The oky’s Podcast

March 4 - Sex is for intimacy

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! If you didn’t hear yesterday’s podcast, we started a series on sexuality. As I stated yesterday, my desire is to present this in a way that is respectful and honoring to all people while also sharing the truth of the scriptures. So as I unfold this, if you have any questions, comments, or pushback, please feel free to reach out me at michaelgrove1@icloud.com or by messaging me on instagram and Facebook, or by calling or texting 630-995-1253…
 
Yesterday I talked about the first important piece of sexuality, and that is unity. I would love you to start there if you missed it yesterday. But the big point is this - God called us into unity. He uses our sexual beings to create unity between two differing things. In fact, we said that you only get unity out of diversity. You can’t have unity when things are the same. You only have sameness. 
 
Today, I want to look at a secondary piece to this - intimacy. 
 
Let’s start by reading a scenario that Jesus as confronted with in Matthew 22:23-33.
 
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to this brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
 
Jesus replied, “you are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead-have you no read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 
 
So this is an interesting conversation. Let me break it down for you for a moment. 
 
First off, the Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. So their question to begin with is more of a sarcastic nature than anything. They are trying to play out a ridiculous scenario in order to give Jesus a hard time trying to answer it. But his response is brilliant - as usual. 
 
He says they can’t answer this because they do not know the scriptures or the power of God. Which, to a group of people who believed they studied the law and all of it’s intent to the letter, this was and offensive suggestion. But he then goes on to say that at the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; 
 
Why? 
 
They will be like the angels in heaven. 
 
Now don’t stop and say that this verse means there isn’t marriage in heaven. That’s not necessarily what is meant here. Don’t focus on the component of marriage that Jesus responds with, focus on the location he focuses us into with his answer. Vs. 29-30, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection. . . . . .
 
What is Jesus telling us here? 
 
There is something with marriage here on this earth, that is not necessary in the resurrection. What is the resurrection? This is reference to our souls and bodies being reunited in the afterlife. 
 
Jesus is saying that we won’t need marriage for the same security we have here on earth, because we will be reunited in heaven. And the key to this - we will be like the angels in heaven. What does that mean? 
 
Now don’t get excited that you will have cute wings growing out of your back and will fly around on clouds with God all day. . That’s not heaven. I should do a podcast about heaven some day. But for now, understand that heaven is the reuniting of body and soul for the purpose of dwelling in God’s presence once again. We will be like the angels in the fact that we will understand full intimacy with God as we dwell with him. Jesus is focusing on a world that does not function like this one, with the primary difference being that the presence of God rules the future life we live in. 
 
So then one must ask, what is sexuality for then on this earth? 
 
Consider a couple of verses here. . . 
 
Exodus 20:14 - one of the ten commandments - You shall not commit adultery.
 
Jeremiah - in talking of Israel’s unfaithfulness - says in 3:8
I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 
 
Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” 
 
Proverbs 5:3-6
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, 
And her speech is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as gall, 
Shape as a double-edged sword. 
Her feet go down to earth; 
Her steps lead straight to the grave. 
She gives no thought to the wya of life;
Her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.  
 
What is all this talk of adultery? Why is it warned so drastically in the scriptures? 
 
Adultery is the breaking of intimacy with someone else. It is loosing sight of your true love and chasing after fleshly desires. It’s why in the book of Revelation there is talk of Babylon being a woman who seduces the kings of the earth and causes them to commit adultery with her. 
 
See, adultery is symbolic for turning from Jesus and pursuing one’s own interest and desires. 
 
In fact, all throughout the scriptures, we see the church, Israel, or God’s people described as a bride. There are several old testament as well as new testament references to a bride waiting for their groom. As well, there are several scriptures that refer to people who turn their hearts from God as adulterous. 
 
Why? 
 
Because the next purpose for sexuality is that it creates a model of intimacy between us and God. Someone who gives of themselves this way, should be committed to that person in a lifelong covenant that symbolizes devotion and  - again - unity with that one person. 
 
Being intimate with someone is the closest you can get to that person. It’s the most vulnerable and private expression of connection between two people. And it represents the closeness that God longs to be with his people. So when we turn our hearts away from him, it is adulterous. It causes us to replace that intimacy with him, for intimacy with someone or something else. 
 
