Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Luke 1:13

The Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). But so many times, we pray and seek God, ask according to His will; and yet our prayer seems unanswered.

At the beginning of the Book of Luke, we meet Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, both righteous before God, blameless, yet barren. They were well in their old age, and without any children, they had prayed for their whole lives. Verse 13 says, “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son…” We can learn three things from Zacharias and Elizabeth when prayer seems unanswered.

First, unanswered prayer could mean it has simply been denied.

God will not grant prayers that aren’t according to His will. Sometimes, we pray with sin in our heart, outside of the will of God. Remember, God wants to meet every one of our personal needs, but He will not enable our lust, pride, or selfishness.

An unanswered prayer could also mean it’s strategically delayed.

Adrian Rogers says, “With God, timing is far more important than time.” Answered prayers could be delayed to display His glory. As we see in Zacharias and Elizabeth’s story, God could wait until the situation is so difficult, there's no way we, ourselves, get the glory from it.

Or, our prayers could be delayed to dispense God’s grace.

As interested as He is in His glory, God’s also interested in our joy. In Luke 1, God was about to bring Jesus into the world. God planned the arrival of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s son, John the Baptist, so he could prepare the way for this long-awaited Messiah. God knew what He was doing; He had a strategic plan to display his glory and to dispense his grace, in the fullness of time.

Finally, the answer to your prayer may be strangely different.

For Zacharias and Elizabeth, God gave them something better than they asked for; it was different. He was the forerunner of the Messiah. Their son filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.

Adrian Rogers tells us, “God gives the best to those who leave the choice with him.”

Apply it to your life

What do you do when your prayer seems unanswered? Check to make sure you are seeking the glory of God. Then pray without ceasing.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Matthew 19:1-6

Adrian Rogers says, “A home is the sweetest place on earth, the nearest place to Heaven. It’s the only part of the Garden of Eden that we have left.”

Matthew 19 discusses the importance of family faithfulness; first, by recognizing that marriage is made by Heaven.

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, ‘For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?" (v. 4-5).

Marriage is the supreme commitment, overruling every other commitment we could ever make. The priority of marriage is to build a home, and we cannot build a home without God’s guidance. We raise children with the intention of them leaving home to build homes of their own.

Marriage is also permanent, and its purpose is to be one flesh, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Adrian Rogers says, “Marriage is a romance in which both the hero and the heroine die in the first chapter, and a new person comes into being: one flesh.”

But marriage can be marred by Hell; there is nothing wrong with romantic love, but we are deceived if we believe that is enough to sustain a marriage. We are commanded in Scripture to love our spouses unconditionally, as God has loved His church.

There is no fear in perfect love, only peace, security, and joy. We must be careful not to allow guilt to fester in our marriages; guilt turns to anger, and anger into bitterness.

When we experience trials, reconciliation and forgiveness are called for in order to put the family back together. If we seek restoration, we’ll find that the relationship can potentially be even stronger than before it was broken.

Finally, marriage is always marked by hope. No matter our circumstances, there is always hope because the grace of God covers all of our sins. God does not hold grudges; His forgiveness is always available for those who seek to honor Him in their relationships.

Apply it to your life

A godly home is the greatest testimony we have in this world. If you are married, make certain that Christ is the head of your home and continue to feed your love day by day.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 5:29

The family was the first institution formed by God, created to meet the deepest physical, social, and spiritual needs of mankind. It is in the home that a child should learn who he is, what he can do, and what is expected of him.

In the midst of this moral free fall, it is time we ask ourselves: what is the future of the family? Adrian Rogers says, “If there is no future for our families, there is no future for this nation.”

Deuteronomy 5:29 says, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”

Our homes are the universities of life.

In these homes, we must train our children to abide by God’s law so that we can preserve the family’s future. God gave the Ten Commandments to the family. God’s priority plan for us is to pass our faith from parent to child.

Parents are the professors of their homes.

Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “You shall teach them diligently to your children...” Though we can’t control our children, we can guide and teach them in the way they should go. Our primary goal as parents should be that we love God with sincere, selfless, and strong love so that we can set an example for our children to love Him, too.

The Ten Commandments are the curriculum.

