Scripture for May 26th: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 6:20-25

Sermon: Foster Your Spiritual Connections

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’ “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. The LORD did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the LORD our God has given us.’

"Pastor, I need you to talk to my child..." I have heard this request many times through the years and I have been happy to fulfill the request. However, sometimes I have been asked to talk with an adult child about spiritual matters that the parent has no desire to do so himself. In these cases, the parent is saying, "It's not my job to talk to my children about spiritual matters, its the pastor's job." In reality, every Christian has been called to represent God to others, particularly to his family. Christianity is not a private affair; it is a public relationship with God that is designed to impact those around us, especially our loved ones.

The Scripture above shows the instruction that God gave to the Israelities to ensure that their families continued to walk with God - they were to talk to them about what God had done, teach them His laws and make sure that God's instruction was always before them ("tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders..."). God not only gave the job of teaching the law to the priests and religious leaders - He gave that job to every person, especially parents.

Christians today have the same job. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are all "ambassadors" for Christ (II Cor. 5:20), and as such, we are to represent God to the world. The place where we are best and most equipped to do this is in the home and among our loved ones. And it is where we have the most influence.

So how can we best influence our loved ones spiritually? By fostering our spiritual connections. We will talk about how to do this on Sunday as we continue our sermon series, "All in the Family." Hope to see you then!

Scripture for May 12th: I Thess. 1:4-7; II Thess. 2:9-12

Sermon: Model Your Relationship With God For Your Family

I Thessalonians 1:4-7
For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

II Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

There is an old story about a small boy who closely watched a neighboring pastor building a wooden deck. The boy did not say a word the entire time that he watched. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said to the boy, “Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?” “No,” replied the boy, “I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer” (from Linda Belleville).

The truth of that story is our actions speak louder than our words. This is especially true with our families. We can talk a good game about faith, but unless we really live what we say we believe, we will have little influence on our loved ones spiritually. The Apostle Paul was a role model of faith. He spoke God’s Word and taught people how to live pleasing to God. But it was in his actions that he demonstrated the faith most powerfully. He was able to say, “be an imitator” of me because he truly lived out what he taught. Can you sincerely say to your children, grandchildren and loved ones, “be an imitator of me” in my walk with the Lord? Do you role model your faith in God in your actions?

This coming Sunday we will give three rules that must be followed in order to spiritually influence our loved ones as we begin a new sermon series entitled, “All in the Family.” Hope to see you then!