The Family Matters - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God don't want to hear from you. Would you consider emailing me you can reach me at greg@harvest.org again meds Greg harvest.org and you can also make me one of your friends on Facebook and drop me a comment.

It's very easy to critique apparent until you become apparent that a lot of the things you said critically of your mom or dad will realize in many ways they were doing their job. Roy today on a new beginning after Greg Laurie speech about the Challenger parenting in the Lord's command to treat our parents with respect on even when they say the thing you hate Jared saying which is because I sense on to become apparent that I understand and addition of is quite broad and all-encompassing is probably inclusive but when we get creative with what a family is without family were we get too creative.

Maybe it's time to consult the create tour today on a new beginning after Greg Laurie gets us back to that rock crew is laid out in God's time was worth will go back to the 10 Commandments honor God's design forms can function about a police officer.

The pool guy over who the guy had to append ones in the backseat of his car.

The officer said sir would you doing the penguin is an endangered species. You can't drive around with them.

You need to take them to the zoo immediately.

The man agree. The next day, the officer saw the man again. This time he still of the Penguins, but there were wearing sunglasses and wearing Hawaiian shirts and the officer said I told you to take these penguins to visit Sue yesterday. The man said I did and were going to the beach today. Talk about missing the point that they were missing the point in so many ways in our culture today because we ignore God, and we ignore the commandments and he gave us for our own good peers or guardrails. I went to Disneyland the other day with all my grandchildren on them have to finance out for sure and tell one of the rides. We wrote was October you ever been on that little cars. I will begin to improve, though, since the 50s. By the way, but so you have these little things that hold you online so I was in the car with the my granddaughter Allie.

She was staring and I was hitting the accelerator you know and see what she's still figuring this out which way to turn the wheel, but that rail told us, so we did not go over the side and end up somewhere else right the 10 Commandments are like guardrails that God gives us for our own protection.

As I've said there like go walls of protection around us to keep evil L and we disregard them and ignore them at our own peril because we know there's two tablets the first four commandments are in tablet number one. They had to do with our relationship with God. The member number one. The Lord says you shall have no other gods before me. By the way, if nothing else. As a result of the 10 Commandments are as I want you to memorize the 10 Commandments and know them in order. Okay, let's work on that together member number one have no other gods before him. Commandment number two no graven images and anything that's in heaven above or below commandment number three don't take the Lord's name in vain.

Commandment number four. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy knowledge come due. Section number two tablet number two commandment number five. Honor your father and mother commandment number six you shall not murder. Commandment number seven you shall not commit adultery commandment number eight you shall not steal commandment number nine you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Basically, you shall not like the finally commandment number 10 you shall not covet. These are the 10 Commandments and I want to focus on commandment number five to honor your father and mother. This of course starts of the marriage notice. It's a father and a mother, a man and a Y not a man and a man not a woman and a woman not a man and two women got a woman.

The two men it's a man and a woman. This is God's template for the family and this is his order and when we mess with it. Trouble will follow.

It's been said a family can survive without a nation but a nation cannot survive without the family and that is why the devil hates the family did you know he hates your family did you know Satan wants to destroy your family, and he works on it, it seems. Over time these days and if you look at our nation today. You can take almost every social ill, that we are failing and trace it directly back to the breakdown of God's order for the family. For instance, in 1916, fewer than 6 million children lived in single-parent families today. 19 million children are being raised without a father. That's more than one in four without a father in the home and this disregard of the Fifth Amendment is undermining our nation and I can give you a lot of stats to support that statement could you might say well it's just your opinion Greg well actually I can support this with a lot of data and show that the Bible is true and what it says. For instance, that you know 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. We spent untold millions and millions of dollars fighting addiction and homelessness, but how much money that we spent supporting the family because that is at the root of most homelessness and addiction, 90% of all homeless and runaway children from fatherless homes a child from a fatherless almost 68% more likely to use drugs or alcohol form are likely to become sexually active at an early age and three times more likely to commit a violent crime 85% of all youth sitting in prison came from a fatherless home.

Listen to this fatherless children anywhere from 100% to 200% more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems. Fatherless sons are 300% more likely to end up in juvenile institutions, fatherless daughters who Mary have a 92% higher divorce rate fatherless daughters are hundred and 11% more likely to have children as teenagers. Well, maybe God knew what he was talking about what he said. Honor your father and mother. The assumption is we would do it God's way and we have not done it in many ways God's way in our nation and were facing the consequences. Now let me say a word to single mothers.

First of all, God bless you and I mean that with all of my heart because you have your work cut out for you.

I don't know. I don't know how you ended up as a single mom may be your husband died on me be your husband walked out on you.

They do that sometimes guys can be creeps right. Maybe you got pregnant outside of wedlock and you fill a lot of shame and embarrassment over that, but thankfully, you did not go get an abortion, you carried the child to term and I thank you for doing something for my mom did that she got pregnant out of wedlock one night fling while Greg was conceived and this was the 50s when it was very controversy will have a baby when you were married with thankfully I was born, but you see, I understand how this can be.

I was raised by effectively a single mom ulcer. She was married and divorced seven times the these guys.

It was like there were come through a revolving door so there was never a stable father figure and so the reason I bring this up is because it's hard for you right now and we want you to know that God's heart goes out to fatherless children. Some 68 the Lord says he promises to be a father to the fatherless you know if your single mom.

I take advantage of other men, godly men that you will meet in the church.

Sometimes a coach can make all the difference in a child's life. It could be a teacher. It can be a youth pastor a Sunday school teacher just somebody else up positive male role model for those people, let us help you. But this assumes that it begins with a strong and happy marriage is that even possible today J Paul Getty, one of the richest men who ever lived said he would give all of his fortune for one happy marriage.

But we seen so many unhappy marriages say we think it is this even possible to have one of these days. You know sometimes and people been married for a while. They take each other for granted about a couple that were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary so bunch of friends and family were gathered and the husband said to the white pair.

I went at GQ for our 25th wedding anniversary to Australia. She was so excited she says I've never been down under kangaroos koala bears it's going to be amazing honey if you're going to do this or 25 years of marriage. What are you going to do on our 50th anniversary says that's when I'll pick you up so that you know millennial's are not getting married at the same rate that baby boomers did at an early age. Maybe it's because so many of them come from broken homes and they don't want that to happen to them. So the question is, can a man and a woman follow love and be married and live happily ever after. Just like the fairytales tell us you hate to discourage you but the answer is no. You will not live happily ever after, but you can live happily even after if you do it God's way is you can provide civil Greg.

What qualifies you to talk to us about marriage.

I've been married for 46 years might drop okay now that sounds like I'm bragging, I married a wonderful woman and I it's God's blessing on us and just doing what his word says but I had the statistical card stacked against me with my mom married and divorced so many times but I don't care what had you been dealt in life are what your parents did or what your grandparents did notes about what you're going to do and I'm telling you of Christ enters the narrative he can change her story and he can change your future.

But you need to ask him to come in to control the Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home.

It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are taking with you and be ministered to every weekend.

Join us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org will wear in Exodus 20 today and pastor Greg is basing his insights on commandment number five.

Honor your father and mother is a message called the family matters. Let's talk a little bit about marriage, let me say this to you or Mary that is a lot I could say to hopefully encourage you in your marriage. But let me give you one biblical principle from Ephesians 5 verse 21 it says submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. So I point is put the needs of your spouse above your own wives.

This means you submit to the loving leadership of your husband husband. That means that you been out of the needs of your wife, see if you going to a marriage. Think that person is going to meet all of the needs of my life. To be really disappointed. No person can do that there's no perfect man walking around it could be that weather was one, but he's taken.

Sorry married, but not so there is no perfect man, there's no perfect woman and we had this false idea of what a person can do for us and we need to be realistic. A word to you who are singles. Don't look for the right person is much as you should focus in trying to be the right person to the ideas I don't know a marriage, I think, how can you fulfill me. I going to a marriage saying how can I fulfill you. How can I love you. How can I put you first in my life so some girls sometimes will say well this guy am going out with them and to Mary he he's he's rough around the edges, and has a lot of problems but I'm going to fix them.

Probably not. Probably not. If I got to warn you, you might get worse so you will fix them at all.

Don't go in your marriage thinking you're going to change in due okay because he might be far worse than you thought it was going to be you want to start by looking for a godly man or a godly woman. That's why I don't really know what I have to say this, but some people miss this memo. You should never become romantically involved with the nonbeliever for why because the Bible says don't be unequally yoked together with nonbelievers for what friendship does light have with darkness or righteousness with unrighteousness are Christ with the devil. And here's what happens is you might say Wyman to win them to the Lord will get married and I'll bring them to Christ.I believe this says some God wants to do or you go out with nonbelieving guys or girls you call it missionary dating, let me tell you what's going to happen instead of you pulling them up.

They might end up pulling you down.

See what the Bible says don't be unequally yoked together understand what he I'M not talking about eggs now okay I joke is wooden device that put over to Oxon and they would be pulling your wagon you be plowing your field with them. So if you put a yoke on a strong ox and a week ox will that affect the performance.

Yes, it'll pull in the direction of the week boxes. Said another way, if you are the living Oxon eight deadlocks with that affect which are about to do. Yes, and that's exactly what happens in a relationship when you have a Christian and a non-Christian Christian is spiritually alive because they been born again. The non-Christian is dead and their sins out of the Bible says so you will be pulled often in the direction of the one who doesn't believe rather than being pulled in the direction of the one who does believe.

Let me illustrate it another way, let's say I chose some person in the front row that was smaller than me and I said I'm gonna pull you up on the stage and I took hold your hand with my massive strength I was able to get you up your but the reality is, you could probably pull me off the stage more easily because you have gravity on your side so when you're in a relationship with the nonbeliever you have the new nature and the old nature and they only of the old nature so it's easier for them to pull you down and it is for you to pull them up to look for a godly man look for a godly girl going going on with. I think he's a Christian, why do you say that he's is God a lot that we talked about that taking the Lord's name in vain. You want more than that. Look for a godly person. Point number two.

