Thoughts about Sunday's Message: May 2024

FAMILY FIRST: Our responsibility and our privilege 5-26-24

INTRODUCTION

I feel like I need an introduction. Thank you to you, my church family, and our leadership for extending me extra time to be away with family. We are grateful for your love and grace.

This past year- Katie’s dad died last May. Katie’s grandma died. Caleb took a job in KY. CJ was born by emergency C-section. COVID. Paula’s dad died March 28^th. My dad died May 15^th on his 85^th birthday.

Lois Ryan’s funeral just 5 days after my dad’s funeral reminded me of how connected we really are. We are not the only family to go through great loss and change over the last 365 days. We are all on this journey together, and a good part of it is difficult.

The importance of family has been highlighted over this past year. I have reflected over the past couple years on faith and family. Today I have served in ministry for 35 years. For many years, my family saw my example of service to the kingdom, but they did not see me very much. I have tried to correct that over the last few years. I am reminded of 1 Timothy 5:8 and its significance.

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

1 Timothy 5:8 NIV

I. OUR LIVES REFLECT OUR FAITH

A. You believe what you do.

B. You do what you believe is important.

C. Faith is what you do.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

James 2:14-19 NIV

One of Grimm’s fairy tales tells of an old man who lived with his son, the son’s wife, and the young couple’s four-year-old boy. The old man’s eyes blinked, and his hands shook. When he ate, the silverware rattled against the plate, and he often missed his mouth. Then the food would dribble onto the tablecloth. This upset the young mother, because she didn’t want to have to deal with the extra mess and hassle of taking care of the old man. But he had nowhere else to live. So the young parents decided to move him away from the table, into a corner, where he could sit on a stool and eat from a bowl. And so he did, always looking at the table and wanting to be with his family but having to sit alone in the corner. One day his hands trembled more than usual; he dropped his bowl and, and broke it. “If you are a pig,” they said, “then you must eat out of a trough.” So they made the old man a wooden trough and put his meals in it.

Not long after, the couple came upon their four-year-old son playing with some scraps of wood. His father asked him what he was doing. The little boy looked up, smiled, and said, “I’m making a trough, to feed you and Mamma out of when I get big.” The next day the old man was back at the table eating with the family, from a plate, and no one ever scolded him or mistreated him again.

James Emery White, You Can Experience an Authentic Life, p. 59.

Our faith should be seen within the context of our family.

II. OUR FAITH AND FAMILY ARE CONNECTED

A. Family

1. The Lord is to be the center of the home.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 NIV

2. Children are a blessing from God.

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”

Psalms 127:3 NIV

A young minister, with very small children, preached to his congregation on the theme, "10 ways to raise good and godly children."

Some years later, with his children entering their teens, he returned to his theme, but the same sermon was entitled: "10 suggestions for raising good and godly children".

Several years later, with his children now in their late teens, the sermon got another airing, this time presented as, "Feeble hints for fellow strugglers."

3. Children continue the faith.

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, in Leading on Empty, writes of his daughter, adopted when only three days old. The apple of his eye, Abby, compromised her faith and morality, making choices that expelled her from college, and for two years was searching for her identity, struggling why her birth mother didn’t want her. Her adopted parents continued to pray, to call, email and write but never received any responses from Abby. But they persisted, determined never to give up on her. One day they received an email from Abby, who said she had returned to God. She wrote, "I know now that God may not have had me born of this family, but I am convinced that He has had me born into this family. I am coming home!"

B. Faith

1. A family affair

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.””

Joshua 24:15 NIV

2. A community belief

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

John 1:12-13 NIV

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,”

Ephesians 2:19 NIV

C. Forgiveness

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13 NIV

III. OUR FAMILIES NEED FAITH

The blessing of hope

A. How do unbelievers do life?

B. How do we respond to the death of an unbelieving family member/friend?

C. How do we let our family members die without Jesus.

David

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalms 25:5 NIV

Paul

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”

1 Timothy 4:10 NIV

Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail’s pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.

God has entrusted cargo to us, too: children, spouses, friends. Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination without being burned. Yet when the program takes priority over people, people often suffer. How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to achieve the number one slot? How many people never reach the destination because of the aggressiveness of a competitive captain?

Max Lucado, Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 97-98.

CONCLUSION

Our lives reflect our faith (for good or bad). Our faith and family are connected. Our families need faith.

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.