2 Father's Day: Transformed Heart
Raise Them Up • Sermon • Submitted
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· 14 viewsBig Idea: Fathers, your influence on your children matters, but only God can transform a heart to follow Him.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Mothers Day message was about being a powerful example. Our example of following Jesus impacts our children more than our words do.
Parents setting the example and modeling faith lived out will set the environment for our children to also live by faith.
End goal of parenting? Well behaved children become well behaved adults? Or transformed heart who follows hard after Jesus?
6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
raise/train up a child… not a promise or guarantee. Sometimes kids still do what they want and go their own way.
Like Father, Like Son?
Like Father, Like Son?
Looking at examples of examples of fathers and sons in the Old Testament.
Split kingdom.
After King Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two, Israel to the north and Judah to the south.
Kingdom of Judah.
Judah consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin with the capitol at Jerusalem.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam did evil 2 Chronicles 12:14, then Abijam continued to do evil.
14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
Abijam’s son Asa changed the course of the family.
Read 1 Kings 15:1–3, 9–15 Asa – broke the cycle of evil carried out by father.
1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom. 3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 15 He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.
Transformed heart, transformed kingdom. He removed the idols, deposed his (grand)mother and burned the idol she had erected. Two areas of failure though, he did not remove the high places, and in the end faltered in his reliance on God.
Jehoshaphat his son carried on the legacy and even went further to complete the removal of the high places and Asherim from Judah and sought to teach people the Word of God.
Sadly, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram aligned with Israel and carried on their line of evil.
(maybe just a quick mention or just let this out)
Examples of other Godly fathers with sons who did evil: Even the sons of priests and prophets.
Aaron – Leviticus 10 sons killed offering unholy fire
Eli high priest – 1 Samuel 2:22 sons were evil pursuing sex
Samuel prophet – 1 Samuel 8:1-3 sons were pursuing greed
(end)
Kingdom of Israel
String of evil kings in Israel after Solomon and the split kingdom. Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Omri. Omri did more evil than all the kings before him. Idolatry, leading Israel to sin.
25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols. 27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king. 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
Ahab – did not break the cycle of evil carried out by his father but continued that evil.
Omri’s son Ahab followed his father in leading Israel to sin. Married Jezebel and served and worship Baal. Made an altar to Baal in Samaria, made an Asherah, provoked God.
Examples of bad fathers and sons who continued to do evil. Good fathers whose sons turned around and did evil. And bad fathers whose sons were transformed and followed God.
What is the difference?
Connect Them
Connect Them
Our example of following Jesus impacts our children more than our words do. But…
We need to do more than just set a good example.
The real goal with our kids is not to shape their behavior so much as to set an environment for transformation in their hearts.
Not shape behavior, not teach only rules, not tell them what to believe
Teach and model heart attitudes that align with Scripture, teach and model how to apply Scripture in all areas of life, teach and model how to question and find answers and believe.
The rules themselves are worthless without Jesus. The 10 Commands do not save. Good behavior does not save. Every individual needs to connect with Jesus and with the body.
We have to do our part to teach, but also to model a godly life of faith and obedience. However, we must do more than teach rules and behavior and “because I said so” reasons for obedience. At some point the children become adults and when you are no longer able to “say so” in their lives they have to be able to make the wise choices for godly living.
True godly living only comes from a transformed heart. Following rules does not change a heart or earn salvation. The work of God’s Spirit changes hearts as we yield to Him.
Heart transformation –Luke 6:45,
45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
So, going along with setting the example ourselves, we must create an environment for true heart transformation.
Connect Them to the Vine
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Connect Them to the Body
1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 1 We become part of the body of Christ. We only function when we are connected and carrying out the function of the body.
Maybe you feel you did a good job raising your children but they are not living as you would think or hope they would. Maybe, though, you feel you failed your children and now they are wandering lost because of your poor example. Either way, the real hope is praying for God’s intervention to transform their hearts. You can be part of that process by modeling true godliness/holiness through Connecting to the Vine and Connecting to the Body.
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
Fathers, your influence on your children matters, but only God can transform a heart to follow Him.
Set the environment and example for heart transformation.
What About You?
What About You?
Are you remaining connected to the Vine daily and moment by moment?
Are you actively connected to the Body living out the mission of Jesus to rescue others?