Welcome to the preaching ministry of Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler, Arizona. Our desire is that God would be magnified through the preaching of his word, and that Christians would be challenged, strengthened, and edified in their personal walk with Christ. All right, let's take our Bibles tonight and turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians chapter 7. We're going to look at this passage tonight, this chapter, which honestly is one of the most difficult passages we're gonna study in this series, both because of the nature of the content, the length, as well as the variety of issues it deals with. And so when discussing marriage, there are oftentimes a lot of what ifs. And this passage deals with a lot of the what ifs. And to do justice to this chapter, I think it would probably take three, maybe four weeks really to really work through all the content in detail. And we're not gonna do that as we wanna keep this series concise. But I will touch on issues and questions that may leave you with more questions. So I would encourage you to write those out, turn them in so pastor can answer them all for you. on the last night, all the hard ones we say for him. Before we get into this passage though, I want to start by considering the admonition of Hebrews chapter 13 and verse four. Hebrews 13 verse four. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Literally, the idea here is that marriage is to be held in honor among all. We live in a world where marriage is belittled, discredited, considered an annoyance or unnecessary. Premarital sex is considered normal, expected. Adultery, unfaithfulness in marriage is treated as though that's just normal and should be expected. But God's word is clear. Marriage is to be held in honor. Fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. And those are some serious words. So how then do we keep marriage in honor to all? How do we live in such a way that holds marriage in honor among all? Well, that brings us to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Paul is answering some questions that have been asked of him in a letter. He says in verse one, now concerning the things of which you wrote to me. So they had written to him a letter. If you consider the fact that Corinth was a very wicked and immoral city. Temple prostitutes, I mean, you've studied Corinthians, you know, and you've read through Corinthians, you know the issues that were there in the city of Corinth, and as a result, issues that were in the church because of that. People were coming out of all kinds of places. messes that they had made because of sin. And sin does make a mess. I mean, there are so many, we talked about the what ifs, there are so many what ifs that you face today. Because it's amazing the problems that people can make. Something that should be simple, marriage and relationships together. Early on in my ministry, I had a pastor friend of mine, former seminary professor, who was just telling me about a counseling situation he had had in his church. And he brought it up just to throw it out and say, what would you do? And I'm glad I didn't have to deal with it because it was, and I can't remember all the details, but it was a situation where he had a man, a couple in his church who were immigrants from South America, legal immigrants from South America. they had been saved, the husband, no, before the husband, they had been saved here in the States when they got here to the States, but years earlier while living in, I can't even remember which South American country, he had been married, had several children, and then he had left his wife and children. He had moved to another South or Central American country where I think this time he did not legally married but was but lived with a lady whom he had children by, and in that country it was considered common law marriage, so he was technically married there as well. He came fine to the States, got married again, and had several children. Then he gets saved. He has never legally ended any of those marriages. So technically he's married in three countries, or maybe not married, maybe only married in one, depending on how the law would look at that. So he came to his pastor, what shall I do? What would you tell him? Well, we don't have time to go into all that, you tell him, but I mean, he said, I just remember him looking at me and he says, Larry, these are the things I just don't teach in seminary. And I said, that's right, they don't, because you'd never believe it. I was teaching a class on missions in Kenya. And thankfully, Josiah wisely sits in with the professors from America who are teaching there, because things are gonna come up that you don't have a clue what they're talking about. And I don't know how we even got on the subject, because it had nothing to do with the topic at hand, but the question came up about marriage and divorce or remarriage, and they started asking me, well, what if it's a Christian wedding? What if it's a state wedding? What if it's a common law wedding? What if it's a, there are like four or five types of legally recognized wedding, marriages in Kenya, and they all have different implications. And that was a fun thing to sort through. So you can get into all kinds of amazing situations. Sin does that. So they had a lot of questions, understandably so. Paul says in verse one that they wrote, so I'm gonna write you these things, which you wrote to me. So we answer the questions on that Sunday night, we'll be answering the things that you wrote to us, right? That's what they were asking. What do we do about this? What do we do about this? So how do we live in such a way to bring the whole marriage and honor among all? Paul begins to address that here and he really deals with four issues that we're going to use as sort of the outline of this chapter. And we're not going to be able to go into a lot of depth on all of them. I'm gonna try to read the verses so at least you can get the context. But like I said, each of these passages could probably be a message in itself. In the first nine verses, he begins by really pointing out the fact that we give honor to marriage when we live in purity. when we live in purity. Notice beginning in verse one of chapter seven. Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. But the husband render to his wife the affection due her, likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all men were even as myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." He begins by saying, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Let me just answer an issue right here. This is not talking about holding hands. I remember as teenagers, we used to debate this in my youth group, you know, eons ago. Say, you can't do this. Don't touch a woman. It is a Jewish euphemism for sexual relations. He said, because of this, immorality, let each man have his own wife, let each woman have her own husband, and do not defraud one another, Because remember, you too, essentially he's saying, have become one. Do not give opportunity for Satan to tempt you because of your own lack of self-control. We live in a world that is saturated by immorality. Don't put yourself in a position where you are subject to temptation. It's amazing today how impacted even the youth are by the immorality that's out there in the world. Surveys done among teenagers reveal that although parents estimate their teenagers spend about two hours a day online, they actually spend about five hours a day online. 93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to internet pornography by the age of 18. Many of the popular websites that not just teenagers, but a lot of people use today are notorious for their sexualized videos and obscene language. And almost every sexual offense or crime today is preceded by time spent in pornography. So the question is, what are we to do? I mean, this is, I mean, he's addressing this. Don't, you know, one of the reasons It's important for us to have the right type of relationship in our marriage. The internet is a reality. We just can't ignore it. Many things are wonderful on the internet. It's great. We can see pictures. We can find information. Someone has a question, Google it, and you may get at least an answer. Maybe it's not right, but at least it's an answer. And what are we to do? Just bury our heads in the sand? I've heard this illustration before. I think it's a very appropriate illustration. Most of us, especially here in Arizona, either have a pool at your home or you have a community pool in your neighborhood. We hear about tragic drownings every summer. So what precautions do you take? Well, maybe you put a fence around the pool. Maybe make sure your children have swimming lessons. Maybe make sure there's supervision. Facing the reality of the immersion of our culture in pornography and accepted immorality, it would be very wise for our homes, our marriages, our families to put up some fences, to make sure that there is supervision, to make sure that you have some instruction for your family. Now, I'm not an expert on the internet, but I know there are web filters you can use and put on your phone, your computer, your internet service, that can at least help keep your family safe. Nothing is 100% perfect. I mean, someone's intent on getting to bad stuff, they can usually find a way to get around it. I talked to some of the younger guys here that deal with our youth or deal with some of the college kids, and some of the things, you know, you have services like Covenant Eyes, accountable to you. There's a service called BARC. Even your phones and many times your internet providers have filters you can set to prohibit access to vile websites. If you don't use something like that for your home, it's like having a small little infant and you have a big wide door open in the back of your house and a swimming pool three feet away from your back door. I mean, it's an incredible danger. And you think, oh, my kids would not do that. Yes, they will. My husband would not do that. Don't be so sure. My wife wouldn't do it. Don't be so sure. We all have a sinful nature. And we need to make sure that there are fences put around some of our habits and access to these things so that we're just not accidentally exposing our family to the pollution that's in this world. I think in many ways, Our exposure to evil and pornography is worse than it was in the days of Corinth. They had to leave their house and go to it. It's on your phone, it's on your computer, it's on your TV. So we need to take some time to build some walls, to build some fences, to protect ourselves and protect our families against these kind of evils. Paul goes on to say here that, he says, I do not say this by commandment. In other words, this is not something that was revealed in the law, but he is speaking, he is still speaking by inspiration. He recognizes he's speaking by inspiration. Not everybody is told to, being told to marry. He says not everyone has that gift. We talked about that the first