The Power of Sex

Good morning Summit church and welcome at all of our campuses around the Raleigh-Durham area this weekend. We are beginning a series called from the beginning where we are going to take a look at God's designs for sexuality and relationships. And as your campus pastor I think said earlier in your service. We always encourage you if you have kids to take advantage of the excellent programming that's going on in the Summit kids area, but over the next few weeks. I really want to encourage you to consider that I am not going to be intentionally risqué, but we might from time to time delve into little PG-13 content and I don't want to force these conversations on you. If you are not ready for them. The way that other people have forced them on the my family when I was not ready for them.

So if you think your kids might not be ready for this yet. Now right now might be a great time at your campus to stage an emergency bathroom run and then wire out drop your kids off at Summit kids if they are 13 and up. They really should be fine.

In fact, they might in them having to explain a few things to you throughout the series so but know that you have been worn. One of the legendary stories around here at the Summit church seems to be about a work death that I committed while preaching about sex people that have been around here for a while now just refer to it as the sex and the fireplace story.

But if you're new here you like.

What are you talking about as I was explaining how because sexuality is one of the greatest gifts that God gave the human race. It had incredible power to blast but the flipside is has incredible power to destroy us and it's like fire that unifier you want fire in your house, your answer ought to be depends on where you put it fire in the fireplace is awesome fire in the sofa, not so much. But instead of saying that I said sex and the fireplace is awesome and then little to send the people begin to laugh and it probably would've been fine if I just left it there but no, I had to say whatever. The first thing that popped into my mind was, and so I said well it's dirty and it's hot and at that point it became a Summit legend, so our pastoral team has request fully ask that I not say anything that spontaneously pops into my mind throughout the series that I stick really closely to the script which I will be happy to oblige them on that I used that illustration because it sets up the main idea really get into her the next few weeks and that is that sexuality is a special creation of God is among the loftiest of the natural gifts that God has given the human race, and as such it has incredible powers for life.

If it's engaged correctly and destruction if it is misused or abused.

Think of it, almost like you think of a nuclear power. Human sexuality is so much more than just the propagation of the species. It is to use the words of a friend of mine, a mingling of human souls.

One sociologist pointed out that human beings are the only species who procreate face-to-face because for us it is not just biology. There is something profound that is happening that goes down into the soul. The very core of who we are as people. And when we go back to the very beginning we find that God first designed human sexuality to teach us primarily about himself and what his love was like you see in sacks one person loses themselves in another and becomes one with them mysteriously to those separate and distinct, become one which is Paul says, like the Trinity. Different persons distinct persons yet one essence that is my new pickup line by the way for Veronica. Would you like to contemplate the mysteries of the Trinity together this evening.

It has not worked yet but I'll keep trying were going to delve into this sacred mystery. Over the next few weeks. Next week we are going to talk about singleness and dating were going to see that Jesus had a very different view of singleness than what our culture currently crams on her throat. The week after that, we are going to ask some difficult questions about same-sex attraction. Is it really wrong. If it is wrong. Why would you say it's wrong to me is not harming anybody into seems like a choice that the dull people should be able to make an after that we'll talk about why it is that divorce can be so devastating know why how it is that you can avoid it, or how to do with it once you been through it a few weeks ago I said that if love is a dream, then marriage for many people is like the alarm clock and I want to try to show you on that week that it doesn't have to be that way. And then finally to wrap up our series were to take a look at a precious gift that God has given to us. That is unfortunately obscured through our culture's obsession with sex and that gift is friendship.

But let me tell you why I really want to get into this now many of you listening to me each week are engaged in sexual sin anything is no big deal you like, you know what were adults, we love each other really get married someday.

But God says in his word that you are bringing his curse upon your lives. Hebrews 13 for the marriage is honorable in the bed is undefiled, but those who violate that covenant God will judge them if you think it's just a it's a lie. Casual thing is not a big deal but I think it is a big deal for others of you many of you listening to me, pornography is destroying your soul. When I say that I'm talking about men and women. I know the statistics I know that might be a little different, the church, but I know they are for Raleigh-Durham animal to tell you that a lot of you listening to me that are held captive by this is a lot you that it is destroying not only a relationship with God is destroying your capacity to love and relate to somebody else for others of you your craving for romance and sex has gotten so out of balance in your life that you become obsessed with getting married or maybe getting into a new marriage or a better marriage and you thought you just could not be happy unless you're in a different marital situation than the one that you're in right now and that idolatry is ruining your life.

