Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Ephesians 5:22-24

Marriage is meant to be a wonderful thing, yet many of us have experienced miserable or mediocre marriages. But through His Word, God has given us directions to develop a magnificent marriage.

In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul compares the relationship of husband and wife to Christ and the Church: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:22-23).

God’s pattern for an ideal wife is submission.

When a wife submits to her husband, it does not mean she is inferior to him; her duty to submit reflects how the Church submits to Jesus Christ.

Adrian Rogers says, “Submission is one equal voluntarily placing (herself) under another equal that God may be glorified.” A wife will find glorious liberation in submitting to her husband, because she has assumed the role God has given her.

The husband is to be the loving leader of the family, not a dictator. He is positioned as the head of the house to mimic the pattern of Christ, who is the head of the Church. Jesus does not force our submission. He loves us; therefore we willingly submit. Likewise, a husband cannot coerce his wife into submission; he loves her into it.

Husbands are to love their wives selflessly and sacrificially; they cannot put their ambitions, ideals, or desires before their families’ welfare.

A husband must also love his wife in a sanctifying way that makes her a better Christian (see Ephesians 5:25-26); it is his responsibility to nourish and cherish her. As he seeks to satisfy his own needs, he should seek to satisfy hers as well, loving her as he loves himself.

He must love her supremely, treating his marriage as the highest of all earthly relationships.

Becoming one flesh with his wife means a husband will share himself with her, big and small, leaving no part of himself in the dark.

Finally, he will love her steadfastly, remaining loyal to her above everyone else.

If we look at the relationship of Christ and the Church as our model, our marriages will thrive like never before.

Apply it to your life

If you are married, pray that you and your spouse would assume your God-given responsibilities and honor Him.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Exodus 33:12-14

There are two ways we can be acquainted with God: we can know His works (what He does) or go deeper and understand His ways (who He is).

In the Book of Exodus, Moses was given a huge task, and he knew he could not do it without knowing the ways of God.

Exodus 33:13 says, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight...”

Knowing the ways of God is the difference between rest and relapse.

Moses wanted to know God’s ways and God gave Him rest; on the contrary, Israel never found rest because the people only saw the works of God, and did not seek to know His ways. Knowing God is an eternal Sabbath, because it means we have peace, having put our trust in Him.

Knowing the ways of God is also the difference between intimacy and infatuation.

It is easy to be excited about the works of God, but genuine faith and knowledge takes time.

Moses knew God and spoke to Him as a friend. (See Exodus 33:11.)

Jesus performed miracles but did not advertise them; He knew people would be infatuated with the signs and wonders and disregard knowing Him intimately.

It is also the difference between being a teacher or a testified.

Anyone can give an account of what they have experienced; but someone who knows the ways of God is a teacher, as Moses was.

It is also the difference between peace and panic.

Many times, things will not work out the way we think; God often works in strange ways.

Adrian Rogers says, “God’s ways are always mysterious; God leaves no footprints on the sea of life; no pathways in the traceless sea.”

If we extract our theology from the works of God rather than from His ways, we will live in a perpetual panic.

Finally, it is the difference between intercession and indifference.

Knowing God intimately enables us to pray on behalf of others, as Moses interceded for Israel.

Apply it to your life

We cannot know the ways of God through our own human ingenuity; it does not come by observation, by interrogation, or by reasoning. We know the ways of God through intimate, face-to-face dealings with Him. Today, seek His face, not His hand, so you can know His ways and find rest for your soul.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2:1-5

God Almighty created and sanctioned the home to be the sweetest place on Earth. Jesus Christ is the greatest home builder; yet our enemy is the greatest home wrecker.

There is a satanic war on marriage, specifically on motherhood. We must remember the magnificence of motherhood, and how it is the highest calling women could ever receive.

Titus 2:3-5 says, “...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

First, we must remember the glorious place God gave wives.

Wives were created to be helpmeets to their husbands. In the home, the woman is to be under the direction and leadership of the man.

Second, we need to remember the grievous problem.

There are women who do not want that God-assigned place.

