Song of Songs: The Power of True Love – Sermon Audio 2620

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, Go, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to Go Teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through Australian and international speakers. . And here is today's Today's presenter, Pastor Andrew Russell. Love done right. We're drawing from King Solomon. We're drawing from the book, the Song of Songs, written by King Solomon. And the book Song of Songs centers on Solomon and his young Shulamite bride. And so that's really what the book— it's probably, it's recognized as probably one of the least read books in the Bible. Who here understands the Song of Songs? Put up your hand. Not many hands going up. Who here has read the Song of Songs from start to finish? All right, same hands, maybe a couple more. Okay. And it's very poetic and it has descriptions that deal with romantic intimacy and even sexual intimacy. And then of course there is a greater lesson behind it. But that's what we're going to delve into, and we're just delving into the first chapter or so, just the beginning really. And so I've got the text up on the screen here for you today to follow. And notice as it reads here from verse 1 to verse 4, the first chapter: The Song of Songs, which is whose? Solomon's. Solomon's. Okay, so there we have a direct reference. Some people argue as to whether Solomon actually wrote this or not. No need to argue, it's right there at the start. In fact, in the Book of Kings, it says that Solomon wrote 1,005 songs. And the fact that he calls this the Song of Songs means what? It's the best one. That's essentially— it's regarded as the best one. Of all. Um, this book highlights the power and intensity of love and attraction. Attraction. That's what it highlights. It really, if you read it, it's quite engaging. It highlights the power and intensity of love and attraction. Um, it's believed to have been written by Solomon in his youth Some scholars say between his late teens and early 20s, but nothing confirmed, but that's what they say. Not long after he became king of Israel as a young man. And the book captures a young bride, Shulamite, and her lover, believed to be Solomon, in sensual and poetic dialogue. It's quite sensual if you read it. I encourage you to read it. It's quite sensual and it's very poetic. And so let's read how it begins here with the bride, the young bride expressing her desire for her King. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth," it says, "for thy love is better than"— what?— "than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments," Thy name is as ointment poured forth; therefore do virgins love thee. So she desires— can you see from the text there? She desires the kisses of her King. She desires the kisses of her King. Let's continue reading. Draw me, we will run after thee. The King hath brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will remember thy love more than wine. The upright love thee. So what will she do? She will run after Him, isn't it? And notice she says there, she even uses "we." Let me break this down a little bit for you. She desires His love above all else. That's why she says, "Your love is better than wine." Okay? She desires His love above all else. His name— what's another word for name in the Bible? Character. Thank you. Name in reference— when we talk about God's name, we're talking about God's character. And she says His name is like good ointment. In other words, His character is precious. It's sweet-smelling. It's fragrant and of such good benefit that it's attractive to even other young women. Are you with me? Even to other young women. That's why she wrote there, "Therefore virgins do love thee." So the young Shulamite then goes on to say, "Draw me," so that she may run, or we may run, but she may run and pursue him as he continues to entreat her. Because the king brings her into his chambers. He entreats her and she pursues him. And the king will bring her as we read there, into the king's chamber where she will revel in his love, his upright love, because the upright love him. Amen. He is upright in heart. He is upright in character. You know, research tells us today, and as I mentioned before, this is the young Shulamite bride and her king, Solomon. But research tells us today that romantic attraction, romantic attraction is a natural part of young people's lives even while they're at school. That's perfectly normal, isn't it, among young people? Romantic love, attraction, it's natural, isn't it? Even when you're at school. But here's the thing the research goes on to say: But most young people no longer date with the intention of marriage. I want to share with you some statements on this research from Psychology Today. Notice it says, "In today's world, dating in adolescence no longer holds the sole purpose of mate selection, choosing a mate for life. Rather, it has become an introduction to the world of intimacy." relationship roles, sexual experimentation, and yes, romantic love. And