Sermon Tone Analysis

Dream for our kids

Gymnast Aly Raisman, parents during her routine.

Trained 6-7 hours a day 6 days a week for years

Lived, breathed, slept gymnastics.

Worth $2 million and one of the most successful athletes of all time.

Imagine the hours and dollars invested by her family in her becoming a gymnast.

Odds of becoming an Olympic swimmer .0013%

NBA .02%

NFL .03%’

MBL .05%

Article about kids in athletics:

“I really do pray that my son doesn’t become the next Michael Jordan.

I would weep over and over again if he did.

Every time his Nike employees called him “Yahweh.”

And every game he won, because I would know it was a fading glimpse of the glory he was forfeiting.”

“But, oh, if he can learn the ways of Jesus.

I’ll shed better tears.

If he can recite 26 verses of Scripture on his last day of kindergarten like his big sister did, I’ll sleep well.

If he learns to love his neighbor, walk in wisdom, stand up for the poor, worship with gladness, live in purity, and serve Christ’s church, I’ll beam with a joy that will outshine every day in Rio.

That’s what we’re training for.”

God’s Mission for Family

1) Family was His creation

1)

gen 1:

God created the first husband and wife and tasked them to multiply and fill the earth WITH KIDS.

The mission of God started with a family.

2) Family was God’s means for mission

God chose Abraham’s family to be His means of bringing His glory to the nations.

- the genealogy of Christ points to God’s plan to spread His glory to the nations through His chosen FAMILY

3) God’s commands were given to families

This is the central commandment everyone in the world is called to live by.

deu

This commandment (the culmination of all the commandments) is to be at the center of your home, the conversation around the table, the guiding principle in all we do.

God wanted families to teach and train their children in His ways and His commands.

4) God’s plan rests on His family

God’s plan to save us from our sin came through His son.

The relationship between the Father and the Son is meant to magnify Gods love for us by highlighting the familial relationship.

THIS WAS A BIG SACRIFICE!

When we are saved through Christ we are brought into the family of God.

jn 1

We are children of God

This analogy is used throughout the NT to display our relationship to God through Christ.

Family is central to God’s Mission in this world.

But is God’s mission to make His glory known central to your family mission?

How often do you talk with your family about spiritual things?

How often do you read and study the bible with your family?

How often do you pray with your family?

Do you pray daily for your kids to know AND FOLLOW Jesus?

Do you study and learn in order to help your kids understand how to decipher issues they deal with in a Godly way?

How often do you sing worship songs with your kids?

Have you ever shared the gospel with your kids, parents, brothers or sisters?

It was never God’s plan to outsource teaching kids to follow Jesus.

Reorienting our Family Toward Mission

Practical suggestion for leading your family toward greater things:

1) Seek God’s plan rather than your own

What do you hope for and pray for for your kids?

Success, happiness, popularity, safety, security...

Not saying pray for the opposite, but can our kids be popular, successful, happy, safe…if they are following the ways of Christ?

jn 15

Perhaps our prayers and our plans for our kids and our families are not in line with God’s plan.

2) Read and study God's word with your family

You have to be diligent to study the Bible yourself, equipped to lead and answer questions.

But we must teach our kids the Words of God!!

Develop a plan to read and fight to keep it.

Satan wants to disrupt this time for your family.

Find an appropriate translation and JUST START READING

Get a devotional for families.

3) Pray for and with your family

Pray for your kids regularly

But also pray with your kids regularly.

Plan and protect this time.

Teach them to pray

Pray boldly in front of them.

Pray that God would save them from their sin

Pray that He would help them obey and learn

Teach them to trust prayer and practice it.

4) Develop a family mission statement

What does God want your family to be about?

A family mission statement can help establish a family's identity even as it reinforces what is important.

Example statements:

Know God and His Word

Develop the skills necessary to live in society

Value relationships and treat others with kindness and respect

Seek God's will for direction and purpose in life

Example

We believe God wants us to ____________ this year, which we will intentionally do by concentrating on these areas:

With each other, we will ____________.With our neighbors and friends, we will ____________.With our extended family, we will ____________.With our church body, we will ____________.When people think of our family, how do we want them to finish this sentence: They are a family that ____________.

5) Lead your family to think missionally

How will you use your house to make Jesus known to your neighbors?

What can you give to make the Gospel known to others?

How can you serve as a family in the church? in the community?

How can you train your kids to think less about what they want and more about how to be grateful and generous?

Land the plane

God's mission for your life and our lives is to make his glory known among the Nations

What are you praying for for your kids?

That your kid would be the next Michael Jordan or the next Chipper Jones

For your kid to be popular or safe in school

That they would have a good job, comfortable life, and not have problems?

What are we creating our children to be?

what are we training our children to do?

are we training them to glorify the Father in Heaven in whatever he may call them to do