FAMILY FIRST: A better world 6-23-24

FAMILY FIRST: A better world 6-23-24

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Do not save your loving speeches For your friends till they are dead. Do not write them on their tombstones.  Speak them rather now instead.

           Anna Cummins

 

“And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

           1 John 4:21 NIV

 

My family used to get together almost exclusively at the holidays.  I loved the holidays.

 

On the TV show, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, they took a poll of 8 to 12 year olds and asked them, "What do you most enjoy about the holidays?" A) Decorating the house B) Spending time with family and relatives C) Receiving presents. What do you think most of the children said? Answer: B.

 

David Dykes quote:

 

“I read a recent article about how people in Japan are so busy that older people can now rent a family. Here’s the quote: "In Japan, you can rent a family. Elderly Japanese who are isolated from their children by the frantic pace of modern life can rent a 'family' for lunch and a few hours. Just call Nippon Kokasei Honbu and ask for a son, daughter, grandchild, whatever relative you want, and that type will show up at your door and greet you as if they haven't seen you in years. Of course the service isn't cheap: three hours with your family cost $1,130, plus transportation.

 

Satsuki Ohiwa founded the business in 1990 when, as a businesswoman, she was too busy to visit her mother. Company staff visited her instead, and Ohiwa deemed it a success. Ohiwa's observation of her customers is not surprising. She said, 'What is common about our clients is that they are thirsty for human love.'

 

I wonder when someone is the U.S. will start offering that! But you can save yourself the cost of renting someone who acts like they love you. You can be a part of a local church family.”

           David Dykes, Are You a Part of God’s Forever Family? 8/16/2012.

 

Let us pray.

 

I.  LOVING OUR FAMILY

 

Marriage advice - To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever youre wrong, admit it; Whenever you’re right, shut up.

 

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

           1 John 4:20 NIV

 

A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of her friend. The vegetable was buttered broccoli, and the mother asked if she liked it. The child replied very politely, "Oh, yes, I love it." But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess said, "I thought you said you loved broccoli." The girl replied sweetly, "Oh, yes, ma’am, I do, but not enough to eat it!"

 

       A.  Loving God = Loving your brother and sister

           B.  Not loving brother and sister = not loving God

           C.  Love is action.

 

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

           1 Peter 4:8-11 NIV

 

A woman got a divorce and lost her family. She sank into a deep depression, and was in desperate need. The people in her church only shook their heads and pointed their fingers at her failure, so she left and began frequenting a bar. One day the preacher came and asked why she had done this. She replied, “The people at the bar smile when they see me.”

 

II.  FORGIVING OUR FAMILY

 

“Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me. Forgiveness does not pretend there was no offense; it does not dismiss wrongdoing. It does not say, "Oh, that's all right; forget it." True forgiveness is realistic.

 

Lewis Smedes gave a great definition: "Forgiving is going to a person either in your fantasies or in reality and saying, 'I don't understand. I'll never understand. It wasn't OK and it isn't OK, but I forgive you.'"

 

Forgiving doesn't make a person a doormat. Forgiving isn't the same as tolerance. Forgivers don't have to be fools. Forgiving is healing yourself of something that happened to you that you cannot tolerate, but you forgive it as the only way to heal the wound that it left you with.

 

You forgive somebody, and you begin to dance instead of wallow. You begin to walk with God. You set a prisoner free, and you discover the prisoner you set free was you.”

           Bobby Scobey, Sermon Central, Dec. 31, 2008.

 

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

     Colossians 3:13-14 NIV

 

A.  Endure/tolerate present action

      B.  Forgive past action

           C.  Love is forgiveness.

 

I once invited a guest lecturer to speak to a counseling class I was teaching and ask him to specifically discuss the topic forgiveness. He told a powerful story from his own life that day to illustrate his point that we should forgive.

 

His brother had many struggles, and one day there was a conflict that arose and someone shot and killed my friend’s brother. The whole family was sad of course and grieved very much about this sudden and unfortunate loss. Our guest that day said he struggled initially forgiving the man that killed his brother. After awhile though, God helped him process the tragedy and forgive the murderer.

 

This was the neat part. For years, my friend had a prayer list with his brother’s name on it, and he prayed for him often. After his death, he eventually got to the point where he erased his brother’s name and inserted the murderer's name in his brother's place on the prayer list, and now he prays for him often.

 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is forgiveness.

           Dr. Mark Eckhart          

 

III.  CARRYING OUR FAMILY

 

“We share in this family!” - the Lackie family motto

 

         A.  Carry one another’s burdens

 

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

       Galatians 6:2 NIV

 

         B.  Carry your own weight

 

“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.”

       Galatians 6:3-5 NIV

 

Phortion - personal load

 

           C.  Love is looking out for one another.

 

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

           Luke 6:27-35 NIV

 

Fred Douglas Shepard was born on September 11, 1855 in Ellenburg, New York in Clinton County. His father died while he was very young and his mother spent most of her adult life as an invalid. It was probably through this that Fred became associated with illness and caring for the sick. Fred lived with family in Madrid. It was there in a revival meeting in a Baptist church that he accepted Christ as Savior and threw himself completely into the Christian life. At the age of 22 he studied medicine and at 27 married a young lady who was also a doctor. They felt a calling and turned their faces towards the east … Eastern Turkey to be exact.

 

The Shepards spent the remaining days of their lives in Eastern Turkey. He started a school of medicine and 221 men graduated from there to aid in the terrible disease and suffering throughout the country. His records show that by 1914 he had seen 6000 patients in his clinic, called on others in over 2000 homes, and had only 800 paying patients.

 

Shepard’s service was so significant that he received decorations from the Red Cross and President Taft in 1909 and from the Sultan of Turkey in 1911. The Sultan said, “The decoration bestowed upon you is nothing compared with your most admiring sympathy shown to the suffering humanity.”

In 1908 the largest Protestant church in Turkey held a silver anniversary of Fred Shepard’s ministry there. It was filled with Moslems, Catholics, Gregorians, and Jews as well as Protestants. For two hours these folks stood and talked about what Dr. Shepard had done for them. While reflecting over his ministry he said that the celebration was really not about him but about one even greater; God and His love. “Because I have understood a little about that love, I try to let others know about it. This is my purpose in life. I did not come to this country to make money or a reputation. I came to bear witness that God is love. If by my work I have been able to show you him, I have had my reward and I thank him.”

 

This 5’ 4" husky farm lad from Madrid brought relief to an entire country in an era when disease ran rampant.

 

Fred Shepard understood a little of what it means to love.

           Ken Pell, "Welcome to the Neighborhood! Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself" 7/27/08.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Loving our family.  Forgiving our family.  Carrying our family.  

 

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.