In this sermon, the preacher recounts a personal experience where he encountered a man who had lost everything and was filled with sorrow. The man expressed his regret for not staying connected to God and losing the best things in life. The preacher then shares another story of a woman who, after reading the Bible, cried out to God for salvation and experienced a profound joy and peace. The sermon also includes a powerful story of a man who endured 23 years of imprisonment for his faith in Christ and the shocking reason behind his wife's suffering. Throughout the sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of staying connected to God and cherishing the relationships and blessings in our lives.

This morning with the ministry of our brother Keith Daniels. Keith is an evangelist from South Africa. He is here for the week with us. Tomorrow night and Tuesday night we will, some of the men will be up at a conference center for the annual prayer advance, and then Wednesday night through next Sunday night, Brother Keith will be back in this worship center as we come back for the rest of our spiritual life crusade. And some of you experienced this morning what it's like to crusade for spiritual living, and you're going to be blessed again tonight as our brother comes to share with us out of that which our Lord has filled his life with. So Brother Keith, you come tonight and minister to us. Thank you, Brother. Thank you again for the privilege given to me to come to this lovely church, and just by the way you sing, people who are very precious to Jesus Christ. And indeed I sense it, and enjoyed very much the singing of your heart, and the way you were led in song tonight by this very godly young man. And I was hoping the choir would sing. I was so blessed this morning, so I've been deprived of a blessing. Wonderful, and what a blessing is a church to have such a wonderful choir. You could be taken around South Africa, the churches of the Tokyo around you, you're very, very blessed indeed. Everyone who has instruments playing from their hearts for God's glory. Wonderful. Thank you to your pastor also. Very godly, very dear man. I hope you pray for him. Oh, I hope you pray for him. Father, thank thee that we are thine, thy responsibility, thy property. Weak as we are, weak as we are, thank thee we are thine. We pray that this night, Lord, mercy would come to every heart in a way they will never, ever forget. And Lord, we know no man could ever do that for us, so we look away. We look away from man in his frailty, in his weakness, and every one of us, especially me, honestly, honestly. God, look at our hearts as we pray this. We know nothing can happen tonight of any value at all unless God in mercy speaks. Come, speak my God in mercy. Wash me in the blood and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Anoint my lips, my heart with God's love. Look through me, God. My love is not good enough to reach this people. Love them through me in Jesus Christ's name. Come visit us now for his sake. And we all ask these things desperately because we love thee and long to be what God wants us to be. Have thy way, Lord. Have thy way in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. There is a verse in the Bible, found in Hebrews 13 verse 4, that should stagger this present day world to the core. You all know the verse, I hope you do. Marriage, marriage, marriage, marriage is honorable, is honorable in all, in all, in all. And the bed undefiled, undefiled, but, but whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. God will judge. God will judge. God will judge. I would say in the light of all the verses of this holy book that I have ever read or pondered, the most accurate interpretation of what God is saying in this verse is marriage is honorable in all. A man, woman, who in integrity and because of integrity and fear of God, will stand before the living God and from their heart bow, till death us do part, on every issue, physically, for better, worse, richer, poorer. This woman I will never leave for another. I will never touch another. I will never love another. I will never look at another till my death sees all I will desire, no matter what comes from this moment, God. And through that bow, God honors the fear of God in their heart and honors that marriage. In all, in the bed undefiled, sexually, not a dirty word, young person. You don't have to be educated. You don't have to have these things taught you at school. That's rubbish. Forgive me pretending. Between that man and woman is pure, not a dirty joke. It's twisted. Oh, in God's eyes, it's pure. It's holy. It's holy. Holy, holy, nothing dirty. Don't ever allow yourself to think it's dirty. That's the devil. Pure, holy, noble, one version will bring out. Noble. In God's eyes. But whoremongers, men, women, who will not in integrity allow themselves to be committed by vowing to God from the depth of their hearts and endeavoring to keep us till death, till death, no matter what the cost. And because of that lack of fear, God will allow themselves to go to other women, not just one, as chances avail. And adulterers, those who were married, stood before God and vowed, and now found themselves betraying God and their wife. And outside of the vow, outside of the marriage, will go to someone else sexually. God will judge. God will. He will. Don't doubt it. He will judge you. He will judge you. Don't doubt it. I'd like to address the sermon tonight to the Church of Jesus Christ. This verse, you see, in the past, the lost, the unsaved, have somehow, like an avalanche to the corruption that's taken over the world, allowed themselves to look upon marriage as a joke. Faithfulness in marriage is something looked upon as a joke, almost, through the avalanche of corruption. But what staggers me and breaks my heart, and I hope yours, I'm sure yours, is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Evangelical, the born-again, those who profess to have turned from sin, and Christ dwells in them, the Holy Ghost. They're the temple of the Holy Ghost. From the Pentecost down into the congregations throughout our world, that which was to be by God the salt of the earth, the light of the world, that men may see, and eventually through that be drawn. That's why we're the salt. We affect with a cleansing, with a purifying aspect, every one around us. And now the Church, the Church throughout the world, whom God is wanting to hold up to the corrupt world, to the unsaved, with all the godlessness that's breaking down young children through the media, from every level of life, crying out that marriage is a joke, faithfulness is a joke, health, depravity, looseness, and the child is the thing, and the salt now, suddenly, suddenly, marriages are crumbling throughout the world in the Evangelical Church to such a degree that the world, the world can no longer genuinely look at itself, and their conscience cry out, it can work with Christ in my heart. And I'd like to look at the Church of Jesus Christ tonight, from the pulpit to the elders, to those of you who've walked with God for many years, who've led people to Christ. Your marriage, sir, your