In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation in our homes and families. He highlights the need for God's involvement in the building process, stating that without the Lord's guidance, our efforts will be in vain. The preacher also addresses the role of husbands in loving their wives sacrificially, drawing inspiration from Jesus' love for the church. He warns against the negative influences of society, Hollywood, and worldly entertainment, urging listeners to remove such influences from their homes. The sermon concludes with a reminder to flee from all appearances of evil, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:22.

The Buddhist can't say his Redeemer lives. Amen? Pray for them. Go to Bombay, India. Check out Buddha's tomb. Bones down there. Amen? The Muslim can't say, My Redeemer lives. You go to Mecca. Check out Muhammad's tomb. Bones down there. Amen? Well, glory. You go to Jerusalem. Check out my Jesus tomb. He ain't dead. He ain't even sick. He's alive and seated at the right hand of the Father. Amen? Boy, you ask me how I know He lives. He lives in my heart. Amen? What a Savior. He's the Alpha, the Almighty, the Amen, the Ancient of the Days, Amen. He's the Beginning, the Begotten, the Beloved, the Bread, the Branch, the Bridegroom. He's the Bright and the Morning Star. Amen? He's my Banner. He's my Consolation, my Covenant, my Counselor, my Carpenter, and my Captain. Amen? He's my Comforter. He's the Consuming Fire, the Bible calls Him one of His names. He's the Door. He's the Deliverer. He's the Daysman, the Daystar. He is the Elect. He is from everlasting to ever... Let's just talk about Jesus for a minute, alright? I feel like talking about Jesus for a little bit. Amen? Some of you men are going to be glad I'm talking about Him for a while too in a minute, alright? He's my Forerunner. This is the name of Jesus. He's my Forerunner, my Finisher, my Friend, my Fountain, and my Foundation. He's my God, my Guard, my Guide, my Gift, my Governor, and my Guarantee. He's the Head of the Body, Brother Joe Sin. He's the Heir of all things. He's the Hope of Glory. He's Hell's Dread and Heaven's Wonder. Amen? He's the I Am. He's the Image of the Invisible God. He's the Judge. He's the Just One. He's Jesus Christ, our Lord. He's my Lamb, my Lily, my Light, my Love, my Lord. He's the Lawgiver. He's the Lily of the Valley. He's the Light of the World. He's the Fairest of thousands. I don't know what you're looking for, but you come to Jesus, you quit looking. Amen? He's my Master. He's the Mediator. He's the Man of Sorrows. He's the Most Holy and Mighty God. He's Nazarene, the Nazarite, and He's number one in time and eternity. He's Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient. He's Priest, Prophet, and Potentate, Son. He's my Rock, my Refuge. He's the Rose of Sharon. He's the Sure Foundation. He's the Savior of the World. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's the Truth. He's the Tabernacle. He's the Tree of Life. Amen? He is the Unspeakable Gift. Honey, I don't know what you're looking for. You come to Jesus, you quit looking. He's the King of the Jews. He's the King of the Gentiles. He's the King of Righteousness. He's the King of the Ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of Glory. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's Enduringly Strong. He's Entirely Sincere. He's Eternally Steadfast. He's Immortally Grateful. He's Immeasurably Powerful. He's Immensely Merciful. He is the Greatest Phenomenon of all the Ages. You see, He's God's own Son. He is the sinner's Savior. He is the centerpiece of civilization. He is unparalleled. He is unprecedented. He is the loftiest Word in all of literature. He is the highest personality in all of philosophy. He is the supreme problem, Brother Joe, in high criticism. He is the only one qualified, Brother Ricky, to be called an all-sufficient Savior. You know why? Because He supplies strength for the weak. Escape for the tempted. He sympathizes. He saves. He guards. He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the leper. He forgives sinners. He discharges the debtor. He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He regards the old. He rewards the diligent. And He serves the unfortunate. He's the keyway to knowledge. He's the doorway to deliverance. He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway to righteousness. He's the highway to glory. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word, it's enough. His grace is sufficient. His yoke is easy. And His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable. Amen. He's indestructible. He's incomprehensible. You can't get Him off your mind. You can't get Him off your hands. You can't outlive Him. And you can't live without Him. Head couldn't kill Him. And death couldn't have Him. And bless God, the grave could not hold Him. Son, I don't know what you're looking for. You come to Jesus, you quit looking. Amen. Whoa! I'm sure glad. Honey, you got me fired up with that song. I like that song. Where is she? My Redeemer lives! That lady called me here a while back. Won't sell me a barrel plot. I usually think about the right thing to say about five minutes after I hang up. That day I prayed up. I said, no ma'am, I wouldn't like to buy one. My wife was sitting right beside me. She's God's my witness. My hand there. I said, I wouldn't like to buy one, but I would like to rent one. She said, you want to do what? She said, sir, did you say you want to rent a barrel plot? You just got in from someplace about five, six o'clock when they start doing our calling. She said, you want to rent? My wife said, rent what? I said, time out, honey. I got a deal working here. My wife was sitting right beside me. I said, yes ma'am, I'd like to rent a barrel plot. She said, sir, I don't know what you're talking about. She said, we don't rent barrel plots. She said, what do you mean? I said, well, let me see if I can explain it to you. I said, I'm a Christian. And my Redeemer liveth. Huh? Amen. I said, see, here's the way it works. You sell me a barrel plot today. I die tomorrow. You bury me the next day. And then Jesus comes back the next day. You can have that hole in the ground back. I ain't going to need it. Amen. I said, my Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. He didn't need his but three days. She said, that's the greatest thing I ever heard of in my life. She started laughing. She said, I'm going to tell my boss maybe we can start renting a lot. You know what I mean? I said, if I was a Buddhist, I'd want to buy one. Bless their hearts. Well, the family of God. Amen. Some of you have heard this message. I'm glad to have Brother Joe Sims from over at Crockett Point Baptist Church. We're in Crowville. Brother Ricky Caldwell. And your wife, Ricky, what's your wife's name? Miriam. Beautiful name, Miriam. You married over your head, Ricky. You like me. But whenever I go back to a church, unless God tells me different, I don't preach the same messages twice. But this is one message that God has put on my heart to preach most everywhere I go. Because I'm going to tell you, if there's any word we need revival, we need it in our homes and our families as much as we do inside the church. So let's look at the family of God. Let's all stand together in honor of God's Word. Psalm 127, verse 1. Your Bibles are in your sermon outline, either one. Just follow along with me. The Bible says, Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Let's say those words together. Reading. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh, but in vain. Father, thank You for the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God. Lord, I thank You that it is quick, it's powerful, it's sharper than any two-edged sword. I pray that it would pierce even under the dividing, the center of the soul, and the spirit, and the joint, and the marrow, and be a discerner of the thoughts and even the intent of our heart tonight. And God, I pray in Jesus' name, we'd not just be hearers of Your Word, but doers of Your Word. God, I pray, as the brother said a while ago, that Your Holy Spirit would convict every person in the sound of my voice of sin, of righteousness, and of the judgment that is to come. God, I pray for families that need revival. I pray for daddies that are lost. I pray for mamas that are lost. I pray for young people that are lost. I pray for those families, Heavenly Father, that maybe they just need a remodeling job on their home and their family. And I pray, Lord, whatever needs to be done here tonight, God, I know You're big enough to do it. And You're the God of the... You're not the I was, You're not the I will be, You are the I am right now, here tonight. Today, You're willing to do a work in the life of men and women, boys and girls, all over this auditorium. So, Lord, I pray that You'd have Your will and have Your way. Lord, we love You and we praise You. We pray that You would be glorified, that the church would be edified, and hell would be terrified by what we see You do here tonight. Let's pray to Jesus together tonight. Dear Lord Jesus, please speak to my heart tonight. Please help me to do what You say. In Jesus' name, Amen. You may be seated. The first institution God created was the home and the family. Way before the church, brother, all the way back there in the Garden of Eden, God created the home and the family. Amen? And all the way from back there