Faith’s Influence on Generations: The Story of Moses’ Parents

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ADRIAN ROGERS WAS A MOTIVATOR, AN ENCOURAGER, AND A LEADER OF THE FAITH. HE WAS ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESENTING SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION TO EVERYDAY LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES. AND YOU’LL HEAR THAT IN TODAY’S MESSAGE. NOW, LET’S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS.

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HEBREWS CHAPTER 11. LET’S BEGIN LOOKING, IF WE CAN, IN VERSE 23. WE’RE TALKING TODAY ABOUT TWO CHAMPIONS. PERHAPS YOU’VE NEVER EVEN HEARD THEIR NAMES BEFORE. AMRAM. AND JOCUBEAD. THEIR CLAIM TO FAME WAS THAT THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF A BOY NAMED MOSES. BY FAITH, MOSES, WHEN HE WAS BORN, WAS HID THREE MONTHS OF HIS PARENTS BECAUSE THEY SAW THAT HE WAS A PROPER CHILD, AND THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE KING’S COMMANDMENT. BY FAITH, MOSES, WHEN HE WAS COME TO YEARS, REFUSED TO BE CALLED THE SON OF PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER, CHOOSING RATHER TO SUFFER AFFLICTION WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD THAN TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON, ESTEEMING THE REPROACH OF CHRIST GREATER RICHES THAN THE TREASURES IN EGYPT. FOR HE HAD RESPECT UNTO THE RECOMPENSE OF THE REWARD.” BY FAITH HE FORESOOK EGYPT, NOT FEARING THE WRATH OF THE KING, FOR HE ENDURED AS SEEING HIM WHO IS INVISIBLE.” BEYOND THE SHADOW OF ANY DOUBT, THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE ON EARTH DO NOT OCCUPY THE HOUSES OF ELECTED OFFICE OR RUN THE MACHINERY OF INDUSTRY OR HANDLE THE BUSINESS OF WALL STREET. THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE PARENTS OF FAITH. AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE SPEAKING TODAY ABOUT AMRAM AND JOCHEBED. THEIR CLAIM TO FAME IS THAT THEY RAISED A CHILD WHOSE NAME WAS MOSES WHO LITERALLY CHANGED THE WORLD. I CANNOT OVERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY. THE BIBLE SAYS IN PSALM 68 AND VERSE SIX THAT GOD SETS THE SOLITARY IN FAMILIES. AND YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE DEVIL HAS UNLEASHED ALL OF THE ARTILLERY OF HELL AGAINST THE FAMILY. BUT GOING AGAINST THE TIDE, WHERE AMRAM AND JOCKEY BED, AND I WANT US TO LEARN FOUR THINGS ABOUT FAITH FOR THE FAMILY TODAY, OKAY? THE TITLE, FAITH FOR THE FAMILY. AND THE VERY FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE IS WHAT I’M GOING TO CALL FAITH’S VISION, FAITH VISION. LOOK IF YOU WILL NOW IN VERSE 23, BY FAITH MOSES WHEN HE WAS BORN WAS HID THREE MONTHS OF HIS PARENTS BECAUSE THEY SAW THAT HE WAS A PROPER CHILD AND THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE KING’S COMMANDMENT. NOW THE PHRASE IN THIS, AH, VERSE THAT I’M PICKING OUT IS, THEY SAW. THEY SAW SOMETHING. THEY SAW THAT MOSES WAS A PROPER CHILD. NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, A PROPER CHILD? SOME TRANSLATIONS GIVE IT A BEAUTIFUL CHILD. TAYLOR TRANSLATES IT, THEY SAW THAT HE WAS AN UNUSUAL CHILD. NOW I BELIEVE THAT AMRAM AND JOCHEBED WERE PEOPLE OF GREAT FAITH. OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THEY WERE. THEY WERE PEOPLE OF GREAT FAITH, BUT YOU SEE, THEY WERE STUDENTS OF THE WORD OF GOD. THEY WERE BOTH BORN OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI. THEY BOTH WERE RAISED, AS WE COULD SAY, P.K.’ ‘S, PREACHER’S KIDS ALMOST. AND THEY HAD BEEN STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES, AND THEY KNEW THAT GOD HAD PROPHESIED THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE GOING TO COME OUT OF EGYPT AFTER 400 YEARS. THE CLOCK HAD BEEN TICKING, THE PAGES TORN FROM THE CALENDAR, AND NOW 400 YEARS HAD TRANSPIRED IT. IT WAS TIME TO COME OUT. A LEADER WAS NEEDED. AND THEY LOOKED, AND HERE’S A CHILD, AN UNUSUAL CHILD. I BELIEVE THAT WHAT ENGENDERED AND INCULCATED THE FAITH IN THE LIVES OF AMRAM AND JOCKEYBED WAS TWOFOLD. NUMBER ONE, THEY HAD THE WRITTEN WORD, AND NUMBER TWO, THE SPIRIT OF GOD HAD SPOKEN TO THEIR HEART AND SAID, THIS CHILD IS THE PROPER CHILD. THIS IS THE UNUSUAL CHILD. WELL, YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, HOW ABOUT MY CHILD? IS MY CHILD SPECIAL? ABSOLUTELY. YOU BETTER BELIEVE THAT YOUR CHILD IS SPECIAL. EVERY CHILD IS SPECIAL AND PARENTS NEED TO SEE EVERY CHILD AS A SPECIAL CHILD. I REMEMBER WHEN OUR FIRST SON WAS BORN, HIS NAME IS STEVE, NAMED AFTER THAT, UH, PREACHING DEACON IN THE, UH, NEW TESTAMENT, STEVEN. AND I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THAT FACE, THAT LITTLE RED FACE OF THAT AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I AM A DADDY. I AM A DADDY. JOYCE AND I WERE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH COLLEGE. WE WERE LIVING IN A LITTLE HOUSE TRAILER, TWENTY-FIVE FEET LONG. IT HAD RUNNING WATER, BUT IT DIDN’T HAVE ANY RESTROOM FACILITIES, NO BATH OR ANYTHING. WE HAD A PATH, NOT A BATH. THERE WAS A PLACE OVER THERE THAT, UH, COMMUNITY HALL OR SOMETHING. AND THAT’S WHERE WE BATHED AND SO FORTH. BUT I WENT HOME. JOYCE WAS STILL AT THE FISH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. I WENT HOME TO THAT LITTLE HOUSE TRAILER. WHERE WE WERE LIVING, GOT DOWN ON MY KNEES BY THAT FLOWERED COUCH, AND I PRAYED, AND I SAID, OH, GOD, IF I NEVER HAVE ANY OTHER KIND OF ACHIEVEMENT, IF I NEVER HAVE ANY MATERIAL GOODS, NEVER GET TO PASTOR A WORTHY CHURCH, NEVER PREACH A GOOD SERMON, OH, GOD, I WANT YOU TO MAKE OF ME A GOOD DADDY. AND I BELIEVE THAT THE GREATEST JOY AND THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE AND THE GREATEST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE A PARENT. I HAVE TAKEN AS ONE OF MY LIFE’S VERSES, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS, IS PSALM 112, VERSES ONE AND TWO. PRAISE YE THE LORD. BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT FEARETH THE LORD, THAT DELIGHTETH GREATLY IN HIS COMMANDMENTS. HIS SEED, THAT MEANS HIS CHILDREN, SHALL BE MIGHTY UPON THE EARTH. THE GENERATION OF THE UPRIGHT SHALL BE BLESSED.” NOW YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, DO YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN CONTROL THE DESTINY OF YOUR CHILDREN? NO, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY INFLUENCE THE DESTINY OF MY CHILDREN. CAN WE BELIEVE GOD ON BEHALF OF OUR CHILDREN? NOT ONLY CAN WE, BUT MUST WE. THERE WAS A, A BOY THAT NEEDED HELP. THE FATHER CAME TO JESUS AND SAID, MASTER, IF YOU CAN, DO SOMETHING FOR MY SON. JESUS SAID TO THE FATHER, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH. THE MAN SAID, LORD, I BELIEVE. HELP MY UNBELIEVE.” I THINK WE’VE ALL PRAYED A PRAYER LIKE THAT, LORD I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEVE. AND THE LORD SAW THAT GERM OF FAITH AND GOD DID FOR THIS BOY WHAT HIS FATHER BELIEVED FOR. AND SO WE CAN, WE MUST, WE OUGHT TO BELIEVE FOR OUR CHILDREN. NOW THE BIBLE SAYS IN PROVERBS 22 AND VERSE 6, TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY THAT HE SHOULD GO AND WHEN HE’S OLD HE’LL NOT DEPART FROM IT. ONE OF THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THAT VERSE IS THE WORD, WAY. IT’S A HEBREW WORD THAT MEANS SOMETHING LIKE A BEND AND A BOW. THAT EVERY CHILD HAS A PARTICULAR BENT. THEY’RE NOT WARPED. THEY’RE BENT TO A PARTICULAR THING. AND WHAT IT IS OUR DUTY AND JOY TO DO IS TO DISCOVER THAT BENT. DON’T SEE YOUR CHILD LIKE A BLOCK OF UNSCULPTURED, UH, GRANITE AND YOU HAVE A HAMMER AND A CHISEL GOING TO MAKE OUT OF HIM WHAT YOU WILL. TRY TO DETERMINE, IF YOU WILL, WHAT GIFTS GOD HAS PUT IN THAT INDIVIDUAL, UNIQUE PERSON. YOU SEE, CHILDREN DON’T COME IN STANDARD PACKAGES. YOU HAVE TO READ THE LABEL. YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT GOD HAS PUT INTO THEM. I WAS READING ABOUT THOMAS ALVAR EDISON, UH, THE GREAT INVENTOR WHO’S GIVEN US SO MANY THINGS. WE SIT UNDER THESE INCONDESCENT LIGHTS INVENTED BY EDISON. WHEN EDISON WAS A LITTLE BOY IN SCHOOL, HIS TEACHER SAID, HE IS A DUNCE. HE CANNOT LEARN. AND SHE SUGGESTED TO THE MOTHER THAT THE BOY BE TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOL BECAUSE HE WAS TOO STUPID TO LEARN ANYTHING. EDISON’S MOTHER SAID, MY BOY IS NOT STUPID. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND MY BOY. I WILL TEACH HIM MYSELF.” SHE HOMESCHOOLED HIM. SHE SAID, MY SON IS BRILLIANT. HE’S NOT STUPID, YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND HIM. SHE WAS ABLE TO SEE A BENT IN HER SON THAT NO SCHOOL TEACHER CAN SEE. AND FRIEND, THERE ARE THINGS THAT NO PASTOR, NO SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, NO COACH, NO SCHOOL TEACHER CAN SEE THAT MOMS AND DADS CAN SEE IF THEY PRAY OVER THAT CHILD AND SEE THAT THAT CHILD IS SPECIAL. JOYCE AND I HAVE A SON WHO’S A MISSIONARY. I CAN REMEMBER WHEN LITTLE DAVID JUST AS A CHILD, JUST IN FIVE AND SIX, WOULD GET DOWN MAPS OF THE WORLD AND POUR OVER THOSE MAPS. STUDY THE STATES IN THE UNITED STATES, EVEN MEMORIZING, FOR WHATEVER REASON I’LL NEVER KNOW, THE ZIP CODES. BUT HERE, HERE WAS A BOY WHO HAD THE WORLD ON HIS HEART. NOW THAT DEAR BOY IS SERVING JESUS AS A MISSIONARY. I REMEMBER OUR SON, UH, STEVE. I SAT DOWN TO TEACH HIM MUSIC ON THE PIANO. UH, I CAN PLAY A PIANO, YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS, BUT IT IS TRUE, UH, BY EAR A LITTLE BIT. I CAN HEAR THE INTERVALS AND SO FORTH. AND I SET HIM DOWN AS A FOUR-YEAR-OLD CHILD AND TO TEACH HIM A FEW FINGER MELODIES. AND I NOTICED IMMEDIATELY HIS HEART BEGAN TO REBURBERATE TOWARD MUSIC. AND TODAY HE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN AND A SONGWRITER AND AN ARRANGER, UH, WITH A DEGREE, UH, IN COMMERCIAL MUSIC BECAUSE HE HAD THAT PARTICULAR BEND. YOU MAY SAY, PASTOR, I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD A GIFT IN MUSIC. UH, I DON’T HAVE A GIFT. I, WELL, I HAD A GIFT. SOMEBODY GOT IT. And Steve, Steve has that gift. But we have to see every child is special. Now listen, precious parents who have children who are Down syndrome. ARE THOSE CHILDREN SPECIAL? YOU BETTER BELIEVE. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THESE PRECIOUS CHILDREN. YOU JUST TAKE THAT CHILD AND SAY, MY CHILD IS A GIFT FROM GOD, AND SAY, OH GOD, GIVE ME THE FAITH THAT AMRAM AND JOCHEBED HAD TO SEE A DESTINY FOR MY CHILD. THIS IS FAITH’S VISION. BUT NOW LET’S MOVE ON AND THINK NOT ONLY OF FAITH’S VISION, BUT TO GET MORE SERIOUS, FAITH’S VALOR. LOOK AGAIN, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 23, BY FAITH MOSES, WHEN HE WAS BORN, WAS HID THREE MONTHS OF HIS PARENTS, BECAUSE THEY SAW HE WAS A PROPER CHILD, AND THEY WERE NOT AFRAID. UNDERSCORE THAT PHRASE IN YOUR OWN BIBLE. THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE KING’S COMMANDMENT. NOW, THEY HAD EVERY REASON, UH, TO BE AFRAID, BECAUSE THE KING, O PHARAOH, AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT, AND EXODUS 1 22 HAD COMMANDED THAT ALL THE LITTLE BOY BABIES BE DROWN IN THE NILE, BUT THEY WERE NOT AFRAID. NOW IT WAS A DANGEROUS TIME FOR THEM, BUT THE REASON THEY WERE NOT AFRAID IS THEY REALIZED THAT THEIR BATTLE WAS NOT PRIMARILY WITH PHARAOH. THEIR BATTLE WAS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE. THAT’S WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL TEACHES US IN EPHESIANS CHAPTER SIX AND VERSE 12, FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES. NOW YOU MAY THINK THAT THE ENEMY IS THE PORNOGRAPHER, UH, THE, UH, DRUG PUSHER. YOU MAY THINK THAT THE ENEMY IS, UH, THE RAPIST, OR YOU MAY THINK THAT THE ENEMY IS THE WAR MONGER. NO, FRIEND, THE ENEMY IS THE DEVIL. HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE. AND WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT OUR BATTLE IS NOT WITH FLESH