In this sermon, the preacher discusses the consequences of finding Christ in a home. He emphasizes the importance of free will and how it can affect one's relationship with God. The preacher quotes various Bible verses to support his points, including Romans 1:30 which condemns disobedient children. He also shares personal experiences of witnessing the destructive behavior of defiant and cruel individuals, cautioning against disregarding the authority of parents. The sermon concludes with a reference to John Wesley and how his converts were labeled as "new heretics" by the unsaved.

Thank you. Everyone seems to have moved far away. I hope it's not because you're scared of me. But anyway, maybe I should move closer. No, I'd better not. Thank you so much for coming back this morning. And God bless you for desiring to be with God's people and to sit at God's word. My wife and I, my wife particularly, puts out a newsletter which goes to many thousands of homes across the world. Someone was saying to me that they believe that close to half, if not just over half of all these thousands, are preachers who are conservative, deeply conservative, godly men. And their wives who pray for us daily. Most of them we have scores and scores of emails and contacts and phone calls and people walking up to us every year to say that every day we pray for you and through the newsletter we can pray soberly. So I'm very grateful to God for the many, many thousands who pray daily for us. And through this newsletter, which is on many internet websites, different people just put it on without our request. We also thank God that through the post it is received. Now, there's a number of copies back there. I brought extra copies to give to you in case you don't want to receive it because you'd receive too much anyway to pray for. But perhaps it's for this tour and for our media. You'll just see this was the last newsletter we put out in December which involves this tour also of New Zealand and other meetings and all the outreaches over one year. And last year it's an annual thing. So it's just what's coming, what's happened. And a poem of my good wife. One book has been published of her. I do know that our good brother Kort who gives these very carefully selected godly books that must be sold. Not for money, but they're good, every one of them. But he also had a whole lot of Jenny's books. I don't know how many, but I suppose by now it's also. I hope he's still got some for you. But across America especially and good parts of Britain and southern Africa and other countries there has been a wonderful response to Jenny's poems. In many Christian magazines and many preachers refer to them in their writings and books. And I do bless God for that. But there's always a poem of Jenny on our newsletter every second or third month that goes to so many homes. We have in America, the churches there, they print them all for us. We just email it and they post. So it's all done when many, many people across America receive it to pray for us. Please take a copy if you would like to receive it. Please put your name and address down. When we first asked that of you, a good amount of people put their names. Now none of you ever got a newsletter. Because the dear people, and I hope they're not here. This is one time I hope they're not here. They found it was unable to do what they had committed themselves to do through all their equipment going down and financial things. Things didn't exactly work out. So we found out later that none of the things had been printed and sent to those names here. Not many, but I suppose we had about 100 names or 200. I don't know. But if you'd like to put your name, and if it's possible your email, because that's something our secretary, Jenny Knight, a very godly woman who watches over us like a mother, believe that or not. She's older than us, but she's been a missionary of one of the godliest men in Africa who has died. But she takes care of us with all our office work and sends out our newsletter and does all our correspondence because we're just travelling all the time. So she said if we have emails, she could send it to everyone very, very easily. We can't send it by post from Africa because that would be too costly. We just haven't got that ability or finances. But it is possible if you put your name and address down that we could arrange something here like in America or we could just start sending by email which is very not costly at all. So do pray about it. There's lists in the back there and about 100 copies of the newsletter for you each to take, even if you're a child. I used to stop sometimes and say to my children, please pray. Go right now, get on your knees and start praying for this, this, this. Daddy's been praying, others are praying and for some reason God hasn't answered our prayers. I want you to pray. And again and again, God answers immediately. So children, sometimes when you're right with God, there's no complication in your complicated attitude. There's something of a simplicity that God honours a child's prayer many times. So I've turned to my children, especially when they were young, many times and found that's when God answered prayers. So please, you children, take a copy if you're godly. If you fear God, I'd appreciate nothing from you but your prayers. God knows my heart. There's nothing you can do that is more greatly a blessing and needed for a preacher than to pray for him. So please, take a copy, even if you don't put your names down, but if you'd like us to be able to send the emails out, which I'd be grateful for, you can take every name and address, which I think is possible to start doing now. Even though you might be despairing of life because this is the third year that I've asked you for your names, addresses and you haven't received one newsletter. Sorry about that, but things backfire sometimes. In heaven, nothing goes wrong. Trust me, in this world, when nothing goes wrong, you start worrying. Moody was walking down in Chicago with his head down and you just never could see Moody do that, but here he was walking and suddenly there was a man opposite the road, the tram, standing in the tram little terminal and he recognized Moody as the great preacher and he started cursing and saying, there goes that fool with a lot of foul language, Moody! And he's screaming, cursing. Why is the devil with me? Why is the devil leaving me alone? Why is everything going right? Nothing is going wrong, there must be something wrong with me. So this man starts cursing over the road, Moody looks and he takes his hat off and he throws it in the air and jumps, hallelujah, that devil sure hates me. The devil must have been a bit shocked at that, but you see, things go wrong in this world, trust me. Not everything goes right. Thank God this world is not eternity. Who wants to hang onto this wedding, that wedding, for us? Nonetheless, we've got to face these problems. Think about that, pray about it. Can we bow for a moment in prayer, please? Our Father in heaven, have mercy on us, we worship Thee, hallowed be Thy name in our hearts, in our minds, in our voices, in our praise, hallowed be Thy name. Thank Thee for every goodness and kindness and long-suffering and patience and mercy from God's Father's heart to us, in spite of our weaknesses and failures and shortcomings. Thank Thee, Lord, that Thou art our Father, because of Jesus Christ's blood and death and risen power and salvation. Thank Thee above everything for our Saviour, Jesus. There is nothing that can come within a billion miles in our minds to worship Thee far more than Jesus, Thy Son, our Saviour. For through Him we have the gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins and peace with God, outside of which this life would be nothing but a total curse if Jesus Christ had not been all that for us. We thank Thee for our Saviour. Come now by the Holy Spirit who shall not speak of Himself. His whole mission is to glorify Christ, to conform us back to the image lost at the fore, not the physical, but the character, the holiness of Christ that was lost. Come, accomplish Thy purposes by Thy Holy Spirit to glorify Christ, whom we love and live for and would gladly die for. Come visit every heart and wash me afresh in the blood. Fill me, anoint me, quicken my mind, my thoughts, my being and take me as a mouthpiece through which Thy voice can be heard. And let Thy voice be heard in every heart here today. In Jesus the Christ's name, Amen. I am going to read many verses in the Bible today. I am not going to read them all because you will be just getting to a verse when I am reading three later and that happens. So trust me, I am not misquoting Matthew. No, sorry. In Matthew 12, 25 we read, Every kingdom, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. That is, from war to destruction to a tragic end. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. But He does not stop there. Every city and every city or house that is home or family divided against itself shall not stand. It won't survive. It will come to a tragic end. Now, of course, the true context of this statement is Christ's answer to the Pharisees who were accusing Him of being used by Satan and sent by Satan. The unpardonable sin. But, in spite of that context of these words Christ gave as an answer to these hypocrites, the graphic illustration that Christ inserts here carries a fearful warning to all of us. I want to repeat that. In spite of the true context of God, Christ, God manifest in the flesh answering these hypocrites who said He was of the devil, the graphic illustration Christ inserts here in these words carries a fearful warning to all of us. Every city or house that is home or family divided against itself shall not stand. It won't survive. It will have a tragic end. We read in Proverbs 15 verse 17 Better is a dinner of herbs that meager vegetables where love is. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Than a stalled ox that's a feathered calf a lavish meal through wealth and privilege where there's hatred at that table. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Christ God says in Proverbs 15 verse 17 In Galatians 5 verse 15 Paul warned If ye bite and devour one another take heed be careful that ye be not consumed one of another that is destroyed by each other. Take heed be careful here. Now this verse becomes doubly tragic. This verse becomes doubly tragic if one considers applying it to a home to a family and I think we must apply it even there. This can happen this can happen when a wife is divided against her husband her home can be destroyed. I read this article recently in a newspaper forgive me referring to the newspapers but at least you catch up with the news of things that matter. I read this article recently in a newspaper Wife makes Chinese man jump ship terrible Beijing a Chinese lorry driver jumped into the great Yangtze river sorry the great and treacherous Yangtze river because he couldn't take his wife's arguing anymore Zhou and his wife were on a ferry and the ship's crew saw the man suddenly run out of his cabin with his hands covering his ears screaming and the wife ran after him shouting and screaming at him in anger the husband covered his ears in despair and jumped off the ship into the treacherous river when the police mercifully retrieved him he stated I would rather be dead than to live any longer with that woman and with her arguing it has driven me insane well at least we know that the Chinese also have fights in case you think they don't have any fights they fight also and the bible says it is better to dwell than is to live in the corner of a housetop way up there out of reach that's why spiders are up there not down here most of the time those that have any brains anyway there you are it's better to dwell to live in the corner of a housetop God's word says than with a brawling woman in a white house Proverbs 25, 24 where can I hide where can I sleep it's better to dwell in the corner of a housetop God says than with a brawling woman in a white house and there are many other verses that say those words also John Wesley I love John Wesley he wrote this article in his journals on June the 9th, 1742 I rode into a town today to witness the justice of peace confronted by an angry mob who had carried a whole wagon load of new heretics that's what they called Wesley's converts the unsaved all regarded and referred to Wesley's converts across Britain with this word new heretics ok so here he had these angry mob who had carried a whole wagon load of new heretics in their anger to the justice of peace but when the judge asked what they had done deep silence washed over all the accusers there was nothing but silence the judge repeated what have they done why have you brought them here why are you so angry eventually one man said they pretend to be better than others terrible crime they pray from morning till night there was a bit of a silence again the judge said but have they done nothing else wrong there was silence again then an old man said with a loud voice eventually yes sir replied an old man they have converted my wife up till now she has had a terrible tongue now she's as quiet as a lamb a bit of silence and then the judge said loud for goodness sake carry them back carry them back to the town the chief justice cried let them convert in the town and there you are I think Wesley has a wonderful sense of humor even when they stoned him you got to laugh at what he actually said about Dolding oh my that man really Proverbs 31 verse 30 a woman that feareth the lord she shall be praised by who her children I like that arise up and call her blessed oh their hearts cried out I'm blessed her husband also and he praises her a woman that feareth the lord God says Proverbs 14 verse 1 every wise woman buildeth her house now that's a word I wish we could expound here today but I'm not going to in the light of all the scriptures every wise woman buildeth her house but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands it is as though her mission in life is to destroy her family's happiness or any hope of the happiness of that man those children in that home a foolish woman does that and you'll be stunned how many are there every wise woman buildeth her house but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands her whole mission in life it seems is geared to destroy her family's happiness but what about the man who breaks down and destroys his family what about the man Proverbs 11 29 he that troubleth his own house I wish I had time to elaborate and expound on that one word in the light of all scriptures troubleth it's a fearful word I'd like to expound on but wait he that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind God promises doesn't warn promises shall inherit the wind I made much research where I dared to make statements shall inherit devastation shame sorrow will be his ending in life it could be the children divided against the parents that destroy the home's joy and peace and any hope of happiness or unity or survival you see we read in 1 Samuel 2 12 that the sons of Eli knew not the Lord Eli was the high priest chosen by God for the land and the people but God says the sons of Eli knew not the Lord 1 Samuel 2 12 verse 22 now Eli heard of all that his sons did Eli heard of all that his sons did and your father will the devil will make sure of that to wound him don't doubt this now Eli heard of all that his sons did verse 23 and he said unto them why why do ye such things why do ye such things beloved Eli isn't the only God-fearing father to eventually look at his children in shock and shame and fear and cry out in grief why why do ye such things Proverbs 30 verse 11 there is a generation that curses their father God says and doth not bless their mother I think God speaking about this generation if I really have to consider everything in eschatology there is a generation that curses their father and doth not bless their mother but whoso curses his father God says whoso curses his father or his mother his lamp shall be put out into obscure darkness Proverbs 20 verse 20 I've seen this oh I've seen this not in ten homes the eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagle shall eat it oh oh be careful you won't have to wait for the God to judge you on judgment day after you die young person it will come on you now Proverbs 30 verse 17 I have so fearfully witnessed this when I've been called into homes and I don't know why God done this because it took half of my life away my parents were literally beaten up to such a degree it is uncomprehendable there could be such mercilessness toward the woman that bore you from her womb and I came to the place where I saw to feeling more sorrow for the young man what a big defiant angry ruthless cruel girl full of wickedness I felt more fear for them than I did for the parent who stood there smashed and crushed because I have witnessed sometimes within twenty minutes how God struck them dead and again and again I came to the place where I saw them and I looked at them with more fear for them than I did for the parents to whom I've been called to help and pray for be careful don't play the fool with what God says be careful you don't have to wait for the day of judgment after you die it will come on you now swiftly Romans 1.30 damns children who are disobedient to parents I don't don't judge me okay for quoting God's word Romans 1.30 damns with other damnable evils children who are disobedient to parents that is a wicked generation defiant a defiant rejection of their authority their influence of the mother and father disobedient to parents cursed be he that setteth light by his father and mother Deuteronomy 27.16 cursed God says be he that setteth light by his father or mother Proverbs 19.26 he that wastes his father and chases away his mother is a son that causes shame and bringeth reproach to that home Proverbs 19.13 a foolish son is the calamity of his father do you know what that word means the destruction I've seen that I saw one of the greatest preachers in the world that preached in his pulpit throngs who would travel who even changed their situation in America