A STABLE HOME IN A DECAYING SOCIETY

Religion

This sermon was preached on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2014 at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cherry Log, Georgia by Pastor Paul Mims. You can hear this sermon at www.csbccl.org

Matthew 7:24-27Since time began, women have never fully trusted men. One day Adam took a walk in the Garden of Eden. He told Eve that he would be back soon. But we all know that “soon” means different things to different people. That evening, when Adam got back home, Eve pounced on the situation.

“Where have you been all this time?” “Out Walking – where could I have been? How could you be jealous when we are the only two people on earth?”

Eve didn’t argue anymore, but that night while Adam was asleep, she counted his ribs.

Often times, it is the little things that cause a family to take a certain direction. Sometimes, they just drift in a certain direction. But some families plan their direction and pursue it with devotion. Consider these two families:

Two men lived in the same town, Northhampton, Massachusetts in the early 1700’s. The first was Jonathan Edwards who was a preacher and married a devout Christian girl. Their family tree shows that they had 729 descendants. Of this number, 300 were ministers, 65 were college professors, 13 were university presidents, 60 were authors of good books, 3 were United States congressmen, 1 was Vice President of the United States. Most of the others made a significant contribution to society.

The other man was Max Jukes, an unbeliever who was married to an unbeliever. They had 1,026 descendants. Of these, approximately 300 died early in life, 100 went to prison, 200 were prostitutes, and about 100 were alcoholics. This family cost the state over one million dollars to care for them.
What made the difference in these two families? They lived in the same town and had the same educational opportunities. But the homes were different in their philosophy of life, values and parentage. As the twig was bent so grew the tree. One grew deep in faith and the other had shallow roots.
You can see the same thing today. Two families live side by side. One has a stable home and the other does not. One has strong values and the other does not. One has a strong marriage and the other does not. One has a strong faith and the other does not. One makes a significant contribution to society and the other does not. The storms come to both. The full and complete answer as to why they go in different directions that they do is not an easy one, but the broad reason according to Jesus is that one is built on the sand and the other is built on the rock.

I. THE STABLE HOME IS BUILT ON THE TEACHING OF JESUS.
There is a common saying, “You are what you eat.” This is especially true in the spiritual realm. You are what feeds you. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” The home where Jesus is known as Lord and Savior is a home that draws their strength and values from him. When his teachings are put into practice there is a stability that affects the whole of life. There is a different kind of love in the home.

Jane Nelson wrote a book entitled “The Aladdin Factor.” She tells the story of a single mother who was caught in a power struggle with her fourteen-year old daughter. The mother came home and found a six-pack of beer in her daughter’s closet. When her daughter came home, she said, “Okay Maria, what is this?”

‘It looks like a six-pack of beer to me, Mom” her daughter said. Don’t get smart with me, young lady. You tell me about this.”

“Well, I don’t know what you are talking about,” Maria said.

“I found this six pack of beer in your closet and you had better explain,” her mother continued. Maria thought real fast and said, “Oh yeah, I was hiding it for a friend.”

“You expect me to believe that?” asked her mother. Maria gets mad and stomps off to her bedroom and slams the door.

Does that sound familiar to any of you? The mother called Jane Nelson to ask for advice on how to deal with her daughter. Jane asked her, “Why were you so concerned with finding beer in her closet?”
“Because I don’t want her to get in trouble,” replied the mother. “I understand that,” Jane replied, “but why is it not to ruin her life?” Finally, the mother got it. “Well, because I love her,” she said.
“Do you think that she got that message?” Jane asked. The answer is, “Of course not!”

“What do you think would happen,” Jane asked, “if you started with that message?” If she had started with, “Honey, I love you so much that I really got scared when I found that beer in your closet. Could we talk about this? Because I am real afraid that you will get into trouble, could we talk about it?” In this approach, Jane Nelson says, you start by being vulnerable instead of conducting an inquisition that inevitably leads to denial. Starting from the position of love and vulnerability evokes closeness and trust so that the child can open up and work together with you on some kind of solution.

Both Christian and non-Christian parents have the same problems when it comes to communication, but when the teachings of Jesus are applied within the family there is a far better chance that even bungling parents will be able to stabilize family relationships.

Notice what Jesus said, “…everyone who HEARS…and puts into practice.” Have you really heard what Jesus wants for your home? What are the unstable areas? How can you apply his teachings to your relationships with your family members? Some Christians don’t hear at all. Some hear and don’t do anything about it. Some really hear and do what Jesus said.

Consider these teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness how can it be made salty again?” Family members know what we are made of. If we are not true to our Lord, the family will know it. To truly influence children in the Christian walk, the parents have to be authentic.

“Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19-20)

From a national survey of strong families conducted by the Human Development and Family Department at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, a profile of a strong family:

Appreciation. “Family members gave one another compliments and sincere demonstrations of approval. They tried to make the others feel appreciated and good about themselves.”

Ability to Deal with Crises in a Positive Manner. “They were willing to take a bad situation, see something positive in it and focus on that.”

Time Together. “In all areas of their lives–meals, work, recreation–they structured their schedules to spend time together.”

High Degree of Commitment. “Families promoted each person’s happiness and welfare, invested time and energy in each other and made family their number one priority.”

Good Communication Patterns. “These families spent time talking with each other. They also listened well, which shows respect.”

High Degree of Religious Orientation. “Not all belonged to an organized church, but they considered themselves highly religious.”

If our Christianity won’t work at home, it is a farce everywhere else. But if it is believed and practiced devotedly at home, it will be authentic everywhere else. And the home will be stable on the rock in the midst of the storms.

II. THE UNSTABLE HOME IS BUILT ON THE VALUES OF DECAYING SOCIETY.
A survey of 1,023 10 to 13 year olds was done by Kidspeace, an organization that helps children and families overcome the crisis that they face. Here are the top ten concerns of America’s children as revealed by this survey.
Parents might die 65%
Might do poorly in school 57%
Family might become poor 53%
Might die 51%
Might get kidnapped 50%
Parents might be unavailable 47%
Might be unhappy 47%
Physical or sexual abuse 45%
Physical harm from bullies 43%

Some of these things are normal for every child of every generation. But some are unique to our day and reflect homes built on decaying values. Why would children have to worry about their parents not being there for them? Why would they have to worry about physical or sexual abuse at their age?

A study conducted by Ohio State University researchers found that may don’t understand why they should not steal. More than 90% of the 323 persons studied felt that stealing is wrong, but their reasons were based on the possibility of getting caught and punished, the fact that the other person might try to get even, and the possibility that “you might not need the item.” In other words, most of those surveyed would steal and feel fine about it. They did not have an intrinsic sense that stealing is wrong in and of itself.

Sociologist and historian Carle Zimmerman, in his book – Family and Civilization, recorded his keen observations as he compared the disintegration of various cultures with the parallel decline of family life in those cultures. Eight specific patterns of domestic behavior typified the downward spiral of each culture Zimmerman studied.

*Marriage loses its sacredness…is frequently broken by divorce.
*Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.
*Feminist movements abound.
*Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general.
*Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion.
*Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities.
*Growing desire for and acceptance of adultery.
*Increasing interest in and spread of sexual perversions and sex-related crimes. Swindoll, The Quest For Character, Multnomah, p. 90.

A non-Christian home can be strong and stable and many are. Many fine and wonderful people come from backgrounds that have no Christian foundation. But the home has an eternal quality about it. We are equipping our children not just for their temporal lives, but for their eternal lives. The fine homes that major just on the temporal are building on the sand.

“Mary had a little boy, his soul was white as snow.
He never went to Sunday School because Mary wouldn’t go.
He never heard the story of Christ that thrills the childish mind,
While other children went to class, this child was left behind.
And as he grew from babe to youth, she saw to her dismay
A soul that once was white became a dingy gray.
Realizing that he was lost, she tried to win him back.
But now the soul that once was white had turned an ugly black.
She even started back to church and Sunday School too.
She begged the preacher, “Isn’t there something you can do?”
“I tried to tell you years ago, but you would pay no mind.”
And so another soul is lost that once that was white as snow.
Sunday School could have helped, but Mary wouldn’t go!
(Author Unknown)

Johann Sebastian Bach was born into the musical family of Bachs in 1685. By the age of ten, both of his parents were dead. Early in his friction-filled life, young Johann determined he would write music … music for the glory of God … and this he did.

Most of Bach’s works are explicitly Biblical. Albert Schweitzer referred to him as The fifth evangelist, thus comparing him to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. At age 17 Bach became the organist at the church; soon thereafter he was given charge of the entire music ministry.

During his ministry in Weimar, Germany he wrote a new cantata every month … EVERY MONTH! And during one three-year period he wrote, conducted, orchestrated, and performed (with his choir and orchestra) a new cantata every week!

No one had any idea what a mark Bach would leave. His legacy lives on some 300 years later. You can hear his music at will.

At the beginning of every authentic manuscript one will find the letters “J.J.” This stands for Jesu Java (Jesus help me). At the end of each original manuscript you will find the letters “S.D.G.” This stands for Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God).

Bach is a reminder that one who gives his life to Jesus and serves Him does not count it a loss. Mk 8:35 “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it”

PRAISE BE TO HIS NAME!

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