Interlocked Lesson 8 (2)

Faith in Action Part 2

Last week we discussed “Big Questions” we ask in life.

What will I do after I graduate?

Who should I date?

Who should I marry?

What job does God want me to work?

Why do bad things happen?

And so many more…

We are going to continue that thought today and start with accidents and death.

4. A fatal accident that appears meaningless.

E. God’s death sentence on man.

There has been a lot of sadness lately.

Moe Mundy dying.

Nettie Wilkins just lost another son last week.

A young girl, 2 months older than Roman to the day died of cancer this week…

Her name was Riley Faith.

Holy smokes man. Like I can’t even fathom losing my oldest son right now.

What a devastating thought.

We need to remember death wasn’t part of God’s design.

Genesis 1:31 “31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

What God made was “normal”

Genesis 2:17 “17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.””

This wasn’t normal.

Romans 5:12 “12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—”

When they ate the fruit, they brought abnormal into the world.

Death was the penalty God warned Adam and EVe about.

Death sucks.

One day God will separate all of the abnormal from the normal.

All of the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, cancers, diseases, tumors, and imperfections of all kind are not part of God’s design.

One day He will separate evil from good forever.

But right now, that is not that time.

2 Corinthians 5:1 “1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

So listen I have more questions about death than I have answers but here is one question that really helps me.

I’m not saying God causes all bad things to happen but here’s the question I ask myself.

In all the bad, horrible things that happen around us and to us.

What is more comforting, To think those things happen outside of God’s control or within his control?

For me the answer is simple.

I believe God is in control. I can’t answer the “How” he’s in control of Moe dying or sweet little Riley Faith.

But it is far more comforting to think God has a plan through their deaths than it is to think they just randomly died outside of God’s control.

That’s the question we should ask that will strengthen your worldview.

Even more important, after death, where will you go?

Will you be with God or be separated from GOd.

That’s the questions to ask.

5. Racism:

Adam as the original source of DNA; Noah’s family as the next source of DNA.

A big question in life in our nation does come down to race.

How do we defeat Racism?

Biblical, we need to remember our roots.

If God only made 2 humans at the beginning, Adam and Eve, then ultimately we all come from them.

But also, God destroyed the earth at the flood, so secondarily, we all come from Noah.

Revelation 7:9-10 “9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.””

In the end of time, we will see people from every nation, tribe, people, and language.

Who is excluded from that list?

Well, anyone who isn’t in Christ won’t be in that list, but the point is, there will be people from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages represented with Christ in heaven.

As believers then, we cannot discriminate or promote any racism.

Because the heart of God is for the nations. For all people to be with Him in the end.

And what’s a good way to promote this worldview?

Through the family!

6. Lack of Authority in young people

- Divine institution of Family.

Have you ever been in a store or somewhere out in public and you see a kid who is just bananas?

Maybe it’s been my family on a Sunday morning…

IDK, but we’ve all been there and seen a parent with an out of control kid.

No one wants to be the parent of that kid, but the truth is, kids are wild animals sometimes man.

As a parent now, and as an encouragement to you as a future parent one day…

It’s our role to disciple out kids.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 “5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

If you want to see better in society, make it a high priority in your life to be a parent and then to disciple your kids.

To teach them the ways of Christ.

Your not going to have an opportunity to speak truth into that parent or kid that’s acting crazy in the store, but you will have an opportunity to disciple your kids.

That’s the point I’m making this morning,

Remember God’s 3 divine institutions?

Responsible dominion

marriage

family

Make those things a priority in your life, even now, and that will set you up for success later.

Success being, the goal of raising kids who love Jesus.

APPLICATION:

The more you dig into Scripture, the more it comes to life.

When we read God’s word, it doesn’t always present people the way you and I would.

Sometimes, people go from looking heroic, to horrible real fast.

This is one reason spending a large amount of time in the Old testament is important.

Jesus is the most important part of Scripture, but even in John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John points us back to Genesis.

Ultimately the big questions in life will bring us back to Jesus, but also Jesus reminds us that He not only loves us now, but He’s loved us since the beginning.

The enemy would want you to be distracted.

What are some ways Satan distracts us from what is really important?

What are some ways Satan distracts Churches from what is important?

I’ll give you the big one.

One that’s even got me alot through the years.

Too often, I get envious of other churches who look like they have it all together.

Unlike most of you, I’ve been in several different churches through my life.

One example,

Hymns.

Dude, like I never sang hymns in my life till I came to BBC.

Real talk, I don’t even know most of the hymns we sing on Sunday morning.

My preference would be to emphasize the praise band way more than we do.

But

You know what I’ve also learned through the years.

Most of that doesn’t matter. It’s a distraction from what does matter.

What matters most in the church is faithfulness.

Hebrews 10:23 “23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Dude, way more than what kind of music is happening in our church on Sunday, I pray our church is full of faithful people.

And I think we are.

Dude, Joe is so faithful.

He’s been here for 25ish years and He loves Jesus.

He’s sat with so many people who are dying and helped welcome them to the throne of Christ.

I hope the same can be said of me.

More than a youth pastor, more than a drummer, even more than a dad.

I hope people remember my faithfulness to Christ.

More than what kind of music a church has or how entertaining the pastor is

Or how the sanctuary looks.

Dude, is the church full of faithful people who love Jesus?

Full of faithful families?

Faithful teenagers who love Jesus.

I hope that’s our focus.

Because in this hope we profess, He is faithful.

Because of His faithfulness, we too can be faithful.

Let’s hold on to that today.