to be under his ministry preachers preacher I heard one of the greatest preachers in the world say to me if I had a choice where I would worship it would be under that man's ministry in that church I saw that man walk out of the pulpit and go back after all those years with an overall and a little packet of sandwiches to work in secular work and not to get back in the pulpit because of his children's wickedness disqualified him in that church lay in ruins I've seen men destroyed great men the devil can't get you so you better pray you aim at your children but if he can get them he'll have you crawling in your face in shame you better pray better pray for them trust me the foolish son in that word foolish is fearful in the light of the rest of the scriptures not just the Lord is the calamity the ruination the destruction of his father Proverbs 10 verse 1 a wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother do you know in this context it speaks every time of God fearing people whose children are wicked here through the free will you see all the promises that you say it must happen your children will all become godly because that's not true sir is the free will and these promises speak of godly people a wise son maketh a glad father a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother the grief the Hebrew says the continual agony and grief the Hebrew says in its broadest context of true interpretation where she had the right where she should have been honored with joy through her godliness the devil made her live in heaviness and grief and sorrow and shame for one thing he found a wicked son is the heaviness or daughter and grief continually of a woman that really should have had joy but the devil took that right away from her through you child if you chose the devil god says now beloved when someone truly is converted to Christ and if any man be in Christ he's a new creature all things are passed away behold all things are become new so when someone is converted like that that is wonderful but when someone is truly converted like that to Christ god in grief warns us of the tragic possibility that their family may rise up in resentment and anger and even hatred against them for one reason they chose god and righteousness don't think only the drunk out there will find it uncomfortable when you stop reading Micah 7 verse 6 for the son dishonoreth the father the daughter riseth up against her mother the son dishonoreth their father his father the daughter riseth up against her mother the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man's enemies are the men of his own house Micah 7 verse 6 this of course is prophecy all toward the gospel dispensation the repercussions the consequences of someone finding Christ in a home what will happen sir do you honestly think everybody just comes to Christ because you're saved that's the will of God don't doubt death otherwise God's not righteous but it isn't what happens because of the free will that God gives man oh God can't judge man righteously any man who's got a God-given conscience how can he say God hasn't got a conscience be careful Christ sorrowfully acknowledged this would happen of all these prophecies concerning what would happen to men who embrace his gospel I am come he says in Matthew 10 35 to set a man at variance against his father he didn't say this wanting it don't you believe that he didn't cry and weep slamming over Jerusalem he didn't want them to defy him I would that's the will of God he would not the will of God wasn't performed be careful be careful I am come to set a man at variance against his father that's what's going to happen he didn't want it it grieved him don't doubt that the daughter against her mother the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man's foes that is enemies shall be they of his own household Christ said in Matthew 10 35 but wait now wait now we need to be very careful here Christians if the reason the children resort to rise up in anger against you is because you truly are accursed to them since you became a professing Christian careful now you will hide behind these warnings of God that will happen if the reason your children resort to rise up in anger and hatred against you is because you truly have become accursed to that house since you say you became a Christian that is an incomprehensible tragedy here's a very sobering and fearful question I want every one of you to listen to and ask yourself tonight today are you tragically offensive as a Christian in your own home oh please answer this why did you come here if you aren't here for God if you came here for God I dare you to answer this to your own conscience and heart otherwise I doubt you had anything of desire for God if you're here if you can't answer it are you tragically offensive as a Christian in your own home be careful be careful Proverbs 18 verse 19 a brother offended is harder to be one than a strong city there's a defense there you just can't penetrate so well protected as a city let me tell you something a brother offended through foolishness in its context is harder to be one than a strong city you'll probably never ever bring them to Christ you'll be the reason they go to hell because your Christianity isn't what God says Christianity is it's something totally foreign to what God holds out in this book and you became a curse to them and Christianity sir beginning in your own home you probably will never ever win him if he's offended through foolishness and unwise aggressive and unscriptural attitude of what Christianity should be you must win them yes without compromise yes but always show them respect patience God's love sir becoming a Christian doesn't license you or give you any authority to become offensive be careful it's impossible but that offense will come if you're faithful to God and his word I have witnessed that but God doesn't give you license to offend just because you are a Christian beginning in the home sir which is your greatest foremost mission on earth even if you're a preacher or you are a failure if it