God

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Gods Design
Our Distortions
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President Barack Obama has concluded that the
administration cannot defend the federal law that
defines marriage as only between a man and a
woman.
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Gods Design
Our Distortions
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Computer CD Drive
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Or coffee cup holder?
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Gods Design
Our Distortions
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Matthew 193 And Pharisees came up to Jesus and
tested him by asking, Is it lawful to divorce
ones wife for any cause?
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Matthew 193 And Pharisees came up to Jesus and
tested him by asking, Is it lawful to divorce
ones wife for any cause?
tested Jesus
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Matthew 193 And Pharisees came up to Jesus and
tested him by asking, Is it lawful to divorce
ones wife for any cause?
Is it lawful?
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Matthew 194-6 He answered, Have you not read
that he who created them from the beginning made
them male and female, and said, Therefore a man
shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together, let not
man separate.
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Matthew 194-6 He answered, Have you not read
that he who created them from the beginning made
them male and female, and said, Therefore a man
shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together, let not
man separate.
Have you not read?
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Matthew 194-6 He answered, Have you not read
that he who created them from the beginning made
them male and female, and said, Therefore a man
shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together, let not
man separate.
he who created them from the beginning made them
male and female
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Matthew 194-6 He answered, Have you not read
that he who created them from the beginning made
them male and female, and said, Therefore a man
shall leave his father and his mother and hold
fast to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together, let not
man separate.
and the two shall become one flesh
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Matthew 197-9 They said to him, Why then did
Moses command one to give a certificate of
divorce and to send her away? He said to them,
Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed
you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning
it was not so. And I say to you whoever divorces
his wife, except for sexual immorality, and
marries another, commits adultery.
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Matthew 1910-12 The disciples said to him, If
such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry. But he said to them, Not
everyone can receive this saying, but only those
to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who
have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs
who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it.
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Better Not to Marry?
The disciples had an anthropocentric
man-centered outlook. They felt that their
designs for their own well-being had to be
better than their Creators design just
communicated to them by the Messiah himself.
Heth Wenham
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Matthew 1910-12 The disciples said to him, If
such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry. But he said to them, Not
everyone can receive this saying, but only those
to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who
have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs
who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it.
Not everyone can receive this saying
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• Refers to
• Jesus words about the permanence of marriage
  (v.9)

Matthew 1910-12 The disciples said to him, If
such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry. But he said to them, Not
everyone can receive this saying, but only those
to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who
have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs
who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it.
Not everyone can receive this saying
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• Refers to
• The disciples words about refusing marriage

Matthew 1910-12 The disciples said to him, If
such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry. But he said to them, Not
everyone can receive this saying, but only those
to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who
have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs
who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it.
Not everyone can receive this saying
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Matthew 1910-12 The disciples said to him, If
such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry. But he said to them, Not
everyone can receive this saying, but only those
to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who
have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs
who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is
able to receive this receive it.
There are eunuchs . . .
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Conclusions

• Sex is neither a human right nor a requirement
  for human flourishing (except in marriage)

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Conclusions

• It is a joy to forfeit even the best of God's
  gifts for the sake of Christs Kingdom

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Conclusions

• Celibacy is the only alternative to sexual
  expression in marriage (one man male and one
  woman female joined as one flesh in the
  marriage covenant)

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Conclusions

• Loving Jesus involves finding, following, and
  flourishing under God's design in every aspect of
  life.

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Gods Design
Our Distortions