 Good evening, and thank you for joining us tonight. In a moment, we will go to our study. You will see that we will not have a bulletin, but we'll go directly to our teaching and then we'll conclude the teaching with a few words of encouragement to you who are viewing our services online. Please take the opportunity of letting us know that you're watching, and if you desire to give an offering, you can do so online. If you're watching us via computer, click on the give button in the upper right corner of your screen. If you're watching on your mobile device or iPad, click give under the menu button. If this is your first time giving digitally, follow the instruction under four ways to give to process your gift. You can also mail your checks to 1-2-2-0-5 North Pipeline Avenue, Chino, California, 91710. And remember, you can still come in and use the kiosks we have in the foyer that are set up to process gifts, or you can place your gift in an envelope and hand it to one of our receptionists in the foyer. Thank you. And with that, let's get into the teaching. Okay. Here's something for you. I have a whole lot of studies that I've been preparing lately, and so I had written on Facebook that we're going to be looking at Song of Solomon and I had given the chapter. Then I realized, no, that's not the chapter, and I got it in my mind that I was going to teach on chapter 7 when actually I was teaching on chapter 6. Long story made short, I remembered writing Song of Solomon 7, so I prepared chapter 8. So we're not looking at chapter 7 today because I don't have it. We'll be looking at chapter 8, Song of Solomon. Then when we get back, I'll go into chapter 7, because I just had somebody ask me, how come we didn't look at chapter 7? And I was thinking we did last week, so I opened up. Oh, no. So we're just going to tear that chapter out of the Bible. It's just not inspired. No, we'll be looking at chapter 8 today, but when I come back, we'll be looking at chapter 7, and then we'll close out, and it'll all work out together. But boy, do I feel old. A couple of things for you. As you open to chapter 7 of Song of Solomon, chapter 8 of Song of Solomon, we're going to look at chapter 8 verses 1 through 7 today in Song of Solomon. If you haven't opened your Bibles to chapter 8, please do. But tomorrow we have a ministry called Moms on the Move. It's going to be at 10 o'clock. They're going to have a meeting where they're going to get together and they're going to be putting together some crafts in the banquet hall. And Moms on the Move is for mommas who have small children who would like to not only have their kids, you know, with other kids and all, but to be able to meet other moms in our fellowship who or just who come who have small children. And it's just a good time, a refreshing time for the mommas to get together. And so I encourage you ladies, if you have your children and their toddlers and you'd like to meet some other mommas with babies, it's a good thing. And so tomorrow on the 5th, Monday, we're going to have at 10 o'clock some crafts, Christmas crafts in the banquet hall. And then on next Saturday, there's something our chapel store is going to have. It's called the Movie Morning. And it's going to be at 11 o'clock Saturday in the chapel. And they're going to be showing the newest veggie tales that relates to Christmas. And if you'd like to bring your kid or your baby, if you'd like to bring your child, we'd love to have them with us. And that'll be at 11 o'clock next Saturday. But you will need to contact the chapel store if you could. Let them know that you're going to be there. So there's adequate room for you. Well, chapter eight, we're going to look at verses one through seven. And I chose to entitle it, a love as strong as death. And you'll see why in just a moment. But let's begin reading here in Song of Songs, Song of Solomon, chapter eight, at verse one, I'll read to verse seven, and we'll get into our study. Song of Solomon, chapter eight, beginning at verse one, reading to verse seven. Oh, that you were like my brother who nursed at my mother's breasts. If I should find you outside, I would kiss you. I would not be despised. I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, she who used to instruct me. I would cause you to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand is under my head. His right hand embraces me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth. There she who bore you brought you forth. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death. Jealousy as cruel as the grave. Its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. Only waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised. At this point we have another opportunity of seeing what makes love last. What are the ingredients that go into a relationship that help that relationship to endure over time? Notice in verse six how the Shulamite says, set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death. Notice verse seven how it reads, many waters cannot quench love. The question has to be, what are the ingredients that go into a relationship that will help it to endure over time? Now one of the things that I find interesting as we look for those elements is found in verse one. Because as you look at verse one it's interesting how the Shulamite says to Solomon, her husband, oh that you were like my brother who nursed at my mother's breasts. One of the things that makes love last, it's interesting that she says oh that you were like my brother. Now I want you to notice something