There is nothing that gets down to the core of why we are unhappy. Nothing he gets into the core of what's broken in our relationship with God. There's nothing that touches that as much as the subject does right here and so I am asking God to speak life into this area of our lives in mind, particularly mind of the next several weeks, and I love you to pray together with me for that because when God establishes himself as the Lord of this part of your life, you will find it brings untold blessing to multiple dimensions of your life today. Proverbs chapter 5 if you got a Bible Proverbs chapter 5 we look at the power of sexuality. Tim Keller, who I have told you before, is kind of like a spiritual Yoda to me. Great Bible teacher. He is says that our culture both over values and undervalue sex.

It's ironic we undervalue it. On one hand we overvalue it on another. So Proverbs chapter 5 unpacks that a little bit older brothers does little at first how we undervalue sex as your finding Proverbs chapter 5 will be explained in our society wants to believe that sex is just physical, like food, you get hungry you eat hours like a sport.

You've got to figure out what you enjoy what position your good at many play like tennis serve your wrestling or football. You just talk which others them around for a while but the really only important questions are what do you enjoy what satisfies you what works for you and the idea of any rules for sex, particularly strict rules about sex seems terribly draconian because of certain kinds of sex or a crime, will they seem like victimless crimes.

Let me ask you present you with some questions.

I heard once that will tell you what you already know and that is that sex is not just physical. If sex is just physical wise rates are much more harmful to a woman than simply being beat up your women will will will more often review report physical abuse much more often than they will rape. Why is that why is it if sex is just physical. That would a child is sexually abused when they become an adult may finally connect the dots sizes are difficult for them to shake.

It's not that an authority figure just betrayed them the wonders much deeper than that.

If sex is just physical. Why is adultery always so devastating to a relationship if sex is just physical.

Why is it that men with the deepest sexual issues often had uninvolved or missing fathers.

Why would those two things be related if sex is just physical wise of the most people's greatest regrets have something to do with a sexual mistake with somebody comes in office and I sit down and I start to cry.

Michelle never told anybody this pastor. But I gotta tell somebody what comes out of their mouth.

9999 times about thousand has to do with the sexual mistake they made everything in our experience screams out sex is not just physical. We know that something much greater and more profound is at work and so Solomon says in Proverbs chapter 5 to his son. Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well cistern is an image of female sexuality.

You went into a cistern to get water. He continues verse 16 should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets now for 16 he switches to a male image for sexuality springs or fountains.

I am not going to explain that any further to you if you do not get it. Well, master campus pastor. That's why we pay him the big bucks.

Solomon continues verse 17. Let them let these treasures be for yourself alone and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. A lovely dear a graceful go, let her breasts fill you at all times with delight be intoxicated always with her love be so erotic in your sexual passion with her that you feel drunk make us all some of you guys for the very first time underline something in your Bible, whatever it takes men might not realize how countercultural this passage was in Jewish culture in all ancient cultures of the time to really only two reasons that you got married.

Economics that you married strategically into another family so your family could be in a better position or fertility wanted to have children. Sexual erotic desire was not a part of the marriage process and back on. Most people would satisfy that outside of marriage with a prostitute or something of that sort.

But here you have Solomon talking about sexuality in terms of finding erotic delight to the point that you feel inebriated in a partner that you given yourself to for life in Proverbs chapter 2 he calls a wife. The companion of your youth.

The word in Hebrew uses for companion. How Luke means something like what we would mean when we say soulmate that was so far beyond how Solomon's culture saw sex they sought punctually or they thought is the satisfaction of an appetite Thomases or something much more profound than that we take you another passage in Proverbs talk about this again. Perhaps even more colorfully. Proverbs chapter 35/25 chapters their new Bible Proverbs chapter 30 over 30 verse 18, three things are too wonderful for me, for I do not understand this is called a 34 Pohlmann Hebrew used to express wonder three things are awesome there wonderful the fourth just totally blows me away because you're working in this escalating sense of wonder come by the way, that word wonderful is the Hebrew word Palau which is a very strong Hebrew word that usually gets tied to defendant divinity will be divided incomprehensible is mysterious. It's a name given to Jesus in Isaiah 96 you will call his name Palau wonderful city center something divinely mysterious about these three_oh my goodness, it is blows it out of the water to order the 33. The way the needle verse 19 in the sky the way of a serpent on a rock in the way the ship and I see the air is mysterious is invisible, yet the Eagle glides effortlessly through it. The snake has no legs and it's able to kinda magically work at Weber rock face slidable rock face. You and I would not be able to do with arms or legs. How does that work exactly a ship weighing thousands of pounds is able to glide sore across the top of the ocean to other creatures. These things seem almost like magic. There's a special mysterious design at work that he builds his way up the number for the big ultimate mystery beyond all these is the way of a man with a virgin.

