0:00:19.858,0:00:23.649 Let's pray together. 0:00:23.649,0:00:28.165 Father, I pray that the worldview 0:00:28.165,0:00:33.814 that tries to fit biblical pieces in, 0:00:33.814,0:00:37.956 but is a worldview shaped by 0:00:37.956,0:00:42.231 unbiblical assumptions, would be changed. 0:00:42.231,0:00:45.578 So that, marriage and singleness 0:00:45.578,0:00:47.622 are seen to be what they are 0:00:47.622,0:00:50.979 in the radical alteration of things 0:00:50.979,0:00:55.644 that Jesus has brought. 0:00:55.644,0:00:58.773 This is something that [br]I can't make happen. 0:00:58.773,0:01:02.696 But You, by Your Spirit, [br]through Your Word can. 0:01:02.696,0:01:05.438 And so I ask that You would perform it. 0:01:05.438,0:01:08.730 Not that a few little nuggets would be 0:01:08.730,0:01:13.773 fit in to a defective paradigm, 0:01:13.773,0:01:15.596 but rather that the whole system 0:01:15.596,0:01:17.995 would be blown away 0:01:17.995,0:01:18.986 and replaced by 0:01:18.986,0:01:23.364 a biblical understanding of all things. 0:01:23.364,0:01:25.625 So that the smaller things 0:01:25.625,0:01:27.819 like marriage and singleness 0:01:27.819,0:01:31.705 would fit in the way [br]that you have designed 0:01:31.705,0:01:35.162 in Christ Jesus in this brief 0:01:35.162,0:01:40.565 and temporary age in which we live 0:01:40.565,0:01:44.121 in preparation for eternity. 0:01:44.121,0:01:47.385 So, come and help me be [br]faithful to Your Word now, 0:01:47.385,0:01:51.197 and give ears to hear,[br]I pray, through Christ. 0:01:51.197,0:01:52.745 Amen. 0:01:52.745,0:01:56.700 I'm going to start and end 0:01:56.700,0:01:58.390 with my main point, 0:01:58.390,0:02:00.310 and in the middle, 0:02:00.310,0:02:04.735 I'll saturate you with many texts. 0:02:04.735,0:02:08.169 So that we have foundation under 0:02:08.169,0:02:10.766 the beginning by the time [br]we get to the end 0:02:10.766,0:02:12.825 and say it again. 0:02:12.825,0:02:14.606 My main point is that God promises 0:02:14.606,0:02:18.303 those of you who will remain single 0:02:18.303,0:02:21.146 blessings that are better than 0:02:21.146,0:02:24.930 the blessings of marriage and children. 0:02:24.930,0:02:29.812 And secondly, that He calls you 0:02:29.812,0:02:33.267 to display by your Christ-exalting devotion 0:02:33.267,0:02:36.351 in singleness, 0:02:36.351,0:02:39.528 to display truths about Christ 0:02:39.528,0:02:42.083 and His Kingdom 0:02:42.083,0:02:45.105 that shine more clearly through 0:02:45.105,0:02:48.645 singleness than through marriage. 0:02:48.645,0:02:50.364 Four of them. 0:02:50.364,0:02:52.718 Four truths that will shine 0:02:52.718,0:02:55.254 more clearly through a life 0:02:55.254,0:02:57.797 of devoted singleness in Christ 0:02:57.797,0:02:59.768 than through marriage. 0:02:59.768,0:03:02.562 Number one. 0:03:02.562,0:03:05.332 That the family of God grows 0:03:05.332,0:03:08.891 not by propogation through[br]sexual intercourse 0:03:08.891,0:03:12.691 but by regeneration through[br]faith in Christ. 0:03:12.691,0:03:14.545 Number two. 0:03:14.545,0:03:16.983 That relationships in Christ are more 0:03:16.983,0:03:19.233 permanent and more precious 0:03:19.233,0:03:22.892 than relationships in families. 0:03:22.892,0:03:25.526 And of course, it is a wonderful thing 0:03:25.526,0:03:28.610 if relationships in families can be both 0:03:28.610,0:03:31.939 relationships in families[br]and relationships in Christ, 0:03:31.939,0:03:33.726 but we know good and well 0:03:33.726,0:03:38.318 that is, for many of us, [br]not the case. 0:03:38.318,0:03:39.505 Number three. 0:03:39.505,0:03:41.799 That marriage is temporary, 0:03:41.799,0:03:43.639 and finally gives way to the 0:03:43.639,0:03:46.007 relationship to which it was[br]pointing all along, 0:03:46.007,0:03:48.191 namely, Christ and the church. 0:03:48.191,0:03:50.125 Just like a picture is not needed 0:03:50.125,0:03:52.727 when you are seeing face to face. 0:03:52.727,0:03:54.333 And fourth. 0:03:54.333,0:03:58.502 That faithfulness to Christ[br]defines the value of life, 0:03:58.502,0:04:04.398 and all other relationships[br]get their significance from that. 0:04:04.398,0:04:05.880 Faithfulness to Christ. 0:04:05.880,0:04:08.421 No family relationship is ultimate. 0:04:08.421,0:04:11.993 Relationship to Christ is ultimate. 0:04:11.993,0:04:15.227 That's my message. 0:04:15.227,0:04:17.219 That's my main point. 0:04:17.219,0:04:19.227 It has many layers. 0:04:19.227,0:04:22.587 And we now need to see Bible 0:04:22.587,0:04:23.703 underneath it, 0:04:23.703,0:04:25.311 and where all of that comes from. 0:04:25.311,0:04:27.355 And we'll start in the [br]middle of the Bible, 0:04:27.355,0:04:29.554 then we'll go back to [br]the front of the Bible, 0:04:29.554,0:04:31.002 then to the end of the Bible. 