Making A Difference Where You Are Part 2

Rain forests looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter of our family is on life-support these days it's up to us as Christians show by example, the value of our godly family keeping our kids from moral harm is high on the agenda today.

Here's some more commandments for parents designed to help us from the Moody Church in Chicago this with Dr. Erwin looks her clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Master loser as you conclude your series on reclaiming the family. What is your hearts desire as we listen in on Davis I think about just asked me a number of different answers come to mind. I trust that as a result of this series of messages. Some people will repent, particularly as I spoke about the difficult topic of abuse. For example, and addictions. I trust that others will make adjustments with their children learn to trust God better and understand how incredibly important the family really is. I hope that their relationships that are really patched up or at least discussed and dealt with as a result of these sermons are desire also is of course to bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ and by the way we're making this resource available to you these messages reclaiming the family on CD. I believe so deeply that it is important that you listen to them again and share them with your friends and we make this resource available to help you in your walk with God for the gift of any amount.

These messages can be yours. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337 now this is the last message in the series. So at the end of this message, I'll be giving you this contact info again.

For now, let us listen. Some parents need to be liberated from the false guilt that comes the believes that their adult children becomes a barometer of their own parenting. We have to be able to judge parents by what they did in their response rather than by the way in which their children turned out it says in the Old Testament that Samuel, who walked with God's children walk not in ways but turned to immorality.

That scenario number one God says. Each is going to be held accountable. Secondly, there's another scenario and this is in verse 14 he saying out what happens if this man and I were talking about the violent sun in verse 14. What if you father's a son who sees all the sins that his father has done. He sees and does not do likewise. He does the righteous things. Verse 17 he obeys my rules and walked in my statutes, he shall not die for his father iniquities, he shall surely live as if you had bad parenting. Those of you had fathers who are violent alcoholics. Whatever you can fill in the blank. The simple truth of Scripture is that you can live differently. You do not have to live the way your father live. In fact, the text says you see the sins of your father. You turn against it and Sandra live a righteous life. So that's another scenario and what is the summary of all of this. Verse 20 the soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself individual judgment. You will not be able to stand before God in the day of judgment say the way I acted as an adult is my parents fault. Now your parents if they abused you. They will be judged also by God. The fact is radical, individual responsibility, there is one other scenario in the text that all point out and that is this where a wicked man changes his ways, and God forgives him. You'll notice this in verse 21. But if a wicked person turns away from all of the sins that he is committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall live. He shall not die.

God says that if you if you are living today in a nonbiblical sinful lifestyle. If you turn from your sins, God will bless you and you will live individual responsibility.

Radical radical accountability before God. We have to teach our children that there comes a time when our children are old enough when we need to share with them our hearts give them a warning and then after that simply say, but you know the responsibility rests on your shoulders. From here on out the direction that you take. You are personally accountable before God. You can control your children when they are young. You cannot control them when they become older and then they are accountable for their actions. Number 12 commandment number 12 understand the need for personal conversion, the need for personal conversion.

The Bible says in John chapter 3 verse six.

Jesus said that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. We've all been born of the flesh, that's how we get here on planet Earth, but not all who are listening to this message have been born of the spirit and what your child needs to do is to be converted by God. Now this often happens in a Christian home a child grows up and that he hears the gospel and he prays a prayer to have Jesus come into his heart and then afterwards he begins to doubt his salvation and his and his parents.

I will know know know you accepted Jesus when you were five years older six years old. The child has no assurance of faith to mistake on the part of parents to give assurance to a child lest it is a false assurance because not everybody who prays prayer is saved, you can pray a prayer and that prayer is not necessarily the expression of a heart that is transferring its trusted Jesus because it realizes that without Jesus, there is judgment. You see, it's possible to to get children especially to pray the right prayer to say the right words but they've no conviction of sin.

They had no sense of their need to before God and so they do what everybody else does. Namely, they pray to accept Jesus as especially because mom and dad want them to. We as parents of the responsibility of explaining the gospel to her children to help them to understand that Jesus died for them to teach them about sin. I think I commented on this in one of the previous commandments to teach them about their conscience, but we can't convert them.

Nobody can cause a child to be saved. Only God can do that. And God works in their hearts to bring it about, but we need to really depend on God, not our ability to get them to pray a prayer, however important that might be at a very special moment, so I have to ask you today. As an adult. Are you converted because when we are converted by God, the blessed Holy Spirit of God is a work in us.

There is something within us that wasn't there before our conversion and what was in us now and has been created by God with a whole new set of desires.