isn't you must win them yes the great captain Dobby who trained and who thousands of missionaries and preachers went across the world's mission sat under his teachings he's the only man I ever knew in my life that when he walked in any church in southern Africa actually broader even in Africa as he walked in the entire congregation would stand no matter what church he walked in I don't know of another preacher in my lifetime that had such respect captain Dobby he looked at me in the eyes as an old man and a tear came down his face as he said this to me brother Keith a Christian he's a gentleman oh I doubt he's a Christian I shuddered at those words because I knew a lot of young people with me that were not gentlemen because we felt we had the authority to offend even using this book if your harshest word doesn't rub with love be careful God will deal with you preacher or Christian even if you're quoting the Bible be careful be careful we must win them without compromise yes but always show them respect patience and God's love or your sin is great you will send them to hell sir beloved I want us to carefully think about this here today you say you are desperate to reach your loved ones but are you the reason God will never reach them I want you to answer that are you the reason your loved ones will never be reached by God because of your Christianity it's not scriptural it's nothing of what we see in the pages of this book you are everything this book rejects about Christianity blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness for righteousness sake I love that but if it's for stupidity sake that you are persecuted don't hide behind that and say it was righteousness I wonder what percentage of Christians are persecuted for stupidity sake and there was nothing about righteousness that brought the beginning in the whole blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake but if what they say is true if you warrant persecution and hatred from the unsaved that you brought into the world that's a great tragedy 1 Peter 4.14 Peter warns if ye be reproached that's insulted for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of God of glory and of God rests upon you but then it doesn't stop there but let none of you suffer and then he names things that people who are Christians do suffer for I've seen it I've taken every aspect here and from the pulpit down I've seen people who suffer for this things that God says don't suffer for these things that were not ever meant to be part of your life even being a busy body in other men's matter things that must never be yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed let him glorify God on his behalf but sir why are you suffering in your home is it because your Christianity is truly an offense even to God or anyone that has any understanding of the things of God that comes near you and witnesses why your family hates you I was in America for ten weeks this last year September, October, November and I was with a very great preacher and he said something that shocked me he said he had been preaching in a conference a large convention and the conference center was all these homes these little buildings all over the place all of wood America likes to build houses in wood there's so much wood there but he said he was housed being the main preacher of this large conference where people had come from all across America to hear him preach he was housed lodged in the upstairs of one of these buildings where there were just two apartments and underneath tragically was another preacher with his wife and he didn't have his wife with him he was alone upstairs there given this privilege of a very lovely accommodation being the preacher but this other preacher was very well known also with his wife now the preacher downstairs didn't realize that he could hear everything through the wooden floor that's a tragedy of America be careful be careful what you whisper but these people didn't take that into consideration were oblivious of this and late in the night they were still speaking loud and aggressively and a band argued and shouted each other the most offensive horrific things and then he began to wear out I don't think I'm going to preach I had to get up early to prepare and the devil was wearing me out and he began to get really indignant and these two fighting down they ended their hypocrisy they can preach and live like that oh when they think no one is listening he was angry and became very very worn out well the next night was worse oh now physically it was a physical hurting in their anger and lack of restraint toward each other there was bad language uncouth vulgar swearing and this was the preacher of the conservative groups with his wife and that night he was so worn out how am I going to survive this convention how am I going to preach I can't switch off I can't go out there and tell people what's happening or destroy them I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't And that's why they became rebels Are you answering God, by the way? Or doesn't God matter in your religion? A very famous preacher in our country, Jenny my wife and I have sat on his ministry Loved by preachers across our land His son I can't mention what he did but he was jailed immediately for the shocking shameful evils that he did That great preacher revered and loved You think a man can't be destroyed by a wicked son He was allowed in the pulpit He seemed to disqualify himself of the right to preach He had this broken shamefulness of even being in the pulpit There was just something gone He disqualified himself He was destroyed He judged himself, you see The devil knows this will happen that even a great preacher would destroy himself by judging himself if his child becomes wicked like that He couldn't face it In the end, he just disappeared Until no one heard anything about him from this great revered man by loved by preachers across Africa, sir Buried himself He lost all liberty and grace to ever preach in the end again Most Christians would never seriously consider attending