Now there's a little tongue-in-cheek humor there that you just don't want to mess things like the sea and air, and a rock face seemed unmanageable to most creatures, so the woman also is mysterious and unmanageable. By the way, when I said that last night and are in service. I got yells out, amen, grow.

This is not the time for you to be going out. Amen. That's why you're still single, but just as the Eagle seems designed to miss variously working the air. He says just like the ship worked magically on the sea. There is a wonderful divine mystery taking place between a man and a woman in a sexual relationship.

The next image. Verse 20 is deliberately jarring, but this is the way of an adulterous. She eats and wipes her mouth and says I have been the wrong. She hereby contrast you have a woman for whom sex is like sloppy eating at an appetite. I after I was done I want my mouth whenever the traces that was it was not the magical work here was appetite is that's not I got hungry. I Solomon says that totally misses the incredible wonder that God built into sex. It is a complete evaluating of sex and put it back on the animal level insects. The two become one physically you can imagine that my two bodies become one in that oneness. The apostle Paul would later explain this to be achieved in the context for everything else in their lives has become one.

Also that's what marriage is, in marriage or lives have become one.

Your your families have become on your last name on your finances are one. Your future is one sex outside of marriage separates that physical oneness from the oneness and all the other dimensions you are saying to that person. When you have sex with them outside of marriage. I don't really want all of you yet. At least I'm not willing to commit to all of you yet.

I just want your body for right now that's what I want oneness with not everything LCS was a great analogy for this guy who wants to have sex he said with a girl without marrying her. Feels about the girl the way that the bulimic feels about food, the bulimic person.

Once the blue person loves the taste of food. It brings pleasure and comfort to them, but they don't want to carry around. The calories in the saturated fat of the food in their bodies.

So after they cheated and tasted and have the pleasure of it.

They vomited back out. That's what the guy is doing. Lewis says who have sexually grow outside of marriage you saying I love the taste of you.

I love the sense of oneness with you, but I don't want all of you yet so we'll just have sex and I will full unite myself to you so I'm not married yet, but I love this person and I do want all of them and why haven't you got married. I'm not saying that you love them.

I'm not saying that you're not on some level committed to them. But at least be honest and open yourself to admit that you have not given yourself to them yet and you and I both know that is committed as you filter them today.

You retain the right to walk away at any minute. Let me be very clear on this, since there seems to be some confusion, according to God's word and the clearest of possible ways. Sex of any kind in any context before you made that lifelong commitment in marriage is sin 34 marriage is honorable. The bed is on the file but those who participate in that. Outside of that marriage covenant. God will judge. That means sex during the engagement stage hitting sex during the serious dating stage that kind of oneness is to be experience only after the indissoluble covenant of marriage has been made while somebody says, okay, okay I get it.

Sex is better in marriage, but what's the big deal for this have a little fun towards Woody Allen here sex without love is an empty experience but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best work Katy Perry I want to know your name and matter. It is my experimental game just human nature.how does he know the words of that song not taking questions at this time but that's it that's it your because you're human and because you're not just an animal, it's more than just nature, and it's never just an experiment told you about a book that I own thing. Talk to this couple years ago called hooked not a Christian book the scientific study written by a couple of neurologist showing what having multiple sexual partners, especially when you're young does your brain may not write as Christians, were they explained that multiple sexual partners actually rewire your brain in a way that makes you say genuine, lasting, selfless relationships much more difficult, if not nearly impossible is what they say and I quote the individual who goes from sex partner to sex partner is causing his or her brain to mold in such a way that eventually accepts that sexual pattern as normal.

The pattern of changing sex partners.

Therefore, damages their ability to bond in a committed relationship in the future.

