Introduction We are living in a time when there are many destructive forces at work in our homes. As a result, millions of homes are crumbling. Some are being crucified on a cross of divorce while others are being sacrificed on the altars of betrayal, money-madness, selfishness and pleasure seeking. It may well be that there is no more crucial problem facing the world than the problem of our troubled homes! Harvard University sociologist Pitirim A. Sorokin wrote of “the disintegration of the contractual family” because “the tie binding husband and wife… (has been) sundered more and more frequently by divorce and separation.” Dr. Harold Voth of the Menninger Foundation stated, “I honestly believe that civilization as we know it is imperiled by the forces which are eroding the family.” Famed historian Will Durant noted recently, “The family has gone to pieces…get rid of the family and you have nothing.” Even within the church, many homes are facing grave difficulties. Some are confused as to what a Christian home should be like. In despair they ask, “What can be done to save our homes?” For answers, we must turn to the Word of God—His prescription for troubled homes. God ordained the family as the institution that best fills our physical and emotional needs. This is the message of the first two chapters of the Bible; man was lonely and incomplete until God provided him a family. Our homes will only function properly when they are built according to God’s instruction.

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save” (Isaiah 59:1). The expression “hand of God” is found often in the Scriptures and is also used in many of our hymns. God’s hand is seen in so many marvelous ways. The Hand of Creation. The hand of God created the world in which we live. We are living in an age of atheism and infidelity. The Bible account of creation is denied in leading newspapers, magazines and even in the textbooks of our schools. From where did the world come? There is but one answer: God’s omnipotent voice spoke, His hand moved and the universe came into existence. “Of old You founded the earth and the heavens are the work of Your hands” (Psalm 102:25). The Hand of Providence. The hand that made us is also the hand that sustains us. “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). Of a certainty, we may know that God’s hand is in it all! The hand of providence is a hand of blessing and protection. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). His hands have repeatedly opened the windows of Heaven and poured forth abundant gifts to mankind (Malachi 3:10). The Hand of Salvation. Man rebelled

At dawn on a distant Sunday morning, grieving women on their way to visit the grave of Jesus came upon an incredible sight. They found the stone rolled away from the mouth of a deserted tomb. Suddenly, they were confronted by two men in dazzling apparel who asked, “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? He is not here but is risen” (Luke 24:1-6). He is not here! These words sum up the hope and glory of the Christian faith (1 Peter 1:3, 21). Christianity centers on a blood-stained cross and an empty tomb! The resurrection lies at the very heart of what we believe, practice and live as followers of Christ. Unfortunately, some would-be Christians find the doctrine of the resurrection more of an embarrassment than a cause of celebration. The apostle Paul found this to be true in His day. His proclamation of the resurrection was met with jeers (Acts 17:32), with sneers (Acts 26:24), and with angry fears (Acts 23:9). It is still so today! In Britain, the Anglican Church was recently plunged into controversy by the appointment of a Bishop who openly denies the historical truth of Christ’s resurrection. In America, the “Jesus Seminar” has expended a great deal of effort and ingenuity to show that the resurrection could not actually have happened. A seminary professor voiced the doubts of many when he said, “I no longer believe it is possible to take the resurrection myth seriously.” However, we must take the resurrection seriously if we