But we must remember there is a chain of command, even in the home, and we cannot function if we aren’t working within it.

Adrian Rogers says, “When a woman rebels against God’s plan, she is sinning against the God of that plan.”

When a mother rebels against the chain of command, she also sins against her own nature, her welfare, and her family. There are some who will prioritize their own “fulfillment” over their families, which leads to neglecting their husbands and children.

But there is a better way for wives and mothers, and it is God’s gracious plan.

1 Peter 3:7 says, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

A husband who has been given the great responsibility of leading the family owes his wife provision. He also owes his wife protection and partnership. She is not to be excluded; instead, there is to be togetherness, as we are co-heirs of grace.

Apply it to your life

There is a magnificence to motherhood and a glory to femininity; are you following God’s plan? Consider your glorious place as a wife and mother; repent of the grievous problem, and instead, abide by God’s gracious plan.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Exodus 20:12

Adrian Rogers says, “Our parents are the first people we meet; if we cannot learn to love and respect our parents, then it’s obvious we cannot learn to love and respect anyone else.”

Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

Honoring our parents means taking them seriously, to revere and respect them. Following God’s command to honor our parents is how we can be children of happy mothers.

First, we honor them by the lives we live; we do this by obeying them when we are young.

Disobedience is a grave, harmful sin; it is not a weakness, it is a wickedness. Disobedience invites the sure judgment of God. On the contrary, through obedience, we learn character and self-control; we receive God’s blessing and protection.

Children are extensions of their parents; when they see their child doing something godly and worthy, it gives parents joy.

Second, we honor our parents by the load we lift; we must help them, especially when they get older and need our care.

In our society, people sometimes fail to care for their older parents. We must remember that our parents loved us in spite of our faults; we must love them in spite of their faults.

Third, we should honor our parents by the lessons we learn.

Our parents have the advantage of being further down the road of life than us. It would be wise to listen to the ones who love us and have our best interest in mind.

Last of all, we honor our parents by the love we lavish upon them.

We must remember what we owe them; they gave us life, their blood flows through our veins.

Adrian Rogers says, “I believe that the closest thing on this Earth to the love of God is the love of parents for their children.”

We are to return that love to them. When we show respect, express gratitude, heed their counsel, and live lives that honor them, we become children of a happy Heavenly Father.

Apply it to your life

Do you obey and honor our Heavenly Father, showing respect, gratitude, and love?

If your parents are living, show love and respect today; if your parents have passed, give them honor and thank God for their memory.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Genesis 1:27

Marriage is the most vital and meaningful human relationship we could ever enter into; yet it seems obtaining a marriage license is the most flippant, accessible process to date.

If we truly believe in the sanctity of marriage, we, as parents, grandparents, and workers in ministry will prepare our kids for marriage.

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Men and women are designed with general differences that they might complement one another and contribute to the partnership. God gave Eve to Adam to make up for what was lacking in Adam’s nature, and vice versa; He made them different that He might make them “one”.

Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This verse serves as an outline for preparing our children for marriage.

First, we see the priority of marriage: to leave.

Marriage is the highest of all human relationships. When we commit to another in marriage, we leave mother and father and unite with spouse, becoming one flesh.

Adrian Rogers says, “The job of a parent is to work himself or herself out of a job; to bring that child to a place where the child no longer needs the parent.” We raise children with the intention of them leaving home to build homes of their own.

Second, we see the permanence of marriage: to cleave.

When a man and woman are married, they are “glued” to one another; they become a home, together, as one.

We must always remember love is a choice; we choose to love. The emotion may follow, but love is a commitment; if we don’t make that commitment, we will walk away when a crisis comes.

Finally, this passage recognizes the purpose of marriage, which is to be one flesh, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We are called to join together physically and multiply; we become one flesh psychologically and spiritually, a blending of spirits, in the highest communion

Apply it to your life

A godly home is the greatest way to prepare our children for marriages of their own. Consider the way you conduct yourself, how you treat your spouse; choose to love today.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 5:18

As the heads of the home, fathers should accept the responsibility of teaching their children to follow God’s law.