We now desire God 14 years old out on the farm. I was struggling with assurance of salvation at the whole story brought up. Of course in a Christian home, but the age of 14 when I finally prayed with my parents and they they told me to receive Christ by faith.

After days of feeling convicted of sin. I really marvel now as I look back because the sins of which I were convicted was convicted in the minds of many people would be very very trivial, but you know nothing is trivial. When you are confronted by a holy God. After that I came to full assurance of faith, and I remember I woke up the next morning saying to myself I know God. God's presence was so real. Suddenly I began to have a hunger for the word of God I began to read the Bible and memorize the Bible deceit that is versed in us by the Holy Spirit. No parent can change his child's desire toward God. God does the changing. We can only expose them to the truth and trust that they will personally come to faith in Christ. So understand the need for personal conversion. Apart from that wordy children go in today's world. Number 13 make God the center of your whole life make up the center of your whole life. Now sometimes.

I've heard people say and maybe I set it to something like this you know we should have a hierarchy.

God is at the top. That's my most important relationship then my family then my vocation and entertainment or whatever, you know, that's really nice to say that I have no idea.

That makes no sense to me. Whatever. In this way, let's suppose that your vocation is of 40 or 50 hours a week. You can't give God that much time you can't be reading your Bible and praying 50 hours a week and then you can't be giving your family an equal amount of time. There are only what is it 168 hours a week. So what you have to do is to think about bringing God in the center of everything.

So God is in my vocation when I'm working those 50 hours. I'm working for God. Don't ever work for your boss because number one is hard to get along with number two, you're not getting paid enough, number three, after you do something wonderful.

You give somebody else the credit don't work for him. Don't don't don't do that.

It'll just drive you crazy. You work for God and God is brought into it. I think that's what it meant sin. Deuteronomy chapter 6 when it says talk of these things when you sit in your house when you walk in the way when you're going to the field when you come back when you go to bed. It doesn't mean be constantly lecturing your children about God, it just means show years children how to incorporate God into all that they do so that God becomes the centrifugal force of all of your activities and then what will happen is the kids will pick up on that and may I conclude under point number 13 or commandment number 13. Pray pray pray pray pray and never before have children needed so much prayer grandchildren needed so much prayer because we live in an age when temptations are absolutely everywhere when the world is pushing in upon us, and sometimes we feel so helpless and so alone that we don't know where to turn to keep turning to God and praying and praying and praying and yielding and submitting and worshiping because we are expecting miracles in our families of our kids are gonna walk in God's ways were expecting miracles in our families that only God can bring about.

Sometimes there are those who have looked at my parents raised five children and said all you know is not ever wonderful.

Your children are walking with God you asked them sometime though say, though, say it it it is entirely a God thing. It's a God thing you do your part, but at the end of the day. Only God can make our children have such a passion for Jesus, that it is greater than their passion to sin. Only God can bring about that kind of passion, commandment number 13, 14, actually.

Commandment number 14 be there for your children enjoy in sorrow when they encourage you when they disappoint you. Hang in unending today by a letter was written by a young woman to her father and this young woman now publishes articles in a newspaper and this is her article, she actually published the letter that she wrote to her dad and I know her dad very well, though I do not know her, but this is a letter that is worthy of our attention. She writes when a child runs away from its home because it has brutal parents. It is excused. But when the child leaves a tender mother and an affectionate father, what shall we say, if the sheep quits a barren field to seek after needed pastorate, who shall blame it but if it leaves the green pastures and forsakes the still waters to roam over the arid sand or to go bleeding in the forest among the wolves in the midst of danger. How foolish a creature does it prove itself to be, and now her story when I was a teenager I made a very grave mistake. I ran away from home. Not like most rebellious kids run away from home with a night at a friends house or with a bag of clothes set on the porch. I really ran away for nearly 3 months.

No one knew where I was, in fact, I remembered meeting with her father when he didn't know where she was in tears. He and his wife were praying no one knew where I was and many had even given me up for dead, and with what I saw and did I certainly could have been. But God is merciful and gracious, I did not run away because I was treated badly.

In fact, I was pretty spoiled I was, not abused or neglected in any way. In fact, I was constantly nurtured and encouraged in all areas of my life but I guess that in my radical teenage mind. I felt that the few simple rules. I had been given were barring me from freedom and keeping me from really seeing the world, but when things got so bad that my life seemed to be in danger, and there was no longer fun in sin. I called home nearly 30 years later I can still remember my father's loving response.

