S1: Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Learn how to
S1: align your heart with God's design and avoid the rebellion
S1: that comes from disobedience.
S2: Some of you need to rise up today and say,
S2: I will be a cycle breaker and a legacy maker.
S2: I will not let a cycle of rebellion dominate my life.
S2: For me, for my children, for my relationships, and align
S2: myself with God so I can fulfill my divine assignment
S2: in life.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. As we move forward in
S1: our new series, Bold Living, Mark, you're going to help
S1: us see that the enemy is always on the prowl,
S1: and one of the ways he tries to mess with
S1: us is through our family.
S2: I tell you what the family is under attack. The
S2: structure of the family, the health of the family. Wayne.
S2: Because I think the enemy knows if I can mess
S2: with the health of the family, if I can make
S2: it toxic, then I can influence and impact and devastate
S2: so many lives.
S1: Sadly, that's his strategy.
S2: And so there are many of you right now that
S2: are in a battle for the health and destiny of
S2: your family. There are so many powerful principles found in
S2: Ephesians chapter six, I think, that are going to help
S2: you in this battle.
S1: All right. Thank you, Mark. And whether you're a parent
S1: or a spouse or a grandparent, maybe you're just wading
S1: into the dating and relationship pool. This message is for you,
S1: titled fighting for Your Family's Future. Here's Mark Jobe.
S2: A few years ago when my children were younger, it
S2: was on a Sunday afternoon. I still remember it. We
S2: had gone to visit my father in law, and he
S2: lived downtown and was in a condo, and his condo
S2: happened to have a swimming pool. So he said, why
S2: don't you just have the kids swim in the swimming pool?
S2: And so I was tired that Sunday, preached a couple
S2: of times. And so I sat on the side of
S2: the swimming pool outside, fully clothed, reading the newspaper and
S2: my children, my two oldest jumped in, and Grant, who
S2: was only about maybe two years old. He was on
S2: the steps and I told him, don't go in too
S2: far because it can be dangerous. It's over your head.
S2: And so I was watching them reading the paper, looking
S2: up and watching them, got engrossed in an article. And
S2: then I raised my eyes and I thought, where's my
S2: youngest two year old, Grant? I don't see him. And
S2: then I saw him. His head popped out of the
S2: water and I realized he was gasping for air. Adrenaline
S2: shot through my system. Has that ever happened to you?
S2: You think something's happening to your kid? I mean, I
S2: felt the rush of adrenaline. I jumped up immediately. I
S2: jumped right into the pool, fully clothed and ran. Ran
S2: made my way over to him and I picked him
S2: up and he was spouting water out and crying and
S2: and I took him. I said, I'm so sorry, son.
S2: And I put him down. And he was kind of
S2: throwing up water very shooken up because he thought he
S2: almost drowned. And I thought to myself, wow, my son
S2: could have drowned right in front of me on my watch.
S2: How would I ever explain it to my wife, who?
S2: It took a long time before my son wanted to
S2: get back into swimming pool, but I thought, you know,
S2: it wasn't because I didn't care about him. It was.
S2: I didn't know that he was about to drown. It
S2: wasn't that I wouldn't do anything to save him. It was.
S2: I was unaware how bad the situation was. There are
S2: some of you today. Practically everybody in this auditorium. You
S2: care about your family, your wife, your children, your nieces,
S2: your nephews, your parents, your aging parents. No doubt that
S2: you love them. No doubt that you would do anything
S2: in your power to help them out. But the problem
S2: is that sometimes they're worse off than what we think.
S2: Sometimes they're drowning right in front of us and we're
S2: not even aware. So today, I want to talk to
S2: you about what it means to fight for the future
S2: of your family. And I want you to take your
S2: Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter six, Ephesians chapter six.
S2: If you at all are trying to raise a family
S2: in this generation, you know that we live in a crazy,
S2: crazy culture. And to try to keep the family together,
S2: to try to keep the integrity of the family together
S2: is a challenge. There are Our forces pulling our families apart.
