God's Heart For You

I Thessalonians 5:18  ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

These words were written by the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica. Paul wrote over a dozen different letters that became books of the New Testament. Most theologians think that this was the very first letter that he wrote. It was written around 60 AD. Paul spent a lot of time in Thessalonica and in Acts 17 we learn that he was being accused of preaching another king., King Jesus rather than King Caesar. It would have been heresy or treason. At the worst it would have meant death or imprisonment. At best it would have landed him on a glorified watch list. His preaching incited a riot that cause Paul and Silas to flee in the night. The church continued to experience persecution even after Paul left. In his letter to the church, he passes along some council straight from the heart of God. They serve as a reminder to us.

It is what he wants you to embrace. It is a natural response to wonder what God has for me. What is God’s will for my life? Some take the fortune cookie approach thinking that the answer is going to show up in a predictable way. Some try the magic 8-ball approach where you ask the question and the answer is on the bottom and you keep shaking it until you get the answer you always wanted anyway.  For others it would be Siri. I was checking the other day what some of the most commonly asked questions are.  One of the most commonly ask questions Siri is asked is what is the meaning of life. I tried that the other day and do you know what she told me? The meaning of life is chocolate.

**God is more concerned with who we are on the journey than the actual destination.

We often think in terms of the destination. Where am I going to land? What is the path that I am going to take? Often God focuses on who we are on the path and along the way. I want us to focus on all five words in this section: give thanks in all circumstances.

>>Give Thanks

This is to say it is going to cost you something. It has got to be intentional and deliberate. There are some people that seem to be appreciative, thankful, and grateful because it is their nature.  Some of us would say I am not wired that way. That is not who I am. That is not the way I am put together. I tend to be more cynical or a little on the dark side.

We learn in scripture that contentment is a learned thing and the more we look at life through the lens of gratitude, the more we begin to see things that way. It is something that we are taught. One of the first words our kids learned was “More”. That is not a good word to be one of the first words to learn. We are a lot like that. The older we get the more our hearts are saying; more, more, more. That one word seems to mark our prayers to God…more. It is easier to teach kids-more but it is more difficult to team them thank you.  You don’t have to remind them to say more but you often have to remind them to say thank you.

**More focuses on what we get but thank you focuses on what we give.  Thanksgiving is not thanks until it is given. When we give thanks, what we get in return is so much greater. When we give thanks it comes back to us in many fold.

There was a study in Psychology Today they divided participants into two groups. In one group they were told to keep a thanksgiving journal. They were to list everything they were thankful for. The other group was told to keep an annoyance journal. They found out the effects of each of the groups. The first group had more enthusiasm; they slept better and were significantly less depressed. The national institute of health studied that the blood flow to the brain in the area that controls our sleep function  stress level and metabolism was better for those who were thankful. It is true physiologically but also relationally. It showed that people who gave thanks. If people were thanked for giving direction, they did more so in the future. Social workers who received thank you notes from their clients were more likely to make more visits to their clients in the future.  Servers in a restaurant who write thank you on the check are more likely to get a bigger tip. Husbands who get a thank you for washing the dishes are more likely to wash them the next time.  Mothers that are thanked for fixing the meals do more so in the future.

It is like making an investment. It comes back to us greater. The more specific in our thanksgiving the more benefit it is for them and for us.

>>All Circumstances

This is where it gets difficult. We think that our thanks is dependent on our circumstances.  Somehow if our circumstances were different it would somehow unlock the key to us being thankful. The thinking we sometimes take is that our thanks is conditional on our circumstances.

In fact the bible says we are to give thanks in all things. We think if our circumstance were more abundant we would be more thankful.  We think with these equations: [Abundance+ Comfort = Thanksgiving.} however, Abundance is actually the enemy of gratitude. Therefore the equation more times than not is:

**[Abundance +Comfort=Discontentment. The truth is the more we get the more we want.
If you look at our culture and all the things that we have you would think we would be the most thankful people on the planet. 76% of people living below the poverty level have A/C while 30 years ago 36% of the entire population had it. In other words we are more comfortable than we have ever been.  In 1973 the average house had 1600 square feet but today the average home has over 2400 square feet.  More abundance than ever before. Of the 46 million Americans living below the poverty level right now, 74% own a car or a truck. 90% pay for cable service. 53% have a video system of some kind in their home.  There is more abundance than there has ever been so the question is: Are we more grateful?

