We're here to worship the Lord and to glory in our Savior. And we're going to sing together the opening hymn, Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim and Publish Abroad His Wonderful Name. This rises soon. is ♪ Almighty to save ♪ ♪ As still he is now ♪ ♪ His presence we have ♪ ♪ The grief of cremation ♪ ♪ His triumph shall save ♪ ♪ As thriving salvation ♪ ♪ Through Jesus our King ♪ of Jesus, the angels proclaim, hold on all their faces, and worship the Lamb. The verse. Then let us adore and give him his right, all glory and honor, all ♪ Honor and blessing with angels above ♪ ♪ And life's never ceasing and infinite love ♪ Let's read together our Psalm for today, the Psalm 29. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty. Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth. The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars, yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Syrian, like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kedesh. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calf, and discovereth the forests, and in his temple doth everyone speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood. Yea, the Lord sitteth keen forever. The Lord will give strength unto his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. I want to express our sympathy as we come to prayer to Sam and Netta Wilson and their family on the death of Netta's brother David. Our thoughts and our prayers are with this family today as we come to the throne of grace. So let's pray together. Lord, this is your house and this is your day, and we are the people of God, gathered here to worship God, as we've read in this psalm, in the beauty of holiness. Therefore, we pray that thou will grant us the cleansing of the precious blood, that thou will make us clean, to come before God this day with clean hands and a pure heart, as we worship thee in such a way, in a way that's pleasing, We know that even at best our worship is imperfect, but as we seek by the grace of God to come through the cleansing of the blood, by the help, power, and grace of the Spirit, Lord, we know that you accept our worship and that you come and abide with the people who seek after God. And Lord, we're seeking thee today. We're seeking thee right now in this service. to come before thy presence in worship, to seek thee in prayer and in the word. We want to find the Lord today. We want to hear from heaven, thy dwelling place. You've spoken already through this psalm that we've read. We've been reminded about the mighty power of God. We've thought about the thunder, and we've heard the thunder in the past week. It reminds us of the Almighty who sends all kinds of weather, but the fact that God thundereth from heaven reminds us of His power, His Word, especially what He speaks. The voice of the Lord is so emphasized in this psalm, and Lord, we want to hear the voice of the Lord today. We have often thought about this in the context of poor lost sinners who are dull of hearing, And in their understanding, they have not met the Lord really, and they've not come to Him to know Him as their Savior. But the voice of the Lord that breaks so many things can break the heart, can break the stubborn will, can reach the very mind of man and do a work of grace. And so we pray that even for those who know not the Lord, that that voice will be heard today, this morning and tonight at the gospel service. May there be the drawing power of God to bring sinners to Christ. We long over the lost of our day. Every day we feel the lost estate of men around us, going out into eternity without a savior, unprepared, unready to face the judgment without a covering for their sin. What a fearful thing it will be when they fall into the hands of the living God on that great day and judgment is given and the sentence is passed, and the awful words are pronounced over the ungodly, depart from me, ye curse it, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. O gracious God, we pray that you will save men from this fearful end and this fearful eternity. Bring them to Christ today. Remember this incoming week as well as we serve the Lord just where we are. And later on, in the will of God, have the opportunity to serve him further afield in the land of Romania. We pray that you'll look after the congregation during these summer months. Put your gracious hand upon every family. Remember those that are struggling. Remember those that are in trial. Remember those that are in this very house today and Lord, they are in need. Look upon them in your mercy and your favor. Oh God, we pray today for those that mourn. We remember Netta especially and her family circle that Jesus will draw near and go with them in their sorrow. Remember the sake of the congregation. Lord, they're known to Thee one by one. Their case is ever before the Lord. Their suffering, their pain is always before one who cares and understands. Lord, we pray that Thou wilt minister to them in a very powerful way today. And so we commit ourselves into the care of God now for this service and for this day. Travel with us, Lord, in every part of this day as we serve the Lord. Make this a meeting to remember. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. I'm going to sing 748. Oh, happy home. where thou art loved the dearest, thy loving friend and savior of our race, and where among the guests there never cometh one who can hold such high and honored place. Shall we stand and sing? O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, O my people, where art thou, Home, happy home, where to imparting light. and blessed of our heart. Who can have wisdom while the Lord divideth, and cannot, if they in Him begun? we pray in humble faith and prayer, to thee, dear friend, who from the heights of heaven lies in and arts in more than mother's care. His unappointed work may be, till every common task seems great and holy, when it is done, the Lord has done to thee. flowing full and free. Oh, happy home where ev'ry heart and spirit is proposition comforter to. Go with the angels sing. Amen. Very glad to see you today in the house of God as we come together for worship. And with a number of our own people away, so glad to see visitors here. And wherever you're from, welcome in the Savior's all-precious name. If you're part of the service on the internet, we also give to you a very warm word of welcome. And may you be blessed where you are. Gospel meeting is tonight. At 7 o'clock, and the prayer time precedes that at 6.30, refreshments will be served after the service tonight. I want you to remember Alejandro and Vanessa and their family as they return home to Spain tomorrow, as they travel there, and I think Jonathan's bringing them down to the airport in Dublin tomorrow, so pray for them. They've been here for a couple of weeks. They've done deputation meetings. We have met with them, fellowship with them, and now they go back to serve Christ in Corticus Nuevis. On Thursday, very early in the morning, the VBS outreach team will leave for Romania, leaving at a quarter past 12. And that's AM, so don't come at PM. We'll be away. Thursday is the midweek service at 8 o'clock, and David McCauley is the speaker. Remember, we have set aside now one particular Thursday in the month for certain things, and we come to the children's ministry this Thursday night. Next large day begins with the prayer meeting at 8 o'clock, worship service at 12 noon. Reverend Joshua Moffatt will be the preacher at both services, so he will return again to the gospel meeting at 7 o'clock and the prayer meeting before the evening service and refreshments will be served. Mentioning refreshments, thank you for your response last Sunday night because some of our people are away. The ladies helped out and we still need that tonight and next week and through the summertime, if you can bring just a little so that refreshments can be served and a cup of tea provided. Let me mention our next family night. Next family night will be the first Sunday night of August. It's the 6th And if you can see the screen, the man there, his photograph is coming to testify, Paul Elliot. He's from our Armagh congregation. When Paul was very young, his father was murdered by terrorists in Cady, County Armagh. Difficult days followed for the family. Come and hear Paul tell of how God's grace sustained him daily during those days. And Paul will also sing at the service. There are these invitation cards. They're now available. Please take them, give them out to your friends and family, and let's have a good meeting that particular night. I'll be back preaching that day. I will not be here next Lord's Day because, in the will of God, we'll be in Romania. We'll be speaking at both services in Bethany, congregation there. The following week, I hope to be here to maybe even lead the services But could I say the following week, that's two weeks from today, in the morning, we want to preach on the next part. of Mark's gospel. We're doing a series there. And it brings us very nicely to youth challenge, thinking about the children. And our youth challenge will follow that immediately. And so we want you to be much in prayer between now and then as these two gentlemen come and speak each night from the 7th to the 11th of August. Workers are needed. We keep this live for you to see. There's a lot of commitment here. 140 children are already signed up for the afternoon soccer camp. And we need workers for that. We need workers to drive the buses to get them from the leisure center down to the church. We need workers to help with the meals that will be provided so that we feed the children. And then other kids will be coming in the evening to join the 140 for the youth challenge meetings. There'll be crafts and sports and then a children's meeting from 7 o'clock to 8.30. So there's a lot happening each day. If you can help in some way, some small way, we'll be glad to hear from you. It is with joy that I personally congratulate my son David and his wife Emily on the birth of their baby boy. And his name is called David. OK. David Park. There are now three David Parks, all in one family. And this little boy is David V. My father and my grandfather were also David, and so it's been handed down. Now, my wife told me if we had have had a very strange, unusual difficult name. There may not have been a fourth called that and I'll say the names that she mentioned just in case that's your name. But David, David's a safe name and we rejoice as a family and we congratulate David and Emily. We pray for the sake of the church. Most of our elders and quite a few of our committee are away today, and we continue to remember John, especially, who's come through surgery. The Lord's touch will be upon his body. Now I've got a very special announcement to make to the congregation, and it's to do with one of our young ladies in the church. And I refer to Kirstie, Kirstie Wallace. And Kirstie has been accepted to train with Crown College. This has been an ongoing situation, applying to the college and then waiting for word to come through. And so word has come through this week, and she will start her training