Selflessness

Happy Valentine's Day leaving the bank with pastor and International Bible teacher, Michael sent marriages that have endured the test of time are few and far between. When the foundation is firmly grounded in God's word. Couples can and do experience many years of wedded bliss On leading the way audio Dr. you set begins. I look at key ingredients that will strengthen your relationships. It's a series he's called crafted marriage God's way only by the way, if you need to get in touch with leading the way, for any reason, perhaps to order a product or to join in supporting the world wide gospel ministry just to visit LTW.org or give us a call 866-626-4356 or later.

Right now the listen as Dr. Michael Yousef begins this message in the next few messages we overlook marriage God's word and I'm going to focus on three foundational stones draw fulfilled marriage nose also fulfilled marriage. Not perfect marriage. I don't know where the perfect marriages. If you have one tell me about it a lot, live at your hospital. While all my love, your friends on here are the three foundational stones of motors God's word selflessness, forgiveness and conversation.

Now you find that in any marriage, any problem any potential problem. If you really think Tom and look at the problem and then you trace it all the way through the gonna run into one of those three things.

One of those three foundational stones, except if there is an unrepented officer in a deliberate sin, a continuous and unintentional sin, no repentance, now wanted to done with me please to Philippians chapter 2 will only have two verses today to verses Philippians chapter 2 verses three and four do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others. Another translation says, better, more accurate translation, consider others more important than yourself.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. This general instruction that the apostle Paul gives us in those two verses alone is applicable to all relationships among believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is more poignant in marriage. Here's a statement on run American. I take responsibility for this godly instruction fails in marriage. It will certainly not succeed in other relationships I know and you know and I want to get this out of the way because you know where my heart is what I want to stated that in this culture in which we live right now. This humanistic this secular culture that is hell-bent on destroying marriages there are working so hard to destroy what God has made. Now they talk about marriage as any two people contracting to live together regardless of what background or gender or whatever it maybe. They talk about a marriage as if it's a human rights issue. They talk about marriage as if it's only a contractual agreement between two people in Iraq.

Please of all the deceptions that are forced upon us in our culture today.

This is the biggest. This is the biggest one because marriage is not man's idea. Once you accept this premise that marriage is man's ideas of the human rights issue. Though there are the smart writer you arrived in his right on her right then you gonna cease to believe that marriage is God's divine ordained institution and it is the Bible makes it very clear. It is God's divine institution. This falsehood about marriage will not only undermine and trivialize biblical marriage, it will try to absolutely destroy it. The truth is this marriage according to God is between a man on a woman for life.

This is God's plan for humanity all of humanity is a grantor and like all of God's plans is a perfect plan. It really is. It's a perfect plan. It is the only plan that God basically gave us just like there's only one plan for salvation, and that is through Jesus Christ alone. There is one plan for marriage for a fulfilled marriage for a joyful marriage and it is a husband and wife a man and a woman for life and God is the one who conducted the very first wedding in the garden of Eden and it was a perfect marriage. Herne was in the perfect marriage but that one was aired was perfect marriage until Satan got in the middle of it. Listen to me.

I cannot imagine more perfect marriage than that between Adam and Eve. I really couldn't I mean Adam could not compare Eve's cooking with that of his mother that issue. Eve could not compare Adam with all the guys that she dated before going out there. Eve could never go to Adam's and Addie boy do you love me, who will who will love them enough to but is even more important reason as to why Adam and Eve marriage was perfect.

They had a perfect love relationship. The kind of perfect love relationship that God truly desires for all of his children a perfect love relationship with each other and a perfect love relationship with God in regard please because their nakedness was not just mere physical nakedness after their sin is here was the nakedness of transparency with each other and with God. But when selfishness entered into their hearts.

Everything fell apart using the will so transparent with each other. They were transparent with God until sin came in and then moving up that that is why the first foundational stone in a marriage is already said is selflessness, not selfishness. In fact, selfishness. I am personally convinced or self-centeredness is Satan's number 122 destroy a marriage is a what God has carefully crafted and placed together between the first couple, namely, selflessness and transparency got dismantled by Satan in the centering of sin.

In fact, the garden of Eden with its perfect plan with this perfect marriage experienced its first marital fight in our home. We do not call it a fight.