a half-night of prayer really wanting to Let's put it that way I think many Christians who attend half-nights of prayer just to save face But most Christians would never seriously consider attending a half-night of prayer to pray from their hearts once in their entire life Until one of their children through sin brings shame in that home and destroy the parents' credibility and testimony and even their lives I have witnessed this again and again Until one of their children through sin You want to see how many mothers and fathers are on their face the whole night Their son could be dead before the morning in the wickedness Is he going to be alive by the morning Oh yes You attend half-nights of prayer, sir And you won't miss one second of that night groaning before God when one of your children throws themselves into the hands of the devil and serves Satan with both hands And you're a Christian It is tragic, beloved It is tragic if the parents regard themselves as failures because of their children's sin their choice through the free will of God given to them It is tragic, beloved if parents regard themselves as failures disqualify themselves lose all liberty and live in self-condemnation because one of their children or children's sin and failure and that parent becomes self-destructive I've seen this Oh my In one year they look twenty years older through wanting self-destruction because of their children's choice to sin Now I want to address the children from Christian homes where you tragically have witnessed the failure of your parents who profess to know Christ even preachers in their home I want to address the children for a moment here from Christian homes where you have tragically witnessed your parents' failures in their home A man whose father was jailed for life in whose home I have been many times shared this with me because of the evils he did to that child He said these words to me one day and he trembled as he said them I trembled as he said them You can tragically hide behind your parents' sins and failures as the reason to defend your failures and you're not seeking God for the rest of your life blaming them for your inability to ever rise up and function and be healed as a normal person But there must come a time brother Keith when you need to stop this and let God heal you because there's nothing God can't heal in one moment You want him to You don't need years of psychology to be healed of the scars of evils that came upon you You need one encounter with Christ the blood the risen power of Christ and devour the scriptures the moment God has saved you to be healed You see brother Keith you must come to a place where you will let God heal you and God is more than great enough to undo every damage and heal every wound caused by the failures of the parents and the wickednesses that were imposed on you to deliver you completely from every wound or scar inherited by a generation of sin John Emerson Kalispell, Montana One of the loveliest godliest men I've ever met And I heard a great preacher every one of you would know his name that looked me in the eyes and said brother Keith Daniel I can tell you how godly a man is by looking at his wife's countenance You want to look at his wife's countenance Oh God healed him and made him into a man of God I want every child here who is embittered at their Christian parents' failures in the homes I want every single person every child who is embittered at their Christian parents' failures in the homes I want you all to listen to this What if you had not had your parents What if you were raised in another home Will you please consider that What if you were not raised by the parents who you hide behind all their offenses and failures as to why you will never see God What if a woman sat in front of me her son is a godly boy who is everywhere in America and he said to me my parents have come with some caravan some mobile home they are in the convention I would love for you to come and have a cup of tea with them and meet my parents So I said yes between the meetings So I went down to him and he came and I looked at this woman as I walked into this mobile home on the conference center and I realized in one moment I was sitting with one of the godliest people on earth just one moment something you can't put on or emulate it has to be real the character of the holiness of God shining through you even the way you look react and speak no one can emulate that only the Holy Spirit who had his will and his way for a long time to make you so godly that men see it in seconds I looked at his mother and I said to her Lady you must surely have come from a very godly home with very godly parents they all looked at me strangely she put her head down tears become down her face and she said no sir I did not come from a godly home I came from a home where our father sold us from a little girl my father was jailed for life my mother was totally destroyed as a human mentally but sir I rose up when one night I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and I did not come to God to save me from hell it was not in my mind I fled that night to a God that I knew could heal every wound inflicted on me physically and in one moment my brother Keith God fully healed me and I endeavored from that moment to pursue God with every faculty of my being to raise up my children as I was not raised up because God had found me and saved me I never allowed what happened to me to be an excuse as to why I could not be everything God wanted of me when he saved me no matter what had happened to me God did heal me what if you had been raised in that home and not your parents who you are offended and crippled and you can't get up and warn God what if I want you to answer that I was at a convention just before I went to America for three months last year just days before I left and there was a whole table in the dining hall of young people young men and women oh 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 young all ablaze for God shining faces and so one boy said won't you please sit down at