1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,960 You must be a pretty well liked young guy, Amen. 2 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:05,560 And so we do love and appreciate him. 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,560 And as she already said, she's he's grown up around here. 4 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:09,680 But it's good to see some of you. 5 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,120 I mean, we haven't seen him while it's good to see Steven's 6 00:00:12,120 --> 00:00:16,920 dad here today or Xavier's dad, Steven, that is rather Amen. 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,280 Steven's dad's not here. But we're we're glad to have 8 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,400 Steven with us this morning, Amen. 9 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,120 And we're also glad to have Sam's mom and, and sister and 10 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,440 brother-in-law and all the crew, Amen, here this morning. 11 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,080 So happy, Bob, it's good to see you again back there, Amen, this 12 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:38,440 morning as well, Amen. Terry and Rhonda, of course, 13 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,560 coming over as well to be a part, Amen, of Xavier's baptism. 14 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,720 And what a great thing that is, Amen. 15 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,440 It's nothing like going down into what we all times say, 16 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,880 watery grave of baptism, Amen. According to the scripture, 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,280 Amen. There's something that happens 18 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,280 whenever we do. It's more than just a sign. 19 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,519 Scripture tells us that we repent and are baptized for the 20 00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:06,560 remission or the removal of our sins. 21 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,520 Something actually happens. Amen. 22 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:15,280 I'm going to be turning to Genesis chapter 26 today and 23 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:17,840 reading a few verses of Scripture. 24 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,680 Was drawn to this passage toward the latter portion of this week. 25 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:27,560 I pinned down a few notes back in the month of January when 26 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:29,480 reading through the Bible for this year. 27 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:35,680 And I pray that I pray it's a blessing to somebody today. 28 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,200 And I want to say this, I feel like I almost owe a preface 29 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:45,000 here, but I'm going to, in certain terms, I'm going to talk 30 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,320 about the marital relationship this morning. 31 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:54,000 And I know that we come into a place like this and especially 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,720 in today's world, the dynamic of that is, is multitude, right? 33 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,520 You, you may have come and you may have been divorced or you 34 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,040 may be single, or you might be with the same person that you've 35 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,320 been with for 60 years. You know, I know the whole 36 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,600 dynamic of that, you know, may be different. 37 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,080 But wherever we are in that, I believe this is applicable. 38 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,080 All right? I believe this is applicable 39 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,920 whether we are going to be in a relationship, the next one that 40 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:23,720 we're in, or if we just came out of one or four and one 41 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,880 presently. All right, if that makes sense. 42 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,720 And nonetheless, I come from a biblical basis. 43 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,400 OK, from a biblical basis. And I don't know why the Lord 44 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,880 led me here, but I'm here. And so I'm just going to be 45 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,640 obedient today. Amen to the Lord. 46 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,600 Genesis 26. And I want to read verse #6 47 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,640 through 11 this morning the Bible says. 48 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:54,920 And Isaac Dewell and Gerard, the men of the place asked him of 49 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:59,240 his wife. And he said, she is my sister. 50 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,000 For he feared to say she is my wife, lest, said he, the men of 51 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,360 the place should kill me for Rebecca, because she was fair to 52 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,080 look upon. And it came to pass when he had 53 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,560 been there a long time, that Abimelech, king of the 54 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:18,120 Philistines, looked out at a window, and Saul. 55 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,280 And behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebecca his wife. 56 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,520 And Abimelech called Isaac and said, Behold of a surety, she is 57 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:32,200 thy wife, and how saddest thou she is my sister. 58 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,400 And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, lest I die for her. 59 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,040 And Abimelech said, What is this that thou has done unto US1 of 60 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,720 thy people might likely have lain with thy wife, and thou 61 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,040 should just have brought guilt, tiness upon us. 62 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,640 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth 63 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,520 this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. 64 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,320 My, my key focus this morning is really verse #8 that it came to 65 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,960 pass when he had been there a long time, that is Isaac had 66 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:02,440 been Rebecca had been that Abimelech, this king of 67 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,080 Philistines, looked out at a window and saw kind of 68 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,440 undetected by Isaac and Rebecca, but saw, behold, Isaac was 69 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,280 sporting with Rebecca his wife. And from that Abimelech knew 70 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,760 with certainty, that's not his sister, that's his wife. 71 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,480 And so with the help of the Lord this morning, I want to speak on 72 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:36,200 this subject unmistakably yours, unmistakably yours, Amen. 73 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:37,760 Can we go to the Lord in prayer right now? 74 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,800 Father, I thank you God for the songs that have been sung here, 75 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,880 God, and I feel it undercurrent of your spirit, God coming 76 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,520 alongside me. Lord Jesus, right now, God, for 77 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,960 the next few moments, I pray, O God, that you're able to help me 78 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,880 today. Let my words, O Lord Jesus, be 79 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,520 concise, but Lord, let them also, God be full Lord of love 80 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,320 and biblical truth. I pray, O Lord Jesus today, God, 81 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,720 that you're able to help us, God, not just in our 82 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,760 relationship with you, but in our relationship with others. 83 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,680 God, we'll praise you and we'll thank you Lord, for what you do 84 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,640 here today in Jesus name and everybody saying Jesus name, 85 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,440 Amen. You may be seated this morning, 86 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:25,280 Amen. So this this past Friday, of 87 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:29,640 course, all of the storms were on the the verge of coming or 88 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,280 not coming, However the dynamic, you know, takes place. 