We too spiritual for that we don't have fights in our homes. We have vigorous discussions that sound nice. It sounds more spiritual. The first marital fight started because of selfishness material fact every marital fight. From the time of Adam and Eve to this time including the ones that we have at our house still out of self-centeredness stems out of selfishness.

Some of you here probably think you will Michael Michael, what, what's the alternative should I just stroll down and play format. No, because that will make things worse, never do that is not biblical. But when self-examination follows every act of disharmony when self-examination takes place, you will reprint you confess and that's why I'm calling the series of messages crafted matters God's way and if there is, by any chance somebody here who has never submitted the life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, limit value. This is not going to work for you until you come to Christ and I pray that you do that here today because this series of messages short as it is.

It is for people who not only receive Jesus Christ as their personal savior out there walking with Christ every single day in the power of the Holy Spirit because it's the Holy Spirit who is going to come and bring you conviction every time there is an active disharmony is going to bring you conviction. It is those moments of self-examination that the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin of selfishness, of which I repent for us and I repent my wife Adam and Eve's case instead of repenting and confessing us of Lord was so sorry you didn't tell us this, but we did was so sorry, no bottom line. The blame God. God, it's really your fault for creating this environment in which Satan came in and impersonated in this wise creature called the serpent entered the SEVIS see Scott's fault and they still do that today. Right there shopaholic says so my fault God is the one who created all these walls, or now should save the Internet because you are literally two clicks away from bankruptcy order. All these things if you don't want to you on the sports fanatic.

It's not my fault God who created all these hundreds of ESPN's channels I saw the women shop and the men vegetate and they wonder what's wrong with the marriage. So the question is what are the three components of selflessness, maturity, magnanimity and malleability. What is that maturity in other most marriages begin with your wide-eyed brides and grooms thinking that the mage is really going to meet all of their needs and is going to be absolutely wonderful. I mean he thinks that she is a perfect babe she thinks he's Prince charming.

Please listen to me maturity says how can I fulfill my wife's needs immaturity says how can I get my spouse to fulfill my needs. Maturity says how can I sacrifice for my spouse comfort immaturity says how can I get my spouse to do more for my comfort.

Maturity says how can I be more patient with my spouse. How can I respond gently to what irritates her or him and when will I be transparent and open and some notable immaturity says how can I get all that I want how short can I keep the conversation. How can I remain in my self protective cocoon and never open up maturity is a very necessary ingredient to selflessness and selflessness is one of the foundation stones of a joyful fulfilled marriage and so not only maturity but also magnanimity.

What I mean by magnanimity. While the ministry a number of years ago someone said to me if I knew how insensitive and unfeeling he is. I would never of marriage same long distance time ago a man said to me you know I think when my wife said I do she meant that I give them hell every time he makes a mistake and monopolies insensitivity toward your spouse is the opposite of magnanimity. Listen to what the Bible said about magnanimity in Ephesians 517 therefore do not be foolish, but understanding what the Lord's will is those two words stand in absolute contrast to each other, foolishness, understanding, foolishness, understanding, understanding depends on magnanimity and magnanimity means that I am seeking to understand my spouse thought my spouse thought patents my spouse's feeling and needs magnanimity means to study the other person as if you're studying for the exam. In the summer as a lawyer I don't like exams. Why did neither hated exams in school, but because I love the subjects that our studying hard work was pleasurable for me because I love the subjects that I'm studying hard work and study was enjoyable to make hard work was fulfilling for me especially when I see myself making progress and so studying your spouse's needs in the spouse's feeling in this process thought Patton and yes, your spouse's idiosyncrasies.

Hello, I have them to send to you. I know it's not easy especially in those times when you have conflicting needs.

When you needs conflicting responses me. I know that this is the alternative to understanding is foolishness and no one wants that for the three foundational stones of a crafted matters God's way, selflessness, forgiveness and conversation.

But the three foundational stones of selflessness, maturity, magnanimity and malleability. What I mean by malleability when Paul said to the Ephesians and Colossians and then Peter and in the principle is the same throughout the Scripture when he says to wives, submit to your husband. Husband's love your wives as Christ loved the church. I know this causes some people to bristle that you've seen it. I've seen it. I actually see people going to fix that statement is made, they really do. Why because they failed to understand the true meaning of these godly instructions. They really don't sublimation never meant for the wife to lie down and become a doormat that is not what the Bible means.