0:04:31.002,0:04:33.283 And we'll be all over the Bible[br]in this message, 0:04:33.283,0:04:34.610 because this message is a 0:04:34.610,0:04:38.217 Biblical theology of singleness. 0:04:38.217,0:04:44.820 Isaiah 56:4-5 0:04:44.820,0:04:46.902 "For thus says the Lord: 0:04:46.902,0:04:49.899 To the eunuchs... 0:04:49.899,0:04:53.947 (that is, those that cannot procreate 0:04:53.947,0:04:55.515 and thus devote themselves to some 0:04:55.515,0:04:59.917 unique service... 0:04:59.917,0:05:02.881 a king or somebody.) 0:05:02.881,0:05:07.212 Thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs[br]who keep My Sabbaths, 0:05:07.212,0:05:12.667 who choose the things that please Me[br]and hold fast My covenant. 0:05:12.667,0:05:17.746 I will give in My house[br]and within My walls 0:05:17.746,0:05:21.595 a monument and a name, 0:05:21.595,0:05:26.812 better than sons and daughters. 0:05:26.812,0:05:29.862 I will give them an everlasting name 0:05:29.862,0:05:35.520 that shall not be cut off." 0:05:56.946,0:06:03.264 So God promises to obedient eunuchs... 0:06:03.264,0:06:09.843 blessings that are better than that [br]of sons and daughters. 0:06:09.843,0:06:11.143 In other words, 0:06:11.143,0:06:15.243 God promises those of you [br]who remain single in Christ, 0:06:15.243,0:06:20.565 blessings that are better than[br]being married and having children. 0:06:20.565,0:06:23.140 Now, to see that more clearly, 0:06:23.140,0:06:25.398 we need to go back to the beginning 0:06:25.398,0:06:31.495 of the Bible and make our way forward. 0:06:31.495,0:06:33.718 In the created order, 0:06:33.718,0:06:37.755 before there was any sin in the world, 0:06:37.755,0:06:40.035 and in the covenental order 0:06:40.035,0:06:44.810 between Abraham and the coming of Christ, 0:06:44.810,0:06:50.297 God is primarily building [br]His covenant people 0:06:50.297,0:06:58.163 through the mechanism [br]of procreation. 0:06:58.163,0:07:01.378 In other words, being married 0:07:01.378,0:07:06.289 and having offspring was of[br]paramount importance. 0:07:06.289,0:07:11.039 Because God was focusing His[br]Kingdom building efforts 0:07:11.039,0:07:17.897 on an ethnic people - Israel - primarily. 0:07:17.897,0:07:20.940 So, to be married and to have children 0:07:20.940,0:07:23.333 was the preservation of a name[br]and inheritance 0:07:23.333,0:07:26.217 and of a covenant. 0:07:26.217,0:07:31.207 So you get in Genesis 1:28, 0:07:31.207,0:07:36.805 "Be fruitful and multiply,[br]and fill the earth." 0:07:36.805,0:07:38.430 Genesis 2:18 0:07:38.430,0:07:39.962 This is all before the fall. 0:07:39.962,0:07:41.778 Genesis 2:18 0:07:41.778,0:07:44.868 Before woman was made, [br]God says to Adam, 0:07:44.868,0:07:48.118 "It is not good that man[br]should be alone. 0:07:48.118,0:07:51.981 I will make a helper[br]fit for him." 0:07:51.981,0:07:54.208 And then when God chose Abraham 0:07:54.208,0:07:57.962 as the beginning of that [br]covenant people of Israel. 0:07:57.962,0:07:58.970 He says to him, 0:07:58.970,0:08:00.963 go out and look at those stars. 0:08:00.963,0:08:04.509 So shall your offspring be. 0:08:04.509,0:08:07.035 And when Abraham found[br]that he couldn't have children 0:08:07.035,0:08:09.522 because Sarah was barren, 0:08:09.522,0:08:13.395 he went and got himself[br]a child by Hagar, 0:08:13.395,0:08:15.131 and said to the Lord, 0:08:15.131,0:08:18.646 "Oh, that Ishmael might [br]live before You." 0:08:18.646,0:08:22.135 And God said, "No." 0:08:22.135,0:08:24.696 "But Sarah your wife will [br]have a son." 0:08:24.696,0:08:25.832 In other words, 0:08:25.832,0:08:28.236 physical offspring really mattered. 0:08:28.236,0:08:30.633 And it would come[br]God's way and God's time. 0:08:30.633,0:08:32.010 And then He reaffirmed that 0:08:32.010,0:08:34.709 to Isaac in Genesis 26:3, 0:08:34.709,0:08:38.411 "I will be with you,[br]and I will bless you, 0:08:38.411,0:08:42.190 for to you and your offspring,[br]I will give all these lands, 0:08:42.190,0:08:46.029 and I will establish the oath[br]that I swore to Abraham, 0:08:46.029,0:08:48.370 your father." 0:08:48.370,0:08:52.326 And again, physical offspring[br]is seen to be crucial. 0:08:52.326,0:08:55.178 The reason these offspring[br]are so crucial, 0:08:55.178,0:08:57.276 is because they're the way the covenant 0:08:57.276,0:08:59.449 is preserved and extended 0:08:59.449,0:09:02.116 on into the future. 