S2: Left and right families are disintegrating all around us. Many
S2: families are struggling to stay together, children struggling to connect
S2: with their parents, parents struggling to stay together in their marriage,
S2: spouses that are at each other's throats, in-laws that can't
S2: get along all the time. There is extreme pressure on
S2: families together to stay together in this day and age.
S2: And here's what I've learned. I want you to write
S2: this principle down. First of all, write this down if
S2: you're taking notes. I've discovered this lesson that if you
S2: align yourself with God, alignment with God and His design
S2: positions you for your assignment. In other words, you have
S2: to come into alignment with God's plan and his design
S2: in order to be able to embrace your divine assignment.
S2: As some of you are looking at me like you
S2: don't know what I'm talking about. So let me, let
S2: me let me say it again. So why don't you
S2: say this out loud with me? Alignment positions you for
S2: your assignment. Go ahead. Alignment positions you for your assignment.
S2: In other words, if you are a father today, you
S2: have to align yourself with what it means to be
S2: a father according to the Word of God. And when
S2: you align yourself with God's plan for fatherhood, it releases
S2: you to your divine assignment and the greatest influence possible
S2: in your life. If you are misaligned, then you will
S2: also if you don't align yourself right, if you're misaligned,
S2: you will miss your assignment. Some of you are missing
S2: your assignment because you're not aligned with God's plan today.
S2: You're a father, but you're missing the influence of fatherhood.
S2: You're a mother, but you haven't aligned yourself with God's plan.
S2: And so the power of motherhood has been depleted from
S2: your life because you're not aligned with God. You're a
S2: son or a daughter, but the power of daughterhood or
S2: sonship isn't fully realized in your life because you're not
S2: aligned with God's plan. And so you're missing the power
S2: of your assignment because of your misalignment. So I want
S2: you to turn your Bible in your Bibles to Ephesians
S2: chapter six, because I see in this passage really two
S2: battlefronts that we need to engage in if we're going
S2: to fight for the destiny and future of our families.
S2: Ephesians chapter six, verse one says, children, obey your parents
S2: in the Lord, for this is right. I tried to
S2: drill this verse into my children before they could even walk.
S2: Honor your father and your mother, which is the first
S2: commandment with a promise, so that it may go well
S2: with you, and that you may enjoy a long life
S2: on earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring
S2: them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
S2: Word of the Lord. There are two battlefronts that you
S2: are going to face if you are fighting for the
S2: future of your family. Battlefront number one is the battlefront
S2: of the heart. Notice what it says. It says to children,
S2: there are two things that children and by the way,
S2: this word children. Someone say, well, what age are you
S2: talking about? This word children in the in the Greek
S2: is technia. It doesn't mean little ones necessarily. It means
S2: offspring at various ages. So this says offspring, sons and daughters.
S2: It says children obey your parents. And then secondly, it says,
S2: and honor your parents. So there's two words that's given
S2: to our offspring. Number one is obedience. And secondly is honor.
S2: Obedience has to do with the idea of putting ourselves
S2: under the authority of someone. It's a military term. It
S2: means coming under the authority. And the word honor has
S2: to do with not taking them lightly. In fact, literally,
S2: the word honor means heavy. Um, you know, when someone
S2: says something to you and you don't really care what
S2: they're saying, you just take it lightly. It doesn't matter.
S2: But if you're showing honor, you want to listen to
S2: what they're saying because what they're saying is important. You
S2: take it heavy. If you were called to see the
S2: Queen of England and came before the Queen of England,
S2: chances are you wouldn't be. Hey, dude, what's going on?
S2: Give me high five. You know. You would show respect.
S2: You would listen. What they say would be important. You
S2: would be listening to what they say. Not not, you know,
S2: taking a selfie of yourself with the Queen or texting on. No, no,
S2: you'd be listening to what they have to say because
S2: you're showing honor. The Bible talks to offspring and it
S2: says you owe your parents two things obedience and honor. Now,
S2: those two things have to do with how your children
S2: position themselves under authority. I want to talk to you.
S2: This is really, really important. This is how it works.