the table for a few minutes with us so I was going from table to table and just greeting the people so I sat and I said tell me about your salvation and let's waste time talking about the weather which was bitterly cold but I came to Christ when I was a boy sitting in a school where you preached you made no appeal there wasn't any time but as you were preaching I just reached out and God saved me and I never doubted through what I heard you preaching isn't that wonderful and I went to each one and there was a girl a young lady now she didn't look conservative trust me the rest did dress and in every aspect appearance conservative there the Bibles were in front she had a Bible in front of her but she did not look conservative trust me I didn't say you need to do this to do do do with all your clothes etc before I even talk to you or accept that you are a Christian I looked at her and I said tell me when you were saved a young man there sir who said he gave his life to Christ when you were preaching when he was a teenager at school one of the schools as you preach across the country my father was a gangster my father was a drug dealer and had mobs gangs thugs and the police were after us that we had to get in cars we had been sick and from a little girl I just remember escaping fleeing and all the police surrounding us the most horrific things we endured in our father's obscenities toward my mother and us I remember looking at my brothers and sisters lying on the floor drugged and my daddy just standing over them he didn't care he didn't want to reprimand them he was the one who was holding them swearing cursing they were all broken to destroy but I used to cry please God I knew there was a God don't let me be destroyed and God didn't let me get destroyed and we arrived in a town a while ago having fled some town from the police and the law and I was standing in the garden of this house my father had acquired and over the road was this young man who just testified he lived opposite the road he looked at me and I saw him looking at me he walked over the road after a day or two he said to me what is your name? and I told him and he said I only have one other question for you have you ever trusted Christ to save your soul? have you ever sought God for salvation through the death of Christ? he began to quote scriptures he began to say I know I never heard this there at the gate he prayed with me and sir peace came in my heart at that prayer peace that I'll never ever be able to put into words flooded my soul and I knew God was now my father and saved me and he asked me with these young people to come to this convention to hear you preach I want to ask you all again young people what if you hadn't been brought up in your father and mother's home where you hide behind their failures that you tragically have witnessed that give you reasons for not wanting God what if you had been brought up in that home? what if they found Christ that woman abused to such a degree you wouldn't believe humans could do that to them she found Christ what will you have to stand before God? when you stand before God let me tell you you won't stand with your mother and father beside you and they judge for your denial of God's salvation you'll stand alone no matter what wrongs came on you and you have no excuse a mother a very godly woman was saying to me about a year ago my son I remember him growing up turned to my husband and said daddy you're the reason I'll go to hell your failures and he went on attacking his daddy and his father sat in the room with the mother and began to pull his hair out sobbing uncontrollably and said I must be the worst father that ever lived on God's earth and she said no you're not you were unsaved and when you were saved you pulled our lives together and you began to try and survive in every aspect the children didn't know how you what you went through to keep a roof over our head to keep food at our table what you endured as you walked back in the door like a slave to keep us alive and tired and weary they didn't know when you failed in word and reaction and became irritated and pants out once you were saved they didn't realize they didn't consider that I did I knew how hard you were trying no you were a good father you weren't perfect yes you failed as young Christians especially listen carefully to me we got on our knees and asked God for forgiveness at those failures we asked our children for forgiveness at one time this boy rises up and judges us but you dare not let the devil accuse you you see husband that's what they speak in our language back in country my mum my husband we have to come to a place no matter what failures in our lives even that our witness our children witness and say they stumbled over if we've confessed those sins to God in true sorrow we have to put that behind us and leave it behind us if they've confessed ask the children for forgiveness and seek God as you have to not fail like that anymore and you have lived in victory for a long time there's been wonderful victory in your life you see we must not let the past cripple the future I want you to listen carefully no matter what failures no matter what your children the devil threw them accusing you that you want to condemn yourself and live in self aberration the past must not be allowed to cripple the future as a Christian the devil has no right he has no right I was once in a vehicle I was on a tour about a year ago of three weeks in the Eastern Cape of Africa and they take me to town upon town where I speak in schools upon schools the whole assemblies because I started as a young preacher many of those teachers and principals were saved under the ministry so these wonderful opportunities 20 minutes 30 minutes 7 minutes of whole school a thousand I preached too you see and many others we had 17,000 people we preached in all these rural towns over three weeks and 800 were saved and that too wonderful opportunities so we came to a town called East London and we were going to preach at a breakfast service in the Dutch Reformed churches