0:09:02.116,0:09:05.376 And because a name would be lost. 0:09:05.376,0:09:07.721 A name would be lost. 0:09:07.721,0:09:12.839 Do you remember how Saul[br]plead with David 0:09:12.839,0:09:15.495 not to wipe out his offspring, 0:09:15.495,0:09:20.565 so that his name would [br]not be erased is what he said 0:09:20.565,0:09:22.791 1 Samuel 24:21 0:09:22.791,0:09:24.985 "Swear to me therefore[br]by the Lord 0:09:24.985,0:09:28.003 that you will not cut off[br]my offspring after me, 0:09:28.003,0:09:30.364 and that you will not destroy my name 0:09:30.364,0:09:33.410 out of my father's house." 0:09:33.410,0:09:34.648 And some of you remember, 0:09:34.648,0:09:35.976 the whole institution, 0:09:35.976,0:09:37.584 the very complex, 0:09:37.584,0:09:40.383 institution of Levirate marriage. 0:09:40.383,0:09:41.297 Remember that? 0:09:41.297,0:09:47.738 Where a man is obliged to [br]marry his deceased brother's widow 0:09:47.738,0:09:53.056 so that the name of the brother[br]would not be lost in the tribes. 0:09:53.056,0:09:56.520 And the ordination was that the[br]first son born would get the name 0:09:56.520,0:09:58.206 of the dead brother. 0:09:58.206,0:10:01.476 Listen to Deuteronomy 25:6. 0:10:01.476,0:10:04.645 "And the first son whom she bears[br] 0:10:04.645,0:10:07.205 shall succeed to the name 0:10:07.205,0:10:09.731 of his dead brother, that his[br] 0:10:09.731,0:10:12.281 name might not be blotted out 0:10:12.281,0:10:13.712 of Israel." 0:10:13.712,0:10:16.949 Now that's an amazing provision,[br]is it not? 0:10:16.949,0:10:19.429 For the perpetuation of the name 0:10:19.429,0:10:23.051 through the physical seed of [br] 0:10:23.051,0:10:26.341 this man's wife and his brother. 0:10:26.341,0:10:29.712 The most famous illustration of that is? 0:10:29.712,0:10:32.978 Boaz and Ruth. 0:10:32.978,0:10:34.762 Remember? 0:10:34.762,0:10:37.830 He marries Ruth in order that 0:10:37.830,0:10:43.436 Elimelech and Mahlon, her husband 0:10:43.436,0:10:47.948 would not lose their name[br]and their inheritance. 0:10:47.948,0:10:49.262 Listen to these words, 0:10:49.262,0:10:52.968 "Ruth, the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon 0:10:52.968,0:10:56.294 I have bought to be my wife 0:10:56.294,0:11:00.318 to perpetuate the name of the dead[br]in his inheritance, 0:11:00.318,0:11:04.228 that the name of the dead[br]may not be cut off 0:11:04.228,0:11:08.557 from among the brothers,[br]and from the gate of his native place. 0:11:08.557,0:11:10.737 You are witnesses to this day." 0:11:10.737,0:11:13.471 Ruth 4:10 0:11:13.471,0:11:17.155 So you can see how crucial marriage 0:11:17.155,0:11:20.518 and offspring were to the preservation 0:11:20.518,0:11:23.513 of name and inheritance[br]and covenant. 0:11:23.513,0:11:29.685 No wonder Jephthah's daughter 0:11:29.685,0:11:32.863 asked for two months[br] 0:11:32.863,0:11:37.203 not to bewail her impending death, 0:11:37.203,0:11:41.321 but to bewail her virginity. 0:11:41.321,0:11:45.463 An amazing story. 0:11:45.463,0:11:47.664 "So she said to her father, 0:11:47.664,0:11:50.187 'let this thing be done for me, 0:11:50.187,0:11:52.416 let me alone for two months, 0:11:52.416,0:11:55.170 that I may go up and down [br]on the mountains, 0:11:55.170,0:11:58.554 weep for my virginity, 0:11:58.554,0:12:01.728 I and my companions.' 0:12:01.728,0:12:06.491 And so he said, 'Go.'" 0:12:06.491,0:12:10.966 That's the background for[br]Isaiah 56:5. 0:12:10.966,0:12:14.505 That's the background. 0:12:14.505,0:12:19.400 To cause your jaw to drop. 0:12:19.400,0:12:24.690 And for you to stand amazed at this. 0:12:24.690,0:12:26.598 Thus says the Lord: 0:12:26.598,0:12:30.960 The eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, 0:12:30.960,0:12:33.694 who choose the things that please Me, 0:12:33.694,0:12:36.563 hold fast to My covenant. 0:12:36.563,0:12:40.780 These unmarried, these childless ones. 0:12:40.780,0:12:45.196 I will give in My house[br]and within My walls 0:12:45.196,0:12:49.479 a monument and a name [br]better than sons and daughters. 0:12:49.479,0:12:52.584 I will give them an [br]everlasting name 0:12:52.584,0:12:55.136 that shall not be cut off. 0:12:55.136,0:13:01.678 Now where in the world[br]did that come from? 0:13:01.678,0:13:06.796 And where is that pointing? 0:13:06.796,0:13:10.156 It came from chapter 53. 0:13:10.156,0:13:13.860 Want to go there with me? 0:13:13.860,0:13:18.189 We read chapter 53, this [br]glorious prophecy of the Messiah 0:13:18.189,0:13:20.806 coming to be wounded[br]for our transgressions, 0:13:20.806,0:13:22.959 be crushed for our iniquities. 0:13:22.959,0:13:28.170 But do we ponder verse 10? 0:13:28.170,0:13:32.780 "It was the will of the Lord to crush Him." 0:13:32.780,0:13:35.492 This is what God did to [br]Christ on the cross. 0:13:35.492,0:13:37.606 Prophesied 700 years earlier. 0:13:37.606,0:13:41.108 "It was the will of the Lord to crush Him. 0:13:41.108,0:13:43.199 He has put Him to grief. 