here. She's not saying oh that you were my brother. She's not saying I love you like a brother. I mean every guy in this room knows that if you ask the gal out and you've been dating her for a while and you're there over dinner and she looks at you and she says you know I really like you as a friend. I love you as a brother. You know what she's saying? If it was me I'd get up and make her pay the bill man. Are you kidding me? You love me like a brother but that's not exactly what she's saying here. She's married to him so there's got to be something deeper than that. So when she says oh that you were like my brother she's not saying I love you like a brother. She's saying oh that you were like my brother and so what she's really saying is that she's saying as a brother and a sister that is a love that is permanent. That is a relationship that lasts. A brother and a sister will always be a brother and a sister. You see the love between a husband and a wife is a bond but that's a bond that may be broken some day. You can have a genuine love for someone but if you don't fan that flame and if you don't keep it burning it can go out. It may fade. It can lose its power but a brother is always going to be a brother and he'll never be anything but a brother. A brother and a sister relationship is not a decision that we make. It isn't something that we decided upon. I have a brother. I have two sisters. I wasn't consulted on the matter. My parents didn't ask me can we have some more kids? They didn't come to me and say we're thinking about having two daughters. What do you think about it? I just said no you can't. No of course not. I don't want to have Madeline and I don't want to have Becky and by the way can you get rid of that ugly one you call Frank? Get rid of them. You know I want to be spoiled by myself. You know they didn't come and consult me and families are that way. I have two sisters. They're younger than me and brother is older than me. It's just part of the family and so a brother sister relationship is not a decision that we make but yet you have her saying here oh that you were like my brother. Now what is it that she would be saying that is so valuable that would help me? What are the things that she's saying here that can help me to have a love that lasts? A relationship that goes beyond just a transient or a very short time. What is it? Well there are certain foundational elements that exist in a brother and sister relationship that can make it a beautiful relationship. For example there's a bond that exists because you're both from the mother father of one of them at least at least one of those whom you're living with whether your mom or your dad or more than likely both. Both of them are your parents and so there's this family bond that you have and so that's a foundational reality. Secondly there's a purity in that relationship because there's no sexual tension. There are no petty jealousies between a brother and a sister. Something else is that it's a long lasting relationship. It begins in childhood. It continues on through the rest of your life. There's a strong love that a brother can have for a sister. A strong love that drives him to desire what is best for her when my sister Madeline came home with a young man by the name of Pat. Normally my dad would have met him and visited with him but dad wasn't available at the moment and so when Pat came over to our house for the first time I took him into our den and sat him down and talked to him as a big brother would speak to a guy who wants to go out with his little sister and I spoke to him as a big brother asked him questions concerning you know who are you how long have you walked with the Lord have you let any of your family to Christ I spoke to him like that I wanted to know who this guy is you see my sister Madeline dated only one man and married him and that was Pat. She wasn't one who went out with a lot of guys and so when she decided to bring this guy home I wanted to know who he was and that's what big brothers can do sometimes little brothers rather little sisters resent that but the fact is a big brother has a protective interest and there's just a love that is there where he wants the best for her there's a closeness there's a friendship that you can have that can make that a very special relationship and that's what she's saying she's saying oh that you were like my brother but she's also saying something else because it goes on to say if I should find you outside I would kiss you I would not be despised you see in that culture during that day a young woman could only have affection that was open on the outside say outside of the home for a dad or for brothers and so what she's basically saying here is I would like our love to be known by all I want to be able to kiss you without embarrassment so that you don't have to turn your face away from me I want to have this kind of affection with you the affection that I have that is open that is permissible in our society they won't look down on me they won't disrespect me for for showing this affection and that's what I want she's basically saying I want I want our love to be open I've enjoyed our relationship I have a passion and an openness I don't want to be restrained around you she is saying because I desire you it's interesting how she says if I should find you outside I would kiss you I would not be despised I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother and so she's saying I can spend time alone with you without anyone judging me I noticed she also