How Can I Help My Family - Part 1

Christian Gardner from the beginning that it wasn't good for man to be alone, so the government apartment and created the family 1234, the figure of Jeremiah examines his God-given gift of the family and also some proven tools from Scripture help you serve and strengthen your gonna need some ounces is listed.

How can I help my family. Thank you for joining us were in the midst of a series called God, I need some answers and here's one of the questions. How can I help my family and people asked me a lot over the years.

Why there isn't more pointed information in the Bible about the family and I remember one time doing a biblical study of the family from Genesis to Revelation. How many times it was listed and where it was all about and it was quite instructive. But what I learned was the family and in the fellowship. The family and the people of God, almost synonymous churches were held in homes. Much of that which was addressed to the church was addressed to the family. They were more interchangeable than they are today. So when you teach people how to live within the church or teach them how to live within their families, and many of the principles are are crossover principles that work in both places, but there are couple of passages of Scripture that are really really special in the Bible, and about the family. I say that because I write these two scriptures in the book I wrote years ago on parenting that we give to children when they are dedicated here at shadow Mountain church in those two passages are Psalm 127 and 128 two Psalms right together that help you with your family get to me just a moment but first we begin this week with the anticipation of all that's going on so many things changing and so much on experienced territory for most of us, but God is with us and he's helping us anywhere were acknowledging our dependence upon him, perhaps more than ever before. During the month of September. We want to encourage your support of Turning Point radio by making available to you a beautiful production from the Turning Point creative staff called colors of creation.

It's our 2021 calendar made available in September because it's a 14 month calendar. It begins in November. You all the way through the following year as the calendar begins in 2021 printed each day is a Bible reading schedule that if you stay on that you will read the Bible through the year.

You can check it off as you go along. The calendars large enough so that the space for each day is large enough for you to put in your appointments and it's especially useful because November and December are busy months as you face the end of the year, and these are included offered in September because just the greatest way for us to get it to you so you have it ready to use it and I think you'll find it very very instructive and very helpful and it is beautiful colors of creation that says all these beautiful colors on every page of every month is a beautiful display of color and I love to send this color to you is how you get your copy just send a gift of any size to Turning Point during the month of September is all you have to do enclosure gift and when you do ask in your letter for the calendar, it will be shipped to you and will come to you. It's a pretty large calendar.

You'll see it coming and you have the excitement of opening it and putting it in your officer in the kitchen or in the den, or wherever you have a place on the law for something beautiful. You want to place this calendar well, let's get started in this discussion of family everybody is interested in the family no matter who we are. We are either looking forward to a family were in the midst of family life or work family has grown and brain form every day. Let's find out how we can help rivals together is kind of interesting to jump back then. Psalm 127 and look at the last couple verses of Psalm 126 because here's an overarching principle that really does affect the family says those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing sheaves with him. It's a reminder to us that in all of life. The principle of sowing and reaping is in Bogan and our families.

That's true isn't it. What happens in our family has a lot to do with what input we give unfortunately many of us try every modern approach to family life, only to discover that while it may fix one part of the family. It ends up messing up all the rest of the family will God has a better idea in case you're a little bit skeptical about listening to something from the Bible on the family could I remind you that the family is God's idea, in fact it's God's primary idea. The church was God's idea to but the family was God's idea, long before the church civil government that came from the mind of God to but long before there was civil government. God thought of the family. In fact, if you go by its place in the word of God. Apart from human life itself. The family is one of God's first great ideas for us in this universe. In the very beginning of the Bible, God looked at man alone and he said it is not good that man should be alone and he brought a woman to him and family began. So if God had the idea about the family doesn't make a little bit of sense to you that maybe you might have something to say about how we can make it work, how it should work.

I'll tell you what, not only here in the Psalms, but throughout all of the Bible, God has some incredible truth for those who are willing to dig for it to help us build families that will bring honor and glory to his name.

Another four principles that I want you to see in Psalm 127. We will barely get Psalm 128 but there connected. I want to show you some things thereby have time. The first thing I want you to know about building your family and helping your family.

