(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Before we get into the sermon, I just wanted to read this to you. I got a text from Pastor Perry, and you know, I'll read this to you, but you've got to envision it in Pastor Perry's voice. You know that southern drawl? He says, hey, brother, tell your reporter friend she better hope I don't pray that some she-bears get her for making fun of my bald head. So I thought that was funny. That's pretty good. All right, we're there in Genesis 38. You got to know the Bible to get it. Some of you are like, I don't get it. Yeah, okay, read the Bible. Genesis 38, if you look at verse number one, we are there. We're starting in this Drop Dead series, and we're going to start with Onan. He's the first guy that drops dead. Actually, Onan's not the first guy that drops dead. There's a guy who drops dead right before him, but we'll cover both in this sermon. And just to get a little bit of the context of the story, Genesis 38, look at verse number one. The Bible says, and it came to pass at that time that Judah went down from his brethren and turned into a certain Adulamite whose name was Hira. So we've got Judah, and basically we're just reading about how Judah got his family started, and it wasn't really that godly of a way. But in verse two it says, and Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shuah, and he took her and went in unto her. So he's basically fornicating. He does end up marrying her. The Bible tells us later on that he marries her. But look at verse three, and she conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Ur. So you've got baby number one, or son number one, Ur. Then verse four, and she conceived again and bare his son, and she called his name Onan. So you've got baby number two, Onan. And then verse five says, and she yet again conceived and bare his son, and called his name Sheila, and he was at Shezib when she bare him. So we're learning about Judah here, and Judah's of course one of the twelve sons of Israel, and he hooks up with this daughter of a certain Canaanite, and he ends up having three children with her, Ur, Onan, Sheila. Notice verse six, and Judah took a wife for Ur. So Ur, his eldest son, grows up and he finds a wife for her. Judah took a wife for Ur, his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. So he finds this girl named Tamar. They end up getting married. And Ur, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him. Now, the Bible doesn't tell us what he did. We're just told that he was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him. But you know, it's interesting because throughout the Bible, God is constantly just striking people dead for certain things they do, and we're just talking about the individuals in this series that God strikes dead for something they do when it's an individual. We could do a whole other series of just when God sends plagues and just kills thousands of people at a time for being in certain sins. In fact, we'll talk about one of those tonight. But then there's this son named Ur. He's married to Tamar. We're not even sure what he did. He was just wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him. And by the way, there's no difference between the Old Testament God and the New Testament God. You know that today God can strike you dead if you're just wicked? You say, well, I'm safe. Yeah, but you can live a wicked life to the point where you are so useless here on this earth or you're such a bad testimony on this earth that God just strikes you dead. I mean, the Bible talks about sin unto death, and the Bible talks about these things even in the New Testament. Look at verse 9. And Onan, I'm sorry, verse number 8. So in verse 7, we see that Ur was struck dead. And then in verse 8, the Bible says, And Judah said unto Onan, so remember Onan is the second born, Go in unto thy brother's wife and marry her. Now, for us who grew up in the United States of America and this Western culture, this seems a little odd to us, but this is a normal thing that happened during the Bible times. And Tamar is married to the first born. The first born dies. So then Judah looks at his second born son. He says, look, it's your responsibility to marry your dead brother's wife and go in unto her and raise up seed to thy brother. Look at verse 9. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his. And it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And obviously, I'm not going to get into detail with this story. If you're an adult and you understand what's going on here in verse 10, the Bible says this, And the thing which he did displeased the Lord, wherefore he slew him also. And I'm not going to go into detail with the story, obviously. We've got children and things like that in the room. But at the same time, I'm not going to apologize for the story because this is the Bible. The Bible says the words of the Lord are pure words. And God gives us these details. He tells us the story for a reason. And the Bible tells us that this displeased the Lord, wherefore, the Bible says, he slew him also. So we see that Ur dropped dead because he was wicked. But then Onan also dropped dead because he went in unto her and he married her. But then the Bible says he spilled it on the ground, and this displeased the Lord. And he did it, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And sometimes people look at the story and they'll think like, I'm not really sure what's going on here, or I'm not even sure why he's even marrying his brother's wife. And again, this is a biblical culture. It's different than the culture you and I live in. But let's just run some verses just by way of introduction, just to kind of help you understand this. If you're there in Genesis, go to Deuteronomy chapter 25. If you're in Genesis, you're going to go Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, And let me just say this. Onan had a choice. He did not have to marry Tamar. He could have chosen not to marry her. You say, well, why did he go through with it? Here's why. Because it was culturally expected that he would step in, and with his brother being deceased, that he would step in and marry his brother's wife and raise up children unto his brother. And it was something that was supposed to be done so that his brother's name or that lineage would continue on in the house of Israel. What was supposed to happen was that he was supposed to have a child. And then when that child was born, they were going to give that child. That child wasn't going to be given credit to Onan as Onan having a child, but that credit was going to be given to the line of his brother who was dead, who wasn't able to have children. This is why he went in unto her, but he knew that it wasn't going to be his child or is going to carry on his name or his lineage. And this was something that was culturally expected of Onan to do. And it was a shameful thing. He didn't have to do it, but it was a shameful thing to reject this responsibility. Now, of course, when we're looking at the book of Genesis, we've just started with the life and the lineage of Abraham and his family. When we come into Deuteronomy, the civilization of Old Testament is obviously a little more structured and there's more laws, but I want you to notice that the Bible speaks to this. Deuteronomy 25, look at verse number 6. Notice what the Bible says. And it shall be, Deuteronomy 25, 6, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead. So we're looking at a situation where a brother's dead and then the firstborn is going to succeed in that name. Because if you remember, the firstborn had certain rights and certain responsibilities. They got a double portion of the inheritance. They were to carry on the name. They were in many ways supposed to be the kinsman redeemer who was able to step in and help to be able to judge and bring judgment when other family members were being hurt. And here we're told that when the firstborn died, she that beareth shall succeed him in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. Notice verse 7. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife. So this is Odin's situation. He's supposed to step up, marry Tamar and have children so that the name of his brother will carry on in the lineage in the nation of Israel. But here's where Odin was. Deuteronomy 25, 7 applies to Odin. He didn't want that. He didn't want to have a child with Tamar. He didn't want to give a seed to his brother. It says, and if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders and say, my husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak unto him. And if he stand to it and say, I like not to take her, if he stands to it and says, I don't like her, if he stands to it and says, I don't know what my brother was thinking, but I'm just no. I don't want to marry her. He says, I like not to take her. Verse 9, then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders and lose his shoe from off his foot and spit in his face and shall answer and say, so shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. See, it was his responsibility to carry on the name of his brother to marry Tamar, to have a child with her, and that child would carry on the name of his brother. He didn't want to do that. So you say, well, what was Odin supposed to do? Here's what he could have done. He could have just said, I like not to take her. I don't want to marry her. I don't want to have children with her. And you say, well, why didn't he? Here's why he probably didn't, because it would have been a cultural no-no, and people would have looked down on him and say, oh, there's the guy that wasn't wanting, that wasn't willing to take on. And look, for us, it seems a little like an odd story. But in their culture, in their time, this was a big deal. And again, you know, you have this whole process where you take the shoe off, and she spit in his face, and they shall say, so shall it be done unto him, unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. He would be known as a guy that would not build up his brother's house. Let me give you another example of this. Go to Ruth, chapter 4. Ruth, chapter 4. You're there in Deuteronomy? Go to Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Ruth, chapter 4. And look at verse 5. Ruth, chapter 4, and verse 5. Notice what the Bible says. Then said Boaz, what day thou buys the field of the hand of Naomi. Boaz is the kinsman redeemer here. He's speaking to another kinsman redeemer who's related to Naomi and Ruth. He's a closer kinsman than Boaz is, so he has a right to redeem the land. They're negotiating, and this is what Boaz says. What day, because he goes to this guy, he says, hey, do you want to buy this land from Naomi? Her son died, her husband's dad, her son died. You know, this land is up for grabs. Somebody needs to take care of it. You're the nearest of kin. Are you willing to step up and take the responsibility? The guy says, yes. He says, okay, but let me just give you the fine print. What day thou buys the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth, the Moabites, the wife of the dead. He's like, look, this field doesn't just come by itself. It comes with a wife, a wife whose husband is dead. And if you buy the field, you have to marry the wife, notice what he says, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. This was something that was supposed to be done. This was something that was meant to be done. Look at verse 6, and the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance. So he says, look, I've got too many things going on. I've got my own inheritance. I've got my own family. My wife is not going to like this. I can't do this. You know, I can't. And of course, Boaz wants to buy the field. He wants to marry Ruth, but he has to get this guy to say no first, because he has the right to do it. So he goes to him, he says, hey, you want to buy this field? Sure, I'll buy the field. Well, you've got to marry someone in order to do it. And he's like, I don't know about that. Look at verse 6 again. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance. Redeem thou my right to thyself, for I cannot redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing for to confirm all things. A man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor, and this was a testimony in Israel. I'm like, I don't understand all that. I'm not really sure what the whole shoe thing, what it's all about. We'll have to get to heaven and ask Boaz about it, you know, or ask Moses about it. But this is the context we're looking at. Oten, you say, well, what could have Oten done? He could have stood up and said, I don't want to do it. I don't want to marry her. I don't want to have children with her. I know I'm expected. I know it's my responsibility. I know this is what I've been taught my whole life that I should do. And you say, well, what was the problem? Here's the problem. He chose to go ahead and marry her. He chose to go ahead and have a physical relationship with her. He went in unto her and let everybody think, but then he chose to do something so that he would not have children with her. And the Bible says when God saw that, it displeased the Lord, wherefore he slew him also. So what I'd like to do tonight, go to Malachi chapter 2. And with that context in mind, with that story in mind, with that idea in mind, I'd like to give you four statements in regards to marriage and children, four statements that we can kind of gather from the story, although we're going to be going to a lot of different passages in scripture. And four statements that you need to understand because The ways of the Lord are better than the ways of the world. And the ways of the Lord are higher than the ways of the world. And the world will take concepts from God, like marriage, like children, and they'll twist them, and they'll change them. And unfortunately, a lot of Christians get the wrong perception or the wrong idea or the wrong teaching about these things. So we need to understand what is it that the Bible teaches about