Studies show that people born after 1945 are ten times more depressed than those born earlier. We have become so aware of what we don’t have that we have become discontent with what we do have.

**So the equation we operate under is Abundance + Comfort = Entitlement.
We finally get what we have been wanting and when we get it we think in our spirit it is about time. On a mission trip the kids were given flavored water or juice, something they would rarely get. They started bringing their empty cups back to the team. They thought they wanted more but in reality they were bringing them their empty cups out of gratitude so that the other kids could have some drinks too. If we tried this in America they would say: Where is the ice? They would look at the size drink that the kid next to them got and say:  Why did he get more? Then when they were finished they would come back for more. We would look at each other and say well that is how kids are. Guess where they learned that?

Another way this equation is manifest is:

**Abundance + Comfort= Complaining. People that seem to complain the most are usually the most well off.  Did you know that first class passengers complain more than passengers in coach? The more we have often leads to discontentment, entitlement and complaining.

What do we do about it? We have to be intentional in being thankful in all things and in all circumstances. Here are some ways to give thanks:

a. Through Singing- Psalm 147:7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. The more we worship, the more thankful we are.

b. Through Serving- Hebrews 12:28  ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Often we find ourselves serving for what we can get out of it such as recognition or appreciation.

c. Through Giving- Psalm 50:14  ¹⁴ “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

>>In

That short word makes all the difference in the world in interpreting that correctly. When we talk about thanksgiving we use a different preposition.  What is it? “For.” Certainly it is okay to be thankful for. But when you make your list of what you are thankful in it becomes more difficult.  We are not told to be thankful for all things. I am not thankful for cancer, divorce, or car accident. But we can be thankful in all circumstances.

I can be thankful in all things because:

1. He has a greater purpose than I can see. He knows what I don’t. he understands what I can’t.  our vision is so limited but his is eternal.  Romans 8:28  We give thanks in all things because in all things he works things together for the good.

2. He can work in me so that I can grow.
3. He will give me the power so that I can overcome.
4. He gave His son so that I can be saved.

Conclusion: God does not owe us anything. We can say: More More but he doesn’t owe us. What he did for us is because he loved us. If we put our trust in the finished work of Christ, that is more than enough to be thankful for.  So we put our hope and our thanks in Him.

A missionary came back from a mission trip where he had visited a leper colony and they asked does anybody have a request for a song to sing. A woman in the back raised her fingerless hand and said could we sing: count your many blessings? When he is all you’ve got you realize that is more than you deserve.

 

 

 

 

 

Dont' Do It Alone

The super bowl is always an exciting time.  One team is going to come out on top. It is going to take the entire team. The quarterback is good but he is going to need the lineman. Lone rangers will not win the super bowl. If you are going to take hold of what God has for you, you are not going to do it alone. Winning is a team sport. It doesn’t matter how fast Jeff Gordon is if he does not have a pit crew he is not going to win. We have got to get on God’s team. Paul said if we are disconnected from the body of Christ we are never going to be who we were created to be. The hand disconnected from the body cannot function properly. Today I want to ask you who is on your team. Who is your coach? Who are the spiritual coaches in your life? Who is on your team? You can’t go it alone. A coach sees in you what you cannot see in yourself. The coach tells you not to quit. We need team mates in our life that challenge us and tell us to keep on going. In reality there are too many people trying to go it alone.

Today I want to look at a story in the Old Testament. You either win or lose based on who you have on your team.  Israel is at war with the Philistines again. They are always trying to raid their harvest and raid their women and raid their possessions. The Israelite army is afraid and hiding out in caves. God never intended Israel to have an army. God wanted to be their protector. Israel was never meant to have an army but God gave them an army. They were not to have a king but they said we want a king like every other nation so God gave them a king. He wasn’t a very good king. They were not a very good army. Be careful what you ask for because you might get it. Sometimes if you get what you want you will lose what you’ve got. That is another whole sermon. The Philistines have the Israelite army on the run. They were hiding out in caves. Jonathon who was king Saul’s son said I have had enough of this so he grabbed his armor bearer and said lets go fight them. An armor bearer was one that would carry the extra armor for a king or leader or a soldier. He would have an extra sword or a shield. The armor that they wore had not protection in the back so they would stand back to back to fight the enemy.  So Jonathon said this:

 I Samuel 14:6  Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
He was saying nothing can stop the army because God is with us. God doesn’t need a big army. God and I always make a majority. Somebody may need to hear that today because you might feel outnumbered by your circumstances. The Lord will fight your battle for you. 
Vs 7-11  ⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” ⁸ Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.”