marriage is in danger. I think the time has come for us desperately to say, what are we doing wrong? I think the time has come for us desperately to open the pages of this holy book and seek what God says to us must be in marriage. And I think the time has come, no matter what the cost, lady, man, to desperately apply our lives before our marriage is ruined. In this world, in this atmosphere that's swept across the world, it just destroys lives in their millions. It's so destructive. It's so evil. Get back to the book, for God's sake, swiftly. I'd like tonight, as a basis, as a foundation, to all I'd like to say from this book, as a stepping stone to take this chapter. You need not look it up. You know it. I hope you know these chapters. Listen carefully to this as a stepping stone into the sermon, as we look through the scriptures. What are you doing wrong, lady, man? What does God say? One Peter 3. Listen to these holy words. Every word, every word. Likewise, a very important word. We'll come back to it. Likewise ye wives, God says. Likewise ye wives, be in subjection. Oh my. 1997, is that word still in the English dictionary? Dare we even say it to a church, to the church, the evangelical church, without women smiling, can this word make it acceptable anymore? Even if it's God's word? Is there such a word to a wife in 1997 when the whole world cries out, no, that's gone, that's out of the English language? No. God says. I hope you're doing it, lady, because if you're not, you are the cause. God says, likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husband. That if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. While they behold your chaste conversation, coupled with fear, whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of placing the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting out of apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God, of great Christ. For after this manner, in the old time, the holy woman also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and not afraid of any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weak, and as being heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection. What an amazing word, to your own husband. Likewise is very important. When you read that word, you say, like what? Well, obviously, the verses that precede, the verses of the last chapter. Let's just look at it. What God is saying, ye wives must be like. Like what? And then you'll find he's saying, like Jesus. Everything throughout the book, from Old Testament to New, points to Christ, otherwise it isn't scripture. Nothing. No standard, no law, nothing isn't like Christ. God pointing us to be like Christ. Any other standard is not holiness, it's heresy. It's worthless, it's not worth seeking. In marriage, be like Jesus. You'll be like Christ, God says. How like Christ? Well, this word, subjection, I don't think that anything could ever be so subject as Christ, the Lord himself, to become. To evil people. Why? You find the word in this chapter, verse 13, submit yourselves. The word submit. Verse 18, servants, be subject to your masters, with all fear, not only to good and gentle, but also to those who are not good and gentle, those who are unjust. Be subject, be subject, always with one reason, to win them! To win them. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word. Here, God is saying that if your husbands godless, that if any obey not the word, they may also without the word be won by the conversation of the wife, by your life. While they behold, while they look at your chaste conversation, full of fear that comes upon them, as they look at your godliness, win them. Be in subjection to them, to win them, to win them, to win them. Don't leave him if he's godless. Don't leave him if he's cruel. And in its context, you see right now what God's saying. He's speaking here of a man who's totally unreasonable, totally cruel, totally unjust to you. Don't leave him! Don't leave him! Don't leave him to the marriage counsellors! Don't read these books by Christian psychologists! Win him! By your life! You can! How? Likewise. Well, let's look back to what he's saying. The verse is right up, verse 19. For this is stank-worthy. If a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully, for what glory is it that when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? But if, when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. But even so, there unto where ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither with guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Likewise ye wives, he says now, be in subjection to your own husbands to win him. Like Christ, who leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither with guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When you revile, don't revile back. When you suffer, don't threaten. Do what Christ did, and you'll win him. Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to win him. I was once, when I was young, I think that was long ago, I don't know, I remember as a young fellow preaching, I had more fire than wisdom, lots of fire, very little wisdom. The little bit of wisdom I had with all the fire, the people still came to hear me. When I think of some of the things I said with all my fire and so little wisdom, I wonder why they never came back. But God honors the little bit of wisdom with his fire, don't worry. That was me when I first went out to preach, ah, full of fire. I remember preaching in a place called Mkanath in South Africa, and God did something very unique in that town. With all the little wisdom I had, somehow God swept into that town in the most precious way. I remember one night testifying about my life, my mother and father, my brother, how we turned to God as a family, and how my father turned to Christ one night, and what happened in their marriage from that moment, though mommy was still unsaved, and what happened when mommy was saved. And I said how my brother and I stood one night looking at daddy and mommy, having forgiven each other of everything that they didn't remember, and the love that I stood weeping, and I said, Dudley, if only, if only they'd found Christ from the beginning. Look what we would have known. Look what we would have known. And I said in that town, I do not believe it's possible for a marriage to know happiness. To not go through hell on earth, unless Christ is in your heart. As God came into my father and mother's heart to heal them, with all their differences, as much as they loved each other, to make them able to be one, and love, and function, and care, and forgive, and forget any differences. After that testimony I gave that night, a very elegant English woman in South Africa, she was in the meetings, her name was Mrs. Openshaw, she's dead now, but she loved Christ, but oh, she was elegant. And she walked to the door and she looked at me, I didn't know her of course, first night I ever met her, she said to me, Chief, you will be at my house tomorrow for lunch at one o'clock. I have something I need to speak to you about. Now, you don't say no to an English lady who invites you like that. I had