Jack Graham - Saving the Family

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TOPICS: The Way Home, Marriage, Relationships, Parenting, Legacy

There is no person that God cannot save! There is no promise that God will not keep! There is nothing that our God cannot do! Take your Bibles and open them to the book of Nehemiah chapter 4. And in this message with our faith and family series, marriage and family series, I want to speak on the subject "Saving the Family" because the American family is under attack. In fact, families across the world are under attack. We have seen extremes in all kinds of ways and wickedness in the world, perhaps like we've never seen it before. Satan is deploying weapons of mass corruption against the family, your family and mine, and especially our children. And the world is the battle ground. And the world system is no friend of God.

In fact, the world is anti-God and anti-Christ and anti-Scripture. And because we live in this world, Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation". There will be tests; there will be battles. And we are in a war. It is a spiritual war described in the Bible. And it is not a war between flesh and blood, that is, a human war, but it is holy and even an unholy war for the enemies of the cross. And what is needed now more than every in our generation is godly parents, Christ-centered parents who will fight for their families, for their marriages, their homes and, yes, there children. Who will partner with other parents in the church, the community of faith, that we might raise our children to love, honor and serve the Lord, to glorify God which is the main reason we and they exist.

There's no greater joy than to know that your children are walking in truth, that your children love God, that they love one another, they love God's church and they love people, that they follow Jesus and that they live in the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. That in their own generation they will make a difference and impact generations to come. And if that's going to happen, if our children are going to walk in truth this world, then it means that we, the parents, are going to have to fight for our families. This is war, and it is a war from within and a war from without.

So Nehemiah saw that the walls of Jerusalem were down, and he was called to go and help the clean-up and the fix up and the rebuild of the walls. Sound familiar? And so Nehemiah gathered the people. And in 90 days, because they all worked together with a sword in one hand to fend off the enemy and a trowel in the other to rebuild the walls, they were building, they were battling, they worked together. And then came enemies not just from without. They were building those walls to protect from the enemies without, but enemies came from within. Sanballat and Tobiah and others who were Israelites, and yet they were fighting against what Nehemiah and the people were trying to do, rebuilding the Temple.

And there was persecution and disillusions and discouragement, and all that was going on. And so Nehemiah gathered the people and here's what he said. I'm reading from the New Living today. It says: "Then I looked over the situation, and I called together the nobles", that is, the leaders, "and the rest of the people and said to them, 'Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious'", and watch this, "'and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!'" This is war! So we fight. "We fight the good fight of faith", according to the New Testament, but we must fight. And when we fight, realizing this is a spiritual war, we don't battle with human weapons, but with the Word of God.

The Word of God which is our greatest weapon, through prayer and spiritual truth as we wage war in return against the enemy which has attacked us. Why? For the saving of our families! This is what is at stake! Your family! And with the family, the future of this country, the future of the world! We fight. I read in Hebrews chapter 11 the roll call of the faith, of Noah who built an ark it says. It says Noah constructed, he built something, he built an ark. Why? For the saving of his family. And so we've got some battling and we've got some building to do. Why? For the saving of our families. How are we going to do that?

Three ways that I mention this morning: Number one, protect your children. Be protective, not only physically and most every parent understands the need to protect our children physically, but to protect them emotionally and especially spiritually. Why? Because children are valuable. Anything you have that is valuable, you protect it! And our most valuable possession and stewardship in life is that of our children. To protect what is valuable. And not only because our children are valuable, a gift from the Lord, according to Psalm 127, but they are vulnerable. Their little minds and their teenage growing minds, and their young adult minds are the target Zone for the enemy.

So this message is a wake-up call to the war and the storm that is raging around us. Therefore, we have to pay attention to the voices that are vying and the values that are vying for our children, that are not godly, that are not wholesome. Because Satan possesses a big weapon. I said a weapon of mass corruption. And what is that weapon? The lie. The lies that Satan tells, that is his weapon. It began in the Garden of Eden when he questioned the authority of God's Word and said, "Has God said"? And to promote a lie. Deception, distortion of truth, that is how he's always operated. And your children are the subject of Satan's lies.

So what would Satan do? Satan would infiltrate schools. He would infiltrate governments. Schools, by the way, both public and so-called private and Christian, some not private or Christian. He would infiltrate churches and governments and media and entertainment and corporations. And his goal is to indoctrinate our children regarding moral purity, regarding their sexual identity, regarding marriage, regarding family, regarding the future of this nation, and what we will be and how we will live our lives. Those lies are the lies of Satan. June in America is gay pride month. And I always wonder, what are you proud about? Are you proud of your sin? Are you proud of your rebellion against God?

