This week I've been preparing our latest newsletter, which will be on the topic of sexual fulfillment. It reminded me of this blog post that I created when preparing to preach on 1 Corinthians 7... you know, the "better to marry than to burn" passage... One thing I love about this passage is its frankness. God not only instituted marriage for the satisfaction of our sexual desires, but he commands us to keep the marriage bed hot! And Paul spares none in making sure we realize this. He commands us to "give [our spouse his/her] conjugal rights." Then he reiterates it and goes so far as to say, "Do not deprive one another." One of the greatest things I heard this week was that one church in the Puritan age put a man under church discipline because he was depriving his wife. That's fantastic! That's the kind of thing that should characterize the church: A people who are passionate about being passionate within marriage! Not long ago Christians had a reputation for being prudish and sex was a taboo topic within the church. Gladly, things are changing. Of course, not all for the better. Today a lot of teaching on sex in the church tends to be a crude, focusing on sex techniques, sex therapists, etc. Nevertheless, most change is for the better, and a sex crazed culture needs solid teaching about proper sexual satisfaction. That is actually a stupid thing to say. What I mean is "A sex crazed culture needs solid application of the Bible's teaching about proper sexual satisfaction." The fornication that is so rampant today would not be so prevalent if we had more of the sweetness of the marital bond. That's why I want to encourage those of you who are married to keep the embers burning in the bedroom. Enjoy it, and be, as the Song of Solomon says, "sick with love." Initiate it, indulge in it, plan for it, play in it, serve in it, talk about it, and (above all) strive to excel in it! I don't just want to emphasize the legitimacy of sexual intercourse between a husband and wife either. I want you to focus on the absolute elation of it! The pagan world does not have the corner on the market when it comes to the exhilaration of sex. God created sex, and he created it to be gratifying. Furthermore, when the Bible talks about proper sexual expression it emphasizes the ecstasy and euphoria of it, to the point where you start to blush (or perhaps better, sweat!). I mentioned the Song of Solomon, but think also of Isaac and Rebbecca. In Gen. 26:8 it says that Isaac was sporting with Rebbecca. Now I don't want you to think that they were playing a game of Yahtzee or going bowling. The language is technically one of rousing sexual intimacy. You might say it was foreplay because it has to do with affectionate caressing. (For those of you who may not understand the technical language: they were making out! If you would like to object to this interpretation, you have to find a better way to explain why Abimelech was so incensed with Isaac regarding his treatment of Rebbecca.) I wanted to cite this line from a recent Generations Radio program on the Puritan View of Sex. One puritan they quote says that our spouse is a "playfellow who has come to make our age merry!" Think of that, a playmate! I might add a word to the ladies here too: This passion is also something that is to characterize you too. I like how the Westminster Larger Catechism cites Proverbs 31:11, "The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain." as applying to the seventh commandment. Their insight into the word of God was great: A husband who is sexually gratified isn't going to be worrying about his wife all the time! What's more is that he is going to thrive in his business affairs because his wife is fulfilling all his desires. Ladies also might want to consider a series like this in your women's discipleship classes, or perhaps regular conversations with those you mentor. Paul did say that the older women were to teach the younger women to "love their husbands." (Titus 2:3-4) We would be downright numb to limit that to taking care of the house and fixing meals.
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Some people call it a role reversal. I call it a revolution! And it is just another indication that the home is being turned completely upside-down. Traditionally it was dad who kissed his bride and then grabbed his lunch pail as he headed out the door for work. His loving wife would wave good bye as she prepared for another day of tending to the household affairs.
We’re finding that stay at home dads are becoming one of the most significant trends in America today. Last March NPR reported that there are aproximately 160,000 stay at home dads today. This is significant in that this number is up by almost 55,000 from a mere 4 years ago.