goes on in verse 2 to say I would cause you to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate in other words I want to serve you and I want to refresh you this doesn't necessarily have a sexual connotation to it but can be very practical and in a way that a wife will minister to her husband many wives minister and love to minister to their husbands and that's basically what she's saying I want to cater to you I want to care for you you know at at our home I've stated this to you before you know Marie is very much like my mom was with my dad when we would sit at the dinner table when I was growing up dad would come home and we'd be having our meal my mom very infrequently if ever sat down during the meal my mom always was standing we had a small kitchen we ate in the kitchen and my mom would have her plate and would put it on the sink and she would eat and she'd look at the table which is only a couple steps three steps away and she'd make sure that everybody was cared for she'd ask my dad would you like anything else and the kids are is there anything I can give you that's how my mom raised us and and it's interesting because Marie's the same way I mean to this day if we're at the house Marie will be standing in the kitchen and she's in and she's looking to make sure everybody's cared for that's just Marie and there'll be time when I have people who are maybe new friends are just beginning to join our family like my son-in-law Gabe and and all who would be sitting there and and I'd say to him watch this and I'd have the plate in my hand and I and I'd pretend I was getting up you know and Marie will get real mad she gets mad at me what are you doing so I'm gonna go get something and then that no use you you don't get it you sit down let me get it for you what do you need and then I'll stand up real slow and I walk like I'm real old like no I can get it you know and and she'll actually get mad at me and I love it so I you know I'm spoiled and yeah I enjoy it but that's basically what the Shulamite is saying she's saying I want to cater to you I want to minister to you I want our love to be open and I have a heart of service for you now it's interesting how she speaks of her mother and she speaks of her mother in this way she's the one who used to instruct her her mother used to instruct her that's how she says it I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother she who used to instruct me the mother has a ministry the mother's ministry is to teach their daughters concerning the life and the responsibilities of a wife it's the mother who teaches the daughter how to be a lady and the mother teaches the daughter how to be a wife young ladies learn such skills by being around their moms by serving alongside of them that's what normally happens and that's biblical by the way in the the book of Titus in chapter 2 verses 3 through 5 where the Apostle Paul is speaking concerning you know the behavior of the older man and and younger man and older women younger women in Titus chapter 2 verses 3 and 5 when he's referring to the older women he says it like this he 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 chased homemakers good obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed the older women have a responsibility of teaching the younger women the practical aspects of making a home and and I bless the Lord for godly women who have great influence in the lives of younger women when Marie and I had our first baby when Corinne was born Marie being a nursing mother obviously never having nursed before had things to learn about that it just so happened that one of the ladies who attended one of my Bible studies I was teaching was also one who instructed young mothers about nursing and so this older woman was able to spend time with Marie and to share with her some of the things about nursing what to look for and the things that relate to that and I was greatly appreciative of it and so is Marie because this older woman was teaching a younger woman just like Titus 2 3 through 5 says and so a younger woman learns the duties of being a house maker a homemaker and they normally leave learn that duty or how to do so through their moms but mama can teach you certain things that and only certain things a husband can teach you other things and so she's referring not only to the fact that mama used to instruct her but in verses 3 and 4 she says his left hand is under my head his right hand embraces me so she's beginning to speak of the things that that a husband teaches and that relates to to intimacy now this is something that was said before in chapter 2 verse 6 but in that context they had yet to be married and it did come with that warning do not stir up love until it's proper well here it's very clear that she's rejoicing in her husband's affections and then moves on into verse 4 by saying I charge you oh daughters of Jerusalem do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases it is now proper for her to have a sexual relationship it's something that she is learning through her husband and it's proper but she issues a warning once again and says don't stir up passion until you can actually have it satisfied in a proper way now there are those who obviously didn't wait to get married and many who are now believers carry with them a lot of pain and regret over that sometimes they can feel condemned they condemn themselves because they didn't wait as part of what I read for devotions I read material by a man by the name of a w tozer many of you read tozer and and tozer said