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[Music] [Music] ♪ Lord, I'm singing back to you ♪ ♪ Singing back to you ♪

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♪ For I cannot be there ♪ (piano music) ♪ Lord, I'm singing back to you ♪ ♪ To you, oh, I sing in pride ♪

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♪ To you, oh, I cannot prepare ♪ ♪ I cannot prepare ♪ ♪ So you can face what is mine ♪ ♪ Forever is holding us in peace ♪

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♪ Father, ask me to come to you ♪ ♪ A vessel that was before you ♪ ♪ He held me with his arms ♪ ♪ And then he gave me to his only begotten son ♪

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♪ His name is Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ I gave him my heart ♪ ♪ I gave him my heart ♪

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♪ Save my whole heart ♪ ♪ Jesus, that's what his name is ♪ ♪ Jesus, so he can fix what is broken ♪ ♪ Yes, whatever is broken ♪

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♪ Here in me ♪ ♪ The father looked and he saw ♪ ♪ A vessel that was torn apart ♪ ♪ He held it in his arms ♪

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♪ And then he gave to me his only begotten son ♪ ♪ His name is Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh yes it is ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪

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♪ I gave him my heart ♪ ♪ I gave him my heart ♪ ♪ Gave him my whole heart ♪ ♪ Gave him whole heart ♪

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♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh yes ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Yes, he can fix what is broken ♪

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♪ Whatever is broke ♪ ♪ He can fix what is broken ♪ ♪ Whatever is ♪ ♪ Yes, he can fix what is broken ♪

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♪ Whatever is ♪ ♪ Yes, he can heal what is broken ♪ ♪ Oh, he can heal ♪ ♪ Whatever is broken ♪

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♪ He can heal ♪ ♪ What is broken ♪ ♪ Oh yes he can ♪ ♪ Whatever it is ♪

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♪ Yes he can mend ♪ ♪ What is broken ♪ ♪ He can mend what is broken ♪ ♪ Whatever it is ♪

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♪ He can mend what is broken ♪ ♪ Whatever it is ♪ ♪ Yes, he can save what is broken ♪ ♪ He can save what is broken ♪

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♪ Whatever is ♪ ♪ Yes, he can save what is broken ♪ ♪ Oh yes, whatever is ♪ ♪ Yes, save it, send it, send it back ♪

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♪ Whatever is broke, yes ♪ ♪ Send it, send it, send it back ♪ ♪ Whatever is broke, yes ♪ ♪ Send it, send it, send it back ♪

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♪ Whatever it, oh, yes ♪ ♪ Whatever is broken ♪ ♪ Send it, send it, send it back ♪ ♪ Whatever is broken ♪

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♪ He can fix what is broken ♪ ♪ Whatever is broken ♪ ♪ He can fix what is broken ♪ ♪ Whatever is broken up in me ♪

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(audience applauding) Some Sundays now we have been considering at this hour a sermon series based on 1 Corinthians entitled "Trouble in the Church" or "Trouble in the Church." Last Sunday we considered the family, and we continue our consideration of the family

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as part of the trouble in the church. I say to the unmarried and to the widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry rather than burn with passion. But to the married I give this instruction, or these instructions, not I, but the Lord,

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that the wife should not leave her husband. If she does leave, she must remain unmarried, else be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

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These words from the Apostle Paul, the title of this message is "When Two Are Better Than One." This is Paul's list of instructions. As you know, Paul has been informed that there is trouble in the church, and after receiving word regarding the trouble, he addresses problems that are faced by the church.

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Now that was a long time ago. I heard some people grunt as I read my text. But I'm going to try to update it for you and bring it into the 21st century.

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As we continue our engagement in this series, it is crystal clear when we read this letter that there is trouble in the family. Where there is strong family life,

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there is a strong church. Where there is weak family life, there is a weak church. The passage of scripture

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on which we base this message today reflects the fact that There is trouble. This passage is concerned with

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three different groups in the church. The first is the unmarried and widows, according to Paul's pastoral counsel. Well, we may begin by saying this.

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Marriage is not for everybody. Now there are those who go around saying, "God has somebody for everybody." But marriage is not for everybody.

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Some people are not ready for marriage. So it is something for which preparation must be made We often meet someone and say, "Child, you not married yet?" "Well, you should hurry up."

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That's what we say. But Paul begins his teaching for the unmarried by suggesting that some should not enter the marriage bond. It's not for everybody.

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There are some people who should remain single, eternally single. They give themselves totally to the service of humanity and the church. We just focused on this in the election of the Catholic Pope. person who is selected for this office is expected to be and makes the pledge to be single,

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to be a city, to not marry, to be the head of the church, Catholic Church in this instance. And that's not just for the Pope. There are others who select certain things, certain tasks, and they give themselves to their task. Sometimes it's a missionary or some other work that they feel anointed and endowed and selected by God just to do that and not to be entangled with the affairs of married life. It was said of Immanuel Kant, that great philosopher, that he never got married.

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And he did not marry because he subjected everything to such close scrutiny that he never got married. Well, recent reports indicate that there is a shortage of married clergy in the Roman Catholic Church and that we have half of the marriages that are performed in this country, they fail to remain married, they divorce.

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And as Paul addresses this particular matter, he says, "It would be a good thing if you, those who are single, would remain single like myself." Some of us need to recognize the preparation that ought to go into marriage. Some become hysterical over the fact that their biological clock is ticking and we don't have much time.

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And some do as Stella did, who wanted to get her groove on. [laughter] And she made a few trips and then she wrote again about how Stella got her groove back. She lost it and got it back.

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Well, some of us have the habit of rushing into things, But this is the most serious thing, some of the most serious preaching. When we talk about how good God is, we can shout and say amen.

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But when we start talking about trouble in the family, we begin to get quiet. But this is as important a sermon as I may ever preach. We have a large number of families

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that are broken families. And we have many-- 70% I believe in a recent publication of children born to blacks are born out of wedlock. So the church needs to address this and we need to pray for the considerate and to see

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what action we may be able to take to help people in this. There was a lady who had four or five children by different men and was not married to any one of them. And when she was asked how this happened, she said, "Well, I have to get my children the best way I can." So, Paul's advice is, it is better to marry than to burn, to be burned up with passion.

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And proper preparation should be made by those who enter into the marriage bond. We had just focused on Prince Charles. He married Diane. Well, he married Diane before.

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[laughter] And Diane said, concerning that marriage to Prince, since we all met, she said that it was crowded The marriage, she soon discovered that the marriage was too crowded because Camilla was in it.

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And there were three. And three is a crowd in this case. So the subject of this message is when two are better than one. When two are better than one. So it takes two to tango.

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It takes two united in love, united in commitment. it takes two for a successful marriage. So, some people fail to give marriage first place. In other words, where a person is just wrapped up in himself and another is wrapped up in herself,

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That is against the kind of union that God wants us to have. And we should be committed to staying with each other. First of all, make the right selection. Some people need to get divorced.

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Need to get divorced. I went to visit one of my members years ago when I was pastoring in Waco, and I was counseling them, and I was counseling them to stay together, no matter what, stay together. This is the Lord's will.

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And when I talked with her privately, she said, "Rev. you don't know. This man held a gun on me all night. You telling me to stay under that?" So I understood.

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Some people, you know, as the old folk used to say, The heap sees, but few know the burden that is within the family. So we're talking about that which is intimate, very intimate, something many times people don't want to talk about because we want to keep the family secrets within the family.

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Paul is saying that it's better for you not to become so entangled with family life if you want to live the Christian life. But let me tell you why Paul said what he said. He was looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ. They expected Jesus to come any time.

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So there's no point in getting married. Stay there as you are because Christ is coming back soon. He's going to take us on clouds and the world will be at end and we'll be with Him forever. That's what Paul faced. That's the kind of world he faced. But our mission is to lift up Christ, bring Him back, and to be with Him forever.

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not select somebody because they look good on the outside, because all that glitters is not gold. And so Paul says here to the married, to the single, whether you have never married or whether or not you plan to marry next week,

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whatever the situation may be, single. And then he also addresses this word to the widows. Just because a person is a widow does not mean that they have license to do many things as a widow.

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We have responsibilities of faithfulness and fidelity. And this is what Paul is talking about. Some people shack up because they want to get a government check. And if they don't get it, if they marry, the check is cut off.

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And the virtues of marriage are not to be determined by a paycheck from the government. is to be determined by our love for each other and our faithfulness to the word of God. That's what is to be involved as we consider preparations of marriage. So here is a word to the single, to the unmarried, and to the widows.

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And then he moves from that group. He moves to believers and unbelievers. Some people get married, one is a Christian, and the other is non-Christian. But Paul is saying that if you're already married, stay together.

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But the Christian ought to seek to influence the non-Christian. Because if that doesn't happen, then the non-Christian is going to be a bad influence on the Christian. So this is pretty good advice at this point by a man who possibly is not married, who who was out on the mission field for the Lord.

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The underlying principle is that two are better than one. This is the consensus that Paul gives to the church. Two are better than one. marriage, preparation for it, and then widows living faithfully to the marriage vows.

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It's rather strange that Paul should address this as part of the problem of the church. They may have had a good building. They may have had—they boasted of having great preachers, and yet they have neglected to provide the kind of family life which is the strength of a strong church.

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So two must face a third. You two must be together, not only physically, not only together in the bed, but together at heart, together in the plans that you make for your future, together. Holiness, togetherness.

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Jesus must have thought a great deal of marriage because he performed his first miracle in Cana of Galilee. They had this country wedding and the disciples and Jesus came to the wedding and this Bible says that Jesus was called to the feast. And so often we don't call him in. And so they came. When Jesus is called, he comes, he

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answers. So often we leave him out. We leave him out in the planning. You ought to listen to some of the songs, I'm sure you do, some of the songs we have in our weddings. Nothing Christian about them, just some tunes somebody likes.

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But what we're talking about is a Christian wedding, Christian family life, and that is what is needed more and more, Christian family. We're facing a war in this country.

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And it's about marriage, same-sex marriage. And the government has a right to tell people to marry whomever they will. The government has that right.

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But the church also has a right, and that right is to promote not secular marriages, but Christian marriages. And God has a design for Christian marriage.

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And the design is given, he gives it, in Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. But Adam and Eve is the design that God has for his people. And the two are to be together, the two.

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male, he made them how? Male and female. And the two are to be together in facing a third. And it's only when we face the third that we have the kind of marriage that is a model

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for what Jesus wants and uses for the church. Two must face a third. Oh, there'll be conflict, there'll be difficulties, there'll be failures on different projects,

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but the two must face the third, the two must face Jesus Christ. The disciples are in a boat and a wind comes,

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beats against the boat. And they have Jesus aboard and Jesus is asleep. And they finally, when the storm rages, they come to Jesus and say, "Lord, carest thou not that we perish?"

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They wake him up. and they face Jesus and Jesus looks and says to the waves, to the winds, "Peace be still." So, peace be still. Face Jesus because he's a solution to every problem. He's the help that we need in the midst of all of our difficulties to face Jesus. He's our help

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and our hope. He's our guide in every dark situation. He enables us to climb over the hills and the pass through the valleys. Trust Jesus and draw close to him. Scripture says, "Draw close, draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you." So as we come to the hymn of invitation, we'll sing "Close to Thee."

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"Close to Thee," because Jesus Christ provides the guide for the preparation we need, whether we are single or whether we are believers or unbelievers. His word is our direction for peace and happiness. [ Music ]

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Thou my everlasting portion, Born and free, Thou art to me. God of all,

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My pilgrim to Thee, Savior, let me walk with Thee, Close to thee, close to thee, close to thee, close to thee. All alone, I feel the journey.

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Savior, let me walk with thee. [MUSIC] ♪ My prayer shall be ♪ ♪ That he will ♪

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♪ I toil and suffer ♪ ♪ For he doth ♪ ♪ He doth with me ♪ ♪ Close to me ♪

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♪ Close to me ♪ ♪ Close to me ♪ ♪ Close to thee ♪ ♪ Flying pale ♪

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♪ I toil and suffer ♪ ♪ Only that ♪ ♪ Me hope would be ♪ ♪ Lead me through ♪

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♪ The veil of shadows ♪ ♪ Bear me home ♪ ♪ My sinful seed ♪ ♪ In the gate of life eternal ♪

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♪ May I enter ♪ ♪ The door with thee ♪ ♪ Close to thee ♪ ♪ Close to thee ♪

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♪ Close to thee ♪ ♪ Close to Thee ♪ ♪ And the gate of life is open ♪ ♪ May I enter Your holy peace ♪

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- Every person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, [BLANK_AUDIO]