The kind of attachment, damage caused by repeated sexual encounters is in many respects more devastating than pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy more devastating than STDs repeated sexual encounters actually hinder our abilities to form lifelong and satisfying relationships. The authors use the metaphor thereof tape with duct tape, which you probably heard that duct tape and wrap it around on our menu board all forgettable off euro bits of heroin pieces of skin on that duct tape is a truly sticky within you take a single duct 80 wrap around somebody else's arm and you do it, it still has powers of cohesion, but less that 20 times about the 20th time that tape is lost all that stickiness. Mr. that's what multiple sex partners does to somebody's brain. It prohibits the power of cohesion and a lifelong satisfying relationship is not pastors.

These are people writing from scientific analysis of the brain. Here's what they conclude. You can no more try out sex and you can try out birth. The very act of sex produces a new reality that cannot be undone when we talk for a minute here about the damage of pornography because looking at pornography these authors show.

Perhaps an even greater extent destroys your capacity for lifelong, satisfying relationships. It's not only an offense to God.

It is pure.

It's an offense so out.

First, it causes you to start looking at the opposite sex, like a commodity someone without a soul. We talk to me and specifically here though this issue is a noted pledge with men and women men when you gaze at pornography you are looking at an image of a woman whose body you just want to use you don't see her as a person is a soul in that train your mind to begin to see all women in a certain way and that's how you start to relate to all women in your life when you look at pictures of women with no recognition may have a soul. Your mind starts to see the real women in your life as objects, next time you pull up a pornographic image. What you remind yourself that air behind every porn star is a father whose heart is broken with his little girl when you begin to think of women.

That way, you begin to relate all women that way then I can keep it separate I can keep pictures and that's where you will. That's what the authors of this book are showing you that pornography literally rewires your brain to begin to relate in certain ways.

They say that the way that many Germans got comfortable with committing the worst atrocities against Jews during the time the Holocaust was because for nearly 2 decades that her Jews talk about a subhuman answer. These Germans who were not moral monsters but they just became very accustomed to the pain and the suffering of Jews not really mattering because they started to think about using a certain way and that made them begin to relate to Jews in a certain way and the same thing happens when you consume pornography as it trains your mind so that it affects every female relationship in your life.

If you have pornography, men listen for the sake of your relationship with all future women. You need to get rid of it today and was like I would tell you if you got up on your playlist a song in which a woman is referred to as a witch or a horror it not to be erased from your playlist forever. But tonight, then you should not support any artist talk about a woman is a commodity that way. Why, because how you train your mind to think about women is how you can start seeing them and how you see them is how you can start relating to the other thing that pornography does is destroys your own capacity for sexual fulfillment. All prescribing six of the things reset against you any Stanley says that every time you look at porn. You rewire your heart to believe three things a real body is enough only one body is not enough.

Number three. My wife's body is not good enough because no woman, no matter how beautiful she is, can live up to what you see in porn read an article by Naomi Wolf, who is not a Christian is super radical feminist. She says for most men.

Real naked women are just bad porn no man I'll tell you this, no man has ever gorged himself on porn and then got married and put it behind him because his wife met all of his porn fantasies that never happens like the opposite happens. He breaks her heart that nothing this. If porn is something that's in your life and your is not willing to deal with it. You want to at least have the character to look at fiancé or that girl from the face and tell her that you're not willing to deal with it and tell her you're to bring those three assumptions into your marriage that 1 robot is not good enough that only one body is not good enough in your body is a good enough to she at least has the option to know what she's getting into. She can opt out now before you destroy your art later you at least want to have the character to tell her I was a problem for me and I'm not really willing to do what it not just that I direct a lot of that issue toward men, but in our society has become just as much, one for women in the wild success of 50 shades of gray birds coming SQL 50 shades of gross and 50 shades of gonorrhea you see soft porn for women made mainstream. These books, these movies are not romantic. These books are destructive and they are destroying your capacity for romance. Now tell you again. If you took your wife or girlfriend to go see one of those movies you've always romantic. You need to repent a God new apologize are because you were not a man, a character at that point what you did is you played into a life.