AND BLOOD, THAT OUGHT TO, IN A SENSE, ENCOURAGE US BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE AND THE BATTLE CAN BE FOUGHT AND WON BY FAITH. NOW, THEY WERE DARK DAYS FOR AMRAM AND JOCHEBED, BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THEY WERE NOT AFRAID. AND I WANTED TO SAY TO ALL OF YOU PARENTS WHO ARE HERE TODAY, PUT THE FEAR OUT OF YOUR LIFE AND SAY, BY FAITH WE’RE GOING TO RAISE THIS CHILD IN THESE DANGEROUS DAYS FOR JESUS. THE BIBLE SAYS IN SECOND TIMOTHY CHAPTER THREE VERSE ONE, THIS, KNOW ALSO THAT IN THE LAST DAYS, PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. AND THESE ARE PERILOUS TIMES. YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT DANGEROUS DAYS THESE ARE. THERE’S LIBERALISM IN CHURCHES. THERE’S NOTHING MORE DEADENING, MORE STULTIFYING, MORE DEVIL-PLEASING THAN A LIBERAL CHURCH THAT DOES NOT ACCEPT THE TRUE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE TRUE INERRANCY AND INFALLIBILITY OF THE WORD OF GOD. AND IF YOU’RE A MEMBER OF A CHURCH LIKE THAT, GET OUT OF IT. GET OUT OF IT. YOU SAY, WELL, THAT’S OUR FAMILY CHURCH. GET OUT OF IT. YOU SAY, GRANDMA’S BURIED IN THE BACKYARD. SHE’D LEAVE IF SHE COULD. GET OUT OF IT. I’M AMAZED THAT PEOPLE WILL SEND THEIR CHILDREN ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO GET A COLLEGE EDUCATION AND WILL NOT DRIVE ACROSS TOWN TO GET IN A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHURCH. THERE’S LIBERALISM IN CHURCHES. IT’S DANGEROUS. THERE IS, UH, HUMANISM IN EDUCATION. NOW, I’M NOT HERE TO PICK ON THE EDUCATORS, MY SON-IN-LAW IS A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER. AND I THANK GOD FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO ARE DOING THE BEST THEY CAN UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I THANK GOD FOR OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS. AND I’M THE FIRST TO CONFESS THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT PERFECT IN THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS. BUT OVERALL, THE EDUCATION IN AMERICA HAS BEEN GIVEN OVER TO HUMANISM. AND HUMANISM IS JUST A POLITE WAY OF SAYING ATHEISM. THE NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY. HUMANISM IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES GOD FROM HIS THRONE AND THRONES MAN IN ALL OF HIS NUCLEAR GLORY AND MAKES MAN THE SUM AND THE SUBSTANCE, THE CENTER AND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF EVERYTHING. AND WE BEGIN TO SING, OUR BROTHERS WHO ART ON EARTH, HALLOWED BE OUR NAME, OUR KINGDOM COME, OUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, BECAUSE THERE IS NO HEAVEN. THE CHIEF BUILDING BLOCK OF HUMANISM IS EVOLUTION. WHICH IS RELIGION. THEY SAY WE CAN’T TEACH CREATION BECAUSE THAT’S TEACHING RELIGION IN THE PUBLISH SCHOOLS. HUMANISM IS RELIGION. UH, EVOLUTION IS RELIGION. IT’S AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING APART FROM GOD. IT IS A NEGATIVE RELIGION. IT IN ITSELF IS A FAITH BECAUSE EVOLUTION HAS NEVER BEEN PROVEN. IT IS MONKEY MYTHOLOGY. BUT YET, UH, OUR KIDS IN THESE DANGEROUS DAYS ARE GOING TO HAVE THAT COMING THROUGH THE POISON OF THE SKIN. AND TAKE NOT ONLY THE LIBERALISM IN THE CHURCHES AND TAKE NOT ONLY THE HUMANISM IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT COMPOUND THAT BY THE HEDONISM IN SOCIETY. UH, WE HAVE A SOCIETY THAT IS GIVEN OVER COMPLETELY, ALMOST TOTALLY, UH, TO, UH, ESSENTIALISM. I TRIED TO WATCH SOME BASKETBALL, BUT I WAS SO PUT OFF BY THE ADVERTISEMENTS, THE BEER ADVERTISEMENTS FOR COLLEGE SPORTS. THE BEER BARONS HAVE GONE ABOUT TO SEDUCE YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND THEY’VE DONE A GOOD JOB. THE LAST STATISTIC THAT I READ SAID THAT 95 PERCENT OF COLLEGE STUDENTS DRINK BEER. THAT’S FRIGHTENING TO ME, 95 PERCENT DRINK BEER. YOU SAY, WELL, A LITTLE BEER NEVER HURT ANYBODY. OUT OF EVERY 15 PEOPLE WHO BEGAN TO DRINK BEVERAGE, ALCOHOL OF ANY KIND, BE IT