despite the fact that high school dating for today's teenagers has little to do with long-term commitments and/or marriage— little to do with it— modern-day romantic relationships among teens are very common, with approximately 1/4 of 12-year-olds 1/2 of 15-year-olds and more than 2/3 of 18-year-olds reporting being in a romantic dating relationship in the past 18 months. So there's some of the statistics for you. So many— and of course, as you get older, they're more involved in a dating relationship in recent times. Um, but today's dating has little to do with long-term commitments and/or marriage. That's not really what people are pursuing from a young age when they engage. The research, the same research says that the average duration of romantic relationships in high school— can anyone guess?— lasts about how long? 4 weeks. 4 weeks. 6 months? A little bit of credit? 2 weeks? Alright. Lasts 6 months. Whoever said that was right. So the average relationship in high school lasts about 6 months. Some are long, but only a small percentage remain together into adulthood and get married. Personally, I know 3 couples And when I was at high school, you know, and used to see guys and girls dating each other and you see these couples hooking up, I personally know only 3 couples who dated and went on to get married. And 2 of those couples were devoted Christians. The other couple had strong Christian values. But they weren't regular churchgoers. But the other two couples were regular churchgoers. I remember playing soccer with Garth and he had this beautiful young girlfriend. All the guys were jealous of his girlfriend. She was so beautiful. But they were united in that relationship and they were dating for marriage. And you could see, and they didn't look to the left or to the right. They didn't look anywhere else except have eyes for each other. And then my other good friend, Gerard Barwell, was one of them as well. I recall Gerard talking about marriage to his girlfriend at the time, Sarah. Excuse me. Talking about marriage to Sarah. And some of us listened to that conversation. And we were thinking, "He's crazy! Why does he want to tie himself down to one girl? Doesn't he want to go out there and date and meet lots of, uh, or meet other girls and experience life?" That's how we were thinking because we didn't know any better. And I wasn't in the church and in the Bible as I am now. But And guess what? Jared and Sarah went on to marry and have beautiful children. They've been married ever since. Dated in high school, married ever since. In fact, at the Pathfinder Sydney Marathon that we went to when we were helping out there as volunteers— oh, thank you very much, Ashok. Appreciate that. I ran into Jared there and he was standing on the line waiting for Sarah to come running past because she was participating. And so I joined him and we We cheered Sarah as she ran toward the finishing line. Here's the lesson: marriage is about building a life together under the blessing of God. That's what relationships are about. That, that's what they're geared for. They're geared toward marriage and building a life together under the blessing of God. It's not just about having sex. It's not about "try before you buy." This is how people think. It's not about having a body count. You know what I mean by that? That's young people language. For some of us oldies, we may not recognize what it means. How many people you've slept with. That's what they call a body count. Some women today celebrating how many men they've slept with. "I've slept with 50 men. I've slept with 100 men." The Australian government just rejected a woman from coming over here. Anyone know her name? SPEAKER B 00:12:35 - 00:12:36 Candace Owen? SPEAKER A 00:12:37 - 00:56:55 No, not Candace Owen. She's a woman of Christian values. I'm talking about another woman. A woman by the name of Bonnie Blue. Anyone heard of her? Yeah, I know, I've seen some of your reactions. You know who Bonnie Blue is because she's become famous because she will just sleep with as many men as she can. 1,000 men in one sitting. And this is how she gets famous. And she wanted to come over here and the Australian government said, "Sorry, we don't think you're going to be a good influence." in this country. Praise the Lord! Amen. But this is what is happening in today's world. And young people who don't date to marry have the least chance of success. What was the average relationship span in high school? 6 months! 