Not this point. I know they're some of you feeling overwhelmed because you made these kind of mistakes. Or maybe you're trapped in a mine. Now your menu described in my life when I want to tell you that is not one of us who stand before the throne of God. Pure will stand their clothes in our righteousness. We stand their clothes in the righteousness of Jesus Christ righteousness that he purchased by his blood in the righteousness that he put upon us is not my purity is not what I've done that makes me whole with the blood of Jesus so precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fountain I know nothing but the blood of Jesus. You see I get to tell you that the blood of Jesus connection may keep your after his blood is been applied to before you even said maybe you're broken right now by all the sexual mistakes you've made. I get to tell you that the resurrection of Jesus is such that he can put you back together again, stronger and more whole than before you were broken. You see, God made the death of Jesus, gruesome, why because he was punishing Jesus for your sin so you would know that there is no sin you ever commit that his blood cannot cleanse you from the maybe Jesus resurrecting the dead because he was showing there was nothing broken. That cannot be put together. So the prophet Isaiah says, now let us discuss together so the Lord, that your sins are like scarlet, but they stain you to the soul yet.

I can make you white as snow contributes 517 if anyone is in Christ is a new creation. Old things are passed away behold all things become new. Romans 81. There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, God has made us new and him.

Romans 63 we are buried with him by baptism into death, just like Christ was raised up on the debacle or the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 725 because of the death of Jesus. God is able to save to the uttermost of the deepest point of brokenness and pain all those who come to God in him. I get the privilege of telling you that the gospel conclusions in the gospel can heal but you got to repent and you gotta come to got a receipt.

That's how we undervalue sex and we do it to our destruction there.

So we overvalue sex kind of the ironing. Proverbs 1122 like a gold ring and a pig snout is a beautiful woman without character discretion agree that his character we all this is Solomon at his absolute finest gold ring. Let's also never was a gold ring problem is a big old nasty hog attached to it, but you got a guy once the ring so bad that he figures he'll put up with this line as long as he gets the ring every night.

He's got the satisfaction of Daisy that is raining but is gotta sleep with this big old nasty hog in his bedroom to see what idiot would do that. And Solomon says the person who thinks that sex and beauty or everything our culture overvalue sex and beauty giving those things entirely too much weight and what makes for the good life in the put up with any hog as long as they get that first for many of us we feel like physical beauty is all that matters. Physical beauty is all that really gives a person value. A lot of people put way too much emphasis on physical looks when they're dating, they will settle for hog like character.

If they get gold ring level beauty now say this to you, you would do well to remember that when Proverbs 31 describes the ideal woman when Proverbs 31 describes the woman who will bless your life day after day after day until the day that you die and your children will rise up and call her blessed.

Not what I Proverbs 31, does it ever discuss her beauty is ideally time dimensions beauty it mentions it disparagingly. Proverbs 3130 charm is deceptive.

Beauty is fleeting as a woman who fears the Lord. That's the one who's going to be praised. That's the one is to bless your life beauty is good.

Solomon was in the beauty I'm in the beauty beauty is good. He said, but character that's the real beauty and character is better. I told you before, I remember the first time that I laid eyes on the girl who would become my wife. I was speaking at a high school camp where she was a counselor not a camper and was just going to be clear on that and she got out she was leading worship and I was supposed to speak after she only worshiped number thinking you got your concentrating on God and the sermon is likely to repent and and and and I got to talk to her North our first real conversation we ever had was about Calvinism's chills just thinking about it now was awesome and I just the way she talked about people and the way she respected people in the way she treated people in. I knew that the kind of character that I wanted to be united with now here we are, what 15 years in the marriage.

She still beautiful to me.

She still beautiful. But I see a woman now who is sacrificial, he devoted her time in her body. Having and raising our four children. She can no longer devote herself all day long to beautifying herself. That makes her more beautiful to me today than the day that I met her because there's nothing more beautiful than a beautiful spirit because I know that when people oppose me and when I go to difficulty. She's the one I went by my side, and we walked the tragedies. She's the one that I want is my companion when I get old and unattractive like you're there now when I get old and really unattractive and I got six gyms. I know that she's not going anywhere because she has beautiful character because charm is much as she had in his deceitful and the beauty is fleeting, but it's a woman who fears God that's a woman who blesses you for every day of your life for eternity. There are some women who think that physical beauty is so important that they feel absolutely worthless will worthless without it. So we got a lot of young girls who do really destructive things to their bodies to try and look good. Anorexia and bulimia are often built on the assumption that your primary beauty and your identity, your real worth is established by your shape and your size you know that anorexia and bulimia are five times more common in our country than in non-developed countries and they are two times more likely on the college campus than they are in society at large.