on the 22nd of August. So there'll be a time before that, probably the Sunday before that. We'll get a testimony from you, Kirsten, and you can tell us a wee bit about the burden and the call of God in your life. But the congregation, please remember Kirstie in prayer. It's so good for quite a few years having young men coming into the college and going in to train for the Lord's work, and we've been so blessed as a congregation. Yesterday, there was an unusual wedding took place here, and I refer to Manfred and Tanya coming together in married life. Unusual because Tanya is from Ukraine, And Manfred is from Nigeria, and they were married in Balamony. And that has never happened in my whole ministry where we have had this situation before. But we wish them well, and we trust that the Lord will be with them every day of married life. We continue to pray for our friends from Ukraine and the situation in their country. We look to the Lord in these days. I want to again thank those who came in last Monday and helped to pack the pallets that have now been shipped to Romania. There were five pallets altogether. The main reason for this was to send shoes to children who don't really have shoes for school and other things. 1,450 pairs of shoes came in. And they've all been sent out along with clothes. And we got a consignment of place settings from a hotel who had replaced all their Delph, or whatever you call it nowadays. Delph's a very old word. But I'm not too sure. Your crockery, that's probably an old word as well. But you know, your plates and your soup bowls and your cups and your side plates. And they, this hotel, contributed 300 place settings. So that was quite a heavy consignment to ship out. But we're thankful for their concern. And they did ring me to see if we could use them in one of the countries where we serve the Lord. I was delighted to get these photographs, the ongoing growing of the vegetables and so forth in the greenhouses that we erected at one of the churches in Romania. And they're now coming to the place where you can eat them. So our team will be able to eat the tomatoes and the cucumbers and the peppers whenever they go in the will of the Lord. And there's also a very interesting story about an accordion. An accordion, we need it for a man by the name of Daru. Some of you will remember him. He's been to Northern Ireland before. If you've been to Romania, it's very possible you've met him. He has a great ministry among young people and children. He goes into the juvenile prison where children are learning the scriptures. I told them at the early morning prayer meeting this morning that the children in the prison probably know more verses of the Bible than most of our children, because that's what they learn week by week by week. And one young man who wanted a nice Bible He was told, if you go and learn Psalm 119, we'll get you a nice Bible. And the young boy went away, and he learned all 150 verses in the Romanian language, and he got his nice new Bible. So the word of the Lord is going out. He goes into Rechash Children's Home and School. and other places and he wrote to me in the past week wondering if there was an accordion that somebody didn't need or whatever that he could use in his ministry. And we made that little appeal and there was a gentleman from up country, he phoned me and he said he was in touch with an accordion shop in Cumber. And there were two accordions that he was thinking about. One was a big one, one was a wee one. I'll not tell you how many basses you might know. Well, Eamon will know 120 bass and a 72 bass. So I wrote to Dory and I said, which one? He says, the big one, because they're going outside and it's more versatile using it in the open air work with children. And do you know whose accordion it was. It was the Reverend Fred Greenfield's accordion. He had traded it in there just a short time ago. And we had to pay more money than he got for it. So if we had have known. Anyhow, Eamon tells me there's a possibility of a couple more accordions if we can use. So thank you in the Savior's name. Want to have a wee word for Romania, the team that's going out. Quite a few of them are here today with us. I'm going to ask them to come up to the front. Anyone that's going on our VBS, just come up to the front, and Jonathan will lead us in a wee word of prayer. Maybe need a microphone for Jonathan. We will leave, as you know, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, and we're away for 10 days altogether. Most of them are, it's a Hebron group. Most of them are from Hebron. We have a family of six from Cumber, and we have two that are not here from Portobogi who have taken Wesley and Helen's place. I'm gonna come down and join you. All right. Just so you can see, these people, These are the folks who I want you to pray for. Luke McCauley, he's going. He's down in Oma today with his mom and dad. He'll be here tonight. Better late than never. Just remember, don't be late when we're departing. All right, Jonathan. Thank you. Our gracious God and loving Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this group that are going to Romania. We thank you for each one of them. Most of all, Lord, we thank you for salvation that has been wrought in each one of their hearts. No, God, we pray that you'll go with them. We pray, Lord, that you will give them journey and mercies. We pray, Lord, for the Reverend Park as he leads this group. We pray you'll give him help from above. Lord, we pray, Lord, as they reach even those boys and girls through this work of the VBS, we pray, Lord, that