BEER, WINE, OR LIQUOR, OUT OF EVERY 15, ONE WILL BECOME AN ALCOHOLIC. ONE OUT OF 15. SOME SAY TWO OUT OF 15. LISTEN, IF YOU ARE WISE, PARENTS, IF YOU’RE WISE, YOU’LL HAVE NO ALCOHOL IN YOUR HOME. NONE. NONE. NUMBER TWO, YOU WILL ESTABLISH A NO DRINKING TRADITION IN YOUR HOME. DON’T DRINK IT AND JUST DON’T MAKE IT A TRADITION. WHEN I GO OUT TO A RESTAURANT, ESPECIALLY IF MY GRANDCHILDREN ARE THERE AND THE WAITRESS OR WAITER COMES UP AND SAYS, WOULD YOU LIKE AN ALCOHOL DRINK OF SOME KIND OF SOMETHING? I DON’T JUST SAY, NO, THANK YOU. I SAY, NO, THANK YOU. WE DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL. AND JUST TO SAY IT CLEARLY AND PLAINLY, NOT BOASTFULLY, NOT LIKE A PHARISEE, BUT LET YOUR CHILDREN HEAR YOU SAY, WE DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL. LET THEM HEAR YOU SAY THAT. AND WHEN THEY GO OUT AT NIGHT AND COME IN, YOU BE UP WHEN THEY GET IN SO YOU CAN GIVE THEM A BIG HUG AND SMELL THEIR BREATH. BE BETTER FOR YOU TO LOSE SOME SLEEP THAN TO LOSE A CHILD. BUT ALCOHOL IS SERVED ON TELEVISION TEN TO ONE OVER ANY OTHER BEVERAGE. IT’S HEDONISM IN SOCIETY. AND SPEAKING OF TELEVISION, 88 PERCENT OF ALL SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS ON TELEVISION ARE ILLICIT THAT DEAL WITH HOMOSEXUALITY, ADULTERY, OR FORNICATION. I SAID 88 PERCENT. BECAUSE, YOU SEE, SATAN IS SYSTEMATICALLY SEDUCING YOUR CHILDREN. IT’S A DANGEROUS SITUATION. WE’VE GOT HEDONISM IN SOCIETY. MTV IS NOTHING BUT PORNOGRAPHY SET TO MUSIC, AND KIDS ARE FEASTING ON THAT. WELL, THIS, THESE ARE DANGEROUS DAYS. AND IN THESE DANGEROUS DAYS, YOU HAVE GOT TO RAISE YOUR CHILDREN. BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE KING’S COMMANDMENT. DO YOU KNOW WHY THEY WERE NOT AFRAID? BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE KING OF KINGS. THEY WERE NOT AFRAID BECAUSE OF FAITH. NOW TODAY, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL RAISING YOUR CHILDREN AS YOU OUGHT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE KIND OF FAITH THAT AMRAM AND JOCKEYBED HAD, FAITH’S VISION AND FAITH’S VALOR, THEY WERE NOT AFRAID. DON’T YOU THROW UP YOUR HANDS, DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL, DON’T SAY THERE’S NO HOPE, DON’T GIVE UP THE BATTLE, BUT HAVE THE VISION AND THE VALOR TO BE THE PARENTS THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE. NOW NUMBER THREE, I WANT YOU TO SEE ALSO FAITH’S VENTURE, FAITH’S VENTURE. LOOK AGAIN IN VERSE 23, BY FAITH MOSES, WHEN HE WAS BORN, WAS HID THREE MONTHS. OF HIS PARENTS BECAUSE THEY SAW THAT HE WAS A PROPER CHILD, AND THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE KING’S COMMANDMENT. THEY DID SOMETHING. THEY HID THEIR CHILD FROM, UH, PHARAOH’S HENCHMEN, AND LATER ON WE’RE GOING TO SEE THAT THEY BUILT AN ARC, UH, THAT WAS USED TO DELIVER THIS LITTLE BABY BOY. THE POINT IS THAT THEY DID NOT JUST SIT AROUND AND SAY, WELL, WE’RE GOING TO TRUST GOD. FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD. WHEN YOU HAVE THE VISION AND YOU HAVE THE VALOR, THEN YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THE ADVENTURE. JAMES SAYS IN JAMES 2 VERSE 17, FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD, TRUE FAITH. IS BELIEF WITH LEGS ON IT. IT DOES SOMETHING. NOW, THESE PARENTS DID NOT HAVE FATALISM. THEY DIDN’T SAY, WHATEVER WILL BE, WILL BE. JUST LET IT HAPPEN. YOU TAKE A GARDEN AND LEAVE IT ALONE, IT’S GOING TO TURN INTO WEEDS. IT WASN’T FATALISM. IT WASN’T FANATICISM. THEY DIDN’T SAY, WELL, WE’LL JUST THROW HIM IN THE NILE AND LET GOD TAKE CARE OF HIM. THEY DIDN’T DO THAT. THEY DID SOMETHING. IF YOU BELIEVE GOD FOR A HOUSE, SAY AMEN WITH A HAMMER AND SAW. SIR, IF YOU BELIEVE IN GOD FOR A WIFE, USE A LITTLE Cologne. SAY AMEN WITH WORK. THE BIBLE SAYS IF A MAN WON’T WORK, NEITHER SHOULD HE EAT. WHEN YOU DO WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE YOU TO DO, THEN GOD WILL MOVE IN AND DO HIS PART. ARE YOU TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN? THE