Tim Keller says what that shows you is that the closer you get to the heart of Western civilization.

The closer you get to the culture forming womb of civilizations that will be a college campus. The more that women are bombarded with the message that all that matters about you is your looks in your character that matter, at least not that much. So we got girls who do destructive things of their body because I got a have. I gotta have that gold ring. A lot of women get depressed as they age. Because when their physical beauty is gone, so goes their identity, so goes their happiness it all they had what Solomon says his physical beauty is gone, it's gone.

It's a creation of God, but a person who walked with God has a beauty it last forever. That's the real beauty. Another way that we overvalue sex is that we convince ourselves that the good life the happy life is impossible without good romance and good sex symbol will be given anything to have that. That's why I'm not too infrequent. Tragically, I know man in our church who in their late 40s early 50s leave their lifelong companion and their kids for a younger, sexier woman even though it destroys their family and their finances but they feel like at all costs.

I gotta have that ring who cares about the hog of a ruling family. I read a book one time were God listed out all of the things that would happen if he committed adultery so moved by on a moan list Apple out every once in a while.

Just remind myself because I'm a guy like you guys and under what temptation is like an artist. When I ask her having my mind.

The things that I know you not. If they think I know what happened. If I committed adultery I will read on to you because of you I would cause untold heard to Veronica and I would have to endure the loss of her respective trust that would likely forfeit my entire relationship with her. I would cause deep hurt and confusion to Charis Allie Ryan and Adnan who may never understand why I was willing to trade them for a thrill.

My relationship with them would never be the same. I would bring shame when my mother and father. I would heap shame and the girl that I committed adultery with and bring him with mockery to her I would call shame to you.

My church family I would enable the laughter and the blasphemous smugness of professors at you and see Duke and NC State of North: a central who already disrespect God and mock him in the classroom and I would give them just another exhibition reason to do that. I know I would follow in the footsteps of men whose ministries. I admired and forfeited that either immorality and whose example no cause me to shudder with pork had become another example, most importantly, I would grieve my Lord and my Savior and one day I would have to look him in the face and explain why, why, after all that he had given to me after all the beauty he had put my life. Why, I just had to have something else. This is not worth it. It's just not worth it. Now you say I have sinned that way can I not be forgiven.

Yes you can.

Like I told you the power of God's grace is amazing in its restoration. We have people in our church that had been restored in this and is beautiful but you of all people should want others to understand how devastating and how powerful these things are is not trifling and I feel like some of you here this weekend and the reason God has you hear is I'm supposed to warn you, standing on the precipice of your about to destroy everything but take this so seriously you will same psychotic announcers that I will not go to lunch with a woman is on the way I would not be alone woman who is now my wife when I travel I always take a guy with me. Why because my family and this church in the reputation is entirely too precious to me to put a gun to my head and hope the chambers not loaded and I will not take you said you like that's ridiculous. That's ridiculous. Maybe you saw. Think about how important this is and how much don't want to take a chance with the things in your life that are most precious. That gold ring is not worth and there are some of you that are forfeiting your very soul over this issue and the reason I say that is because this is the number one reason, especially among people in college in the first three years after while they won't take the Lordship of Jesus seriously why because they don't want to bring this underneath the Lordship of Christ, and I will look at them on the site you would trade your soul, you would treat God for this fantastic. Yes, but not worth God is not worth your soul. Hebrews 13 for marriage is honorable. The bed is undefiled. I want you to be drunk with your passion. It but those who do not do it his way. God will judge some people oversight value sex and how that they feel they could be happy if they're not married where they are married. It's like you can be happy if they don't get a different marriage, a better one. You're always in the other people's relationships that you know much better you be a new situation you're fantasizing about the premature death of your spouse and get remarried or whatever ridiculous thing that you is because you put too much value on it, beauty is such a good or beautiful creations of God. But they're not the most important things and are not what makes for life.

Cheers last verse I give you. Proverbs 623 for the commandments.