The trend has become so big that there are websites devoted to help dads obtain resources for being a stay at home dad. There are support groups that you can access. There is even an annual At Home Dad’s conference you can attend, with seminars on raising children with dissabilities, nutrition, and discipline strategies. Divorce Insurance? Really? Is that how far we've come?
That's right. Divorce is the rage that's sweeping the nation. This scourge is of such pandemic proportions that companies are now offering insurance for that likely possibility you untie the knot. This episode of the Town Crier Show analyzes the culture of divorce that is so prevalent in our culture today. Listen Now!
Along with the audio you can follow the power point presentation that also accompanied the lesson. This may be helpful when viewing the statistics and presentation of the facts. This Sunday (Feb. 17) at 9:45 our elder, Judge Jim Deweese, will be presenting a seminar on "Same-sex Marriage: Does it Matter?" at Providence Church. With the militancy of the homosexual agenda advancing things like civil unions and same sex marriage, the pressing question of the day is whether Christian marriage is a value still worth retaining. Judge Deweese will argue that marriage between one man and one woman is not only God ordained, but necessary for retaining viability as a society. One of the things we emphasize at Providence Church is the role of the man in the family. We believe that Scripture teaches that God designed the man to be the leader of the home; the foundation upon which a good family is built. That is why our goal is to have "every man leading and being led." You can see that this is a two fold strategy for building godly homes. It begins with each of our men daily leading his family in devotions. We recognize that an hour or two at church each week, no matter how important it is, is not going to do much to strengthen the home. A strong family can only be built by men who nurture piety in the home. Thus, we want our men to gather their wife and kids and spend a little time in God's Word together. We want them reading the Scriptures, discussing it, praying together and/or lifting their voices in songs of praise. We also want to see our men being led. That is to say, we want our men to be involved in some sort of intentional discipleship so that they may constantly be equipped for their task as leaders. We believe that the key to strong homes is strong men. Therefore we want them involved in some sort of mentorship with other men, a church Bible study, or pastoral staff. In sum, our philosophy is rather simple: Build the men and let them build their families. No elaborate programs or expensive gimmicks, just good old fashioned discipleship. "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses
entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2 "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." One of the original charges given to man was that he was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The man and the woman were given the charge to procreate. In our day, even within the church, there is a tendency to limit the size of one's family rather than extend it. The secular mindset reverberates throughout the church regarding having children. You can hear the gasps at the thought of having a third child. At the birth of number two you start to hear the jokes about "being done." If you have any more than 3 children, you are considered a lunatic. Much of this is because of our infatuation with materialistic gain and hedonistic lifestyle. We are more existential than Biblical in our life's orientation. To be sure, the Lord does not mandate how many children we have or say that we must be pumping out babies at an exponential rate. He does requires us to love children and take seriously our duty to multiply. This, of course, brings up the discussion of birth control. What place does it have? Does it have a place? It should be obvious that abortifacients ought not to be used. This includes "the Pill," which is a direct product of Margret Sanger's ambitions. Some say that the the affects of the pill on a fertilized egg are minimal and ought not to be of worry. However, we who take life seriously ought not to play with the chances. Contraception can have a place in family planning though. It should not be used to give reign to the hedonistic spirit. It can, however, be wisely implemented as it is a matter of christian liberty. Wisdom would wish to consider the following:
There may be other situations where it may be wise to use contraception. The issue will no doubt necessitate reflection and prayer. However, you will notice that the above will indicate that the couple does have a vision for a growing family. It simply has to be prevented for a time for various reasons. This week I'll be preaching on Genesis 1:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." As the passage deals with sexual intimacy, and because our day needs solid (& tactful) teaching on the topic, I'm posting a lot of sermons & blogs that I've written on the subject over the years. You can check the blogs out here. If you want sermons, the click the following:
This week I've been preparing to preach on the first half of 1 Corinthians 7... you know, the "better to marry than to burn with passion" passage! One thing I love about this passage is its frankness. God not only instituted marriage for the satisfaction of our sexual desires, but he commands us to keep the marriage bed hot! And Paul spares none in making sure we realize this. He commands us to "give [our spouse his/her] conjugal rights." Then he reiterates it and goes so far as to say, "Do not deprive one another." One of the greatest things I heard this week was that one church in the Puritan age put a man under church discipline because he was depriving his wife. That's fantastic! That's the kind of thing that should characterize the church: A people who are passionate about being passionate within marriage! Not long ago Christians had a reputation for being prudish and sex was a taboo topic within the church. Gladly, things are changing. Of course, not all for the better. Today a lot of teaching on sex in the church tends to be a crude, focusing on sex techniques, sex therapists, etc. Nevertheless, most change is for the better, and a sex crazed culture needs solid teaching about proper sexual satisfaction. That is actually a stupid thing to say. What I mean is "A sex crazed culture needs solid application of the Bible's teaching about proper sexual satisfaction." The fornication that is so rampant today would not be so prevalent if we had more of the sweetness of the marital bond. That's why I want to encourage those of you who are married to keep the embers burning in the bedroom. Enjoy it, and be, as the Song of Solomon says, "sick with love." Initiate it, indulge in it, plan for it, play in it, serve in it, talk about it, and (above all) strive to excel in it! I don't just want to emphasize the legitimacy of sexual intercourse between a husband and wife either. I want you to focus on the absolute elation of it! The pagan world does not have the corner on the market when it comes to the exhilaration of sex. God created sex, and he created it to be gratifying. Furthermore, when the Bible talks about proper sexual expression it emphasizes the ecstasy and euphoria of it, to the point where you start to blush (or perhaps better, sweat!). I mentioned the Song of Solomon, but think also of Isaac and Rebbecca. In Gen. 26:8 it says that Isaac was sporting with Rebbecca. Now I don't want you to think that they were playing a game of Yahtzee or going bowling. The language is technically one of rousing sexual intimacy. You might say it was foreplay because it has to do with affectionate caressing. (For those of you who may not understand the technical language: they were making out! If you would like to object to this interpretation, you have to find a better way to explain why Abimelech was so incensed with Isaac regarding his treatment of Rebbecca.) I wanted to cite this line from a recent Generations Radio program on the Puritan View of Sex. One puritan they quote says that our spouse is a "playfellow who has come to make our age merry!" Think of that, a playmate! I might add a word to the ladies here too: This passion is also something that is to characterize you too. I like how the Westminster Larger Catechism cites Proverbs 31:11 as applying to the seventh commandment: "The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain." Their insight into the word of God was great: A husband who is sexually gratified isn't going to be worrying about his wife all the time! What's more is that he is going to thrive in his business affairs because his wife is fulfilling all his desires. Ladies also might want to consider a series like this in your women's discipleship classes, or perhaps regular conversations with those you mentor. Paul did say that the older women were to teach the younger women to "love their husbands." (Titus 2:3-4) We would be downright numb to limit the application of that to fixing meals and keeping the house tiddy. Grace Brethren Church is scheduled to have speaker and author Susan Hunt come to town on Saturday September 8 to present on the topic of Biblical Womanhood. Find out specifics or register here.
This is a vital issue for today. Most women do not know how they have followed the leading of the feminist agenda. This emphasizes the need for these sorts of messages. Most certainly this will help give us a revitalization of the "noble woman" in Proverbs is so necessary Here's a little Bio of Hunt from the PCA's publishing branch: "Susan is the Women’s Ministry Consultant for CEP. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Columbia Theological Seminary. She has authored numerous books and travels extensively speaking to various women’s groups. Her desire to help women have a heart for each other, for the church, and for the Reformed faith is unparalleled. Some of Susan's many books include: Spiritual Mothering, By Design, True Woman, Heirs of the Covenant, the Biblical Foundations for Womanhood Bible Study series, and the new 3-year Bible study series for teen girls." |
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