marriage and children and rearing children in these things. So I'd like to give you four statements. Usually what I like to do is give you some succinct, clear statements. Every once in a while, it's difficult to do that based on these passages. So it's going to be a little wordy. If you're taking notes, I'm going to give it to you a couple of times. You can write them down. Here's statement number one, all right? A marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Let me say that again. A marriage, I know it's not deep, but you should write it down if you're taking notes. A marriage, biblically speaking, a marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. You know that one of the reasons, it's not the only reason, but one of the reasons that God instituted marriage is so that there would be procreation, so that children would result of that marriage. That's one of the reasons that God instituted marriage. And when God blesses a marriage, when God ordains a marriage, when God allows for a marriage, He wants that marriage to be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Are you there in Malachi? It's the last book in the Old Testament. It should be fairly easy to find. Malachi chapter 2, look at verse 14. Notice what the Bible says, Malachi chapter 2 verse 14. I love these verses. Whenever I perform a wedding, I always mention these verses or read a portion of these verses that's a little negative. I usually at a marriage I'll skip the negative aspect about it, but look at Malachi 2 and verse 14. The Bible says, yet ye say, wherefore, because the Lord, notice what he says, because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth. And I'm not preaching about this, but we're here, so let's look at it. Here's what he's literally saying. He's saying, the day you got married, for those of you that are married, the day you got married, when you walked down that altar, when you met together at that altar, and you stood there, and you gave those vows, you said, I was giving those vows before my friends, before my family. Why do you have bridesmaids? Why do you have groomsmen? They're supposed to be your friends who are witnessing, who are the witnesses of the vows that you made. But you know on the day that you got married, whether it was at Verity Baptist Church or Reno, Nevada, whether it was Pastor Jimenez performing the wedding or Elvis Presley or whoever it was that performed your wedding, a guy dressed up like Elvis, you know that on the day of your wedding, the most important witness that was there was God himself. The Bible says that the Lord, some of you men need to learn to say amen. I'm getting kind of tired of our church being known as this weak amen. Sometimes when pastor gets a point and it's something that's good, some of you guys need to say amen. Let's practice, all right? Amen. Let's hear it. All right, that was good. Let's try it one more time. Amen. All right. Next time we got a pedophile that gets thrown out of church and I'm yelling at him, some of you get up and say amen, all right? Or we'll have the ladies do it. I'm not sure. But the Bible says here, because the Lord had been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth. Men, what do you say to that? Amen. You realize that God was a witness at your wedding? You realize that God stood there and watched you, made a vow to your wife and you said for better or worse till death do us part. God was a witness. God was there. The Lord had been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth. Against whom thou has dealt treacherously, yet, notice what the Bible says, is she thy companion. You know that God, his purpose for your marriage is for a husband and wife to be companions, to be friends. He says, yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy, don't miss this word, covenant. See, when you got married, you entered into a covenant with God. You entered, it's like a contract, but it's bigger than that. It's like a contract, but it's spiritual. You entered into a covenant between the husband, between the wife and God Almighty God was a witness of your marriage. You say, well, why does God take the time to be present at every marriage of a Christian couple? Why does God do that? Why does the Bible tell us that God stands there? And he makes sure that he is a witness to the vows being made. Here's why, look at what he says, verse 15, and did not he make one? That's a reference to marriage, right? You're going to leave father and mother and cleave unto your wife and they twain shall be one flesh. He said, and did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit and wherefore, now notice what he says, wherefore, the word wherefore means for what reason? He says, and wherefore one, here's what he's asking. He's saying, what reason, what was the reason, what was the purpose that God took to and made one? What was the purpose that you left father and mother, that you left your home and you cleave unto each other and you become one flesh? What is the purpose? Notice what he says, and wherefore one, that he might seek a godly seed. You see that? What's the purpose of marriage? Why did God have you unite in holy matrimony? Here's why, here's why God's interested. Here's why God showed up to your wedding. Here's why God witnessed your vow, that he might seek a godly seed. Therefore, take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. And here's the point, a marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Today we've got people say, oh, we want to get married, but we don't want any children. That's an ungodly marriage. That marriage is not what God wants. Oh, we're going to get married, but we're not going to have any children. We're just going to get married. No, he allows you to get married. One of the reasons is that he might seek a godly seed. One of the purposes, not the only purpose, but one of the purposes of marriage is that God might have a godly seed. A marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. You say, well, what if we get married and we can't have children? Well, you know what? The Lord is the one that opens and he closes the womb. And if you have no children, then let that be God's choice, but it shouldn't be your choice. It shouldn't be because you're trying to stop and not have children and have no children. No, a marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. A marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. In the New Testament, you've got Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians. You say, well, what was Onan's problem? He wanted to get married. He married Tamar. He went ahead and married her. He went ahead and had the honeymoon night. He went ahead and entered. He came in unto her, the Bible says. He went ahead and had the physical relationship with her. He was willing to get married. He was willing to enjoy the physical relationship, but he didn't want children. God said, the Bible says that displeased the Lord. The Bible says that God slew him. A marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Number two, and again, these are a little wordy. I'll say them several times. You can write them down. A physical relationship between a husband and wife is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. A physical relationship between a husband and wife is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. Here's why. Because that physical relationship produces children. I know that's not, you know, complicated. You say, why is it that God only wants a man or a woman to, you know, he forbids fornication. He forbids a physical relationship outside of marriage. Here's why. Because that relationship, that act, produces children. So that physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. You say, why? Because within the bounds of marriage is the only appropriate place and time to have children. First Corinthians chapter seven. And let me say this. Let me say this. You say, Pastor Jimenez, you said one of the purposes of marriage was procreation, or God made them one. And I'm not going to take the time to develop that, but you can study that out. And that phrase is use the context of that phrase that he made Twain want to speak of the physical relationship of the coming together of a husband and wife. And he said, well, he did that for procreation. But let me just say this, and I don't want to get into too much detail, but he also gave it to married couples to enjoy for pleasure. You say, is it for pleasure? Is the physical relationship between husband and wife, is it for pleasure or procreation? It's both. Because the Catholics, you know, or other religions will say, oh, it's just for procreation. It's not meant to be enjoyed. No, that's wrong. And then the world says, well, it's meant to be enjoyed, but let's not have procreation. No, that's wrong. God said, hey, enjoy it and have children. It's pleasure and procreation. A physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. In fact, the Bible thinks it's so far that he commands it. First Corinthians seven, look at verse three. Notice what the Bible says. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence. Due benevolence means that you show her the proper love and care. And likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife, notice what the Bible says. Look, this is not politically correct. You know, it's very Baptist church. What do you expect? But this is what the Bible says. The wife hath not power of her own body. It's my body. It's my choice. That's not what the Bible says. If you're married, the wife has not the power over her own body. But the husband. Oh, the Bible, you're such a male chauvinist pig. Okay, well, and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body but the wife. It's both. And then notice what he says. Verse seven, defraud ye not one another. He says, look, here's what he's saying. Here's what he's telling married couples. Husband, your body is not your own. It belongs to your wife. Wife, your body is not your own. It belongs to your husband. And then he says, defraud ye not one another. What does the word defraud mean? It means to steal. It means to rip off. It means to take away. Notice what he says. Defraud ye not one another. What's he talking about? He's talking about the physical relationship between husband and wife. Except it be with consent for a time that ye might give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. So what is he talking about? Here's what he's saying. Here's what he's literally saying. He's saying husbands and wives need to be physically together on a regular basis. And he says, look, and the only time that you should go a long period of time without being together physically should be with consent for a time that you may give yourself to fasting and prayer. So look, today we live in this society where couples will literally go weeks and months and years without being together. That's not healthy. That is not what the Bible says. You say, well, how long is healthy and how long is not healthy? How long do you fast for? That's about it. Because in the Bible, I only know of a few people who fast at 40 days. Most people aren't going 40 days. Look, you say, well, how long is it healthy? Is it not healthy for me and my wife to be together? Look, how long can you go without eating? And I'm not talking about every day. I'm just saying, look, most people don't fast for a week. Most people fast for a day and they die. And they're dying. But maybe you're super godly and you do, I do a three-day fast. I do a one-week fast. Okay, well, there's your answer. Most people are going to fast for three days, four days, five days. God says, hey, you shouldn't be apart from each other. I'm talking about married couples. You should enjoy the physical relationship within bounds of marriage. Or look, he says, come together. That Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. What's incontinency? Your inability to restrain or to have self-control. Here's what he's saying. You're going to put yourself in a place where you're going to be tempted if you're not enjoying the physical relationship. Look, as Christian married couples, you should be enjoying that part of your marriage together. A physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage because that physical relation produces children. And look, God gave it to you for pleasure and procreation. So enjoy it. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4. Hebrews chapter 13. Keep your place there in 1 Corinthians. We're going to come back to it. Go to Hebrews chapter 13. If you start at the end and head backwards, Revelation, Jude, 3rd, 2nd, 1st John, 2nd, 1st Peter, James, Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 13. And look, you say, Pastor, why are you talking about this? You know, I'm talking about it because it's something that people deal with in our society. And look, husbands, if you're going a long time without being with your wife, you need to get right with God. And wives, if you're going a long time without being with your husband, you need to get right with God. And if both of you, neither one of us wants to, you both need to get right with God. Okay? You need to just figure it out. You say, well, I thought it was just optional. No, God actually commands it. If you're not fasting, and you know, in the United States of America, don't look like most people are fasting. Hebrews 13, 4. Notice what the Bible says. Marriage is honorable in all and the bad undefiled. But whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. See, the physical relationship itself is not the sin. It's within the bounds that it's enjoyed. Within marriage, it's meant to be enjoyed. Within marriage, it's meant to be enjoyed within the bounds. But realize this, it produces children. So don't fall into the worldly concept, oh, we'll just do it for pleasure. No, no, it's pleasure and procreation. It's for both. So I said number one, a marriage should be committed. A marriage should be committed. Keep your place there in Hebrews, go back to 1 