S2: I'm going to teach you a principle that's a powerful principle,
S2: not just for children, but for those of you that
S2: are adults. And it starts in childhood and it has
S2: repercussions into adulthood. I have an umbrella with me right now. Now,
S2: why do we use umbrellas? Well, we pull an umbrella
S2: out when it's raining torrentially outside. I use an umbrella
S2: because when it's raining outside, I don't want to mess
S2: up my hair. So here's what happens. If it's raining,
S2: I put myself under the umbrella. And as long as
S2: I am under the umbrella, I don't get wet. I
S2: can have an umbrella. And if I hold the umbrella outside,
S2: then I get wet, even though I have an umbrella.
S2: As long as I'm under, I'm protected. When I get
S2: out from under the protection of the umbrella, there is
S2: no protection on my life. And I am subject to
S2: the elements of the weather. Are you tracking with me?
S2: There is a protection also. I've heard it illustrated this way.
S2: God has designed a protection umbrella for your family, for
S2: your children, and for your life. There is a protection
S2: that we are called to go under. For example, when
S2: children are under the protection of their parents and children
S2: are obeying their parents and honoring their parents. There is
S2: a level of protection over their life under the counsel
S2: of their parents. The insight of their parents, the prayers
S2: of their parents, the favor of their parents is on
S2: their life. When a child decides gets a seed of
S2: here it goes rebellion. When a child gets a seed
S2: of rebellion, a child says, I don't want to be
S2: under the authority of my parents. No one's going to
S2: tell me what to do. What do they know anyways?
S2: They're old fashioned. They don't know what's going on in
S2: the world. I don't want to listen to what they
S2: have to say. Stop trying to micromanage and control me.
S2: I don't have to listen to you. I'm 14 years old.
S2: I should be able to do whatever I want right now.
S2: When they come out under the protection of their parents,
S2: then suddenly the protection that they lived under has disappeared
S2: in their life, and now they are subject to the
S2: attacks of the enemy and the elements of the world
S2: like never before, because they've taken themselves out from the
S2: protection of their parents. Are you tracking with me? Here's
S2: what I want you to understand. This is huge. It's
S2: a huge principle. Do you realize that the reason that
S2: humanity is in the situation that it is, is because
S2: the very first individuals that God created the problem, what
S2: led them out of God's protection was what leads us
S2: out of the protection of our family, the protection of
S2: our church, the protection of God. And it's this the
S2: seeds of this word, the seed of rebellion.
S1: We'll continue our message in just a moment here on
S1: Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. But first, Mark, if you'll
S1: permit me, I want to share something that's been weighing
S1: on my heart lately. I've been thinking about how throughout history,
S1: God has always raised up people who prioritized his mission,
S1: even during some very turbulent times. Whether it was the
S1: early church during persecution or believers during world wars, or
S1: missionaries in hostile territories, there have always been those who
S1: kept their focus on advancing the gospel despite everything happening
S1: around them. And we've got a lot happening around us
S1: right now.
S2: And Wayne, oftentimes.
S3: It's in the midst of a lot of turbulence and
S3: turmoil that people start looking to the heavens in special ways.
S3: And I believe, like we live in a moment like that.
S3: And I just want to say that as a pastor,
S3: I've been a pastor for over 30 some years in
S3: the city of Chicago. I have never seen the openness
S3: that I've seen now. That's incredible. I'm having these conversations,
S3: especially with young people we've seen at our church. Over
S3: a thousand people come to Christ and get baptized in
S3: the last 24 months, mainly under the age of 35.
S2: Many that had no religious background and are just hungry
S2: for God. And I think the turbulence of the world
S2: has caused them to say I need something. And many
S2: of us as believers, we're getting too distracted by what's
S2: happening and not focused enough on the gospel. And so
S2: I want to bring your attention back to the opportunities
S2: that you have around you. That's what Bold Steps is
S2: all about. Regardless of what's happening in our world, we
S2: believe that the greatest news that needs to be proclaimed
S2: is the good news that Jesus Christ is here. He's
S2: the Savior, and we do not want to miss this
S2: window of opportunity of so many people being open. So
S2: join us as we continue to boldly, passionately, powerfully, 24
S2: hours a day through moody radio, proclaim the good news
S2: of Jesus.