89 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:36,840 And I'd already spent some time with this passage by that Friday 90 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:40,320 night by the time it arrived. And so everybody was at home at 91 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,600 our house. Both kids were at home, my wife 92 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:44,880 and I was at home. And there's a lot of times we're 93 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,280 like ships all passing in different directions, but we 94 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:49,960 were all home because of the threat of the bad weather. 95 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,920 And so I don't know about you, but I benefited from the storm 96 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:57,160 because it was beautiful out. I'm, I'm, I'm not trying to put 97 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,240 off anything else that tragically happened somewhere, 98 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,480 but it was nice outside. The wind was blowing and it was 99 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,080 just very comfortable. So I went out in my backyard 100 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:09,600 where my wife already was sitting on the swing. 101 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,280 And that's where she and I kind of resorted, admittedly today, 102 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,440 I'll tell you that there was stuff that we needed to be 103 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,520 doing. There was stuff that needed to 104 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,960 be done. But we spent some time back 105 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,480 there on the swing and, and we, we have a have a wood pile right 106 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,440 behind my swing and I had a spare piece of wood sitting up 107 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,920 there. And this year and both last 108 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,440 year, that's attracted some wood boring bees. 109 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,200 And so while we're sitting there, the bees are coming and 110 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,880 going and you know, they're quite big and intimidating at 111 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,320 that. And so my wife was in war mode. 112 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,720 She was in war mode with these bees. 113 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,920 She she had some decorative pillow that we have outside and 114 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,120 she was using it as a family swatter and she was swinging 115 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:58,680 left and right at these bees. She swung so hard one time and 116 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,040 hit it. She thought she had done it. 117 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,760 She even ripped her decorative pillow trying to do this. 118 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,160 And so she just swinging and doing all this stuff. 119 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:10,360 So after so many encounters with the, the, the boring bees, we, 120 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,440 we have a trampoline in our backyard. 121 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,320 And so we moved to the trampoline. 122 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,720 Now imagine this for a moment. We have a pretty quaint 123 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,120 neighborhood that we have a lot of neighbors real close. 124 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,040 You know, it's like our yards about each other quite quickly, 125 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,720 you know, not too much feet in between our houses. 126 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,040 And imagine this Gray haired lovely lady and myself both 127 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:35,880 pushing into our late 40s, headed to 50, pulling ourselves 128 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,760 up on this trampoline to lay down on our backs. 129 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,960 Nonetheless, as we're peering up into the sky, there's a tower 130 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,080 not far from our house that has a lot of vultures. 131 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,480 But whenever the wind's blowing, they love to become personal 132 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,080 kites in the skies. And so we're up there, we're 133 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,520 talking, we're pointing, we're looking at these vultures in the 134 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,200 sky that's harnessing the wind. And, and we're just talking, 135 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,400 right? We're talking, we're laughing. 136 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,440 I'm I'm showing her some seating that I'm considering for my 137 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,120 office and she's looking at that. 138 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,440 We connected and we shared and all that Friday night, there was 139 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,200 not any money involved. There was not a special venue 140 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:17,120 unless you want to call the trampoline that we just simply 141 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:22,440 had each other's presence. It was simple, but to me it was 142 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,360 meaningful and enjoyable. There's a strange phenomenon 143 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,160 going on in our world today. It happens in homes, restaurants 144 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,799 and churches, anywhere for that matter. 145 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:36,360 You see a man and a woman sitting at the same table in the 146 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,919 same place, and they're both on their phones. 147 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,320 And it's not just the phone issue, it's this. 148 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,400 They're married, but they're not really together. 149 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:50,560 They walk side by side, but they don't walk hand in hand. 150 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,560 They share a roof, but they don't share any rhyme of life. 151 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,360 And unless somebody told you, you wouldn't even know that they 152 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,840 belong to each other. Oh, help me. 153 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,680 Jesus, you've seen them. Maybe you've even been there 154 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,520 yourself at some period of time in your life. 155 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,920 Married couples who act more like roommates than they do soul 156 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,000 mates. They split bills, they divide 157 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,560 chores. They share kids. 158 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,600 But they don't share hearts anymore. 159 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:28,880 And if a stranger had to guess, they wouldn't. 160 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,200 Research from the University of Virginia's National Marriage 161 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,520 Project found that 45% of married people under the age of 162 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,240 45 say they feel emotionally distant from their spouse 163 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:45,640 regularly. The question isn't just are you 164 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,920 married? The question is, would anybody 165 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:54,920 be able to tell it? Would anybody know who your wife 166 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:59,800 or your husband is? Could a stranger spy in on your 167 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:05,920 life and say that woman must be his or that man must be hers? 168 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,480 Not because of a ring on the finger, not because of a post, 169 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,160 not because of anything like that, but just because of how 170 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,240 you treat that other person? Help me, Jesus. 171 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,120 Could a child even say daddy loves mommy? 172 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,080 Or could it say mommy loves daddy? 173 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,040 Could a friend even period say those two there, they're still 174 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,240 connected? Could a watching world even say 175 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,240 there's something different about how they touch, how they 176 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,880 talk, how they look at each other? 