God gave us sex, as a way of first being united as two different pieces of creation. But second, he gave it to us for us to experience intimacy. To Jesus’s answer, once we get to heaven, we will no longer need sex to portray intimacy. We will be like the angels in that we will have immediate access to the full presence of God. We will know what full devotion to him feels and looks like. 
 
But for now, we have intimacy with our spouse, as an example of what full intimacy looks like with God. 
 
Now, let me stop and give a redemptive disclaimer here. 
 
God also understands that we are adulterous people - meaning that our hearts wander and we chase after other desires at times. . . We all allow our intimacy with God to be corrupted by money, food, power, prestige, popularity, self gratification, and so many more things. So if you have given of yourself in sexual expression to more than one person, you are not broken any more than the rest of us! In fact, the beauty of God is that he is the most forgiving and jealously protective person of your love. He makes all things new! So it’s not about having one chance to get it right or else you fail. It is about understanding what intimacy and unity look like, so you can find intimacy and unity with God. 
 
There are plenty of people who have done this their own way and regret it.  
 
But let me suggest, the best way to understand unity and intimacy is in the confines of marriage with just one person for as long as you both are alive together. This is the demonstration of the commitment and love God has for you. 
 
Ok. So recap
 
Sex is a way for us to understand unity 
Sex is a way for us to experience intimacy as God desires with us. 
Sex is a way for. . . . . . oh. Wait. That’s tomorrow’s episode. 
 
But for now, that’s all the time we have left for today. 
 
I love you 
 
And God bless. 

March 3 - Diversity in Sexuality brings Unity

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! So, I’ve put off diving into the topic of sexuality. But I’ve had a few people ask me questions about this. I want to handle this respectfully - not because I’m scared to share the truth. But because I never want to say things in a way that is disrespectful or harmful to others. So, I will take a few days. . . maybe even the next week or so, and share with you thoughts about sexuality, gender, pornography, and other things in alignment with this topic. My hope, is to make sure you understand a Biblical viewpoint of how all these things matter and what they mean for us today. 
 
First, I want you to remember what I said back in January. God is a God of order. He created Wisdom first according to Proverbs 8. This shows that he has a specific plan for things and the way they should work. 
 
Now a couple of days back I talked about Genesis 26 and how God said, “Let US make mankind in our image.” I want to start with this concept again. God is completely in unity with himself. That’s three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - all working in complete harmony with one another. While they are one, each of them has a different expression in how they work to bring all things into harmony with him as well. 
 
Now this first part is often taken wrong by modern feminism so please listen through the entire things before shutting this off. 
 
Genesis 1:27-28
 
“So God created mankind in his own image, 
In the image of God he created them; 
Male and female he crated them. 
 
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves not eh ground.”
 
Here we have the first reason for sexuality. God created man and women. This implies that there is a distinct difference between two parts of the human race. One is meant to be female and the other male. This is a 50/50 line of diversity that God designed from the beginning. When we get to the gender conversation we will talk more about this, but know that this is the first invitation to unity with God. Just as the Triune God is one - he called male and female to be one together in unity as well. Unity can only happen when two things are different and they function as one. If two things are the same, they aren’t unified - they are just the same. When you bring two differing things together and they are able to function as one, then you see unity. 
 
God invited us to join in with this demonstration of unity by bringing man and women together to function as one. And so we see this first command as a demonstration of that unity. Be fruitful and multiply. Now these are two different words but both leading to the same conclusion. Man and woman together have the ability to increase productivity on the earth. 
 
So the first things we see with sexuality, is that it has a functional part designed into it. When a man and a woman come together, they have the ability to increase the earth. A man and a man can’t do that, and a woman and a woman can’t do that together. It has to be a man and a woman. 
 
Why? 
 
Because the purpose is that we would experience the same thing that God experiences when making the earth. The triune God was in unity with all three parts as the world came into existence. Remember what I said a few podcast ago. God the Father spoke, The spirit hovered over the water and began to breath through the person of Jesus to create the physical world. All three parts were in unison as they said, “Let US, make.. . “ 
 
And by inviting mankind into the process, God is making room for us to also be united with him in the unity of creation. But it starts with us experiencing the same unification that the triune God experiences. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, invite, Male and Female into the process of continuing creation on the earth. 
 