session. Not everyone has the gift or the ability to remain single. but it's better to marry than to fall prey to lust and passion. So we honor marriage by living in purity. But to take it a step further, we honor marriage when we live faithfully with our spouse and to the Lord. In other words, we keep our marriage vows. We keep our vows. Beginning of verse 10, it says, now to the married, I command, not I, but the Lord." In other words, this is referencing command. A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest, I, not the Lord, say, If any brother has a wife who does not believe and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who does not believe and he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? Our wedding vows were serious promises and need to be kept. He says to the wife, she's not to depart from her husband. The husband's not to depart from his wife. And if she does, she's to remain unmarried or to be reconciled to her husband. There's a very strong stance here against divorce and supporting the fact that marriage is intended to be for life. That's very clear from the law of the Old Testament. It's very clear from the teachings of Christ. If we are to honor marriage as the Lord's command, we should not view divorce as an option when things go bad. When I was a pastor and doing marriage counseling, premarital counseling, somewhere early on, I would always ask this young couple, and they're just, you know, they're so excited, and everything's gonna be perfect, and so I would try to wait till I could catch them off guard, and I would say, so what are you gonna do if it doesn't work out? I try to say it in a way that didn't make them angry at me, but you know. what are you gonna do if it doesn't work out? And I looked to see what their answer was. Because the correct answer was, well, nothing, it's going to work out because we're keeping these vows for life. If they're already planning an escape route, then I know there's some problems there that we had to deal with. And sometimes that's what you'd find. Divorce is not the option. Then he gives two scenarios. Or actually, yeah, two scenarios. A brother or a wife has a wife, a sister, or a sister has a husband. Okay, he repeats this. So either the man has a wife or the sister, the lady has a husband who does not believe, which would have been common in Corinth. This wicked city where the gospel went, people were being saved, the church was growing, but I am sure just as there is today, many situations where a wife gets saved or a husband gets saved and he has an unbelieving wife or she has an unbelieving husband. They knew from Paul's teaching that they were not to be unequally yoked together. So the question came up, well, I'm pursuing the things of God, I should then get rid of my husband or I should get rid of my wife because they're holding me back from serving God. He goes on to say here that they are willing to live together. In other words, the unsaved is still willing to remain in that marriage. This is very simple then, let them not divorce. The believing husband or wife should not be seeking the divorce. In fact, he goes on to say that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believer. In other words, the presence of the believer will be a blessing to your spouse as well as to your children. He points that out as well. You see, you are Christ's light in that home. The greatest gift you can give your children is a home that is built on Christ. And if one of the mother or father or husband or wife is not a believer, the best thing you can give your child or can give your unbelieving spouse is a Christian life. Let them see a Christian life up close, a genuine Christian. living for Christ, even in a divided household. You are Christ's light in that home. I realize many times husbands or wives, depending on what it is, get discouraged because their husband or the wife seems to have no interest in the things of God. They invite him to church, they do all kinds of things. There was a lady in the first church I pastored, sweet lady, she was so involved. She taught Sunday school, she would do anything at the drop of a hat to serve the Lord, just a wonderful testimony, but her husband was unsaved. Every pastor that pastored that church had been over and talked to her husband. Every evangelist that came through, she wanted to drag them through and talk to her husband. She would leave gospel tracks next to his beer cans as he would, you know. And I remember one time talking with him, his name was Ken. And we went to his house and I mean, he knew the gospel. I started, he quoted the verses. He finished the verse, I start to quote him. He knew everything, okay? He knew it. And then I remember him looking at me and he said, there's one reason why I don't get saved. And he pointed to his beer can. And he said, I don't want to give this up. And there was nothing you could do to get him past that at that point. Well, I left, pastor, started pastoring another church. About a year, maybe it wasn't even a year later, I heard that Ken had had a stroke. Very serious, was in the hospital for quite some time, and it was a little while before I could get back there, but the pastor at that time went and witnessed again to Ken. This time Ken trusted Christ as his Savior. When I went back, maybe a couple years later, I was sat down at their home. Ken had a Bible study book, a one-by-one Bible study book. He used to do that in discipling people. He used that a lot in discipling people. He had that Bible