177 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:43,560 Or would they have to guess? In Genesis 26, Isaac enters 178 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,040 Gerard. Here in our scripture text, he's 179 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,840 he's pretending that Rebecca is his sister when in fact she was 180 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,800 his wife. He's doing just like his father 181 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,960 Abraham had done on 2 occasions. You read this at different 182 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,720 places in Genesis prior to this time. 183 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:04,080 Abraham at one time enters into Egypt and he's calling his wife 184 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,640 his sister. He enters even into Gerard one 185 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:09,560 time and he's calling his wife his sister. 186 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,960 Amen. And both of them have a fear 187 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,720 they're wives. The Bible says we're fair to 188 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:19,080 look upon modern day language. They were knocked out. 189 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,320 They were hot. They were something special. 190 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,920 You understand what I'm saying? I mean, they were dripping. 191 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:31,560 Oh, yeah, I'm, I'm getting in there. 192 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,120 I don't even know the language, but I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm just kind 193 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,480 of just walking a little bit. Amen. 194 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,880 They were fair to look upon since they were so beautiful. 195 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:45,320 They were worried about another man that may want their, their, 196 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,200 their significant other. And so as husbands, you got to 197 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:51,000 understand the dynamics of the culture as husbands. 198 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,240 They were fearful that the men of these cities would want their 199 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:58,120 wives, Amen. And so if it was a husband, they 200 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,520 just saw the husband as a obstacle to get the wife. 201 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,720 So they would just kill off the husband in order to get the 202 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,280 woman. And so that's the reason why 203 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,960 they said when we enter these places to say that you are my 204 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,960 sister, because the men then wouldn't see that man as a 205 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,280 obstacle. It says someone they wanted to 206 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,200 get the favor of, right? Someone that they wanted to get 207 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:22,880 in good, good relationship with, if per say, he had the authority 208 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,760 to even hand his sister way to be wet. 209 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,320 And so that's the reason why they did these things. 210 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,640 That's the reason why Isaac even operated under this facade of 211 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,840 this of this deception. And but here's what the thing 212 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,120 with Isaac, with with Abraham and Sarah. 213 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,400 Sarah was literally Abraham's half sister, but Rebecca wasn't 214 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,960 even Isaac's half sister, Amen, As as Sarah was. 215 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,840 And so concerning Abraham, when we look at his story back in 216 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:55,760 Genesis 12 with Pharaoh and Abimelech in Genesis chapter #20 217 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:00,320 the Bible tells us that both Pharaoh and Abimelech learned of 218 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,920 Sarah's true identity by divine revelation. 219 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,600 Look at the scripture Genesis chapter 12 verses 17 and 18. 220 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:12,000 This is the occurrence of Abraham and Sarah a man in 221 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,160 Egypt. The Bible says, and the Lord 222 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,640 plagued Pharaoh in his house with great plagues because of 223 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,520 Sarah, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and 224 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,120 said, what is this that thou has done unto me? 225 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,160 Why did this thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 226 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:33,840 And so this revelation of this this woman be on his wife was 227 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:38,120 brought by divine revelation. That happens again also in 228 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,480 Genesis 20 and three, whenever Abraham and Sarah came to Gerard 229 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:44,960 a man, the Bible says in verse 3. 230 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:49,960 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, 231 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,800 Behold, thou art but a dead man for the woman which thou has 232 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:58,280 taken, for she is a man's wife. So on these two occurrences in 233 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,280 Abraham's life, both, for she is a man's wife. 234 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:07,080 So on these two occurrences in Abraham's life, both times his 235 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:14,040 wife, indeed his wife by some type of divine revelation, 236 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:21,840 whether it was of Isaac, it learns the truth that that woman 237 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,200 was truly his wife. He didn't learn it from heaven. 238 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,280 It wasn't that a great plague come. 239 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,920 It wasn't that some divine dream come from him. 240 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,280 It wasn't from heaven. It really was from earth. 241 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,800 It even wasn't the voice of God that come alongside him and 242 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,360 spoke to him. But it was Isaac's own actions, 243 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:46,400 her husband's own actions that gave away that woman is my wife. 244 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,680 Abraham must have been pretty good if you think about it. 245 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,360 He must have been pretty good at at consciously concealing his 246 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,800 husband, wife relationship with Sarah that it took some divine 247 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,600 dream or a divine plague in order to reveal it to them. 248 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:04,880 Amen. But Isaac must have been equally 249 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:09,040 pretty good as well because verse 8 tells us it came to pass 250 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,240 when he had been there a long time that this deception was 251 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,360 finally figured out. Several days had passed. 252 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,840 They had already been in this company and they had thought 253 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,440 that here was Rebecca being his sister. 254 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,680 But the Bible says then in verse 8 that Abimelech, king of the 255 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:33,560 Philistines, looked out at a window and saw and behold, Isaac 256 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,760 was sporting with Rebecca his wife. 257 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:38,760 Now folks, let me tell you something. 258 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:43,520 There is a whole pot of meaning and possible definitions for 259 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:49,480 what sporting is. Other translations say The 260 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:54,120 amplified says he saw Isaac caressing Rebecca, his wife. 261 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:58,400 The the the contemporary English version says he saw Isaac 262 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:03,720 hugging and kissing Rebecca. The SV says he saw Isaac 263 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:08,560 laughing with Rebecca, his wife. The message Bible adults here 264 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,560 mostly aren't. We hopefully says that it's all 265 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,560 Isaac fondling with his wife Rebecca. 