0:13:43.199,0:13:46.756 When His soul makes [br]an offering for guilt..." 0:13:46.756,0:13:48.237 There's our salvation. 0:13:48.237,0:13:51.512 "When His soul makes [br]an offering for guilt, 0:13:51.512,0:14:01.656 He shall see His offspring. 0:14:01.656,0:14:04.550 He shall prolong His days." 0:14:04.550,0:14:08.591 Indeed forever, [br]after the resurrection. 0:14:08.591,0:14:12.352 "The will of the Lord[br]shall prosper in His hand." 0:14:12.352,0:14:13.780 What does that mean? 0:14:13.780,0:14:16.729 He shall see His offspring? 0:14:16.729,0:14:18.497 Jesus was never married. 0:14:18.497,0:14:26.633 Don't you believe any[br]crazy movie that says He was. 0:14:26.633,0:14:29.905 The whole point is that[br]He wasn't married. 0:14:29.905,0:14:32.535 And that He was a dry tree 0:14:32.535,0:14:34.531 and a eunuch, 0:14:34.531,0:14:35.860 and a single man, 0:14:35.860,0:14:38.340 faithfully to the day [br]of His death. 0:14:38.340,0:14:39.801 That's the point. 0:14:39.801,0:14:45.293 This is another kind of offspring. 0:14:45.293,0:14:50.538 When Christ dies for sinners[br]like you and me, 0:14:50.538,0:14:52.874 who by grace put our faith in Him 0:14:52.874,0:14:54.692 and are united to Him, 0:14:54.692,0:14:59.591 we become His children. 0:14:59.591,0:15:05.154 And the children of God. 0:15:05.154,0:15:10.030 And a whole new way[br]of bringing offspring into being 0:15:10.030,0:15:19.181 takes precedence over the old way. 0:15:19.181,0:15:22.322 Which is why the next chapter, 0:15:22.322,0:15:26.412 54, begins like this: 0:15:26.412,0:15:31.474 "Sing, O barren one, 0:15:31.474,0:15:33.531 who did not bear, 0:15:33.531,0:15:35.780 break forth into singing 0:15:35.780,0:15:37.184 and cry aloud, 0:15:37.184,0:15:40.307 you who have not been in labor, 0:15:40.307,0:15:43.172 for the children of the desolate one 0:15:43.172,0:15:46.137 will be more than the children 0:15:46.137,0:15:50.686 of her who is married." 0:15:50.686,0:15:52.642 A whole new way of thinking. 0:15:52.642,0:15:58.570 A whole new way of growing [br]a family is coming into being 0:15:58.570,0:16:00.427 prophetically at this point, 0:16:00.427,0:16:03.967 and literally at the coming of Jesus. 0:16:03.967,0:16:06.668 So what does Jesus say[br]when He comes 0:16:06.668,0:16:09.885 to Nicodemus who cannot[br]change his worldview. 0:16:09.885,0:16:14.546 He just doesn't get it. 0:16:14.546,0:16:18.008 "Truly, truly, I say to you, 0:16:18.008,0:16:21.259 unless one is born again,[br] 0:16:21.259,0:16:26.699 he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 0:16:26.699,0:16:30.580 I'm here to make children. 0:16:30.580,0:16:33.160 I'm here to build a family. 0:16:33.160,0:16:35.102 I'm here to give birth, 0:16:35.102,0:16:40.831 like you never knew. 0:16:40.831,0:16:42.753 And the Apostle Paul picks up 0:16:42.753,0:16:45.342 the strain in Galatians 3. 0:16:45.342,0:16:48.837 "Know then, that it is those who [br] 0:16:48.837,0:16:53.587 are of faith who are the sons of Abraham." 0:16:53.587,0:16:55.970 Not the physical descendants. 0:16:55.970,0:16:57.947 "In Christ Jesus, you are[br] 0:16:57.947,0:17:02.587 all sons of God through faith." 0:17:02.587,0:17:05.235 In other words, it's not [br]physical descent that 0:17:05.235,0:17:08.811 makes God's family. 0:17:08.811,0:17:13.814 The covenant people are the [br]people who are born of God, 0:17:13.814,0:17:16.145 and have faith in Jesus. 0:17:16.145,0:17:19.329 Peter picks up the theme. 0:17:19.329,0:17:21.170 Chapter 1:3 0:17:21.170,0:17:23.258 "According to His great mercy, 0:17:23.258,0:17:27.737 He has caused us to be [br]born again to a living hope 0:17:27.737,0:17:30.564 through the resurrection of [br]Jesus from the dead, 0:17:30.564,0:17:32.355 and to an inheritance..." 0:17:32.355,0:17:34.488 You want an inheritance? 0:17:34.488,0:17:36.934 You've got to have the [br]right Father. 0:17:36.934,0:17:38.678 God. 0:17:38.678,0:17:40.953 How do you get God as[br]your Father? 0:17:40.953,0:17:43.993 Be born again. 0:17:43.993,0:17:46.472 "...and to an inheritance, imperishable, 0:17:46.472,0:17:48.755 undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven 0:17:48.755,0:17:49.911 for you." 0:17:49.911,0:17:53.685 Jesus, Paul, Peter,[br]all of them saying, 0:17:53.685,0:17:56.440 children are born into God's family 0:17:56.440,0:17:59.661 and receive the inheritance 0:17:59.661,0:18:03.363 not by marriage. 0:18:03.363,0:18:06.077 Not by procreation. 0:18:06.077,0:18:08.395 But by faith and regeneration, 0:18:08.395,0:18:09.917 which means, 0:18:09.917,0:18:14.699 single people in Christ[br]have zero disadvantage 0:18:14.699,0:18:18.015 in bearing children for God. 0:18:18.015,0:18:19.967 And in many ways, 0:18:19.967,0:18:29.938 significant advantages. 