6 months. That's what the research shows. And so young people, you just set yourself up for disappointment and heartache when you don't date to marry. And when you're young, you may not even possess— when you're young, you may not even possess the emotional maturity to deal with that breakup. Amen? Oh yes. Young people jump into these relationships. They're not dating for the purpose of marriage. And when things don't work out, they're an absolute wreck. Some commit suicide because they're not of the emotional maturity, the emotional IQ, or what we call EQ, emotional intelligence. EQ. It's good to have IQ, but you also need EQ. Emotional intelligence to work through things in a mature and responsible way. It's important, like the young bride of Solomon, that you take time to find out if the person you're attracted to is as good ointment. Amen? Their character has a good fragrance. Their character is godly and that they're good for you because ointment is good for you. Amen? Are they good for you? Are they good for you long term? And are they desirable for marriage? Don't you think that's a wise way to go about relationships? Much wiser way, isn't it? The Bible celebrates the law of attraction, right? Nothing wrong with attraction. The Bible actually celebrates it. It's natural for a woman to be attracted to a man and a man to be attracted to a woman. It's not something to be suppressed. It's natural to be attracted. But it does need to be managed well. Amen? Those feelings that you have, the butterflies in the stomach. Some people describe it as they're walking on air. "Feel like I'm walking on air when I look at him, when I'm around him, or when I'm around her." All those feelings need to be managed well. Natural to be attracted, but they've got to be managed well. And I want you to notice a portion of Solomon's response to this woman of his desire here, okay? Notice here in— oh, sorry, I've missed that, sorry. Go with me to Song chapter 1, verse 9. Wait, give me a sec. Oh no, I've missed it. I must have deleted it by accident. My apologies. Let's go to our Bibles. Let's go to Song of Psalms chapter 1 and verse 9. You got your Bibles there, church? Amen. Notice what he says here: I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses 'in Pharaoh's chariots.' Have you ever compared a woman like that, men? Ever compared a woman to horses? Very poetic, isn't it? Bit strange for us. And notice he goes on in verse 10, he says, 'Thy cheeks are comely.' with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. Verse 11: We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. So Solomon likens her to Pharaoh's chariots, or so, to the horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Why do you think he does that? What's he saying about her? Graceful. What do you think the horses in Pharaoh's chariots, the king of Egypt, his personal horses, what do you think they'd be like? They're strong. They're what? Very well adorned, very well groomed, very well groomed. They were very fit. Amen. They were very fit. They were beautiful to look at. And this is why Solomon likens her to the horses. She's fit, she's strong, she's beautiful to look at. She's the best of the best. Amen. Pharaoh had the cream of the crop when it came to his horses. She's the best of the best. Her cheeks and her neck is so desirable. Notice he's talking about her cheeks and neck. Her cheeks and her neck is so desirable that he likens them to the most precious jewels and the most costly gold and silver. Amen. He's really looking at His beautiful bride, amen? He's really observing her features here. The book goes on to express even more detail. But attraction begins even when we're young, you know? Even when we're young, attraction begins. Do you remember when attraction began for you? When you first felt attracted to someone else? I remember my first attraction, I was 7 years old. Is that too young? 7 years old, and I noticed Chantal Buchanan in my class. She had beautiful, long, straight brown hair down to the lower crest of her back. I'll never forget her. I swooned over her as a 7-year-old. It's natural. And she's probably the reason why later on in life I had a disposition toward women with long hair rather than short hair. That was just like a little preference I had, right? Probably— it probably began with Chantelle. I don't know. But that was the— that was my first attraction. And my next one was when I was 12 years old, and I remember Carmen Bowers. Carmen Bowers was the fastest runner amongst the girls in the school. And I was pretty fast too. And I loved her athletic build. She was appealing to my eyes at 12 years old. And she liked me too. The fastest kids in the school. And our friends tried to get us together. And so they pushed us toward each other to kiss one day. And I ran away. We got so close, just so close, and then I couldn't do it and I ran away. And I'm so glad I did, amen? Because what was going to come of such a relationship anyway except heartache, except disappointment? And I think had I kissed her at that time, I think I would have probably entered the world of promiscuity. From a young age. In other words, you know, once you do one thing, the door opens and makes it easier for you to do another thing and another thing. Are you with me? And maybe I would have been kissing other girls back then had I done that. And so that's not something you want to do. I want to read you the statement from Sister White here. She says, "True love is not a strong, fiery, impetuous passion." On the contrary, it is calm and deep in its nature. It looks beyond mere externals and is attracted by quality— and is attracted by qualities alone. Amen? That's love. Those butterflies and walking on air when we're around someone that we really don't even hardly really know well enough yet. That's infatuation. It's not love. And I used to get confused about the two when I was young. I used to tell my friends, "I'm so in love with her." And they tell me, "Shut up. We've heard enough of you." It was infatuation. I didn't know the difference. But true love, true love is attracted by qualities alone. It is wise and discriminating, and its devotion is real and abiding. It's something real, something to be treasured. Love is a precious gift which we receive from Jesus. Pure and holy affection is not a feeling but a It's a principle. Love is a precious gift. Where does love come from? God is love. He's the source of love as much as He is the source of life. Love flows from Him and through humanity. Amen? Flows from Him through His creation. When God created man, His purpose was that love would be perpetuated and fill the whole earth. That the knowledge of God as a loving Creator would fill the earth. Pure and holy affection is not a feeling but a principle. Those who are actuated by true love are neither— what?— unreasonable nor blind. I remember at 15 years of age, I brought home a young lady by the name of Chantelle. Introduced her to Mum and Dad. Mum said afterward, "I don't like her." Mum picked up something. But I was unreasonable. "She's good, Mum. I really like her. She's great. She's fine." "No, you just don't know her." And what did Chantelle do? "Kiss him." A month later, she was kissing some other boy down at the beach. And her best friend told me. And when I confronted her, she denied it. 3 times. I gave her the opportunity. Yeah. And then that was the end of that. That was the end of that. True love is not unreasonable. It's not blind. It makes good considerations. Amen? It looks at things maturely. Notice the Song of Songs goes on to further detail and describe the intimacy that forms part of the loving relationship here between Solomon and the Shulamite woman. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, our rafters of fir. How do you interpret that? Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar and our rafters of fir. Here we have language of creation, isn't it? It's the language of creation used in poetic prose here, because sharing the bed and building a home together is a natural order, is the natural order of things as God created it to be. The union of one man and woman in marriage. It's a natural order of things. It ties back to creation. Amen. It ties back to creation. It's not something separate from God. It's not something separate from the Creator. Relationships take us back to creation and God's purposes. And listen as the bride celebrates Solomon's leading here. And also His intimacy and His protection. He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love. Notice, He brought her, He led her to the banqueting house, and His banner over her was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. What does she mean? Stay me with flagons. This is an Old English word for raisin cakes, okay? Stay me with raisin cakes or feed me with raisin cakes and comfort me with apples because I, for I am sick of love. Not as in I'm sick of love, no, but I am lovesick. Are you with me? I'm lovesick. For this man who brings me to his house, whose love covers me like a banner and whose left hand is under my head and his right hand does embrace me. He cradles her. She's lovesick for this man. So we find an example of how deep a woman's appreciation is for her man. Very deep, as he leads her, as he cradles her, as he loves her. And it's unfortunate that, that more and more women in the Western world don't celebrate relationships in the context of God's design. And what I mean by that? Today women are inadvertently rejecting the system of the system in Western society, um, I should say the patriarchal system that Western society has been gifted through its Judeo-Christian roots. You heard of the patriarchal system? Most— if you look up the definition of patriarchy it will say a society in which men rule and have authority, okay? But Christian patriarchy is where a man is respected and appreciated as the primary leader, protector, and provider in the family. It's not that he rules and he has all authority and that's it, right? We're talking about Christian patriarchy here. But many women are moving against patriarchy today altogether. How did this happen? How did this happen? Well, you know the story of Adam and Eve, don't you? Adam was created, wasn't he? And then Eve was created to be Adam's what? To be his helper. That's by God's design. Adam was to lead out in the purposes of God. Eve was supposed to be his helper and his support. Amen? And together they would fulfill the purposes of God. She was his equal. That's why she was made from the rib of Adam. She stood side by side with him. But Adam was appointed as the head of the home and as the leader, okay? But what happened when they ate from the tree? Have you ever thought about that? When Satan tempted Eve to eat from the tree, did Eve consult with her husband? No, she didn't. She stepped out and decided to make this decision on her own, even after God had warned them both. Amen? And so she verily took the place of Adam. She let out without consulting with the husband. She presumed to take the role of the man. And then Eve— sorry, then Adam, when he came along and he was offered the fruit to eat, what did he do? He ate. And what happened when he did that? What should he have done? He should have been the man. Amen? He should have been the man and said, "No, this is not of God. God has instructed us. God has purposed—" He should have led out as the man, but he didn't. He then followed the woman. Amen? And so there was a role reversal. Can you see that? And today we find ourselves more and more in a society where men don't know what it means to be a man and women don't know what it means to be a woman. We have women wanting to take the role of the man. "I don't need a man!" You hear that, huh? "I don't need a man. I can do everything a man can do. I want equal rights across the board. I want to be paid the same as a man. I want everything the same as the man." And this is what you hear in society. And of course we want a society that is just and fair, of course. But the reality is men and women are not altogether equal because they're different. And God charged them with different responsibilities. A man cannot be the nurturer and the helper that the woman is. And this is what's taking place. And so quickly we find that, um, that women will shoot down a man instead of building him up. Amen? Instead of building him up. Because she's been given that, that God-given role to help encourage her man to be the, the leader and the provider and the protector. It's not saying women can't work and women can't contribute either. That's not what we're saying. But the primary responsibility falls on the man. And sometimes when circumstances change, Let's say a man loses his job, for example, and finds it hard to find employment. Is he dismissed from his role? Yes or no? No, he still maintains the role. It's up to the woman to continue to encourage him in that role. Amen? Rather than shoot him down, rather than tear him down, and vice versa. As a woman, don't you want a man that will cradle you, protect you, lead you in the purposes of God? I think that's what every young lady should desire. And as a man, a young man, don't you want a woman that will not step all over you or disrespect you as a man, but will actually support you and uplift you as a man and as a man of God? Amen. That's what you should be desiring. That's what you should be looking for. That's what you should be looking for. You know, that same article Psychology Today notes that as youth reach their early 20s, they have then grown a desire for more permanent relationships. But because of the dating and stuff they've already had while they were younger, it makes finding that kind of relationship harder. Why? Because sometimes they're comparing one man to another man or one woman to another woman. Amen? Sometimes their expectations are not realistic. Sometimes they're thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. I want someone more perfect, more beautiful, more— right? But I want to be honest about something here. Finding love as a young person is not always the easiest task, especially finding the right person. Finding love can feel like walking through a maze when it should be more like journeying through a labyrinth. Do you know the difference between a maze and a labyrinth? A maze is full of dead ends as you're trying to negotiate and make your way. But a labyrinth, it will have its twists and turns, but it will lead you directly to where you need to be. Amen? And sometimes as young people we think that, that it's just like a la— like a maze, right? Oh, it's just not working for me because I've been disappointed and maybe I've been disappointed again. Don't be discouraged, brothers and sisters, my young brothers and sisters in particular. Don't be discouraged. Yes, it's got twists and turns but When you do it with the Lord, He will lead you to the destination. He will lead you to the person that you desire. But you need to walk by faith. Amen? You need to walk by faith. And sometimes it takes longer for some than others to meet that right person. And sometimes Some people never meet the right person. I've met some older ladies in the church, never got married. I remember asking one of them, "How is it that you never got married? You know, such a lovely lady and all." And she said, "Well, I did meet some possible suitors along the way but found out that they weren't the right ones. They weren't suited and I just never had that fortune of really meeting the right one. And she said, "But I'd rather, I'd rather be on my own than make the wrong decision and have an unhappy marriage." Very wise of her. Very wise of her. But yes, you've got to negotiate as a