These commandments are the liberating laws of life and the tracks upon which our families run. We are to set boundaries for our kids around the parameter of God’s law.

Our children are our students.

It is not the church’s responsibility to raise our children in faith, it is ours. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:8-9).

Finally, life is the laboratory.

Life is where these things are taught. We must teach our children convictionally, consistently, creatively, conversationally, and conspicuously.

Apply it to your life

Our homes are where our children learn everything they need to know about life. Have you established your home as a university, yourself as a professor, and God’s law as the curriculum? Are your children your students, viewing life as the laboratory?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:19

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body...”

We have been commanded to treat our bodies as temples to maintain and dedicate to God for His glory. Our bodies are carefully crafted, finely tuned machines, and our maintenance manual is the Word of God.

There are some reasons why we have physical ailments that are not in our control; but whatever we can control, we are responsible for maintaining.

There are four principles to remember as we work on our family fitness.

1. Family fitness is a matter of discipline.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

We must be disciplined in our diet and exercise, which extends our life expectancy and improves our wellbeing. In a world of fad diets and quick fixes, we are called to consume natural, real foods, within the right portions. There needs to be discipline in how we rest. Psalm 127:2 warns us: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for He gives His beloved sleep.”

2. Family fitness is a matter of disposition.
Choosing to express positive emotions should be part of our family fitness regime. Adrian Rogers says, “Hardening of the attitudes is just as bad as hardening of the arteries.” Stress will derail us physically; it will cripple our thinking, weaken our bodies, and reduce our efficiency. We must guard our hearts and minds against hatefulness and stress.

3. Family fitness is a matter of devotion.
When we love God and serve Him in the church as we should, we can experience an increase in health.

4. Family fitness is a matter of decision.
We will not stumble across family fitness, physically, mentally, or spiritually. It takes work to gain and maintain, work that we decide to do intentionally. Our families should stand out by our faith and our fitness, recognizing our responsibility to maintain our bodies as unto the Lord.

Apply it to your life
Do you recognize any areas in your health, or your family’s health, that could improve? Make the decision to maintain your family’s health, physically and spiritually.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Psalm 128

God created families to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts—to give and receive love. Families were designed to provide a safe and secure environment in which to nurture, teach, and love our children.

Psalm 128 gives us a description of the ideal family: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord; who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy and it shall be well with you” (v. 1-2).

One of the signs that God has blessed our homes is the presence of laughter, which is why we should get serious about having family fun.

Adrian Rogers says, “Man is the only creature who can do three things: weep, blush, and laugh.”

Family fun is not careless or irresponsible; in fact, fun and efficiency coincide perfectly. Leisure time is time we permit ourselves to enjoy without guilt, to make memories with our children while they are children.

There are three reasons why family fun is crucial to the spiritual health and growth of our families.

Family fun refreshes.
Work is necessary, but we cannot be too busy making a living that we forget to live. Just as there is a time to work, there is also a time to rest as well. We cannot always be more interested in our finances than in our fun, nor put our labor over our laughter.

Family fun repairs.
There is so much stress in this stretched-thin society. Our attitudes and emotions can have some control over our physical health. A grim and solemn spirit doesn’t just break the health of an individual, but the family as well. Joy and happiness are incredible medicines, and laughter can release the tension from a broken home.

Family fun remains.
The laughter we create in our homes lingers and echoes throughout our lives; it goes on and on, even after we leave this earth. Adrian Rogers says, “We are building for our children a museum of memories, and memories are our landmarks—they keep us from getting lost.”

Apply it to your life
Is your home marked with laughter and your leisure time full of family fun? Remember: family fun refreshes us when we’re weary, repairs us when we’re broken, and remains after we’re gone.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: 1 Timothy 6:5-10, 17

It could be said that money is the root of a majority of the problems in our homes. The enemy’s plan is to keep families in financial bondage, but 1 Timothy 6 provides wisdom regarding family finances.

A lack of wealth cannot take away genuine contentment.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain…” (v. 6). Contentment is an inner sufficiency that keeps us at peace in spite of outward circumstances. If we depend on natural and material things for contentment, we will never have it. Our basic needs consist of food and clothing (v. 8); our desire for more than the basics truly makes us unhappy.