to be there. The next day I arrived at her home, she sat me down and began to talk, and she said, I want to tell you something now, Chief, you were wrong what you said last night in the pulpit, you were wrong, you made a terrible mistake. I said, oh, what? She said, you said, and I understand why you said it, and I worship God with you, what he did to your mother and father, and how Christ was needed in their marriage, and it was Christ that healed their marriage. I understand that, I believe with all my heart, but you said this statement, you do not believe it's possible for a marriage to be happy, to not go through hell on earth unless Christ is in your heart, but I want to tell you, you're wrong. Because I know many Christian marriages who have Christ in their heart that are going through hell on earth, and I know unsaved people whose marriages are so precious, it's a taste of heaven. She said, when I was a young lady, I was deeply in love with this young man, he was in the town, the one man that all the girls wanted, and he wanted me, and I thought, I've got the catch of the town. I adored him, I dreamed of him for years, and this fellow wanted me. I thought he was perfect, and we got married, and I looked at him adoringly, thinking this is going to be heaven on earth. On our honeymoon, Keith, all hell broke out. Oh, she used that word. On our honeymoon. She said, I looked at this fellow, and I thought, what have I done? What a fool I've been to think I'm going to live with this. I suddenly realized this man was cruel. This man was so unjust in his demands upon me, and I thought, this is what I've landed for life. I couldn't believe suddenly the fights were starting. We were standing up, we began to fight with bitterness, it all welled up. On our honeymoon, I looked on my honeymoon, and I thought, I'm in for divorce. On my honeymoon, I'm facing divorce. I am going to have the scar of divorce written across my life. Unless, unless one of us stops fighting, unless one of us gives in, I knew he wouldn't give in. It wasn't going to be him, so it had to be me. So I kept quiet. Whatever he did, no matter how unjust, no matter what the demands were, no matter how cruel, whatever he did, I didn't answer back. I obeyed. I obeyed. I didn't find it easy, Keith. I went on like this, no matter what he did. I didn't answer back. I didn't fight back. I just submitted. And do you know, a few days, just a few days, I looked across at him, and he was sitting, and I saw tears coming down his face. I was unsaved, Keith. I saw tears coming down his face. And I stood up and walked over, and I said, why are you crying? And he began to sob. He sobbed, and he sobbed, and he sobbed, and he sobbed, and he put his arms around me as he was kneeling on the floor, and he looked up, and he cried out, forgive me. And Keith, we were unsaved, but my husband never, ever was unjust to me again, not once in his life. He treated me like a queen. I don't know if there's such a thing as a Christian marriage that was more happy than my marriage, though I was unsaved, he was unsaved. You see, the principle of the Bible, the principle God laid out in this book, though I didn't know it, I fulfilled. I applied to my life, and I won the respect of this man after a few days that he never, ever, ever, ever treated me wrong again. Our marriage was beautiful. I could never have wanted anything more in a husband than what he began to be through my a few days submitting and not fighting back. He loved me for those few days. He respected me. Later on, I was born again, he was born again, and our marriage became even more beautiful. But you were wrong when you said that unless Christ is in a person's heart, there's no hope of happiness in marriage, because many, many, many Christian marriages go through hell on earth. Those are the words he used. Hell on earth, because a woman, though she knows it's in the Bible, will not, cannot, even at the cost of losing marriage and children and home and having the scar of divorce, will not submit. I was in a town, pouring my heart out. God seemed to come and visit that town, and a whole group of people began to go from home to home through the day, or everyone that could, personally inviting people across the town, begging them to come. I joined them. I loved that, you know. Not only the Jehovah Witnesses that go from door to door. It ruined things for us, though, because when people think Jehovah Witnesses, we're into trouble sometimes. But I loved to go around, and in that particular town I went around with all the others, with all these pamphlets, these invitations for this crusade that was going on. I was out there in the mornings, joining them to invite, home upon home, come to the meetings. I saw a lady standing in a garden with a hosepipe, and that's dangerous. If you're a Christian worker and you see a lady with a hosepipe, you know there are two dangerous things. Dogs, or women with hosepipes. I've learned my lesson. I won't tell you about those things. There she was with a hosepipe. So I said, from the other side of the gate, of course, I said to her, you should come to these meetings, lady. And I tried to hold out a pamphlet to her. I told her who I was, and she was Afrikaans speaking in English. In South Africa there's English and Afrikaans languages, and she was Afrikaans speaking. And she said, as I was trying to get her to take the pamphlet and to come to the meetings, she said, Vaggevier! Vaggevier! Ik heb geen kerk! Those of you that know South African language, that means get away. I have my own church, thank you very much. Basically that's what she shouted to me. So I looked at her and I said, Vaggevier ges dit? What church is that? She looked at me and she said, Dopper! Ik is a dopper. I said, what's a dopper? She said, you don't know what a dopper is. You English don't even know anything. She said, a dopper church is a good church. I said, oh. She said, yes, don't think I don't know about you, sir. She said, both neighbours have been trying to get me to come. Night after night you hear you preaching that I won't come. I know all about you. Our ministers talked about you. Yes, you tell fairy stories. Get people all worked up emotionally that believe they can be saved. Is that the word? They can know they're Christians. We don't tell fairy stories. We stick to the scriptures. We read nothing but the word of God. The scriptures is the only thing allowed in the pulpit. We only sing the Psalms. You people should get back to the scriptures rather than all these fairy stories and lies you tell people. Oh. I said, have you got a Bible here? Yes. I said, well, you get your Bible and I won't read one verse. I won't say one word apart from the scriptures. I'll just read your Bible and show you that you can be saved, that you can know you're saved, that God tells you how to be saved and the Spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are saved, that you must know you're saved. Everything in the Bible. She said, all right, come inside. She put her hose pipe open, locked me in doors. She got out this big old Dutch Bible. The Dutch, the Afrikaans is very much like the Dutch. Very