young person. It's a bit of a labyrinth at times, you know, but there is a destination and there is a path. So don't ever lose hope. Your hope is in the Lord. Your hope is in the Lord. You know, the Song of Solomon is really all about Jesus. All his songs. And the Song of Songs is all about Jesus. And you go, "Well, how is that about Jesus?" Because even though it's using the language of love and even intimacy and at times even sexual intimacy, right, between a man and a woman, that's first and foremost there, but it has a greater lesson. It's the love that is expressed between Christ and His church. And the detail that you find in the Song of Songs really is just a symbol for the intimacy that Christ loves you with. He knows everything about you, even the minutest detail. Your cheeks and your neck and everything, the very hairs on your head. Amen? And it's Christ that wants to cradle you and his banner over you is love. It's Christ that will— wants to lead you and protect you. And the man and the whole family model is modeled on the relationship that Christ has with His church. That's what it's all about. Do you know where the first church began? Where do we find the first church in the Bible? Where's the first church? Where do we find the first church in the Bible? In the Garden of Eden. Who agrees with that? Yeah. Who was the first church? Adam and Eve. That's right, Adam and Eve. Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Amen. And as Adam and Eve fell and their roles got all confused and now their relationship suffered, God made the first promise of Jesus Christ in Genesis 3:15. I know you know that text, many of you. The first promise there was given and it was announced in front of Adam and Eve and the first sacrifice was made there and Adam and Eve were clothed with skins, if you recall, okay? But now God has to work to undo what has been done relationally. Amen? Adam needs to take his place again as the head. Eve needs to take her place as his, as his helper, standing side by side, one with another. First Church. The church is made up of families. Amen? That's why we always say church begins in the home. If you're not talking about Jesus in your home, if you don't pray in your home, if you don't have worship in your home, something's wrong because church begins in the home. If you're not part of that, something's amiss. The church is made up of families and so this model that was there in the garden originally and that comes back to us through redemption continues to take place. In our homes and in the church. So where do our young people meet good, God-fearing Christians? If you go to Hoxton Park Church, do you meet them in Hoxton Park Church? Some heads are going, "No." Possibly. Well, the truth is we don't know, do we? We don't know. And so what do young people have to do? Pray. Pray, yes, pray. They have to support each other first and foremost. You have to support one another. The best relationships have often come from someone introducing you to someone they know because they can vouch for the character of the individual. Isn't that right? Yeah, so you need to support each other as young people in the local church. And if you want to go to other churches and catch up with other youth, go! Go with Hoxton Park's blessing. Amen? Go with Hoxton Park's blessing. Go and meet other young people. If you have to go online in some Adventist dating sites, go! But just be wise, okay? Because you know when you go online But be wise about how you pursue that. Is it possible that a Seventh-day Adventist young person can meet someone who's not Seventh-day Adventist and get married? Yes, it's possible. Is it right? No. Is it wrong? Yes. Who says it's right? One hand. Who says it's wrong? Oh, a lot of indecision going on here today. Do you know what? It's possible to meet someone that may not be a Seventh-day Adventist and you pursue a friendship with them first and you stand confidently in what you believe and what you hold to be true as a, as a son or daughter of God. And you share your faith with confidence. And if they want to know more, you invite them. Amen? To know more. Visit the church, or let's do Bible studies together. You can understand what I believe. And if that person comes along and chooses the gospel of Jesus Christ and his righteousness, because that's what it's about. That's the gospel. Many other Christians out there, but they don't understand the righteousness of Christ. They don't understand that you're not going to heaven without the righteousness of Christ. Doesn't matter how much you call upon Jesus. Even Jesus said it: "Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, and they shall not enter the kingdom of heaven," Jesus said. He said, "Depart from me, 'You work of iniquity.' He says, 'Many shall say unto me that day, Lord, Lord, haven't we done wonderful works in your name? Haven't we cast out devils in your name?' And he will just say, 'Depart from me, you work of iniquity. I never knew you.' Why? Because they didn't have the righteousness of Christ. And you