you will speak to hearts. We know, Lord, that in that land of Romania, there are many needs, and yet the gospel is the same to Romanian children as it is to ones here in Balamony. I know, God, we pray Your hand will be upon each one of the workers. We pray, Lord, you'll encourage them. And Lord, even as they share the gospel with those that are gathered there, Lord, that they would be an encouragement to those wee churches and different areas that they're planning to go to. We pray for the work in Timisoara. We thank you, Lord, for even memories of our late brother, Eugene Groza, and all the ones that we've met there. We thank you, Lord, for that work that's going on. Well, Lord, there in that church in Bethany, we pray for the work in Basu. We pray, Lord, for other places that they will visit. We pray especially, Lord, for the work amongst the Roma community, and Lord, for those pastors. We think of Pastor Emmanuel and for other two pastors in those churches. We pray, Lord, your hand will be upon them and bless them. I know, Lord, as these folks go and encourage them. We pray, Lord, that you'll bless them, help them, Lord, even to come home, Lord, blessed, and Lord, even encourage in their own hearts, and Lord, you'll make them vessels unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use. We pray this all in thy precious and lovely name. Amen. Thank you, Jonathan. Mr. Huddleston, family, you can put your hands up. That's the ones from Cumber. The youngest member is Eliza. OK? The oldest member of the team, I'm glad to say it's not me. So where's Stephen? It's good to have an older member of the team. Amen. Thank you. Take them upon your heart and pray for us as we go. Thank you. And Megan's from Bush Mills. Megan, put your hand up so people know who you are. Amen. We're going to bring our tithes and offerings now into the house of God as we sing together 182. It's a prayer as we come to the Scriptures. Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, as thou didst break the bread. Beside the sea, beyond the sacred page, I seek thee, Lord. my spirited pants for Thee, O Living Word." So, we're coming to the Scriptures just in a moment or two. Let's pray this prayer. We want to see the Lord beyond the sacred page. We want to read His Word, but we want to meet with Him most of all and hear from Him today. Let's pray this hymn in our hearts as we sing. ♪ He arose for me ♪ ♪ And on His neck the reddening sun has seen ♪ ♪ He on earth's sacred wings wisely beholden ♪ ♪ My spirit has finally found Him ♪ O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave Let's come to Mark chapter 10. We come to message 86 as we're progressing through this gospel. We don't want to leave any passage out or any subject out. We come to a very important one that the Savior draws attention to today. Let's read the opening nine verses. And he arose from thence and cometh into the coasts of Judea by the farther side of Jordan, and the people resort unto him again. And as he was wonked or accustomed, he taught them again. And the Pharisees came to him and asked him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife, tempting him? And he answered and said unto them, what did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, for the hardness of your heart, he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. and they twain shall be one flesh. So then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." And we'll end the reading there at verse 9. May the Lord be pleased and blessed to our hearts. We'll bow together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the reading of your Word, this infallible, divinely inspired truth. And as we look at the subject of biblical marriage today, we pray that thou will be our guide and our wisdom, that thou will sit with us in these days of immorality and all that's going on in society when it comes to the morals of any nation. And Lord, we are saddened to see the terrible decline. We pray for the intervention of God And we pray that as a Christian church, that will help us to hold on to the good values that you've given to us in your word. And that which God has ordained from the beginning, may it be precious to us. We pray that you'll bless us now in our study. Help us to meditate upon these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Our Savior is on the move again. And this time he comes, as we've read, into the coast of Judea by the farther side of Jordan. See the multitudes as they come thronging around the Lord. This was his daily experience. He never lacked an audience, and so they come from all parts to listen to his word. Jesus never missed an opportunity. When there was a people there, When the opportunity was given to teach, the Lord took that opportunity and we're told he taught them again. Here is the mighty teacher at work, faithful, fervent, and forthright in his instruction of others. One of the Pharisees steps forward from the multitude and he has a question, a question about divorce in verse two. Is it lawful? for a man to put away his wife." Notice what it says here, tempting him, tempting Christ. This Pharisee had no real interest in this matter. He just chose this subject for one purpose, tempting Christ. Throughout the Savior's ministry, so many came with eager hearts to hear what He had to say and to glean from His teaching. But there were always those in the crowd, and they were the critics, they were the fault finders, and this Pharisee was one such individual, always trying to trip up the Lord in his ministry? Well, the Lord gave an answer, and we have that in verses 4 and 5. Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away. So Jesus said, for the hardness of your heart, He wrote you this precept. And then the Savior took the opportunity to teach on the subject of marriage. And that's really what I want to sing about today. And I want to concentrate our thoughts on verses six to nine. The problem was not that these Jews didn't understand the law about divorce. The problem was that they did not understand what God taught about marriage. And that's important. So Christ, in his emphasis, emphasizes marriage rather than divorce. It's wiser to spend your time and your energy on keeping a marriage together rather than talking about breaking up a marriage through divorce. And I think that's what the Lord is saying to these people. We're living in a day when the moral values of God are undermined, despised, disobeyed. and trampled upon. A good society is built upon moral principles and when these are abandoned by governments or by the citizens of any nation, well then we plunge into all kinds of trouble and society becomes corrupt and vile and almost every sin imaginable rises. And in that land where God and his law is forgotten, we see anarchy, lawlessness, and gross immorality. Some things are happening today which are crazy. And I know that you agree with that as you listen to what's happening out there in the world. And in some cases, some things that are happening are vile and obnoxious. We have crazy things. like children identifying as animals. That's just simply crazy. They're not animals. They're not a cat. They're not a dog. They're not a horse. They're not a crocodile. They're a human being, as God made them. And we not only have the crazy there, but we also have the dark corruptions in society. We think of the gender issue that is so topical and widespread. right throughout the world. Think of what is being taught in schools today. I'm glad I'm not sitting where our young people have to sit. I'm glad I'm not there, especially in the high schools, though it's creeping into the primary schools, to listen to what children are being bombarded with in this generation. I was talking to my friend Gerry Nugent from the south of Ireland, and he was just telling me this week that he had occasion to visit the school where his young daughter of 15 is a pupil. And he had to go because in one of the classes, they were bringing in a naked man and a naked woman. You see, as far as I see it, and as far as the law is concerned, that's exposure. And people like that should be locked up. But because it's done under some kind of class in the school, it was very acceptable. And all the school could say, well, if you're not happy with it, you can withdraw your child from that particular class. These are the things that are happening. And I know that's the south of Ireland, but it's creeping in everywhere. Over in the Netherlands, there was a woman's beauty competition that was won just in the past week for the very first time by a trans woman. We used to talk about a butte. You all know what that means, don't you? There's a little reaction, are you sleeping today? We used to talk about a butte. I think we should actually talk about a brute when it comes to some of these things that are happening in society. But most attacks through the centuries up until now against the Christian marriage or marriage and what it is to be male and female usually came in the form of adultery, where a man committed adultery against his wife because of a relationship that he had with another person. The woman can commit adultery too. Or sodomy, where you have two of the same sexes committing that which is unseemly in the sight of God. Or paedophilia. And of course, the Bible speaks about these kinds of sins. The word of God is not silent when it comes to this. And one of the classic passages of Scripture that we should ever keep in mind in this subject, and young people, when you're bombarded with this at school, keep in mind what God has taught in His word from Romans chapter one. And I think it's worthwhile reading these verses. And if you want to look them up, follow them. and see what God has to say. Romans 1 verse 24, wherefore God also gave them up. It's an awful thing when God gives a person up to do things that are so violent and wicked. He gives them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator, who was blessed forever, amen. For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women, that changed the natural use into that which is against nature. It's against nature. Nature that was instilled into man from the beginning by Almighty God, it's against nature when you have two women coming together to do that which is unseemly before God. In verse 27, likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another. Men with men working that which is unseemly or shameful. and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over. to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." That's the verdict of God. That's what the Lord is saying. And the Bible speaks about the last days and what we are to expect in these last days before Jesus comes again. Peter, having spoken about the judgment of God upon the old world in Noah's time and his judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot's time, he highlighted certain wicked, filthy sins that will be punished on the day of God's judgment. And these sins included the lust of uncleanness, and those people who had eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin. And you remember Jesus foretold before His second