Families Are God's Will

Scriptures: Gen 2:24-25, Gen 3:7, 12 & 13, Rev 3:20, 1 Peter 5:8,
Joshua 24:15, Rev 12:10 & 11

On Sunday morning, Pastor Lorne said he wanted to talk about families. He had us turn to Gen 2:24-25 which states, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.’ The Bible’s talking about Adam and Eve – the start of the husband and wife team...the start of the family.

Adam and Eve lived in a paradise more wonderful than we can imagine. A beautiful place...a garden...living and enjoying things...God would talk and visit with them...no distractions...no other men for Eve to cast glances at...no other women for Adam to be carried away by. It was ideal. The perfect situation. They were living a fantasy like a reality show when you’re stuck on an island with the person of your dreams.

Only something happened that changed everything. Gen 3:7 says ‘Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.’ Pastor Lorne said Satan came into their midst. Satan went to Eve and questioned God’s words about not eating from the tree of life. The Bible says that Eve took fruit from the forbidden tree and gave it to Adam. She didn’t go off by herself to eat it...Adam was with her when she ate of the forbidden fruit. They both ate the forbidden fruit. And both their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked and they both felt shame.

Now up til that time, they enjoyed being with each other in the garden where everything including the temperature was perfect for them. But then they disobeyed God, ate the forbidden fruit, felt shame at their nakedness, and found fig leaves to cover themselves.

Pastor Lorne said he believes it was that point in time that was the start of the sexual sins we see and hear of in the world today and down through the ages. He said when he thinks of all the young kids that’ve been sexually abused, all the women who’ve been raped, all the depravity and incest that we hear about...that it all started when Adam and Eve realized they were naked.

Pastor Lorne said he noticed something else. He said if you look farther down at v12 & 13, you read about the first marital argument: ‘The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." So this is the first laying of blame...Adam refused to take responsibility for his action – he blames Eve who then blames the serpent. And Pastor Lorne said that’s still going on in the world today...marital arguments...and it started way back then.

He then told us this little story about a new pastor who went and called on a family. There was no answer to his knock but he could hear rustling so he knew someone was home. He left a piece of paper with the Scripture Rev 3:20 that says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him...’ The next Sunday, the pastor received a note that said, ‘I heard you in the garden but was afraid ‘cause I was naked...’ (laughter)

Pastor Lorne continued with the message saying that he noticed something when Adam spoke—not only did he blame the woman, but he also blamed God for giving him such a woman. According to Adam, he was just doing what he was told. When God asked Eve what happened, she admitted to eating the fruit.

Pastor Lorne said since then, we have wrestled with all the problems of the earth. Adam and Eve didn’t have to work until they were expelled from the garden. Now there’s everything from spraying or rototilling persistent weeds to cutting grass.

“What I’m getting at today”, Pastor Lorne continued, “Is the fact that Satan was out to destroy families...to drive wedges in families. That’s where he struck first.” He wanted discord between Adam and Eve. Why? Pastor Lorne says the Bible talks in many places about how the husband and wife relationship is like God’s relationship to His church and us, His people. And that’s why Satan wants to break it. He said many things tear at a marriage like lack of finances or too much money, rearing kids, nosy relatives...the whole thing...Satan gets in there and causes things to happen. He does everything he can to lay blame, cause arguments and break up families. That’s his job.

1 Peter 5:8 says, ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ Pastor Lorne said Satan crawls around and checks out your family, watching to see if he can do something to start an argument. He’s quiet, he blends in, and then he strikes the weak like a roaring lion after a wounded animal. He’s doing it to families today. He takes down someone in a moment of weakness. Down through the ages he’s disrupted families. He’ll do anything he can to get a foothold into our relationships.

Pastor Lorne says he likes to study people. Like in a café. He’ll look around and watch. Like a couple with some kids enjoying themselves...a happy family doing things together and the love they share. But he said he once saw a man helping 2 young girls with their homework. Pastor Lorne said the man was enjoying helping them so he went over and started talking. The guy said he had the girls for a couple hours that night and then had to take them back to their mother. Pastor Lorne said he could see that the man loved his girls and wanted to be with them and yet he only had them for a little while.

Pastor Lorne said he wants us to know that we can declare and take a stand against Satan. Joshua 24:15 says, ‘...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua took a stand that he wasn’t going to allow Satan to come in and destroy his family. He testified that in his house, they would serve God.

Pastor Lorne said that he hoped each one of us would take a stand that everyone in our house would serve God. Regardless of where we are in life...at what stage, whether we’re grandparents, parents with young children, or newlyweds, he believes God will honour your faith for taking that stand.

He said when he thinks of all the broken hearts and domestic fights...Satan is there trying to destroy our families because he doesn’t want the church to triumph. He said he doesn’t like to talk about the devil to much because he doesn’t want to give him time...even negative time...but he felt he needed to give this message to us. Satan is trying everything he can to upset and destroy our families.

Pastor Lorne said he believes God wants our families to stay intact. He believes that God wants us to have trust and faith in him and that He will cause that to happen.

Rev 12:11 says, ‘They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...’ Pastor Lorne said he believes that the blood of the Lamb is something we know that Satan cannot cross...that it’s like a big electric fence and Satan can’t cross it. The blood of Christ that was shed on the cross so long ago still has its power today. He said he believes that God will give you strength by His Holy Spirit and the blood of the Lord will cover you and your family members whether they’ve strayed away from the fold or not...the blood of the Lamb will cover and protect them.

Know that we can stand on the Scripture that says, ‘they overcame him...’ and know that it’s talking about the devil. Rev 12:10 say, ‘I heard a loud voice in heaven say... For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’ Pastor Lorne said he believes that you and I and our families can trust God that we will overcome our accuser.

Sometimes when we come against Satan he tries to put stuff on us but it’s so great to know that we can overcome him by the blood of the Lamb. And when that day comes we can all be together in heaven and stand before the throne, worshipping and praising God together as a family because that is God’s will and that’s what he wants us to be – a family.

If you would like to speak to Pastor Lorne about this, please email him.

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