Corinthians. Keep your place in Hebrews, go to 1 Corinthians. A marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the relationship of children. Now look, God opens and closes the womb. You say, we're married, but we haven't had any children. If God hasn't given you children, then God hasn't given you children. Then you got to pray about it and ask God to give you children. And you know what? You need to just learn to be content in whatsoever state I am there with to be content. You know what I've learned about human beings over the last nine years of ministry is that we just like to complain. And if you've talked to me about this, you've talked to my wife about this, I'm not trying to pick on you. Honestly, over years I've heard, you know what women like to complain about their husbands? You've got one group of women complaining, he works too much, he works too hard, he's never around. And you got other women saying, he doesn't work enough, he's always around. It's like, good night. Sometimes it's the same woman. You just catch her at different seasons of life. And then you've got women complaining, I don't have enough children. You've got other women complaining, I've got too many children. And here's the thing, you're always going to have something to complain about. Just learn to be content. Let me tell you something, we've got six children. We love our children. We see our children as a blessing. We believe that God is blessed with those children. Let me tell you something, having six kids is hard. I love them. I love everything about them. I love that God, but you know what, we could sit there and just complain and complain. It's funny because we could sit there if we wanted to complain and then look at the people who don't have children or can't have children and say, man, they're so blessed, look at them. They've got their 1.2 kids. That must be so nice. Must be so nice to be able to just go to the grocery store. Going to the grocery store is like an event at our house. We have to plan it like three weeks in advance. It's like, start laying out the clothes. We're going to go shopping next month. But then you've got, and look, I'm not mocking you. I'm saying, then you've got people saying, I wish I had that. And here's what I'm telling you. The cup is always fuller, half full, half empty. The grass is always greener. There's always something to complain about. Just learn to be content. Just learn to be like the Apostle Paul and say, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Because there's always something to complain about. There's always someone to be envious of. There's always something to covet about. You say, we're married and we're trying to have as many children as possible and God hasn't given us children. Well, then praise the Lord, then God has made that choice. But you shouldn't make that choice. Because a marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Number two, a physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage because that physical relationship produces children. Number three, if someone is not willing or ready to take on the commitment and responsibility of children, then they are not ready to enjoy the physical relationship of marriage. Let me say that again. If someone is not willing or ready, you say, oh, well, I'm not ready to have children. I'm not willing to have children. Then you're not ready to get married. Then you're not ready to engage in a physical relationship between a male and a female because that's the whole point. God says, look, I gave you marriage and you're supposed to enjoy it. It's supposed to provide pleasure, but it's also for procreation to have children. He said, I want a godly seed. I want children. So look, if someone's not willing or ready to take on the commitment and responsibility of children, then they're not ready to enjoy the physical relationship of marriage. Isn't that onan? I don't want to have kids. Okay, well, then don't go in unto her. I don't want to have kids. Then don't get married. Then go to the elders of the city and say, I like not to take her. I don't like her. I don't want to marry her. But don't go and enjoy the physical relationship without being willing to take on the responsibility that comes with that physical relationship. If someone is not willing or ready to take on the commitment and responsibility of children, then they are not ready to enjoy the physical relationship of marriage. 1 Corinthians chapter 7, chapter 10. We'll come back to chapter 7 in a second. Go to chapter 10. Now, onan got slew because he wanted to have a physical relationship. He wanted to enjoy the physical relationship, but he was not willing to take on the responsibility that came with that physical relationship. But you know what? God slew a lot more people in the Bible than just onan for that same sin. 1 Corinthians 10, 8. Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and 20,000. You know how the Bible says that God killed 23,000 people because of the sin of fornication? You know, God hates fornication. You know how the Bible commands me as a pastor to throw people out of church when they're committing fornication? You know how very back to church we've thrown people out of church for just living in fornication, just unrepentant, just, you know, you talk to them, you teach them, and they just do it anyway, throwing them out of church? The sad thing is that they get accepted at the lame Baptist Church down the street, you know, because those pastors can't figure out that God killed 23,000 people because of fornication. But this is a serious sin. God does not want people to engage in the physical relationship between a man and a woman if they are not married. Say, well, I'm not ready. Well, then you're not ready to get married. I'm not ready to get married, but we're going to move in together. No. You're not ready. If you're not ready, if you're not willing, if you don't want children, then God says that you're just not ready for that. Stay single. Be content. 1 Corinthians 7, look at verse 1. 1 Corinthians 7 and 1. Now, look, I want every teenager looking up here right now. I want every young person, and if you're not, you know, or you're just a young person, you're not married, you need to look up right now. 1 Corinthians 7, verse 1. Notice what the Bible says. Now, concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. All you teenagers, all you young kids, look up here right now. I'm going to ask the boys to do something. Girls, you're not supposed to speak in church. That's fine. But I want every young person, if you are 13 and up and you're not married, I want you to say these words with me. It is good for a man not to touch. Why am I saying this by myself? Come on, guys. Some of you parents, can you help me out? Get your kids to say this out loud with me. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Let's say it again. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. You're 12 years old and up. You're not married. Say this with me. It is good for a man not to touch. Oh, I'm going to keep saying this so I feel like you're actually saying it. So you might as well just yell it out. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Did you hear me? Did you get that? You say, I'm a young man and I'm not married. Then don't touch her. Oh, we're just joking. Is that what it says? It's good for a man not to touch a woman unless you're messing around. Is that what it says? It's good for a man not to touch a woman. Well, we're just joking. No, the Bible says it is good for a man not to touch a woman, period. You say, why are you so upset about this? Because I'm the one that has to sit in the office and deal with it. My wife and I are the ones that have to deal with the drama that comes with these issues and I'm just here to tell you. You say, well, we're not ready to have children. You're not ready to touch. You're not ready to hold hands. You're not ready to be in a car by yourself. You say, when will we be ready? When you're ready to say I do, that's when you're ready. And by the way, let me just go ahead and let's get old and all out there. This is why I don't think 13 year olds need to be dating. 14 year olds need to be dating. 15 year olds need to be dating. 16 year olds, you say really 16? Well, let me ask you this. Is your 16 year old ready to have children? Answer that question for me, please. You have to answer that loud. Answer that in your head. Is your 16 year old, is your 15 year old, is your 14 year old ready to have children? You say, well, they're dating. Well, look, the purpose of dating is marriage. The purpose of marriage is children. They're not ready. They're not ready to have children. Okay, well, they're not ready to hold hands. Oh, that's your opinion. Oh, really, because I think I just read it's good for a man not to touch a woman. Now look, if you're at the age where you're ready to get married, where you can get married, and you're like, well, I don't want to. I'm saving money. Okay, that's cool. You know, that's great. I'm cool with that, unless you're going to fornicate. Verse two, nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Now look, you say, pastor, are you against people waiting? I'm not against people waiting. I'm constantly trying to tell young people, you ought to wait, you ought to wait, you ought to wait. Whenever someone walks into my office and they say, we want to get married, the first thing I say to them is, wait a year. You say, why? Why do you say that? I don't know. I just think it's fun. You want to know the honest truth? Here's why. I've never, ever, ever counseled a couple that says to me, you know, we just waited an extra year and it just ruined our marriage. No one's ever said that to me. But lots of people have said, we moved too quickly. We made decisions too fast. I wish I could have gone back and slowed down. So you know what I'm constantly telling couples? Hey, why don't you wait a year? Have you considered waiting a year? What do you think about waiting a year? No, we want to get married. Okay, well, look, I don't want you fornicating, so the Bible says to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife. Do you understand what the Bible is teaching here? I don't know if I'm being clear, if I'm not being clear. If someone is not willing or ready to take on the commitment and responsibility of children, then they are not ready to enjoy the physical relationship of marriage. And you 13 year olds and 14 year olds and 15 year olds and 16 year olds, you're not ready. You're not ready. You're not ready to have children. You're not ready to get married. You need to get your head out of that frame. You're a kid. Enjoy your time. Because you know what you're going to be saying when you're 30 and you got six kids? I wish I would enjoy it when I was 14. Why? Just enjoy your youth. You know, just enjoy your time. That time's coming. That time, that's stressful. Look, it's like we talked about a few weeks ago. We're saying no for now, but not forever. You can have the stress of all that, you know, and the kids and the bills and all that. You don't need that when you're 16. Go to Genesis chapter 1. Genesis chapter 1. And look, I'm here to tell you it's great. I don't know about your marriage, but I've got the best wife in the world. I've got six wonderful children. I'm having the time of my life. It's great. It's awesome. But not when you're 14. Not when you're a teenager. When you're a teenager, you're a kid, you shouldn't be having kids. In Genesis 1, I said number one, a marriage should be committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. Number two, a physical relationship is meant to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage because that physical relationship reduces children. Number three, if someone is not willing or ready to take on the commitment and responsibility of children, then they are not ready to enjoy the physical relationship of marriage. Number four, children should be seen as a blessing to be embraced by married couples, not a burden to be avoided. You know what our culture has just trained all of us to think? Children are a burden. Children are a hindrance. Children are the problem. Children are going to ruin your life. You know, you don't find that concept in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, children are a blessing. Children are a reward. Children, God is blessing you when he gives you children. Let's look at some scriptures. Genesis 1, verse 27. Genesis 1, 27. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. Talk about a married couple. Verse 28. And God cursed them. Is that what it says? And God just burdened them. Is that what it says? No, it says, and God blessed them. And God said unto them, notice how God blessed them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. You know that the Bible says that having children is a blessing? God looks at Adam and even says, let me bless you. Okay, God, give us a blessing. What's your blessing? Big house, nice job. No, no, here's the blessing. Be fruitful and multiply. That's a blessing. Genesis 9, look at verse 1. Genesis 9 and verse 1. And God blessed Noah and his sons and said unto them, how did God bless Noah? Notice what he says to them. Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. Today, you walk up to a new couple and you say, hey, be fruitful and multiply. They're like, oh, don't put that on me. I got a career. I can only imagine what the daycare costs would be. Be fruitful and multiply. Good night. No, you know what? God says it's a blessing. God says, I blessed you when I tell you to be fruitful and multiply. Go to Genesis 28. Look, I'm going to show you. This is all throughout the Bible. I won't show you all the passages. There's too many to look at. Genesis 28, verse 1. And Isaac called Jacob. And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him and said unto him, thou shalt not take a wife of the daughter of Canaan. Arise, go to Peretram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughter of Laban, thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee. Notice, this is a blessing. And make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayst be a multitude of people. Look, all throughout the Bible, God says, having kids, being fruitful, it's a blessing. But today, the world wants you to think that having children is a curse, that it's a hindrance, that it's a burden. But you know what? Children should be seen as a blessing to be embraced by married couples, not a burden to be avoided. I had a lot of verses I was going to show you. I'm going to skip them. Go to Psalm 127. Psalm 127. If you open your Bible, just write in the center. You're more than likely following the book of Psalms. Psalm 127, look at verse 3. Psalm 127, verse 3. Psalm 127 in verse 3 says this, lo, children are an heritage of the Lord. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord. Notice, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Children should be seen as a blessing. They are a blessing to be embraced by married couples, not a burden to be avoided. And if you remember, one of the reasons that God instituted marriage was that he was looking for a godly seed. Look, you say, Pastor Jimenez, you want everybody, all these married people to have children, to have lots of children? Is this some sort of church growth strategy? I don't understand. I mean, we'll grow this church one way or another. You know what I mean? We'll figure it out. But here's the point. You know what? Yeah, I want the people sitting in this room having children, lots of them. Let the LA Times reporter have her one and a half children. Let all these worldly, crazy people just be on birth control and have no kids. People keep talking about, oh, the world's getting worse. You know, you're losing the battle. You're winning the battle. Well, here's the thing. You're going to go ahead and die out. And if we all have a bunch of kids, these kids are going to grow up, and they're going to be preaching like we preach. They're going to be reaching people like we reach people. They're going to be soul winning like we soul win. They're going to believe what we believe. Hey, God wants a godly seed. And that godly seed is going to come from here. So look, embrace children. Don't run from them. They're not a curse. God is blessing you. Children should be seen as a blessing to be embraced by married couples, not a burden to be avoided. Let me end with this. And that makes it sound like I'm going to be done soon, and I'm not. Go to Isaiah, chapter 7. Isaiah, chapter 7. But let me end with this concept. You know, at Verity Baptist Church, we take the position that birth control is a sin and that birth control should be rejected by godly Christian couples. You say, why do you take that position? Here's why. Because birth control ends life after conception. Now, let me just begin by laying a little foundation. You need to understand this. Number one, life begins at conception. The Bible is clear that life begins at conception. Let me prove it to you. Isaiah, chapter 7, look at verse 14. Isaiah, chapter 7, verse 14, the Bible says this, therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. This is a very famous prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says this, behold, a virgin shall conceive. Notice the word conceive there. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Here in Isaiah 7, 14, we are told it's a prophecy of Jesus that it says, behold, a virgin shall conceive. Here's what's interesting is that this verse is quoted in the book of Matthew. Now, I want you to notice how it's quoted. Go to Matthew, chapter 1. Now, keep your finger there in Isaiah 7 so you can flip back and forth. But go to Matthew, chapter 1, and look at verse number 23. Matthew, chapter 1, first book in the New Testament should be fairly easy to find. Matthew, 123. In Isaiah 7, 14, the Bible says, behold, a virgin shall conceive. In Matthew, 123, the Bible says, behold, a virgin shall be with child. You say, oh, is that a contradiction? Is that a mess up there? No. Here's what you need to understand. The word conceive is being used synonymously with the phrase be with child. You say, why? Because when you conceive, you're with child. Because life begins at conception. Life begins when that egg is fertilized. When you have that conceiving of the seed, that's when the life begins. So in the womb of Mary was a life, a virgin shall conceive. But then Matthew says, behold, a virgin shall be with child. Why? Because what Mary had in her womb was a child at conception. You say, why? Because life begins at conception. Go to Hebrews, chapter 11. We're just there. You can get back there. Hebrews, chapter 11. Look at verse 11. I want you to notice how this idea of conceiving seed is taught in scripture. Hebrews, chapter 11 and verse number 11. Hebrews 11, 11. Notice what the Bible says. Through faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. Notice that conception is connected to the seed. It says that she received strength to conceive seed, which means she was with child and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged and faithful who had promised. So the Bible's clear about this. Life begins at conception. And you know, we live in a society that's so hypocritical. They'll say, oh, it's not a life in the womb. You can go down to Planned Parenthood and kill it, and it's not a life. But then you know what? If some murderer kills a lady who's pregnant, they're charging for two deaths, as they should. But you know what? It's a life in the womb. It's life at conception. Life begins at conception. Do you understand that? You say, well, okay, so what does that have to do with birth control? Well, let me read to you an article entitled, How Does Hormonal Contraception Work? This is from WebMD. All right, now WebMD is not some sort of a Christian organization, okay? It's just a medical website. This is an article they wrote, and notice what it says. It says, it's going to explain to you how hormonal contraception works. A woman becomes pregnant when an egg released from her ovary, her ovary is the organ that holds her eggs, is fertilized by a man's seed. All right, now I'm going to read from this article, but I'm going to change some of their words just to not use words that are too specific. But it says, a woman becomes pregnant when an egg released from her ovary is fertilized by a man's seed. The fertilized egg attaches to the inside of a woman's womb uterus, where it receives nourishment and develops into a baby. Now, those are their words, not mine, all right? I just showed you from the Bible that when there is conception, that is life. Life begins at conception. They use that terminology. They'll say, well, it's not in life yet. It develops into a baby. But again, that's their words. Hormones in the woman's body control the release of the egg from the ovary called ovulation and prepare the body to accept the fertilized egg. So they begin by just explaining to you how somebody gets pregnant. Here's how a lady gets