0:18:29.938,0:18:34.233 Paul was single all his life. 0:18:34.233,0:18:36.988 Or at least, lest we overstate it, 0:18:36.988,0:18:40.313 single all of the life we knew him. 0:18:40.313,0:18:42.773 Because he says he has no wife 0:18:42.773,0:18:44.697 in 1 Corinthians 9, 0:18:44.697,0:18:47.642 but whether he is a widower,[br]we don't know. 0:18:47.642,0:18:52.038 So he has no wife in all [br]of the New Testament documents, 0:18:52.038,0:18:56.140 and he is a father[br]if there ever was one. 0:18:56.140,0:19:00.702 He says, 1 Corinthians 4:15, 0:19:00.702,0:19:03.140 He's talking to his church, 0:19:03.140,0:19:05.899 "Though you have countless[br]guides in Christ, 0:19:05.899,0:19:08.709 you have not many fathers. 0:19:08.709,0:19:13.406 I became your father in [br]Christ Jesus through the Gospel." 0:19:13.406,0:19:17.973 That's a single man talking. 0:19:17.973,0:19:21.106 Men. Single men. 0:19:21.106,0:19:25.538 "I became your father.[br]I'm your father. 0:19:25.538,0:19:28.938 Single and unmarried as I am." 0:19:28.938,0:19:31.579 Or let him speak for the women. 0:19:31.579,0:19:34.270 1 Thessalonians 2:7 0:19:34.270,0:19:37.410 "But we were gentle among you,[br]like a nursing mother 0:19:37.410,0:19:40.999 taking care of her own children." 0:19:40.999,0:19:44.524 And so it will be said of[br]many single women in Christ. 0:19:44.524,0:19:51.886 She was a great mother in the [br]church and never married. 0:19:51.886,0:19:56.369 Now, take heed and be careful 0:19:56.369,0:20:01.402 lest you trivialize what I'm saying. 0:20:01.402,0:20:04.336 As though you think that 0:20:04.336,0:20:08.091 Pastor John is [br]sentimentalizing singleness 0:20:08.091,0:20:10.679 to make the single folks[br] 0:20:10.679,0:20:15.629 feel good in this series on marriage. 0:20:15.629,0:20:20.717 I could care less about[br]making anybody feel good. 0:20:20.717,0:20:23.297 I am declaring 0:20:23.297,0:20:27.237 the temporary and secondary nature[br] 0:20:27.237,0:20:29.344 of marriage and family, 0:20:29.344,0:20:32.390 over against the eternal[br]and primary nature 0:20:32.390,0:20:33.972 of the church. 0:20:33.972,0:20:36.412 That's what I'm declaring. 0:20:36.412,0:20:41.413 I'm declaring the temporary[br]and secondary nature 0:20:41.413,0:20:43.414 of marriage and family 0:20:43.414,0:20:46.855 over against the primary[br]and eternal nature 0:20:46.855,0:20:49.307 of the family of God. 0:20:49.307,0:20:50.233 Hear that. 0:20:50.233,0:20:52.506 This is not trivial. 0:20:52.506,0:20:54.006 This is huge. 0:20:54.006,0:20:57.164 And I fear that we have[br]settled into our land 0:20:57.164,0:21:00.436 and our culture. 0:21:00.436,0:21:02.895 And idolized the family. 0:21:02.895,0:21:06.070 Idolized marriage. 0:21:06.070,0:21:07.932 We're here for a vapor's breath 0:21:07.932,0:21:11.503 and then we're gone. 0:21:11.503,0:21:14.014 What happens here is[br]relatively minor compared to 0:21:14.014,0:21:19.213 what will be after the resurrection. 0:21:19.213,0:21:21.886 This is no small thing I'm saying. 0:21:21.886,0:21:24.771 In the resurrection,[br]Matthew 22:30, 0:21:24.771,0:21:25.692 Jesus says, 0:21:25.692,0:21:30.675 "In the resurrection, they neither[br]marry nor are given in marriage, 0:21:30.675,0:21:36.404 but are like angels in heaven." 0:21:36.404,0:21:39.862 I am declaring the radical,[br]biblical truth 0:21:39.862,0:21:42.221 that being in a human family 0:21:42.221,0:21:45.394 is no sign of an eternal blessing. 0:21:45.394,0:21:49.707 Being in God's family[br]means being eternally blessed. 0:21:49.707,0:21:52.878 Relationships based on family[br]are temporary. 0:21:52.878,0:21:56.433 Relationships based on [br]union with Christ are eternal. 0:21:56.433,0:21:58.762 Marriage is a temporary institution, 0:21:58.762,0:22:01.075 and stands for something [br]that lasts forever, 0:22:01.075,0:22:04.895 namely our relationship to [br]Jesus Christ: 0:22:04.895,0:22:09.355 Church and Bridegroom. 0:22:09.355,0:22:13.579 And when His mother and His brothers 0:22:13.579,0:22:19.677 came to Him, Jesus, [br]and asked to see Him, 0:22:19.677,0:22:22.818 He said, 0:22:22.818,0:22:26.453 "Who is My mother? 0:22:26.453,0:22:29.209 Who are My brothers?" 0:22:29.209,0:22:32.153 And stretching out His hand[br]towards His disciples, 0:22:32.153,0:22:36.344 He said, "Here are My[br]mother and My brothers." 0:22:36.344,0:22:39.923 There's not a much more[br]radical statement in the Bible than that. 0:22:39.923,0:22:42.002 You want to be the mother of Jesus? 0:22:42.002,0:22:45.251 Follow Him. 0:22:45.251,0:22:54.185 The mother of God[br]is an obedient Christian. 0:22:54.185,0:22:59.583 "Blessed is the womb that bore You,[br]and the breasts at which You nursed." 