in the Garden of Eden, you know the story, Satan began to try to destroy the home and the family. And if you stop and think about it, anything God loves, Satan hates. That's a redundant statement, but it bears saying. God loves all the little children of the world, red and yellow, black and white. They're all precious to His sight. Satan tries to kill 4,000 every day, just in America, to the God of abortion. Satan hates children. Why? Because God loves children. Satan hates the church. The devil would rather start a church fuss. I mean, man, he majors in that stuff. Why does he hate the church so much? Because Ephesians 5 says, Jesus loved the church. Anything Jesus loved, Satan hates, because Satan hates Jesus. All the way from the beginning, he wanted to exalt himself to be like the Most High God. I've got news for you. There had never been but one that was like the Most High God, and He is God in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan's hated that from the beginning. Well, at the top of Satan's hate list, at the top of God's love list, is the home and the family. God loves the family. And Satan hates the family. One out of every two marriages ends in divorce today in America. But I've got another demographic that I've noticed. The remainder of the 50% that don't end in divorce, the majority of the remaining 50% that do not divorce, the majority of those, at best, are just getting by. They're not growing and glowing. They're drying and dying. Oh, they wouldn't think about divorce. Maybe murder, but not divorce. I mean, they're going to stay together for the dog. You know, well, who's going to get the dog? Who's going to get the horse? You know what I'm saying? The money. And they're going to stay together, but their marriage is not what God wants it to be. Well, I've got news for you. I believe God wants a whole lot more for our marriages than that. Oh, I wish my baby was here tonight. Let me tell you something. When that last amen is over tomorrow night, you better have got your tape. Amen. And I'm westbound and down home from mama. Amen. I love my wife. We're still on our honeymoon. I love my baby. And so, anyway, we travel together most of the time. She couldn't be with me this week, but we travel together. But, you know, I believe that God wants more for our homes and our families than to just get by. When you get ready to – the Bible says in Psalm 127, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain to build it. Now, when you get ready to build a house, I used to say when I preached this message, Brother Joe, I used to say the first thing you want to make sure you've got when you get ready to build a house is a good foundation. It made sense to me, Brother Jack. But then I got ready to build a house. We're fixing to build a house in Heflin, and we're going to build a bus barn first, and we're fixing to start doing some dirt work. As soon as I can find somebody to get a dozer in there and do some dirt work for us, we're going to do that. We're going to build a metal building, a big metal building, which will be the bus barn and ministry offices and everything. We're getting underway. I mean, as we speak, I'm meeting – in fact, Thursday afternoon, I'm meeting with the co-op electrical guy, and he's going to put the power pole in there and all that stuff, and we're getting going. But the first thing – when I started thinking about building this house, I thought, well, the first major thing we're going to be doing is the concrete. The first major expense, because we're going to do it by faith, and we're just saving up as we go. And we're not going to borrow no money. We're not going to owe nobody nothing. And when we're through with it, it's going to be ours to the Lord's. Amen? But, I mean, that's what God put on our heart. I'm not trying to get you into some legalistic trip or nothing, but that's what God told us. But anyway, so I went to this guy and talked to him about some concrete. I didn't even know something about concrete. You know what he told me? He said, I need to see your blueprints. I said, well, I don't have blueprints yet. You know what this is? Hmm? Right here is the blueprints for the home and the family, brother. Amen? Now, Jesus is the foundation, but these are the blueprints. How would you know how to build a foundation? Listen, this nation was built on this book. I don't care what a shallow liberal society would tell you, with what some fuzzy-headed professor would say. I'm going to tell you something. This nation was built on this book. The home and the family is built on this book. And unless the Lord built the house, they labor in vain to build it. Amen? Now, I'm going to tell you. How many of you believe this is the blueprints? All right. The rest of you can get it right before it's over. All right. How many of you got the blueprints tonight? Raise your blueprints. Amen? Raise them up. Let me see the Bible. Let me see your Bible. All right. Amen. Let's see whose side everybody's on. All right. That's the reason I hand out a sermon outline. So many people don't bring a Bible, and I'll tell you what. You bring a Bible to God's house, because God's got some things to say to us. Amen? Well, number one, I see the responsibility of the husband and the father. All right, men. You all ready? You got your pew belt buckled? Huh? And ladies, you better get your amens in, because we're coming your way in just a minute. All right? The responsibility of the husband and the father. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25 through 26. The Bible says, husbands, husbands, love your wives. Let me say it another way, husbands. Husbands, love your wives. Not your neighbor's wife. Not my wife. Stay out of my yard. Love your wives. I'm interested in many times, brother, what the Bible don't say. The Bible don't say love your neighbor's wife. Listen, and some of this stuff shouldn't have to be preached, brother. But unfortunately, there's this much shacking up many times inside the church as there is outside the church. And that's the reason I preach so much to lost church members. Because we've got people in churches all across America, and lost is a ball in high weeds. Oh, they come in. They get them just enough religion to inoculate the guilty conscience. Because they, well, I went to church Sunday morning. I went to the revival. I went every night to the revival. And they're still lost. You see, let me tell you something about some people. Some people, just like the atmosphere of being around a revival, who wouldn't, duh. They like it. It's safe. It's clean. I mean, amen. I mean, they like it. But I've got news for you. You don't get saved by osmosis. It ain't just going to rub off on you. Somewhere along the line, honey, somewhere along the line, sir, you're going to have to make a decision that Jesus Christ is who He said He was. And for Him to be the Lord of your life, you must be born again. Jesus didn't tell Nicodemus you ought to be born again. He said you must be born again. Amen? He didn't say love your neighbor's wife. And I'm going to tell you what else He didn't say. He didn't say love your shack up either, Bubba. Hello? Y'all out there? Man, listen to me. I don't care what they're doing on television. You can't turn on a situational comedy today without somebody shacked up. And they're laughing about it on national television. He didn't say love your shack up. God's not going to honor a relationship like that. I'm going to tell you what else He didn't say. He didn't say love your life mate, Mr. or Miss Homosexual. Hello? He said love your wife. God didn't create Adam and Steve. Amen? Some of y'all, well, I can't believe He said that. Well, sonny, here's the time somebody told you. You should have been told a long time ago. Brother Joe, I'm going to tell you something, brother. You might hear some junky stuff on me somewhere along the line, but you'll never hear I jump the fence. You hear what I'm telling you? Amen? One thing I've never had a problem with is understanding who I am sexually. Amen? Good grief. I know it straight out of hell. There's nothing normal, nothing natural, and it's totally not of God. Romans chapter 1. Honey, you don't believe me? You just don't know your Bible. Yes, sir. I'm telling you something, friend. We need to be told in America what the Bible says about building the home. We've got this and there's denominations today that are ordaining homosexual preachers, marrying men together, men couples adopting children, brother. God help us. The Bible says love your wife. Your wife. How are you supposed to love your wife, sir? Like your daddy loved your mama? No. Because it might be that in your situation, your daddy didn't love your mama the way the Bible says to love your mama. With all due respect to your daddy, all due respect to your mama, I've got news for you. It may be that your parents were like my parents. My daddy didn't know how to love my mama biblically. It doesn't say love your wife like your old buddies down at the deer lease love their wife either. Well, boys, everybody down at deer lease, down at duck lease, down at turkey lease, they all call their wife old lady and treat her like trash and everything, like a doormat. Listen, the Bible doesn't say love your wife like your old buddies at work love their wives. Because there's a real good chance, odds are, odds are those old boys offshore don't know how to love their wife right. The Bible don't say love