and whenever you think of the body is evil when you think of the human body as bad you gonna react in two different ways both a godless, both on biblical both a sinful you even going to do one of these two things. Either you gonna be driven to asceticism on the one hand, or to an extreme self-indulgence of the body. On the other. So here's this pagan thinking you got a bunch of people in concert either asceticism or into self-indulgence in the gospel of Jesus Christ comes in and is proclaimed to the Corinthians, say the body is God. God created the body and he created for his glory is created for God's will, and it the very purpose of the creation of the body is for the glory of God and therefore both asceticism on the one hand and self-indulgence.

On the other are contrary to God's plan.

Both of these extremes pervert the purpose for which God created the body and so Paul begins look at verses one and two first review seven saying it is good for man, not here's a regular translation errata for not to touch when call says it is good for a man not to touch a woman that is a euphemism that was understood at the time and is even understood in some cultures today. Some languages today to mean sexual intercourse.

That's what it means it's a euphemism then IV tried to sanitize it and try to spiritualize it and say it's good for men at the money woman, but in reality is stalking about intimacy is a phone saying that he was examined. If you are single is really saying if you are a single rejoice in your singleness.

Don't let anybody down upon your singleness and he is saying if you are single, then trust the living God with his supernatural power dwelling in you to give you the strength to remain sexually chase while you single because intimacy is a wonderful gift of God. But it's supposed to be on exercise in marriage in a marriage between husband and wife.

But if you're married and that's really the answer to the question and that's really what the subject of today is your marriage then you have certain obligations one to another.

Of course that is easily said than done one of these obligations well verse three. This is the husband should fulfill his medical duty to his wife and likewise the wife the husband listen to me very carefully than physical illness. The one thing that hinders husbands and wives from meeting their spouse's needs is sin. The number one barrier between husband and wife and intimacy is sin how to work the wife says my husband wants me to affirm him and build them up all but before I do that he's got the gravel and crawling in and accommodate to me. The husband says my wife wants me to love her and appreciate her will. That's good that she has to stop being prickly and bristly all the time.

That's wrong. The wife says my husband wants me to respect him. That's good.

My respect, that's wrong. The husband says my wife wants me to honor her.

That's good. I will do that if she stopped snagging me all the time.

Natural, no wives please listen to me.

I'm done with you on the secret. What would you know I do not please test it is not a sin for you to boost your husband's ego.

It is not a sin for you to build them up. It is not a sin to our firm.

His God-given gifts is not a sin to fulfill his needs for intimacy. Actually, the opposite is true, it is necessary to withhold these things from him on the Bible serve wives submit their husbands and all the people who hate God and hate the church hide the Bible so you see, Christianity says a wife must become a doormat is not what the Bible says it all when the Bible says that these saying to the wives, husband respond to hospital react your husband in a positive way. The Bible said not did not say do that only if he keeps his end of the bargain on you do now husbands are you ready for some secrets. It is not a sin for you to discipline yourself to your wife. It is not a soon to recognize that when your wife is telling you about a problem that she does not necessarily looking for solutions that is hard. We as men are problem souls only want to jump and take charge and fix everything with two wonderful daughters and a magnificent wife in the last 34 years I have learned the hard way when they tell you about a problem they don't want to do so. Listen to me.

I am in now page I'm learning that when I listen to a problem before I jump us if, by the way, you will be too helpful. This problem, just listen to this last stance. This is not a sin when you find your wife in the model.

She is looking for a rescuer. She is looking for somebody to.

It is not a sin to remind you wife daily next to your salvation. She is the greatest gift that God has given you is not a sin to continuously show you why of your undying love for her. In fact, the opposite is true not doing these things is a sin, you know, growing up in the Middle East. I used to think this is a Middle Eastern culture thing about the way to a man's heart is his stomach.

This is saying somehow made it worldwide has a fallacy with Mattel you is absolute fallacy.

I don't care what men say.

That is just not true, but limit tell you the way to a man's heart. You will hear the way to a man's heart is his ego. Listen carefully.

Please God created your husband's ladies with an ego. He did this, you can argue with him in heaven. But that's what he did okay and he created you with the ability to stroke his ego. Not the call of God in your life reading this.

God give you verbal ability so that you can stroke his ego. God did not create your husband to be a sweetie around the house. You don't want to sweetie around the house he created and he created you with the ability verbally to stroke his ego. This God will take care of his head is not going to get swollen because God has ways of dealing with us men to leave that to God the husband's particular young husbands only to listen to young husbands.

I know some of y'all Thomas.

This is all happy but that's all right with Dr. young husbands do know the way to your wife's heart the way to your wife's heart is to continuously assure of you. Love for her. That's the way to your wife's heart is not that they suffer from amnesia close to it. Listen listen listen. It doesn't matter, that's none of your business is not my business. You do it anyway whether they remember not to start your business.

Your business is to keep on affirming keep on blessing God created her as an emotional being and she needs you husbands to remind her often off her world.

Her value the Corinthians were so confused in this whole issue of intimacy and Paul is telling them that intimacy is not only a privilege and a pleasure but it is a sacred response about the so many Christians. For some reason don't understand this. I hope that you will today. You've heard the word. Some people say will is my body and I do what I want with it. Well, you get into the song but I can tell you something that if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. That is a fallacy that is not true. Your body does not belong to you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ said this is your body is not your own, but belongs to the Lord and that is why I said earlier, when you have the wrong view of your body, you're either going to be driven to asceticism on the one hand, or ridiculous self-indulgence. On the other, but in marriage for believers your body not only belongs to the Lord, but also belongs to your spouse, you have surrendered pleasing yourself. The day you said I do.

It's a sacred responsibility to meet each other's need for intimacy. It's sacred it's holy and not the surrender to each other in intimacy. Is this all morning to the Lord above all in the command of Paul here is very clear.

Hope you listening to me the command of Paul here is very clear. Stop depriving one another unless it is for a period of time and by mutual agreement does not mean it means that one spouse cannot go spiritual on the other spiritual gain slide regarding Winton got his wife and two aspirins and a glass of water. She said I don't have a headache's got to smart guy go super spiritual on your spouse Paul is saying no spouse should try to use intimacy to manipulate the spouse, the same one spouse cannot force deprivation. Paul is saying that there are times in the life of a couple when after fast and pray for an issue in the live for the family.

There are times in the life of a couple when they have to be abstain from intimacy forgo intimacy for spiritual reason only by mutual consent, not by edict, not by mood, not by revenge and not by punishment. Why Paul said that when one makes the decision alone, without the complete agreement of the other spouse without the complete agreement of the two you are opening up marriage to Satan to come in and create havoc in your marriage and temptation interact on mental again. Intimacy in marriage is a gift from God.

And when one acts independent of the other.

When one decides alone when one acts without their agreement of the other. You are not only perverting the great gift of God. Yes, you heard me right. You are not only perverting the great gift of God, but you are jeopardizing answers to prayer. First Peter chapter 3 makes it very clear when the husband and wife enough in the same page. The prayers of the hundred. The principle behind and so are come full circle to applicant when I act selfishly toward my wife. All of the counseling in the world will not help me all the preaching and the world will not help me. All the pastors in the world will not help me what I need to do is to identify my sin of selfishness confesses to the Lord and to my wife rip and seek the Lord's forgiveness and the power to overcome selfishness.

Words that can make or break your marriage bring your teacher leading the way. Dr. Michael you sent a biblical perspective on life is foreign to you. We would love to begin a conversation you can discuss questions about faith and life with one of leading the way's compassionate team members start by filling out a short form@ltw.org/Jesus that starts the process.

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