Principle number one is that if you're going to be successful you have to place God at the head of your home.

Notice what the psalmist says, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. This Psalm begins with the most important truth in building a home. It says unless the Lord builds it isn't going to work is a truth that is so simple and saying, but so challenging in doing this verse is teaching us that there is only one builder in the home and that builder is God.

There is only one architect for the whole God, who had the idea of the home is the one who wants to be at the head of the whole, and many women until you put God at the center of your home. All of your attempts to try to make family life, what you wanted to be will be attempts in frustration and that's what the Psalm says, unless you let him build a home.

You're going to do it in vain. Which means you're going to go through a lot of frustration and experience a lot of emptiness and get down the road and think this is it only discovered many people do you know the thought that if they could just get all the things that their family wanted that their family then would be a good strong family and everything would be together. How many kids do you know maybe some hang out with you some of them are at your place trying to get in on the family life you have, because they've got so many things, but they got no family.

There's no one there and that's not God's plan. You see God's plan was that family life was how much stuff you had that very few of us would even be candidates would be.

We would be stuck where we are know God has a better plan.

God says that he wants to be the head of your home, take just a moment and debunk that. If I might because some of you are saying you know there's no way I'm going install halos on my kids, they would look right. They wouldn't fit snug in a work when I can say Bible verses like Montrose around home. We don't have plaques up in every room that says God is the head of this house and will verses and we don't have a promised box at the breakfast table. Is that what it means to put God ahead of your home. Isn't it interesting how we get stuck on all the externals we focus on all the little trinkets of the family. I just like to give you testimony of my family growing up days.

I knew that God was central in the home. I grew up in, but I gotta tell you something, it wasn't because of a lot of things that we might focus on you know when I think back on my growing up days. I didn't know God was at the head of my home because we read the Bible, after dinner at night. In fact, I gotta tell you a lot of those times were very forgettable, very forgettable that is obtained is not important to do that.

It just means that that's not the issue, it wasn't even the fact that my parents were involved in institutional ministry. The thing is I look back on it this very incredibly clear to me is this. It's a very simple thought, that is, that God was very important to my parents that God was very important to but somehow it all the stuff we did and everything were involved in. He always was there as a part of the picture. Most of the time he was the centerpiece, but wherever he was. He was a part of our family and as I grew up I couldn't escape that it wasn't that my mom and dad preached at me all the time but it was the sense that I had been in our family life.

God was important is God important in your home is a sort of a matter of convenience. Maybe you see we communicate our values where they really are. You can't fake it with kids. Can I get a witness. You can't fake it with kids. They know you can try to make them believe that God important, but it's not going to get through unless he really is.

So maybe the best thing we could do before we install God at the head of our home is installed at the head of our life and then ask him to live that out little by little in our families. Enough said about that. I think we know that to be true. Family is a good work in less God is at the head of the home, but I want you to notice this next principle which is pretty incredible in my way of thinking because it's so contemporary principle number two says that if you're going to have a home that really makes a difference. You have to put parenting at the top of your priority list. Now notice what the psalmist says, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it first thing I wrote down in my notes is that God agrees with what I've always suspected that is that being a parent is labor and I get a witness that ladies you thought it started at the beginning of labor pains and stop when the child was born know it continues throughout all of life and it isn't very nice of you to include us in either we thought we were free from all of this being a parent is labor say being a parent is labor. It's hard work. It's such an incredibly simple concept but it is losing its value in our culture today because parenting is being pushed over on the edge while moms and dads pursue their professional goals and purposes in life and parenting is getting a lick and a promise and we can't figure out what's going wrong in our families. I want to tell you something that unless you are willing to work at being a parent, God's, the architect, but he needs laborers and their two laborers in most homes and some homes are just one labor. There's a single parent listening to me right now. Was thinking what you think it's worth trying to do it with two of you. You want to try doing that which is one but God is saying to us that while he's given us the plan. He's the architect is the builder where the laborers and would got to put in the time and make parenting important won't work wherever I go to speaker especially fun with pastors. We have a question and answer time one of the first questions that always ask, and I just got prepared for. So I thought.

