A Friend of Jesus—A Friend of the Marriage--an outline inspired by Pastor Lutzer's sermon today

Ephesians 5:31
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

A friend of Jesus! O what bliss

That one so vile as I

Should ever have a Friend like this

To lead me to the sky!

Refrain
Friendship with Jesus!
Fellowship divine!
O what blessèd, sweet communion!
Jesus is a Friend of mine.

A Friend when other friendships cease,

A Friend when others fail,

A Friend Who gives me joy and peace,

A Friend when foes assail!

Refrain

A Friend when sickness lays me low,

A Friend when death draws near,

A Friend as through the vale I go,

A Friend to help and cheer!


Refrain

A Friend when life’s short race is o’er

A Friend when earth is past,

A Friend to meet on Heaven’s shore,

A Friend when home at last!

Refrain

A Friend of Jesus—A Friend of the Marriage

I. Salvation by Grace through Faith—
II. The blessing of marriage
III. The defense of a vow
IV. The instruction of it’s heavenly significance
V. The Blessing of mirroring a Heavenly Mystery on earth
VI. How am I a Friend of Jesus in my marriage?
VII. How am I a Friend of Jesus to others’ marriage?
VIII. What do I need to do to improve my friendship with Jesus?
IX. Understanding of my sundry vilenesses and applying them to my improving my friendship.
a. Lessons for husbands, in loving of your own wife
b. The problem of lust
c. The wall of emotional baggage
d. The engagement of my will in repentance
e. Saying no to the flesh
f. Unplugging the eyegate from diversions
g. Unplugging the eargate from invasive influences
h. Rules for proving if a medium is family friendly
i. Lessons for wives in respecting your husband
j. The problem of comparison
k. The practice of respectful speech
l. The practice of building a positive Public Response
m. The practice of praying these responses into the soul

X. Learning to become at home with oneanother- growing in love and heavenly acceptance in the midst of an unfriendly world.

The Goodness of God, leads to repentance!

Years, I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not, my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not, it was for me He died,
At Calvary!

I am grateful for the ignorance that was my soul's condition, before salvation. I should have lived in fear and so often, I was smug. I neglected, so great a salvation, and never thought twice, in my prayers to consider the condition of my sinful soul. God's goodness lent me wings to see above the human state. Now, reconciled to God, I have peace with God. Whatever the state of my emotions, my soul's condition is in Christ, who, by His blood, reconciled my soul to God. Now, sometimes, I am fraught with fears of the reality of this great salvation. Can God, who is holy, accept me, who is unholy, into His presence? I did nothing to accomplish this for myself? I have nothing that can pay for this advantage? It is truly the most precious gift.
I could take time to question and examine the wisdom of such a gift on my behalf, I would never find the end of the folly of it. It cannot make sense, that the perfect God of the Universe would sacrifice to reconcile my soul to God. OR, I could praise and thank the mystery that found me dead in my sins and redeemed me.
I am thankful that those who question the importance of the baptism of the Spirit of God or who question the Word of God's relevance for today, still seek His activity and filling for seasons of life. It is a serious blindness that teaches us not to expect God to baptize us anew and afresh, for seasons of service and activity, when it is clearly noted for us everywhere in scripture. It is a deception of the devil that we should never seek God for the Holy Spirit, when we pray to the Father in the Lord's Prayer- "give us, this day, our daily bread" and we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord. Should we not also as for the special annointing of the Holy Spirit, whether or not we can ascertain the real reason that we need Him? We need the Holy Spirit. We want the Holy Spirit, not just to enliven our corporate worship, but to enliven our hearts to the reality of our pride and envy.
We see the poor, who are rich in faith, basking in that richness and we despise the joy that God has given them, in their circumstances. We are like the filthy temple {2 Chronicles 29:15-30:27} and at a loss to cleanse ourselves. God, give us eyes to see our need of the Holy Spirit. God, cleanse our hearts so that we will not be envious of the poverty of our souls.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem 2 Chron 30:26

The Immense Spiritual Benefit of Praise and Worship

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 150:6

There are few things that I remember, being taught to me, early in my Christian experience as rivetting as the importance of Praise and Worship. The expressions of verbal adoration and continual expressions of love to God, were not stingily expressed, in the Church where the Lord lassoed my soul.