I called him collect from a thousand miles away sobbing at the other end of the line. He did not ask me to tell them the bad things I had done. He did not ask me where I was at her even if I was ready to come home.

The first thing he asked was what can we do to help you.

Many of us would not have received such a merciful response from our earthly parents. In fact, I must admit that as a parent now myself. I'm not sure I could give it the Bible, however, uses the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate that this mercy and even more is exactly what our heavenly father has for any of us were ready to come back home the prodigal son's father loaded them with blessings. Yet he still chose to leave his father's house and journey into a far country. He wasted the things that his father gave him on riotous living. Still, it was only when he reached a low point. Once his substance was gone and he was wallowing with the pigs and he could no longer even find food to eat. Only then was he ready to come home, but the best part is that no matter how low we fallen or where we're at and what we've done our father not only welcomes us. He like the prodigal's father comes to meet us in the account to the prodigal.

It says that when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran well in his neck and kissed him notice in passing these are now my comments, but the prodigal son did not excuse me. The father did not send a delegation to try to find his wayward son. There comes a time of personal responsibility were adult children just need to find their own way and learn life's lessons the hard disastrous way, even if you've wasted all that he's given you.

He wants to bless you again the prodigal said to his father. Father, I've sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son but the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again and it was lost and is found. Now, the concluding paragraph of your letter is my heart to you today matter for you may be listening to this message. It's not too late and you're not too far away. As soon as you make up your mind to come home. The father will be there to meet you angels will celebrate your return and your father longs to welcome you home. And that is certainly true of our heavenly father who longs to welcome us home. And that's the starting point for some of you in your relationship with God because you've never felt the warmth of the father's home. The love of his forgiveness and the blessedness of trusting his son who died to redeem us that ultimately is the only message that can help us in our culture, but is falling apart the end of the day it's the father and his son who welcome us back home. Would you join me as we pray our father in this world with all of its all of its temptations right now in this prayer I'm thinking of people who have fallen into all kinds of sins that nobody knows about that they're trying to keep from others already lives. Sometimes young lives scarred by the temptations that sin has brought about.

We come to you in our need, but we come to you believing that you have a heart for us. Some who are in the far country eating out of the pig troughs need to come home. Others need to be reconciled with their children.

Father's need to humble themselves, and asked her children to forgive them mother's need to repent of the hatred they have toward children who were begotten in a defiled bed and we pray today that the love of Christ and the strength of Christ might be upon us before I close this prayer.

How many of you would say today. Pastor Luther, I know as a result of this series of messages.

I have a decision to make and by God's grace and go to make it, would you raise your hands.

Please give the decision to make and with God's help, you're going to make it father for all those who have raised their hands.

For those who have not, but should grant as much grace we ask in Jesus name, amen. My friend, this is Pastor Luther and I have to ask you a question. As a result of the series of messages that you listen to. Do you have a decision to make. I trust that whatever God has shown you that you will be obedient to it.

These messages were preached from the Scriptures from my heart to help you in your walk with God as it relates to the family and this is the last opportunity that we are making available to you. This resource these messages on CD so that you can share them with your friends. Again and again.

Here's what you do you go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or you call us at 1-888-218-9337. When you connect with us.

Thanks in advance for helping us financially so that we can get the gospel of Jesus Christ to thousands upon thousands RTW offer.com or 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series of messages reclaiming the family and thanks in advance for holding our hands as together we make a difference is time once again for you to ask Pastor Luther question about the Bible or the Christian life. What kind of structures along inside a church building. Joseph wrote to us with this question. I heard Pastor Luther said he thought having an altar in the church was wrong but he did not expound on the subject. Why is it wrong thank you for your time and consideration. Pastor Luther well my friend, thank you so much for writing and asking about this question. The point that I was trying to make is usually when you think of an altar you think of sacrifice in the Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ as our sacrifice was sacrificed for us.

So I don't believe that there should be any sacrifices in a church.

Now of course there are churches who believe that Jesus Christ is re-sacrificed during what is called the mass. My point was simply that the altar does not need to be there.

I don't think that we should call it an altar. Even though we have a front platform on a church because now Jesus Christ, having been fully sacrificed. There are no more sacrifices to make. Thank you Joseph for your question and thank you Pastor Luther for your perspectives. If you'd like to hear your question answered. You can go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to is running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614.

It happens again and again.

A child deaths door urgent prayer. The child dies anyway. Where was God when prayer is not answered as we'd like.

Many simply stop praying next time. Join us for a life-changing series of unanswered prayer. Thanks for listening, running to win is sponsored by the Moody church