pregnant. Her body releases an egg, and that egg cycles through her body. And if that egg is never fertilized, there's never conception, it's discarded, and there's no life. But when that egg is fertilized, when it is met with the seed of a man, then we have life. Life begins at conception, according to the Bible. But then that egg will attach to a woman's uterus, and it'll receive nourishment, and it'll grow. It'll eventually develop the umbilical cord, and it'll grow, and it'll end in a birth of a child. Hormonal contraceptives, this is what their article says, the pill, the patch, the ring, all contain a small amount of man-made estrogen and progestin hormones. These hormones work to inhibit the body's natural cyclic hormones to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy is prevented by a combination of factors. The hormonal contraceptive usually stops the body from ovulating and releasing an egg. This is what they just explained to you. This is how it works. So these hormones will work to inhibit the body's cyclical hormones to prevent a pregnancy. How do they do that? They stop the body from releasing an egg so that that egg cannot be fertilized. The hormonal contraceptive usually stops the body from ovulating. So there's no egg that's released. There's no fertilization that can happen. There's no life. There's no baby. Now here's what you need to understand. 40 to 95% of the time, and look, you can get these statistics from the actual birth control packets themselves, all right? 40 to 95% of the time, this is how birth control works. It keeps an egg from releasing. No fertilization, no life. 40 to 95% of the time. Here's what that means. The other 5 to 60% of the time, an egg is released and can be fertilized. So if you say, oh, I'm on birth control and that's keeping me from getting pregnant, well, please understand this. 40% of the time, the way that works is that it's not allowing an egg to be released, and there's no fertilization, there's no life. But 60% of the time, or depending on the range, 40 to 95% of the time means that 50 to 60% of the time, even while you're on birth control, you are releasing an egg. And if you're engaging in a physical relationship between a man and a woman, then there's a possibility that that egg is being fertilized. And if that egg is being fertilized, it's a lie. It's a lie. Life begins at conception. So you say, well, what happens if an egg is released? Hormonal contraceptives also, so there's several ways, several strategies. Strategy number one, keep a woman from ovulating, keep her from releasing an egg. But let's say an egg is released. Here's what hormonal contraceptives do. They also change the cervical mucus to make it difficult for the seat of a man to go through the cervix and find an egg. All right? So they actually change the way that a woman's cervical mucus is in order to just keep the man's seat from coming into contact and finding that egg and having fertilization. Hormonal contraceptives can also prevent pregnancy by changing the lining of a womb so it's unlikely the fertilized egg, keep in mind, a fertilized egg, according to the Bible, is alive. It's alive. Changing the lining of the womb so it's unlikely the fertilized egg will be implanted. You say, what does that mean? It means that an egg is released. There's conception. It's fertilized. It becomes alive. It's alive. But these hormonal contraceptives, they'll change the lining of the womb so that that egg that's alive cannot attach, cannot get the nourishment it needs, and it just starves to death. It dies. Here's what I'm trying to tell you. You say, oh, I'm on birth control. That's keeping me from having children. You know, maybe you're not having children because you're not releasing an egg, but that's only 40% to 95% of the time. 60% to 5% of the time, you are releasing an egg. You say, well, it's changing the mucus so that the seed can't get. You don't know that. The third way is that it does allow for conception. It does allow for life to begin, and then you're killing your child in your womb. So look, do you think that this is something that Christians should be doing? You think that Christian women should be on birth control when you've got a chance of killing your own child in the womb? And here's what's hilarious. You've got Christians all over America just upset and mad and angry as they should be about the abortion holocaust happening in our country, and they're mad and angry, and we got to stop abortion, and we can't let people kill their children. And then Christian women all over this country are killing children in their own womb because they're taking birth. Maybe God doesn't listen to our prayers on abortions because our own Christian women are just turning their bodies into a holocaust for the children, the conception they're having in their womb. Pastor Jimenez, why are you against birth control? Here's why am I against birth control. Because it ends life after conception. Life begins at conception, and it allows. There's a percentage, and you don't know. You don't know how you're stopping or how many you're stopping or how many you're killing. If you're on birth control for years and years and years and years and years, you may have a lot of blood on your hands. Wife, husband. You say, well, what should we do? How about this? Enter into a marriage that is committed and willing to embrace the responsibility of children. How about this? Enjoy the physical relationship of your marriage within the bounds of your marriage and realize that it's for pleasure and procreation. How about this? If you're not willing or ready to have children, then you're not ready to get married. How about this? Children should be seen as a blessing to be embraced by married couples, not a burden to be avoided. And look, maybe you're here tonight, you say, I've never heard this. I've been on birth control. You know what? Then it's a sin. It's a sin of ignorance. You didn't know about it. But you know what? Now that you know, you're accountable. You say, what do I do? Just confess your sins to God, ask Him to forgive you, and don't do it again. But you know what? We as Christian people need to understand what we are doing, what God has commanded us to do. And here's the thing, and here's what it comes out to. If you're on birth control, you're killing children. If you're on birth control and you're engaging in a physical relationship with your husband within marriage or whatever, you're killing children. Birth control ends life after conception. And we need to make sure that we are doing things that are pleasing to the Lord. Let's bow our head tonight with a prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word, even the Bible. Thank you for allowing us. Lord, thank you for just being clear about what you want from us, what you expect from us. And Lord, I pray that there would be couples in this church and even couples listening online and all over America that would hear this sermon, that would hear this preaching, and that it would open their eyes.