There should not be pride, but shame when we sin against a Holy God. And yet the temptation for all of us, and then even with our children is to say, "Well, let them have their day; let them have their month, let them have their season". Well, when you give people who are sinful and corrupt the day, you give them ultimately your life and your future and your family. Satan's biggest lie, his biggest lie is the lie of evolution. That science is above Scripture. That it's not as God says, God created the heavens and the earth, and made the man and the woman in His own image, but that we are simply the product of chance, that we are evolved animals; we are naked apes.

And if you teach children, as we've been teaching them now for a generation or more, that "science says", and therefore, it's true, that you are nothing but an animal, is there any wonder that our children begin acting like animals and living beneath their privileges as a God-created human being? So what we teach our children is the truth! The only thing that can counteract an ideology. What we have in the country today are ideologues, these leftists and woke ideologues and liberals who know what they're doing. They're moving in the hearts of the children. They want to capture the minds and the hearts of our children. And they're doing it every single day!

So you need and I need to be alert and be aware and to fight back; to relentlessly, faithfully parent our children by protecting them, because all the fiery darts of the enemy are coming against us. The world wants to shape the minds of your children. I like what my friend John MacArthur said. He said, "Satan's aim is to capture your children's hearts and enslave them to a morally sinfully corrupt worldview which is godless". Strong words from a strong bow warrior for the faith, I might add. It's true. Satan's desire is to capture your children's hearts, because, as the Scripture says in Proverbs 4, "Out of the heart flow the issues of life".

If we're to guard our own hearts, we're to help guard the hearts of our children and our grandchildren! Parent, you are a freedom fighter, fighting for the spiritual liberty of your children in Jesus Christ, to help them live in this freedom that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ! To teach them God's Word, to train them in righteous living, to live before them a godly and holy life, to participate in God's Church and not just drop them off, but bring them in and raise them up to know the Lord. Guard their hearts and minds with biblical counsel, guarding and guiding your children above all others. Love your children. Protect them by loving them with an unconditional love that never lets them go! We never give up on our children! You are a shield, you and your home. You are a shield and your home is a fortress for your family.

So prepare your children to face the attacks of the enemy. Help them to learn how to put on God's armor from head to foot; to pray over your children because the people who prey on your children; to pray with them, pray for them and pray over them; to pay any price, whatever it takes, any sacrifice. And I know it's the spirit of so many of you, the Christians who are hearing me right now, it is your desire to take, do whatever is necessary. You want that! I'm just reminding you it is so very necessary and I assure you that Satan is not passive in this, and neither is the world. Neither are Satan's minions and demons that are flocking throughout the world today, actively seeking to kill, steal and destroy your children.

So you must resist and fight back, loving and leading your children in the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Remember, the goal for our children is not just behavior modification, not just, you know, straighten up and fly right. Our goal is their hearts; that Christ would capture their hearts; that we would reach their hearts through the Spirit of God; that we would reach their souls; that they would find salvation. Because every child born of man needs salvation in Jesus Christ. Our children have it hard. They're living in a very corrupt culture, and they need providers and they need protectors like you.

So that's number one. Number two, not only be protective and protect your children, but correct your children. Because children need biblical boundaries and therefore, discipline. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 4 says that we are to "Bring our children in the nurture", or the discipline, "and instruction of the Lord". So that word discipline there is important. Why? Because children are naturally disobedient. It's why it says, "Bring up your children". There's something that we are to do in this, because if you don't bring them up, if you just let them go, they're going to go in the wrong direction, I assure you. Psalm 58 says, "We go forth estranged from our mother's womb, speaking lies".

That's why you don't have to teach a child to lie; you have to teach your child not to lie. You don't have to teach a child to steal; you have to teach your child not to steal. Because we all are liars and thieves. And they got this disease of sin from you and me. We've passed it on. So children need the discipline of the Lord. Listen to Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he's old, he will not depart from it". And training means discipline.

Proverbs 13, verse 24: "Whoever spares the rod hates his son". You say, "I love my child too much to spank him". No, you don't love him enough to spank him. Because if you love your child, you will discipline your child. I'm not talking about abusing children or disciplining them in anger. Way too much of that. But rightfully, the rod is to be used. God's giving every child two spots, one high enough to be patted on the back to encourage them, one low enough to discourage them when they do wrong. So that just means that we have to be man and woman enough to properly, righteously discipline our children.

