Transcendent | Lust

Church on The Rock Homer

I still remember the day when I realized I did not want to be married anymore. My relationship with Jenny had been so gratifying and satisfying up until that point. But a couple of years into marriage and our selfish tendencies were degrading our capacity for meaningful intimacy. We could no longer mask our issues. What had been a fun friendship was being overshadowed by failure.

There is a line I have heard often used in PR statements put out by celebrities when they announce the end of a marriage: “The relationship has run its course.” In our case, the relationship was just beginning to run its course. What I didn’t understand at that time is that my Father in heaven, committed to my ultimate good, had hand selected Jenny to facilitate the death of selfish nature.

You see, God created me for a good purpose that I was meant to enjoy now and for eternity. And my selfishness is one of the greatest threats standing in the way. When that part of me began to suffer, I felt like I wasn’t going to make it. The death of my pernicious, monstrous and relentless self-serving tendencies felt like…. dying.

But without a death, there can be no resurrection. My marriage was accomplishing exactly what it was meant to. God was setting me free. God was liberating me from my lower appetites so that I could learn the infinitely superior joy of being satisfied in him. And once satisfied in Him, I was free to love Jenny like never before. I could see her as the gift that she truly was.

In this message, we will continue in Matthew chapter 5 and look what Jesus has to say about marriage and divorce. Regardless of your past or where you are at today, remember, God has your good in mind.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser