Preserving Our Families from Satan's Attacks

There's one very important truth that is not sufficiently proclaimed in Christian churches and that puts a lot of believers in fear and bondage. And that is this truth. I mean, I myself never knew it for many years in my life. I grew up in an assembly where they never taught it. That truth is that when Jesus died on the cross, a number of things happened. Our sins were placed upon him. He took away our sins. That is proclaimed everywhere in evangelical Christianity. Romans 6 says, our old man, that old nature of ours was crucified with Christ. Which leads us to live an overcoming life. And then one very important truth, Satan was defeated on the cross. That's the part which is hardly emphasized. We hear a lot about Jesus died on the cross for us, but that Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. Satan was not defeated until Jesus died on the cross. Even when Jesus was alive, he himself could overcome Satan. But nobody else. That's why in the entire Old Testament, you read about Satan in Genesis 3, and then you hardly ever read about him in the whole Old Testament. You don't find Satan attacking the prophets or any such thing. Because God restrained him. You read about Satan in Job, and there you read about how God restrained Satan from attacking Job beyond a certain limit. But otherwise, you hardly hear about Satan in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, as soon as Jesus came, you find he's constantly encountering Satan and the demons in people. And then when you come to the Acts of the Apostles, you find the apostles were also encountering demons. And then you come to the Epistles, you find overcoming Satan is a major part of the Christian life. Let me just show you two verses. Hebrews 2 and verse 14 and 15. Since the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus also took part of the same. Why? Not just to forgive our sins, which is true. So that he could die. You know, he couldn't die unless he took on a human body. But when he died through that death, he made powerless the one who had the power of death, that is the devil. So as far as we know, up until the time that Jesus died, Satan had the power of death. I mean, he couldn't touch any God-fearing person without God's permission, as we read in the book of Job and chapter 2. God said you can touch his body and make him sick, but you cannot take his life. Satan would have loved to kill Job, but he couldn't. But he didn't have the power of death. But it says that one who had the power of death, the devil was made powerless. He wasn't destroyed. Satan is not destroyed. He's hale and hearty. But he does not have power over a person who comes, listen carefully, who comes under the headship of Jesus Christ. If you live under the headship of Jesus Christ, Satan will have zero power over you. He has made him powerless. That's why it's so important for us to live under the headship of Jesus Christ, to bring our families under the headship of Jesus Christ. He made him powerless so that he can deliver or free those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage and slavery. The fear of death is there in all human beings. And it says here that through Christ's death, we are delivered from it. Many of you will admit that you are freed from your sins because you've come to Christ. How many of you knew that Satan was also defeated on the cross? And let me ask you another thing. How many of you have been delivered 100% from the fear of death? You'll gladly acknowledge that you've been delivered 100% from your sins, past sins. You know the blood of Christ has taken care of us. But here it says he died to destroy the one who had the power of death, the devil, so that purpose that those who through fear of death, do you know that the fear of death, it says in verse 15, brings us slavery. It makes a man a slave, always afraid of death. What will happen? What will happen? I might get a sickness. I might get cancer. I might get an accident. And we live in that fear. I'm not saying we shouldn't be careful. We must be very, very careful. But there's a lot of difference between careful and living in fear. There's a lot of difference between being careful and being tense and anxious. Anxiety is not part of the Christian life. Carefulness, yes. Jesus was careful. We read in the gospels that sometimes he would not go to some place where they were trying to kill him. That's just being carefulness. But he wasn't afraid, never. Jesus was not afraid for one second. But he was careful all the time. And we should be also. But not live in the fear of death. Because Satan was defeated on the cross. The second verse I want to show you is Colossians in chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2, it speaks about the two things that Jesus did for us. First of all, in verse 14. He canceled out, Colossians 2, 14. He canceled out the certificate of debt. Every time we sin, it's like we owe a debt to God. I don't know whether you realize that. You have a bad thought. You got into debt to God. You have a bitterness against somebody. You're in debt again. Men are increasing their debt every day. You got a wrong attitude towards someone. You go and sit and gossip against someone. Your debt is increasing. How many people would increase their financial debt like that? We're so crazy. Financial debt is not as serious as the debt of sin, which destroys our life. And this debt of sin, Jesus, it says when Jesus died on the cross, Colossians 2, 14, he canceled it out. He paid that debt. Are you making him increase that? Lord, pay this debt also. Pay this debt also. Please, we should be so careful not to sin. You should be careful not to shout and get angry at your wife or shout and get angry at your husband. That is increasing your debt. That's what Jesus died on the cross for. It's like going to Jesus and say, pay my debt again. Pay my debt again. Pay my debt again. How many times a day are you going to do it? Are you going to take this matter of debt more seriously? Sin is a debt. Jesus canceled out the certificate of debt, which is against us. Took it out of the way and nailed it to the cross. Praise the Lord. There is complete freedom from the debt of sin, from the guilt of sin, through Christ's death on the cross. But if you love the Lord, you will not take advantage of it. The more I meditate on the cross, the more I hate sin, even the slightest wrong attitude or thought or attitude or word or deed. And then it says here, he took it out of the way, nailed it to the cross. And the second thing he did on the cross, verse 15, Colossians 2, 15, he disarmed the rulers and authorities, the spiritual rulers and authorities that were cast out of heaven long before Adam was created. And he made a public display of them. On the cross, there was a public display that all the angels could see. And if you have the eyes of faith, you can see it too. Most of you have had the eyes of faith to see Jesus taking your sins on the cross. None of us saw Jesus hanging on the cross, but the eyes of faith have shown you taking your sin on the cross. You need the eyes of faith to see also that he took away the armor, the weapons of these evil rulers and authorities that they could harm you. They cannot. There is no place for even the slightest fear of Satan in our life, that Satan can attack us, attack our families. He may try, but he's been disarmed. It's like a snake. Satan is pictured like a snake. The snake has not been killed, but it's been paralyzed. You know the difference between a dead snake and a paralyzed snake? You're not afraid of a paralyzed snake if you're sure it's paralyzed. Satan can attack a Christian when he opens the door for the devil. That's a different thing. That paralyzed snake becomes alive again. But he's been defeated and he has triumphed over all these evil forces. Jesus triumphed over them on the cross. Verse 15, made a public display of them. It's important to know that before we go into the subject of how Satan likes to attack our families, but he cannot touch our families if we walk in the light. It's when you allow darkness into your home that Satan gets power. Darkness comes through anger, through dirty movies. You think you're sitting, relaxing, watching some filthy movie with those sex scenes. The sex scenes maybe come only for five seconds, but that five seconds will remain in your mind for 50 years, not the rest of the movie. You'll forget the rest of the movie. That's a scheme of the devil. You open the door to the devil in your home through those filthy movies and then say, oh, Lord, protect our home and our family from the devil. You ruined your children with those things. You need to be alert. I don't believe the devil can enter the home of any child of God who lives under the headship of Christ, who believes that Satan was defeated on the cross and who can say to the devil, you've got no right over me. I remember in my heart when it became clear to me, it's as if the Lord spoke to my heart. As you were living in fear of the devil all these years, from now on, the devil will be afraid of you. The tables are reversed. It's not just that I am not afraid of the devil. That's a good testimony. But the devil will be afraid of you. James 4, 7 says, resist the devil and he will flee, not walk away. He will flee. Flee is even a stronger word than run away. He will flee full speed. Who is the one who runs away full speed from you? Not a lion. A lion will come attacking you. But there are these little worms and things like that that would run away because they know that you're more powerful than them. The only one who runs away is one who feels that you're more powerful than them. If you feel the other person is more powerful than you, you run away. The devil will flee from you. As you were afraid of the devil until now, the devil will be afraid of you. This is how we are to live, and especially in relation to our families. So now let's go to Genesis chapter 1 and see God's plan for the family. In Genesis chapter 1, we read, God made man in his image. He never made the angels in his image. From the beginning of time, God never made anyone in his image except the human race. The angels do not have God's image. They have many other abilities, physical abilities, mental abilities. But no angel can be a child of God. No angel can look up to God and say, Father, Daddy, only human beings. It's a tremendous privilege. Some of these things we take for granted. We've got to see what an honor and a privilege it is. Even the Old Testament prophets did not have it. It was possible only after Christ died and the Holy Spirit could come in. So it says here God's original plan was that Adam and Eve should grow up as his children. He made them in his own image. And we read in Genesis 1 and verse, first of all, we read on the sixth day, he first made the animals. He made the fish and the birds and all on the fifth day. He could have made the animals also on the fifth day, but he did not. To teach man a lesson. On the sixth day, the first part of the sixth day, we read in Genesis 1, 24, that he made the animals who live on the earth. And then the second part of the sixth day, he made man and woman to rule over these animals and all the birds and the fish. And then we read in Genesis 2, verse 7, that God breathed into Adam before he was created, the breath of life. So Adam was just a clay model of a man. Perfect in every way, all the internal organs, everything there. What was missing was a spirit. When God breathed into man, it is not only that he began to breathe, but it says he became a living soul. That means he didn't just have a soul, he was a living soul. It means he had a spirit. Man is body, soul, and spirit. And that spirit, the deepest part of us, came through the breath of God. And in that spirit, we have a very important part of it called the conscience. The conscience that immediately tells you that you have sinned, even if you won't acknowledge it. You know in your heart. Even when you profess before people that you don't feel you've done anything wrong, your conscience keeps telling you, you have. You have done something wrong and you can't silence that voice. That's the voice of God. You ignore it and you'll be lost eternally. Listen to it, listen to it. Even after you're born again, let your conscience become more and more sensitive. To lose sensitivity in the conscience is like getting spiritual leprosy. It's like losing sensation. Lepers don't have any sensation in their skin. And when you lose sensation in your conscience, you're pretty much on your way to hell. You need to repent and come back to God and say, Lord, make my conscience more sensitive. One mark of spiritual growth is being sensitive in your conscience. That is one of the most important things to prevent Satan from attacking our family. That's why I'm emphasizing it here. Husband and wife need to have a sensitive conscience. As soon as you've spoken an angry word to each other or one to the other, your conscience will tell you immediately. You may not acknowledge it. You may be too proud to acknowledge that you got angry with your husband. You got angry with your wife. You spoke a rude word that was not kind. The way you expressed it, you can maybe clever man that you are or woman that you are, you can say, no, no, no, I didn't mean that. But your conscience tells you, keep your mouth shut. You know it was wrong. Listen to that voice. You can preserve your family. Listen to that voice when you're watching a dirty movie. Listen to it unless you want to destroy yourself and your children and your whole family. The voice of conscience, God breathed into man and man became a living soul. He got a spirit, a conscience. And why did God make animals the first part of the day and man the second part of the day? Each man one lesson. Animals have got eyes, ears, nose, four limbs. We have two hands and two legs. Animals have got four legs, four limbs. Animals have got four legs. We got two hands and two legs, but four limbs. And then the internal parts of the animal are very similar to the internal parts of man. In fact, the other day you read about a pig's heart being transplanted into a man and the man could live. So there's a lot of similarity between the internal organs of an animal and a man. But the Lord was saying there's one thing that distinguishes man, which no animal has, conscience, the awareness of God. That's why you see animals, every animal in the world is always looking down. You never find an animal looking up. No dog, no cow looks up, always down, down, down. But as man has been created to look up, that he belongs to God. We have the power to look up. The Bible says God is the lifter of our head in the Psalms. And when a man is looking down, down at money and earthly things all the time, he has become, come to the level of an animal. I'm not saying not to lift your head up, but in your spirit, there must be an upward look that shows that you're a human being. And what God was saying was that if you neglect your conscience, it's very easy for you to sink to the level of an animal. Because remember, the animals were created on the same day as you. And the only thing that distinguishes you is your conscience. You neglect that and you're down to the level of an animal. That's why the animals were created on the same day as man, to teach man that lesson. Only one thing distinguishes you from the animals, your conscience. That's what will make you walk with God. You neglect that and you're just like an animal. And you behave like an animal, you'll behave. That's why you find so many, even in Christian homes, husband and wife, behaving like two dolls, barking at each other. Yes, they've sunk to the level of animals. That's the first thing we see, danger. And then I want you to see that when God made man and woman, he made man first. That was not an accident. He could have made two clay models, Adam and Eve, very easy, and breathed into both of them simultaneously. He did not do that. Recognize that God in his great wisdom did not make Adam and Eve together. You read in Genesis chapter 2, I don't want to go into that now. He made Adam first, put him to sleep, pulled out a rib from his side, made a woman separately. And when Adam was first created, he opened his eyes. The first person he saw was God. There was no Eve. Eve was not anywhere around, wasn't even existing. As soon as Adam opened his eyes and the breath of life came into him, the one person he saw was God, teaching us that when you open your eyes, you must see God first. The first thing when you wake up in the morning, begin your life with God, even before you get out of bed. It's my habit. Before I get out of bed, my quiet time, even if it's one minute or two minutes or five minutes, begins in bed. I don't need to open the Bible, that comes later. I need to begin my life with God. I encourage all of you, as soon as you wake up, say, our father, my dad, I want to live this day free from sin. Please forgive my sins. You should have done that the previous night, asking God to forgive you, cleanse you. Lord, I want to live with you this day. I want to hear your voice today. That's how you are to begin if you want to build your family and protect it from the devil. Man and woman. So, we were created to look up, and if we don't listen to that, we begin to look down. But then after Eve was created, second, and that time Adam was asleep, you read in Genesis 2. So, when Eve was made and she opened her eyes, she did not see Adam. She did not know the existence of Adam. Who did she see first? God. And then he brought her to Adam. What does that teach us? That teaches us that man and woman, husband and wife, they wake up in the morning, they must begin with God, not with their husband or their wife, not with each other. And then God brought Eve to Adam, and they saw each other, and they loved each other. But remember this, that Adam and Eve, as soon as they were created, the first person they saw was God, teaching us He must be first in our lives. Just like the Bible begins. You know the first four words of the Bible? In the beginning, God. Those are the first four words of the Bible. And that should be how our day begins. Every day should begin like that. Our life must begin like that. Our married life must begin like that. In the beginning, God. Not in the beginning, my wife or my husband, or in the beginning, sex. No. In the beginning, God. Then all the other things fall into their proper place. Even sex. There's nothing dirty about sex. It's the movies that have made it look dirty. There's nothing dirty. There's everything filthy and evil and demonic about sex if it is an outside marriage. Yes, I agree. Not only filthy, demonic outside of marriage. Adultery, fornication, fooling around with other women when you're married. Demonic. Demonic. 100% from the devil. It's not just a weakness. No, no, no, no. It's not like having a headache or some stomachache. No, no, no, no. It's demonic. Sex outside of marriage is demonic. And equally, sex within marriage is not just good. It is divine. Your sexual life can be divine or demonic. It's up to you. And I'll tell you why it's divine. When God created man, please listen. Genesis 1, verse 27. What are the first words God said to man after he was created? The very first word, the word of God. The Bible, Adam's Bible, the very first word when God spoke to him. And Eve, Adam and Eve. It says here in Genesis 1, 28. As soon as he created them, he said to them, be fruitful and multiply. Those are the first words. How was Adam and Eve, that means have children. How were they supposed to have children? Tell me. What was God encouraging them to do? Have physical union with each other. Those are the first words he speaks to Adam and Eve. That shows us the sacredness of sex. And that's why the devil has used that to pollute it completely and make it demonic. It's divine or demonic. And you choose what it is going to be. Utter, total faithfulness to your wife, to your husband. It becomes divine. Carelessness in your mind, in your thoughts. Thinking about other women, pornography. Demonic. It's not evil. It's demonic. Not just evil. Because it's something God created. It is sacred. The very first words that he speaks to Adam and Eve. Have you seen the sacredness of sexual union between husband and wife? Most people haven't. And they have not seen the demonic nature of dirty sexual thinking, of watching pornography. That's not just a weakness. It's demonic. It opens the door for the devil to come right into your life and destroy you. Many people who could have been useful servants of God have been destroyed by the devil through failure in the sexual area. If you fail, I'm not saying there's no hope. Repent. Repent like the thief on the cross. Lord, repent like you've been a murderer. It's as if you had killed 25 people. Repent like that. And come before God and say, Lord, I've terribly failed in the sexual area. I want to come back to you. Please forgive me. Cleanse me. Help me to take it more seriously. Being faithful to my wife. Being faithful to my husband in this area. Not to pollute my mind or my eyes. So that's the first thing I want to say. This is how the devil gets advantage. Protecting our families from Satan's attacks. Now turn to Genesis in chapter 3. We read so much about family life right in the first three chapters or first four chapters of the Bible. And we read that when the devil came and he wanted to drag the couple away from God, God allowed Adam and Eve to be tempted. You know, God could have stopped the devil from coming into the garden. Definitely. Why didn't he do it? Why doesn't he destroy the devil? I remember one of my grandchildren asked me, Grandpa, why has God allowed Satan to exist if he does so much evil? And I told him in a very simple way, which he understood. I said, if you want to build your muscles, where do people go to build their muscles? They go to a gym or to some equipment that will, where they have to subject their muscles to resistance, their legs or their hands. And the more you subject those muscles to resistance, that's how you build up your muscles and become strong. So spiritually also, you have to be subject to resistance. And that's why God has allowed the devil to exist, so that you can resist him. And you're resisting the devil would be like you're doing physical exercise in a gym. Spiritually, it makes you strong. And I said, that's why I told him you need to resist the devil. And he understood it. And he said, yes. So when the devil tells me not to listen to my daddy and mommy, I'm not going to listen to him. I'm going to resist him. That little child understood it. We need to explain to even our children that they can overcome Satan by a simple thing like obeying daddy and mommy, which God has commanded from the earliest age. We have to teach them that, how to overcome Satan. So the devil was permitted to come into the garden. He was permitted to tempt, so that they could become strong, so that they could make a choice. That's the other thing. God did not want Adam and Eve to be like robots, programmed, like computer programmed robots that would avoid forbidden trees, because they are programmed that way. Adam was like a robot. He'd have come to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the system inside would have been programmed, turn away from here, he'd have turned away. No, he had to choose. Adam and Eve came to the tree. They were tempted. They could say yes or no to the devil. And that's exactly how God has allowed the devil to exist today. That's how we become strong. That's how our families can be strong, by resisting the devil. If there were no devil in some way, we would not be so strong. Jesus himself, we read, God allowed Jesus to be tempted by Satan, but he never sinned. So there's nothing wrong in being tempted by Satan. I'm sure Jesus faced some severe temptations from Satan, but he overcame all of them. He always put God first. He says, no, a man should live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. He told the devil, very first sentence. So I'm not going to listen to you. I've already heard what God says. And so, get away, Satan. But Eve did not say that. I want you to notice another thing here. The devil knew it's easier for me to knock down Eve than Adam. I don't know why, but he went for the one he felt he could overcome. And it was the woman. That is another reason why a woman must be subject to a man in marriage and in the church. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2. See the two reasons why a woman is to be subject to a man. 1 Timothy chapter 2 is speaking about the order in the church. A woman must not teach, 1 Timothy 2.12, in a church. A woman must not exercise authority over a man in a church. A woman must never be a pastor, assistant pastor, or the main preacher in a church. She can testify and share the word, but not a teacher. I do not allow, verse 12, a woman to teach. The Holy Spirit is saying that. She must quietly, verse 11, receive instruction. If man and woman are equal, why like this? Well, there are two reasons given, and please listen carefully. This is not my opinion or Paul's opinion. This is the Holy Spirit. Adam was created first, verse 13, and then Eve. They were not created together, like I told you. 1 Timothy 2.13, Adam was created first. And second reason, Eve was deceived. Adam was not deceived, verse 14. The woman was deceived first. Adam was also deceived, but he was second. The woman was created second, and she was deceived first by the devil. So, two reasons why a woman should not teach in the church. She can teach children. She can teach other women, like we read in Titus chapter 2, but she's not allowed to be a teacher in a church. A command of the Bible, which is being disobeyed all over the world in churches. It shows how little respect many Christians have for the word of God. They say, ah, we know better in the 20th century or 21st century. No wonder there's so much of sin and corruption, and man in the church sinks away, more and more away from God into all types of other sins, into many, many other sins. And so, that is how it says. What it says, it doesn't say women can't have a ministry. It goes on to say, no, they can't teach in the church. But 1 Timothy 2.15, they can have children. They have a privilege, which a man doesn't have. A man cannot bear children, sorry. That privilege and honor, imagine the privilege and honor of bringing another human being into the world. It comes through a woman's body. What an honor. And that she can have, that's her ministry, to have children and to bring them up in a godly way. That's your ministry, sisters. So, if we understand God's order, we don't let the devil come in. The devil will always try to make the woman the head. That's what he did in the Garden of Eden. Hey, Eve, why don't you eat this tree from this tree? And Eve should have said, hang on, God's given me a partner, even if she didn't realize him as a head. Let me consult him. If only Eve had gone and consulted Adam. Adam, what do you think about the suggestion this lovely snake has said? We should try and eat this tree. Two people in the multitude of counselors, there is safety, Proverbs says. But she didn't consult him. And it might have been a different story if she had. She decided, I can take a decision on my own. I don't need to consult my husband. I feel sorry for women like that. That's exactly what the devil would like you to do. And she sinned. And when you sin, you know, there's something about sin, that when you have fallen, you want other people also to fall. It's like, if you've got your clothes dirty, you don't want to see other people with clean clothes. You want to see them also get their clothes dirty. And you will try and make them also their clothes dirty so that they come to your level. This is something evil in the human race. I become dirty. I want other people to be dirty like me. Then they don't become superior to me. So Eve said, I've sinned. So I might as well give this to Adam as well. And, you know, I want you to see something here that for men. Where was Adam when Eve was eating on the tree? Was he somewhere else? Somewhere near some other tree? No. You read very clearly in Genesis 3, verse 6 in the last part. Her husband was with her. While the devil was talking to Eve, Adam was standing there like a dumb man with his mouth open and just watching the whole conversation going on and saying nothing. What type of husband was he? Supposed to be the head of the home, just like the many husbands today who do not take their place as the head of the home, directing the home. He watched the devil leading his wife astray. And he just sat and watched. And the devil led his wife completely astray. And when Eve gave the food, Adam just opened his mouth and said, OK, thank you. What a dumb man. That's how sin came. And Adam did not take his place as the head of the home. And you husbands, when you don't take a place ahead of the home, that's how the devil comes into your home. You must exercise your authority as a head, not like a tyrant. No, God never designed man to be a husband, to be a tyrant, but to be the head of the home. Very important. That's the place he did not take. What type of head? Well, let me show you. Says in Ephesians in chapter 5 and verse 23, the husband is the head of the wife. That is New Testament teaching. Why? Because only then, further down, chapter 6, verse 10, 11, 12, we'll be able to stand, verse 11, chapter 6, 11, to stand against the schemes of the devil. You know, there's only one place in the New Testament where we have thought about the armor of God and how we can stand against the schemes of the devil. Only one place in all the episodes. And that is Ephesians 6, verse 10 onwards. And what is the passage immediately before that? The home life. Husbands and wives, chapter 5, verse 22 to 33. Children and parents, chapter 6. The home. And then immediately after that, resist the devil, because the devil is going to attack the home. From Genesis 3, we know that. That we see the connection here in Ephesians 5. And what is the solution to it? Ephesians 5, 18, be filled with the Holy Spirit. There's no way to resist the devil unless you're filled with the Holy Spirit. You cannot resist the devil in your own cleverness and strength, not even after having listened to this message. You heard a message, which is the truth. You understood in your head. Don't think you can resist the devil with your intellect. He's cleverer than you. You need something in your spirit. The Holy Spirit to come and fill your spirit, fill every area of your life. If you want to be a spirit, if you want to resist the devil, you need to be a spirit-filled man. A spirit-filled woman. Then you can protect your home from the devil. That's why, how to be spirit-filled? One simple rule. Thirst and faith. John 7, verse 37 onwards. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water, which he spoke about the Holy Spirit. I see these are the two requirements to be filled with the Holy Spirit. John 7, 37 and 38. Thirst and faith. The thirst, which is desperate. Lord, I will not let you go until you fill me with the Holy Spirit. You read in Genesis 32, and that's how Jacob prayed. Oh God, I will not let you go until you bless me. And he was blessed. And he became Israel, a man of power. A picture for us. A person today who thirsts after God and says, Lord, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I will not let you go until you grant it to me. And faith. Lord, I believe you will do it for me. Not this desperate, oh, I don't know whether you'll do it or not. I don't know whether I'm worthy or not. No, you're not worthy. I might as well tell you right now. If you're thinking of being worthy, forget it. Nobody's worthy. You say, I don't deserve. Of course you don't deserve. You'll never deserve. You don't even deserve forgiveness of sins. None of us do. We are given what we don't deserve. Forgiveness of sins, the fullness of the spirit. But we have to thirst and believe. I'll tell you, it changed my life. When God filled me with the Holy Spirit 47 years ago, my whole life was changed. I began to know God as my father. I overcame discouragement. I came to rest in my heart. I found that the devil would be frightened of me. The church, I got the ministry to build the church. So many things when you're filled with the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus began his ministry only after being filled with the Holy Spirit. You never read in the first 30 years, Jesus casting out the devil or any such thing. It all began after he was anointed with the Holy Spirit. I could never cast out a demon until I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I'll tell you honestly. But after that, I don't believe any demon could stand before me if I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Not because of me. It was Christ in me because the Holy Spirit had filled me. I urge you, brothers and sisters, what is the most important requirement to have a good family life? Good instruction. Sure, God's given us his word. But this whole section on family life, which begins in Ephesians 5, verse 21, actually, not 22. Husbands, be subject to your wives. Have you ever read that verse? Husbands, be subject to your wives. People say, Brother Zach, what are you teaching? I'm teaching Ephesians 5, verse 21. Have you read Ephesians 5, verse 21? Or does your understanding of the family life begin with verse 22? Before verse 22, read verse 21. Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. That means give room for your wife to grow. Be subject doesn't mean be her slave or make her the head. No, no, no, no. Don't go to extreme teachings. But be subject to one another, even in the church. As an elder in the church, I must be willing to be subject to others in different ways without giving up my authority as an elder. I'll tell you how, as a man, as a husband, you must be subject to your wife. Don't misunderstand me. 1 Peter, chapter 3. Here's how a husband should be subject to his wife. 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 7. You husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way. That's how you've got to be subject to her. Not by obeying her. No, you're the head of the house. Never give up your headship. Husbands, never give up your headship. You are the father of your children. It's your duty to discipline your children, primarily. Your wife is only to help you there. She's a helper. Adam was not created to be a helper to Eve. Eve was created to be a helper for Adam. That's what we read in Genesis, chapter 2. I will make Adam a helper, suitable for him in every way. So don't ever forget that. So I'm not taking away the place of the man as the head of the house. But how is he to be subject to his wife? You need to understand scripture. Which scripture gives us the answer? 1 Peter 3, 7. Husbands must live with their wives in an understanding way. Very important verse. What must they understand about their wives? Mainly, she is a weaker vessel. She is weaker. Husbands, recognize that your wives are weaker. Not just physically. Any fool on earth also knows that women are weaker. It's not that. She's weaker in many ways. Because she's been made to be a mother. She's very sensitive. And her personality is created to be a mother. And therefore, she's weaker. Emotionally, she's weaker. She cries more quickly. That's not because she's wrong. But just because she's a woman. Why do women cry more quickly than men? Because she's a woman. It's not because the man is spiritually stronger. Rubbish. It's because she's a woman. A man must live with his wife, recognizing that she's a weaker vessel. And I hope, I mean, in ordinary things, we recognize that. Supposing you and your wife are traveling in a train, and you've got two suitcases. Who will lift the heavy one? I hope your husbands will lift the heavier one. I know in some villages in India, it's the woman who carries the heavy one on her head. But that's heathenism. In Christianity, the husband will take the heavier one. Sure. That's how it should be. Because she's a weaker vessel. Recognized in other areas also, she's weaker. So bear with her. Don't say, why can't you do this when I can do it? Why can't you overcome when I can overcome? Don't speak like that. Recognize that your wife is a weaker vessel, number one. That's what he's got to understand. The second thing he's got to understand is that she's a fellow heir. A fellow heir means, the word heir speaks of being a throne. Those who are going to sit on the throne. God is the king, and he's got some heirs who are going to sit with him on the throne. Children, who are the heirs of the king. Husband and wife are fellow heirs. That means both of you have got thrones, but the thrones are the same level. The wife's throne is not a little lower than the husband. It's the same level. Fellow heirs. Treat her not as the king, but as the queen. I've often told husbands this simple rule. I say, do you want your wife to treat you like a king, like the king of the house? And husband says, yes. I say, I'll tell you how. Make her the queen. Simple. In the house. Then you'll be the king. But if you don't treat her like a queen, you don't deserve to be the king. She's a fellow heir of the grace of life. Now, here's the serious part of it. If you husbands do not live with your wife in an understanding way, recognizing that she's a weaker vessel, that she cries more easily, she's weaker. She's emotionally weaker. And recognizing at the same time that your thrones are on the same level. Throne is not a little lower. She's on equal level before God, even though she's created to be your helper. If you don't understand these two things, that she's a weaker vessel, and that she's a fellow heir, your prayers will not be heard. You know why many husbands' prayers are not heard? They can pray day and night. God will not pick up the phone. You won't even pick up the phone. Leave alone not answer. He won't even pick up the phone. Because that's what it says in verse 7. Your prayers are not... Now you know why your prayers are not being heard, brothers. So, Ephesians 5.21. Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. And then, wives, you must be especially subject to your own husbands. Ask the Lord and husband, be the head of your wife. That's the divine order. You violate that order, then you're opening the door for the devil. Sure. When he violated that order, the devil came right in. And husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Make that your goal. None of us have reached that goal. Every husband should have an aim in life. I want to work towards loving my wife just like Christ selflessly loved the church. You won't reach that in one day. You won't reach that in one year. You won't reach that in 20 years. But it's like a mountain. I want to encourage you husbands to start climbing a mountain today to overcome the devil. Say, Lord, I want to work towards loving my wife just like you love me, like you love the church. How many of you are even trying to do that? How many of you feel that that's what God wants you to do? And wives, be subject to your husbands as the church is to Christ. Ephesians 5, 24. How is the church subject to Christ? Is the church always arguing and quarreling with Christ and saying, why in the world do you want me to do this? That's not the way. I'm not saying husband and wife should not discuss. There's a lot of difference between discussion and argument. Discussion, yes. We must discuss many things. Should we do it like this in the home or that way? And there must be give and take. Otherwise, the devil comes in. Because it's only then that we can be united in the home to prevent the devil from coming in. Very, very important. And then the last verse of that section, Ephesians 5, 33. Two things. How should the wife treat her husband? Respect, verse 33. She must respect her husband. Always treat your husband with respect. Both husband and wife must speak to each other with respect. And the husband, what's his primary job? To love, verse 33, love his wife as himself. The husband must love his wife as himself. And the wife must respect her husband. The devil will get no place in such a home. We've got to work on it. We've got a nature that does not agree to these things. The very fact that you don't do these things shows that you've got a fleshly nature that is against the word of God. Fight that nature and obey God's word and see the devil will not be able to put one foot inside your home. And who will benefit from that? Your children. Why are the children of so many believers going astray nowadays? Don't blame the children, please. It's the parents who open the door for the devil to come right in. By the way they're related to one another. The way you relate your wife and your wife to the husband, you're opening the door and say, hey Satan, come right in. He doesn't come in through the front door, he'll come in from the back door. If the husband and wife preserve their relationship with each other and really work towards bringing up their children in the fear of God, we will be able to raise another generation that will also fight the devil, that will build homes, that will further God's work on earth. That is God's will. What did the Lord say to Adam? Be fruitful and multiply. Have children. The whole purpose of sexual relationship is to have godly children. Let me show you in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. We read in Malachi chapter 2. Malachi chapter 2 and verse 14 and 15. This is the Lord's charge against the Israel nation. The Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth. You married her when you were young. You have dealt treacherously with her. Even though she's your companion and your wife by the covenant you made on your wedding day. But if you have the Holy Spirit, verse 15, you will not behave like that. And what was he doing, what was the Lord doing when he united you? His purpose was in the middle of verse 15, so that you might have godly children. That's, you know why God united you with your wife? Not just to have sex, oh no, but that you might have godly children. So if you want godly children, you be careful about your spirit towards each other. And don't deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. I hate divorce, verse 16. I wish that were put everywhere, even in Christian churches, that verse Ephesians 2, 16. The Lord says, I hate divorce, even in spirit. If you lust after another woman, you're divorcing your wife in your spirit. You become more friendly with another woman, more than your wife. You're divorcing your wife in your spirit. Be careful, those of you who are in some type of ministry, getting too close to working towards, with some woman, and making your wife distant. I hate divorce. Take heed to your spirit, verse 16, Malachi 2, 16. That in your spirit, you're not treacherous to your wife. Not being physical, physical is a much later stage. In your spirit, don't be treacherous. This is where we begin. This is where the devil begins. Turn back to Genesis 3, protecting our homes from Satan. So the first thing we see is that, Adam allowed the woman to take over the headship of the house, and the devil got right in. She's not created to be the head, she's created to be a helper. God did not say, I will make a head for Adam. No, it is not good for the man to be alone, Genesis 2, 18. I will make him a helper. Wives, remember, you were created not to be the head of your husband, but to be a helper. That's not an inferior position. You read in Genesis chapter, sorry, John's Gospel chapter 14, you read that the Lord said, about the Holy Spirit, I will send, John 14, 16, I will send a helper. Dear sisters, wives, do you know that God gave you the same name as he gave the Holy Spirit? A helper. The same word helper in Genesis 2, 18 is in John 14, 16, referring to the Holy Spirit. Is that an undignified position? Does the Holy Spirit say, oh, why have I been given an undignified title? Rubbish. The Holy Spirit's title is helper. Wives, your title is helper. Take it. How does the Holy Spirit help us? First of all, invisibly. It's behind the scenes. You never see the Holy Spirit, and yet he's helping his children all the time. He's helping you to overcome sin. I find he's helping me every time I get up to speak. I'm absolutely convinced it's the Holy Spirit helping me. I could not do it otherwise. I could not. I've been doing it for 55 years. I could not have survived till today if it didn't, the Holy Spirit didn't help me. He gives me the words to speak according to the need of the people. It's not my cleverness. But do you see him? Invisible. What a way it is. That's how my own wife has been to me. Behind the scenes, praying, supporting. You hardly ever see her. That's how a wife should be. And in a good marriage, the husband will recognize I need the Holy Spirit. I need my wife. Helper, not the head. The other thing we see is as soon as Adam sinned, what happened? I mean, he, first of all, listened to his wife, which was a tragic mistake. And he became a sinner. And see the next thing that happens. Very important to see what happens when sin comes into you. We read here, they should have gone running to God. Oh, God, please forgive us. Instead of that, we read in Genesis 2, it is God who comes looking for them. A picture of Christ coming into the world. It's not man seeking after God. It's God seeking after man. We read here in Genesis 2. The Lord God came and called to Madam saying, where are you? Where are you, Adam and Eve? That's what he's asking from heaven today. Where are you? In your homes. God is coming into your homes and asking, my son, where are you? Are you walking with me? You're asking your wives, where are you? Are you listening to me? It's God who takes that initiative because he knew the connection with him was broken. He comes seeking. And Adam hid. What a foolish thing to do. Even today, men hide from God. Adam had sinned. But if you sin, you've got to go running to God. Don't hide from God when you sin, like Adam. Go running to him and say, Lord, I've sinned. Have mercy on me. And Adam says, I was naked and I was afraid. And the Lord says, now listen to this. It's very important to see this here. God says to Adam, who told you you were naked? Have you eaten? Very simple question. Genesis 2, 11, sorry, Genesis 3, verse 11. Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat? There is only one possible answer to that. Yes or no. It's like these multiple choice questions. Not even multiple choice, only two choices. Yes or no. Did you eat from the tree? Yes or no. Some questions are very straightforward. Yes or no. But instead of that, Adam says, picture this in your mind now. Can't see God, he's invisible. But he comes to Adam and says, did you eat from this tree? And immediately Adam's finger is pointed. Not me, Lord. This woman. You see where the spirit of accusation began? As soon as sin comes, we begin to accuse others. This woman. And not only this woman. This woman who you gave me. Don't forget God. You gave me this woman. Why in the world did you give me such a woman? Have you husbands ever spoken like that? Or thought like that? Why in the world did God give me such a wife? That's Adam. That's Adam, 100% in you. And that's what drove them out of the garden. Accusing, accusing. I want to ask you. Okay, you say, no, I never accused my wife. How many of you thank God for your wife? Have you ever once in your life knelt down before God and said, Lord, thank you for giving me such a good wife? You say she's not such a good wife. That's because you're not such a good man. God makes, gives us equal partners. How can he give you such a perfect woman when you're not a perfect man? If you were a perfect man, he'd give you a perfect wife. If you found an imperfect wife, say to God, Lord, I'm an imperfect man. You gave me an imperfect wife. God gives people who are equal. The quality of your wife shows your quality. Never humble yourself. There'll be salvation in your home and salvation for your children. Accusation. That's how the devil comes into a home. Accusation began in the Garden of Eden. She, she, she, she. It was the devil. He should have said, oh, God, Satan came. Don't point your finger at your husband or your wife. Say, father, I'm sorry. It's the devil who came. It was not my husband who did that. It's not my wife who did it. It's the devil who came between us. I want to see who the enemy is. I want to see the enemy is not my wife, not my husband. Have you seen it? Can you say honestly, my enemy is not my husband or my wife. It's the devil. If you see it, they'll bring salvation to your home. It'll bring salvation to your children. Judge yourself. If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged. We read in 1 Corinthians 11, a very liberating verse. In 1 Corinthians 11, I think it's verse 30, which says, if we judge ourselves, we will not be judged. I don't want to be judged in the final day. And the way for that is I judge myself every day. God is my witness. I judge myself every day of my life for many, many years. It's changed my life. I just obey that simple verse in 1 Corinthians 11, which says, if we judge ourselves, we will not be judged. And I want to be like that. 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 31. If you judge ourselves rightly, instead of judging other people, I'll not be judged. I say, Lord, I don't want to be judged in the final day. And the Lord says, 1 Corinthians 11, 31. Okay, you judge yourself rightly every day. And I'm doing that. And by the grace of God, I can say, because of 1 Corinthians 11, 31, I will not be judged by God in the final day. How dare I say that? Because otherwise God's word is not true. God's word is true. I'm doing my part of judging myself in the light that God convicts me in my conscience, seeking to be right. And I believe I will not be judged. Don't you want such a life? Don't you want to stand before God in the final day and say, the Lord says, all clear, 100% in the final examination. That's what I want. Husbands and wives, judge yourself. Don't be like Adam or Eve pointing at their partner. I sometimes like to see a painting of a man pointing a finger at his wife. Or the wife pointing a finger back at the husband. This is how so many husbands and wives are living. You, you, you, you did this. You said this. You started this. You did this. Well, you're going like that. And the devil says, ha ha, wonderful. I love this home. You're opening the door for the devil, even though you go to church every Sunday and sing songs and say your prayers. What's the use of the devil's ruling in your home? Stop pointing the finger. You know why your prayers are not heard? Let me show you a verse in Isaiah 58, if you've never seen it before. Isaiah 58, we read like this. You will call and the Lord will answer immediately. Isn't that good to hear that? Isaiah 58, verse nine, Isaiah 58, verse nine. You call the, call the Lord and he'll pick up the phone immediately. I want it to be like that. I want, when I pray, I want God to say, oh, that's Zach. Yeah, I want to hear. Yeah, Zach, what do you want? I want God to pick up my phone immediately. As soon as I call and you put your name there, as soon as you call. I will answer. That's written in the Bible. Genesis, sorry, Isaiah 58, verse nine, provided there's a condition. Provided, provided, provided you stop pointing the finger. At each other, at others. Is that a very difficult thing to do? Stop pointing the finger like Adam and which Eve also picked up later. I want God to hear me. I never want to point my finger at anybody else. I want to turn that finger and make it pointed myself. Lord, I judge myself. Where did I go wrong? What did I do that provoked this situation? What did I say that provoked my wife or my husband to behave like this or to talk like this? What did I do? That's the right way to point the finger. Like somebody has said, when you point one finger at others, don't remember many fingers, all the other fingers are pointing at yourself. It's a good way to put it. The other thing I want to see