your wife any other way but like Jesus loved the church. Amen? Now here's the way it works, sir. How can you love your wife like Jesus loved the church if you don't even know Jesus? How can you? There ain't no way. Ain't no possible way. Sir, you're going to have to be born again before the very first ingredient in your home and your family is going to work. Because you know what you're going to be doing? You're going to be looking at society. You're going to be looking at Hollywood. You're going to be looking at your daddy. You're going to be looking at this couple, that couple, old buddies down at work, them guys down at the lease instead of the blueprints. How God said to love your wife. Love your wife like Jesus loved the church. How did Jesus love the church? He gave himself for it. Sir, the Bible says you're supposed to give yourself for your wife. You listen to me. Listen to me real good. I know more men that give themselves for their jobs, their hobbies, their dear lease. Hello! Make me some partners right here. This is my word, look. They give themselves for their wife. Now, listen. A woman would be a fool not to submit herself to a husband that would give his life for her. And there are some fool women out there. And we're going to talk about them in a minute. There are some fool women out there. There are some Jezebels out there that got husbands that godly men of God won't submit. But I'm going to tell you something. The majority of the time, in fact, Brother Todd, I'm going to tell you something. I run into this all the time in revivals. I'll have women come to me all the time and say, Brother Jack, I would give anything if my husband was a spiritual leader of our home and our family. If my husband would pray with us. A woman is hungry for that. Sir, let me tell you something. When God got ready to create your wife, He didn't take a bone out of your head so you could lord your intellect over her. Well, daddy's home and he knows it all. You know, you might be a know-it-all, but you don't know it all. There's a difference. He didn't take a bone out of your foot either, sir. You say, well, night is right, big daddy's home, everybody fall in line, just hand me the stinking remote. I'm going to tell you where he took a bone. He took a bone from right here by your heart. Where it could be a constant reminder to you to love, protect, and cherish that precious bride that God gave to you. Amen? You see, you treat her like a jewel. She might act like one. Hello? You give yourself for your wife. Boy, some of y'all are not liking this. Come here, little boys. Any of y'all in there that's trying to slip that arm around, mama? Yeah, I was born at night, but it wasn't last night, bubba. All right? He gave himself for it that he might sanctify. Look here. Jesus is talking how a man should love his wife, and he's using Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us, the church, as a comparison. And Jesus sanctified and cleansed the church with the washing of water by the what? By the Word. Listen, do you know what God has called the husband to be of the family? The spiritual priest. In the Old Testament, Brother Todd, the spiritual priest was the one that had the Word from God. Do you hear me? He had a Word from God for the church, for the congregation. It was the priest. And when the husband is not the spiritual priest of the home and the family, I mean, you've already got the wrong kind of foundation. You've got to sanctify and cleanse and wash your wife by the washing of water by the Word. What does that mean, Brother Jack? That means you need to be getting a fresh Word from God on a regular basis, from God's Word about your home and your family. Listen to me. God has created, God has created every woman. His ultimate divine creation is to create that woman to love her husband and to submit herself to her husband as unto the Lord. Look at that. But listen, if the husband is not following Jesus, if he don't know come on from Sycamore, if he don't know if he's washing or hanging out, how in the world is a woman going to feel comfortable submitting herself to a husband that he don't know God from a gourd? Amen? He's off over here. And I believe this is where our feminist movement has come from, Brother. So many husbands are goofy as a run over dog. They're out here, man, like, yeah, you know, I'm just doing my thing. They ain't following God for nothing. And Mama over here, she said, well, if Daddy don't know where he's washing or hanging out, why don't I just go over here and do my thing? And thus you have the feminist movement today in America. I'm going to tell you how God designed it. God designed it for the husband to be the spiritual priest to get a Word from the Lord on a regular basis and to pray that Word over there. Sir, you ought to be getting a Word from God on a regular basis to pray over your wife and your children, sharing it with your wife. Brother Joe, I guarantee you one thing. You can go in the average church across America, put the men on one side and the women on the other, and the women are going to outnumber the men 90% of the time and have a Bible drill, and the women will wear the men's slick. I want all you men to raise your Bible. Don't you grab your wife's Bible. Your Bible. Raise it up high. Okay. Do a little inventory here. Ready, ladies? Put them down, men. Ladies, raise your Bible. Good grief. That is embarrassing. No, I'm all right. I'm telling you what. God's called you husbands to love your wife like Jesus loved the church, and give yourself for her. I said give yourself for your wife. You know, your wife has needs. This will put a little honey in the honeymoon, sir. You know what I've learned about my wife, my relationship with my wife? The more time I spend giving myself for my wife, meeting her needs of all kinds, the more time she spends meeting my needs. Hello? Amen? That's just the way it works for you. I ain't no idiot. Might look like one. When I asked my wife to marry me, I said, Honey, I want you to be number two in my life for the rest of my life. In fact, I share this one. She was with me over there at Crowville. When we were at Crowville, my family was with me. I asked my wife, I said, Honey, I want you to be number two in my life. My wife will never, you hear me, my wife will never be number one in my life. That's one of the problems we've got today. Too many men have made mama number one. Well, they spend all their time trying to just, you know, look into mama. And when mama disappoints them. When, and wives do the same thing. Oh, you know, if I could just get him, and you know, he's all big and handsome and everything, and if I could just get that man, and he'd just satisfy all my desires, and make their husband number one. And when their wife disappoints them, when their husband disappoints them, and everybody been married over six weeks said, when they disappoint them, if your number one disappoints you, where do you have to go, brother? You don't have any place to go but down. When their number one disappoints them, they go nuts. They go to divorce court. Some of them go get a gun. I've got news for you. If Jesus is number one, He will never disappoint you. And I told my wife, standing right in front of that church, I said, honey, I don't want to be number one in your life either. I want to be number two. You're my number two. Sometimes she'll give me a little card, you know, send me a little card or something, or leave it on the dressing room. She always signs it. You're number two. My wife number two. See, how can I love my wife right, brother, if Jesus is not my number one in my life? You know what? I won't do it. Because I'll base my love for her based on what she did for me or didn't do for me or about how I relationship with Him. Listen, and that's one of the many reasons when I'm on the road and we're not together in revival or anything, never, not one time, ever, have I ever had to worry about my wife. Why? Because I'm such a great husband? No. Because Jesus is number one in my wife's life and she knows that Jesus is number one in my life. But as long as that's the case, you've got a good foundation for marriage. My wife and I have something come between us and we don't see eye to eye on it. And that does happen even to preachers. Hello? They do have blood run through their veins. They do put on their breeches the same way you do. Hello? We used to have an eye to the deal. First of all, we don't let the sun go down in our wrath. Hello? Amen? Get it settled. Get it taken care of. All it's going to do is fester. You know one of the things about life, just about the time you're about to get figured out how it's supposed to go, it's almost over. You know what I'm saying? But anyway, if we have a thing come up between us and we don't see eye to eye on, we just take it to the Lord. Amen? I say, Lord, please show me what it is in this situation that I need to see. My wife's on the other side of that deal. She said, Lord, please show him what it is in this situation he needs to see. Some of y'all will do that. Y'all know that you do that. Ephesians 6, verse 4. Fathers, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but what's the next three words? Say it one more time. Bring them up. How? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The Bible doesn't say bring up your children like your daddy brought you up. And there's a reason for that. Because it may be your daddy didn't bring you up right. See, here's the way it works. Husbands, love your wives how? Like Jesus loved the church. Fathers, bring up your children how? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. No wonder the Bible says, except the Lord build a house, they'll never in vain build it. The Bible doesn't say, put your children down, sir. It says, bring them up. It says, bring them up. How? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I'm going to tell you something about my daddy. My daddy wasn't even a Christian, but my daddy had an uncanny way of always building me up. Always encouraging me. Always bragging on me. Man, he would look for things to brag on me about. He made a hot rod back when I was just a little kid. I mean, I was about nine years old. About these boys. In fact, I was younger than them. And we called it a hot rod. It was made ten years before go-karts were ever even thought of. And my daddy was a welder, and he could weld anyway. He was the first man to weld with Heliarch in this whole part of the country. And he had it made out of an angle iron frame. Had a Model A steering column on it. Had a three-wheel Harley Davidson motorcycle transmission on it. Son had a Cushman Eagle engine on it. Had an airplane pilot ejection seat. He got out of a salvage yard for a seat on it. Had Cushman Eagle tires on the front and big old popper cub airplane tires on the back before balloon time. Listen, I'm talking about ten years before go-karts, and I don't know how many years before four-wheelers. Man, I mean, he had this thing set about that high off the ground. Heavy as all get-out. Wouldn't turn over. Couldn't turn it over. And my daddy didn't make it build it for me. He built it for himself. Man next door. Man next door wanted my daddy to build him one, so daddy built him one, but daddy didn't build his when he'd go as fast as his did. So daddy wasn't no fool. Well, man, I tell you, he fixed me some extensions on that clutch and on that gas pedal so my feet could, because it had a handbrake right here and a gear shift right here. I've got pictures of it at home. And that was a hot rod, son. My daddy and our next-door neighbor would race around the backyard every Friday and Saturday night. People would come all over the neighborhood and watch my daddy and B.J. Elkins race around the backyard on them hot rods. Well, when I got big enough and Tommy Lee, the next-door neighbor's boy, we got big enough, we'd get in them. My daddy's fixed us extensions for them pedals and we could reach them. Boy, we'd ride down in them woods and everything. We would just act up now. Well, my hot rod got broke down. And then daddy didn't get it fixed as quick as I thought he ought to. I got out there and I knew where them crests and wrenches were and them 9-16s and them crafting tools. I got out there and I thought I was in the carburetor. And I was about 12 years old. A 12-year-old knows a lot about working on two cycle engines and all. So I started to pull that carburetor off. I knew where that carburetor was at. I started pulling it off. My daddy come out there. My daddy's hand is about as big as that pulpit right there. My daddy come out there. He's 6'2". He said, Jack David, what are you doing? Working on this hot rod, daddy. He ain't running. I said, I am. He said, son, you're doing a good job. I said, I am? And then he said what I would have loved to hear him say. He said, you want daddy to help you? I said, yes, sir, daddy. Me and daddy, shoulder to shoulder, man. Him grab that. He said, let me show you what I do, son. He said, you're doing a good job. I'm proud of you, son. Daddy would just look for things. Now I'm going to tell you something about my daddy. My daddy would put me in my place. In fact, he earned the right to put me in my place by building me up every opportunity he could find. You hear what I'm saying? Son, I'm going to tell you, I've been to that woodshed many a times. But it's to me. I knew when he took me, brother Ricky, I knew that I deserved it. In fact, I deserved a whole lot more of it than I got. My daddy didn't need a paddle. My daddy had a paddle on the end of his arm. He'd wear me out. He'd put me in my place, but he wouldn't put me down. Maybe people here tonight, when you was growing up, your daddy was your hero. I mean, daddy could fix anything. Had them big old hands. You just loved your daddy. Loved your daddy. You just lived to please your daddy. But ain't one problem. You couldn't do anything good enough to please him. You couldn't take out the trash right. You couldn't mow the yard right. No grades were good enough. Daddy was always being critical. Always putting you down. Always just breathing down your neck. Just looking for something to criticize, to put you down about, instead of building you up. But here's a sad commentary. Some of you pass that on to your children and your grandchildren and every generation. I'm going to tell you something. That bondage needs to be broke right here tonight. I'm going to tell you something about my heavenly father. My heavenly father will put me in my place, but he'll never put me down. And there is a difference, and I think you've got enough sense to know what the difference is. Parents, you ought to look for opportunities to brag on your kids. Look for opportunities. Now some of you say, oh, Brother Jack, I've blown it. Well, you can't unscramble eggs. You can't undo the pad. But I guarantee you what you can do tonight. You can get your kids down here. I don't care if they're grown. You can get them down here, your grandchildren, whoever it is that you've done that way. And you can publicly, before God, and write to them one-on-one. You can tell them, I'm sorry, honey. And from this day forward, I promise you it will never happen again. And mean it. Bring them up. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ready, ladies? Oh, that was pitiful. Yeah. You're ready, aren't you, brother? The role of the wife, huh? Ephesians 5.22. Ladies, I want you to read this verse with me. You read it out loud. Ready, ladies? Some of you ladies ain't going to read it. You've got a lot of y'all ready. Ready, ladies? Reading. Wives. That was pitiful. I didn't hear them worth a flip, brother. Ladies, what does it say? One more time. Ready? Honey, you look at your wife. See, she's reading. Don't say nothing, though. You don't get it. Amen. Wives. A little better. But still pretty pitiful. The Bible says, submit yourself unto your own husband. Not your neighbor's husband. Not your shack up. Not your life mate. Your own husband's. How, ladies? Like your mama submitted herself to your daddy? No, the Bible doesn't say that. And there's a reason the Bible doesn't say that, because it may be that your mother didn't know how to biblically submit herself to her husband. It may be that your daddy wasn't the spiritual priest of your home and your family. The Bible doesn't say you're supposed to submit yourself to your husband like your mama submitted herself to your daddy. Because it's very possible that she wouldn't do it. I'm going to tell you what we've got today. Listen to me. We've got some Jezebel women out there that are absolutely stiff-necked that will not submit themselves to their husband. It wears me slick, brother. I'm telling you. I'll see couples. And here you've got a couple over here. I mean a woman that is so full of God that she just, I mean, just loves Jesus and would do anything, would follow her husband to hell and back. And man, he don't know whether he's washing or hanging out. He's out here in left field, and she just prays that he would just come to church. Much less read the Bible. And he don't know how good he's got it. He is clueless. And then right over here you have just the opposite. Have a man of God that just loves God, willing to catch a bullet for his wife, loves Jesus. I didn't say he's perfect, but he does love Jesus. And that wife is so rebellious, such a Jezebel, it's unbelievable. Let me tell you what the Bible says, man. The Bible says you're out of the will of God. And I'm going to tell you something. That's the reason right here a lot of women won't get saved, brother. I had a brother tell me something here a while back. Floored me. Man, when he said it, I said, man, that brother is right. He is right. You know what he said? He said there's some women that don't want their husbands to get saved. They don't want their husband to be the spiritual leaders. Because they know if he falls in line, then that means they're going to have to fall in line. And it could be said the other way back around. Some men wouldn't want their wives to get saved. Friend, unless the Lord built the house, you're laboring in vain. No wonder you're unhappy. No wonder you're miserable. No wonder you're depressed. No wonder you don't have any joy in your house. I'm going to tell you something. I get to laughing so hard at my wife sometimes. I've got to go in and lay down. She just wears me out. We have the best time around our house. I'm saying this for two reasons. Number one, it's the truth. And my children, we laugh around our house constantly. We have the best time, son. I'm going to tell you, it's a hoot around our house. It is a hoot. I'm going to say that for a couple of reasons. Number one, it's true. And number two, some people think, well, you know, this sounds like a bore. And their life is already a bore. Listen, man, I'll tell you what's a bore. It's arguing, being on two