where all the people were going to have a night well we were early and there was a big sign board as we came into this town you know the red lights there was a big billboard you know advertising strange words this spot marks the beginning of the rest of your life I thought to myself that's a bit stupid but you know preachers are strange things you know sermons come all the time suddenly I thought whoa let me get my pen this small spot marks the beginning of what's left of the rest of your life now beloved I want to ask you don't let the past cripple the future no matter what the devil can remind you of of your failures in the past don't allow those failures to cripple the future to destroy any hope of you getting up and what's left of life living in victory and joy don't let the past take with both hands God's grace no matter what the devil reminds you of the failures of your father and mother if you are professing to be a Christian young person God holds before you and me the centrality of Christianity 1 Corinthians 13 where God hits every hypocrisy and every mockery at what is real and throws even gifts and manifestations that he gives for the edification of the church down into nothing into a category of hypocrisy if you lack one thing love agape love he holds it to you to suffer long and be kind in your home when your parents have failed if you want to name the name of Christ it is an obscenity it is obnoxious it is vulgar to name the name of Christ as your savior if you don't strive to fulfill 1 Corinthians 13 in your home because what can't work in a home won't work anywhere so love suffereth long and is kind God asks that of you to prove to God and man that you are real with God and you need to show your mother and father that no matter what suffering you no matter what misunderstanding you had of their circumstances a woman reaches an age I don't want to go into all the medical terminology every woman they say reaches an age where really you've got to really have patience with them putting it mildly they say Jenny hasn't reached it yet I don't know if Jenny is very unique though but believe me all other husbands and children there are times you really don't understand but that doesn't mean you mustn't be kind to them she bore all your children she washed your clothes she made your bed she raised those a woman wears out emotional mental everything there comes a place where really you've got to show tenderness rather don't get angry if she's not able to be perfect she's the weaker vessel don't become bitter against them God said they are weaker than you you be careful love suffers long the stress financially that may have made your father fail that you knew nothing about that you could have clothes and school books and have an education and a roof over your head you didn't take that into consideration consider it now you might have suffered under his failures under those stresses to keep you alive that you didn't consider why the broader picture wasn't in your mind you might be hiding behind that as to why you're treating him cruelly with disrespect you need to take the broader picture into aspect of every single thing in life when you deal with your family and your home those who fail in front of you because you don't know the broader picture most of the time don't let the past cripple the future that's for my conscience not yours I'm at the end hold on don't let the past cripple the future beloved toward your wife no matter what has happened in the past up to this moment this is the beginning of what's left of your life the spot marks it don't pass the spot without turning course in your attitude to her to live 1 Corinthians 13 toward your husband toward your children toward your parents no matter what you've witnessed don't let the past cripple what's left of the future for you to live 1 Corinthians 13 start now by embracing God God's holy word toward your family beginning with 1 Corinthians 13 church agape love God doesn't ask you to love this love that suffers long and is kind with your own human strength no this is the only religion on earth that God doesn't hold out to you to put the laws of God thou should not thou should not the commands of God to fulfill them by having in front of you a door posts on your arms in front of you no ways it's the only religion that everything of the law is fulfilled through Christ I've not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill and how in one moment sir to the degree you yield it to God to that degree you live it spontaneously without memorizing and trying to strive in your own strength this is the only religion that God His love it's agape enough He doesn't say love your wife like that in your own strength try to you yield to the degree you yield it to God to that degree you live out God writes the laws of the Lord on your heart written by the Holy Ghost and you spontaneously react the laws of God are fulfilled 1 Corinthians 13 is fulfilled totally not by your strength or efforts but by your total yielding to God and to the degree you totally yield and God controls you by His Holy Spirit the fruit the evidence that's all the fruit means that God is in control by His Holy Spirit living in you is that in this spontaneous reaction no matter how trying the circumstances you live out Christ you are like Jesus you react like Him it's Him living His life out through you to the degree you are totally yielded Sir Christianity is not a set of rules it's Christ or it is heresy holiness is total heresy if it isn't Christ full stop Christ likeness take Christ likeness out of Christianity is the most obnoxious religion on earth take Christ out of Christianity and make holiness clothes Sir you can dress like a nun lady to be modest and be a devil and put your family through hell it isn't this modesty is lovely yes, hallelujah but don't put the calf before the horse don't say this now I'm a Christian now I'm a Christian no ways Christ likeness is all that matters and Christ likeness is the fruit of the spiritual stop, it's not love joy, long suffering patience no amen