Family Ties: Build Structured

 Family Ties: Build Structured

Opening Illustration:

Good morning brothers and sisters. Today we are continuing a series entitled “Family Ties”. Today may be your first day with us here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church. If so, let me catch you up on where we have been and what we have been talking about. First off, this series is all about helping your family discover the good plan that God has for your family. God wants to protect your family from this degrading culture and He wants to use your family to be a witness in this world. In week one, we talked about having strong families. If you remember we talked about checking your family’s foundation. I encouraged you to plant your family on the firm foundation of God’s Word. Last week we discussed what families that were sacred. We compared your family to a table with four legs. Each leg is important because if you remove one leg, the entire table falls. If you remember the four legs of your family were Biblical teaching, creating time…valuable time with your children, serving together, and lastly…the importance of worshipping together. Today we are talking about how to have a family structured on the sure footing of Scripture. 

Today’s Thought:

That brings me to today’s thought. I want you to answer this question for me this morning. Answer honestly. Is your family built on the solid rock, that being Jesus, or on the shifting sands of our culture? If we are being honest, all of our families are far too influenced by the world. I can tell you right now that the Davidson’s have to work hard on keeping out the influence of Satan in our family. We are bombarded by this world through media, video games, movies, television shows, pod-casts, internet, and music. It is hard to keep out the worldly messages because they are everywhere we look. 

Point:

Let me tell you this friends. If you have found your family firmly encamped on the shifting sands of this world, maybe you need a good spiritual moving company. Im not talking about 2 men and a truck, Im talking about a Savior and a book. Jesus doesnt just want to inform you of how he can influence your family this morning. He wants to transform your family. He literally wants to change your address from the sands of this world to His solid rock. 

Today’s Quote:

Adrian Rogers is one of my all time favorite pastors. Pastor Rogers firmly believed that Jesus had the power to transform families. Listen to what he says…

“The same Jesus Who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and His business is the business of transformation.”

Today’s Scripture

Today we are going to be examining the words of Jesus captured in Matthew 7. Jesus is right in the middle of the greatest sermon ever to be preached. Jesus’ sermon is entitled “The Sermon on the Mount”. This sermon was given at the height of Jesus’ ministry. He has the most followers that He will ever have follow Him. The sermon was delivered on a hillside that overlooked the Sea of Galilee. Today the location is called the Mount of Beatitudes. Simple put, Jesus delivered the message to teach His followers how to live. Jesus words are some of the most practical insights in all of Scripture. He addresses family, faith, relationships, law, and so much more. So let’s dive in this morning to Matthew chapter 7 verses 24-27. Will you join me this morning as I read from the English Standard Version? 

What Have We Learned?

God Wants Your Family To Be Strong, Sacred and Structured!

Today’s Thought:

Is Your Family Built On The Solid Rock or Shifting Sands?

Today’s Quote:

“The same Jesus Who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and His business is the business of transformation.” ~Adrian Rogers

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 7:24-27 ESV

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

Use the Bible As Your Blueprint To A Blessed Family

I. Your Family’s Building Project vs. 24, 26

Matthew 7:24,26 ESV

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Point:

This morning I want you to use Scripture, use the Bible as your blueprint to having a blessed family. So, how can we arrive at this splendid family of faith? Let’s listen the word of Jesus Christ and put them into practice. First, we need to understand that our family is symbolic of a building project. How many of you have ever built a house? Good, many of you have gone through that ordeal. Imagine building a home with no architect. Imagine building your home without a structural or electrical engineer. Would you let someone who has never roofed a house roof your new house? Likewise, would you prefer someone pour your house’s foundation if they have never poured a foundation before? I don’t think so. When a good home is constructed, it is done so with organization and administration. A good home build usually involves a good plan and a contractor set to execute that plan. There is order to building and constructing a good home. You don’t start plumbing your home after the walls have all gone up. You don’t pour the foundation before the ground has been leveled and prepared. You don’t roof the house before any beams have been set. 