WORD TRAIN IN THE DICTIONARY SAYS THIS, TO PREPARE FOR A CONTEST, TO INSTRUCT BY EXERCISE, TO DRILL, TO FORM TO A PROPER SHAPE, TO DISCIPLINE FOR USE. YOU HAVE TO TRAIN AND TO COACH YOUR CHILDREN. YOU HAVE TO PRAY, YOU HAVE TO TEACH, YOU HAVE TO PLEAD, YOU HAVE TO SHOW BY EXAMPLE. AGAIN, GO BACK. DO YOU HAVE YOUR CHILDREN IN A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHURCH? DO YOU HAVE HIM IN BIBLE CLASS, SUNDAY SCHOOL, UNDER A BORN-AGAIN TEACHER? ARE YOU TRAINING IN THE HOME BY PRECEPT AND BY EXAMPLE? MORE PEOPLE SPEND TIME SOMETIMES TRAINING DOGS THAN THEY DO CHILDREN. SEE THESE MEN WHO HAVE CHAMPION BIRD DOGS. WATCH THEM AND SEE HOW THEY TRAIN A DOG. THEN GO TO THE HOME AND SEE HOW HE TRAINS HIS CHILDREN. SPENDS MORE TIME WITH THE DOG THAN THE CHILD. THEN HE TIES THE DOG UP AT NIGHT AND LETS THE KID RUN WILD. WE’RE TO TRAIN. YOU SEE, IF YOU TEACH A CHILD, AND THAT’S ALL YOU DO, YOU TEACH HIM ONE THING, SOMEBODY ELSE CAN COME ALONG AND TEACH HIM SOMETHING ELSE. BUT WHEN YOU TRAIN HIM, HE GETS SOMETHING THROUGH THE PORES OF HIS SKIN INTO HIS VERY PSYCHE. WHEN A CHILD IS TRAINED, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING AND TRAINING. PERHAPS YOU’VE HEARD THE STORY OF THE LITTLE BOY WHO WAS ON HIS TRICYCLE RUNNING AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND THE BLOCK. SOMEBODY SAID, SON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE SAID, I’M MAD AT MOMMY, I’M RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME. SO WHY ARE YOU GOING AROUND AND AROUND THE BLOCK? HE SAID, MOMMY WON’T LET ME CROSS THE STREET. THE CHILD HAD BEEN TRAINED. JOYCE WAS GONE AND I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, WHICH IS ALWAYS PATHETIC. BUT I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. HAD TO POUR MY OWN CORNFLAKES AND EVERYTHING. AND WHEN I GOT OUT OF BED, I LOOKED BACK AT THAT BED AND I THOUGHT, WELL, NOW IF JOYCE WERE HERE, THE BED WOULD BE MADE. BUT NOBODY ELSE IS GOING TO BE AT THIS HOUSE BUT ME. WELL, I DON’T HAVE ANY GUESTS IN THE BEDROOM. I’M GOING TO GET RIGHT BACK IN THAT SAME BED TONIGHT. IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE TO MAKE UP THAT BED. BUT I SAID JOYCE WOULD MAKE UP THE BED AND SHE WOULD EXPECT ME TO MAKE UP THE BED. I FOUND MYSELF MAKING UP THAT BED YEAH. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, I PUT THE TWO PILLARS THERE, COVERED THEM UP, AND THEN I PUT ONE, TWO, THREE MORE PILLARS ON THERE. FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE, I HAVE NO IDEA. AND THEN ON TOP OF THOSE OTHER THREE PILLARS AND IN FRONT OF THEM, I SET A TEDDY BEAR. NOBODY’S GONNA SEE THAT BUT ME. AND IT DAWNED ON ME, ADRIAN, YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED. You’ve been trained. THAT’S TRAINING. THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO PUT IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS AND LIVES OF YOUR CHILDREN AND WIVES IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF YOUR HUSBANDS TO KNOW HOW TO TRAIN THEM. NOW, THIS IS FAITH’S VENTURE. NOW, FAITH HONORS GOD AND GOD HONORS FAITH. AND IT IS AMAZING WHAT GOD BEGINS TO DO NOW FOR THESE PARENTS BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS US ALSO OVER THERE IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS THAT AFTER THEY COULD NO LONGER HIDE THE BABY, THEY MADE A LITTLE BOAT, A LITTLE ARK, OUT OF BULL RUSHES AND WENT DOWN AND PUT IT IN THE RIVER NILE. AND YOU REMEMBER THE STORIES, ONE OF THE FAVORITE BIBLE STORIES OF ALL TIMES. THE PRINCESS, PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER CAME DOWN THERE TO BATHE. NOW WHAT IS A PRINCESS DOING BATHING IN THE DIRTY NILE? SHE HAS HER PALACE, HER LAVISH BATHS, HER MARBLE TUBS. MAYBE SHE REMEMBERS THE TIME AS A LITTLE GIRL SHE USED TO PLAY IN THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE. I DON’T KNOW. BUT SHE GOES TO THAT EXACT SPOT WHERE THAT