They had not swung the first sword yet but Johnathon says the Lord has given them to our hands. God had given them the victory but they still had to fight. There are some promises that God has spoken to your heart but you are still going to have to hang on to those promises in the middle of the battle. You have to fight the good fight of faith. When you get into a battle it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. Sometimes we get into a battle and we say:”Oh God where are you?”  He has not abandoned you; rather he is right there by your side.  The one who reigns forever is a friend of mine and yours.   We don’t have to fear.

**Just because the enemy is present does not mean that God is out.
Vs 12-13 ¹² The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴ In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Here is the point. You cannot win alone.  You need a team around you. 2 things here about the team:

>>The Right Team Takes You Higher Than You Can Go By Yourself

The right people in your life can take you higher than you could ever go on your own. Johnathon said to his armor bearer: come on let’s go. If he had not done this the armor bearer would have never done this by himself. That stirred up faith. The armor bearer went with him heart and soul. He said: I am all in.  That builds confidence in your life.  I am glad that our church is filled with people like that.

When we were looking for our first building and it was more per month for the payment than we were taking in. our trustees and leadership never said maybe we should think smaller. The same was true for the building at the Saltillo campus and the Tupelo campus. We had people around us saying we don’t know how it is going to happen but we are with you heart and soul. Now we are seeing people restored, redeemed, healed and changed by the power of Jesus Christ and you are a part of that.
Even though that is great in our church, you need to have that in your life. I am with you heart and soul. I am lifting up the things in your life.  I am believing for you. I am cheering you on to be all that God wants you to be. You need that in your ear. You need that in your corner.  I am so thankful that Marla and I have that in our lives. We had people encouraging us and standing with us. We have people that are praying for us. You will always have those against you. When we started NSC there were people that spoke negative rather than encouragement. However we had that team of believers that cheered us on to do what God had called us to do. 
It builds your God-fidence when you have that. Moses had Aaron as he held up his hands. David had Jonathan by his side.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 ¹² Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
When you have people speaking faith it builds your confidence in God. Confidence is contagious so is lack of confidence. Johnathon and his armor bear went place they never thought they would go. They did something they never thought they would do. It is significant that they did it together.
I read this about Canadian geese.  They rotate leadership. When one goose is tired to rotates to the back. The reason for this is the updraft. When the geese in the front are flying it creates an updraft that makes it easier for the ones behind. They did a study that because they fly in this V-formation that they are 71% more effective than if they were flying by themselves. 71% is incredible because they had the right birds around them. Do you have the right birds around you? I also found that the only birds that honk are the ones in the back. What they are actually doing is they are encouraging the other birds. You need some honkers in your life. You need some people who are telling you keep on going. God has something great for your life.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

**Get the right friends, get the right life.

Proverbs 12:26 ²⁶ The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Your relationships shape your future.

**Your destiny in not a mystery- it is made up of all the little things you are involved in and the choices you make in obedience. You show me your friends and I will show you your future. I am not saying you can only hang out with people who listen to Christian music and carry a big bible around etc. however those closest to you need to be those who are cheering you on in the Lord and headed the direction you are heading. 

Proverbs 13:20 ²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 13:20 Good News Translation (GNT) ²⁰ Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.

You know who this verse is talking about in your life. It matters who you hang with.

Now note the second thing about the team:

>>The Right Team Makes You Better Than You Can Be By Yourself

They will take you higher and they will make you better. Think about Jonathan and the armor bearer. Together they went higher and together they were better. It was what was best for them but also for the entire nation Israel.

They won the battle because two men said we are going to be all that we can be. We are going to step out in courage.