study and he was going through it. But because of his stroke, He was so severely limited in his ability to read and understand. He could, but just took, it was just, to focus his attention on that just was such an effort. And I remember him saying to me, he pointed to that, what he was doing, and talked about how he's reading that, doing that Bible study. He said, but I was such a fool. He said, I was such a fool. He said, when I had my senses, my mind, my abilities, You know, I had no interest in this. And now that I want to learn the Bible, I'm hungry for God's word. I want to grow in Christ. It is such an effort. It's such a trial for me to do it, but I'm going to do it. You know, what a blessing that was. And I could give you story after story of people I've known, people I've met. whose husband or wife, sometimes after many, many years, my wife's own father, after many years, finally came to Christ after we were married. And people have been witnessing to him for years. It took a long time, but God's faithful. So don't give up. If you have an unbelieving spouse in your home, You know, don't badger them to death. You know, don't put repent on their mirrors, you know, when they're shaving in the morning or whatever. But be faithful, be a light, be a testimony, be a glorious testimony for the Lord. And the Lord can honor that. He will honor that. So you are a light there. But then he gives a second scenario. So if the unbeliever departs, well, let him depart. You're not under bondage in such cases. In other words, you can't wrap your arms around his or her legs and make them, force them to drag you out of the house. God has called you to peace. And there's not an assurance that you're pursuing them will bring them back to Christ. And I put in this category as well, abusive situations. Sometimes people are being abused and being, it could be verbally, it could be physically, sexually, it could be even financially. Just staying in a situation where it's dangerous and unsafe is not consistent with biblical counsel. Acknowledging their departure, does not give, or refusing, excuse me, refusing to acknowledge their departure does not give peace or tranquility in that home. So we've seen that to honor marriage, we need to live in purity. We need to live faithful to our spouse. And thirdly, we honor marriage by living as we are called. By living as we are called. Beginning in verse 17, I'm gonna read all the way through verse, I may stop in between here briefly, but beginning at verse 17, it says, God has distributed each one. As the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordained in all the churches. When anyone called while circumcised, let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised, let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. that each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it, but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called to the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freeman. Likewise, he who is called while free is Christ's slave. you were bought with at a price, do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." First of all, he's taking a little side road here and just being a little broader than just marriage. And he's saying, as God has distributed gifts to each one, so let him walk. If you're born in a Jewish society, Don't try to pretend that you're not Jewish and try to undo your Jewish heritage. If you were a Gentile, don't seek to become Jewish. If you were born a slave, don't be concerned about it. He says, if given freedom, use it. We are all bought with a price. Remain in the state in which you were called. The emphasis here is an acceptance on our part of God's will in God's direction for our life. Then he applies this to marriage, beginning in verse 25. Now concerning virgins, as I have no commandment from the Lord, yet I give judgment as one, whom the Lord in his mercy has made trustworthy. Again, he's saying this is not strict from the law, this is not directly from the Old Testament, but I believe God's given me wisdom on this. I suppose, therefore, that this is good because of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless, such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you." In other words, just as he said with being a Jew and a Gentile, with being a slave, with being free, be content with how God has called you in life. This addresses really our tendency to always think that grass is greener on the other side of the fence. And sometimes it is, we find out the grass is fake. If I marry, this is gonna solve my problems. Well, maybe it will solve some of your problems, but maybe you'll get a whole bunch of new problems that you weren't counting on. If I remain single, I'll avoid these problems. If I get rid of this guy, if I get rid of this woman, I'll be happy. The point is, no. Remain as you are. And the point is you need to seek the Lord for wisdom. You need to get good, godly counsel. And not just do what your emotions are telling you to do. Now, I'm going to offend someone right here. But contrary to the romantic Hallmark movies, do not follow your heart. Okay, life is not a Hallmark movie. Follow the word of God. Seek the will of God through his word, through prayer, through a multitude of godly counsel. Don't seek counsel when you've already made up your mind what you're gonna do. You know, you proposed, you got the house picked out, you got the ring, everything's going, you know, you've done everything but have the ceremony, you