The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The Healing Word Ministry, on one place, is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: I'll tell you what makes a Christian home, it's when Christians live in it. That's a Christian home. When Christians live in and they live the Christian life in that home.

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Healing Word, a radio ministry of the Largo Community Church. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: I'm going to talk about something today that is very near, very near to the heart of God. I'm talking about the family. And it's near to our heart also. You see, God thought about a family. And he there there had never been a family as far as we know before. There had never been a father, mother, children. It was something that God conceived in his own mind. And and he saw people. And God thought that was a good idea to create people, to create family, not just haphazardly create individuals, but to create a family. And he he thought it was a good idea.

And God then did it. And now he wants to show off his creation. And here we are today in his presence with our families, giving thanks and praising to him. Now, I know there are individuals here without family. And I'm so glad you're here to represent your family. But the family soon came under attack. When God created Adam and Eve, he created a man, he created a woman, he put them together in holy matrimony. There's the very first institution. Then he commissioned them to have children. And they had children. They had two sons and then they had daughters.

God brought them together in a beautiful surrounding. The environment couldn't have been more perfect. It was paradise. It was the Garden of Eden. It was absolutely beautiful. People here people say, well, we have to create a better environment and then people will get better. Well, listen, there couldn't have been a better environment than the Garden of Eden, than paradise. That was heaven on earth. And in that beautiful, beautiful perfect world, not an imperfect world, but in that perfect world, sin entered. And it just tore the family all to pieces. First thing that happened was Eve decided she wasn't going to listen to God or her husband.

She was going to listen to her dictates of her own heart. She had curiosity beyond anything that a person should have. And she went over and she looked at that tree and she thought Adam doesn't know what he's talking about and God doesn't know what he's talking about. And that's what the devil told her and she believed the devil's lie. And she thought things could be okay if she went ahead and took things in her own hands. And if she didn't destroy her marriage. Then they had children. Now, don't get me wrong, please, please, please.

Very often, children act like their parents. An apple doesn't fall too far from the tree that bore it. Do I really need to go into this? I I believe if parents serve the Lord, do God's will with their heart to the best of their ability, they have a a greater possibility of their children doing the same thing. Now, Karin and I tried to serve God all our lives. We had children. We had a lot of difficulty with our son. And people would have wondered, hey, how's your marriage? Your son is just out of order right now.

But thank God he's back in order and he's been back in order for a lot of years serving the Lord and doing God's will, raising his two daughters and and bonding with his wife in a love relationship. But here Adam and Eve, the first thing that fell was their marriage. The second thing that went down their two sons. I mean, there was two sons really went down. There was so much jealousy and hatred between them that one killed the other. So everything that started so beautifully by God and then we came along and messed it all up.

We meaning our first parents messed it all up. Now, we're trying to put it back together again. And God's here to help us to do that. He's blessing his church. He's blessing his people. And we are being blessed by the Lord. The family came under attack and it's been under attack ever since. Did you did you know why the devil hates the family so much? And he indeed does hate the family. It's because the family reminds him of the church and Jesus. You see, a man and woman, a husband and a wife, a bride and a bridegroom.

Well, Jesus in the Bible is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. And when the devil looks at a husband and wife who are loving each other in a bond relationship of love, that reminds him of Jesus and the church. Now, the devil hates Jesus and the church and every time he looks at you and your spouse, he's reminded of Jesus and the church. And because he hates Jesus and the church, he hates you. And he's been after the church all these years to tear it apart and to bring it down. But the church is going to be triumphant.

The church is going to be victorious. The church is going to rise above and be seated at his hand in heaven. Now, the same thing is happening to the family. The family that turns to God, believes God, believes his word, prays together, honors the Lord, that family is going to survive. Those children are going to survive. But the devil hates the family and he's out to destroy the family wherever he can cause division. Wherever there is division, you can be sure the enemy is at work to destroy. Now, there is a great attempt by God to bring the church and every family in the church back into his presence, into good standing with him so that happiness might reign.

Where there is a relationship that is bonded by love, there is happiness. When you're not getting along with your spouse, you're just not getting along with anybody very well. You're out of sorts all over. I'm going to be real real frank with you now. I try to do that every Sunday. But when a husband and wife aren't getting along at home, one of the other or both of them very often, they become picky at everybody and everything including the church. You find a church member who is a crank. Now, I'm not talking about the Largo Community Church.

That that that's not us. But I've been around a while. And I passed a lot of churches, number of churches through the years. And when a person comes in, all of a sudden they they were they're fine, they're happy and all of a sudden they're this isn't right with the church and this isn't right. And they're going to try to correct this and they're going to you know embellish that. And they have some very words of wisdom for the pastor. If you'll do this, the chances are they're out of sorts with somebody. And if there's a husband or a wife in the home, it's usually the husband and the wife they're out of sorts.