266 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,080 The new King James Version says that there was Isaac showing 267 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:23,560 endearment to Rebecca, his wife. One of the scholars said that 268 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,440 the word translated as sporting derives from a Hebrew word for 269 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,480 laughter, but depicts erotic activity. 270 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,840 We're talking about in the context of marriage here, OK, So 271 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,720 we're not really sure the true absolute definition of the word 272 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:43,760 of sporting. I'm not really sure. 273 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,120 I can't stand up here confidently and tell you exactly 274 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:48,880 what Ahimelech. Amen. 275 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:53,200 What Abimelech observed between Isaac and Rebecca, I can't tell 276 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,200 you today. But I can tell you whatever he 277 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:02,200 did observe was culturally apparent and unmistakably known 278 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:06,960 to him that that doesn't take place unless those two people or 279 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:11,760 husband, there was something that tipped him off enough to a 280 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:15,200 degree that that type of activity is the type of activity 281 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,040 that takes place between a husband and a wife. 282 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,160 That type of voice, that type of touch, that type of longing in 283 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,359 the eye, whatever it is, that's something that takes place 284 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,800 between a husband and his wife in so much that he got away from 285 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:29,880 there. And when he had time aside with 286 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:34,040 Isaac, he said emphatically, without any reservation, that 287 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,520 woman is not your sister. That woman is your wife. 288 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,320 So what happened? Here's what happened. 289 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:54,720 Abimelech got a window into the lives of Isaac and Rebecca from 290 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,240 this moment. We understand this isn't a 291 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:02,240 scripted moment. They didn't know they had an 292 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:07,640 audience. So it's just a benign 293 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,600 interaction between a man and his wife. 294 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,320 And Abimelech is observing. He's watching. 295 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,320 It seems as though from a distance. 296 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,160 He's not even hearing say words. He's just reading their 297 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:29,000 behavior. No dream from God. 298 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,680 He didn't hear a confession. He just watched undetected and 299 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:41,640 he knew that's his wife. I questioned us today. 300 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,160 Then in this building, the Bible was good for all types of 301 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,080 things, salvation and relationship. 302 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:50,880 Could an outsider deduce who your spouse was by observing how 303 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,680 you treat them? And what would they see? 304 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,160 What would they hear, What would they notice? 305 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,040 Wasn't a divine warning that came, or a dream for that 306 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:06,640 matter. Though I don't know if we can 307 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,880 exclude what happened here with Abimelech and what he saw. 308 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,240 I don't know if we can exclude that from being the divine 309 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,320 revelation. And the reason why I say that is 310 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:20,240 because God designed a unique connection between a husband and 311 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:27,520 wife for enjoyment, if you will. Ecclesiastes 9 and verse #9 the 312 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,200 preacher is talking to us. Solomon is saying that this is 313 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:36,160 what he says in verse 9 of Ecclesiastes 9 Live joyfully 314 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:41,720 with the wife whom thou lovest all thy days of thy life, of thy 315 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,800 vanity, which he have given thee under the sun, all the days of 316 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,040 thy vanity. For that is thy portion in this 317 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:55,320 life and in thy labor, which thou take us under the sun. 318 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,840 Look at this. The Bible says that all 319 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:04,000 Scripture is God breathed. It's inspired of God, which 320 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000 means it's God breathed in the book of Timothy. 321 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,360 So God inspired what what the preacher, what Solomon wrote 322 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,960 here in Ecclesiastes and basically has Solomon write this 323 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,480 if if you if you just kind of break it down. 324 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:23,640 Solomon is telling us that our portion in our life and labor on 325 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,680 this earth is joyfully living with our wife. 326 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:32,800 I want you to just take that in, soak that in for a moment. 327 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:36,840 Of all the things that he could have said was our portion or our 328 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:41,120 share or our part in this life, the one thing that he hones in 329 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,360 on, he says your share, your portion in this life is living 330 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:48,680 joyfully with your wife. What's that mean? 331 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:54,280 That means if I'm not, then I'm missing a significant aspect of 332 00:20:54,280 --> 00:21:04,120 what this life is. He could have had a list of 333 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:07,160 things that he had just planted right there in verse #9 Blake. 334 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,840 And the labor of this life is to live joyfully with your life. 335 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:11,960 Here's the fact of the matter. And I, I'll speak to men. 336 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,440 We could also speak to women. But this is vice versa here 337 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,840 today. Sometimes even as men, we pursue 338 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,680 work and ministry and legacy more than we pursue joy. 339 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:25,480 But it even goes to the degree to mean it's our inheritance. 340 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,520 Wait a minute, what? Yes, our spouse represents our 341 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,200 inheritance in this life. She's our inheritance in this 342 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,680 thing that we even call work. Therefore, as a result, if you 343 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,480 had somebody right now today that was standing at the 344 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,440 declaration of an estate after someone has died and they're 345 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,640 divvying up, if you will, land or monies or possessions of 346 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,800 inheritances. And I know some people are 347 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,040 frivolous. They could care less, but most 348 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,000 people, they're going to see whatever it is that they 349 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,920 received as something very treasured because it's an 350 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:58,800 inheritance that has been given into them. 351 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:01,000 Amen. Solomon says, inspired by the 352 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,120 Holy Ghost. Your spouse is that treasure in 353 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:09,800 this life. Oh, yeah. 354 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,040 Amen. Treasure. 