old, big, hard-covered thing sat down and there I looked at it. So I read verses here and verses there. After about 10 minutes of reading, 15 minutes, suddenly I began conscious. This woman is weeping and groaning and suddenly on her knees. And I looked up and she sobbed and she cried as if in an awful agony. She, like a growl from within, she just screamed out, God, my God, how is it I have never known this? How is it I don't know these things? And she cried out from the depths of her soul to God to save her soul by the blood of Christ. Oh, she called on God. Eventually she stood up and I was weeping. I just broke at this woman's agony before God to be saved. And suddenly I looked at her face. There was an inward joy and peace that just flooded across her face and in her eyes. She knew she was saved. She knew she was born of God. It just shone through her eyes. Something so wonderful. I began to worship God with her. I said, you know, you must come now to the meetings. There's quite a few more meetings left. Come, bring your husband, bring your children. Come and get built up in the faith now that you've given your life to God. Come tonight. Don't miss these meetings. Come and learn who are the true Christians of the town, those who are born again of all the churches, who the true church of Christ, that you can get to know them and fellowship with them and they can nurture you and take care of you. She said, you don't know what you're asking me. She said, I can't come to your meeting. My husband is an older than my husband, an elder in the Doppelkirche. You know what that means? He'll kill you if he knew you were in the house. He'll kill me if he knew I left you in the house and prayed with you. I dare not tell him. I dare not ask him to the meeting. We don't go to other meetings, not Doppelkirche. She said, you pray for me. I'm having deep troubles with my marriage. I want you to pray for me. And when you come back to this town, you come, come, come and see me and help me a bit further. I said, okay. So I left her. Three months later, I was driving along the National Road and something in my horse just impressed me to go in. I drove in. There she was as I pulled up with a hose pipe in the garden. Oh, Englishman, Englishman, I'm so glad you've come back. Come inside, I've got lots to tell you. So we marched indoors and we sat and she said, Keith, my boy, I didn't tell you the truth when you came into my home. I didn't tell you the truth. When you came to my gate, I was standing in the garden fighting. I was leaving him right there. I didn't know what you saw, but I hoped you didn't. My bags were packed at the door, at the open door. And I stood there. I was going to rush away. Suddenly he made me look and I put on the hose pipe and I stood there in agony. And I realized I'm leaving him. I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose the home we fought for, we agonized and worked for so hard to get. The children, we're going to lose this of children knowing a mother and father together, they're going to be pulled torn for the rest of their lives between a mother and father who aren't together. They're never going to know a home that's together. And I was standing there agonized, realizing what I was about to lose, but I couldn't go on. He was too unjust. He was so cruel. I couldn't stand what he was doing to me and the children anymore. I couldn't take another moment. I was standing in the garden and I began to cry to my heart and my heart, God, help me. God, help me to know what to do. And suddenly I heard your voice. And after a few brief moments of your speaking, I said to myself, God sent this man. God has sent someone here to help me. That's why I listened to you. I never allowed a man in my home. I would never, but I loved you because I knew God had sent you. And as you read the scriptures, I knew what God was saying. That's why I didn't argue, sir. You said to me that whenever an argument starts, you said to me, don't answer back. You said to me as swiftly as you can, no matter what it costs, get alone, get alone and pray for grace, not to answer back, but to submit. I didn't understand that fully, but he came home, the bottle came out, olderling and all, elder and all, the bottle comes out. After a little while, it's gone. All his swearing and cursing and the atmosphere and starting, and me and the children, and I knew it was coming. And I ran to the bathroom. I shut the door. I got on my knees and I called out from my heart, God, help me not to fight back, no matter what he does to me or the children. Give me the grace not to fight back. Please, God, save my marriage. And I walked out and he looked at me. He said nothing, just sat down. Next time, the next flight, I ran into the bathroom, shut the door on my knees. A few days of running into the bathroom, he ran after, began to bang on the door, kick the door, screaming, swearing, cursing, filthy language. What's wrong with you? Why don't you fight me anymore? What's wrong with you? What are you banging the door? What are you doing in there? What's happened to you? So I opened the door and looked at him. And I said to him, I have become a Christian. I have been saved. I have been born again of God. And I told him about you, Keith. I told him everything, how I stood in the garden, fighting, begging, crying out to God to help me, because I didn't know. I looked at what we were about to lose. I was leaving you when that man came. I told him how God sent you when I was leaving you, my bags packed. And I told him what you said, and I told him I'm doing it. And I said, my husband, I will never, ever fight you again. No matter what you do to me, I'm never going to answer you back again, because I want you to come to Christ also, that our marriage can be saved. He looked at me, and suddenly he fell. He fell so hard, I screamed. And on the floor like a baby in agony, he screamed, cried. Keith, that was a few months ago. He stopped drinking that night. He hadn't touched alcohol. From that night to this, there has not been one word, not one word from him that's unjust, not one argument, not one tense moment from that night to this. He's not saved yet, but he's coming. She was right. He did come to know Christ. And to this day, to this day, their marriage is intact and beautiful, beautiful. Do you think God is unjust when he says to you wives, be subject, be in subjection? That if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Do you know why God says that, in case you think that's quite cruel of God? I'll tell you why. Now, this is going to shock you, because he knows that a woman, a woman is capable of this, and a man is not. You have more grace. Something in the nature and the character of a lady is so precious in God's sight that made man, that he looks to you and says, you can do what he can't. I'm looking to you. You have the grace. He hasn't. You're the one that I know can, shouldn't it? You can save this marriage. You, I look to. It isn't a cruel command from God to let your husband trample upon you. He agonizes with you as he tramples on you, but he knows, he knows if you'll just do this. You're with him. You're with him, to Christ, to reality, to a beautiful, beautiful respect that will make you taste heaven on earth, heaven on earth in your marriage. He looks to you. He says to you what he cannot say to the man. Don't leave him. Don't leave him, child. Wouldn't you? Come now. You can do it for me. It's going to cost, but look what it'll cost you if you don't. Now, in case the men are sitting here and looking across at your wife, God says something to you. Likewise, I'm glad he says this to the men. Likewise, they won't say what you know. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor, giving honor, giving honor. Don't believe this gives you the right to trample upon a woman, to dominate over her, to expect from her silence, no reaction, no retaliation, whatever you do, whatever your demands are, no, no, no. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge. Now, that means according to common sense. That brings us down to earth, doesn't it? Use your common sense, man, is literally what God's saying to you. Use your common sense that your marriage can survive. Start using your common sense now. Ye husbands, dwell with them. Do you Remain faithful to them no matter what happens that disappoints you. That's the closest you'll get to the full meaning of what God says in those few words. Remain faithful to them. Don't leave them. Using your common sense quickened by the Holy Ghost, quickened by the Holy Ghost, you have an advantage from the normal man who's not saved. Your common sense can be quickened and guided by the Holy Ghost. But use it now, and listen to the Holy Ghost now. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, according to knowledge, giving honour, giving honour unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. I was once in a house where there was suddenly war declared at the table. I don't know if you've ever been like that. We were in a Christian home. Now, this is a very godly man in South Africa, and the woman of God was his wife, by the way, who was about to sail, terribly. I believe a lady reaches a certain age. I don't know exactly what you talk about medically, or you women would know the terms, but you reach a certain age where things are not all that easy for you, and from what I can gather, you need a lot of patience at a certain stage, and that all of them go, they tell me, Jenny's going to go through it. You've no idea, she hasn't gone through it yet. Maybe Jenny's unique, but it's coming, they say, coming. And you've got to show real patience, because there's a real upheaval going on at some point, even if you're godly. Well, I think this lady was going through that, I'm not sure. She sat there at the table, and we were all having lovely fellowships, quite a few priesthoods, and this godly man and this godly woman, and suddenly it was like she'd pulled out a cannon, you know, boom, put it on the table and aimed at him, and declared war. Ladies can do that so diplomatically. She sat there, I couldn't believe what she did, for no reason. He was absolutely innocent. He didn't deserve it. He had said not one word, inviting, but he deserved it. She just decided, this man deserves to be blasted and really embarrassed, and she really said the most humiliating, horrific, just blasting this poor fellow. I looked at her, oh my, you know, it's like she put a bomb on the table and lit the fuse. We're about to have war, and what have we come here to do? And I sat and I looked at him, and I said, oh, we're in for it. We're in for it. And there she sat, glaring at him, looking with her mouth open, trembling. You know what he did? He looked at her, leaned across the table, it didn't take much effort, it was just spontaneous. He took her by the hand, and he smiled, and said, my darling, how long has it been since I told you how beautiful you are, how much I love you? There it was, the bomb, he lit the thing, and said, here it is. Explosive, and he just defused the bomb in one second. You can do it, you know. Richard Wittenbrand came out of communist prison, 23 years in the communist prison, hadn't seen his wife, suddenly robbed of a wife, robbed of life. For one reason, throw into prison to be tortured. For one reason, his faith in Christ. He wouldn't deny Christ. No robbery, no theft, no crime. His crime was he loved Christ, would not denounce Christ, so he was taken away from society, because he was a force of God. They're in prison, they torture him, they broke his bones so many times. By the way, this isn't wrong. Some people said you mustn't believe Wittenbrand. Let me tell you something. This has been proved by so many doctors that there's no doubt it happened. They broke his bones so many times that he grew six inches. Now, I didn't believe it was possible, but doctors say it is possible. Every time you break a man's bones, if he survives it and he keeps on, he grows. He grows six inches. And they have proof. There's no lies about Richard Wittenbrand. Do you know when he came to South Africa, thin, gaunt, black rings under his eyes? There he was, his coat was hanging over his thin body, and he stood to tell the Western world the evils of communism. Thank God, the Lord did the miracle of getting him out to cry out just how bad the communists were. And there he stood, lifted up his shirt, there was a hole in his back, you could put your fist right into his back if your fist disappeared. Burned! They burned right into his back, a hole! Because he loved Christ. Wouldn't deny Christ. He wasn't evil, just because he loved Christ. Wouldn't deny Christ. Oh, how evil communism is. Oh, how evil it is. He was robbed of his wife, robbed of his little boy, walked out, didn't recognize him, robbed of his son by communists. When he got out of prison, he said he had to get to know his wife all over again. Suddenly he had to adjust to marriage. He said, you know, it wasn't easy. He admitted it. Suddenly, after all the years of nothing, to function with a lady, to function in a godly way with her, to learn to get to know her all over again like a brand new person, to apply his life. He said, you know, there's real application, there's different ways of reacting in marriage. He says, for instance, my wife made me soup. And he said, there I sat with his lovely soup, I smelt it for a long while, I was excited to eat it, sat down with the soup, and there in my soup was this long hair floating in the soup. Now, he said, I could react like some of you would react. We can react differently. He said, I could have done what many men did. What's wrong with you? Why did you put the hair in my soup? I could really react. And he said, I thought for a while, and I said this, I said, darling, you know I love you. You know I love you with all my heart. You know I love every hair on your head. But it isn't necessary to put your hair in the soup for me to eat it. And they laughed. You know, you could have laughed through the marriage, sir. You could have defused the bomb, sir. In moments. You didn't have to fight. You could have laughed. Have you? Do you know I've been called to so many homes, Christian homes, many unsaved homes, but so many Christian homes, I'm ashamed to admit it, across my