And so now they come and they try to correct everybody in the church including the pastor. Friend, let's start with our own heart at home before God and say, Lord, fix me. Fix me. I'll tell you what. I'll tell you something. The church will glow. You'll think it's the best church in all the world. It'll be like it was when you first came to the church. Remember how you came and said, hey, this is a great church. It'll become that way all over again. Well, somebody ought to say something. Say, yeah, okay. Well, you know, there are a lot of books on the shelves today in a lot of stores about marriage and family, sex relations, finances, a child rearing.

And all of these authors are writing and we're buying books. Books that most of us don't read. Maybe a chapter or two and but but just books and books. Now, all of these authors are of equal significance, education, experience, authority. But I've been reading these books. And some of these authors are contradicting each other. And so I what should I believe him? Should I adopt his theory? What about her theory? And so here they all are. But what we're doing today, we're going to the time honored wisdom of God. Here's a book. Here's the book.

This one and this one works. This one is infallible. God wrote it. And the Holy Spirit is breathing it into us today. And he's going to make a family, a holy family, a good Christ-like family. Now, in your bulletin and on the screen, you're going to see numbers today, Roman numeral numbers. We're going to call them stages. And I'm going to move through it quickly as I can. Stage one, the family in its early years. And we're going to look up at the scripture and we're going to read Psalm 20 127 127 verse one in unison.

Let let's read it together. Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Well, there are two significant words. All of them are significant, but there are two that are significant to the message I'm preaching today and to that whole passage. The two words are the Lord. Notice the Lord is in caps meaning Jehovah, Yahweh, the almighty. Unless the father of our Lord Jesus Christ builds the house unless he's the the the the paramount predominant one and he's given the preeminence and you recognize him in the home unless the Lord builds the house, your house is going to be less than a home.

It's not going to be what you wanted to be. It won't be what God wants it to be. But when the Lord is there and builds the house, that house will remain. Though the storms come, that house is built on a rock, the rock Christ Jesus. And it will abide and it'll stand up under anything. Some of the things I'm going to talk to you about.

Guest (Male): We'll return to the message today following this invitation for you to check out the healingword.com. There you'll find inspirational testimonies, messages from the word of God to empower your spiritual life. And the pray now app that you can access to pray with Pastor Morris over a need in your life. Everything we offer on the healingword.com is our free gift to you. So go there today and be healed. Now, let's return to the conclusion of today's message.

Pastor Jack Morris: So this first stage is the family in its early years. It's the stage of marriage from birth to the birth of the first child. Karin and I were married when we were young, very young, too young. But we weren't too young. We're still here. When I my grandmother told me, and she was a saint, it wasn't perfect, but she told me she said, now Jack, when you start dating and it comes time to get married, you make sure that girl marries you for who you are, not for what you have. She did it again. Go sit on the back row.

No, I'm only kidding. Stay right there. Well, she didn't marry for what I have because why she's laughing I didn't have anything, nothing. So we were in a great youth group in our church in Baltimore at that time. And I I mean it was a wonderful youth group. Those young people love the Lord. And so I I looked over all the girls in the church. I mean I went there to worship too. But I mean I had two eyes. And back then it was 2020 and I saw this girl just as cute and pretty as she could be, the most popular girl in the church.

And I thought, well, you know, why not why not start at the top, you know? And I I put out the bait. And she took it. And and I reeled her in. But yeah, praise God. You're right. That's right. I'm still praising the Lord. That's one of the smartest things I ever did in my life. Um you you threw me off a little bit. You know that? I was going pretty good there. But I when when when I asked her for a date, asked her in for a date and she said yes. I was bashful, shy, had a complex.

And I thought, you know, I'm batting a hundred. I got a yes. And I was afraid to ask any of the other girls because I didn't know whether they'd turn me down or not. If if one of them had turned me down, I may never have asked another girl again the rest of my life. You would have had a bachelor pastor here today. But when she said yes, I thought I got a yes. You know, it's a solid yes. It's a hundred percent. You know, why not go for it? And I did. And it worked.

And we have been together for a lot of years. Thank God we have had problems like everybody else. But with God, with love, with help, we have overcome. And it works when you look to the Lord and allow him to do the building. Unless the Lord, unless he builds it, it's just not going to be built. When we went on our dates, uh not every date, but we there were many times I'd be at her house Sunday afternoon. She'd maybe be at my house, Karin and I. We'd pray together, we'd read the Bible together, we had marked scriptures together.