355 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,400 So here's here's the thing that don't need to happen. 356 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,520 I know I've only been married for a few years and we're going 357 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:22,800 on, what, 28 this year? Only 28, Mom and dad. 358 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,160 This year's going to be how many years? 359 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:30,320 60 years crazy in the day's world, Craig, crazy. 360 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,760 Marriage doesn't need to start terrific and then become 361 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,280 tolerable. Not that it's going to be 362 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,000 perfect. I don't know, a perfect 363 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,760 marriage. I know we do our weddings with 364 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:47,160 like made in heaven and all that stuff. 365 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,960 Let me tell you, it's made in heaven with the fear of hell. 366 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:01,200 There are UPS, there are downs, there is good and there is bad. 367 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,800 I know it won't be perfect, but can we extract any joy from it? 368 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,400 Can we extract any joy? Can Can other people tell? 369 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:20,000 Other people tell by the tone that we use that she's my wife. 370 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,920 Can other people tell by by the way that she looks at me or I 371 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:28,200 look at her across the room in a crowd, that they are my spouse, 372 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,240 or how I protect them, or how I cherish them, or how just a 373 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,800 simple smile comes up on my face when she or he enters the room? 374 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,640 Could that tell? Hey, man, Isaac never had that. 375 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,200 Listen to me, Isaac never look again. 376 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:45,400 Isaac never had to tell them that Rebecca was his wife 377 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,720 because he couldn't help but sport with her even when he 378 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:56,360 tried to hide it. Amen. 379 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,560 Look at the Bible here. Here's another unmistakable 380 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,320 relationship with Jacob and Rachel. 381 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,880 The Bible says in Genesis chapter 29 and verse #20 and 382 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,720 Jacob served. Folks, this is a different 383 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:14,560 culture and different age. Jacob served seven years for 384 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:20,160 Rachel and look at this next phrase and they seemed unto him 385 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:26,640 but a few days for the love. Let's get down here with doctor 386 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:37,000 love for the love he had to her seven years to get her hand only 387 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,480 to find out on that seven whenever he got her in the 388 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,920 marriage took place. The Bible says in the morning it 389 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:49,000 wasn't Rachel, it was Leah, the elder sister. 390 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:55,520 And the Bible says he loved Rachel, but it was Leah. 391 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,800 And so seven years, he says it's just been a few days. 392 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:04,720 I love her. Fair to lookable. 393 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,440 And as a result of all this now trickery of it being Leah, 394 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,440 Jacob's love for Rachel is so evident that not only did he 395 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:19,000 serve seven years, but Laban told him you're going to have to 396 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:25,120 serve an additional seven years in order to get Rachel's hand in 397 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:27,760 marriage. And Jacob admitted, hey, you 398 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:31,600 beguiled me. Yes, but we never read that, 399 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:37,280 that he refused the offer. We never read they refused the 400 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:41,560 offer or it was unfair to work 7 more years to get the 1 he loved 401 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:46,520 And you want, you want to talk about an unmistakable 402 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,200 relationship? It wasn't like 714. 403 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,720 Forget it. That's where I drove the line, 404 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,600 asking too much. Come on. 405 00:25:56,360 --> 00:25:59,480 Because do we have imaginary lines in our relationship when 406 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,280 it's like, Nope, that's too much too far. 407 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,440 I'm not willing to serve her or him to that degree. 408 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:12,240 Well, God help me, Jesus. There are a few stories in 409 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,080 scripture that ever focus on Isaac. 410 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:17,520 As you read through the Bible, man heavy on Abraham, heavy on 411 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:20,680 Jacob, but there's not a lot said about Isaac. 412 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,040 And so we lean in whenever we receive some knowledge 413 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,840 concerning Isaac. Isaac is the son of his parents 414 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,720 old age, right? Abraham and Sarah, he was born 415 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,240 to them whenever they were owed an old love. 416 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:35,960 Isaac is the product of an old love. 417 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:38,360 Amen. And the Bible tells us that when 418 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:43,160 Rebecca was brought to Isaac by Abraham's servant, it was one of 419 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,360 the longest chapters in the Bible, in the book of Genesis of 420 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:48,080 Abraham's servant finding a wife for Isaac. 421 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,920 That whenever Abraham's servant brings Rebecca to Isaac, the 422 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,160 Bible basically tells us that Isaac loved her. 423 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,360 All right, and he also loved her. 424 00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:01,080 We understand that Rebecca was barren during those first parts 425 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,800 of their marriage for 20 years, or I say 20 years. 426 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,000 For 20 years, Rebecca was barren, could not have an 427 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,480 offspring. Yet during those 20 years of 428 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:14,120 barrenness, what is Isaac doing? He is loving his wife. 429 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:18,360 He's attending to and serving his wife for those 20 years 430 00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:20,320 nonetheless. And look what happens. 431 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,560 This is Genesis 24 verse 67. All right. 432 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,400 This is the long chapter in Genesis 24 about getting a wife 433 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,400 for for Isaac. This is when Sarah, or rather 434 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,840 when Rebecca's brought and Isaac brought her, Speaking of Rebecca 435 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:40,680 into his mother Sarah's tent and took Rebecca and she became his 436 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,960 wife and he loved her and Isaac was comforted after his mother's 437 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,280 death. Now this is interesting. 