Point:

Think of it like this: a good home is never built by accident. 

Likewise, a good family never happens by accident. 

Brothers and sisters, if you are desiring to have Christ centered home, a Godly home, a home where your children grow to love you, love God’s Word, and love the church, then you must start preparing now. Prepare today. 

Men, for those of you who are raising sons, if you want your sons to be good fathers, you must start today to prepare them for that role. You must show them what it means to be a Godly man, a Goldy father. They must see you reading your Bible. They must see you praying. They must seeing you love your wife, honoring her, serving her. 

Women, for those of you who are raising daughters, if you want your daughters to be good mothers, you must start today to prepare them for that role. You must demonstrate modesty in your dress so that they will embrace modesty in their appearance. You must read your Bible in front of them, letting them hear you pray, so that they will know how to treasure God’s Word and speak to God as their friend. You must demonstrate submissive service to your husband, honoring Him as he seeks to honor God. This teaches your daughters to love their husbands, longing to serve him as he intends to serve your daughter. 

Notice that Jesus states that it is the early preparation or lack there of, that bears success or failure for the person who built his home on the rock or on the sand. This man’s home was on a path to success long before the winds and the waves came. He was ready. Prepared. Likewise, the man who lost his home was on a path of destruction long before the tempest came. 

Point:

So how can you put your family on a path of success? If your family is a building project, how can you start to build an effective, Christ honoring, family?

The plan is really not that hard. It starts with admitting that you need supernatural help. Trust me, I don’t have within my own power to accomplish this project. Creating a Godly household is to hard, lasts to long, and it is to fraught with danger and peril. I simply do not have enough skill or intelligence to pull it off. I just make too many mistakes. I need the Lord’s grace, peace and forgiveness. First, admit to God that you are just flat not enough and that you need His help. 

Secondly, like King Solomon of old, request wisdom. James 1:5 tells us that if you ask for wisdom, God will give it generously without finding fault: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Raising children is difficult. I have three children and all three require different parenting. You might be asking yourself right now, “wait a second preacher, are you saying that you parent your three kids differently”? My response is “you bet your bottom dollar I do”. Jay, Jack and Jett are incredibly different. They have differing personalities, interests, desires, and passions. A meaningful word to Jay may go in one ear and out the other for Jack. A punishment for Jack may seem like a vacation for Jett. I’ve not even brought up my dear wife Angela yet. I can tell you that I have lived with my bride now for 23 years. I dated her 6 years before we got married. That is nearly 30 years together. She still amazes me nearly daily with her intelligence, beauty, and quality. She surprises me all the time. Sometimes she leaves me stumped as well. I need a lot of wisdom to deal with all of these personalities because 4 personalities living under the same room, 5 if you count mine, can lead to some problems. I need God’s wisdom to navigate those issues. 

Admit you need help from God. Ask God for wisdom. Next, do one spiritual act a week outside of coming to church. Create a daily prayer and praise time together. Read the Bible together. Do a devotional together. Pray over your meals together. When you do something spiritual daily, it makes future spiritual acts easier and more compelling. 

Again, a good Godly family is not going to happen by accident. You must plan for it, preparing for it. It must be on purpose and by design.  

Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV

Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

Use the Bible As Your Blueprint To A Blessed Family

I. Your Family’s Building Project vs. 24, 26

II. Your Family’s Building Problem vs. 25, 27

Matthew 7:25,27 ESV

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

Illustration:

"Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the book is about how everyone was convinced that a hurricane could never strike Galveston, even as one approached. The author vividly describes how as the streets began to flood people went about their business as if nothing was wrong. Children played in the water, men gathered for breakfast at the local diner, and no one fled from the storm that was about to strike.

Some didn’t worry because Issac Cline, the national weather service officer in Galveston, assured them it would not be a severe storm. Other’s simply believed that Galveston was invincible. Some thought that since they had never seen a hurricane strike Galveston one never would. So for a number of reasons, people assured themselves nothing bad would happen. And as a result over 6,000 people died one September day in 1900.

