Title: “God’s Plan For the Family” series: The Bible
Text: Acts 16:1-5; 2 Tim. 1:5-6; 3:14-4:5
Truth: Parents are to teach their children truths from the Bible.
Aim: To encourage the use of the Bible in the home.
INTRODUCTION
We have lived to see the demise of atheistic communism. Hopefully, we will see its last gasp in Asia. This demonic ideology sought to destroy Christianity. It burned and banned the Bible. It closed churches and turned the buildings into warehouses. If you were caught sharing your faith with others you were jailed. In Communism we saw the devil’s strategy to destroy society and Christianity.
That same demonic strategy to destroy society and Christianity is at work in America. Christians tend to blame materialism, hedonism, or our hectic lifestyle as the culprit eroding the health of our families. I’m sure they are guilty. But Christians must bear some of the blame. Ninety-eight percent of Americans have a Bible in the home but few families ever read it. This has the same outcome as banning the Bible. There are hundreds of thousands of churches in America. Southern Baptist alone have over 45,000 churches. But on any given Sunday only 17% of the U.S. population attends church (New Orleans Bapt. Theo. Sem. research). Southern Baptist defines a regular attending church member as someone who attends two Sundays a month! Think about this--if this were the last Sunday for Northeast to meet, a large percentage of our members would not know it for weeks or months!
Only 6% of the churches in America are growing by reaching the lost (NOBTS). Most church growth is transfer growth, Christians moving from one church to another. In other words, every year America is becoming less Christian.
God has a plan to protect your family from the powerful destructive forces of our day. The Bible is to be your family’s source of instruction, the church is your partner in the development of your family’s spiritual life, and your family has already been given a life message to share with this generation. Over the next three Sundays I want to talk to you about God’s plan for the family. We’re going to talk about the Bible, church, and life message. Today, let’s talk about the Bible being your family’s source of instruction.
Timothy is an example of being reared in a family that used the Bible. Timothy grew up in a home where his father was not the spiritual leader of the home. The scripture seems to imply his dad was not a believer, therefore not the spiritual leader of the home. Timothy turns out alright. How do you explain that? Notice the influence the Bible had on Timothy and his family.
My appeal to you is simple but earnest; find some way to teach the Bible to your family. Let me say it again, find some way to teach your family the Bible. The reason Satan is so discouraging of this practice in families is because it is so powerful for the salvation of souls and the development of Christian character.
First, a parent’s influence.
I. A PARENT’S INFLUENCE (ACTS 16:1-5)
This is the record of Paul’s second missionary journey. Five years earlier he traveled to these towns and preached the gospel. Many were saved. Apparently, Timothy, his mother, and grandmother became Christians because of Paul’s visit. Lystra is important because it was there where the people rose up against Paul and Barnabas and stoned Paul. They thought he was dead but he recovered and went back to preaching. Timothy would know about this incident. He would’ve known hardknocks are a part of the ministry and living the Christian life. His commitment to Christ was willing to endure hardship.
Timothy’s dad was a Greek. The language leaves room for the possibility of his dad being dead at this time. Timothy may have been 17-18 years of age at the time of Paul’s second visit. That’s to say; he has in large part chosen his direction and loyalties in life. 32% of all Christians embrace Christ before 12 years of age. 6% do when they become an adult.
The Greeks viewed the Jewish practice of circumcision as mutilation. That explains why Timothy had not been circumcised. Paul had already established that circumcision was not necessary in order to be accepted by God. The reason Paul was in Lystra was to pass on the decision of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. The Council agreed with Paul that circumcision was not required to become a Christian. But Paul has Timothy circumcised. Why? It was not for salvation but for Jewish sensibilities. Timothy could enter the worlds of both the Greeks and Jews because of his racial heritage. But to remove a barrier and be accepted by the Jews so they would hear his message, he submitted to circumcision. It was an act of love on Timothy’s part to submit to this Jewish rite.
The outcome was that the churches grew in stability in the Christian faith and also grew in numbers as the lost were saved.
Notice the influence this mother had on her son. Timothy grows up in a racially and religiously mixed family. His father was a pagan but his mother was Jewish. More than likely both practiced their faith. That was just the way of life in those days. I know of homes like this. The father is godless and the mother is Christian. The children are pulled in both directions. Timothy’s circumcision clearly declares that he chose his mother’s way of life rather than his father’s.
Kara Durbin is the author of Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments, just one of a countless number of helps for parents. She tells of teaching a fourth grade class at the public school. Kara was reading a novel to the children and one of the characters in the book stole something. She asked the class if it was wrong or okay for this character to steal.
“To my amazement,” she said. “The children said yes, giving excuses that because of this or that circumstance stealing was acceptable. I suddenly realized that these children had already been captured by the secular thought that if you can justify something as right, that makes it right…”
The destructive riots in England where stores were looted and burned by youth are the consequence of a society that has rejected the Bible and biblical values. The Christian faith and respect for the Bible barely registers in English society. There has been a failure to pass on a biblical value system to the succeeding generation.
Someone said that teenagers make up 1/5th of our population but 100% of our future. Even if our children are grown and out of the home, we are still their parents. Nothing can replace the impact you have on them. You may not have children, but you know children, you can still be an influence on them to love and live the Bible.
God’s plan for families is to teach the Bible. We use our influence to do that.
Second, a heritage of faith.
II. A HERITAGE OF FAITH (2 TIMOTHY 1:5-6)
All of us are the product of our inheritance. The most formative influence on us has been our parents and our home. Biographies recognize this. Often a biography begins with the parents of the person. It did with Jesus. We learn about Joseph and Mary before we learn about Jesus.