438 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:50,120 Number one, you got to understand this. 439 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:54,040 It's not like Isaac and Rebecca had this courting season or 440 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,000 dating season. This is a different time. 441 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,040 She was brought introduced to him. 442 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,600 He took her as his wife and loved her. 443 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,600 In the in the ancient Near Eastern cultures, for a man to 444 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:13,480 show public expressions of romantic affection and and love 445 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,720 it it was rare is considered private in their culture unmanly 446 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,760 to openly display that. As a matter of fact, the Bible 447 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:27,000 rarely tells us whenever a man loved his wife rarely does. 448 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:31,720 But here it says in this verse it tells us plainly that Isaac 449 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,640 loved Rachel or Rebecca. And so that phrase carries some 450 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:40,360 weight for you and I, because it's the very same thing that 451 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,200 we'll see, that Abimelech evidently saw whenever he spied 452 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:46,800 out into their life from a distance, some type of 453 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,440 endearment, the one between the other. 454 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:54,840 And here's the fact Isaac loved Rebecca before he really knew 455 00:28:54,840 --> 00:29:03,600 her in the way that our modern culture, he didn't pick her. 456 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,920 Abraham's servant picked her under God's direction and 457 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:13,720 brought her back again. No long courtship, no emotional 458 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:18,000 build up. The Bible says Isaac took 459 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:23,280 Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her. 460 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:31,240 Follow me here real quick. For Isaac it wasn't love and 461 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:35,400 then commitment. For Isaac, it was commitment and 462 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:42,440 then love. It was commitment and then love. 463 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,600 Someone say Amen. And as a result of that, 464 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:52,800 according to the Scripture, the Bible tells us that Isaac was 465 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:57,760 comforted. He has recently lost his mother, 466 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,000 Sarah. She has died in Genesis 23. 467 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:06,760 Her tent has remained unoccupied as a result of this. 468 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:10,360 It's a visible sign of of a loss and an absence in the family. 469 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:14,520 Her tent is vacant. And so I'm sure whenever Rebecca 470 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:20,480 shows up and Isaac pulls her into his, that vacant tent, that 471 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:26,440 unoccupied space, that there is a myriad of emotions that's 472 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:31,280 dredged up inside of Isaac when he's standing in his deceased 473 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:36,120 mother's tent and next to him is this Rebecca that is standing 474 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,240 there. But the Bible describes that the 475 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:44,480 love and Rebecca had went so much so beyond the realm of 476 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:49,280 romantic love that the love that they had, he, it was his wife. 477 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,920 She was and he loved her. The Bible continues to tell us 478 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,680 in that verse that it brought healing. 479 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,680 Hear me today, it brought healing. 480 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,400 Look at it, Isaac. The Bible says he loved her. 481 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:05,200 She he brought her in. She became his wife. 482 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,240 He loved her. In Genesis 2467, Isaac was 483 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,920 comforted after his mother's death. 484 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,440 This love that they had between them was more than just a 485 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,280 romantic love. It was a love that helped Isaac 486 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:19,400 heal. Rebecca entered a space that 487 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:22,960 Isaac brought her into. He brought her into that tent. 488 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,080 He brought her into that space. It was a space of loss. 489 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,600 It was a space of grief. It was a space, if you will, of 490 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:32,760 feeling now this abandonment in this void. 491 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,000 He brought his wife into that space and he was comforted. 492 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:43,520 Folks, let me tell you today, some of the joy of the portion 493 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:47,560 of the inheritance in this life is that God has given you 494 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:52,160 someone in your marriage that when you've suffered loss, when 495 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,880 there is heartache, when there is despair, there is something 496 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,600 in that love that goes beyond emotion and romantic love. 497 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,520 There's a healing agent, that is. 498 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,000 I believe it's a tremendous picture shown there in the 67th 499 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,520 verse of what marriage life should be. 500 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:18,200 It's where two people enter a commitment and they choose to 501 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:22,360 love each other with a love that has healing qualities to heal 502 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,120 what's inside of the other person. 503 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:28,360 And no matter what you face, you can enter to that thing and you 504 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,000 can have comfort, you can have healing. 505 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,160 Because even in all the loss, even in all the grief, even in 506 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:55,520 all the uncertainty, our spouse remains our portion in this 507 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:02,240 life. So for job loss, you still have 508 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:07,800 a portion in this life. Going through some turbulent 509 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:13,760 times you still have a portion in this life health 510 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,120 deteriorating. You still have a portion in this 511 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:23,440 life. He or her is unmistakably yours 512 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:34,780 or should be in his extensive study on marriage psychologist. 513 00:33:34,780 --> 00:33:37,100 You may have heard of his name Doctor John Gottman. 514 00:33:38,180 --> 00:33:40,300 I've I've heard podcast concerning. 515 00:33:40,300 --> 00:33:43,640 I've read things concerning my daughter's had him in stuff 516 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,040 along the lines of him in college. 517 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,400 We've discussed it back and forth. 518 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:50,720 But Doctor John Gottman found that what sets healthy, lasting 519 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:54,320 marriages apart isn't grand gestures or compatibility 520 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:57,400 quizzes or things like that, but it's visible patterns of 521 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:01,200 connection. He has what's called a spath 522 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,520 coding system. And in this Gottman highlights 523 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:11,040 facial expressions, touch tone, eye contact signals that 524 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:12,960 indicate some type of emotional closeness. 525 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,760 He'll be monitoring. He has a love lab and that's A 526 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:20,159 and going down to the love lab. He has a love lab. 527 00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:24,040 He'll has married couples come and he'll have them talk along 528 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:27,120 the subject that there might be a little bit of tension with 529 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:31,440 them in their relationship. And he'll monitor the, the, the 530 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:35,080 palms, the the how wet they are. If sweaty they are, he'll, he'll 531 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,920 monitor heartbeat. He'll monitor even has their 532 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:43,239 chairs with a jiggle meter on it, how much they move in their 533 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,840 chair as they're talking about these different things. 