separate pages, going in two different directions, having two different eyes. Let me tell you something, ma'am. Anything two heads is a freak. And when you've got two heads in the family, it won't work. It will not work. I don't care what business you find, brother. There will be one man, one somebody, woman or somebody that's the president of that business. You've got one president of the United States. You've got one leader of every country. You've got one somebody in every institution around the world that heads that thing up. And then so many people, well, I'm just going to do what I'm going to do over here. She's going to do what she's going to do. And they expect that marriage to work. And watch this. Husbands that won't submit to the Lord, and then the wife, she won't submit to the husband, and they're wondering why Junior won't mine. Get a clue. Them kids are not fools. You can fool a fool and you can con a con, but you can't kill the kid. They know. They know something ain't G-hard. Sure do. Here's the way it works. Listen to me. When a husband submits himself to the Lord, and the wife submits herself unto the husband as unto the Lord, she's submitting herself as unto the Lord. He's getting his marching orders from Jesus. Here's what he's doing if he's living for God. He's getting up every morning and he's bunk-piling Jack Daniels, checking in for orders to King Jesus. He's getting his marching orders from the Word of God, from the Son of God, through the Spirit of God, every day. And then when she submits herself to that husband, it's the same as unto the Lord. I'm not saying he calls every shot. He don't. I'll guarantee you I come to my wife all the time. I have to have that confirmation with my wife that this is the will of God concerning this situation we're getting into because I know if God's not working through her, and there again, see, I know Jesus is number one in her life. If God's not working through her in agreement with what God has spoken to me, then we're not going to do it until we get an agreement. But in the final analysis and the final say-so, she understands that it's going to be my call. There's got to be a final call from somebody. Can you ladies say amen to that? That's pretty pitiful. Amen. Amen. Proverbs 31, 10 through 11. Who can find a virtuous woman? Whoo! Here's Scripture almost 3,000 years ago, brother. You know what the Bible says 3,000 years ago? It says it's hard to find a virtuous woman. Do you know what I say? They're harder to find today. You hear about every other kind, Brother Jack. You hear about the liberated woman, the working woman, the Jezebel woman. But you don't. When's the last time you turned on Oprah and heard Oprah do one on a virtuous woman, a godly, biblical, virtuous woman? You ain't going to hear it. You ain't going to hear Hollywood talk about a virtuous woman. Why? Because they're so hard to find. Sir, if you've got one, you better hang on to her, buddy, because they're hard to find. 3,000 years ago almost. Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above money. Whoo! Rubies, that was a measure of money, brother. You've got a virtuous wife. You've got something so valuable that money can't put a price on it, brother. The heart of her husband does safely trust in her. Let me ask you something, ma'am. Does your husband's heart safely trust in you when he's offshore, when he goes out of town, when he's away from the house? Does his heart safely trust in you? Or do you give him some reason to believe that you're running around on him? You're being unfaithful to him. You're not a virtuous woman. You're not a virtuous woman if that's the case. Boy, I'm so grateful I've got a godly, virtuous wife, brother. Man! Some of these jokers need to find out. They just need a clue in on what it would be like if they had one of those other kinds. Man, man, man. Her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband does safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of what? Spoil. See, here's the way it works, Brother Todd. What need do I have of spoiling my relationship with my godly, virtuous, precious wife by running off with some hussy when I've got something so valuable that money can't even put a price on it? Why would I do that, brother? For what? Amen? Some of you men need to count the cost. If you've got a godly, virtuous wife, what need would you have of spoiling that by running off with somebody? Amen? Listen, man. What a deal. It's hard to find. Proverbs 31, 28. Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband also, and he praises her. Sometimes I'll preach this message to some old redneck old boy out there. Man, I ain't never heard a guy get up there and talk about his old lady like that, you know. Bragging on his wife and doing all that. You know what I'm doing? I'm doing what you ought to be doing. I'm praising my wife. I say I'm praising my wife. The Bible says you're supposed to. I do it for several reasons. Number one reason, the Bible says I'm supposed to do it. I love bragging on my baby. I've got a picture of her somewhere. Right here. I love bragging on my wife. And number two, just in case there's any gals out there that like ugly, there's some out there that like ugly, this boy ain't for sale. Amen? I got something so valuable you can't put a price on it. Yeah. That's the way that works. Proverbs 31.30. Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain. You can do all the tummy tucks, all the diets, all the, amen, all the exercise you want to do, but one of these days it's going to wear out. But a woman who fears the Lord. There you go. Man. I'll tell you what we need today in America, brother. We need women that fear God. We need men that fear God. Acts 9 said in the book of Acts, that first New Testament church feared the Lord. They were walking in the fear of the Lord. God give us more virtuous women. Why? Because they're hard to find. The responsibility of the children. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1 through 3. Listen up, kids. The Bible says children, obey your parents. How? It doesn't say obey your parents like all the kids at school obey their parents. Why? Because there's a good chance the kids at school don't obey their parents. There's a good chance that the kids at school are rebellious. There's a good chance that the kids at school are not Christians. Many times. And they don't obey their parents. No wonder. Look in here. Husbands love your wives. How? Like Jesus loved the church. Fathers bring up your children. How? In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Wives submit yourselves. How? To your husband. How? As unto the Lord. Children, obey your parents. How? In the Lord. No wonder the Bible says, except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it. So on every turn you take, whether the husband, the father, the mother, the wife, the children, except the Lord be the foundation of it. They labor in vain that build it. Children, obey your parents. How? In the Lord. For this is right. It's just the right thing to do. Look at this, young people. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee. Amen. See, God wants things to be good with you, young people. And if thou mayest what? Live long on the earth. Now listen to me. You know what the number one killer among teenagers today in America is? I said it the other night. Alcohol-related automobile accidents. And I got to thinking about this passage of Scripture, brother. Here a while back, it just all of a sudden hit me. Whenever I look at the Bible, I look at the newspaper, too. Because I'm going to tell you something. This is not a history book. It's His story. But I'm going to tell you something. God's Word is as relevant as 2003. This day in June right now, 2003. And it will be relevant if Jesus carries another thousand years. You hear me? Children, obey your parents in the Lord. For this is right. God, honor thy father and mother with first commandment, with promise, that it may be well with thee that thou mayest live long on the earth. When I got to thinking about that demographic, number one killer among teenagers is alcohol-related automobile accidents. I wonder to myself. I wonder. I just wonder. And I don't suppose there's any way of finding out. How many of those parents who had teenagers who died of alcohol-related automobile accidents? Number one killer. I wonder how many of those parents told their children repeatedly, Honey, don't you get in the car with anybody else drinking and driving. Don't you dare drink and drive. Don't you do it. Honey, it's dangerous. Don't you get in that car with anybody else while they're drinking and driving. Don't you do it. Don't you do it. And I wonder how many of those children didn't obey their parents in the Lord so they didn't live long on the earth. You see, you don't break God's laws. You're broken on them. You can try every way you want to. Try to doubt. Try to deny the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of God. I'm going to tell you the Word of God will tell you where you came from. It will tell you where you're going. And it will tell you how to live on the way. We'd have a lot more children living longer on the earth. Alcohol-related automobile accidents, brother, wouldn't be the number one killer if there was more children obeying their parents in the Lord. Believe me when I tell you. Over 2,000 years ago, God said it, and it's still the same today. 