The Greatest Commandment pt. 2: Eros

Gravetop Church

*Apologies for the sound quality on this specific message. There were unexpected technical difficulties in the recording.

Main Idea: The saying, “people do crazy things for love” proves true as romance shows itself to be one the most powerful forms of love. This type of love can easily become heaven or hell for people depending on the circumstances. It can change a person’s life forever just as much as it can also destroy a person’s life forever. Romantic love is an essential life experience that we must learn to understand so that it doesn’t overpower our judgment and decisions.

Today, we’re going to learn to understand our physical nature and our desire to be embraced. We’re going to unpack what this love looks like in a practical way for single people, unmarried couples and married couples. And we’re going to talk about our need to nurture and protect this type of love in our lives.

The reason that this topic is so important to talk about is because many Christians feel really confused about this subject and can quickly make it super weird as they try to navigate it. It has commonly become a life experience that makes believers afraid and even unnecessarily guilty because of the taboo culture about it within American churches. So many have made bad romantic decisions in efforts to please either God or church leaders but end up bitter and resentful as they have to live with the consequences.

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1. I Have Needs [GOD CREATED US AS SEXUAL BEINGS]

The topic of sex has always been somewhat dogma within American church culture. While the rest of culture has seemed to embrace it to the fullest possibilities, churches have somewhat stood their ground at being, maybe not silent but quiet on it. The most that we tend to hear is that it is bad unless you’re married. But the Bible gives so much more meaning and deeper complexity to some of our most inner-most desires and questions about sexual desire.

(Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-25)

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2. Guard Your Heart [ROMANCE CAN BE LIKE HEAVEN OR HELL ON EARTH]

While American culture continues to throw off all barriers to sex, it is an overwhelmingly dangerous path. Not just because of the biblical connotations to sexual immorality but because of the simple fact that your sex life will often determine your future life. If you think carelessly about it now, it will wreak havoc on your life later. Your body, your heart and your mind will become prisoner to the person or people you let tie their soul to yours.

On the flip side, if you were to guard your heart and consider sex and romance to be meaningful and even sacred, you will be able to make sound life decisions with a clear head and conscience. You could choose to be with the person of your dreams whom you waited for rather than a person you settled for when you felt desperate.

(Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 6:27-28; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

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3. Keep It Simple [APPRECIATE AND FOSTER THE LOVE THAT YOU DO HAVE]

We often feel confused or simply insecure about our romantic life. We get afraid of the responsibility of choosing a life partner so we attempt to put all on God to tell us what to do.The best advice I believe that the Bible conveys to us in regard to relationships is the concept that we all have the freedom of choice. Scripture talks about instances in being married, single, engaged, etc. and leaves people with the choice to do what they believe they ought to do within moral reason.

(1 Corinthians 7:1-28)

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