This is why in Genesis 2:18 it says that “it is not good for man to be alone.” The word Good here actually indicates an incompletion. Everywhere else when God said part of creation was good, it was because he saw the pieces working together to fill the canvas and function in the way he designed them to function. Man alone - apart from woman - was not able to continue filling the canvas as designed. He was not able to experience the unity of creating with a co-part. So God gave male and female together in order to be united as one, that they might experience the same unity God has. 
 
This is what is meant in Genesis 2:24 - “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” This is the process of becoming one. Male and female functionally fit together and they experience the unity of two different parts becoming one. That’s why the male and female body fit physically together like a puzzle. It’s to show what unity looks like between two differing body types. 
 
Without this diversity in sexuality, the first point of God’s ordered design is lost. 
 
So it isn’t as much about what God said not to do. This isn’t a defining of why a lifestyle is wrong or how it perverts God’s plan. It’s just an explanation of how it completely misses the first part of God’s plan. Without diversity of body parts - there is no ability to find the unity of becoming one. 
 
So God created sexuality, that we might have the chance to become one flesh, and join in the process of being fruitful and multiplying while understanding the unity of God. 
 
So what do we do with this? 
 
Well, we understand it and pursue it for ourselves. 
 
Culture has perverted sexuality and made it something it is not. I can tell you that a same sex couple will not experience the same unity with God and as a heterosexual couple will. It’s not because they don’t love good enough or that they don’t have the best intentions toward one another. There is a component of diversity that is missing which will always prevent the possibility for unity. Again, two similar things can’t be unified. They can only be the same. Two differing things on the other hand, have every opportunity to be unified. Which then gives them the chance to be fruitful and then multiply. 
 
So to sum it up, 
 
The first thing we see sexuality doing for us is showing us how to find unity. The same unity experienced by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I’ll just tell you from almost 23 years of marriage, there is nothing better than having someone who is so different from you that you are able to help one another fully thrive and complete God’s plan for each other’s lives. This is why marriage is so special, and so specifically made by a wise God full of order. When you do things God’s way, you experience the blessings of unity and grace! 

March 2 - Love Sincerely

March 1 - A theology of Jesus

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today I want to talk through something that a close friend and I were discussing. It’s something that perhaps will help you understand your theological stance on the role Jesus plays. So I want to start it with a question. Answer the immediate, first thought that comes to your mind. 
 
Ready. 
 
Why did Jesus come to this earth? 
 
I’m guessing most of you said to save us from our sins. 
 
That’s probably how most of us were raised. We learned that Jesus came to this earth, died on a cross, and rose again in order to defeat sin. 
 
So next question - why did he need to defeat sin? 
 
I’m imagining if you grew up like me, the answer is  - so I can have. . . . what? 
 
Did you say eternal life? 
 
See, the way you answer those questions actually says a lot about your theology of Jesus and the cross. The real question is, did Jesus really come to earth, carry our sins, die a wrath filled death on the cross, and raise again simply so that one day we can have eternal life? 
 
At this point, most of you would say no, but - it wasn’t just for the future afterlife that we hope to one day be part of. Yet, most of the teaching I have been around for the past 49 years of my life, focus on nothing other than Jesus being my savior. But isn’t he so much more? 
 
Let me read you one of Luke’s stories that he told of Jesus’s interaction with sinners. 
 
Luke 5:27-32
 
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 
 
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
 
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 
 
So in this story, Jesus called Levi out of tax collecting in order to follow him. In response, Levi held a banquet with all of his tax collecting buddies. What was Jesus doing? 
 
Was he simply saving them from their sins? 
 
Well, in verse 32, it says that he came to call sinners to repentance. So it must mean that he was just there to get them saved so that they could one day go to heaven. 
 
Doesn’t it? 
 
What do we know about tax collectors? 
 