Having come from a Catholic upbringing, these heart expressions of worship to God, were somewhat odd to me. I watched many people, who I had learned to respect for their godliness and sought God for His direction as to whether these things were extreme or useful for the soul. I had a real desire not to be deceived by people as to what is God's directives and this was a particular area of difficulty for me, in practice. I was far more comfortable with quiet heart prayers to God, than the verbalizing of these words, especially the repetition aspect was peculiarly averse to my mind. The noise levels were averse to my nerves and my trained to quiet upbringing. We were early trained to be seen and not heard and to be silent before God, was seen as more solemn and more holy than the noise of, what we considered hollering.

God humbled me and brought me into the school of praise and worship. I saw this invitation and command in the scripture, to glorify God, in worship and praise. I was convinced that my silence was born of pride of place and cultural aversions, still, it took a long time to learn the personal benefit and the spiritual imperative to enter into His presence with worship and praise.

God wears light as a garment.

God is fearful in His presence. He condescends to the likes of us. I love how uncles show this and fathers. I am remembering the times that I was afraid of the uncles and how they built relationships of confidence and love.

I noticed in I Remember Mama that the fear of Uncle Chris was pervasive. Adults and children cowered in his presence. It was not because he was a mean fellow, but loud and masculine and confident. Perhaps, he had no children of his own to tame his loudness, still the scene where he reaches out to the girls to share a secret and grow this relationship of comradery out of fear, endeared his character to me and to the girls in the story.

I remembered the eyes of my uncle Charles, specifically. His eyes spoke much into my soul. This is our dance, He seemed to say at a glance. I do take your hand dear uncle. He never declined to tell some secret personal story of kindergarten or his love of the sisters in my presence. I had no idea that you were really human uncle. What an endearing quality.


It must be difficult for men, as their voices change to develop a new character that is not dependent on the voice that they receive after the larynx catches up with their growth. God blesses and owns the dearness of neice to uncle and the building of that relationship is certainly a love that is real and true, if nurtured properly. I see the eyes of Uncle, when the rubber meets the road. Life coach, seeming to say, "Make lemonade". Love God and do your duty. I am grateful for God's having lent him to us.

Who wants to go through childbirth? Raise your hand.

Not me. Too late :). No matter how you pray at the ninth month, looking into the dark chasm of travail, after water breaks, God never says no. There is always a level of pain. I am grateful to have participated in the birth. Now! 16 years after, the nurse looked me in the eye with a smirk. You should have thought of that before, mommy, here comes the pitosin. Agonizing 3 days of travail and mental agonies, birthed my precious ladybug, Evelyn.

God is there in the darkest hours and comes with life out of the pain. It seems that God didn't make women with the same defense mechanisms as men. When it comes to childbirth women must let go of comfort and life and health to welcome a new heart and responsibility. The serpent, in the garden took advantage and there was no human protector for her. They didn't know, in their innocence that the inheritance of the earth and life was to the holy couple and not to a lone ranger. Through redemption, we learn that God has made us heirs together of the grace of life.

Adam gave Eve her name, in the garden. "Mother of all living" Let's find life together. I remember, I had no impetus to wish good for my baby, after that pain. Father Ben went to the store and bought the joy out of the pain for this little precious one. A ladybug dress and a beautiful hat adorned our stylish baby girl. Fathers have that responsibility from God to take that which is left from the "fall" in Christ and commision it into the service of God and the family.

Travail is a curse, true. But the fruit is wonderful and delightful throughout life. I am thankful for the blessings that have come in my life through the travail.

There is a Land of Pure Delight, Isaac Watts

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Eternal day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

Refrain:
We are feeding on the living Bread,
We are drinking at the Fountain-head;
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again.
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again!
What never thirst again?
No, never thirst again!
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again!

There everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flow'rs;
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heav'nly land from ours.

O could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy thoughts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love
With un-beclouded eyes!

Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o'er,
Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood,
Should fright us from the shore.