Better get an answer is, can you tell us a little bit about your priorities while you know priorities are important because they govern your life is one thing to talk about your priorities. It's another thing to put your priorities in the perspective implement operation and then live by them. I remember going away getting some time alone with the Lord and really sitting down and trying to crystallize some years back. Okay Jeremiah, what are your priorities as I was one of the most important times I've ever spent my life because I believe that with what God has done here in this place apart from a clear understanding in my mind, and yet I struggle with these all the time, but a clear understanding of what my priorities are.

I would be making a lot of really bad decisions right now so let me tell you what they are. They don't necessary have to be yours. But most of us are to fall into the pattern of these priorities. Number one on the person and I better take care of my personal relationship with God. God's number one. In fact, he says he must be number one.

He's a jealous God. He doesn't want anybody in between me and him. He's number one in my life and so I have to cultivate that relationship.

I have to spend time with God. I have to make God number one. Secondly, partner and I've got a wife, a wonderfully wonderfully good wife got his first Donna second. Thirdly, parent and children. Four of them in their the most important thing in my life outside of God, and Donna and every day of my life. I have to fight to preserve that priority because you see when I'm at a football game I'm not it. Three or four other places where people think I should be or if I'm at a dinner sometime. I've said no to other things and you know there's an awful lot of pressure and a lot of expectations about what you should be doing with your life, but I will tell you as best as I know how to tell you that my children are third in my life. The only thing ahead of them is God and Donna.

I had attested when I was invited to speak at a convention that arrowhead Springs. I was asked to go and speak to a group of 450 women at a women's Bible study. We agreed that was an opportunity that I should take the one to teach the life of David and I had just break the life of David so we went and we had this thing all scheduled our way out in the future.

I knew the basketball season was over I don't schedule anything during basketball season the conflicts with the ballgames. I can help it. Anything during football season so I was so excited. You know this thing is out here in March will then our wonderful basketball team got good about halfway through the year and they start getting better and better and he started winning and they want and they want and the one they got in the playoffs and they kept women and I kept looking at this date that was over here and we can get closer and closer to the date and would you believe I was scheduled to be at arrowhead Springs from Thursday through Saturday, and our guys want all their games and were supposed to play for the city championship on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock in the sports arena and I'm supposed to be there Springs you got begin. Well, I got up there Springs and we told him that we speak anytime they wanted us on Thursday. How many times he wants on Friday that were coming home on Saturday, every up as we got there. Springs wanted a beautiful hotel up there, which is the campus Crusade headquarters and there was a lady who came to the lobby and she said are you Dr. Jeremiah and I said yes.

Oh she said were so glad you're interested, let me just tell you right up front were so glad you're not stand for Saturday.

I thought this poorly. Having heard me speak, yet she's already made up her mind and then she said something I will never forget. She said what you don't understand, and she smiled is that we are all lives of executive husbands. They fund this ministry so that we can do what we do with Bible study and she said it's just so incredibly encouraging to see somebody in a position of leadership. Make a decision in waiver of their family during the afternoon. I'll never forget this was one of the last sessions, and a lady got up and she ran out of the building. She had tears coming out of a snow, let me just make this momentary announcement that's really unnerving to a speaker know if you feel the urge that you just have to get out of here and it's really life-threatening.

No go for it, but when I see you leave, especially if you look like your trouble in my mind cycles back over anything upset the last five minutes will that happen. I went to the director of the conference. I mentioned this lady who left I said could you please see if I might've said something that offended her. She came back to me later. She said Pastor don't worry about you and offender. She had heard about what you are doing because we had to announce that you want to be here on Saturday and you were even talking about it while she was seated in the meeting.

It really became a matter of great concern to her. Her daughter was playing for the state championship in Denver, Colorado on Saturday and she got under such conviction. She got up out of the meeting when packed all her duds got on the next plane and went home.