And sometimes that's more than just time-out. I'm thinking I need time-out. "They got time-out". No, you are not to be just fun-dad or friend-mom. We need adults in the house to discipline the children the right way. God's way. And there will be a time when your children will grow up in return as your friends. That's a wonderful day. If you do a good job of training them and developing them and disciplining them, they will return to love you and honor you. And yes, be your friend. But mom, you're not to be the best friend of your child. Sometimes you just have to be the mom, the mean old mom and do what is necessary. Why? Because you're fighting for your kids. A lot could be said about correction, but I tell you, if you don't discipline your children, someone else will have to. We should start early disciplining the children.

Proverbs 19 and verse 18 says, "Discipline your son while", or for, "there is hope". Start early and you won't have to do much later on as they grow. Discipline should be loving, consistent, and never with anger, but always with love. And next, not only to correct our children and protect our children, but to instruct our children. Correction, protection instruction.

That's why Ephesians 6:4 says: "In nurture or in the discipline and instructions of the Lord". There are immoral ideologies that are breaking down the family. And because we're breaking down the family, we're breaking down the culture and the country. Beliefs that are weaponized against our families. So you have to be a proactive parent to teach and train your children, with God's Word as the primary textbook. To teach them the nurture of the Lord and the fear of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 5:29 says, "Oh, that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever". You want it to go well with your children? Then teach them and train them and instruct them to fear the Lord, which is to honor Him and respect Him and obey Him. Moses from the Word of the Lord added, Deuteronomy 6, that same passage, as they were about to enter their promised, the land of promise: "Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, and your son and your son's son, by keeping all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you".

Are you teaching your children the Ten Commandments? Are you teaching your children what it means to obey God? "Which I command you, all the days of your life, that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly", that is, your family will be blessed, "as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey". That is the land of blessing. A life of blessing. So what are we to teach our children? We're to teach them God's Word, God's truth to counteract the lies that are being unleashed upon them. Instruction.

Again, it starts at home. Here at church, we are committed to teaching your children and helping them grow in their faith, whether it's Adventure Week or Bible study on Sunday, or ministries of all kinds, our student ministry, all those things. We are going to be by your side as a parent, but parent, it's got to start with you. Government schools and even some so-called Christian schools will not teach your children truth. There, I said it. Government schools and many so-called Christian school will not teach your children truth, the truth of God's Word.

In fact, they will repeat the lies of Satan. In fact, the goals of many schools and churches in these days are to teach them the lies and to deny biblical truth. And you need to settle this issue, that godless teaching, godless teachingwill corrupt your children! So instruct your children according to the Bible. You need to make sure your children also are in a church which teaches God's Word. The fact is that you're in a church that does not teach God's Word and God's truth. In many churches God's Word is diminished, diluted and even denied. They're flying rainbow flags and all the rest. You know what you need to do? You need to get yourself and your children out of a church like that as soon as possible.

The worship is ritualistic and emotional and never biblical and exciting and alive. Get in a church that will partner with you in teaching your children, instruction your children in the ways of the Lord. Instruction, teach them, train them, develop them, discipline them, all in love, the love of Jesus Christ. Now a word of encouragement. I know that all of this can seem overwhelming because the challenge is great. You as a parent, you as an individual, you got work challenges, you got challenges in your life, you got all kinds of things going on, and this could be just something else on top of that. It may seem overwhelming to you, but can I remind you that there is no sacrifice too great for you to make for your children.

Yeah, it may be hard. It is hard. But you got to fight hard because it's worth it. Your family's worth it, dad, mom. Your children are worth it. My purpose today is to give you a charge to never give up, even when it seems the battle is going against us. Never give up because we know that, "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world".

And no weapon formed against us or our children will prosper in Jesus' name. So we fight the good fight of faith. And the most important thing we can do is to remember what Nehemiah said to the children of Israel, as we stared this message. He said, "Don't be afraid of the enemy". We've been given victory in Jesus Christ. We just need to claim our victory and help our children to claim their victories in Christ.

Remember, the Lord is great and glorious and therefore, fight because He is fighting for you and He is fighting with you. And He's already given us the victory. That victory is in Christ, but we have to claim it and claim it for our children, as I said. And to help our children, the most important thing we can do is lead our children to person faith in Jesus. Because you know Jesus, if you do, then your purpose then is to lead your children to love Jesus, too, and to follow Jesus.

I so appreciate the story in the New Testament in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, when parents were bringing their children to be just touched and blessed by Jesus, and the disciples got all worked up because they thought they were bothering Jesus. But Jesus loved those children and he scolded the disciples. He said, "Let the little children come to Me, for such is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God".