in Genesis, right? Many things we learn right at the beginning in Genesis itself. When man and woman have fallen into sin, the next thing is that children go into sin. That's in Genesis 4. What do we read when Adam and Eve sinned? They would not judge themselves. They point the finger at each other. They become proud. Here's Eve's pride. Genesis 4 verse 1. Eve conceived and she gave birth to a son. And when you give birth to a son, what should you do? You should bow down before God and say, Lord, I don't deserve a child. Many women act as though they deserve to have children. Rubbish. Rubbish. What we deserve is hellfire. Anything better than that is a gift of God. And when God gives you a gift, don't take it for granted. Say, Lord, I'm deeply thankful that you gave me a child. Like in India, don't say, why is it a girl? I'm sorry to say that many people in India speak like that. As if girls are inferior. If God decides to give you one girl or 10 girls, accept them. God can use them mightily. He's used many women in Christendom. Accept a child. Say, Lord, this is your gift. Thank you. Thank you. But instead of that, she says in Genesis 4.1, I got a child. I got a man child with a little help from God. What a way to say it. I, the emphasis is I. Not the Lord mercifully gave me what I don't deserve, a child. She didn't say like that. I got a child. Of course, the Lord helped me a little bit. You have that attitude. No wonder that child is spoiled. That was Cain. She spoiled him from the day he was born because she had this arrogant attitude. I got a child. God helped me a little bit. Ruined him. How did Cain get spoiled? Because his parents spoiled him. That's all. Especially his mother. Spoiled him so much that he became a murderer. The first human being born into the world became a murderer. A murderer of his own brother. You see the result of sin. First, it ruins the husband-wife relationship, Genesis 3. And then it ruins our children. It's not God's will. Jesus came to rectify all of that. In the Old Testament, not much is said about bringing up our children. I mean, there is. It is written in. There's a wonderful verse in Proverbs in chapter 22 and verse 6. One simple verse. Train up. 22 Proverbs 22 6. Train up a child. Train up a child doesn't mean give him messages, take him to church, send him to Sunday school. No, no, no, no, no. I don't believe Sunday school is going to be the place where we allow our children to learn God's ways. The home. Fathers, bring up your children in the instruction and discipline of the Lord. But if you don't train up a child in the way he should go, the right way, you go the wrong way. And this is a law. This is a law in Proverbs 22 6. Train up a child in any way. In any way, good or bad. When he's old, he will not depart from that way you trained him up in. Unless God acts in sovereign mercy and changes it. But when your children go astray, if any of your children, even one of them, among all your children, if one of them is not following the Lord today, please listen carefully. Don't point the finger at your child. Don't point the finger. Oh, my wife is like this. And my husband's like that's why the child went astray. No, you will never save your child that way. Point it at yourself. How did I train up that child from the time it was one year old? Ask yourself. That's the way he's following today. Today, when he's 30 years old, he's going the way you brought him up from the age of one. When should we begin to teach our children? I believe from the age of one. I've seen that there's one word that children understand even before they begin to speak. And that's the word no. The word no spoken firmly is understood even by a one-year-old child that he's not allowed to do that. The child can't speak yet. But when he's going to do something forbidden or touch something forbidden and you firmly say no, it understands it. The tone of voice must also be strong. It's not, oh, no, my sweetheart, that is not good. That's not the way to say it. If it's something wrong, something that will hurt that child, say no firmly. Be a good father and mother. Train up a child in the way he or she should go. And here is a promise of God. That is your part. God promises when he's old, when he's 30 years old, I say, he will not depart from it. They may go through a rough stage in their teenage years, perhaps. But when he's a grown man or woman, he will not depart from it. It's a promise of God. And if your children depart from it, don't be like Adam. God, it's your fault. You remember Adam pointing at God and you gave me this wife. Oh, this is because my wife was like this. That's why my children turned out like this. My husband was like this. That's why my children turned out like this. No, you did not. You're a parent, mother or father. You did not train up your child in the way he should go. But a wife may say, well, what could I do? My husband was a godless man. He was not interested in anything but making money. I'll give you an example of a woman in the New Testament. Whose husband was like that. Turn with Genesis, Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 16. Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 16 in verse 1. We read when Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, there was a disciple there called Timothy. He was probably about 20 years old at the most, maybe 18 or 20 years old. Timothy, he was the son of a Jewish woman who had been born again. It's not easy for Jews to be born again then. It's not easy for Jews to be born again today. How many Jews have you met who are born again? Very rare. And it is quite a miracle that Jews became converted and received Christ and became born again. Well, this is one of those Jewish women. But in her unconverted days, she had disobeyed God's word and married a non-Jew. It is very clear in God's law in the Old Testament, you cannot marry a non-Jew. But this lady had married a non-Jew. She married a Greek. She was backslidden. She had a God-fearing mother, but she backslid and married a Greek. But she repented. You read that in 2 Timothy, Chapter 2. And she brought up a son, Timothy, who at the age of 20, Paul said, I want him to be on my team. I'll tell you, brother, sister, if God picks one of your children, if, sorry, if the Apostle Paul were alive and he picked one of your children to be his co-worker, I would say you really brought him up well. Imagine that you brought up a child who's picked to be a co-worker of the Apostle Paul. Wow. You're a first-class mother. That's what Timothy's mother was. Turn with me to 2 Timothy, Chapter 2. I'm saying this particularly to women who blame their husbands saying, oh, my husband didn't do his part. That's why my child went astray. Timothy's mother, whose name was Eunice, could have said that. 2 Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 5. Paul's writing to Timothy and saying, I'm mindful of your sincere faith. How did you have this sincere faith in you, Timothy? It first was in your grandmother, Lois. And then in your mother, Eunice, who went astray for a time, backslid and disobeyed God's word and married a Greek, probably a businessman who was only interested in making money. But single-handedly, while her husband was interested in making money, Eunice single-handedly repented of her backsliding and marrying the wrong person. It's okay, Lord, I've slipped up. I married a non-Jew. I married a Greek, but I'm sorry. There are many women who married wrongly. It doesn't matter, dear sister, God will forgive you. Even if you married an unbeliever, God will forgive you. If you repent now, husband or wife, and say, Lord, I'm sorry. I'm determined. Okay, I messed up in my marriage, but I'm going to make sure my children grow up godly. Yeah. There are husbands who married unbelievers, men who married unbelievers, women who married unbelievers who repented and brought up their children well. Then he says the faith that was in Eunice is in you. What did Eunice give to Timothy, 2 Timothy 1.5? Faith. Faith in Christ. Not just Bible knowledge. I'm sure they didn't have a Bible those days, but I'm sure they taught them the scriptures what they heard in the church meetings. But more than that, faith, that means when some problem arose in the home, Timothy saw his mother saying, Timothy, there's a real serious problem here. Let's pray. Let's go to Jesus and say, Lord, here we have a problem. Please help us. Next month, another type of problem, another serious, another type of problem, another sickness, perhaps. Timothy, let's pray. For 20 years, Timothy saw his mother always turning to the Lord in prayer whenever there was a problem and seeing prayers answered year after year after year. And Timothy's faith became strong. He could not quote the Bible like many of us can because he never had a Bible with him. We know the Bible better than Timothy, but he had more faith. Do you think we should have more faith having Bible with us? But we don't. Many of us don't read the Bible regularly. How can you have faith? Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. But that woman, even without a Bible at home, heard God speak and encouraged her son to have faith. How many of you mothers are like Unike, whom your children, when they grow up, can say, yeah, I remember what my mother did when we were in a tight situation at home, when we didn't have enough money at home, when there was a problem at home, somebody was sick at home. I remember what my mom did. She would call us, we kneel down and pray. And the Lord heard us. That's the greatest inheritance you can give your children. What's the use giving them thousands of dollars or pounds or rupees if they don't have faith? You think all that money will take them through? Go and have a look at all the children of rich people in the world today. All the children of the film stars and all that. See where they are today. You want your children to be like that with plenty of money, ruining themselves, divorced multiple times, or you want your children to grow up with faith. Faith is the greatest wealth you can give to your children. If they've seen the atmosphere of heaven in your home, that's the greatest inheritance you can give your children, even if you can leave no money inheritance for them. Don't let the devil get an advantage over you. Yeah, I could go on forever because I feel there's a great need for our homes to be protected. I want to say one last thing because our time is running out. Jesus said in Matthew 24, Matthew 24, he said, verse 37, the coming of the Son of Man, Matthew 24, 37. You know, we are living in days very close to the return of Jesus Christ our Lord. He says, yeah, the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. In other words, one sign that we are in the last days is that the world will be like the days of Noah. And in those days, they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until one day Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed all of them. So it'll be in the coming of the Son of Man. Now, if you read Genesis chapter 6, I don't have time to go there, but you read it. There were two types of sins common in Genesis chapter 6. The first thing mentioned is unnatural sex. The sons of God means the angels looked at pretty women. You read that in Genesis 6 and they wanted to have sex with them. But angels can't have sex. They don't have that function in their system. So how did they have it? They would possess men and enjoy women through them. Unnatural sex. And unnatural sex is going on in the world today in different ways. It's becoming more and more popular. Men are not marrying women, they're marrying men. Women are not marrying women, they're marrying women. The days of Noah have come upon us. And the other thing we see in those days was violence. You read that also in Genesis 6. Murder, hatred, bitterness, terrorism. Shooting, shooting, shooting here and there. Killing people. Are we living in those days? The days of Noah. But that's one side of the picture. That's the vast majority of Noah's world. But the other side of the picture is one God-fearing family. Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Eight people. One small church we can see. Of only eight people, there will be such churches. There will be such families in the last days also. The days of Noah, evil in the world, but families like Noah also. God wants your family to be like Noah's family. He had three sons who obeyed him. Even though they were quite old. You know, in those days they lived up to hundreds of years. And the sons were hundreds of years old when they obeyed their father. Imagine telling your son, hey, listen, don't go with all your worldly friends. Let's build an ark. What did we learn about Noah? God told him to build an ark. Today, when God tells you to do some work, the first question people ask, Lord, where's the money coming from? In those days, there was no western country to send prayer letters to, to get money from. If Noah had asked the question, you know how long, supposing the Lord told you to build a ship? First question is, where will the money come from? Noah did not ask that question because he knew what the answer would be. The Lord would say, from your own pocket. You got land, Noah, sell some of it. You got trees, cut them down. Use your own money to do God's work. That's what I've done for half a century nearly. That's what we teach in all of our CFC churches. All our elders are self-supporting. They're not paid. We follow Noah. The last days will be like Noah's days. We want people like Noah who do God's work at their own expense. Noah used his own money to build the ark. He sold his own property and built the ark, and his children saw that. Oh, dad's using his own money to do God's work. This must be a wonderful God to follow, and they became like that. Where do we see such preachers today? Where do you see such pastors who are not interested in your money, but who are interested in your salvation? Who want to prepare you for the coming of the Lord, to make you live a godly life, to have a godly home, to have godly children? Noah was like that. If children are not following the Lord, it's because they see their parents not following the Lord. You have a home where husband and wife are always fighting with each other, fighting with each other, and go to the church and sing, oh, Lord, we want to praise you day and night, and they come home and they see them fighting with each other. Even in Pentecostal homes, in the church they see them speaking in tongues, in unknown tongues, and then their home they see in their mother tongue, husband and wife are fighting with each other. The same Pentecostals who are speaking in unknown tongues in the morning and shouting at each other in their mother tongue at home. Hypocrites. No wonder such children go astray in every denomination. We want the last days are like Noah. There must be people like Noah. There must be families like Noah. Children who obey, son, go and cut down that tree. We need it for wood, and he obeys. All three sons obeyed, obeyed. How in the world do you think they built that ark? And they spent their money to hire other laborers and sold his property and used his own property to buy pitch and wood and pay the workers and built that ark. By the time he came to the end of the ark, he probably had nothing left. No property left. And when he came out of the ark, the Lord said to Noah, the whole earth is yours now. Why did he need property? He got the whole earth. He could have as much as he wanted. And the flood was over. You know, God will always reward you if you honor him. You honor him, he'll honor you. And one way he'll honor you is your children will be disciples of Jesus. The last days will be like the days of Noah. I pray that many of us will be like Noah's family. Not with most of our children following the Lord. No, with all our children following the Lord. We know that later on, one of Noah's children drifted away. That's because, first of all, they didn't have the Holy Spirit those days. Pride came in very easily, came into Noah first. He got drunk and lay naked. Very easy for man to drift away. It's very easy once God has blessed you tremendously. You were the man who stood for God in the whole world. The whole world was saved because of you. It went to Noah's head and he got drunk and lay naked. And his son, Ham, also went astray. That happens. But thank God that in the beginning he was faithful. But today, because we have the Holy Spirit, we can endure to the end. We don't have to end like Noah and Ham, no. We can follow Jesus to the end of our life, to the last second of our life. Our children can follow in our footsteps. Satan will not have power over our home. Determine today, my brothers and sisters, that you will submit to God so thoroughly that you'll be a faithful witness for God in these last days and Satan will have no place in your home. God bless you. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, what a wonderful thing that you're on our side. You're on our side against the devil. That's what gives us hope. For ourselves and our families. And Lord, I think of any older parents here whose children are already gone astray. Please help them to fervently pray and bring their children back to the fold before they are lost forever in hell. Thank you. Bless the words that people will not forget what they heard today. Pray in Jesus' name. Amen.