3 John 4, this is my prayer verse for my children. It has been, well, since I've been saved. We started praying this for our two younger children before they were even born. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Would you say amen to that, parents? Is there anything that brings more joy to a parent to know that your children are walking in truth? Amen. And would you agree with me? I pray that verse every day over my children. Every day, whether I'm with them or not. I call them at night. I call them here in a little bit. And I pray that verse over my children. I have no greater joy. In this life, there's not anything that brings a parent more joy than to know that his children are walking in truth. But would you agree with me that there's not anything that brings more heartache to the heart of a parent than to know that your children are living a lie? Amen. Now, parents, let me ask you something. Daddy, Mama, if your children are walking in truth, who are they following? Jesus. Because Jesus said, I am the truth. Is that right? Is that what he said? John 14, 6. He didn't just tell the truth. He is the truth. Now, if our children are walking in truth, they're following Jesus because he is the truth. Alright? Y'all stay with me. Long message. A lot here. Life changing. Words from the Word of God. But whose footsteps should they be able to walk in to find the truth? They ought to be able to walk in yours. They ought to be able to walk in mine. Amen? Daddy, don't tell your sons and your daughters, there goes the truth. You go over and walk that way, and you're going another way. Don't tell your boys, don't do drugs. You're sitting at home with the number one drug in America cooling your refrigerator. You're a hypocrite if you do, and your kids know it. Daddy, you ever have one of your boys come out of the bedroom with a pair of your boots on when they're about four years old? And boots coming up to here? What's that boy saying, Daddy? What's he saying? Daddy, when I grow up, I'm going to walk just like you. Mama, you ever have one of your little girls come out of the bedroom when they start wearing them high heels? Or try to. As soon as they can get them on, huh? You got a pair of them high heels on, them ankles looking like rubber bands, man. I mean, they're going every which way. What is that baby girl saying, Mama? What's she saying? She's saying, Mama, I want to walk like you when I grow up. I don't know about you, but that's a scary thought to me. That's a very accountable thought to me, my brother. Because I want to make sure I'm following the Lord. Why? Because I don't have any greater joy than to know that my children are walking in truth. And if I'm walking in a lie, if I'm walking into deception, and my children get off out there in the left field, I don't have nobody to blame but myself. Look right square in that mirror. It'd be my fault. Amen? A living sermon. I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I'd rather one walk with me than merely show the way. The eyes bearer of pupil and more willing than the ear. Fine counsel can be confusing, but example is always clear. The best of all the parents are the ones that live their creeds, for to see the truth in action is what we really need. The advice that you deliver may be wise and true, but we receive our greatest instruction by watching what you do. For we may misunderstand the good advice you give, but there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. I know more daddies more concerned about teaching their boys how to hold on to a ball than how to hold on to a Bible. Daddies more concerned about teaching their boys how to hold on to a gun than how to hold on to God. Daddies more concerned about teaching their boys how to play than how to pray. Jump up and down, because we don't have a public prayer in our public schools. And yet that daddy won't teach your boys how to pray at school, at home. You're a hypocrite, daddy. I want to tell you this story. We're not going to read this passage of Scripture. We're looking at it here, right here. But I want you to look right up here, just for a couple of minutes. I'm just going to tell you this story. We're not going to read it, because we're cutting to the chase right here. Let me tell you a Bible story in the Old Testament. Alright, y'all ready? Now look right up here. Everybody look right up here. In the Old Testament, you go back later on and read this story. At this period of time, in Joshua chapter 7, Joshua was the father figure of the children of Israel. He was the leader. He was leading the children. Remember? The father figure leading the children of Israel. And God the Father comes to Joshua, who was the father figure here on earth leading the children. And He tells him, Joshua, tell me what we're going to do. We're going to take over a city by the name of Jericho. Jericho is a picture of sin. Jericho is a picture of the world. Jericho is a picture of lostness. And God told Joshua, He said, we're going to destroy Jericho. He said, here's how we're going to do it. You're going to march around Jericho seven times. You're going to shout. And the wall is going to come tumbling down. And you and the children of Israel are going to go in and take over Jericho. He said, but listen, look right up here. He said, make sure you tell all the children, when you go in to take over Jericho, that Jericho doesn't take you over. In other words, what God was saying, don't bring any of the world out with you. When you go to take over the world, make sure the world doesn't take you over, Joshua. Make sure of it, because there's going to be a payday if you do. Joshua said, okay, Lord. He told the children of Israel. They marched around the wall seven times. They shouted. The walls came tumbling down, just like God said they would. They went in to take over Jericho. But there's a young man by the name of Achan. A lot of you know the story. Achan saw some Babylonian garments, some wedges of gold, and some wedges of silver there in Jericho. And the Bible says he coveted them. And he took them out. And nobody knew about it. Joshua, his father, didn't know it. You look in the passage of Scripture. Joshua calls Achan his son. He calls him his son. And he brings it out, and he took that wedges of gold, those wedges of silver, and those Babylonian garments, and Achan hid them in his tent. Joshua didn't know they were there. But God knew. Hello. And God come back to Joshua and didn't tell Joshua that Achan had it. Joshua should have known what his boy had in his room. He should have known what that boy had in his room. He should have been close enough in contact to know what Achan had in his tent. The Bible says he hid it among his stuff. That's literally what it says right there in the King James. He hid that sin in his own stuff. And his daddy didn't know it. Well, God comes back to Joshua and said, Okay, Joshua, now we've got a new task. We're going to go in and take over the city of Ai. Joshua said, Okay. He said, We're going to do it different. God usually does change things up. He ain't going to fall into your pattern or my pattern. He does things differently. And he said, He don't change, but he does things differently. And he said, Here's the way we're going to do it. No marching around the walls. No shouting. Here's the way we do it this time. You send in a couple of spies. And when they come back to tell you how many troops to send in, you do that. Joshua said, Okay. He sent in some spies. They come back. They said, Joshua, as easy as Jericho is, Ai is a fraction of the size of Jericho. We'll send in 2, maybe 3,000. That's what they told Joshua. 3,000 at the most, Joshua. Don't waste your time sending in any more than 3,000 because Ai is a lot smaller than Jericho. Jericho was a snap. Just send in 2, 3,000. Joshua said, Don't take any chances. We'll send in 3,000. They said, Okay. They sent in 3,000 of the children of Israel to take over Ai. You know what happened? The city of Ai killed 36 of the children of Israel. Now, you'd think if you lost 36 out of 3,000, you might still have a chance of winning a war. But you know what the children of Israel did? Woo, son. They tucked their tail between their red legs and run like a scalded dog. Oh, we've been defeated. The enemy's defeated us. Ha, ha, ha. 36 out of 3,000. We've been defeated. And then you pick up the story here in the passage of Scripture that's in your sermon outline. Don't read it now. Read it later. God comes to Joshua, and Joshua's laying on his bed crying, Oh, oh, oh. The devil's got on us. The devil's attacked us. The enemy has attacked us. The enemy has defeated us. And God comes and tells Joshua, You've got sin in the camp. You've got sin in your tent. And you need to go find out where it is, and you need to get it out, because until you do, you're not going to have victory over the enemy. I'm talking to some parents here tonight. You've got the enemy attacking your household. The enemy is attacking your household, and the reason is you've got sin in your camp. Joshua went to Achan, and he calls him, My son. He said, My son, give our praise and glory to God, and tell me what you have done. And Achan said, I have. He said, When I saw the Babylonian garments, the wedges of gold, the wedges of silver, he said, I covered them and hid them among my own stuff. And I'm going to tell you what Joshua did. He took that stuff, and he took it outside the camp, and he burned it up. And