something that I really appreciated tozer said when a person makes a mistake and has to be forgiven the shadow may hang over him or her because it is hard for other people to forget but when God forgives he begins the new page right there and then the devil runs up and says what about this person's past God replies what past there is no past we started out fresh when he came to me and I forgave him that's how it works God forgives you all the sins that have been committed have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ some people carry within their hearts the pain of making poor decisions and it's understandable that they do but at the same time God has washed them and they are now cleansed it's like what Micah 7 19 says he will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea that is called a hebraism it's a picture of God casting into the depths of the sea that which will not be retrieved it's out of sight and it's out of mind and when God forgives he forgives completely if any man be in Christ he's a new creation all things are passed away behold all things are made new and so God has a way of giving us a brand new start it's called his grace and it comes through the blood of Jesus Christ this woman waited she waited until she was married and now it's the proper time to have a relationship yet she speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem and says to them you need to wait until you're married but as she goes on in verse 5 it reads who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved I awakened you under the apple tree there your mother brought you forth there she who bore you brought you forth and and so it is asked who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved what we have here is a bride leaning upon the arm of her beloved and it reveals not that she's weary and needs him to hold her up but it reveals that they are inseparable if you're going to have a love that lasts if you're going to have a love as strong as death it has to be founded on the reality of a relationship that that's in the Lord the two have become one and so there's this place in your relationship where you two are together and that's what it's saying here it's basically saying who is this coming out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved these two people are are without separation there needs to be a prioritizing of our lives around the life of our spouse it has to cease being all about me it becomes all about us and there are people not ready for a relationship like that because they think it's boring they're the ones who say I got to go out I got to do things I can't stand the thought of being home every day with you I want to do something else well being married requires that we adjust our personal wishes to be compatible with the wishes of our spouse it requires a depth of dying to yourself as you make your spouse's desires equal to your own some people cannot make it in marriage simply because they're too selfish to be married when a husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her that's the foundation of how a marriage can actually last it's the kind of love that safeguards your marriage now in verse 5 notice how it says I awakened you under the apple tree there your mother brought you forth this is interesting to me I wonder and I'd say that this is fairly common but I would wonder out loud how many of us in this room can say those of us who are married can say I know exactly where it was when I realized that I loved this person I was with I wonder every married couple here every married person can you can you look back in in your married life maybe you have 50 years to go back maybe just a year maybe a few months but can you can you look back and say I remember where it was when I knew in my heart this was it this is the one that I would love for the rest of my life I can tell you where it was for me it was at an LA Kings hockey game talk about romance I do know how to romance a woman LA Kings hockey game I had been gone for three months I was in Europe backpacking with a friend of mine returned he had some tickets for a hockey game and I took Marie I forget what month it would be it would been probably September maybe early October could have been a preseason game I don't remember that because I fell asleep during the game I do remember that I fell asleep because I was jet-lagged and Marie who was seated next to me at this hockey game and there were several of us Marie fell asleep too so we're just there just sleeping through the whole game and I don't know I remember going into the car as relieving and she was seated next to me as we're driving away and I remember very well thinking I love this girl I hadn't allowed myself to think that and I do remember Solomon says I can tell you where I knew I loved you it's under the apple tree I can tell you that now that now that's a lot better than saying you have hair like a flock of goats I have to tell you and that's a romantic idea there right now you see in scripture apples sometimes can symbolize love and as he's speaking about that I want you to notice he says I awakened you under the apple tree but he goes on and says there your mother brought you forth there she who bore you brought you forth what is he saying there that she was born under an apple tree he's saying you were born but you were born just for me one one day our lives interconnected and we met began to know one another and we grew to love one another and he's saying you were brought into my life there's a sense of divine