say, no, pastor, what should we do? I mean, when I was pastor, I had people do that to me, pretty much. Come for advice when everything's all set. I had a guy come to me one time, it wasn't about marriage, it was about a job. And he said, I'm really wondering if I should take this new job. It moves us out of town, there's no church there, there's not a Christian school for our kids. Gives me all these reasons why I shouldn't. I said, well, yeah, it doesn't sound like a good idea. Well, I've already taken the job. I've already sold my house. I bought one there in the other city already. What are you asking me for? You want me to give you some kind of blessing, papal blessing or something over, I don't know what you're wanting. Get advice, get counsel before you get in that situation. Seek godly counsel, seek wisdom. Don't follow your own heart, don't follow your own emotions. Remember, there's safety in a multitude of counsel. So we honor marriage by living in purity, by living in faithfulness with our spouse, living as we've been called. But finally, living as though the time is short. We honor marriage by living as though the time is short. Beginning of verse 29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short. So that from now on, even those who have wives should be as those that had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they do not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it for the form of this world is passing away. For I want you to be without care. And he who is married cares for all the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. There is a difference between the wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy, both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And I say this for your own profit, that I may put, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. Time is short. The world is passing away. Don't misuse it. Don't misuse the time God's given to you. Our marriage status should not keep us from serving the Lord. Now, he is not justifying neglect of our family, as we will see, and we see in other passages as well. But he's just saying that we, the ideal is to live without care. The unmarried has only the cares of the things of the Lord. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that he or she does, but that's the only area, I mean, that's one who wants to serve Christ, that's the primary concern. They do not have the obligation of a family. The married, on the other hand, is concerned with pleasing their spouse. None of this he's saying is wrong. He's not saying this in a way that's condemning them. He advises staying as you are and not to put, he says, not to put a leash on you. I love that phrase. I don't want to put a leash on you. I don't want to have to drag you this way or that way. I don't want to restrain you. But I want you to be able to serve the Lord without distraction. And not everyone has that gift. that you seek God's will and you seek the fact and you recognize that time is short. And for some people, because time is short, you need to be married because you need to get rid of the distractions outside of your home and be able to have a godly home and raise your family and serve Christ together. That's a wonderful thing. For other people, that is just gonna be a total distraction. And if that's gonna keep you from serving the Lord, he says, it's better for you to remain single than to be married. because time is short. And then he goes on, he says, beginning in verse, verse 36, verse 36. He says, but if any man thinks he is behaving improperly towards his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes, for he does not sin, let them marry. Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart having no necessity but has power over his own will and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin does well. So then he who gives her in marriage does well but he who does not give her in marriage does better. He's referencing here really something that is hard for us to grasp because we're dealing with a cultural difference that's very, very significant. He's dealing with the issue, and there is an interpretation aspect here. Some believe that this may be the fiance, you know, espoused but not married, the man that's referenced here. Others believe it's referring to the father, I believe based on the culture and just the context here that it's referencing the father. So it's referencing a man who thinks he's behaving improperly towards his virgin or his unmarried daughter. Likely due to the cultural aspect that is he is referring to a father who in ancient times arranged the marriages of their daughters and for whatever reason we're not told is keeping his daughter from marriage. And again, Paul says here he's not making any commandment. If he gives her a marriage, he does not sin. If he does not give her a marriage, he also does well. The emphasis here on the father is to be steadfast in his heart, that is not erratic, to having under no compulsion, not under necessity, but under prayerful consideration, keeps his virgin, he says he does well. Now it's hard for us to grasp because you're dealing with a culture here that we don't really, at least we don't have it here in America, and we don't even have it in many parts of the world, at least as it was here in New Testament times. Some cultures still do have arranged marriages. When my kids were young, I thought that was a great idea. and I couldn't convince them of that, though, sadly. No, they did fine on their own, though, so