The commandment is the way of life. In the commandment. Solomon says that is in a relationship with God that your life is not insects. It's a God what you think about this the most joyful, most fully fulfill the most fully alive person who ever lived and who ever walked the face of your was a single virgin. He was the happiest person everyone face of the earth. Every time you pray, you prayed a 33-year-old single adult virgin, yet his life was filled with joy that was inexpressible because he had the love of the father and back. Psalm 1611. Witchy. I think quoted in your presence is the fullness of joy, he says, not in our marriage or in row at that's sure it's awesome joy but it's not the Bulls enjoyed your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Not in the bedroom at summer pleasures for evermore pleasures for evermore God are with you like often tell you the love that you're seeking, and romance is actually his love the arms. You yearn for in romance are his arms sexual love can be a great demonstration of the love of God in the gospel but it's not the ultimate thing she insects you get a beautiful picture of the gospel insects your naked and somebody sees all of who you are and they love you.

It goes back to the soul me that we have listened to this to be known and loved. That's what the human heart wants. We got to be known and loved to be one of the others of your known but not love that's rejection, but if your loved and not knowingness or sentimentality so insects you get a glimpse of somebody who knows you sees you completely and loves you unconditionally and the gospel. You see the fulfillment of that is there. You see a God who sees the nakedness of your soul.

They see all the deformity they see all the ugliness and they love you and they delight in you and me except you unconditionally and that is the love that your heart is yearning for. Paul says she meets Mrs. that's where life is, and then he goes on ceiling finishes the verse.

It preserves you from the smooth tongue of the adulterous do not desire beauty in your heart. Don't let her capture you with her eyelashes. How do you escape the captivity and the power that sex and romance has ever you, whether that's your addiction to porn or the fact that you're a serial dater and you gotta be the new marriage or you got you escape that captivity Solomon says by a greater captivity.

That's how you do it you get captured by the love of God and that releases you from this need to always have this other thing in your life and then you can become a whole person you get captured by the love of God for you and it makes you a healthy and whole person begins the love from the overflow and not because you're a desperate, lonely person have often told you guys. Also, this single, lonely, insecure people become married, lonely, insecure people back their lowliness and insecurity gets worse. Another is mad about another blaming somebody else will. Loneliness and insecurity that luminous insecurity. What a single marriage issue. It was a you and God issue.

Problems like loneliness and insecurity are not cured by another human being only care about the love of the father will say some is to become radical for you, but I actually think it's great advice. There are some of the so messed up in your life you single people you blow the whistle call timeout you want to take a year off from dating why because you need to get this relationship right you need to become a person who is full of life in God today. And then when and if God brings that marriage relationship to you. You can do it out of the overflow and not as a desperately needed person like often say the single people you're not ready to date until you're ready not to date.

Because when you're ready not to date.

That means you understood that life doesn't come from another human being comes from God. And when you're ready not to date. Then at that point you can begin to the date into love is a real person, full person. There are others of you that this is the area we never surrender to Jesus knowingness services over at your campus or some of you guys and I don't know you're engaged or you're seriously dating is like you to walk down you grab hold your campus pastor and said would you marry us when asked conversation with you. Marry us in there to do what it takes to get this corrected their others of you that you just this is an area where it reveals brokenness. What you need is the love of the father. Once you bow your heads all of our campuses. If you would as much, as any other subject.

This area reveals where things are broken in your life. If you're unhappy this weekend is a real chance that it's connected to this issue. Somehow if you're overwhelmed by guilt is a real chance that it's this issue if you feel broken, it's real chance that it goes back in some way to this issue. The gospel is that Jesus died for your sin so you can cleanse you from guilt. The gospel is that Jesus rose from the dead, so we can put you back together again. The gospel is that his love is the fountain that will satisfy the thirst of your soul to get that his blood cleanses. His resurrection reveals his love satisfies and it's a gift you don't.

It's not accorded to what you do.

It's a gift that you receive because what he's done. You never received it. I would invite you to do it right now, Lord Jesus, I surrender and I receive.

If you know that you've already received that I would invite you just to go deeper into it, to meditate on it to turn it over again and again in your mind until it overflows out of your soul.

No other fountain I know nothing nothing but the blood in the love and the power and the resurrection. Just a minute or campus pastors and extend an invitation for you to be baptized get baptized is regrettable that she get baptized is a testimony that you trust in Christ, what a beautiful picture to give into the water, showing the Jesus cleanses your sin out of the water show when you walk in newness of life. I encourage you if you have been baptized just a minute that imitation not hesitate to take father, I thank you for the blood that makes me hold that will never lose its power. The resurrection that you names the love the satisfies I thank you for the God and Jesus