want someone to accept the gospel and the righteousness of Christ, otherwise you'll be worried about your loved one and their eternal welfare. And I've met many, many couples, many married couples that even married even a non-Christian or a nominal Christian that are still praying and hoping their loved ones will come to church and receive the Lord Jesus Christ. And they carry that burden in their marriage. It's not a burden you want to carry. If you're a man, be the man and lead out. If you're a woman, remember that you're supporting and you support a man that leads out in the Gospel of Christ and His righteousness in the home. That's why it's important. Amen? But you can meet someone and they can come to know the Gospel and they can come to understand the, the righteousness of Christ And when they receive that and they choose the light of present truth as God has given it to us as a church, then get happily married. Amen? And support one another moving forward. But don't jump into the relationship beforehand. And that's the mistake that many make. And because they do that, they're emotionally invested. They become unreasonable. And they may choose someone above Jesus, not even recognizing that that's really the choice that they're making. That's why Jesus said, "If any man love mother, father, brother more than Me, he's not worthy of Me." Amen? So Christ calls us to repentance in these things. Oh, we've all made mistakes along the way, you know, We all wanted the relationship above the relationship with God, some of us. We can come in repentance before the Lord and we can ask Him to work. We can continue to pray for those people that we are with, that we may already be married to. Some people do come through, but it's not many. That come through that way. You're better off to build on the right foundations. Amen? Jesus taught us if we build on the right foundation, if we build on the rock, when the storms come, the house will stand. But if we build on the sand, when the storm comes, what's going to happen? The house is going to wash away. The house is going to wash away. And so, go with the church's blessing, young people. I mean, I've even said to my kids, you might meet someone at school, you know, you might meet someone. They may not even be Adventist, but don't compromise on what you know to be true and what you've learned. Okay, it's not for you to compromise, it's for you to share what you believe with them. And if they respond not to you although you'll have an influence and a good influence, but if they respond to the Lord and they choose to follow in that right path, then that may be the one for you. Because marriage is something that God wants to be successful. He's purposed it. He's purposed it to be successful. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 we read, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with—" unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And if you want to have an example of that, where, where the follow— where the children of God married unbelievers, you just have to go back to the time of the flood. The Bible there says that the sons of God married the daughters of men. And then the Bible says that the thoughts of men became evil continually, and God then had to move in judgment. Because when those marriages took place, the knowledge of the Gospel was diluted. The sons of God were influenced by their pagan wives. Are you with me? Some of them became idolaters. Some of them became lukewarm and their faith diminished eventually, right? Because if you're not united in the purposes of God, well, you're trying to do it all by yourself and, and that can wear you down, especially if you've got someone else in the home that's working against you. Working against the purposes of God, rather, right, that you're trying to uphold, it can wear you down. And then the children are influenced, and so the children of the next generation, they don't have that faith that you may have had, and then their children may have even less of a faith, if at all. Amen? And that's what happened. When God's people became unequally yoked. John 4:22 references others that are believing in God. The woman of Samaria was told by Jesus, "You worship, you know not what. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." The woman of Samaria also worshipped the God of Israel, but the Samaritans had compromised in that worship. See that? And Jesus had to say, "You do not know what you worship." Your faith has been diluted. It's been compromised. You've imbibed truth and error. But Jesus was there to help her. Amen. And she responded to Jesus. Jesus came seeking her and she responded. You always want to marry someone or be with someone that's responding to the Lord Jesus Christ. We finish on our last text. Song 4:8-7. Now that we know love is actuated by principle— it's not a matter of feelings, it's not a matter of what you think and I think— it's actuated by principle, the principle given from God. Song 4:8-7 says, many waters cannot quench love. Neither can the floods drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. In other words, if a man will give everything he owns— sorry, the floods that would come that would seek to drown it and even all the substance that would seek to replace love, that would be contemned. It's an Old English word to say that would be condemned. It would be put aside in the rubbish. Amen. Because many waters cannot quench love when love is actuated by principle. I remind my wife once in a blue moon. She's a very private woman, you know. I have to be careful of what I say up the front. But I reminded her, and obviously I didn't tell her this straight away. I probably told this a few years later. I think maybe even after we got married. I can't remember. But I told her that I prayed for God to bring someone along that I could marry. I prayed for someone, someone, a woman of substance, a beautiful woman. I had my specifics. She's got to be beautiful, Lord. She's got to be a woman of substance. She's got to be intelligent. She's got to— we do that, don't we? And, uh, but I prayed. I said, God— and at that time I was thinking, because I didn't, like I said, I didn't grow up in the Word of God like you guys did, right? So at that time I had been dating and stuff like that. I had a few long-term relationships. I probably had 3 or 4 relationships that lasted a year and a half, 2 years. I had some flings in between, being honest, and, um, but it was always, it had always ended up in disappointment. Sometimes they may have been the problem and sometimes I was the problem, right? But it got to a stage where I said, "Lord, I don't want to be doing that anymore." I— that's not what I want. I'd like to meet someone that I could value and that would value me. And Kim was the next person that came along. And we worked together and we got to know each other. And we ended up getting married. Took a while, but we ended up getting married. And even through the hardships that we've had and even the difficulties we've had in our marriage, because that's the case in marriage, isn't it? I always remembered that prayer. Well, Lord, you brought her along. Because sometimes I'm questioning, Lord, did you answer that prayer or not? Right? But I always remembered that prayer, you know, and that's principle, isn't it? And I also see how God used my wife even to bring us into the Adventist Church. She was the one that had the flyer and the— got the flyer and said, "Come on, can we go to these meetings? I'm so busy living, working and things. Come on." And I remember when she stood up to answer the appeal at that presentation. And so no matter what we go through, true love will prevail. Amen. True love will prevail. Now, I say that, but I have to add a disclaimer. Something I talked about with someone else this week. While true love will prevail, God does not control the consciences of men. Men and women can still make decisions of their own to, to leave you. You can make a decision to leave them. it may not be the right decision. Amen? God doesn't control people. But where people are invested in God and in His leading and understand that love is a principle, they will often choose to weather the storms that may come. And they will choose to stand by their, their loved one and weather those storms together. It's said that it's usually after the 10-year mark that people end up having a long and happy, happy marriage. A lot of people don't make it to the 10-year mark, but we have to stand by principle. Amen. And it begins as a young person choosing God's way above your own. Because God wants to see you happy and prosperously married. Amen. This message was made available by Hoxton Park Seventh-day Adventist Church. Church. For more resources like this, visit their Facebook page, Hoxton Park SDA Church. That is Hoxton, H-O-X-T-O-N, Park SDA Church. SPEAKER B 00:56:57 - 00:58:44 This program has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia Radio. This is Cedarvale Health Retreat, sharing health, hope, and and happiness. Would you like to do something to enhance your sense of well-being? There are 4 areas where you can make a start today. Nourishment means that you feed yourself well. This includes eating plenty of whole plant foods as well as filling your mind with things that uplift your intellect and enrich your spirit. Activity involves moving your body more and also challenging your mind to do and learn new things. Next, you can rest, taking time to relax daily, weekly, and yearly, and also take time to nurture peace of mind and spirit. And finally, cultivate connections through spending time out in nature, nurturing meaningful relationships, and treasuring gratitude, forgiveness, love, and trust. Doing something in each of these areas will not only help you feel well today, It will be an investment in your health for tomorrow and beyond. So try the NARC Principles of Wellbeing today. Find out more about Cedarvale at cedarvaleretreat.com.au. Missed part of an Australian program? Listen anytime on demand at 3abnaustralia.org.au and click on the listen button.