You know there are some who think that nothing ever bad will happen to them or their family. That is a very foolish assumption. Jesus guarantees that everyone, every family will have to endure the catastrophic waves of life. 

Are you ready for the storms that will attack you, your marriage, your family, your children?

Point:

Not to long ago, Hurricane Sally blew into South Alabama. It was a forceful storm. My family endured a long evening of wind, rain, hail, and lightening. It was one of the scariest moments in my adult life. I confess there was a moment when I thought that this storm would never leave. In my heart, I knew that the hurricane would eventually leave the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, but at what cost. 

Morning eventually came and we surveyed the damage. Across Daphne, Fairhope, and Spanish Fort, the devastation was wide spread. I witnessed homes damaged beyond repair. Thousands of trees were down. Power was out to a great many people. In that moment God’s Word came to life for me. Jesus reminds His followers of the importance of building their homes on strong foundations. He doesn’t say “if” storms come but rather “when” they come. 

Point:

Know this brothers and sisters, your family will endure a storm. It won’t just endure one storm. It will endure many storms. These storms will either reveal the strength of your family’s spiritual roots or these storms will reveal the cracks in your family’s concrete. 

What storm are you enduring today? Are you going through a family trauma? Do your finances stink? Are you looking at an eviction square in the eye? Is your marriage on rocky ground? Do you have a family member suffering some physical setback? Do you have a child going through a hard time at school? Are you a new mom and you are struggling with post pardum depression? The point is that people exist in one of two categories. 

Category One: you are in a storm. 

Category Two: you are not in a storm…but your storm is on its way. 

Point:

As I was watching the weather warnings run across the TV screen, I began to think about how we go through life's storms without any warnings. Each one of the storms we go through are painted a different color of severity, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red.

It could be that a Green storm is trouble getting ready for work or maybe just a trip to the grocery store and find that you have missed placed the car keys or your wallet.

A Yellow storm could be a bump up in traffic or maybe the car won't start and you are going to be late for a very important appointment.

An Orange storm could be having an accident where you or a family member gets hurt or maybe has a health emergency such as a heart attack or some other life threatening trauma.

The Red storm, life just stops, nothing else seems to matter when it hits. News of a love one who just died unexpectedly or was killed in an accident.

Point:

Whatever category you find yourself this morning, it is always a good idea to check your foundations. It is always a good idea to make sure your roots are strong. Hurricane Sally ripped hundred year old trees from the ground. The trees looked strong, secure even, but their roots were shallow. When the storm came the trees fell. There were other trees though whose roots ran deep. This was not the first hurricane they experienced and it would not be the last. They remained steadfast because their roots ran deep. 

Jeremiah 17:8 gives us wisdom on our roots. “They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

How deep are your roots? There is only one way to check. The only way to tell the depth of your spiritual root system is to go through a storm. It you want to water your roots, go to God’s Word. Read it daily and allow prayer to serve as your fertilizer. Spend time daily praising God, even if you are in the eye of the storm. Lastly, let your roots run deep by serving others. Serving others always builds strong spiritual roots. 

Trust me friend, your storm is coming. Check your foundations today. Examine your roots so that you may withstand the coming storm.

I Peter 4:12-13 ESV

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Use the Bible As Your Blueprint To A Blessed Family

I. Your Family’s Building Project vs. 24, 26

II. Your Family’s Building Problem vs. 25, 27

III. Your Family’s Building Preference vs. 24, 26

Matthew 7:24,26 ESV

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Point:

A good godly family does not happen by accident. It must be planned and prepared. 

Your family is under attack. A storm is coming. You may be in a storm right now. How will you prepare for the wind and the waves?

Lastly, you have a choice. Notice the two people described in the text. One man saw the weather report and he built his house on the rock. Another discarded the report and built his house on the sand. When the wind and the waves came, their houses met opposite ends. The man who built his home on the rock survived. The one who made the choice to build his house on the sand was destroyed. 