And that's that's how it all started. You know, if it starts right, you know, you just keep it going, don't you? If it starts right. Now, if it doesn't start right, don't despair. Start today. Start where you are. Don't look back and say, you know, I made a terrible mistake. I shouldn't never have married him. Shouldn't never married her. Don't say that. And don't raise your hand if you're believing that. Just lift your heart, raise your heart to God and say, God, I started wrong, but today I'm going to fix it. I'm going to start right.

Right? That's the way to do it. Well, now look at verse two the second verse and read it in unison. This now this in this verse applies, I'll say to the young people in our church that we're there associating with Karin and me at that time. And read read it now. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he loves. Now, I I think this might apply to some of those young people that were so Christian, so dedicated, so wonderful. And we we just couldn't wait hardly to Friday night.

Every Friday night that church was packed and the young people took charge and the pastor and his wife were there. They I mean it was a great youth group. But all of a sudden they started pairing off. And imperceptibly they became materialistic. They thought, well, I you know, I'm getting married. I've got to get ahead now. I've got to make money. And and they they they started doing that. And the spirituality began to die off. And we don't know when it started, but it started somewhere along the way when they began to think in terms of how they're going to make money, get material things, buy their houses.

And soon the youth group starts diminishing. The fervor has gone. You've in vain you rise up early and you stay up late. You your job, your work, material gain, success becomes the God of your life. And you bow before the God of success. I've got to succeed at any cost. And even if I have to invoke God, I'm going to succeed. And they started paying bills and buying houses and soon it wasn't like it it was before. All right, now we've gone through stage one, stage two. We're going to look at verses three, four and five and look at the screen and read them together.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies at the gate. Now, this this I'm going to call stage two. This is the family expanding now with children. Children, the child bearing years. Oh, will I ever know I will never forget when Karin came home from the doctor. Now, she hadn't been feeling good. And she went to the doctor and she came home and she asked me, sit down on the couch.

I have something to tell you. And I sat down on the couch. I didn't know whether she's going to say we're going to get a divorce or just what she might be going to be say to me. It was I was awesome. It was terrible. I felt real bad. And then she looked over and she says, I'm pregnant. She said, but I got something else to tell you. I said, what else? What what? She said it might be twins. The Lord wanted the times of you know that I don't have any money. I'm trying to become a pastor, a minister.

But I wasn't blaming her. She didn't do it all by herself. But our daughter Rebecca come along and she was the prettiest baby little girl. And I remember the nurse putting her in my arms and on the in the car going home. I looked down at her little chubby face and I was so proud to be Rebecca's father. And I was thanking God instead of complaining and murmuring and remembering, you know, how am I going to support this wife and baby? I was all I wanted to do was just hug her and kiss her and caress her.

And oh, we we had a had a treasure. And then a few years later, well, I'll tell you how many years later I wised up. Nine years later we had I thought, well, maybe I'm ready for another one. And we had our little boy. And well, I felt my quiver was full. And I decided that maybe maybe God had already blessed me to the extent that he wants to bless me and with children. And today Karin and I have have memories that are going to warm our hearts for the rest of our lives because of our children.

But there there's a story about three masons, bricklayers building. And someone came up to this one bricklayer and said, what what are you doing? And he said, I'm laying brick. And so the question then was posed to the second one. Said, what are you doing? He said, I'm building a wall. And then that same question was posed to the third man. And he said, I'm building a great cathedral. You see, when children come, they're they're ready-made human beings. They're human being coming out of the womb. They're they're a human being even before that. But they're they're they're they're made.

They have their fingers and their eyes and their ears and they're just a a little people at that time. Today the protective environment of the home is is being disrupted. The home is no longer that safe haven that that it once was. I believe the home is under attack more today and perhaps to our children than at any other time. Now, our children are going to go to school and they're going to meet sometimes they're going to meet some very fine Christian teachers, but they're going to meet some teachers that are unbelievers. And then they're going to meet other young people, peer we call it peer pressure.

But these other young people are going to talk to them out on the playground and on on in the street and other places and give them ideas that are foreign to anything that you have given them. You know, I've raised you in the church, you'll tell them. We're we're children of God. We're Christians. But those other children are going to tell your children ideas and your children going to come home with some of those strange ideas. And they're starting this like seed. They're they're starting to take root in their mind and you're just praying and hoping that they're not they're going to make it.

And and and then all of these influences of television and the internet and I've been hearing of children preteen on the internet and looking at things that have shocked their parents when their parents find out about it. So the devil is after your kids. Mom and dad, get your own heart right before God. Get your own heart right before God. Now, you're going to be able to pray with authority. Now, you're going to be able to pray before the throne of grace. Now, God is going to look upon your home because your home is dedicated to God.

And if you're dedicated to God, your home will be dedicated to God. I'll tell you what makes a Christian home, it's when Christians live in it. That's a Christian home. When Christians live in and they live the Christian life in that home.

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