OURUF

Love Stinks #5- Jesus and Sex

Feb 13- S-E-X is a gift that tells a story with your body, Eph 5;

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE-

[22] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. [24] Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

[25] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [28] In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, [30] because we are members of his body. [31] “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” [32] This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [33] However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

(Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV)

Big Idea- Far from being a cosmic accident, the Act of Sex is a message from God speaking a profound and essential message.

Point 1: Sex is only a blessing in the context of a marriage between a man and his wife.

Point 2: When you have sex with someone, your body makes a promise whether you do or not.

Point 3: So, what is Sex saying?

Love Stinks #4- Friendship is a Supernatural Blessing!

1 John 1:1-10

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Big Idea: Eternal Life & Christian Growth Are Nourished in Friendship

1. Friendship is a Supernatural Blessing
2. Friendship Helps Us Know Our Deceptive Sin
3. Friendship Helps Us Believe the Promises of God.

Love Stinks #3- Trading God for Sex

The Two Immoral Sisters

Ezekiel 23 The word of the Lord came to me again: ² “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, ³ who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed. ⁴ The older one was named Oholah,^[a]and her sister was Oholibah.^[b] They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah acted like a prostitute even though she was Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians: warriors ⁶ dressed in blue, governors and prefects, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds. ⁷ She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols. ⁸ She didn’t give up her promiscuity that began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her. ⁹ Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she lusted for. ¹⁰ They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

¹¹ “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister. ¹² She lusted after the Assyrians:governors and prefects, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men. ¹³ And I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path. ¹⁴ But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion, ¹⁵ wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. ¹⁶ At the sight of them^[c] she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. ¹⁸ When she flaunted her promiscuity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.¹⁹ Yet she multiplied her acts of promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth when she acted like a prostitute in the land of Egypt ²⁰ and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. ²¹ So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.

²² “Therefore Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side: ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa; and all the Assyrians with them—desirable young men, all of them governors and prefects, officers and administrators, all of them riding on horses. ²⁴ They will come against you with an alliance of nations and with weapons, chariots, and^[d]wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with shields, bucklers, and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards. ²⁵ When I vent My jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and your descendants will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your descendants will be consumed by fire. ²⁶ They will strip off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry. ²⁷ So I will put an end to your indecency and sexual immorality, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt anymore.

 ²⁸ “For this is what the Lord God says: I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. ²⁹ They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for, and leave you stark naked, so that the shame of your debauchery will be exposed, both your indecency and promiscuity. ³⁰ These things will be done to you because you acted like a prostitute with the nations, defiling yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have followed the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand.”

³² This is what the Lord God says:

You will drink your sister’s cup,
which is deep and wide.
You will be an object of^[e] ridicule and scorn,
for it holds so much.
³³ You will be filled with drunkenness and grief,
with a cup of devastation and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
³⁴ You will drink it and drain it;
then you will gnaw its broken pieces,
and tear your breasts.
For I have spoken.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

³⁵ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and promiscuity.”

³⁶ Then the Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah?Then declare their detestable practices to them. ³⁷ For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. They have even made the children they bore to Me pass through the fire as food for the idols. ³⁸ They also did this to Me: they defiled My sanctuary on that same day and profaned My Sabbaths. ³⁹ On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, that is what they did inside My house.

 ⁴⁰ “In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And look how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry for them. ⁴¹ You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and oil. ⁴² The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards^[f] from the desert were brought in, along with common men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful crowns on their heads. ⁴³ Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they now have illicit sex with her, even her? ⁴⁴ Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those obscene women. ⁴⁵ But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged, for they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶ “This is what the Lord God says: Summon^[g] an assembly against them and consign them to terror and plunder. ⁴⁷ The assembly will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses with fire. ⁴⁸ So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your indecent behavior. ⁴⁹ They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences for your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”

MATTHEW 26:39!  Compare to ezek 23:31-34!                                                             

John 8 cf with ezek 23:45

^{Matthew 26:39} Going a little farther,^[a] He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

An Adulteress Forgiven

² At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat downand began to teach them.

³ Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. ⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. ⁵ In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” ⁶ They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him.

Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. ⁷ When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

⁸ Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. ⁹ When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. ¹⁰ When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, Lord,”^[a] she answered.

“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”]^[b]

Love Stinks #2- The Ruin of Relationships

Relationships RuinedHe said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” [2] And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, [3] but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” [4] But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. [5] For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.[8] And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” [11] He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” [12] The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” [13] Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”[14] The LORD God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this,cursed are you above all livestockand above all beasts of the field;on your belly you shall go,and dust you shall eatall the days of your life.[15] I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”[16] To the woman he said,“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;in pain you shall bring forth children.Your desire shall be for your husband,and he shall rule over you.”[17] And to Adam he said,“Because you have listened to the voice of your wifeand have eaten of the treeof which I commanded you,‘You shall not eat of it,’cursed is the ground because of you;in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;[18] thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;and you shall eat the plants of the field.[19] By the sweat of your faceyou shall eat bread,till you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken;for you are dust,and to dust you shall return.”[20] The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. [21] And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.[22] Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” [23] therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. [24] He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.(Genesis 3 ESV)Big Idea: Self-centeredness is the definite cause and unfortunate result of the Fall of RelationshipsOutline:1. Insecurity2. Shame3. Blame4. Suspicion5. Rebellion

Love Stinks: Created for Relationships

[1:1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV) [26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28 ESV) [31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31 ESV) [15] The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” [18] Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” [19] Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20] The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. [21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22] And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23] Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” [24] Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25] And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:15-25 ESV) [22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. [26] They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. [27] But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:22-27 ESV) Outine: I. 2 Messages from our culture on relationships: __________________________ & ____________________________. II. 2 Messages from God on relationships: _______________________________ & ______________________________. Discussion Questions: 1. Are you a person who is more jaded and cynical about relationships or optimistic and romantic about relationships? Why is this? What is it about your personality/experience, or other factors that has led you to this place? 2. In what ways does the culture ultimately leave both extremes broken and without hope or fulfillment? 3. What are ways that you will change your posture toward relationships if the two messages from God about the bible are true? 4. What new purpose and resolve and vision did the message give for getting out of bed in the morning? 5. Depending on if you are a cynic or a romantic when it comes to relationships, how do you need to ask God to help your belief in Jesus being applied to your life? Schedule: Dating  Relationships- RUF Style. Love Stinks- Waiting, Dating, and Mating” Jan 16- Created for Relationships, Gen 1-2 Jan 23- Relationships Ruined,  Gen 3 Jan 30- Fallout: Whores, Donkey Dongs, Horse Emissions- Jesus and our idols. Ezekiel 16 & 23 Feb 6- Friendship & Community, 1 John 1:1-10 Feb 13- S-E-X is a gift that tells a story with your body, Eph 5; Feb 20- Sex in Dating Eph 5; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Feb 27- Sex in Marriage Eph 5; 1 Cor 6:12-20 Mar 6- Sex is Fun: The Joy of Biblical, Married, Orgasmic Sex. Song of Solomon Mar 13-Who to date? Studly Men 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Mar 27- Who to date? Beautiful Women Prov 31; 1 Peter 3:1-6 Apr 3- Dating and Love- 1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:1-10 Apr 10- Come and hear Coach Spates’ Story of Rescue (baby week) Apr 17- Dating and the Breakup: Single & Ready to Mingle Colossians 3:12-14; Apr 24- Get Married or Breakup, Hosea 1, 11. May 1- An Invitation to the Wedding Revelation 19

Ready To Die Part 7: Here's the Bad News in Advance, so You Don't Crack Under Pressure

John 15:5 ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:16 ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:18-16:4 ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,^[c] but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ ²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.² They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming whenwhoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³ And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴ But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

Big Idea: Jesus wants his friends to not fall away when they have to take major tests in a world that hates the Christ and his friends, knowing these three things will help them.

1. The World of Hate

2. The Hated One

3. The Helper & Coming Hour

Ready to Die Part 2: The Story of Betrayal

John 13:21-38  21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."  22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.  23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus,  24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.  25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?"  26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.  27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."  28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.  29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.  30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.  31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.  32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.  33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.'  34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  36 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward."  37 Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."  38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. Outline: Main point: If we are to be ready to die we have to be able to tell our story of restoration or we will be walking dead. We see that through the grouping of the three betrayers. I. The Unforgiven (see John 18:1-6) II. The Restored (See John 21:2-22) III. The Story-teller (See John 13:23)

Acts 1:1-11 - Jesus Taking Over the World - OURUF 8/24/11 - Rev. Justin Westmoreland

Acts is a sort of sequel to Luke's gospel. It tells us the story of God at work. Jesus has risen physically from the dead and gone on to be with his Father. But that's not the end of the story. God is still at work doing something that most people might not expect. He is building His Kingdom and taking over the world. We learn about this in Acts here from this message from campus minister Justin Westmoreland at the first Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma.

Song of Solomon 1:5-17 - Just An Old Fashioned Love Song - NT Presbytery - Rev. Ricky Jones

We all want to be loved. We all long to be loved. And yet we are often too easily satisfied with love we find in this world. But there is a better love, a greater love. A love that will fill us, a love that will not disappoint us, and therefore is like no other love. And that is the love of God in Jesus Christ. God's love for his people. God's love for you. And that love is seen and described in the love story of the Song of Solomon. Pastor Ricky Jones from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, OK shares that love from the Song of Solomon with us in his message at the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) North Texas Presbytery meeting which was hosted by OURUF.

VERITAS FORUM: Os Guiness - Where is God in Evil and Suffering

The campus ministries of OU, including OURUF, worked together to put on the first Veritas Forum at the University of Oklahoma. Check our www.veritas.org for more information on the Veritas Forum. For the first Veritas Forum we invited Dr. Os Guiness to speak on the matter of Where is God in Evil and Suffering?