Part 20: FULL. Part 2 - Will the Circle be Unbroken?

Transcription

1 Part 20: FULL Text: Psalm 68:4-6 (NKJV) - Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. [5] A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. [6] God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. WHY GOD ORDAINED THE FAMILY Part 2 - Will the Circle be Unbroken? A. The Hebrew word most often used in the Old Testament for family means: circle of relatives or kinfolk. 1. A circle is a protective line of defense against attack. It refers to the perimeter where people camped at night while traveling through hostile territory. Whenever danger was lurking in the darkness, sentries would be posted to keep watch and protect those who were sleeping. 2. General George Patton, ( Old Blood and Guts Patton ), the famed World War II, U.S. Army commander in Europe, related the story of a German soldier falling asleep while on sentry duty. America had just been attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and four days later, the Germans had declared war against us. America not only fought against the Japanese on the Pacific Front, but also Nazi Germany and Italy on the European Front. Our future as a nation was hanging in the balance. For a time, our survival was

2 touch-and-go. The Germans had thrown everything they had at us. Fighting was brutal. At night, we sent commandos, the fore-runners of today s special forces, to constantly probe for a weakness in the enemy line. The Germans were doing the same in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. In General Patton s story, our soldiers were able to silently creep up on the sentry, who had fallen asleep. Because this German soldier was sleeping at his post, our troops were able to infiltrate the enemy lines and kill 400 enemy soldiers. That was the price for a sentry going to sleep while on duty! While these soldiers were our enemy at the time, they were still a mother s son, a brother, husband, or father. They were slaughtered because someone had allowed the circle of protection to be broken. 3. We are in another type of war today: for the family, our values and future. Like the commandos of World War II, the enemy is constantly probing to see if he can find an opening to attack and destroy our families. 4. Dad and Mom, we must stand watch over our families! Yes, the enemy wants to destroy them; but we must not allow the spirit of this age to lull us to sleep at our post. 5. God Himself ordained, created, and blessed the family! Any other social arrangement would be a very poor substitute for the one God created and divinely blessed. B. As you fight to preserve what God has given you, consider the many reasons God created and ordained the family. 1. Families are an earthly reflection of our Heavenly Father s love.

3 a. The Bible says that God has a covenant to love, forgive, and never forsake us. b. Hebrews 10:16-17 NKJV) - This is the COVENANT that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, [17] then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. c. This promise is important since marriage is also a covenant not a contract. d. A contract is a binding agreement with certain stipulations agreed to by both parties. But a covenant is MORE than a contract. It also has stipulations, but it is based on relationship. You don t need to have a relationship or to even know the person with whom you have a contract. e. Contracts may have a cancellation or non-performance clause that can be broken; but a covenant remains in effect and is not to be broken until death. f. Malachi 2:13-14 (NKJV) - And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. [14] Yet you say, For what reason? Because the LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife BY COVENANT. g. Not only is marriage a covenant between you and your spouse, scripture says that marriage is a covenant with God. h. Proverbs 2:17 (NKJV) - Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the COVENANT of her God.

4 i. These two verses in Malachi and Proverbs declare that the covenant of marriage is not just between you and your companion, but also a covenant with God. This is important because marriage is meant to teach us about God s unfailing love and to demonstrate in a practical way His commitment to never leave or forsake us. j. Years ago, before computers were mass produced and available to everyone, Mike Massengill, a very good friend who has gone to be with the Lord, brought a computer to my office. You Millennials who have grown up with computers can t image a time when they didn t exist. Mike excitedly showed me a Bible program he had installed on his computer. I was a little skeptical at first about how much time it would take to become computer literate, but what hooked me was when Mike said, Rev, tell me what you would like to know that s written in the Bible. I told him that I wanted to know if it was true that 366 times the Bible says that God will never leave or forsake us. He typed a command on the computer and the answer flashed back that God has said 366 times that He would never leave or forsake us! That s one for every day of the year and an extra one for Leap Year. Never will there be a day when God will forsake us. That hooked me on using a computer as a tool for studying the Bible! k. A contract may be annulled when things are tough, but not a covenant. A marriage will have challenges and hard times, but you ll keep standing by each other because you re in a covenant with each other and with God! Families stay together through thick and thin. Others may walk away, but the family is supposed to stay with you.

5 l. This is why God hates divorce! However, when there is no other alternative, the Bible provides for divorce. But His plan has always been for a man and wife to stay together. Even though there is one biblical reason, divorce will inevitably affect family members with deep hurts, wounds, and issues of trust, perhaps the rest of their lives. m. In those extreme cases, divorce is allowed to stop the hemorrhaging and harm caused by destructive behavior and to limit any further damage to the family members. But this was not God s intention. He is opposed to divorce because it affects our thinking about God. The father and mother who work through their issues and stay true to each other are doing much more than just building a marriage. They are shaping their children s image of who God is, while demonstrating the eternal nature of God s love for us. 2. Family is where we first learn about the ways of God. a. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. b. Charles Spurgeon, the renowned dean of preachers in London, once observed: A Bible that s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn t. c. Abraham Lincoln said, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book. He also said, But for this book we could not know right from wrong. d. Sunday School is a wonderful asset. Many of the earliest biblical lessons I learned were on a Sunday morning. But the truth is, Sunday School alone isn t enough to train a child in the Word of God.