coming that we would be living in a period of time that would be like the days of Noah, when men are eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, and you know that That's just not speaking about life going on as normal. The thought is there. Those are the things that people do every day. We eat and we drink, and in many cases, people get married. But it's speaking about excessiveness, an age of gluttony, an age of abuse when it comes to alcohol. an age when people are marrying and jumping out of one marriage into another marriage, and that's just the kind of society in which we are living. The Lord's reminding us this will take place before He comes back again. And these days are upon us, brethren and sisters. If ever there was a time, therefore, when we needed to stress the moral laws of a holy God who will severely punish sin on the day of judgment and sentence men to everlasting destruction in the fires of hell, it's today. in this promiscuous, lustful, immoral generation. And one of the things that needs to be emphasized is what the Lord is emphasizing and teaching here about the sanctity of marriage. And as I was reading this passage of Scripture and studying for today, just four words came to my mind. First of all, as we look at verse 6, I just see the word creation here. Look at it please with me, Mark chapter 10 verse 6. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. It's very striking that the Lord Jesus Christ, in addressing the subject of marriage, He brings His audience right back to the beginning of days. We're going to learn what we need to learn the subject of marriage. We need to do as Christ told these people to do. We need to go back to the beginning of Deus and learn what God has said concerning the sacred ordinance of marriage. The divine plan, the mind and the will of God. You know, people say today, well, we're living in different days, aren't we? And the rules have changed, and we need to modernize, and we need to get up to date with the majority in society. No, we do not. Not according to Jesus Christ. Jesus advocates us going back to the beginning. and understanding what God has taught from the beginning of days. See what the Creator ordained. Understand the purpose of God in making man and woman grasp what our Maker established, His rules, His divine decree. We do not need to modernize. We do not need to get up to date. We do not need to go with the flow or fit in with society. this society by the way which is a world that is corrupt and departed from God. No, we need to say, ask the question, what saith the Scriptures? What does the Bible teach when it comes to this? Because it's our only rule of faith and practice. Discover what the Lord has taught in His Word. It's the only reliable source of information. So listen to it carefully. Be well advised. From the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. God's real purpose for marriage is not fulfilled in divorce, but only in God's original plan for marriage. And you want to learn from Christ. You want to hear as He speaks. And as I look at the text here before us, verse six, I see that there is possession. It says God made them. Never forget He is our creator. He made us, not we ourselves. He has given to us a body and a soul and a spirit. He has breathed into us the breath of life. The very life that we now have in this very service is God-given because in Him we live and we move. and we have our being as our creator and our maker. He therefore has a right to govern our lives, to have a say in how we conduct ourselves in this world, including when it comes to this important subject of marriage. So there's possession here. God made them and God made you. There's ordination. Marriage is a divine institution or ordinance. It is God that has decreed the union of man and woman. As we remind ourselves on a wedding day, and we did so yesterday when the wedding took place here, and we do it every time. Dearly beloved, we're gathered together in the sight of God and before this congregation to join this man and woman in marriage. Marriage is a holy estate of life. It was instituted by God from the beginning when he created heaven and earth and all that is within them. It was instituted for the lifelong companionship and devotion of husband and wife. It is ordained as the foundation and bond of family life for the mutual help, society, and comfort that husband and wife ought to have the one of the other, and for the bringing up of children in the knowledge and love of God. This world is so far removed from God and the fear of the Lord, it has abandoned the ordination of God. Satan has made immense strides towards the destruction of that which God has ordained. And you will always discover that any country that is in a state of decay and departure, any country that is filled with great sin, is always a country that has departed especially from the two main ordinances that God made from the beginning. What did God give at the beginning? What did God ordain? He ordained marriage and He ordained the Sabbath day. And you will always find that a country that departs from these two institutions of God is a country that has departed from God, and every other sin will follow. I want you to learn the simple basic truth that marriage is God's institution, not man's, and so His rules apply. There is distinction here. A very important distinction. And I want you to mark the words. Remember, we're thinking about the words of God. And here in the New Testament, as the Lord refers to the Old Testament, what was given from the beginning, it's the