And that is why they like to twist the truth, not anymore, then a husband loving his wife as Christ loved the church and be willing to die for her as a sign of weakness on his part.

Some Christians almost feel embarrassed with the non-Christian friends shove this truth in their faces and their feeling, but it will. I only we don't really know what that means in which not only about far from it. We must never be embarrassed of the biblical truth.

These are wonderful truths.

In fact, the fallacy of this deception is literally keeping the law of believing and Christian couples from truly living an exemplary marriage because they been impacted summer factor several years ago I saw a British cartoon just illustrated the point. This cartoon is a group of angry women on a platform in the translation having placards and signs down with Paul down with Paul. Paul is a hater of women. That's what they tell you down the fall and then the next frame into the train and you see Paul coming out of the train at the door and he looks over then this is all I can see you got my letter but this manufactured anger could not be further from the real truth of biblical teaching some professing Christians already thought into this deliberate confusion, whether they know it or not. They bought into it and it's a lie from the pit of hell and embarrassed about biblical teaching with master? Answer the phone with yourself. What is harder to die for someone or to cook a meal for someone. Paul said for the husband to love his wife so much that like Christ.

They should be willing to die for their wives. Last time I checked dying was not a walk in the park, the beloved is the truth.

Listen carefully you cannot love without submitting all but you can submit without loving. I will repeat this you cannot love without submitting you will you desire. But you can submit without loving Megan ask you raise your hand. How many of you submit your boss at work in it on the seller love them all. I know Christians supposed to love everybody on all that stuff but you can submit your boss and doing the buses but you don't really love love relationship but you can't love anybody without truly subjugating your own needs your own desires your own wants their own ambitions for their good, but their good comes first. So who has a tough assignment.

Husband's not only that, but Paul is not only reciting what God says in his words. He did not make the rules here just telling you what God said so when people criticize biblical marriages. Don't be embarrassed about it, defended stand for it and if they think that Christianity enslaves women telling come with me to Iran or Saudi Arabia and I'll show you what enslavement is and I can tell you without any apologies that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who has liberated women from all the slavery, the culture put on them. We have such hypocrisy secular culture that we stay silent at what they do into women in the Middle East. We pick up the pieces Scripture without understanding and embarrassed Christians by without proper explanation, see, remember, this is always Satan's way attack biblical matters attack to become it. Whichever way you come home. Whatever may come from. It could come from pulpits only could come from denominational headquarters. He did it in the garden and he keeps doing it every single day. To this day is the bottom line malleability means that both husband and wife subject her own desires to the other out of respect for Jesus to do it and thus lessening the beginning of Jesus, not the center of your life. This can be moved issue, but you do it out of respect for Jesus malleability means that each sacrifice for the other stubbornness is the opposite of malleability and stubbornness is a characteristic of Satan and sin does not mean that you are going to have a disagreement course not, doesn't mean that you are going to have one list what we call it our house. Vigorous discussions call it what you want fights, whatever. Now it doesn't mean that you will never have a knockdown drag out argument no.

But because of maturity, magnanimity and malleability because of the presence of the Holy Spirit are always going to land your plane on selflessness runway and that is the joy that can come out of pain that I talked about that is muted that can come out of actions that is the success that can come out bitterness and that is very of the marriage valve that you some fool you on a daily basis that you and God on and it gets more joyful every day. Thank you for joining listeners worldwide for leading the way audio with Dr. Michael yourself. He make it a point to listen to the next episode when Dr. Yousef looks at another key ingredient of relationships, forgiveness will be glad you dad. You can partner with Dr. Yousef in his final work around the world by becoming a frontline mission partner is a frontline mission part remotely gives me hope. Dr. Yousef expand leading the lease outreach through every form of believers to impact their communities for Christ as well as reach the unsafe unbleached around the world. Brand-new frontline mission partners receive special ministry benefits including the on the front lines as well as exclusive ministry update and a 20% discount on all resources@lgw.org. In addition, only partners will receive a couple of them a copy of Dr. Michael to such popular book, battle plan for spiritual become a frontline mission partner today by committing to key financial joining claims the gospel all over the globe. Sign up today LGW.org/frontline learn ways to stand with Dr. Yousef and leading the way in proclaiming the truth, discipling new and seasoned questions and assisting persecuted brothers and sisters give us a call 866-626-4356.

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