connection it's like it says in Psalm 37 23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way God intersected my life with yours so that I could see you and know that this woman who was born to this mother was actually born not just to be alive but she was born to be my wife she was born to be with me there's this mentality that you have when you have a love that lasts a love that is as strong as death that there is a divine connection that occurred that God brought this person into your life one day some couple in one city had a little girl and a couple in another city had had a little boy that little boy was raised went to different schools lived in a different place had a different life she did too but one day that young girl and that young guy somehow were able to connect whether it was in a Bible study in a church service on the job site wherever it was these two people met each other they grew to love each other they married one another and there's that sense within them that it was a divine connection made by God himself I have that with my wife I had prayed and I had said to the Lord if I delight myself in you you will give me the desire of my heart and I delighted myself in him by serving him and it was in the service of the Lord that Marie was brought to connect with me I who grew up in Norwalk and she who grew up in Chino for me if you'd have said one day you're gonna live in Chino I just said what one where is Chino are you talking about China no Chino Chino no way are you kidding Chino is a place you're from it's not a place you live it's place you drive through it's known for flies and prisons are you kidding me oh the Lord knew my heart so he said I know how to get you over there and he was right and I grew to love this area because I grew to love a girl from this area and I believe on a personal level that I can at least say she was made for me she was made for me Solomon seems to be saying that here your mother brought you forth but your mother brought you forth for me now that's a sense of ownership that has a depth to it I know that God brought you into my life Marie and I have songs we don't call them our songs but in a sense I guess you could you know there are songs that remind me of her and and songs that remind her of me and one of the songs that she says reminds her of me includes the lyrics and this is from her and the way that she thinks of me maybe it's intuition but some things you just don't question like in your eyes I see my future in an instant and there it goes I think I found my best friend I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe I knew I loved you before I met you I think I dreamed you into life I knew I loved you before I met you I've been waiting all my life that's a song Marie has given to me and she says that's another way of saying there was a divine connection God brought us together he grew up in one place she grew up in another but the Lord in the way that God orchestrates lives just wove it in such a way that we intersected can you say that could you look back and say I know I hope you can that God brought this person into my life you see Solomon is saying I can tell you where I fell in love with you was under the apple tree and I can also tell you your mama had you just for me what a beautiful sentiment to have when it comes to love to have a love that lasts a love that is as strong as death that's a great ingredient to trust that God actually engineered you to meeting one another actually strengthens you and that concept is rooted in your faith that God actually has concerned for you in all things and that God can give you a person that you need to have in your life that is used by the Lord to develop you into a better person now the Shulamite in verse 6 begins to speak and she says set me as a seal upon your heart as a seal upon your arm for love is as strong as death jealousy as cruel as the grave it's flames are flames of fire a most vehement flame and so she says set me as a seal a seal during this time was a mark of ownership it was what was placed on containers or or letters that would actually demonstrate that the person who put the seal owned it so a seal was a part of ownership you would drop some wax if you had a signet ring or some form of of identification you would put that on the wax and when the the letter would be claimed or whatever you had a proof of identification through the seal so it was a sign of ownership and so that's what she's saying she's saying I want you to to love me forever it's a request for a permanent love and it's a request for a proper sense of relationship that you might even say a proper ownership you see a man speaking from a man's perspective doesn't necessarily have an immediate sense of ownership of a relationship it takes time to grow more openly committed when Marie and I would go some place together when we were first dating and I would bring her into a room and ladies you might have had this happen in your life too I would bring her into the room and my friends would be there and I'd say this is Marie and my friends would look oh hi you know and I'd I'd be there for a moment but then I'd see one of my friends over here and I'd walk over there and visit with them and leave Marie she's a real friendly gal I didn't have a problem with that she didn't have a problem with that she'd make friends very easily and so I would just walk away and I'd I'd go and talk to my friends and then when it was time to leave I might walk up and say well you know got to go now and she'd say okay and we