Vs 15 ¹⁵ Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.^[a]

Hebrews 10:24-25 ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The word spur is the word for provoke. It is not comfortable. It is like a spur on cowboy boots to get the horse going in the right direction. There are times that I need spurring in the right direction. Sometimes I am not wanting to move when God is saying to move. We need someone who holds us accountable. We don’t like accountability. It is giving someone permission to hold us accountable to our decisions. When I am watching my weight and health, I tell Marla when we are going out don’t let me eat anything or order anything that I don’t need to have. Kick me under the table. With accountability in your life you will do things you would not do without it.  We are better when people are watching. When I am running and a car comes by, I start running faster until they pass.  We need to transfer that to spiritual things. What if we had spiritual accountability? How much more would we do and accomplish. If you know someone is going to ask you if you are reading your bible hopefully you will read your bible. I know when I read my bible it is doing the right thing for me.

We need friends helping friends to go after God in your life. The other side of this is you will have things you won’t do, places you won’t go if you have accountability in your life. It is a guardrail in you spiritual life. Accountability brings life. I can’t get angry in traffic because they might show up at church. I saw you what were you saying and doing? I was casting out the devil from your car. I can’t be a jerk because they didn’t get my order right etc.

Proverbs 27:17  ¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,     so one person sharpens another.

This is another reason small groups are so important.

**Accountability will help you achieve what you say you believe.

You need to write down who helps to hold you accountable. If you don’t have anyone ask God to show you who that needs to be. I am accountable to my wife. We share the same checking account, passwords etc. I am accountable to our leadership team etc. your assignment is to watch the super bowl and realize there is more than one person out on that field. We need each other.

Change The World

Proverbs 11:11a  ¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted….

Relationships create responsibility.  The church at its best is not the lights, worship and message but the church at its best is when we feel empowered and willing to be inconvenienced and take responsibility and administer healing to someone else’s brokenness. I taught that we must get the do not disturb sign off of our neck and be willing to get down in the ditch.

We must come down so that they can go up. Maybe they were thinking what will happen to me if I stop. The Samaritan was saying what will happen to him if I don’t? Jesus didn’t say what is going to happen to me if I go to the cross but rather what is going to happen to them if I don’t. What would happen if our church from top to bottom said: “what about them?” Your kindness has the potential to being the answer to someone else’s prayer.

Today I want us to think more globally. I want to talk about having a heart for God and a vision for the world.

Text : Luke 24:45-49  ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

A Heart for God—A Vision for the World.  

>>What Does A Heart For God Look Like?

What does it mean to have a heart for God? If I am going to have a heart for you, I am going to have a relationship with you. It is an intimate knowledge.  First of all if you have a heart for God you have:

A.  A Desire to Know Him

So if I have a heart for God then I have an intimate knowledge of him and his ways. No matter what I know about God, I want to know more because there is something inside of me that makes me want to know more.
Do you know where you would be today without the gospel? If someone hadn’t told you about Jesus, you’d be separated from God, living without His help, and facing the prospect of His righteous judgment after death. Sadly, that’s where most people in the world are today. Their only hope is in Jesus because He is the one way to come to the Father.
John 14:6  ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Yet many have never even heard of Him. This is why a church must always be willing and prepared to share the gospel outside the walls of a building.
Believers must have both a heart for God and a vision for the world. It was the last direction Christ gave to His church before ascending to heaven (Luke 24:45-49). He reminded His followers, “You are witnesses of these things” (v. 48) and must share what you’ve seen with everyone.

Like them, we need to remember that whenever God plants a vision in our hearts, He has a purpose and a blessing in mind. If we’ll take the first step of obedience, the Lord will lead us to the second and provide everything we need.

When you have a heart for God, you experience an insatiable desire to know Him. It’s not a matter of learning facts, but rather a pursuit of an increasingly personal relationship with Him. You want to spend time alone with the Lord in intimate conversation to better understand His character, thoughts, desires, activities, and plans. Just as you want to know other people you love dearly, you crave time with the Lord.

When I was growing up, I have noticed some people who don’t  seem very excited about Jesus though they had walked with Him for many years. Their desire for Him had dwindled instead of increased. This can happen to any of us if we get sidetracked and neglect our relationship with the Lord. Some may say: I have been a Christian for many years but I am not excited. Listen, if you are obedient to God and walking with him, you are still going to be excited. The more you get to know him, the more peace, joy, contentment and excitement in your life.