Deuteronomy 5:18 states that we should not commit adultery, yet our world has mainstreamed sexual immorality; by all appearances, it will only get worse.

Fathers are to teach their children about the facts of life—one being to remain abstinent until marriage—from the heart, in natural conversation.

The Book of Proverbs is a conversation between a wise father and his son; it is a beautiful guideline for what fathers should teach their children about sex.

First, the author of Proverbs taught his son the dangers of sexual immorality: it does not bring genuine fulfillment, and in fact, it endangers future happiness.

Proverbs 5:3-4 says, “For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.”

The idea that sex will ultimately fulfill us is a lie from the enemy himself. It may seem old-fashioned, but we need to teach our children to keep themselves for the one they will marry because waiting proves love.

Adrian Rogers says, “Love can wait; it is lust that cannot wait. If you sacrifice the future on the altar of the immediate, you’re making a bad bargain, because you are sinning against your future happiness.”

We must also warn them that they will ultimately answer to Almighty God for the way they live. (See Proverbs 5:21.)

Fathers should also offer their children clear directions on how to live purely.

First, they must guard their company and date only in the right environments. Implore them to be careful about getting in with the wrong crowd and putting themselves in tempting situations. (See Proverbs 5:7-8.)

It is up to the father to set limits and guide children through opportunities to prove their trust.

Finally, fathers must point out the delights of keeping God’s Word.

There is no greater joy than the joy of a Christian home, no security like a lasting marriage, and no satisfaction like a loving mate. God gives good things to His children, if only they will wait for them.

Apply it to your life

Fathers, it is up to you to teach your children the facts of life. Vitalize it, verbalize it, and visualize it, as you teach them the dangers, directions, and delights of God’s Word.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:23-27

Every day, our children’s minds, allegiance, love, and souls are being snatched away by the great kidnapper, Satan. We cannot ignore this present danger; we must beware the kidnapper and his plan of attack.

Two slaves of Pharaoh, Amram and Jochebed shook the world when they raised their child, Moses, by extraordinary faith.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Biblically speaking, training up means to create a desire; while they are young, we must create a desire for God in the hearts of our children.

There are four things we must beware of that are vying for the hearts and minds of our children.

First, we must beware of liberalism in the Church.

Liberalism is a dangerous thing; it is what distorts this generation's direction and leads people astray. We must make sure our children are plugged into a true Christian church.

We must also beware of humanism in the school.

Humanism has infiltrated public education. The misteachings of values clarification, evolution, and sex education are subtle tactics to make our children rethink the standards and values of God’s Word.

We must beware of paganism in society.

The glorification of alcohol and pornographic music and television systematically seduces our children. We must insist they see past the glamor and onto the destructive consequences of sin.

Finally, we must beware of materialism in the home.

Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

Amram and Jochebed put something in the heart of Moses that no material possession could replace.

Adrian Rogers says, “Faith was in the heart of Moses because it was in the heart of his parents.”

By faith, Moses refused the things of this world, chose God over riches, and reckoned what was worth having, which is the reward of knowing God.

Apply it to your life

Beware of the kidnapper, who comes to seduce your children with liberalism, humanism, paganism, and materialism. Show your children the beauty of knowing Jesus, and watch as all the things of this world grow strangely dim.s

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Psalm 127

Our homes are not happenstances; they comprise supreme relationships and require unconditional commitment. God gave us our homes to protect us and develop our deepest physical and spiritual needs.

Jesus Christ holds the keys to a fruitful home; if we build our home on the Rock, we build something that lasts.

Psalm 127 first reveals the construction of the home.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” (Psalm 127:1a). Our human ingenuity, wit, or wisdom will not help us build our homes. We need a blueprint and a builder; that Person and Plan is Jesus Christ and His Word, which is the Bible.

Second, this passage reveals the conservation of the home.

“...unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1b). The one who builds the home is the one who keeps it. Our homes are under attack like never before; we must constantly be on guard.

The sins of sexual immorality, alcoholism and addiction, and selfishness corrupt and destroy our homes. It is our job to protect our homes, but we do not have the strength to do it without Jesus Christ.