If you read ancient writings such as the Talmud, you find that tax collectors were quite despised. You find out that Rabbis excommunicated tax collectors from the synagogue. They weren’t allowed to come in. Tax collectors also weren’t allowed to exchange their money at the Temple treasure - which is really bad, because we know that Jesus saw how corrupt the temple treasury was and flipped the tables on them, driving them out of the temple. So if they were so corrupt that Jesus kicked them out of the temple, yet they wouldn’t even take the money from the tax collectors - how much were the tax collectors corrupt and despised? There is ancient writing that shows that the rabbis considered it lawful to lie in almost any conceivable way to avoid paying tax collectors. Which brings some light to why the Pharisees questioned Jesus on paying taxes. They tried to trick Jesus into saying what was common practice by many rabbis, even though they knew it to be wrong. But it was a way of life because of the damage the tax collectors were doing to ruin and impoverish people. The Talmud - which is Jewish rabbinic writing, even mentions that the Babylonians placed tax collectors alongside “murders and robber.” This shows how despised the tax collectors were. 
 
See, the way you became a tax collector is by giving into the Roman government. You worked for them, but they empowered you to earn your own wages. The goal was for a tax collector to impose whatever kind of tax they wanted on their own people, in order to raise a set among of money for the Roman Empire. Anything the Tax collector was able to get above and beyond that amount, they could keep for themselves. They were robbing, imprisoning, and hurting their own people. 
 
This - to Jesus - was not just a sin, but a sickness. 
 
When he ate with them, he wasn’t just there to let them know that he was going to die for them and take away their sins, he was there to heal them of their corruption. And by doing so, he was there to heal their community of this corruption. 
 
Think about Jesus’s response to John when he was in prison and sent his disciples to Jesus. Read this in Matthew 11:2-6
 
“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
 
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 
 
What is Jesus saying in response to John’s question? 
 
Yes - I am the one. Can’t you see what I am doing? I am making life better for those who are hurting and in need. Not just spiritually saving them, but making their life here on this earth more healthy and thriving. 
 
Or think about what Jesus said in John 10:10 - you’ve probably all heard this verse quoted before. 
 
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
 
What is life + life to the full? 
 
That’s a lot of life isn't it? 
 
Absolutely! Because it’s not just talking about eternal life. Yes, Jesus came to bring us eternal life. Which is actually more than just living for ever. Eternal life is actually about having our relationship with the Father restored. It is about living the the presence of the living God instead of the brokenness of the world we stand in now. 
 
See, how you view all of this will change the way you live your life. 
 
The disciples understood the wholeness that Jesus brought. IN fact, after a really hard teaching Jesus’s disciples were asked if they were going to leave his side. Let me read this verse, but maybe soon I’ll do a full podcast on this passage - because it’s a really good one. 
 
John 6:66-68
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 
 
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
 
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
 
See, they understood that the best life here on this earth is with Jesus. He isn’t just bringing us into an eternal life, he is bringing life to the full here and now. 
 
See, the goal is for us to understand Jesus beyond salvation. If that’s where it stops for us, then we miss the point. The entire purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to restore us into relationships with the triune God, both now and for eternity. We do this by understanding the life Jesus lead and what it means for the people around us. It becomes more about him being the Great Physician for all people more so than being the point of salvation for a future eternal consequence. 
 
I think this is why Paul said that great verse in Philippians 3:10-11
I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 
 
He isn’t just longing for eternal life. He is understanding that there was a process of restoration through is life and suffering. His death brought wholeness to the world. Paul is wanting to participate in this by dying to himself and helping to bring restoration to the people around him. It is why he is willing to be beaten, imprisoned, left for dead, and cut off from his own people. He would do whatever it takes to make sure people know the life that Jesus brings for all people. 
 
Yes, Jesus still brought salvation. But if that is where the world of Jesus stops for you. . . You’ve missed the entire person of Jesus who lived on this earth and built relationship with the people around him. 
 
So what do we do with this? 
 
Well, when you stop focusing on Jesus being simply about salvation, you have a more tender heart toward those around you who are suffering. Jesus came for sinners. But he also came for the hurts and pains of this world. He came to show us that you can overcome the brokenness of life and be able to stand strong. He came that all people would understand life abundantly, not just life everlasting. It’s the new covenant that he made with this blood. We can be restored into right standing with God, while being made a new creation that thrives - even through the broken pieces of life. 
 