young people, you better be glad they were living under the dispensation of grace because they burned up Achan too in the Old Testament. They sure did. You know what happened right after that? God sent them back in, the A.I., and they had victory. Now here's the deal right here. Look here. Look right up here. We've got daddies here tonight. You've got children. Mamas here tonight. You've got children. They've got some ungodly stuff in their room. Ungodly videos. Ungodly music. Hellish lyrics on that music. You need to know what kind of music your children are listening to. You need to know. And listen, they put a little piece of paper in there that will tell you what's on there, and you're going to have to read it because you can't understand it. You're going to have to read it. They can't even understand it. That's the reason they've got to read it. But some of you have got children. They're listening to some lyrics and music. They're playing it. They're over and over and over and over and over and over and embedding their head with ungodly sexual innuendos, Satanism stuff, New Age stuff, straight out of the pit of hell. They're watching video games. They're having video games that are demonic. Many of them. Straight out of the pit. Dungeons and Dragons. Harry straight out of hell. Potter. I don't care if you like it or you don't. I'm telling you, brother, I catch hell by the acre on this Harry Potter stuff. It's absolutely straight out of the pit. Straight from the pit. And witchcraft is exactly what it is. They studied witchcraft when they made the movie. And parents, I don't see Christian parents, brother, going by their children and their grandchildren, these books and these movies, for Christmas. For Jesus' birthday. My God help us. And wondering why they're having the problems at their house that they're having. Wondering why their finances. Wondering why their health. Wondering why their problems. Wondering why all the rebellion. Wondering why all this. Why all that. Get a clue, man. Get a clue. You better get that stuff out of your house. You better burn it. And some of these video games they're playing on these Xboxes and Nintendos and what have you, listen to me, my children got those games, got those systems, but they're doing some race cars and they got some good stuff out there. Hey, listen to me. Some of them are trading these trading cards. What's some of them? Pokemon, straight out of the pit, son. Pocket Monster. Some others out there. Yes, sir. They're not of God. You know what the Bible says? Let me show you what the Bible says. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 22. Listen, young people, what the Bible says. Listen, Brother Jack. The Bible says, flee all appearance of evil. The Bible don't just say flee evil. It says flee all appearance of evil. You need to get rid of it tonight and you need to burn it up tomorrow night. We're going to have a sin burning outside the church here tomorrow night. Sure are. We don't even got it planned. Brother, I'm telling you, we're going to have one. You need to haul that stuff out there and burn it up. Daddy, you need to know what's going on in your son's room. What kind of posters they've got up on their wall. There's some of the most demonic, hellish stuff going on today. I've had that. Well, my son's room's off limits. Mercy, the monkey's running the zoo at your house? Well, just let him keep on running. I'll go see him at Angola. I'll go visit your boy at Angola. You've got to be kidding. Well, he's off limits. I mean, don't go in his room. Junior, you know. And by the way, Daddy, on your way to your boy's room, you be sure you stop off at your refrigerator. Get your Coors Light beer out before you get his marijuana. Hello? Yeah. Before you get his marijuana cigarettes, you get your cigarettes. How about that one? What got quiet on that one? Oh, boy. Go down to work. You ought to come to church and hear this man. Tell us how we can have victory in Jesus. You ought to keep your mouth shut. Amen. Destroying your body. Romans 12 says, present your bodies a living sacrifice. Holy, acceptable unto God with your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That's what the Bible says. You know what? You can build your home the way you want to, but it's for me and my house. We're going to serve the Lord. We found out it works. Amen. See, I did it the other way. And you know what I found out, brother? It didn't work. Amen. It don't take me long to look at a horseshoe. Amen. That's another joke. Anyway, you need to stop off at your pickup and get your Willie Whalen and the boys out, sir. Yeah, sir. Before you go get your kid rock music, get your Willie Whalen and the boys music out of there. I'm going to tell you something about God. God created music for one explicit purpose. Where's the song book? This is not a hymn book. It's a song book. Here's the hymn book. It's all about hymn. Amen. Hymn book. Song book. See? Amen. Buddhists don't have a song book. Did you know that? You know why they don't have it? How is a Buddhist going to sing, Up From The Grave, He Arose? Huh? How is a Muslim going to sing, Because He Lives? Son, we're the only ones who have anything to sing about. They don't have a song book. God created music for one explicit purpose. The book of Psalms is a book of songs. Praise songs. Singing prayers to God. That's what it is. You go to this, you wait and wait and wait. Well, mama got drunk, run off on daddy and everything, and got run over by a train. Son, straight out of the pit of hell. How does that edify the Lord Jesus Christ? Brother, I'm going to tell you something. That was my kind of music before I got saved. I thought, well... And I was a brand new Christian who knew I was going to have to go. So many people have been saved for a coon's age, and they say, well, I don't see anything wrong with it. Blind people don't see good. Amen? Boy, I found out we had the cathedrals, and Gold City, and all that. Man, I had myself a spell. Amen? Woo! Son. Southern Gospel. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Listen to me. There's some men and there's some families in this room here tonight. There ain't no way you'd let some man walk in your house and curse your God and take your God's name in vain. But you know what you do? You'll go out and buy a video. And you'll pay a cable company 30 bucks a month to have it piped into your house. We got cable in our house, and I'll guarantee you what, it's basic cable, and son, that stuff don't come in. In fact, we got another little deal. We put it on our TV. It's called TV Guardian. And no cuss word can come over our television. Why? Because it's for me and my house. We're going to serve the Lord. Why? Because I don't want the devil to have a stronghold in my home, my family. I'm not going to tell my children to do one thing, and then I do something else, and them look at me and say, You're a hypocrite. That's why. Amen or amen? Well, I preach more than you're living up to already, so we better go ahead on. See the relationship of the family. Joshua 24, verse 15. Now let me say this about tomorrow night. You've got stuff in your house, CDs, videos, books. I had a lady tell me one time, Brother Jack, you was preaching that message. She said, I'd go and get them, Brother Jack, get them kids on that, write music and everything. She said, all of a sudden I thought about these romance novels I had in my house. She said, they're straight out of the pit. She said, I've gotten saved since I had them. She said, but they were in my tent. She said, I had two whole shelves of them. She brought trash bags full of them to the sin burning that night. Tomorrow night, you need to bring that stuff. Ungodly magazines. First thing you need to do is make sure your bones are saved. Amen? Amen? I just got news for you. Well, I got saved. The preacher didn't have to preach this stuff to me, Brother. I knew this dog won't hunt. This ain't going to get it. This has no place in a Christian's life. Amen? Then you need to bring that stuff up here. But listen to me. When you bring it, make sure you don't bring whiskey bottles. It will blow up. I learned it the hard way out over in Georgetown. First time I did this, I told everybody, bring your sin. Put it in a black plastic bag. Ain't nobody's business what's in there but you and God. And there ain't. Amen? Listen, I've had guys back up, pick up. Listen, I've had them bring pick-up loads of stuff. These sin burnings. Heaving it on. That's the first time I did it. I was at the Beulah Baptist Church in Georgetown. Man, I didn't think about whiskey bottles. They brought them. Boy, we had that fire all going. Boy, we started heaving those bags on. That fire, man, we were standing back. The flames were as high as the ceiling. All of a sudden, Brother, it sounded like World War III. Whoa, whoa, whoa. So we're getting down behind trucks and everything. It was blowing up. The Lord Jesus is my witness. Beulah Baptist Church in Georgetown, Louisiana. Don't bring the whiskey bottles. Just pour that. Get saved. I said, get saved. I said, get saved. Pour that whiskey out and break the bottle. But don't put it in that sack. It will blow up. Number four, the relationship with the family. Joshua 24, 15. Now Joshua 7, Joshua was going through all this stuff in the learning process about Achan and what to do and make sure he knew what his boy was up to. By chapter 24, he learned himself some stuff. Amen? And