LITTLE BABY IS FLOATING THERE IN THAT BASKET. AND, UH, SHE SEES HIM THERE AMONG THE REEDS THERE IN THE SIDE OF THE, UH, THE MUDDY NILE AND PICKS HIM UP AND SAYS, WELL, THIS IS ONE OF THE HEBREWS’ CHILDREN. AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, THE BABY CRIES. THE BABY CRIES. I DON’T THINK IT WAS A DIAPER PIN. I THINK AN ANGEL REACHED DOWN AND PINCHED THAT LITTLE BABY. AND HER HEART, HER, UH, MATERNAL HEART WAS MELTED AT THE, UH, CRY OF THAT LITTLE BABY. AND ABOUT THAT TIME, MOSES’ SISTER, UH, MIRIAM STEPS UP AND SAYS, UH, IF IT PLEASE THE PRINCESS, I CAN GET ONE OF THE HEBREW WOMEN TO COME AND NURSE THIS CHILD FOR YOU. SHE SAID, DO IT. HEH HEH. MIRIAM SAID, GUESS WHAT, MAMA? GUESS WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO GET LITTLE MOSES BACK AND YOU ARE GOING TO NURSE HIM. YOU’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN HIM. AND SHE TRAINED THIS LITTLE CHILD. OH, HOW SHE MUST HAVE POURED HER HEART, HER LIFE, HER MIND, HER PRAYERS INTO THE HEART OF LITTLE MOSES. ISN’T GOD GREAT? AND HERE MOSES NOW IS BEING TRAINED BY HIS OWN MOTHER AND SHE’S GETTING PAID FOR IT. AND BESIDES THAT, HE HAS HIS TUITION PAID, THE UNIVERSITY OF EGYPT. AND HE’S GOING THERE GETTING THE FINEST EDUCATION THAT MONEY COULD BUY. AND THE BIBLE TELLS US IN ACTS CHAPTER 7 AND VERSE 22, AND MOSES WAS LEARNED IN ALL OF THE WISDOM OF THE EGYPTIANS AND WAS MIGHTY IN WORDS AND DEEDS. OH, WHAT A MIGHTY THING GOD BEGAN TO DO WHEN THEY DID THEIR PART. WHEN YOU OBEY GOD, AND WHEN YOU FOLLOW GOD, GOD IS GOING TO MOVE IN AND DO SOMETHING VERY WONDERFUL. NOW, LET’S MOVE TO THE LAST AND FINAL POINT BECAUSE IT’S THE MOST EXCITING OF ALL, AND THAT’S FAITH’S VICTORY. BECAUSE, YOU SEE, FRIEND, FAITH IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMETH THE WORLD. LOOK AGAIN, IF YOU WILL, BEGINNING IN VERSE 24, By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches, underscore that, than the treasures of Egypt. For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith, he, Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. His parents were not afraid, neither was he. FOR HE ENDURED AS SEEING HIM WHO IS INVISIBLE.” THAT IS, HE’D CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF JESUS AND HE ENDURED. NOW MOSES IS FACED WITH TREMENDOUS TEMPTATION. HE’S ALREADY BEEN THROUGH A SECULAR EDUCATION. BUT JOCHABED HAS PUT IN MOSES’ HEART SOMETHING THAT A SECULAR UNIVERSITY COULD NOT TAKE AWAY. SHE HAD PLED WITH HIM, PRAYED WITH HIM, TAUGHT HIM, AND TRAINED HIM. AND NOW HE IS BEING OFFERED A CHOICE. ON THE ONE HAND IS EVERYTHING THAT ROYALTY COULD PROVIDE. HE WOULD HAVE PLEASURES. HE WOULD HAVE TREASURES. HE WOULD HAVE POWER. HE WOULD HAVE POSITION. HE WOULD HAVE IT ALL. BUT IF HE TURNED HIS BACK ON IT, THE KING WOULD BE ANGRY WITH HIM. HE WOULD FACE THE WRATH OF THE KING. HE WOULD FACE REPROACH, DEPRIVATION, AND, UH, STRUGGLE. BUT YET HE WOULD HAVE THE TREASURES OF JESUS, THE RICHES OF JESUS. SO HE IS FACED WITH A DECISION. NOW HERE’S WHERE THE VICTORY COMES IN. HERE’S WHAT I WANT FOR MY CHILDREN. HERE’S WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN. HOW DID MOSES MAKE THIS DECISION? THIS IS THE CRUX OF THE WHOLE MATTER. SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU THREE WORDS. FIRST OF ALL, UH, THERE WAS AN EVALUATION. THERE WAS AN EVALUATION. MOSES EVALUATED, LOOK IN VERSE 29, ESTEEMING, THE REPROACH OF CHRIST, GREATER RICHES THAN THE TREASURES OF EGYPT. ON THE ONE HAND IS THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. ON THE OTHER HAND, TREASURES OF EGYPT. AND HE IS EVALUATING WHICH IS GREATER. NOW MOSES THROUGH THE TEACHING OF HIS PARENTS, CAME TO SEE THAT THE RICHES OF CHRIST, THE TREASURES OF CHRIST, WERE GREATER THAN, UH, THE RICHES OF EGYPT. NOW THE WORD HERE IS, HE ESTEEMED. DO YOU SEE THE WORD ESTEEMED THERE IN VERSE 26? THAT IS A BOOK-KEEPING TERM. THAT IS, HE’S BALANCING THE LEDGER. WHAT HE IS SEEING IS THIS, THAT