Let me leave you with a word of Jesus that should give you hope. This shows what he came to do. 
 
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 
 
Jesus knew we would have troubles. He knew that this world would be broken and even try to break us. But he didn’t come here just for salvation. He came to help us overcome the brokenness of the world. So take heart. He cares for where you are and what you are going through. He isn’t ok with the brokenness of the world. And he is looking for a people who will help usher in the kingdom of heaven here on this earth. A kingdom that is full of life, and beauty. A kingdom that is hopeful and loving. A kingdom that is full of the presence of the Lord. . . . . 

February 28 - Why do we take communion?

February 27 - Let Us

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today I want to quickly touch on a question from Theresa whose 13 year old son Cody asks, “why does Genesis 1:26 say let us make man in our own image?” 
 
This is a great question! And I am excited to talk about this today. 
 
But first, let us read Psalm 139:1-18
 
David is the psalmist here and he is expressing a truth that he has found to be true. He can’t escape the presence of God. This isn’t because he wants to. He has found that God is like a persistent friend who won’t walk away no matter how badly they’ve been treated. This shows the desire of God. He has always wanted to have relationship with us! This has been his heart. In fact, this is why he invited us into the creation narrative. After creating mankind, he said in 
 
Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 
 
God was inviting us into the process of participation in the earthly kingdom he had designed. He is so relationally oriented, that he called Adam into work by naming the animals and participating in the creative process. Then he called Adam and Eve into such close relationship that they were given the task of ruling over every living thing that God had made. 
 
So we see that God is a relational God. 
 
This is also why Jesus spent most of his time with the disciples teaching them how to love others and be a force of transformation in the world around them. Jesus, too, wanted us to be a relational people. 
 
So while David explains that we can not get away from God, it is important to understand that this is because God is unified in relationship. He wants us to be part of that unity. 
 
But who else is he unified with? 
 
Well, we read in John 1:1-3 that Jesus was part of the creation narrative too. It wasn’t just God the Father creating, he did it through Jesus. 
 
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
 
John explains that Jesus was with God in the beginning. In fact, it was actually through Jesus that God created the physical world. This is because Jesus is the physical embodiment of God. He is fully God, yet part of the created world. 
 
So “us” is talking about God and Jesus. But, there is actually one more part to this. 
 
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
 
Enter the Holy Spirit. 
 
Now it’s interesting, the role of the Holy Spirit today is to call people to relationship with God the Father, and to empower believers to be part of the restorative act of redemption. Whenever the Holy Spirit is empowering someone, it is for the betterment of the world. Romans 8 talks about the fact that the earth is growing with eager expectation to be restored and made whole again. And we too are filled with groaning of the Holy Spirit. 
 
Why do we see the Holy Spirit playing this role? Well because that’s how we first saw the Holy Spirit. The Spirit started by creating life in the middle of chaos in Genesis 1 and continues to play that role today as Holy Spirit calls all people into redemption and restoration. 
 
So there were three parts in one. This is what we call the trinity. Now, try as hard as you like, you will not fully understand this concept, but God is three persons in one. Father, Son, And Holy Spirit. They are not separate. They are one. Yet each seems to play a specific function in how we understand God. So when Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us. . .” it is referring to the triune God, father, son, and Holy Spirit, acting in unison to accomplish the goal. 
 
Again, because God is a relational God. He is united with himself, and therefore calls us into unity as well. In fact, as I stated at the beginning, he is calling us into unity with himself in all three parts. He calls us to be in relationship with him in such a deep level that it creates unity. 
 
So “Let Us” refers to the unity that was there when he brought us into existence, and implies the unity in which we are supposed to pursue as we seek out the presence of the Lord. 
 
So seek God and search for his fullness that you might be unified with him, and find wholeness in the presence of the triune God. 

February 26 - Fellowship

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February 22 - Live from Costa Mesa - UNITY

February 21 - live in Costa Mesa I want to know Chirst

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February 20 - Live in Costa Mesa California, Acts 19

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