Personal value, virtue, and victory are measured not by money, but by godliness. Adrian Rogers says, “We need to add up everything that we own that money cannot buy and death cannot take away, and praise God for that.”

The loss of wealth is inevitable.

“We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (v. 7). We will not take any of our earthly riches with us after death. We must consider what we will leave behind in the hearts and lives of our loved ones after we are gone.

The love of wealth is dangerous.

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (v. 9-10).

If our desire is to be rich, we are headed for serious trouble. Though the Bible teaches productivity and making wise investments and warns against slothfulness, we cannot prioritize riches.

The luxury of wealth brings responsibility.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy…” (v. 17). We are stewards of our wealth, not owners; if we do not see our riches as a loan from God, we will suffer, no matter how much money we have. Our responsibility is to be humble, trustful, joyful, and generous.

Apply it to your life
What are you leaving behind in the hearts and lives of your children? Accept your responsibility as a steward of wealth, and be humble, trustful, joyful, and generous.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:7

The only way we can raise a family in a way that honors God is by faith. There is an urgent need to get our children on board the good ship of grace, and we do that through a solid, biblical family faith.

Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

In Genesis, Noah exhibited an active faith, in which he both worked and waited for the Lord. Noah did not wait until it began to rain before he prepared an ark. He was willing to look foolish, to stand alone, and receive ridicule from others.

Adrian Rogers says, “Faith is not sitting around doing nothing; it is belief with legs on it.”

Having been warned of the future calamity, Noah’s fear caused him to obey God.

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The fear of God is recognizing His holiness and His awesome power, and loving Him in reverence.

Because of Noah’s faith, God revealed three marks of calamity to Noah: indifference, immorality, and ignorance. Having the foresight and recognizing these markings, Noah went against the tide and prepared in advance to save his household.

The Bible teaches about the beautiful prosperity of household faith. Though we can’t believe for our children, we can see that our children are presented with every opportunity to believe on their own.

Finally, Hebrews declares Noah’s fortune: “...by faith, which he… became heir of the righteousness…”

Because he obeyed the Lord, he received great fortune; as others bought, sold, traded, and married in vain, Noah put everything he had into the ark. This long-term investment saved his life, his family, and his future. He came out of the ark and inherited the world; yet, the things that truly mattered, he gained by faith.

Apply it to your life
Are you and your family onboard the good ship of grace? Have you given your children every opportunity to have a biblical faith of their own?

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:23-27

It takes a family to raise a child, and it takes faith to make a family. The most powerful and influential people on the earth are mothers and fathers of faith.

Hebrews 11 tells the story of the prophet Moses’ divine appointment, which would not have existed if not for his parents, Amram and Jochebed.

There are four principles to learn from their indispensable faith, as we learn the importance of our family faith.

“By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents because they saw that he was a proper child…” (v. 23).

First, faith sees every child as the special handiwork of God.

It is our responsibility to raise our children specifically and individually, by God’s daily guidance.

Second, faith sees every conflict as spiritual.

Amram and Jochebed hid Moses for three months because the King had commanded that baby boys be killed. By faith, they recognized this physical conflict as a spiritual conflict between the gods of Egypt and Almighty God.

In these treacherous days, raising children takes more than wit, wisdom, and good intentions. Raising children is a spiritual battle, and our only hope is a solid faith in Jesus Christ.

Third, faith sees every challenge as solvable.

As Adrian Rogers says, “faith doesn’t throw in the towel,” nor is it “intimidated by the sinister minister of fear.” We have the victory, because, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

When facing challenges, we must do all we can do with a spirit of optimism. If it is God’s will, we can trust that He will move heaven and earth for our children.

Finally, faith sees every choice as significant.

Hebrews 11 notes that because Moses’ values were established in him by his parents, he valued his faith more than all the riches of Egypt.

Moses embraced the virtues of knowing Christ eternally, and rejected the vices of this world, refusing to be called Pharaoh’s son (v. 24).

Because Moses’ parents raised him by faith, he became an example of Psalm 112:2: "…the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”

Apply it to your life
Are you raising your children by faith, recognizing the spiritual conflict? Do you see every challenge as solvable and every choice as significant?