0:22:59.583,0:23:02.161 A woman cried. 0:23:02.161,0:23:04.706 He turned and said to her, 0:23:04.706,0:23:10.022 "Blessed, rather, are those who [br]hear the Word of God and keep it." 0:23:10.022,0:23:12.088 Does this mean anything to you? 0:23:12.088,0:23:16.735 Does talking like that[br]change your worldview? 0:23:16.735,0:23:21.502 Oh, how blessed were the [br]breasts that gave You suck. 0:23:21.502,0:23:24.832 Oh, how blessed was the womb[br]that bore You. 0:23:24.832,0:23:27.290 He looks at that woman and says, 0:23:27.290,0:23:34.001 "You keep the Word of God,[br]and you'll be My mother." 0:23:34.001,0:23:36.786 Do not elevate natural processes[br] 0:23:36.786,0:23:40.126 like procreation and childbearing 0:23:40.126,0:23:43.142 and marriage to anything [br]bigger than what they are. 0:23:43.142,0:23:47.835 Temporal, physical means[br]of keeping the world going, 0:23:47.835,0:23:50.247 and illustrations of Christ[br]and the church, 0:23:50.247,0:23:58.089 which when He comes, [br]fade away. 0:23:58.089,0:24:00.650 "Truly, truly, I say to you 0:24:00.650,0:24:03.223 there is no one who has left house,[br] 0:24:03.223,0:24:06.223 or brothers, or sisters, or mother, 0:24:06.223,0:24:09.942 or father, or children, or lands[br] 0:24:09.942,0:24:12.372 for My sake and the gospel, 0:24:12.372,0:24:17.047 who will not receive a hundred fold[br]now in this time, 0:24:17.047,0:24:20.333 houses, and brothers, and sisters,[br] 0:24:20.333,0:24:23.673 and mothers, and children, 0:24:23.673,0:24:26.084 and lands with persecutions,[br] 0:24:26.084,0:24:28.604 and in the age to come, 0:24:28.604,0:24:32.167 eternal life." 0:24:32.167,0:24:34.211 Single person, 0:24:34.211,0:24:36.366 married person, 0:24:36.366,0:24:42.488 do you want many mothers? 0:24:42.488,0:24:45.340 Do you want many children? 0:24:45.340,0:24:49.500 Brothers, sisters, lands? 0:24:49.500,0:24:52.741 A place to stay at night? 0:24:52.741,0:24:55.784 Be a part of the church. 0:24:55.784,0:24:57.605 Join the family of God. 0:24:57.605,0:24:59.453 It's a huge calling upon the church. 0:24:59.453,0:25:01.211 I'm not saying we do it very well. 0:25:01.211,0:25:03.594 But hear, church, what we're called to be. 0:25:03.594,0:25:06.240 Hear this. 0:25:06.240,0:25:10.204 You leave them, and you[br]get a hundred to replace 0:25:10.204,0:25:16.416 in the church - if[br]we're doing our job. 0:25:16.416,0:25:21.450 So what shall we say in view[br]of this amazing biblical vision 0:25:21.450,0:25:25.272 of the secondary and[br]temporary nature of marriage 0:25:25.272,0:25:27.361 and procreation? 0:25:27.361,0:25:29.285 What shall we say? 0:25:29.285,0:25:32.350 We should say what Jesus said, 0:25:32.350,0:25:35.567 and what Paul said, [br]following Jesus. 0:25:35.567,0:25:38.389 And here's what Jesus said. 0:25:38.389,0:25:40.507 Matthew 19:12 0:25:40.507,0:25:45.578 "There are eunuchs, who have [br]been so from birth. 0:25:45.578,0:25:51.097 There are eunuchs who have[br]been made eunuchs by men. 0:25:51.097,0:25:55.328 And there are eunuchs who have[br]made themselves eunuchs 0:25:55.328,0:26:00.068 for the sake of the [br]Kingdom of Heaven. 0:26:00.068,0:26:06.336 Let the one who is able to [br]receive this, receive it." 0:26:06.336,0:26:09.241 There is no reason that we should 0:26:09.241,0:26:11.428 take the phrase, [br] 0:26:11.428,0:26:14.872 "made themselves eunuchs," 0:26:14.872,0:26:19.077 to refer to any form of[br]physical sterilization. 0:26:19.077,0:26:20.924 There's no reason to take it that way. 0:26:20.924,0:26:23.966 Anymore than we take the words, 0:26:23.966,0:26:30.159 "if your eye causes you[br]to sin, gouge it out." 0:26:30.159,0:26:36.744 But we take both of them[br]very seriously. 0:26:36.744,0:26:43.938 If you can receive it,[br]receive it. 0:26:43.938,0:26:48.665 Some people choose,[br]by God's calling, 0:26:48.665,0:26:52.926 a life of devoted singleness[br]in Christ. 0:26:52.926,0:26:55.421 And to them He's promised, 0:26:55.421,0:27:00.004 a name and a memorial[br] 0:27:00.004,0:27:04.064 better than the name 0:27:04.064,0:27:09.271 of marriage and children. 0:27:09.271,0:27:11.038 Paul picked it up 0:27:11.038,0:27:13.172 and put it most starkly in chapter 7. 0:27:13.172,0:27:15.060 Most of you single folks have read this 0:27:15.060,0:27:19.043 and pondered what this means for you. 0:27:19.043,0:27:25.064 I'll read verses 32, 33, 35[br]of 1 Corinthians 7. 0:27:25.064,0:27:28.648 "To the unmarried and the widows,[br]I say that it is good for them 0:27:28.648,0:27:32.742 to remain single as I am. 0:27:32.742,0:27:35.878 I want you to be free from anxieties. 