Third, this passage reveals the contentment of the home.

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2). This verse highlights the matter of discontentment and materialism. We are chasing happiness and material things we think will satisfy. But only God can meet our deepest needs for security, significance, and satisfaction.

Finally, this passage speaks of the children of the home.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Children are a gift from the Lord, given to us to point in the right direction and propel them further than we could ever go (see Psalm 127:4), If we raise them to love God and follow Jesus, we will not be put to shame (see Psalm 127:5)

Apply it to your life

Adrian Rogers says, “God gives you children to shoot at the enemy…your home is to be the center of the world mission enterprise.”

The greatest thing we could ever do for the kingdom of God is raise a child for the Lord. Today, pray over your home; consider how you are constructing and conserving it.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2:11-15

In these increasingly dark days, we may wonder if there is hope for us. As believers, we can live in the light of the blessed hope that Jesus Christ is coming again.

Titus 2:11 and 13 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men… looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…”

Hope is certainty based on the Word of God.

It is a rock-ribbed assurance and anticipation. This hope is a purifying hope: “...teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” (Titus 2:12).

When people have hope, they are looking toward something in the future, so they will take care of the present. If we truly anticipate Jesus’ return, we will clean up our lives and keep them clean. We will want to live pure lives and move step by step toward holiness.

Hope is encouraging.

God our Father is the power, preserver, and purpose of creation; everything is in His control.

When Jesus comes, wrong will be made right. He will come for His bride, the Church. Jesus will subdue the devil and He will sit on His throne.

Hope is unifying.

As we move higher toward holiness, we draw closer together in abounding love with our fellow believers. As we wait for Jesus, we ought to have a fervent love toward one another, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

Adrian Rogers says, “The closer we get to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the closer we ought to be to one another, the more we ought to be in the house of God.”

Hope is challenging.

Christ’s return should motivate us to bring people to Him in faith. We have such limited time, and we must remember the most important thing is sharing the Gospel with others.

Hope is stabilizing.

When we’re rooted in this hope, we will not be blown about by the things of this world.

Finally, hope is comforting.

The blessed hope reminds us that it is not over yet; our King is on the way.

Apply it to your life

As the days become gloriously darker, we can live in the light of this blessed hope. Get in the Word of God and be faithful to your fellow believers.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 5:10-13

According to Scripture, becoming a genuine Christian means facing some kind of persecution. The only way to escape it is to compromise—to conform to this world. Instead, we can prepare for persecution and decide now that no matter what happens, nothing will take our joy from us.

Matthew 5:10 reveals, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Adrian Rogers says, “Joy is a thermostat; it is internal and doesn’t depend on circumstances. Persecution is the thermometer that shows how you are living for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The first reason we are persecuted is because of the lifestyle we show.

Christians are persecuted “for righteousness’ sake” because we are different. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus called us the salt and light of this world. Salt irritates the wounds of this world, and light exposes its darkness. In context, Jesus was saying we are to be irritants and exposers of sin.

But we must not confuse punishment for persecution. Adrian Rogers says, “We are punished by good people when we do evil. We are persecuted by evil people when we do good.”

The second reason we are persecuted is because of the lies we suffer.

Jesus was crucified because of false witnesses; likewise, Christians are and will continue to be blamed for things they have not done.

But the main reason for our persecution is because of the Lord we serve.

Jesus says, “for my sake” (Matthew 5:11). The world hates Jesus Christ because He stands against the very things the world stands for: liquor, abortion, pornography, pride, racism, hatred, and selfishness.

As followers of Christ, we can expect to endure personal insult and physical intimidation. But we can enlist our persecution for the glory of God. Because we are children of the King, we reign in life, and we can return good for evil. We must also rejoice in the Lord; we have been identified as a follower of Christ and associated with the Lord... what an honor!

Finally, we should respond in love. We can be great witnesses if we respond to the hate of this world with the love it desperately needs.

Apply it to your life

Knowing the reasons for persecution and the results of it, what is your response? Are you willing to follow Jesus in a world that hates Him? When you are persecuted, rejoice in the Lord and respond in love.