S1: And at Moody, we're sending workers into that harvest, aren't we?
S2: We are. And so excited about that as well. Uh,
S2: we're sending people focused on the gospel. Bold steps, as
S2: you know, is making sure that we include a call
S2: to the gospel on a regular basis. And so excited
S2: to see people coming to Jesus.
S1: Well, you who are listening can invest your resources in
S1: sharing God's life changing truth. To make a gift, simply
S1: go online to Bold Steps org or our phone number
S1: is 800. D.L. Moody that's (800) 356-6639. And your partnership makes
S1: an eternal difference. And we'll send you, by request, a
S1: special bold step gift as a token of our appreciation.
S1: We'll talk more about that gift later in today's message.
S1: But consider partnering with bold steps. All right. Back to
S1: our message now titled fighting for Your Family's Future.
S2: Let me define rebellion for you. The dictionary says that
S2: rebellion is resistance, defiance, and disobedience to To authority. It's resistance,
S2: defiance and disobedience to the authority that's placed over us.
S2: That's rebellion. Now think for a moment back to the very,
S2: very first place called the Garden of Eden. That man
S2: and woman were at. I mean, think about it for
S2: a second. What a sweet setup. Here's Eve and here's Adam.
S2: Eve didn't have to say, hey, Adam, who are you
S2: looking at? No one else to look at. It's hard
S2: to compete with a woman. I mean, you got a
S2: rhinoceros over here, a giraffe over here, a zebra. Who
S2: would you be looking at? Of course she's naked. He's
S2: naked there in the garden. Beautiful, idyllic place. There's no disease.
S2: There's no death. They have fruit trees and they have animals,
S2: and they have rivers, and they have nice water. And
S2: they're walking with God. I mean, this is the iconic,
S2: idealistic place in the world. This is better than any
S2: resort that you've ever been to. This is the beautiful
S2: Paradise on earth that God created. And they're doing great there.
S2: They're enjoying life. They have eyes for one another. This
S2: is the place that you raise a family. The enemy
S2: wanted to mess this up. All he had to do,
S2: the enemy to mess up Paradise was to plant one
S2: seed in their life. You know what seed? It was?
S2: The seed of rebellion. So the serpent says to Eve. Hey,
S2: you listening to God? He told you you couldn't eat
S2: for this tree, man. God just wants to hinder your joy.
S2: God just wants to put boundaries on you. He's really
S2: not looking out for your good. He doesn't have your
S2: best interest in mind. Why don't you just take of
S2: this fruit and eat it? Because your way, hey, your
S2: way is better than God's way. That's a seed of
S2: rebellion where you start thinking, I don't want to be
S2: under authority. What does God know anyways? Yeah, maybe I
S2: want to be like God. And the Bible says that
S2: Eve took of the fruit, gave it to the man,
S2: and as soon as they ate of that fruit, then
S2: all of spiritual hell was unleashed upon them. Theologians call
S2: it the fall of man, and suddenly there was shame
S2: and guilt and death and disease was introduced into the
S2: world because they came out from under God's umbrella of protection.
S2: See what rebellion does. It lures you away from that
S2: which is protecting your life, saying there's a better way.
S2: And when we're out there, then we get sabotaged by
S2: the atrocities of life, by our own way. We get
S2: beat up by life because while we're under the umbrella
S2: of protection, we can't be beat up when we're lured
S2: out of it. Then we get beat up by life.
S2: Listen to what first Samuel 15 verse 23 says, the
S2: prophet is speaking to Saul, who is a king who
S2: had gotten out of God's umbrella of protection. And Samuel
S2: says to him, rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft. Now
S2: think about it. When you think of witchcraft, you think pretty, evil, dark, spooky,
S2: voodoo ish, you know, killing animals in some back alley,
S2: putting curses on people. We say, whoa, that's that's evil. Well,
S2: don't get around that person. That's evil. They're into witchcraft. Ooh. Nasty. Dark.
