Lessons for Living (Audio)

Marriage is a complicated relationship. You have two people, with their own wants, preferences, likes, and dislikes. In the midst of working out how to make the marriage work, many times the spiritual aspect of the relationship gets set aside. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the critical importance God places on the spiritual side of marriage. You’ll find out why the spiritual life of the couple matters, both to God and themselves. You’ll hear about ways the couple can get this area of their relationship going the right way.

Marriage is tough. Even when both spouses are working at making their marriage the best they can, it is really hard. Many in the world (and some in the church) have even given up on marriage altogether, opting for living together without matrimony. In Pastor Mark’s teaching today, he’ll talk about the difficulty of making marriage work. You’ll learn some of the reasons the marriage relationship is hard. You’ll find out about God’s original intention for marriage, and how you can incorporate that in your life.

The Bible talks about “the lust of the eyes” as being a forerunner to sinful actions. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a sinful action that didn’t begin with seeing or imagining seeing the end result. As Pastor Mark teaches today about God’s command for sexual purity, you’ll hear about the role the eye has in this area. You’ll learn about the ways the world tries to entice you to indulge in thoughts of unbiblical sex. Pastor Mark will show you ways to keep from giving in to those temptations.

People who call themselves Christians often have the unfortunate habit of looking at the world and its pattern of sin and thinking themselves “better” because they don’t do those particular transgressions. Pastor Mark will be teaching today against that wrong thinking. You’ll come to understand that God’s standards are what Christ-followers should be using, which sometimes might put you in an uncomfortable position. You’ll find out the reasons for the rules God’s set in place.

People outside of the Church – and even some inside it – think that God hates sex. They look at Him as a killjoy, because they want to be able to sleep with whomever they like, whenever they like. No rules. Pastor Mark, in his teaching today, will show how the ‘no rules’ crowd gets it wrong. You’ll hear about the chaos and dysfunction that happens from doing life your own way rather than God’s way. You’ll also be reminded of God’s grace and mercy that can enter your life when you decide to do things His way.

Anger and hurt are such strong emotions. People can – and do – commit horrible crimes, driven by those two feelings. When someone does you wrong, the last thing you want to do is to give up the right to hurt them back, which is what forgiveness is. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the power of anger, which is a twin to the desire to murder. You’ll find out about why God said not to murder, why the road that ends at murder starts with anger and hurt, and how to let God help you to forgive.

The world seems to be getting angrier and angrier. You have the TV shows where people are encouraged to be aggressive toward, and even fight, one another. Even on the more “normal” shows, there’s a level of malice that’s increased over the years. So how, as a Christ-follower, should you behave? Pastor Mark will be addressing this issue in his teaching today. You’ll hear what God has to say about anger. You’ll learn what the origin of anger inside you is, and you’ll find out what God’s remedy is.

All around you, people are hurting. They are your coworkers, people you see at the grocery store, in your church, maybe even in your home. They’re looking for solutions to the issues of their lives. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will be addressing these people and the root cause of their problems. He’ll tell you how some of these people, because of their neglect of the First Commandment, find themselves violating the sixth one. You’ll hear about what your job as a Christ-follower is in making a difference in their lives.

Most people, whether they are Christ followers or not, understand that the norm for the family is for there to be a father and a mother. For whatever reason, there are many children who are being raised by one parent. Pastor Mark’s teaching today on the fifth Commandment reinforces God’s original intent. You’ll learn about the spiritual aspect of families and about Satan’s desire to corrupt everything that God creates. You’ll find out about the grace of God that can overcome the mistakes you might have made.

The world is full of disrespecting of authority. Everywhere you look you see situations where the authority figure is mocked and ignored. In most sitcoms, the boss or parents are shown to be clueless buffoons, unworthy of respect and obedience. Pastor Mark’s teaching today is about God’s affirmation of the original building block of society, the family. You’ll hear what God had to say about the structure and composition of the family. You’ll find out how the lessons you learn at home can benefit you for the rest of your life.