country, they call me. Sometimes I've got to travel when I realize who it is. I walked into a home. You can't believe. You can't believe what smashed the marriage. You can't believe what destroyed. You cannot believe it. I walked into the home of an elder of an evangelical church, and there his wife was bleeding, beaten, bruised, lying like a wounded animal. And the parents and the people pushed me in and fled, weeping. And I stood and I said, I just wept. I looked at him. What could make a man who professes to know Christ do this? What are you? Are you an animal? She drove me to it. You married to an angel, Keith. Everyone knows Jenny's an angel. You want to be married to this? You would have done the same. I said, sit down. Tell me in front of her what she did that deserved this. Look at her now while you speak. That deserved this, woman of God. Tell me now. Tell me. Do you know what he said? Don't laugh now. You will laugh if I don't warn you, but don't laugh, please, because this is terrible. It's shocking. It's unbelievable. She didn't put the toothpaste lid on. I said, could you repeat it? I don't think I heard you right. Funny enough, you'll be amazed how many homes say this one thing. I can't believe it. The place is always untidy, Jesus. Not just that was the last crowding straw. It was the last thing. I couldn't take another thing. I've told her so many times, don't leave the toothpaste lid off. But look at the place. When I get home, I'm tired. The kids aren't ready. I'm bathed. The food is never ready. The house isn't the state it is. She doesn't hang things up. Look at this. Look what I've got to come to. I can't face anymore. I said, oh, you're the busy man. She has three children. You want to get into her boots for one week, sir. You want to know what it is to have three children, and a home, and a husband to cook for, and clothes to wash. No maid, from what I can gather. You want to put yourself in her shoes for one week. You beggar. You can go back to your work, because you won't survive. Oh, sir, you couldn't forgive her with the demands of life for three children of this age, that she didn't put the toothpaste lid on, that she didn't have everything perfectly ready day after day in time for you with your stipulated time, that she cooked for you, she ironed your shirts, you washed them. You fool. You fool. You're going to lose her. And when you've lost her, you're going to weep till the day you die. A good while went by. I was preaching in town. Suddenly everyone is gone. The old man was putting the lights off, but there was one person lingering. And suddenly this person comes forward out of the dark. I looked at him. Do you remember me, Keith? Do you remember me? Black rings under the eyes, gray, wrinkled, thin. Suddenly I remembered who it was, and I just began to weep. You were right, Keith. I lost her. All I do is weep. Every day I just weep and weep. I'm not even allowed to see my children by law. Oh my. The little things, the little things make a man come to a place. If he doesn't stay tenderly in touch with God, then he loses the best things in life. Forever and weep till the day he dies. And he can't get them back. He cannot get them back. He has a point of no return, you know. And it's coming. I had an uncle, Uncle Roy. Oh, he was godly. I was joking with my wife as a young married couple. I started to joke and speak to her, you know, in a joke, speaking to her as the unsaved perhaps speak. And my Uncle Roy stood up and ran across the room and said, Stop! I looked at him. Tears coming out. Don't you dare speak to her like that. I said, Uncle Roy, you know me. It's a joke. I'm telling a joke. I love Jenny. You know I don't mean that. Jenny knows better. What do you mean? I said, Keith, don't you even joke. You treat her with respect. Even in your jokes. You people have something so precious, Keith. You're going to lose it. Even if you joke like that. Don't lose it, boy. Don't lose it. I began to weep and I said, Uncle Roy, I accept it from God. Even in a joke, I will never speak to her irreverently or disrespectfully again till the day I die. Thank you. And I never did again. Never. A minister in our country stood with me when I was married on the beach front and said to me, Keith, I'm going to say with you something that will save this nation. Do you know, I started saying unkind words in my marriage. As a preacher, we allowed unkind words. And I want to ask you, Keith, don't ever allow yourself to say unkind words. Just keep quiet no matter what. Don't allow it. You'll never heal what is undone through unkind words. Guard yourself from unkind words, Keith. My wife does not love me as I would love her to love me. Because I allowed unkind words for a period when I was going through a rough time. I took that from God for my marriage. Likewise, the husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. She's weaker than you. Husbands, don't be bitter against your wife. I'm warning you, she's a weaker vessel. She can't be everything you're going to want her to be. There are moments in her weakness she's going to need patience, forgiveness. Don't allow yourself to be bitter. I'm warning you now. She's going to need grace, and mercy, and patience, and help, and compassion, and encouragement. I made her weaker than you. I'm asking you to give honor to her, even though she's weak. And when you see her weakness, don't despise her or hate her for it. Help her. Do it. That's why I made you stronger, so she can lean on you, and rely on you, and look up to you. Giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. Giving honor, giving honor unto the wife. You should see my father-in-law. He's a preacher too. He's a farmer, but he preaches more than he farms. He left the farm to the boys now. He just crosses the country. One of the most loved preachers of the African world, and in our country. My father-in-law, oh my, what he is as a husband is almost unbelievable. You should see this man after years of marriage, when his wife arrives home, by the way, from shopping. I've been there. Other visitors have been there. As he heads the car, he runs. He runs to meet his wife. He runs. I got up and started running too. I didn't know what we were running for. There's something happening here. And suddenly I slowed down, and I realized this man's going to meet his wife, to open the door. It's like the greatest occasion of life. Like she'd been away for years, you know, and she felt very important. As he took her by the arm, and held all the baggages, and marching down, singing and talking. Goodness me, he didn't do it for me, by the way. I've watched this through the years. Wonderful. She feels like a queen, you know. Oh my. I was once, when I was courting Jenny, it was hard to court Jenny, having a man who looked at me. The moment he saw me come in, he started preaching. He never stopped preaching, to make sure this boy treats his daughter right. While I was sitting in the car with her mother, and her, and her sisters, we had been shopping out while I was courting, in one of my days of rest, and we sat in the car, and we were talking, and talking, and talking, and talking. After