S2: But you know what? As bad as that may seem,
S2: the Bible says that when your teenage son or daughter
S2: gets a seed of rebellion in their heart, or you
S2: as a man decide that your way is better than God's,
S2: or you as a wife decides like, you know what?
S2: I don't want to do this. I want to do
S2: it my way. And you get a seed of rebellion
S2: in your heart against the God given authority over your life,
S2: then it drags you to the same pit. It devastates
S2: your life in the same way. Because what rebellion says is,
S2: I know better. I don't have to do it God's way.
S2: I can do it my way. And ultimately, people start
S2: paying the consequences for walking outside of God's umbrella of protection.
S1: This is bold steps. You're listening to the Bible teaching
S1: of Mark Jobe. If you miss any part of today's message,
S1: or if you can't join us for part two tomorrow,
S1: be sure to catch up whenever you can by visiting
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S1: boldsystems.org or reach us by phone at $800. That's (800) 356-6639. Well, Mark,
S1: we are very excited about our bold step gift this
S1: month is called Lies Girls Believe and the truth that
S1: Sets them Free. Now the author, Dannah Gresh is with us.
S1: And Dana, I want to commend you because not only
S1: is this book so full of wisdom, biblical wisdom and insight,
S1: but you've organized it in such a fun way. I
S1: would imagine young girls look at this and think, I
S1: want to pick this up and read this.
S4: I hope so. You thrill my heart saying that. That makes.
S4: Thank you. Because years ago I was a cheerleader and
S4: a Christian high school and my cheerleading coach did a
S4: Devo with me on the Bible verse. I don't know
S4: the reference, but it says whatever your hand finds to do,
S4: do it with all your might. And if you're listening
S4: and you've done devos with teenagers listens. They stick with
S4: you for years. For decades that that Devo has stuck
S4: with me. And I've always wanted to do anything I do.
S4: I wanted to give Jesus my best. So when we
S4: wrote Lies, Girls Believe, I went to the bookstore, the bookstore,
S4: and I looked at the bookshelves and I said, what
S4: are the best books here that are being sold to
S4: these tween girls? And I picked up books with cartoons,
S4: and I picked up books with graphics and art and
S4: just thrilling, fun books. And I was like, lies girls
S4: believe is gonna look like that. And I think it does.
S4: I really think it does. I think it's absolutely beautiful.
S4: So thank you for saying that. I think it matters
S4: and it draws them through the content. It keeps them
S4: engaged in the content, and it makes it a really
S4: fun experience for them.
S1: Well, it's so creative the way that you've done it here, Mark.
S1: I just think it's it's going to really have hit
S1: the mark with these young girls.
S2: Absolutely. I'm holding a copy in my hand scrolling through
S2: the pages. And there is great compelling artwork, creative, colorful, uh,
S2: design specifically for 8 to 12 year olds. But more
S2: important even than the art. Is the message so important.
S2: So if you're a mother that's struggling with how to
S2: reach the heart of your 8 to 12 year old,
S2: or how to help them navigate some of the peer
S2: pressure that they're experiencing at school, or if they're asking
S2: spiritual questions or asking questions about sex, identity, who they are.
S2: This is not a topic or time that you can ignore.
S2: You need to jump into that and disciple your daughters.
S2: So this tool is specifically designed for that. Thank you Dana.
S4: My pleasure. Thank you so much.
S1: Well, you can receive a copy of Lies Girls Believe
S1: when you give a gift of any amount to support
S1: bold steps. Again, just go online to Bold steps. Org
S1: or call us today at 800. You can even send
S1: your check in the mail. Address your envelope to Bold steps.
S1: 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Before we
S1: wrap up, I want to encourage you to download our
S1: Bold Steps app now in your app store. Explore our
S1: collection of engaging videos and enlightening teaching series. Just search
S1: for and download the free Bold Steps app today. Well,
S1: that's the end of our program. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting
S1: you to join us tomorrow when Mark explains why God
S1: is calling you to fight for the destiny and the
S1: future of your spouse and children. That's Thursday on Bold
S1: Steps with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of
S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.