words of Christ. God made them male and female. It's as simple as that, brethren and sisters. There are only two genders. So it has been from the beginning of creation, and anything outside that is a perversion." You know, I typed into Google the simple question, how many genders are there? Oh, I knew the answer because God has already told me the answer. There's only two genders. From high heaven, If we are to ask the question, how many genders are there, there's an answer that comes back from God as He looks down into this world, and God says there are but two, male and female. You know the corrupt, sinful, crazy world in which we are living. You know the nonsense that we are constantly hearing in society from the godless media, and they are telling us there are many genders. So I was interested, what is Google saying? What's the world out there saying? And the first answer that appeared on my screen was this. Gender isn't about someone's anatomy. Well, I always thought it was. Gender is not about someone's anatomy. It is about who they know themselves to be. So if you know yourself to be something else, well, that's fine. There are many different genders, gender identities, including male, female, transgender, gender neutral, non-binary, agender, pangender, gender queer, two-spirit, third gender, and all. None or a combination of these. What do you think of that? You ever hear, let me use some good Ulster words, I think they're Ulster words that you'll not understand from Ukraine, but did you ever hear of such baloney or claptrap? Because that's what it is. Another quote from a site called Sexual Diversity says, gender identity is what someone feels their gender to be. That means that how someone's private parts or how they look has nothing to do with their gender identity. Different terms, descriptions, and labels exist for other gender identities. Gender identity can be understood to include how someone describes themselves, how they present, how they feel. Below are 107 gender identities currently listed for 2021. I read that and I thought, what utter nonsense. We had better sit up and pay attention to what Christ declares in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation. God made them male and female. That's the distinction, and the only distinction. Verse 7, I thought of the word separation. For this cause shall a man leave. his father and mother, and cleave unto," or cleave to, his wife. These words were originally spoken by Adam. That's very interesting, isn't it? That Adam would speak such words. He didn't have a mother or a father. But I go back to Genesis chapter two and verse 23. Adam said, this is now, as woman is made and brought to Adam, this is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh." So it's very interesting, as Adam knew nothing about father and mother by personal experience. So therefore, he is now speaking words by the inspiration of God. It was a prophetic utterance put into his mouth by the Lord Himself. Eve was not formed separately from the dust of the earth, but directly from a substance from Adam. And so, she was one with her husband, as we shall see, and that means that she was nearer to him than all other relationships, superior to the tenderest ties of nature and birth. We're going to see that a wife should therefore cleave to her husband so that two persons virtually become one being. The man leaves his father's house, and the woman obviously leaves her father's house too. I like to remind young people who come to be married, and I like to remind their parents as well, that The relationship that they had or parents had with their children fundamentally changes. Children leave so that they cleave. You see that? They leave their family so that they are now united, they cleave to their wives. They respect and the love for parents remains. Scripture teaches that. And we should always honor our father and our mother However, here is a new beginning when two people come together in married life. Parents can give advice when it's asked for, and children should seek advice and good counsel when they feel it's necessary. But marriage, according to God, involves young people untying the apron strings. and starting life together as one identity. That's what the Lord is saying here. And then in verse 8, we'll move on, but time's almost gone. I see unification. Let's read the 8th verse of Mark 10. They twain, or they two, shall be one flesh. So then they are no more twain, but one flesh. Now, the terms and expressions used by the Savior all point to the unification of husband and wife, not merely in the physical sense, and that's part of it, but in heart and mind and soul, in true unity, the one with the other. We are to do everything to maintain our relationships, our oneness, our bond of love, if you like. Husband and wife should strive together to keep that blessed unity that exists in their marriage. And everyone else should strive together to preserve marriages in this country. Husband and wife become one flesh. The term cleaved to his wife that we have in verse 7 has the idea of gluing two things together. So a husband becomes glued to his wife. That's the opposite of divorce, you see. The Lord is saying to these Pharisees, you think about marriage and what God has taught about marriage. Don't be thinking about divorce, putting apart. No, you think about being glued together. When you cleave to your wife, you don't cleave to anybody else. The expression joined together. that we have in verse nine literally means yoked together. You know the way animals were yoked together? Couples