534 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,600 And so he's developed this love lab and he could watch couples 535 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:54,639 and interact and predict this is documented and predict with over 536 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:59,120 90% accuracy which ones would last just by observing how they 537 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:04,320 treat treat one another in small yet visible ways. 538 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:09,000 He'll take 15 minutes of a conversation and that each 539 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:15,600 segment at each second, he'll judge by the spat code at each 540 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:20,400 second where they are AT, and then from the cumulative of all 541 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,160 that he has come to be 90% accurate. 542 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:31,400 The study revealed that a lack of small, visible acts of 543 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,880 affection like smiling, touching and meaningful conversation 544 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,560 predicts a relationship decline with near scientific precision. 545 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,880 What are you saying? I'm saying Isaac didn't need a 546 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:50,560 love lab. He brought her into the tent and 547 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:54,920 later Abimelech didn't need a divine dream because he just saw 548 00:35:54,920 --> 00:36:01,200 something and he knew. Or the Terry? 549 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,440 What about us? What do people see when they see 550 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:13,880 our marriage and they tell whether it has life still or 551 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,880 not, or that Joy's already left their home? 552 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:22,160 You can stand with me today and I'll hasten to a close. 553 00:36:33,930 --> 00:36:35,370 Folks. Let me tell you this, and I say 554 00:36:35,370 --> 00:36:38,250 this often, and the local church family probably get tired of 555 00:36:38,250 --> 00:36:45,690 hearing it, but marriage is under attack because marriage is 556 00:36:45,690 --> 00:36:50,600 the very model that God pointed to in Scripture to be 557 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:52,720 illustrative of Christ in his church. 558 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:59,120 And it's under attack on all kinds of levels, particularly in 559 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,640 the modern day world about even what marriage means. 560 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:05,360 Is it between a man and a wife or is it, you understand what 561 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:07,880 I'm saying? It's on attack on all types of 562 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,640 levels because it's the very model that he used before Christ 563 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:14,960 in his church, that if you can tamper with the model, people 564 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,720 will have a misunderstanding about what that relationship 565 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,400 it's supposed to be like. And so it's under attack. 566 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,200 And so with that, this morning, we live in a world today. 567 00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:33,760 And listen, I'm your friend today, OK? 568 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:38,280 I'm your friend. We live in a world today where 569 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,080 there's all types of couples that are sharing beds, but they 570 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:47,840 don't share any burdens. They share calendars, what's 571 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:49,960 going on in their life and their kids life, but they don't share 572 00:37:49,960 --> 00:38:00,760 their hearts names but no tenderness rings on the finger 573 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:08,440 but no romance vows that they did on a particular date and 574 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:11,880 might have a picture hanging in their house, but no visible 575 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:15,360 affection just now. Ceremony with no connection. 576 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,720 And if the world is watching, and let me pause and tell you it 577 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:30,280 is, I hope that they see more than just two people surviving 578 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:36,400 under the same roof. So Sheila wanted to see signs of 579 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:46,000 joy, signs of laughter, signs of a comfort with each other in the 580 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,280 same space. I want them to see healing. 581 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:54,760 I want to be able to. I want to be able to look 582 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,800 through the window of our lives and for them to be able to 583 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:02,120 declare without any reservation of the surety. 584 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:12,120 She is thy wife of a surety. He is your husband because of 585 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:16,320 what they said, what they try to paint on their social media 586 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:22,320 front, but because of what they were showing when no they knew 587 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:29,200 no one was looking or observing. You hear me? 588 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:38,040 I'd be real plain today, but walking the dog in public when 589 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:41,120 it's in shambles in private doesn't change what's in 590 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:51,660 private. Brother Mason, you can come 591 00:39:52,020 --> 00:39:55,660 unmistakably, if we can just bow our heads here today, close our 592 00:39:55,660 --> 00:40:01,160 eyes unmistakably, unmistakably yours. 593 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:03,160 Brother McGee, this just really didn't apply today. 594 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,080 I'm I'm single. I've never been married. 595 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:06,800 Well, pre adventure, you're married someday. 596 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,120 There's your application. Well, brother McGee, this 597 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:10,600 doesn't really apply to me today. 598 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,360 I'm single and I have been in a marriage and it didn't work out. 599 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:17,480 Well, it applies if you ever seem to look at and want to go 600 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:19,320 in another direction of having another marriage. 601 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:21,480 If you're married today, it applies to you. 602 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:25,000 If you're a young person and it seems maybe far off, it applies 603 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:30,760 to you, applies to us all. Applies to us all. 604 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:38,080 God has given us something in the covenant of marriage, the 605 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:41,640 leave and the cleave that he spoke of in Genesis. 606 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:51,480 Is there anything, is there any joy that can be extracted there 607 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:53,600 to anything that can be observed there? 608 00:40:54,280 --> 00:41:00,120 Sir, ma'am, I believe, I believe that that man that you call your 609 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:05,240 husband or that that woman that you call your wife, I believe, I 610 00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:09,280 believe they're worth loving. I believe they're worth 611 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,800 investing in. I believe they're worth serving, 612 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:16,440 as Jacob said, seven years, 14. Yes, they're worth that because 613 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:23,880 Solomon says this is our portion in this life and work. 614 00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:27,920 But when you crawl in bed beside that individual at night, you're 615 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,600 crawling in bed behind, next to your inheritance in this life 616 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:37,400 that when you hold that hand, you're holding your portion in 617 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:42,040 this life that before you become ugly with your words. 618 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:43,720 And we have times that we're idiots. 619 00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:46,960 But when you, you become ugly with your words and, and, and 620 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:50,640 you're just very begrudging and you're very with contempt and 621 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:52,680 all these things. Remember what you're holding 622 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,120 there, you're holding, you're holding your treasure in this 623 00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:02,440 life and work, the one that's to be unmistakably yours. 