leave and it was like that in the first few months of our relationship there was no sense of ownership at all if one of my single friends walked up and began to speak to her I didn't think anything I didn't have any jealousy over that I wasn't possessive it didn't really matter but there came a point where I started thinking I care about her so it changes the way it we'd walk into the room and I would be with her and if there was somebody I'd say this is my girl this is Marie now I'm changing my vocabulary this is my girlfriend and if I walked away to get something and I saw one of the single guys walk up to her I would walk up and stand next to her and I would smile at him and you guys know what I'm saying I'm saying back off this is mine that's what she's asking for she's saying I want committed relationship I want to be the I want to be the seal on your arm I want people to know we belong together that is you and it's me I want an open relationship not a hidden relationship there are guys who during the season or maybe at a wedding or some kind of thing where people are getting together they bring what we call arm candy there's somebody there with them but it's just it's just it you know that doesn't matter it's just somebody I'm taking with me but the day comes when that arm candy begins to be mine and at that point you don't want your buddies walking up and scamming on her you don't want them walking up and say oh where you from you know and this and that you don't like that you get to the point where you say your friends back off and you do it by just standing next to her or taking her by the hand or putting your arm around her shoulder you're showing this one's mine you can't have it and that's what you do and it's not a violent thing it men understand it if I were single and some guy walked in with the girl and then I saw him walk away and I saw he just standing in the by herself I can talk to her but if he comes walking up to me and he looks at me he says how you doing I saw I'm fine and he says it's my girl like he's telling me something else he's saying you need to take a couple steps back Casanova that's what he's saying and so what she's saying here is basically I want you to love me openly set me as a seal upon your heart and as a seal upon your arm why love is as strong as death for a love to endure there needs to be commitment now how can love be as strong as death well it's unfailing it's undivided it's entire and it's permanent it's a passion that is powerful and lasting it's a love that doesn't end it's a love that doesn't quit even as no one can resist death love has a tremendous power over a man and she's saying love is as strong as death it lasts forever in 1st Corinthians 13 13 we read now abide faith hope love these three but the greatest of these is love love is as strong as death bind to me set me as a seal upon your heart a seal upon your arm love me deeply within and love me deeply openly and the love that we have can be permanent it's interesting how she goes on to say jealousy is cruel as the grave it's flames are flames of fire a most vehement flame jealousy is desiring deeply what belongs to you it's not always evil there can be a godly jealousy and it's keeping others away from what belongs to you is that sense of ownership and she's saying I want you to love me as if I'm the only person in the entire world but verse 7 goes on to say many waters cannot quench love nor can the floods drown it if a man would give for love all the wealth of his house it would be utterly despised many waters cannot quench love yeah you're in love when you grow to love somebody you know them but you don't really know them to get married and when you begin as a married couple to live together you begin to see things about them that that you think are great and you're so grateful for and then the other things that that you have to adjust to and other things that you don't think you ever can adjust to this these things got to change that happens that's part of marriage that's part of marital life I mean you get to know the person you get to know the whole package and that's why it's so trippy to me I don't know if that's the right word probably not so interesting to me when you see these movies or these these people wake up next to each other you know obviously they're in the same bed they slept together and then she leans towards him and he puts his face towards her and then they talk are you kidding me the other day I woke up and Marie had the blankets over her face because I was breathing on her I started laughing I saw are you telling me something she didn't have to she'd her eyes were watering yeah you see them oh hi honey how are you are you kidding me and their eyebrows are singed their hair gets all curly you learn some things and you get married and and all of these things are just part and parcel and there are things that need to change there are things that but you really have difficulties with and there are other things that will never change no matter how many lectures no matter how many arguments so many how matter how angry you might get over they will stay that way and that's the way it's going to be and you have to adjust to it they're called waters many waters you can have troubles you can have challenges you can have disappointments in pain you can have discouragement times of anger they'll be financial struggles you're gonna go through pain of losing those whom you love you may lose your job or just the stress of life but you make up your mind that no matter what we go