This is for married folks know it's not about you it's about your mate. Ephesians 521 says submitting to one another in the fear of God. It could be better translated courting one another in the fear of God were hearing hold one another up and then children may come in if they come now, you want to raise them in the way of the Lord and in to the children.

The Bible says honor your father and mother, which means to give weight to them. It gives respect to them value that you might say will Greg what if I don't respect my mom and dad because they didn't do a great job will just talk about the office of a parent. It's very easy to critique apparent until you become apparent. A lot of the things you said critically of your mom or dad, you'll realize in many ways they were doing their job right. But honestly, there are times are moms and dads low.

It fathers abandon their children or the harsh rust dear mothers abandon their children. Sometimes there don't have time for their kids or their mean or there's other issues involved, even abusive so you think I can honor them will first of all, just out of respect like you should honor the president or elected official be the mayor or governor or whatever it is, because that's an office goddess placed a person and so there's a respected ghost with the office of parents, but sometimes honestly we need to forgive our parents because some of us have never done that and it affects us into our adult life.

One expert said, quote the psychological truth is that holding on to our past resentments towards parents robs us of our current peace of mind in her ability to experience satisfaction in the here and now relationships" honor them even when they say the thing you hate parents saying which is I told you so mom can I get I going to do that since all of my friends know why not because I said so come on, no you can't go because I said so all I want to go. Everybody's doing it nosy.

You'll understand. One day then you become apparent now. I think I understand.

But it's hard to be a parent and we need God's help our kids to us are a gift from the Lord actually in someone 27 verse three it says children are a heritage from the Lord. A reward from him that you better be translated a gift listen. Our kids are not ours to mold but to unfold there.

Not ours to keep bugs to nurture. So, do everything you can to raise your child in the way of the Lord Greg Laurie practical insights today on issues surrounding the Christian family affect message title in today's addition of a new beginning family matters look for the title@harvest.org if you like a replay of what Pastor Greg just brought us affect play for your spouse or maybe a married son or daughter if you'd like a permanent copy on CD. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 and then we want to recommend a brand-new book about a real life hero. The author is our friend John Irwin and it's the story of how his grandfather was awarded the Congressional medal of honor during World War II for his heroism.

When a live bomb began spewing toxic smoke and 2000� phosphorus inside a B-29 super fortress of the coast of Japan. The plane was in a dive crash of the ocean or the entire plane was going to wait on the Bombay and instead of saving himself in his superhuman act of string for the inmate is just seconds through it now and smoke cleared the plane and they pulled up 300 feet just seconds from disaster didn't just save 12 people.

They say generation where family wouldn't be here today. Our grandchildren, he would say never forget John is with us today. John of course is the director of many movies including, I still believe I can only imagine.

And he's the author of this new book about his grandfather's heroism and in the book John you quote from a letter sent by Gen. Lawrence North Stat who was Chief of Staff of the 20th Air Force at the time this happened yet.

He said on April 26 just after the event happen. He wrote my grandmother. He said outstanding amongst all of the heroic acts achieved by members of the 23rd Air Force in over years of operation as the glorious self-sacrifice of your husband's staff Sgt. Henry E. Irwin continued and said his transcendent heroism moves me as a professional soldier to pay them tribute to Steve lifts him to a place with the bravest men in all history.

And as we consider the courage he displayed, we gain a new and humbling appreciation of the valor inherent in mankind. So that was one of those animals that I found and it happened have Arnold Journal.

Generally, arms are ever carjacked on the bravest on record in this war and yet you would talk to them and he would say I'm not the hero. You know the guys they did. They all do they all do. There's this humble, many can't bear the weight of medal of honor because it really you are now a symbol of something and I can't do something and many found it difficult but he he walked humbly with it. Then again, you know worked for the VA hospital help other veterans either benefits and end your people loved him and and I just think it was interesting every recipient of medal of honor I've ever talked to instantly says I'm not the hero. But I knew some, and it's the guys that didn't come back as the men and women that didn't return and data is very powerful statement. Folks if you want to read a powerful inspiring story, a real page turner.

As they say, but not a fictional work, a true historical story, but told in a powerful way by expert storyteller John Irwin that you want to order a copy of this brand-new book, beyond valor that we will make available to you for your gift of any size. They help us continue to bring the gospel to people and teach the word of God to people all around the world.

Yeah, that's right, we really have no other way to cover the costs of making the studies available other than the investments of listeners. So thanks for partnering with us it on to the Lord would lead you to invest on a regular basis.

Ask about becoming a harvest partner and with your first gift as a harvest partner will be glad to send you this brand-new book called beyond valor right is that a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and by the way the book is scheduled to be released on August 18.

We have some advanced copies available right now shall be the first to own a copy of beyond valor when next I Pastor Greg offers more practical insight on God's plan for harmony in the home. Based on our study of the 10 Commandments joy that she run a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor greats free daily email, devotions@harvest.org