B.  A Desire to Obey Him—three times in the gospel of John Jesus said the same thing. If you love me you will obey me. The night before His trial and crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Why did he say it three times? He wanted us to know that true genuine love for Christ always results in obedience. Would you say that you are an obedient Christian. 

Knowing this, could you honestly say that you love Jesus? Is your life one that is characterized by obedience and submission? Consider how you make decisions about things like spending money and using your time. As a believer, you should always be fully surrendered to His will in every aspect of your life. If I am going to have a heart for God, first I am going to want to know him and then I am going to want to obey him.

C.  A Desire to Share Him—if I have a heart for God, I cannot keep it to myself. If you’re genuinely devoted to Jesus, you’ll want to tell others about Him—the most important person in your life. Jesus is what life is all about so I would be talking about him. Whatever your vocation is, you should be talking about him. You shouldn’t keep Him to yourself because Christ didn’t call followers to private faith. Instead, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). How could you keep it to yourself? Fear of criticism shouldn’t keep you from telling others about the Savior.  Those you need to share with won’t know how desperate they are if believers don’t share His message. This is the good news of Christ!

>>God Intends For Every Person To Hear The Gospel

Many passages of Scripture are evidence of our heavenly Father’s plan. Remember, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Salvation is a gift He intended for whoever accepts Jesus as Savior; there is no limit to His mercy and grace. The Lord desires that each and every one of us would know the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3-5  ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

That is why He patiently continues to call people to Him so none might perish.

2 Peter 3:9   ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

**Because Jesus paid the sin debt for each of us, we have also been given a lifelong obligation. Christ gave His disciples the job of spreading the good news both near and far—“even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We are now the ones who carry this responsibility. Although God is the only one who can open a person’s heart to the gospel, our job is to tell others about the Savior—beginning in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. However, we can’t stop there because the Great Commission compels us to reach the entire world.

**God’s plan is working. All over the globe, people are being saved, churches are being established, and missionaries are being sent out. We have the message that can transform a person’s life and eternal destiny. That’s why none of us has an excuse for not sharing our faith and our churches are responsible for having a missionary plan for the world.

>>God’s Plan is the Missionary Church.

Since the Lord wants everyone to hear about Christ and has tasked believers with the message, we know He has a plan to accomplish it. This plan involves:

**The Person of Jesus Christ—He is the One who offered His life as a substitutionary atonement for our sins. And by His divine authority, Jesus has commanded us to tell others about His offer of forgiveness.

**The Power—Knowing the job was beyond us, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live within believers, empowering and equipping them to carry out the task of witnessing to the world. (Luke 24:49).

**His Program—Because God loves everyone on earth, He desires no place be left unevangelized. The plan was set in motion with just twelve men who faithfully shared the message and led thousands to salvation. And today, millions upon millions of people know Jesus as Lord.

>>What Exactly Does A Missionary Church Look Like?  

**One that has a vision for the world. Not just our city and state but the world.

**A missionary church responds obediently to Jesus’ commission. A church willing to fulfill the Great Commission: Has a vision for the world, not just its own city.  They respond obediently to Jesus’ command by sending out missionaries.

**Clearly proclaims Christ’s message of redemption for mankind.

**Challenges those who are called by God to carry the message wherever He sends them. He supports those who are called to take the gospel to the mission field. We have at least three trips planned this upcoming year. Pray about being a part of one of them.

What is your concept of sharing Christ with the world? he has already called every single one of us to share the gospel. Do you automatically think of having to go to a foreign country?  Who has had the biggest impact on your thinking in regard to sharing the Lord with those who don’t know Him?  How can you share with someone you know about the many ways God blesses and guides you and your family throughout the year?

Good Families Are No Accident

We just began a new series entitled Great families are no accident.  We talk about having a great family but how many of us would settle for good families? However God has so much more for us. So in this series we are really going to dig in God’s Word and we are going to unpack some things that I believe will help us in our families and give you some tools over the next few weeks. So many are trying to build a foundation for their families but on the wrong foundation.
Luke 6:46-49   ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

So many today are trying to build a foundation on the wrong foundation. In our marriages and families we are building a house and what Jesus is saying here is if you want a great family it has to be built on the right foundation.