What are we talking about were talking about putting our children in a place where once in a while they understand that there are important making parenting priority tell you something if we didn't do anything else with our life.

Making parenting a priority is pretty much full-time task number three. Keep reading in your Bibles principle number three is protect your family from destructive influences first two changes the metaphor just a bit.

It says the watchman stays awake in vain is vain for you to rise up early to sit up late unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. We been in the family building business.

We've seen the family built like you build a house. Now we have a picture of the city as a protection for its people and the writer of the Psalms changes the picture and he says unless the Lord keeps the city the people who try to keep it are doing it in vain and he still talking about the family that's evident what he's talking about is the fact that while it is important for us to come to God and let him be the builder of our families when our families are built we have to come back to God and ask him to help us be the watchman over our families and it's a picture of a parent looking out over his family and protecting it and watching out for it, but there's ever been a day when we needed to do that. This is the day. Now the interesting thing here is that the Psalmist once again puts us in partnership with God.

Just as there's one builder and two laborers and were working together on the same project. There is one who is the watchman but were to be watchman with him. You see it unless the watchman who is the Lord is working. Then we who are also watching are going understand it. So what the psalmist is saying is working in partnership with God in building our homes and were in partnership with God in protecting our whole are you with me.

There's a man who has written a great deal about the family and I come to love his writings need to steam for Army mixing some of his books he said rather delicately. I don't let my children watch network TV for the same reason I don't let them drink out of the toilet and I probably would've said that a little differently than he said. Buddy's point across. Right. I understand the necessity of work, and God knows that something you have to do to make ends meet.

That's one thing but if you're doing it to live. Another standard of living. It's a foolish decision because you're given up your children for more toys when the trade what God is trying to help us understand is this that we not only have to build our homes once we build them. We have to stand over them and be protecting them care about want to share this with you because I think it's a very practical hands-on sort of thing. If you're in partnership with God in protecting your family.

How do you do it will honey do anything in partnership with God.

It ultimately involves prayer read an article written by Suzanne Fields in which he talked about this whole matter of praying how important it is for couples to pray for the children right after that I had been given a book by Patrick Morley's goal man in the mirror.

It's got articles about the kinds of things that we struggle with his men articles about children about our relationship with our life and how we deal with our jobs and how we do with our money and all the temptations that come as a part of our maleness. Patrick Morley in his book talk about seven couples who were all new Christians who started to meet the prayer group and the result of their prayers are so dramatic that he said I verified the story personally.

Please couples were naïve, new Christians, and they discovered when they met for the first time that they all had something in common that is that they all had children who were not saved. In fact, a total of 23 of them. Someone brought up first to the first Bible study that said this, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your household.

Act 1633 they took it as a promise from God.

But God was going to save all their kids and they started to meet together, all of them and they began to pray for the 23 children who God had given them, who were outside of Christ in each week as they faithfully pray for these children. Over the course of two years.

All 23 kids committed their lives to Christ while story that is believe God is able to do that. I do, and we often get what we asked for the Bible says we have not because we asked not.

Maybe you've done everything that you know how to do to bring your child to Christ.

But let me ask you this. Have you prayed for them and he prayed earnestly for their salvation. What a good way for us to attend this first part of our message on the family and let me remind you that materially were talking about is organized for you. In a study guide called God, I need some answers. All of these pertinent questions that were dealing with our here there's a space at the front of each chapter where you have a little outline that follows what we've been talking about kind of a condensed version of my teaching following that there some pages for application for you to write in lookup others that you know section at the end of each chapter. It's great little tool for you to review what you been listening to and study ask about it. You call or write today for more information on Dr. Jeremiah's current series God. I pray visit that website where we offer to freeways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Point and the email sign-up today dear Martha/ready that Jeremiah thought all/let you know when you do ask you a copy of their 14 month calendar is a creation that highlights going hiking through my studies on the standard and new international missions as well as in standard O (you can join with helpful notes from a study Jeremiah Jeremiah thought old radio data Monday are you doing this tomorrow as we continue.

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