THE GLORIES OF THE FUTURE WOULD OUTWEIGH THE PLEASURES OF THE PRESENT. HE SAW THAT TO BE A CHILD OF GOD WAS GREATER THAN TO BE A GRANDCHILD OF PHARAOH. HE SAW THAT IT WAS BETTER TO HAVE FAVOR WITH THE KING OF KINGS THAN WITH THE KING OF EGYPT. NOW WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS THIS, THAT MOSES IS GETTING HIS VALUES STRAIGHT. THAT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO EVALUATE. BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T DO THAT, YOU WILL NEVER DO THE REST OF IT. SO STEP NUMBER ONE IS EVALUATION. THEN STEP NUMBER TWO IS DETERMINATION. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 25, HE CHOSE RATHER TO SUFFER AFFLICTION WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD THAN TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON. HE CHOSE. NOW, HE CHOSE ON THE BASIS OF AN EVALUATION. THE DETERMINATION CAME FROM THE EVALUATION. YOUR CHILD IS NOT GOING TO BE DETERMINED TO LIVE FOR GOD WITHOUT THE PROPER VALUES IN HIS OR HER HEART. MOSES HAD TO CHOOSE. YOUR CHILD’S LIFE IS MEASURED BY HIS CHOICES. SO IS YOURS. OUR LIVES ARE A SUM TOTAL OF OUR CHOICES. WE’RE FREE TO CHOOSE. WE’RE NOT FREE NOT TO CHOOSE. WE’RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CHOICE. WE CHOOSE AND THEN THE CHOICE CHOOSES FOR US. MOSES CHOSE ON THE BASIS OF AN EVALUATION. AN EVALUATION LED TO A DETERMINATION AND THAT DETERMINATION LED TO AN ELIMINATION. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 24, BY FAITH MOSES, WHEN HE WAS COME TO YEARS, REFUSED TO BE CALLED THE SON OF PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER. LOOK IN VERSE 27, BY FAITH HE FORESOOK EGYPT. NOW GET IT STRAIGHT. FIRST AN EVALUATION. THEN A DETERMINATION, THEN AN ELIMINATION. WHAT MOST PARENTS ARE TRYING TO DO IS TO GET THE KIDS NOT TO DO THIS AND NOT TO DO THAT AND NOT TO DO THAT. THEY’RE SAYING, COME OUT OF EGYPT, DON’T PLAY FOOTSIE WITH THE KING AND ALL OF THIS, BUT THEY DON’T HAVE ANY REASON FOR DOING IT. YOU’VE GOT TO GET INTO THEIR HEART VALUES. ONCE THEY SEE VALUE, THEN THEY DETERMINE, AND ONCE THEY DETERMINE, THEY ELIMINATE. I’VE OFTEN USED THIS ILLUSTRATION. IF YOU TRY TO TAKE A NASTY BONE AWAY FROM A DOG, YOU JUST MIGHT GET BIT. BUT IF YOU PUT SOME STEAK ON THE GROUND, THE DOG WILL DROP THE BONE TO GET THE STEAK. NOW WHAT DID MOSES’ PARENTS PUT INTO HIS HEART? SOME STEAK. THE RICHES OF JESUS CHRIST. AND IF YOUR KIDS DON’T SEE THAT, IF THEY DON’T LEARN THAT, IF THERE’S NO EVALUATION, THERE WILL BE NO DETERMINATION, AND NO DETERMINATION, THERE WILL BE NO ELIMINATION, AND EGYPT WILL HAVE THEM. BUT YOU CAN BE PARENTS OF FAITH. FAITH’S VISION, FAITH’S VALOR, FAITH’S VENTURE WILL LEAD TO FAITH’S VICTORY. SOME YEARS AGO, SCIENTISTS CREATED SOMETHING CALLED A BATHOSPHERE, A BIG GLOBE THAT MEN COULD GET INSIDE OF, MADE OF STEEL, MANY INCHES THICK. AND THEY BEGAN TO LOWER IT INTO THE OCEAN.

SPEAKER 03 : 30:54

DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER, DEEPER THAN A MAN HAD EVER DESCENDED.

SPEAKER 02 : 31:03

THEY GOT DOWN TO 37,000 FEET. BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE SEA. THE PRESSURE OF THAT WATER WAS ENORMOUS. HAD THAT THING NOT BEEN BUILT OUT OF STEEL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CRUSHED LIKE AN ALUMINUM CAN. THEY HAD A SMALL WINDOW. THEY COULD LOOK OUT AND THEY SAW SOMETHING THEY NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE. FISH SWIMMING ALONG. FISH WITH SUPPLE SKIN, SWIMMING UNDER ENORMOUS PRESSURE. PRESSURE THAT WOULD HAVE CRUSHED THAT BATHOSPHERE. AND THEY SAID, WHY? HOW IS THIS? AND SCIENCE ANSWERED, THOSE FISH HAD PRESSURE INSIDE OF THEM THAT EQUALED THE PRESSURE ON THE OUTSIDE AND ALLOWED THEM TO LIVE. NOW FOLKS, THERE ARE A LOT OF PRESSURES ON OUR KIDS TODAY. And you better be certain they have something on the inside. And that’s up to parents to do it.

SPEAKER 01 : 32:12

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