Notice Jesus says when the floods came not if they come. I want to talk to you about how important it is for intentionality in your marriage and in your family.

When it comes to families, all of us are in a different place.  There are all different types of families: blended, single, single again, etc. Often times the things that bring us the most pain, heartache, sorrow and stress are those family relationships. However we could all agree that the things that can bring us the most joy, fulfillment and happiness are also those family relationships. When families work well it is the most awesome blessings that God can give us this side of heaven that God has given us. However when they are not working well it can be the most painful thing this side of heaven that we are dealing with.

So we understand what is at stake. What is at stake is huge here. What is at stake is the family. If you are new here you are probably thinking I am going to open up the Bible and show you all those examples in the Bible of healthy, prosperous and happy families so we can learn from them. Actually the Bible is just the opposite. There were a lot of messed up families in the Bible.

The Bible is filled with so much pain, drama and dysfunction in the family. It starts with Adam and eve and then you have Cain and Able. We have murder in the first chapter by Cain killing his brother Able. Cain and Able are two examples and then we go to Abraham and see his nephew Lot goes down to live at Sodom and Gomorrah.  If you have a family member that is thinking about living in Sodom try to stop them. You have all the pain of Lot living there and losing his wife. Then you have Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him and sell him into slavery and all the drama there. The Bible starts out with the craziest things happening in the family.  One of David’s sons rebels and wants to over throw him and kill his father.  

We see in the New Testament all the people coming to Jesus and the pain they are having. So many people in the New Testament came to Jesus with family issues. One man son was oppressed, and another man comes to Jesus with a sick daughter. Mary and Martha are disagreeing and Lazarus is dead. We see all this craziness.

 Maybe you are thinking if so many of the Bible families were crazy how is there hope for me and my crazy family. How many of you have crazy family members? How many have at least one crazy family member? If you are not raising your hand, you may be the crazy one. The truth will set you free.

In the Bible there are also great stories of redemption in families such as Joseph and the prodigal son’s family. Our story with Jesus is God bringing us back into his family. We are the bride of Christ and one day we will be reunited with him for eternity.  The Bible is full of great hope.

However we are not in heaven yet. What do we do? The culture and society is against the family. I have good news for you because I want to introduce you to a person that can turn any situation around in your family. When he came on the scene, he totally revolutionized what marriage and family meant. He elevated marriage, women and children to a whole new dimension. He brought the family dynamic into a whole different realm. No longer is family just about procreation and social environment.

>>Family is the place you can enjoy the glory of God

Family is place you can experience the greatest blessings of God. Family is the place that has to do with God’s desire and destiny in your life. This person is going to make all the difference in your family and his name is Jesus.

When Jesus says dig deep and make me your foundation I will take you to a whole other level. Jesus says I am your foundation but you have got to dig deep. What seems impossible in the natural he can make possible but you have got to dig deep and make me your foundation. We are not building on what a television show says. We are not building on what social media says. we are not building on what the secular says. We are building on what the sacred says. Jesus said I am your foundation but you have got to dig deep.

There are Christians going around and they are doing some digging with their families but they are doing some superficial digging with a little rake and garden shovel clipping a few little weeds here and there. They are hoping things turn out well in the end. If you want your house, your family and your kids, you are going to have to dig deep.  Before this series is over we are going to help you to get rid of the rake and garden shovel and bring a bulldozer and heavy equipment in to build the right foundation. We are going to empower you and teach you and together we are going to dig deep.

This is where the rule and reign of Jesus is.  As we talk about the family we need to understand that just as natural families have customs boundaries, expectations and principles so does God’s family. So how am I to build my natural family now that I am in God’s family? Jesus imparted these revolutionary concepts that apply to marriage and family. These teachings were ground shattering to these people. When Jesus said let the little children come unto me, this blew them away for children were not of great importance. When Paul wrote about the husband and the wife and the equality in marriage in the kingdom of God even though their roles were different this blew them away.