a while, her mother, sitting in the front seat next to me, looked at me and said, do you know why, she said, kids, do you know why we're sitting in the car so long, and talking like this? I said, no. It is because we were brought up that a lady does not get out of a car unless a gentleman opens the door. Well, I get out and open the door, you know. Thank God she told me, because to this day, I open the door for my wife, and I'm so glad I do. I feel respect for myself. How do you give honor to the wife, if you smile at this, if you think this is going too far, sir? How do you make her know she's honored? How does the world know you honor her, if it isn't the little things? I was in a preacher, one of the greatest preachers of the nation, and of the world. I won't tell you his name. In our country, revered, I never knew a man that walked in whatever church he walked in in his old age, the whole church stood. Our Captain Dobbie, that was his name. I'll tell you. Godly Captain Dobbie. When I was a student, we went off to his home, and his patients had tea, and what a thing to sit with one of the greatest theologians of the land, and of the world. Well, he wanted to speak doctrine, you know, draw out all. And there he was, and suddenly, his wife walked in, little old lady. She walked in, took a while to get ready, and as he walked in, he stood. I never saw that in my life. No wonder he stood, the way she dressed, the tea. Oh my, what an occasion, the way she dressed as if it was the king or queen visiting. Here she comes through, dressed like a lady. No wonder he stood. He stood, and we all stood as he stood, the way he walked across. He took her by the arm. He sat her down. He looked at her adoringly. He said, My dear, we were speaking about this, and brought her up to date on the doctrinal issues. What is your opinion? And she didn't keep quiet in that. She just spoke. She took over the conversation. She went on and on. Everything just turned to her. What do you say, dear? You know, I've been in some homes where a man is speaking, is speaking, and his wife suddenly starts speaking. The man is, you know, so threatened, he looks at her in amazement. He can't stand it. He starts another conversation, rather than let her dominate the conversation. He can't bear her speaking. Here's a man who wouldn't allow any conversation from the moment his wife walked in. He didn't turn to her and allow her to be honoured. He honoured her. I said to their daughter, I've never seen a man stand like that or treat his wife like that. She said, Oh, please, it's not for you. Since a little girl, all I remember is when mummy walked in the room, daddy stood. Daddy took her by his arms. I've never, ever known daddy in any conversation in my life to not turn to mummy and let her dominate. He's beautiful as a father in his eyes. Giving honour unto the wife. How do you, how do you give honour unto the wife? How do you give honour? The godliest man I ever knew, William McFarlane, in his old age, they had this terrible accident. He was driving. He lay in hospital, unconscious. His wife was dead. He woke up. They said, Don't tell him. He's not going to be able to take it. They're going to have to take her slowly. And so he looks. Where is my wife? First words. Where is my wife? We had to tell him. Oh, next to the Lord Jesus Christ. She was the most precious gift God ever gave me. She was the most noble, beautiful person I ever knew. Does your children know that you say that it's your wife? Does your wife know you think that it is her? Has she any idea? Has anyone in the world ever, once, through anything you ever said once, made God and man testify you've given honour to your wife, as God expected you to, as she deserved, as would have made her feel noble and self-respect and have dignity and self-confidence and happiness and fulfilment in all she's poured out for you? Can I close with these words? Will you listen carefully to these words? Please. I've written some books. I'm writing one, and there are some notes I'm making concerning this. Just a paragraph or two. Would you listen and then I close. Forget everything I said, sir, but don't forget this paragraph, will you? Ladies, please, for God's sake, listen carefully now as we close. What fruit is usually expected from marriage? I would say children. Perhaps I should reword this question. What fruit, what fruit can be expected from a happy marriage? I would say stable, happy children. What fruit is usually expected from an unhappy marriage? Usually unstable, unhappy, complex, hurt, scarred children. The greatest gift you can give your child is not a good education, not a beautiful home, it's not a wonderful inheritance. These things will make him curse you if one gift lacks. The greatest gift you can give your child in life is a happy marriage. A child's stability is gained more from seeing his parents truly in love. With each other, and from anything else he sees and achieves in life. Someone once said to me, they believe a child's security comes from being disciplined, which is lacking in the present generation. They believe a child's security comes more from being disciplined than any other thing you could give them. This is a child psychologist of world fame. I disagreed with him straight to face. Forgive me for saying that. I disagreed strongly with him. I said to him, I believe a child's greatest source of security is from seeing and witnessing true love between his parents. Discipline is lacking and is needed. But I've seen some children disciplined so strictly by Christians that they committed suicide the day, the day his father boasted on how he disciplined. Be careful. No, I believe a child's greatest source of security is not from discipline more than anything else. No discipline is needed. I believe a child's greatest source of security is from seeing and witnessing true love between his parents. Most problems in the character and the life of a person stem from an unhappy home. Don't doubt that. One of the major problems of the world and society today is what we call homosexuality and lesbianism. The day we speak about such things in the pulpit, there isn't one child in there that doesn't know about it. Don't fear. The last 16 years, I don't know of a single town I've been preaching where in a short time homosexual, lesbian children, people suicide are tragic. Some showing me the slips on their wrists. Little girls, little boys, praying for God to save them. And God saves them. That's all they need. And I've seen many of those I've led to Christ with this problem, married with children, normal. God can save you from anything. Such as some of you, falsehood, you're washy, you're sanctified, you're justified. No thing God can't undo and heal. But as I looked at them, oh my, I became conscious. I became conscious. I say this very carefully, very carefully, that I asked every one of them straight, and they looked at me long for some reason before they answered, not one. Didn't sit in tears, well up in the eyes. Almost every single one, I say 99.999% of every single one that I ever led to Christ with this problem said these words to me, admitted. They looked