0:27:35.878,0:27:38.635 The unmarried man is anxious[br]about the things of the Lord, 0:27:38.635,0:27:41.624 how to please the Lord. 0:27:41.624,0:27:46.830 The married man is anxious about[br]worldly things, how to please his wife. 0:27:46.830,0:27:49.715 I say this to secure your[br] 0:27:49.715,0:27:56.275 undivided devotion to the Lord." 0:27:56.275,0:27:59.215 Paul speaks about each [br]having his own gift. 0:27:59.215,0:28:01.249 Verse 7. 0:28:01.249,0:28:04.467 One of one kind,[br]one of another kind. 0:28:04.467,0:28:06.065 In other words, 0:28:06.065,0:28:12.993 let him who is able to [br]receive it, receive it. 0:28:12.993,0:28:17.699 So, here we are at the end[br]where we began. 0:28:17.699,0:28:23.409 With all this Scripture underneath us now. 0:28:23.409,0:28:26.572 And I will give my main point again. 0:28:26.572,0:28:28.341 My main point of this message is, 0:28:28.341,0:28:33.269 God promises, those who remain[br]single in Christ 0:28:33.269,0:28:35.150 blessings that are better than[br] 0:28:35.150,0:28:38.990 the blessings of marriage and children. 0:28:38.990,0:28:40.924 Now, if someone should ask[br] 0:28:40.924,0:28:44.674 as I did, 0:28:44.674,0:28:48.022 how about both? 0:28:48.022,0:28:51.150 Wouldn't it be better[br]to have both? 0:28:51.150,0:28:54.653 The blessings of marriage and children,[br] 0:28:54.653,0:29:00.403 and the eternal blessings? 0:29:00.403,0:29:03.500 There are two answers[br]to that question. 0:29:03.500,0:29:06.257 Number one. 0:29:06.257,0:29:08.666 You will learn sooner or later, 0:29:08.666,0:29:13.203 and you may as well learn now, 0:29:13.203,0:29:18.656 that the blessings of being with[br]Christ in heaven, 0:29:18.656,0:29:21.164 are so far superior 0:29:21.164,0:29:25.133 to the blessings of being married[br]and raising children, 0:29:25.133,0:29:27.130 that to ask this question, 0:29:27.130,0:29:29.195 wouldn't it be better to have both? 0:29:29.195,0:29:33.195 Is like asking, 0:29:33.195,0:29:35.662 "If you're going to give me the ocean,[br] 0:29:35.662,0:29:40.682 can't I have a thimble as well?" 0:29:40.682,0:29:45.079 It does lose some of its force. 0:29:45.079,0:29:49.718 You just need to see heaven. 0:29:49.718,0:29:52.290 You need to see Christ. 0:29:52.290,0:29:54.507 better than we see Him, 0:29:54.507,0:29:58.203 to keep things in proper perspective. 0:29:58.203,0:30:01.160 That's the first answer. 0:30:01.160,0:30:09.121 Can I have a thimble with [br]the Pacific Ocean? 0:30:09.121,0:30:11.533 The second answer [br]to the question 0:30:11.533,0:30:15.740 is that both marriage and singleness 0:30:15.740,0:30:19.818 present us with unique trials[br]and unique opportunities 0:30:19.818,0:30:22.776 for sanctification. 0:30:22.776,0:30:25.721 Unique. Not the same. Different. 0:30:25.721,0:30:27.793 Both important. 0:30:27.793,0:30:34.076 And there will be unique[br]rewards for each. 0:30:34.076,0:30:38.450 And which is better will[br]depend not on 0:30:38.450,0:30:41.506 whether you were married or single, 0:30:41.506,0:30:49.425 but on how you responded to each. 0:30:49.425,0:30:52.534 So, I say it again, 0:30:52.534,0:30:54.489 to all singles in Christ, 0:30:54.489,0:30:58.182 who will be that way long term, 0:30:58.182,0:31:02.590 God promises you blessings [br]in the age to come 0:31:02.590,0:31:04.853 that are better, far better, 0:31:04.853,0:31:06.701 than the blessings of 0:31:06.701,0:31:12.081 marriage and children. 0:31:12.081,0:31:16.819 And that brings some responsibility[br]and calling with it. 0:31:16.819,0:31:19.039 I can imagine, somebody who[br] 0:31:19.039,0:31:21.269 would rather me not make this emphasis, 0:31:21.269,0:31:26.894 saying, "what this bunch of singles[br]really needs to hear, 0:31:26.894,0:31:30.302 is that they should stop abdicating[br] 0:31:30.302,0:31:32.622 their responsibility and postponing 0:31:32.622,0:31:36.990 the end of adolescence for about [br]thirty years." 0:31:36.990,0:31:42.814 Well, I've said that, [br]if you have ears to hear. 0:31:42.814,0:31:45.008 If you think what I'm saying here 0:31:45.008,0:31:47.275 is a license to extend adolesence 0:31:47.275,0:31:49.100 to 25, and 30, and 35, 0:31:49.100,0:31:50.766 while you play computer games 0:31:50.766,0:31:54.221 and don't take up [br]your cause for Christ? 0:31:54.221,0:31:55.907 And lay your life down for Him? 0:31:55.907,0:31:57.756 With all this time you have? 0:31:57.756,0:32:02.902 Then you don't understand[br]anything I've said. 0:32:02.902,0:32:07.451 I am summoning singles[br]to a radical devotion to Jesus Christ 0:32:07.451,0:32:10.542 which means grow up[br]and become a dad at 25 0:32:10.542,0:32:14.488 and single the rest of your life,[br]if God wills. 