must work together and head in the same direction to be really joined in the way that God wants them to be joined. And if you've ever seen the yoke of oxen or any other animals that have been yoked together, it would be absolute chaos if one was going in one direction and the other going in the opposite direction. When they're yoked together, they go in the same direction head in the same way, and that will bring the unity that God desires. Matthew Poole, the Bible commentator said, here there is a new and an overriding unity. The bond between a husband and wife should be even stronger than the bond between parent and child. The marriage bond should be stronger than the blood bond. And the law of God was not that a man should forsake his wife whenever he had a mind to it, but that he should rather forsake his father and mother than his wife, loving his wife as his own body." You want to think about that. In the holy, loving relationship of marriage, there is a tie that is close and deep. And there ought to be a union. of interests. I'm not saying that a man and woman are going to have exactly the same interests. There's room for diversity there. Some might like to play golf. My wife doesn't like to play golf. I don't like to play golf at all. But they should have the same interests at heart. And there should be a union of places. It should go together. And a union of decisions. especially in important decisions. They ought to be together in decisions that are made. And for the believer, there ought to be a union in worship, and there ought to be a union in our service for the Lord, where we can do things together to serve Christ. You know, vows are taken to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, sickness and health, to love, honor, cherish, till death us depart according to God's holy ordinance. Unification. And I finish one little thought there in verse nine, and it's just very simple declaration. And here's what the Lord declares. What therefore God have joined together let not man put asunder." Jesus reminds these Pharisees that marriage is spiritually binding before God. Marriage is not merely a social contract And as God has joined together, he will keep together, and no one should put that marriage asunder. One of our commentators said, in using the terms joined together and separate, Jesus reminding us that divorce is really like an amputation. Sometimes in the most extreme circumstances, amputation may be the right thing to do, but the patient must first have a diagnosis worthy of such an extreme solution. So we close by just reiterating the words of the Savior, we must do all that we can to preserve the marriage bond and never be instrumental in putting husband and wife apart in any way. Brethren and sisters, these are the words of Christ. This is biblical marriage. May God help us to preserve it, to keep it, to preach it, and adhere to it with all our might in the midst of such a crooked generation in which we live. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we believe in the divine ordination and institution that you gave from the beginning. We say amen to the words of the Savior as he teaches these Pharisees in his day what the biblical teaching on marriage is. Help us, Lord, to adhere to it, preserve it, to preach it, to give the right counsel. We pray that you will bless our young people growing up in such an awful society in which we live. Protect them, protect them especially at school, in college and university and protect our people generally, wherever they are, whether it's at work or in society at large. Help us, Lord, not to be influenced in a detrimental way by the evils of society, but to stand up for the truths of your word and to be able to speak as we have done this morning. Thus saith the Lord in these matters for Jesus' sake. Amen. Let's sing a couple of verses of 748. O give us homes built firm upon the Savior, where Christ is head and counselor and guide, where every child is taught his love and favor and gives its heart to Christ the crucified. Let's sing the first two verses only. Who he has called will turn upon his Savior, where Christ is head and counselor and guide. and gives its heart to Christ, the crucified. God seemed to know that, though His presence be heard, is walking by its side. Oh, give us hope with loving heart and knowledge. Let us always place our hope and trust in Him. ♪ Whose proud and praise ♪ ♪ From the land of thee ♪ ♪ The home where is ♪ ♪ Thy joyous serving of earth ♪ ♪ And love still shines ♪ ♪ Through days begun and through years gone ♪ Maybe to ask the question, Sasha, do you take your journey to Ukraine this week? OK. Remember Sasha and his family, because they are driving the whole way to Sarasota. And that'll take about three days. And they're going to stay there for a while, and then coming back to Northern Ireland. So it's a long journey. We remember you, brother, as you travel. Heavenly Father, keep us and preserve us in every journey that is taken. whether it's a short one or, in Sasha's case, a long one. We pray that you'll preserve them and keep them, not only in the car journey, but also entering into a country where there's uncertainty. Surround them in your protection and bless them. Remember other Ukrainians from our congregation here who are traveling and are away on holiday at this time, going back to visit relatives and family. Be with them also. Keep your hand upon our own congregation and help us all, please, to honor the Lord in all things. Dismiss us now in your fear and with your love, for Christ's sake. Amen. Yeah. you