624 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:07,880 I give my wife a hard time all the time. 625 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,440 She's got good genes. I got bad genes when it comes to 626 00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:14,480 health, right? So I'm already on medication, 627 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:17,560 have been for years because of health and she doesn't, she's 628 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:21,160 not on a single thing. Dirty dog got the gene pool. 629 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,120 So I tell her, I said, you know that only thing that means is 630 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:28,400 I'm going to die before you do, which statistically men 631 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:33,280 typically do. She's like, don't say that, but 632 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,880 standing here today, however far removed that is, I want that one 633 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,600 that's the the portion of my life to be the one that's there 634 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:45,040 whenever I take my last breath. The one that we created 635 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:47,160 children, the one that I created children with. 636 00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,920 I've walked through a few things in this 28 years of marriage. 637 00:42:54,920 --> 00:43:00,600 And you know what I found healing in a tent that was 638 00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:02,800 spelling loss and grief and despair. 639 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:08,040 But because she was there, God had sanctioned that you on 640 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:12,800 healing there shouldn't have by all under by under all other 641 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:17,600 circumstances I should not have, but it did because it's the 642 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:21,440 power of our treasure. It's the power of our portion in 643 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:27,000 this life. If you're standing next to your 644 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:30,240 spouse today, I'd ask you just to grasp their hand this 645 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:33,080 morning. And if they're not, you know 646 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:36,120 where they are. They, I know some are traveling 647 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:38,520 and so on and so forth, but you just grasp that hand. 648 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,120 And if your spouse isn't here today, I want you to raise your 649 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:45,720 hand toward the Lord. And I want you to ask God to 650 00:43:45,720 --> 00:43:50,080 help you in this life to appreciate the treasure, to 651 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:54,280 appreciate the portion that He has given to us in this life. 652 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:56,040 I'd like my wife to join me right now. 653 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,160 Appreciate the portion, appreciate the treasure. 654 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:02,120 Hallelujah. It wouldn't even hurt to just 655 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:05,400 speak some words over each other in prayer right now. 656 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:11,600 Father, I come to you, God, I have, I have felt the witness of 657 00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:16,800 your spirit here today. And you know far better than I, 658 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:19,520 God, why you have directed me to this road this morning. 659 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:21,320 But this is the road that we have walked. 660 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:27,520 I pray, O God, today I pray, O God, today God, I want Lord. 661 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:32,960 If someone would spy in Lord, have a window into my life, God 662 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:35,360 that unmistakably Lord, they could tell. 663 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:40,160 Unmistakably God, they could deduce God that she's my wife 664 00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:43,800 and that I'm her husband. I I pray, O God today, help me, 665 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:48,640 O Lord, to live joyfully God with that white all my years. 666 00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:53,240 But this is my portion in my work, Lord Jesus in my work it's 667 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:58,360 my portion God my inheritance. I pray, O God today, Lord, you 668 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:02,480 able to wrap Lord your arms about Lord the people and the 669 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:06,280 relationships in this building. God, those, Lord, maybe that 670 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:10,080 have just freshly exited relationship ships, those God 671 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:13,640 that may be considering new relationships, I pray, O God, 672 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:17,440 those where it might be many years removed, God, those that 673 00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:20,360 have went, Lord, through divorces, God, those, Lord 674 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,440 Jesus, God, they're still dealing with hurt and pain. 675 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:26,640 Lord God from former relationships, I pray, O God, 676 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:31,480 today be the balm of Gilead in this place, Lord over families, 677 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:34,320 be the balm of Gilead, Lord, Be a healing agent. 678 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:37,720 Lord in this place, God for husbands and wives. 679 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,960 God, there's been words of animosity where there's been 680 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:44,640 words of hatred, where there's been words of misunderstanding. 681 00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:48,280 I pray God come down. Lord, let there be alignment 682 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,680 that would take place when within the home. 683 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:54,480 Alignment, Lord, emotional alignment, romantic alignment. 684 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,920 God that would take place within the home and family. 685 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:00,360 Help them get back in touch with Lord what they were once Lord 686 00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:02,880 impressed by. Lord in that under the other 687 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:07,560 individual God, that spark, that once Lord tired God on them. 688 00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:11,360 Let it not tired, let it not vain, let it not wither. 689 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:14,920 There'll be hard times, there'll be difficult times, we won't 690 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:18,200 always get it right, But Lord that there always be something 691 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:22,400 we can extract some joy from God, that we can extract from 692 00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:27,480 joy from God, that we would be unmistakably each other's God. 693 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:36,480 God, I pray against, Lord, the hand of the adversary, they 694 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:40,080 would want to mix and muddle. Lord, the model, Lord Jesus of 695 00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:44,360 marriage, God would want to tear it down, disintegrate it, Lord, 696 00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:47,000 dilute it. I pray God to degree God, that 697 00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:50,200 brings confusion to the model of Christ in his church. 698 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:52,240 I pray today, hedges of protection. 699 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:56,160 I pray today, hedges of protection around every home, 700 00:46:56,160 --> 00:47:07,440 every family. Oh, God, Brother Mason, if you 701 00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:10,160 have a song on your heart right now, we can sing it. 702 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,360 Amen. I want to be mindful of the Lord 703 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:15,840 in this place again, I know we all enter this building with 704 00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:19,840 maybe with a myriad of histories and, and different feelings that 705 00:47:19,840 --> 00:47:23,240 arise whenever someone will begin to talk about these type 706 00:47:23,240 --> 00:47:24,880 of things. But they need to be talked 707 00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:25,920 about. They're in the Bible. 708 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:27,200 We need to talk about them.