0:32:14.488,0:32:20.013 And a mother at 25,[br]of a spiritual family that you disciple 0:32:20.013,0:32:25.510 who are born, not of going to bed[br]with a girl or a guy. 0:32:25.510,0:32:28.963 The strongest, most Christlike[br]single is the one[br] 0:32:28.963,0:32:32.027 who is virgin till death. 0:32:32.027,0:32:34.849 And may it be so for many. 0:32:34.849,0:32:36.352 What a glory! 0:32:36.352,0:32:39.535 What a reward! 0:32:39.535,0:32:45.338 And the world will tell you,[br]"That's a waste." 0:32:45.338,0:32:47.720 That's a waste. 0:32:47.720,0:32:51.238 They don't know anything. 0:32:51.238,0:32:54.135 How's your worldview? 0:32:54.135,0:32:56.491 Are you buying into it? 0:32:56.491,0:33:00.009 Then you're gone. 0:33:00.009,0:33:03.914 Then life. 0:33:03.914,0:33:06.409 There are four truths 0:33:06.409,0:33:10.739 that singles can display [br]in this world 0:33:10.739,0:33:12.171 better than married people. 0:33:12.171,0:33:15.604 I've spent nine weeks 0:33:15.604,0:33:17.933 telling married people 0:33:17.933,0:33:20.477 how to display Christ[br]and the church. 0:33:20.477,0:33:22.452 And I'm taking one week 0:33:22.452,0:33:24.875 to say to single people 0:33:24.875,0:33:27.936 what's the counterpart drama[br]in your life. 0:33:27.936,0:33:31.352 What are you supposed to display? 0:33:31.352,0:33:38.596 If me and Noel, if we, are [br]supposed to display 0:33:38.596,0:33:40.965 Christ and the church [br]in our relationship, 0:33:40.965,0:33:43.940 what's singleness about? 0:33:43.940,0:33:45.834 It's about these four truths. 0:33:45.834,0:33:47.000 Number one. 0:33:47.000,0:33:51.061 Displaying that the family of God[br]grows not by propogation through 0:33:51.061,0:33:52.321 sexual intercourse, 0:33:52.321,0:33:54.764 which you avoid and abstain from 0:33:54.764,0:33:59.298 because you believe in Christ. 0:33:59.298,0:34:02.349 But rather it grows by[br]regeneration and faith in Christ, 0:34:02.349,0:34:06.348 and you give your life[br]to begetting such children. 0:34:06.348,0:34:08.750 Second. 0:34:08.750,0:34:12.817 The relationships in Christ are more[br]permanent and more precious 0:34:12.817,0:34:14.410 than the relationships in families, 0:34:14.410,0:34:17.241 and therefore we'll give our lives[br]to cultivating relationships 0:34:17.241,0:34:21.198 that last forever. 0:34:21.198,0:34:29.294 Noel and I won't be[br]married in the Kingdom. 0:34:29.294,0:34:33.263 That's huge in the way [br]singles and marrieds think 0:34:33.263,0:34:35.948 about relationships and friendships 0:34:35.948,0:34:40.851 and covenant bonding with people. 0:34:40.851,0:34:43.329 Number three. 0:34:43.329,0:34:47.019 That marriage is temporary. 0:34:47.019,0:34:49.688 It finally gives way to the relationship 0:34:49.688,0:34:51.522 to which it's been pointing all along: 0:34:51.522,0:34:53.575 Christ and the church. 0:34:53.575,0:34:56.052 And fourth. 0:34:56.052,0:34:59.075 Faithfulness to Christ 0:34:59.075,0:35:03.616 defines the value of life. 0:35:03.616,0:35:06.118 And all other relationships 0:35:06.118,0:35:10.083 get their significance from this. 0:35:10.083,0:35:12.735 Faithfulness to Christ. 0:35:12.735,0:35:15.705 No family relationship is ultimate. 0:35:15.705,0:35:19.855 Relationship to Christ is ultimate. 0:35:19.855,0:35:23.771 So, to Him be glory, 0:35:23.771,0:35:28.167 in the Christ-exalting drama of marriage, 0:35:28.167,0:35:30.531 and to Him be glory, 0:35:30.531,0:35:36.238 in the Christ-exalting drama [br]of the single life. 0:35:36.238,0:35:37.966 Amen. 0:35:37.966,0:35:42.679 Let's pray. 0:35:42.679,0:35:45.401 Father, I am very aware 0:35:45.401,0:35:50.385 that that's an orientation message 0:35:50.385,0:35:53.386 on the way to look at things biblically. 0:35:53.386,0:35:55.472 And many questions for individuals[br] 0:35:55.472,0:35:58.472 now remain to be answered. 0:35:58.472,0:36:03.532 Which I cannot answer for them. 0:36:03.532,0:36:07.843 One has one gift,[br]one has another. 0:36:07.843,0:36:12.329 Let him who can receive it,[br]receive it. 0:36:12.329,0:36:16.334 But You can answer, Lord.[br]You can answer. 0:36:16.334,0:36:20.615 Is it marriage?[br]Or is it singleness? 0:36:20.615,0:36:23.156 And Your answer doesn't arrive[br]always when we want to hear it, 0:36:23.156,0:36:25.709 and so I pray that all the singles[br] 0:36:25.709,0:36:29.749 will be patient with You and with life. 0:36:29.749,0:36:32.398 And they will be devoted[br]utterly to You. 0:36:32.398,0:36:36.329 Now and if they marry. 0:36:36.329,0:36:39.501 Devoted utterly to You in marriage.[br] 0:36:39.501,0:36:43.243 So make Yourself supreme[br]in the life of singleness. 0:36:43.243,0:36:46.618 And supreme in the life of marriage, 0:36:46.618,0:36:50.792 I pray. 0:36:50.792,0:36:52.531 In Jesus' name, 0:36:52.531,0:36:55.094 Amen.