6 e. Deuteronomy 11:19-21 (NKJV) - YOU shall teach them to YOUR children, speaking of them when YOU sit in YOUR house, when YOU walk by the way, when YOU lie down, and when YOU rise up. [20] And YOU shall write them on the doorposts of YOUR house and on YOUR gates, [21] that YOUR days and the days of YOUR children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to YOUR fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. f. The pronouns you or your are used 14 times in these three verses. The home is clearly God s primary place for children to be taught about Him. g. The four best times to teach children are also mentioned: (1) when you sit in your house (dinner, family time); (2) when you walk by the way (in the car); (3) when you go to bed (end your day at the altar); (4) when you get up (begin your day at the altar). h. A family altar and daily devotionals can prepare each member of the family for the day that has just begun. It provides an anchor that will keep them steadfast in the ways of God and help them overcome whatever strategy the enemy may use against them. Jesus successfully met every temptation of the enemy with the Word of God. i. If you train your children to hide the Word of God in their hearts, those principles will ensure success in whatever vocation they choose. j. The family that prays together really does stay together! 3. Family is where values are formed that will be embraced the rest of our lives.

7 a. I must agree with James Dobson: There is nothing more important than parents passing on a generational legacy of faith and values to their children. b. What values are you passing to your children? The home is where we learn the importance of honesty and integrity and how to be courteous and kind. The family is where we learn to respect others and value them as fellow human beings. c. Thank God for our wonderful school teachers who do their best to teach godly principles; but more and more their hands are being tied. For that reason, the values I m referring to will probably not be learned in school. d. Along with the basic educational requirements, schools are including the current agenda and flavor of the day especially at the university level. Unfortunately, and contrary to God s Word, students are being taught that we were NOT created in the image and likeness of God, but rather that we have evolved and are nothing more than animals. e. Evolution basically reduces us to mere animals who had the good fortune to develop a little faster than the others. And if we are nothing more than animals, what s the big deal about human life? f. So a kid takes a gun to school and kills his own classmates. Since he was taught that life was merely an accident and we are just animals, why the outrage when such tragedies occur? Why should guns be blamed? g. This is also why 65 million babies have been aborted in America since without shedding a tear. But people cry when a SPCA commercial shows the suffering of an abused animal. A child of God should treat every living thing

8 as one of God s creations. Those are some of the values that should be taught in the family. h. Life is not valued for another reason. Not only do we send our kids to a school where God isn t welcome, but since mom and dad must both work and there is no one to watch the children after school, television and video games have become the baby sitter when they come home. Children and teens in America spend an average of 7½ hours a day watching various forms of entertainment media, such as television, video games, the Internet, and recorded music. Sadly, the programs on TV teach anything but the values that are important to parents. i. Before age 18, the average American youth witnesses 200,000 violent acts on television and over 16,000 murders. They will have also killed over 100,000 people on video games. Families must take back the responsibility for teaching their children godly values and what matters in life. Those values taught in the family will help them learn one other thing: 4. Families are where children first develop self-esteem and discover their great worth. a. Because there is such little regard for human life in our nation, people do not know how to treat one another. All the anger and hate has erupted into every type of violence imaginable. b. The Bible is not only opposed to such behavior, it condemns the attitudes that caused the violence. Laws can legislate how people are supposed to behave, but hearts must be changed through the teaching of God s Word.

9 c. I ve stood at the grave of William Wilberforce in Westminster Abbey in London. Because of what he read in God s Word, he championed the abolition of slavery in the UK and Europe. The anti-slavery movement begun by William Wilberforce then crossed the Atlantic Ocean and abolished slavery in the United States as well. d. Christians were the ones who led the struggle on the basis of one essential fact: every man is created in the image of Almighty God and is a living representation of Him on earth, even though fallen in nature. e. This is why the legalization of abortion and the teaching of evolution became a giant step backward. Two generations are now seeing the fruit of believing that an unborn child is just a mass of fetal tissue. This concept cannot help but cause division and hatred among classes, social groups, ethnicities and nations. It is a recipe for disaster! f. The philosopher Santayana said, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it! g. It is also true that when people use the Bible to teach their perverted doctrines of hatred, they must first twist the scriptures. Like the old hymn, this Gospel makes you love everybody, regardless of status or education, race or religion, or whether it s popular or unpopular. h. Jesus told the story about a good Samaritan who rescued a man who had fallen among thieves. The Levite and the priest, who were willing to compass land and sea to make one convert, walked by on the other side of the road. It wasn t the length of the road, but the width of the road that was too much for them. The despised Samaritan was willing to cross

