Because They Make Healthier Families Series

Series: I Love Sundays

Sermon 5: Because They Make Healthier Families

Note: This sermon has used thoughts and quotes from the curriculum I Love Sundays sermon week 3 from Outreach without notation.

Summary from last week’s message:

We are learning these days how to make Sunday the best day of our week. More importantly, we are learning to live more balanced lives by living at a better pace and rhythm.

Last week we learned that God wired us up for work as well as for rest, challenge, and leisure, and we work best if we practice both in the right order and proportions. The ancient book of Ecclesiastes says that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” We’re learning that Sunday can be the best day of our week because God designed it as a Sabbath for us to rest, refuel, refresh and refocus.

If you’re joining us for the first time today, welcome! You are in for a great adventure. Last week we looked at how good Sundays can make better Mondays, and today we are going to explore how a good Sunday can help improve your entire family.

Last week we learned from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah that . . .

If you call the Sabbath a delight

and the LORD’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,

and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land. (Isaiah 58:13–14)

Isaiah wrote these words almost three thousand years ago. God’s promise is still true today: if you will call the Sabbath a delight, you will ride in triumph on the heights of the land.

Introduction:

Some of the great challenges of our day are to have great godly families, to connect with others relationally, to raise great kids in the midst of a ninety-mile-an-hour culture. We move so fast and have so many opportunities and obligations, it’s hard to find time to be together as a family, much less enjoy your family, or to even build meaningful relationships with others. And when families are together, they are usually driving to a soccer practice or some type of performance. Or, while driving, every kid in the car has their earphones in and is listening to something other than the conversation in the vehicle.

Would you agree with what I just said? Do you think we are losing connection with each other in our culture today because of these factors? Then should we not make a commitment to connect with others?

Last week we focused on making Sunday the best day of the week. Today I want to help you learn to use Sundays to build better relationships with others, to build better relationships with your families – this includes immediate family and the church family. Some of you live alone or are single and you may think this message will not apply to you but it does. Why, because these 8 principles/promises apply to Loving Sundays and loving others.

I want to give you eight practices and promises that will help create stronger relationships in and outside the church family. These promises are to be made with your families and your marriages. We will focus on relationships within the context of families, church, and marriage. Every principle I give you can apply to helping nieces and nephews, grandsons and granddaughters, god children, students you lead and every other member of the next generation you have influence on.

Scriptures:

2 Peter 3:10-14: 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

In this opening passage of the Bible we discover that we should love Sundays and what Jesus did for us so much that we live holy and godly lives every day. We need to do this because the Lord will come back unexpectedly and he is coming back for a spotless bride who is found blameless.