he told the children of Israel, he said, if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, you know, some people think it's such a bore, such a drag serving the Lord. That's what Joshua was telling the children of Israel. He said, well, he said, if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, if it seems such a bad thing to serve God, if it seems like such a bad thing to be saved, if it seems like such a bore to you to serve the Lord, then this is what you do. Choose you this day whom you will serve. And he gives them a couple of choices here. He said, you can choose whether the gods, notice in little G, what your father served that were on the other side of the flood. What was he saying? He said, your father served the wrong gods. He said, but you can serve your father's God if you want to. You know what we have going on today in America? Many homes. Children are growing up to serve the same God their daddy served. And their daddy served the wrong God. Amen. Listen to me. If your daddy and your mama served the Lord Jesus Christ when you was growing up, not just with their life, you know what you need to do? You need to serve their God. But if they didn't, you know what you need to do? You need to change gods. You're serving the wrong God. That's what Joshua was saying. He said, or you can serve the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. That's the people that you live around. Amen. He said, that's the drinking crowd. That's the crowd that goes to the boat. That's the drugging crowd. That's the pornographic crowd. That's the crowd that get on the internet and watch their hellish ungodly internet sites. Pornographic internet sites. They told us at the evangelism conference, Brother, I'm going to tell you this is one reason I preach so hard to staff members and people in leadership positions in churches. What did they say? One out of every four staff members, one out of every four staff members, Brother, on churches, Baptist churches across America is hooked on internet pornography. One out of every four. That means you line up eight staff members from the average church across America two of them are into internet pornography. No wonder the Bible says, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, and they say, didn't we prophesy in your name and cast out demons and do many wonderful works and Jesus is going to say to them, I never even knew you. Shoot. Man, let me tell you right now. There's a lot of folks out there that's got to get a clue on this thing. I'm going to tell you right now. He said, you can serve the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But he says, but it's for me and my what? House. We will serve the Lord. Amen? He said, choose you what? When? Choose you when? You know when the Bible says you're supposed to get saved? This day. Today. If you hear His voice. Don't harden your heart. Amen? Why? Because you don't have a guarantee tomorrow. Deuteronomy 30, verse 19-20. What does the Bible say? What's the first two words? What does it say? This day, God says, I call heaven and earth as witness against you. I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. That's a tough one, isn't it? God says, I put before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. Amen? Only a fool would choose curses over blessings. Only a fool would choose death over life. Some do. But you know why? Because some are fools. The Bible says that it's the fool that has said in his heart, there is no God. In fact, they tell me, the translation of that really is, the fool has said in his heart, no God. Because that there is in the italics and it's not in the original text. The fool has said in his heart, no to God. That's literally what they say it means. That doesn't make sense. Because the Bible says that heaven is clear of the glory of God. Look at Genesis chapter 26 verse 25. Speaking of Isaac, and he built an altar there, speaking of Isaac, and he called upon the name of the Lord, pitched his tent there, and there Isaac's servants digged a well. Now listen to me, we'll be through. I struggle with preaching this message every time. Believe you me, I have done everything I have in my power to find out a shorter way to preach it, and it ain't one. It's like a series. I'm here for four days, so I'm going to load you a wagon. You know what I'm saying? The children of Israel, a bunch of nomads, they traveled across the desert. By day they followed a pillar of cloud. By night they followed a pillar of fire. And they lived in tents. And the reason they lived in tents was because when God got ready to move, they better be ready to pick up and go. You know what I'm saying? And so they'd pick up their tent pegs and they'd get those tents and they'd get them on their camels and they'd go. And when that pillar of cloud would stop during the day or that pillar of fire would stop during the night, they'd stop. And when they'd stop, Brother Ricky, they'd do three things usually. Most of the time they'd do the three things that they did right here, that Isaac did right here in this passage of Scripture. First thing they'd do is build an altar. Next thing they'd do is pitch their tent. Next thing they'd do is dig a well. They'd build an altar, pitch a tent, and dig a well. Build an altar. That's where they worshiped Jehovah God. You see, that was priority number one. You see, they were living out Matthew 6.33 before Jesus ever said it. They were seeking ye first, the kingdom of God. Then they'd pitch their tents. That's what they lived in. That's where their home, that's where their family lived. The next thing they'd do is dig a well. What was the well? That was their livelihood. In the desert, you don't have a well. You don't water your herds. You can't water your crops. The deeper the well, the better the income. Listen to me. Look right up here. Look right up here. The Word of God may not mean much to you, friends, but I'm going to tell you something. I'm preaching the Word of God to you. I am preaching the Word of God to you, and this Word will literally change your life, change your family. If you'd like your family going through defeat, help yourself. But I'm telling you something. I'm trying to help some of you, and you could care less about what the Word of God is having to say to you tonight. I'm out here to tell you we'll come to see you in the divorce court. We'll come see you in hospital, and we'll come see your kids when they're in prison. But I'm here to tell you you could cut off a whole lot of nonsense if you'd just listen to what God is trying to say to you here tonight. God's Word is the truth, and it will set you free. They'd dig a well. That was a deep well. You know what we have here tonight? We have families. We have daddies. You pitched a nice tent for your family. Some of your tents are bigger than others. But thank God for the tent we got. Amen? The older I get, the more I appreciate God beating my basic needs, brother. I doubt there's anybody here living on the streets that's got a tent. Thank God for the tent we got. Amen? Some of you dug deep wells. Got a good income. Maybe you're retired and you're situated fine, and you're at least taken care of. You've got a good well there. You've provided for your family. You're to be commended for that. But it may be you forgot to do the very first thing you should have done. There were signs outside the small towns across America back in the fifties. The Knights of Columbus put them up. You know what it said? Families that pray together stay together. And you know what? It still works. I've got a demographic for you. George Barna is a Christian demographical expert, and he did a study on a thousand marriages, Brother Todd, that pray together on a regular basis, on a daily basis. And you know what he found out? That one out of every one thousand families that pray together on a daily basis ends in divorce. Now I never was good in math, but buddy, you can believe me when I tell you I know there's a difference between one out of two and one out of a thousand. You see, God's Word, God's way works every time. Can't fail. Cannot fail. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, sir, no wonder you can't love your wife like Jesus loved the church if you don't know Jesus. Ma'am, if you have no desire in your heart to submit yourself to your husband, maybe because you're not saved. Why would you submit yourself to your husband as unto the Lord if you don't know the Lord? Maybe you're being a rebellious Jezebel. And tonight, you need to get saved. Your husband needs to get saved, or whatever needs to happen to your children. You don't obey your parents in the Lord, and the reason is you don't know the Lord. Very possibly. Tonight, you need to get it settled. Because except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. And I don't know about you, my brother, but I am so grateful that all of my family is going to be together in heaven. We're all in the ark, brother. Something's going to happen tonight. I've got one son that's living out in the far country, and God's my witness. He says he's saved, but he's not living like it. And I pray for him every day like he's lost. My oldest son, he's 36 years old. I pray for him as if he's lost, because I just don't know. I do know God knows. He's not showing much fruit. And I've got news for you tonight. God wants to do mighty work in your family here tonight. But it starts with knowing Jesus. Let's pray.