10 more than a road to save a wounded man s life; he had to cross cultures and ethnicities. Jesus then asked who was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves? Living next door to someone doesn t make them your neighbor. The teaching of God s Word can break down barriers and eliminate obstacles that divide us. 5. Families are the first line of defense against the enemy. a. The prayers of a family are among the most powerful in the world. Families who pray together form a perimeter of defense that the enemy cannot penetrate. No pastor, evangelist, or prophet can pray a prayer that will affect heaven for your family like the prayers of a dad and mom. Together you create a two-fold cord that cannot be broken. b. I ve told you about my grandmother who came from a really wicked family. Her brother and several of his children were murderers. They ran the Labor Local in Lake Charles like the mafia. But my grandmother, who was saved at age 17, turned our family around on a dime! Because she prayed for her family, my granddad was saved and every one of her children! c. I recently attended the funeral of my Aunt B.J., the last surviving child of my grandmother and my dad s last sibling. From her descendants, I knew of 17 family members and those related by marriage who were serving in ministry. At the funeral, I learned about four others, for a total of 21 who entered the ministry because of her decision to serve God. It changed the future of her entire family! I m not saying my grandmother was perfect, but she stood in the gap for our

11 family and made a difference that is still being felt over 100 years after she was saved. 6. Through the family, we learn how to get along with others. a. They teach us how to form lasting, mutually beneficial earthly relationships. If you can associate with some of the members of your family, you can most likely get along with anyone! b. Someone said, Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst. Someone else said, Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family... when they are living in another state. c. The truth is, God intends for us to learn how to get along with the rest of the world by first learning to get along with our own family members. 7. Families provide a biblical model for developing successful, spiritual relationships. a. Joke: A Family Will Tell You What You Need To Hear An elderly couple were in church. The husband leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I just passed some really long and silent gas. What should I do?" The wife replied, "The first thing you need to do is to replace the batteries in your hearing aid!" b. The church is like a family of believers. That s why we refer to one another as brother or sister. Like the family, churches are places where we can receive spiritual instruction and correction. c. People have forgotten that one of the most important things a family can do is to lovingly remind when you ve gone astray. That s true in the church as well. When corrected, people become angry and move their membership to another church

12 because they re not accustomed to being told when they ve made a mistake. If you re in a Christ-centered family, it s not the end of the world when someone points out that you re not doing the right thing. d. This is also where we learn to affirm others. Members of society are slowly dying within for not being congratulated for a job well done. They have never known what it s like to be praised or affirmed. The world undermines the significance of the family and then offers substitutes to build self-esteem and significance but they always fail. A common part of family dynamics is expressing our appreciation and telling others how valuable they are. e. Participation trophies and giving everyone a passing grade cheapens the whole process. Failing to recognize or honor a person s achievement condemns them to failure and ensures that mediocrity will become a hallmark of their life. f. It should begin at home, in the family, where we first learn to worship and show our love to God not at church. 8. Families are where we understand the value of men and their role in the home. a. When dad and mom love each other and God, the family works! It prevents a child s potential from being wasted. Dad, your wife and children need you. Don t play games with your family! b. Joke: Our Wives Can Read Us Like a Book It was a wife who once said, "When a man brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason!" c. While being a godly leader in the family, man finds his purpose for being created. God made man to lead a family

13 that will represent and model His divine nature in the earth. When leading your family in love, you are modeling the role of God for them. 9. Families are where we learn the value of women and their unique role in the home and on earth. a. The Bible is pro-woman! Some of the greatest heroes in the Word of God were women: Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Esther, and a host of others. b. Where would humanity be without Elizabeth who gave us John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ? Or Mary, who gave us the Christ? c. Women have always played a significant role in the world. They aren t a possession to be owned or slaves to be ordered around; they are the living model of God s church on earth and should be treated as Christ treats the church! d. Women are much smarter than we men realize. Never underestimate the intelligence of your wife! e. Joke: A guy once complained to his wife that he didn t know why God made her so beautiful, but so dumb. She replied, God made her beautiful so the man would marry her, but dumb so she would marry him. f. Joke: Boudreaux s wife, Marie, decided that it was time for their oldest daughter, Clotille, to learn how to get a husband. So she sat Clotille down and said, De first ting you got to know is that it s better for your husband to think you re beautiful dan it is to let him know you are smart. The daughter asked, Why is dat da case, Mama?

14 Marie answered, "De reason de average man would rather you have more beauty dan brains, is because de average man can see better dan he can think." C. Life Application Points: 1. Begin to see how the family was ordained by God. 2. Stop thinking of marriage as a contract and see it as a covenant. 3. Let the role you were meant to fill in the family be a reflection of who God is to us. 4. Simply stated, make family work!