It is just that simple. You and I have a choice. What will you choose?

Point:

You know there is a famous story in the Old Testament about two families. Each family had a choice as to where they would plant the roots of their family. It is the story about Abram and Lot. The story is captured in Genesis 13. Abram and Lot were leaving Egypt with their wives and children and all that they had. These two men, Abram the Uncle of Lott, were looking for a place to call their own. They agreed after an argument broke out among their servants to split up. Abram, being the honorable man that he was gave Lot the first choice. Lot looked across the land and he chose for himself and his household choose the plain of Jordan towards Zoar. This was a fertile area, fit for livestock. Abram then chose Canaan which would eventually be Israel. Scripture then tells us that the men parted company. 

Lot’s choice to plant his family where he did is curious. Lot chose this area so that he could buy, sell, and trade with the nearby peoples and cities. These cities were Sodom and Gomorrah respectfully. By the way, Sodom and Gomorrah are widely regarded as two of the most evil cities ever to grace God’s green earth. Scripture remind us in Genesis 18 that God sends judgment to Sodom and Gomorrah because of their evil, the rampant homosexuality and their sexual perversions. The men of the city longed to defile the holy messengers of God sent to save Lot and his family. As lot abandons the city God send fire and brimstone to destroy the cities. Lot’s wife looks back to the cities and is instantly turned to a pillar of salt. Lot’s wife dies. 

Why? All of this happens because Lot chose to plant his family in the wrong place, among the wrong people, in worldliness, in sin, in corruption, and it cost him dearly. 

Abram followed God’s leading. He followed God’s direction and God made an everlasting covenant with him. 

It all came down to a choice. 

Point:

How in the world did Lot end up in such a mess?

One word—choices.

—Something each of us has in common. Every single day... every single moment we make choices.

—What to eat. What to wear. What to say. What to do. How to act.

—You’ve made a thousand choices before you arrived here this morning!

—A choice to argue with your wife. A choice to yell at the kids. A choice to spend some time with the Lord in prayer. Choices.

The choices you make today are the ones you’re going to have to live with tomorrow.

Point:

Friend, you can make a similar choice today. You can choose to plant the roots of your family on the unaltered, inerrant Word of God or you can choose folly. In a few weeks we will talk about the role of Fathers in the home. Men, pull in real close right now and take a listen. Men, your wives are awaiting your decision. The mother’s of your children are waiting for you to make a choice concerning the overall spiritual direction of your family. This doesnt mean that your wives do not play a vital role in the overall function of the home. Men if you are the rudder of your home, then your wives are the sails that catch the wind of God that pulls your family forward. It is your calling to give direction, it is the job of your wife to give action to your direction. 

Notice it was Abram that made the choice, not Sarah. Notice that as Abram chose wisely that Sarah was blessed. Abram’s children were blessed. Their children’s children were blessed. The converse is true. As Lot choose poorly, his wife was cursed. His children were cursed. 

Men it is up to you to listen to God’s voice and choose this day whom you will serve. It is up to you to choose which surface you build your family upon. 

Quote:

A.W. Tozier said:

The man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice – any choice will be the right choice.

Closing:

Rev. Billy Graham, who died at his home in North Carolina on 21st February 2018 Wednesday at the age of 99, was among the most influential religious leader of the 20th Century. He said “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.” C.S. Lewis said “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, Thy will be done, and those to whom God says, All right, then, have it your way” sadly many people will have to suffer eternal without God because they choose to live without Him on Earth. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.Your life isn't an accident. You have a destiny, one that only you can complete. You will live forever in the presence or absence of God, reaping the consequences of your choices and actions on earth. So, what choice will you make today? To build your family on the solid rock of faith in Christ or on the shifting sands of this worldly corrupted culture?

Joshua 24:15 ESV

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Let These Points Jumpstart Prayer For Your Family!