they did good. But even cultures that do have arranged marriages are not quite like it was in New Testament times. I have a good friend who has a ministry in India and where arranged marriages are very common. It's getting less and less as you get into the cities now, but still many of the villages, that's normal, it's common. And I asked him about his children who had married and if their marriages were arranged. And he responded indignantly to me. Of course they were. Of course I arranged them. Well, I know that two of his children married Americans. So I said, so how did that work? He kind of paused for a minute and grinned. He says, well, they chose their partners as in I arranged it. Okay, that's not the same thing as we have right here. Okay, that's not what we're talking about. I think we have to be very careful here because we're talking about a culture that is different. I think the best application of this is that it's always wise and best to seek the parent's approval just from a practical standpoint of nothing else in a marriage. You have enough problems in marriage to have your in-laws against you. Even if your in-laws are for you, it still may be a problem sometimes. But neither does it give the father the right to prevent his 32-year-old daughter from getting married. Now, if she's not marrying a godly person or if there's other issues, maybe he has cause to oppose it. But the adult child is no longer the legal property of the father in our culture. Our children, actually, aren't ours anyway. They belong to the Lord. I think the best lesson to learn from this is the need to teach our children when they are young the type of person they should marry so that you never end this dilemma to begin with. Teach your children the kind of person to look for. Give them example, dads, of the kind of husband and father that they should have. You know, many young people today growing up in unsaved homes do not have any model of a Christian home. They cannot fathom a home. I mean, we've had students here at the college, we've had students in the academy, and just people here in the church. When they get saved, they have no idea what a Christian home is like. Everything they have seen is dysfunctional. That's just a nice word to say, it's a mess. And they've had no pattern, they've had no example, they've had nothing to look to as an illustration. We need to give our kids an example of what a Christian marriage is like, the way a Christian husband behaves, the way a Christian mother behaves and a Christian wife behaves. We need to let our kids see that because they will learn then and have an idea of, okay, well, this is the person I should be looking for, the kind of person I should be marrying. And we need to teach that to our kids beginning when they are young and continuing until the time they do get married. Paul says, well, I think this is what I think is wise, but he says the wife, verse 39, he provides a summary of all this. And he says, a wife is bound by the law Now, as long as her husband lives, but if the husband dies, she's at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. And then he adds, but she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment. And I think I also have the spirit of God. So, a wife is bound to her husband's death, it's fine, your husband dies, she's at liberty to be married to who she wishes, but only in the Lord. But again, don't rush into it, because in my opinion, you should probably be happier. Not always, but that's why you don't rush into these things. So I want to ask you a question. If you went in for marriage counseling to the Apostle Paul, you think going into marriage counseling with Pastor Endene or, you know, Someone else here on staff is tough. Go into premarital counseling or marital counseling with the Apostle Paul. What do you think that would be like? What do you think he would say to you? Well, he'd probably likely ask you why you want to get married. And how does that fit into your service of the Lord? And how is that going to fit in your whole life and living for the Lord? He might, even try to discourage you from getting married, just because this is not the panacea that solves all problems. I know young people think I get married, life's gonna be wonderful, there'll be no more problems. The sun will shine every day, the roses will bloom at my house. No, that doesn't work. You'll just find out you're gonna have more problems. He would admonish you to seek the Lord's will and to seek the mind of God. And if you're married to an unbeliever and came in for help, what should I do? He'd tell you to remain married for the benefit of the unbeliever and for your children. The bottom line is that marriage is a serious commitment not to be taken lightly. And we need to seek the Lord's will in every aspect of our married life. Marriage is a great blessing. Next week, we're gonna look at the passage in 1 Peter 3, where he refers to us, to a husband and wife, as being heirs of the grace of life. What a beautiful picture that is. We'll talk about that and how that's true and how that's lived out, but marriage is a wonderful thing, but it needs to be marriage in the will of God. We need to always, whether we are single or married, we need to be pursuing the will of God, content with how God has called us, until God makes it clear, here's a change. And when he does, then we pursue that with joy and knowledge that we are doing that under the grace of God and under his blessing and in the center of his will. Let's pray.