through it's gonna draw us closer we're gonna make it we're gonna make it together and you learn to love the way that you ought to learn to love that you hold on no matter what no matter what we have a love as strong as death nothing will separate us it's interesting how we read if a man would give for love all the wealth of his house it would be utterly despised you can't buy love you can't pay for it you see these guys sometimes on TV they're in their 80s and they've got this 25 year old beautiful wife and the first thing you think is how rich is he because you know no 25 year olds normally gonna chase after some guy in a walker just unless it's made of gold just doesn't happen that way you know homely generally doesn't attract beauty that's just a fact but that poor older guy knows that she married him for his money maybe he's willing at that point to just pay for it but it's not love is it it's a form of prostitution and it's sad it's really heartbreaking when you consider the reality of what it is you can't buy love you can't pay for it you can't buy a nice pair of shoes and a nice purse you can't go on by the nice car you can't pay for it oh you bought me these things therefore I love you doesn't work that way does it no it doesn't love is deeper than that you can't purchase it you can't go to the store and say I want $500 worth of love today it's not something you can buy it's not something you can get like that it's it's freely given and it's generally it's something that somebody responds to it's not earned it's freely given but it is responded to and the way that the woman begins to love the man is because the man begins to love the woman and there's something about that man that makes that woman say I can't live without him and there's something about that woman where the man says I can't live without her and you aren't willing you should never be willing to give that up there's no flirtatious relationship there's no affair that is worth losing your marriage over you may see somebody on the job side or somebody that seems to be available to you and you begin to imagine that this will be the best relationship you've ever had the best intimacy you've ever experienced but when it's all said and done it's all the same it's over and it's done and it is unfulfilling if there's no love there it's unfulfilling it's a biological need it's a drive that it's been satisfied but when there's love there that's the deepest thing that you can have outside of prayer it's an intimacy that is pure and it comes because you're in love you can have love you die to yourself you can have love you look at the things that are special and you highlight them you can have love you weather through the storms you go through the disappointments in the pains you go through the hurts and you come out better on the other side for it and it develops a strength in you that makes that love unbreakable you can have a love that is as strong as death if you have it in the Lord Father would you work in us today that we might that we might have a love that is deeper today than the love we had yesterday work in us today Lord have your way in us some in this room may need some prayer maybe that the Lord is speaking to your heart and you need to get right with him I want to pray for you if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and maybe that you need to get right perhaps you haven't been walking with him and maybe that it's time for you to say Jesus come into my life or if you're a person here right now simply has walked away in your back slidden but you have a need to be right with the Lord and you sense that and you want what God has for you I want to pray for you that you might just open up to him and say God forgive me come into my life work with me and if you need prayer right now I'd like to pray would you raise your hand and let me pray for you right where you're at Lord you see these hands you know the reason why they're being raised to you you know every hidden secret need and you know exactly how to meet these needs so I'm asking that you would reach down you would touch these lives and as their hands are raised that you would reach down if you will and touch them that they might sense your presence Lord even right now wash them cleanse them and if it's an area of sin bury that sin in the depths of the sea never to be brought up again may they be new in you Lord in every way as their hearts are open to you and we would receive this by faith in Jesus name thank you you can put your hands down and Lord would you keep moving amongst us now and help us to live for you in your name we pray I pray the study was encouraging and I want to thank you for your continued support and prayers and invite you to join us next Sunday night as we move into the next part of our study as I mentioned earlier if you would like to give your offering you can do so online if you use in a computer click on the give button in the upper right corner of your screen if you're watching on your mobile device or iPad click give under the menu button if this is your first time giving digitally follow the instruction under four ways to give to process your gift and finally you can either mail your checks to 1205 North Pipeline Avenue Chino California 91710 or if you're able you can come to the sanctuary and use the kiosk we have in the foyer that are set up to process gifts you can also place your gift in an envelope handed to one of the receptionists in the foyer so thank you God be with you and we look forward to having you with us once again