Here are some revolutionary ideas that God set forth for the family:

>> God’s Ideal For The Family

Ephesians 5:21-24   ²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

**Wives submit to your husbands

“Are you telling me I am supposed to submit to him? You don’t know him.”  In our culture this is like a dirty word. You are sub to the mission it is not just your husband; it is to God so you can express the purpose and glory of God in Christ. Our culture is constantly pumping the opposite into us. Whether it is a commercial, a sitcom, the news or a movie our culture is not turned this way. Often they make the husband look disconnected, too busy, wimpy, dumb or lazy. Some of you would say: “yes that’s my husband.” Husbands let me tell you that are not the man God has designed you to be. There are fathers that are so disconnected that they have little or nothing to do with actually raising their kids.

God’s ideal may not be real for you right now but this is what God designed. You may not be where you need to be with it but this is where you must be heading.

**Husbands love your wives
Ephesians 5:25   ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

“Do you mean I am to love my wife like Christ loves the church? I am doing everything I can do just to survive that woman. I am giving her all I possibly can. you don’t know what I am dealing with .If you are going to experience the power and the blessings of marriage this is the ideal. It may not be the real in your life right now but it is the thing to do.

**Children obey your parents

Ephesians 6:1-2   6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—

Please hear me carefully… your children are not to dictate to you what they do. They do not tell you they are not going to children’s ministry, student ministry or to church. They do not tell you when they are going to date. The do not tell you, you tell them. I know this is not popular in our culture where every kid is a winner. There is no doubt we do what we do for our kids out of good intentions but that is a problem when it interferes with God’s intentions. I don’t care how good they are in sports; you are derelict in your responsibilities as a parent when you do not bring them up in the Lord. Parents wonder what happened to their kids and why they went the way they did and why they don’t love God and his church. Could it be that because you made sports, etc priority over God? Parents you can’t flippantly spend time with your kids while building your dreams and career and expect things to turn out okay.

**Sexual Purity- this is not what the world is telling you but this is what God is saying. You are to save yourself till marriage. This is contrary to our culture. You are to be faithful to your spouse. It is one man for one woman. It is not to be perverted. The world says it is okay but God says different. Get help to get out of this lifestyle. God loves you but he loves you too much to leave you this way. The world says you were born this way. God is the one who created you and he created you for his purpose and in his design.

How is the world’s way working for everybody? How is the world’s way of marriage, raising children, purity and just express yourself working out?

**this generation is marinated in pornography. We are going to see massive destruction if the church does not talk about it and stand up against it. It may be something you are struggling with but we have to say I know what God’s word says and I am going to go his way though I struggle. I am not going to go the way of the world. do you think God knows what he is talking about when it comes to family?

Some would say I know these are lofty ideals but is not the real. In the real world this is impossible. This is not realistic.  Yes it is. So what do we do? Some say but this is what I am dealing with in my family, what do I do?  “I am a single mom. We are both working. We already have problems. We already have problems with our kids. We are too busy, it is too hare and it is already too complicated. I am having trouble match my real with God’s ideal.”

>>What do we do with the gap between the ideal and the real?

God has a purpose for you. He gives you his grace to fill the gap. Our responsibility is to work toward his idea. We must make the decision that we are going to have his ideal for our lives and for our family and depend on his grace to take us there. He is not expecting you to be perfect rather he is expecting you to trust him. He is expecting you to give him the total control of your life. If it were easy, you would not need the grace of God. He has done his part with grace but what are we going to do?

Really you have two choices:

1. You can quit and do nothing. Is that going to be our response just because it is hare and difficult and the culture tells us it’s standard. Are we going to quit and forfeit God’s ideal because we feel like we can’t handle it? Are we going to quit because we don’t think we can do any better?

2. We can fill this gap with some faith, hope and love.  We can say what is at stake is too important, too sacred and too precious for me to quit.

If we can get the home right, we can see the biggest revival the church has ever seen. God has done his part with grace so  I am going to start filling this gap with faith, hope and love and I am going to be intentional in my family and I am going to dig deep and build our family on the right foundation. I am going to trust God to lead me to make the decisions that are best for my family. I am going to get the help I need to be what God created me to be.

I am not going to reduce God’s ideal to my real. Rather I am going to elevate my real to God’s ideal. How are you going to fill the gap? Are you going to give up like the world and culture or are you going to strive for his idea. Say yes to his ideal. Good families are no accidents. It takes dedication and intentionality.