North Anderson Baptist Church
We are now finished with the book of Galatians and are moving on to our new theme for the year 2019: HOME.
God has led us to focus on this vital area of the lives of all of us, the home. We will be working on various thoughts regarding home.
First, we want to highlight the family and the discipleship that is to be done in and through the home where children are led by the primary disciplers, the parents. Second, we want everyone to see that this is a God ordained mission that is given by the Lord to continue to have generations after ours to love the Lord with all their hearts and minds and souls. Third, we want to emphasize that the parents are not alone in their venture but that the church family is there to help and assist them. And fourth, all of us are to recognize that God, the creator of all things, is truly sovereign over all and that He is in control and brings hope to all.
With that being said we can see that Psalm 126-127 speaks of restoration of joy, peace and hope in the people of God. Also when we make new disciples, sowing the seeds of the Word of God through our tears of compassion, that He, our Savior and Lord, will no doubt allow the fruit of our sowing to reap a great and bountiful crop of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see that the personal homes God has granted us will be filled with hope, love and joy as well as the “cooperate home,” the church, when we are faithful to witness for the Lord and disciple those who are new believers in Him as their personal Savior and Lord as well as those who are needing to grow in their faith as believers.
Let’s first just read Psalm 126 but then we will dive into Psalm 127.
Psalms 126:1-6 NIV
We are looking directly into the “home” granted to us by the grace of God which at times does produce the reproduction of ourselves in the form of children. So, let’s take of look at this very challenging Psalm of Solomon.
Psalms 127:1-5 NIV
Verse 1 clearly tells us that the home that does not have God as the head is in vain. What does that mean? The “house” in the Old Testament is really a reference to the family. Here we see that God we worship should be the foundation of the home, the family. If He is not actively involved your building the family, the conditional clause in the verse speaks of the lack of God’s blessings on the human effort that is put forth in building the family.
I could speak about the second conditional statement regarding the city but that is for another time.
In verse two God is not depreciating the importance of hard work but if one is doing the “rising up early and staying up late” just to provide for yourself and for your family, He is saying it is inferior to the best way; to trust in the Lord in one’s work. His promises of blessings on the labor of your life on behalf of your family rather than killing yourself and your family in the process of providing for them.
Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home” and she's right. There's no place like home when it is happy and healthy.
A happy and healthy home is a little of heaven on earth therefore it is one of the best places on earth.
Sadly but true, there are those that know an unhappy and unhealthy home is one of the most miserable places. The writer of this Psalm, Solomon, grew up in one of those unhappy homes. David was a great leader and a man of faith and walked with God but he was a terrible dad. If the great David needed help to be a godly parent so do we.
If God designed the family and is the One whom we can trust to “make” our children into faithful children of God, then we should not hesitate to have Him guide us to become a great parent and help us in teaching our children and helping them to know how and why to live for the Lord. And when things go wrong, and they will go wrong at times, then call on the Lord to help guide you through to making things the way He desires them to be.
Henry Ford and his wife were driving one day in the country and they came across a man whose Model T had broken down.
He was under the hood trying to figure out what was wrong, when Mr. Ford asked if he could take a look. And in just a few minutes, Mr. Ford had the Model T running.
The owner was amazed and said, "I'm impressed with your knowledge of Model T's, and I'm amazed that you fixed it so easily."
Mr. Ford replied, "I ought to be able to fix it because I'm the one who DESIGNED it." And dear people, that's how it is with God and the family. God says, "I can fix it because I designed it!"
All of us have heard of the father or the mother who works so hard and so long that they never get to see the ones they say they're providing for and the work takes so much time they can’t see their family and watch them grow in the joy of the Lord. Time is so very important with the family. In the movie “Like Arrows” a husband and wife are portrayed from before they were married until their fiftieth anniversary. In the film, which I hope you will check out to see, we see how a family is built without God and what happens and then we see what transpires when they surrender their family to the Lord to help in building their family and their home. A tremendous difference is noticed not only by immediate family members but the generations to coming up. I can’t say much more because I want you to see the movie. It is a Kendrick production along the lines of a “War Room”, and it is great.
The blessings and the help one gets from the Lord changes lives of all who are in the family. In verse 3 we see the Lord giving to the family, not just sons, but “children,” girls and boys as a heritage and reward of God. All our children are from God. From conception through birth throughout eternity, they are always going to be our children. In the Jewish tradition sons were to be desired to be able to carry on the family name and legacy. Membership into the covenant family was necessary for the Jewish family of faith. As we live our family life built upon the Lord, He blesses it, when in His will, with children. Sometimes that is just not part of His will for our life. But when He does will it, He desires that they carry on the faith tradition that has been taught within the family that is the foundation of a Christian home. Not just going to church but truly teaching the blessings and the works of the Lord to the children of blessing in your home.
Of course, the psalmist uses the father for the person to focus on, but in reality it will be for both the father and the mother that these blessings will flow. Using the “war theme of arrows” which is for the protection of the warrior, the arrows (children) are the protection of the parents. God says to bear children in your child bearing years to provide protection for you in your older life. When there are children who have been taught by God and lived in the home being blessed of God through the faithful teaching of His Word and where the central theme is that Jesus is to be lived daily through our lives and before others, God’s protection through your children will be yours as a parent.
The census taker then asked, "May I have their names, please?" The woman replied, "Eenie, Meenie, Minie and George." Confused, the census taker said, "Okay, that's fine. But may I ask why you named your fourth child 'George'?" She replied, "Because we didn't want any Mo'."
Let me give you a great and personal example. Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Lynda’s mom and dad, are now in an assisted living home. They are not alone nor are they without protection from their children. There were six children, one in heaven and five here on this earth, and the children have made sure from the time trouble came into their parent’s lives that mom and dad were watched out after whether it was in their own home or one bought by Lynda’s sister to live next door to she and her husband, to being in a safe and loving environment like they are now. These children have made it clear that someone will be there and keep watch on the two of them because of their love and concern for the two who gave them life and new life in Christ.
God wants the family to be in love with Him and someone has to teach children to understand that. We as parents are to be primarily responsible for that teaching. This year, our hope is that families with children will have the help they need to teach their children to love God and love others as Jesus loves them. We pray they will grow to know Christ personally and to understand the place of Scripture in their lives. Daily we hope that children and parents will encounter the living Lord together.
To help with that, we are asking all parents and grandparents or others who are responsible for children or youth, to come to a meeting on February 2, from 10-12, here at church, to be challenged and informed on how to do just that. There will be suggested material to use and a time of discussion regarding what you might do now and there will be a time of sincere discussion among parents. We are praying that you will make this a priority and that you will be praying for your family and others in the church to make such changes necessary that all our families will be walking with Jesus and building a home that honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.
Today is a great day to make that commitment.
I want to be the best parent I can be and to guide my children in the way God would have me to lead.
I need to talk to someone about Jesus Christ becoming my Savior and Lord. If this is your need then we want you to come and privately we can sit with you and share how God can come into your life and save you.
I would like to join this church and I need to speak to someone about joining.
I have made a commitment to follow Christ, I just need to find forgiveness from some sins that are haunting me. What do I do? Come lets talk and pray for you.