at me with tears welling up in their eyes, and I realized this was the source of your problem. They came from a home where there was war. That's all they can remember. Hatred, fighting. They say it's in the genes, you know. I read it in the Time magazine a while back. Homosexuality nowadays, got this idea it's in the genes. They're wrong. It's not. Utter folly, you scientists. Utter folly. Forgive me, I know nothing about science, but utter folly what you're saying. No, it's not. It's not. It's everywhere. It's almost in every home. Even in Christian homes. Don't you know it? You can be sure preacher, you can never preach without a great amount of these people sitting in a car. Be careful. Be careful not to cry out love. God loves them. Their sin is no greater than anyone else's. They just need the gospel. They need Christ, and they can be solidly saved and born of God and beautiful for the rest of their lives. It is true. I hope you believe it. Don't make them feel a hopeless sense of they're the worst sinners in the world and have no hope and grace and want to run out of church and say I'll never go back. Give them love and compassion. Don't compromise. It is sin. It is evil. But remember, remember these words. There is the one percent, I will admit, that came from good homes and looked me in the eye and said no, my mummy and daddy were happy. And I don't understand, God will have to explain to me where this came from in that particular case. But almost every single one, 99.9 of the hundreds I've led to Christ have this problem. Who went through with God, for I know not of one that backs it. Not one. They went through with God. Tears. It was hell in my home, sir. It was hell. You see, they identify. You force them when you fight. They've got to identify with one sex, father or mother, and somehow, depending on who is wrong, in the eyes of the child who's trying to dissuade, what's just. They begin to identify, and it affects their relationship with the opposite sex till the day they die. That wasn't on them daddy days. You're just daddy in your arguments, your children's listening. In the dark against the wall, you think they're asleep, do you? They're trembling. For nothing so hurts in the substance of purity in a life than to hear mummy and daddy fighting it out. It undoes their stability more than if they watched Hitler bombing the city. Those of you Christians who God brought here tonight, you know it. God brought you here tonight. God speaks to you tonight. God spoke to your heart, not some poor man standing there, his weakness. You know it. I want to ask you, I want to ask you, if God spoke to you tonight and you know, you know God brought you here for this message, and you know you have to act desperately, desperately to obey God now, explicitly, and you need grace, you need mercy, you need forgiveness, you need his grace, you need to obey what God has cried out to you through the sermon for your marriage to your child, that he won't go to hell. There's time left for him to be healed by what he can see and sense, and become stable. Those of you that God speaks to tonight, and you know you have to say to God, it's me God, it's me. Give me the grace from this day that I don't have to obey the word of God no matter what it costs me to submit. Sometimes a testimony, it's a horrible thing to see when a woman walks, and so a man keeps quiet, and gets ridden over. It's abnormal, but I've seen it. Oh ladies, you've got to say to God today, God forgive me. Forgive me. I could have had heaven on earth. Forgive me God, I could have diffused the bombs and laughed through life. I hurt her for the small stupid things that didn't matter, because I, I just didn't look past how tired she really is, and what demands really on her life, that she couldn't cope to be perfect. Those of you that need husbands and wives, husbands alone, wives alone, marriages destroyed, marriages that will not last unless God steps in now, and you're going to ask him for grace. Every one of you that know God is speaking to you tonight, and you're discerned, and you're desperate to say, God save my marriage. Change me in what's left, that my marriage can be so beautiful, that my children will witness that I give honor unto my wife. God forgive me for everything I haven't done that the book says I should have done. Forgive me, and I will apply my life from this night to the day I die by thy grace, and I'll win him Lord, and I'll win back her respect God. Those of you that need to stand up and let God heal you in marriage, I want you to stand. Come take courage. I only ask once, if there's one, I ask stand. Those that stand and lose their pride and say, God it's me, heal me, please God, come stand, and those that stand I will pray for. God's watching. Lord, forgive me, forgive me. Oh, what I could have known, how different it could have been. Please forgive me. Wash me in the blood of Christ. My only hope is the blood that I trust in you. And I know thy words forgive me utterly, because I come as a Christian tonight in repentance, and I ask thee God to take my life, and what's left of it to make me fulfill your scriptures, commandments, and everything God has said I should be to my husband, to my wife, to my children. God have mercy and give me the grace. I beg thee that as I leave this building, I will never fail thee toward her again. I will never fail thee toward him again. My children will never see anything else but what I've heard tonight by thy grace. And I know it's possible, therefore I lay my life before God and say have thy way, please, please my God. I dare to believe that thou cannot deny my prayer, for thy name, thy name is at stake in my life. I who profess to know thee, come unto thy name in my marriage. Please God, and heal my children what's left of what they can see of me, even if they've left the home, give me a chance to show them I'm real now. And despite all the damage, heal them in the moment they'll see it, heal them. Do a miracle God, undo all the damage I've done. Please God, help her to forgive me, help him to forgive me, help them to forgive us, we look to thee and thee only to do it, to give us that grace who we haven't got in our own strength, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Those of you that are standing, those of you that stand here tonight, I want you to do me an honor, will you? Will you look at her and say I'm sorry? Will you look at him and say I forgive you, I'll never once remind you, I'm forgetting, forgive me, thank you for giving me another chance, we'll work at this together with God, we're going to make it now, we're never ever going to fall again back into what we were. Tell him you love him, tell him you love him, that's not horrible, keep telling him, she needs to hear you know, she needs to hear, don't only stop tonight, let's all stand in this building. You children, get married, keep yourself pure until the woman you pray for God to keep you for comes and God says this is it, and get married with God's hand in yours, with God's word in your heart, so the world it works, and you that didn't stand, well God's watching you too when you leave this building.