Paul mentions several influences that shaped the man Timothy. First, his heritage included his family. The context reveals that one reason Paul was writing Timothy was because pastor Timothy was discouraged and was tempted to quit. What Paul does to restore Timothy’s confidence in the work of God and to put heart back into his spirit was to point to his grandmother and mother.
It has never been easy to be a Christian woman, particularly living with a nonbeliever. A woman simply did not become a follower of another faith without the husband’s permission. It was a justifiable offense for divorce. Displeasing her husband was the least of her worries. But Timothy’s grandmother and mother never gave up their faith. By pointing to them, Paul is saying, “Don’t lose heart. Stay true and strong in the Lord. Timothy this is your heritage.”
There was a day when the TV shows supported what you teach your children and grandchildren. Those days are gone. There was a day when the school was your partner in reinforcing your Christian faith. An older man told me he had a grade school teacher that assigned memorizing scripture when he attended the public school! That day is long gone. There was a day that the community you lived in reflected your Christian morality and worldview. You do not live in a community like that today. But there is one thing that can remain true today and tomorrow, that’s a parent or grandparent or uncle or aunt that consistently, convincingly lives their faith. That heritage will put heart and boldness in your child when they are tempted to quit or follow the crowd.
A man testified that many times when he was young he was tempted to go with the crowd or be convinced by the skeptic. But he could never get away from or explain away the consistent Christian witness of his father. His family heritage outweighed the temptations or the deceiver’s arguments.
His heritage also included Christian friends. After our parents, it is our friends who influence us, and even more so if they are our teachers.
Psychologists have long since noted the reality of mob think, or groupthink, as one of the many potent motivators of human action. Politicians and advertisers are experts at using this to influence us. Not only is human behavior influenced by the crowd as a whole, we are greatly influenced by those in comparable social groups—those we view as like us. Nazism, racism, and the riots in England are examples of this power being used for evil. But this group influence can be used for good. Your children have this powerful force within called a sinful nature. You need every advantage to combat its motivations toward sinful rebellion. God gives you a number of tools. One is his indwelling Spirit, and another is the company of Christian friends.
Pray for God to give your children Christian friends their age. Pray for God’s blessings on our children and youth department to accomplish that very need. But don’t forget to ask God to give your children older friends to influence them for Christ like Paul did Timothy. Ask God to bring godly people your age to enter their lives in order to encourage their faith and share their wisdom.
What would David have become without Jonathan? Paul may have never reached his level of influence without a Barnabas. Henrietta Mears may not be a name known to most of you, but have you heard of Billy Graham or Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade? She was an older single woman who was the education minister at a Presbyterian church in California. She wrote the classic, What the Bible is all About. They both cite her has one of the major influences in their lives.
Timothy’s heritage included family and Christian friends. His heritage also included his spiritual gifts. God gave Timothy a spiritual gift, a spiritual endowment to accomplish some work of God. In Timothy’s case it was an ordination gift—maybe the gift of pastoring or evangelism. God has entrusted every Christian in your family with some spiritual resource that contributes to what God wants to do and reveal Himself to this world. Paul reminds Timothy of this tremendous privilege and challenges him to not let this gift die out. Faithfully use it. Do those things necessary to renew your passion for it. The exercise of your spiritual gift is one of the powerful ways God wants you to experience his presence.
The best physical gifts reveal how well you know and understand the recipient. I buy my grandson, Graham, Spiderman pajamas. I buy my granddaughter, Sally Kate, a princess dress. God puts great thought and care into the spiritual gift he gave you. Your spiritual gift is a part of your heritage to leave others. It fits. It brings joy. As you develop and use it, others are blessed and you are drawn to remain near to the Lord. When a Christian doesn’t use his God-given spiritual gift, he wastes so much of his purpose for being alive.
Timothy had a great heritage. God called him to go to two worlds with the gospel, Jewish and Greek. God gave him a godly family and friends to put that together. God gave him a spiritual gift to make Christ known. “Timothy,” Paul says, “you can’t simply ignore that heritage.”
Our children can inherit hair color and personality traits, but not our faith. But we can live in such a way that they are strongly compelled to embrace our faith or return to it after discovering the world is a liar.
God’s plan is for families to teach their children the Bible. One way to do that is through our influence, a second way is through a heritage of faith, and third…
III. A KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCRIPTURES (2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17)
The main idea is “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.” The word continue means, “to abide, to remain, to stay.” You abide at home. You sojourn to work or school but you live at home. Paul means more than continue living the Christian life. He means we are to live out the values of the Christian faith that are at the core of our being. The Bible dictates our morals. The Bible determines what we believe is right and wrong. This is what Paul means when he tells Timothy to “continue in what you have learned.”
What convinces Timothy to live this way? It is the consistent, convincing example of his family and friends who taught him the faith. Paul says, “because you know those from whom you learned it.” The most compelling apologetic for the Bible is a life lived according to the Bible.
Charles Barkley, the former professional basketball player, was quoted in his playing days as saying not to use him as an example. Paul was more in touch with reality than Charles Barkley. Barkley said that as an excuse to avoid living an upright, responsible life. On the other hand, Paul regularly called on others to follow his example. Everybody knows we’re not perfect, but if you can’t commend your example then what you need is to repent of your sin and obey the Lord.
The next thing that convinces Timothy to live the Bible is the usefulness of the Bible to provide spiritual help (v. 15-17). In your lap is one of the greatest resources God has provided to help your family live godly lives in a godless world. We need knowledge of the scriptures.
Paul says the aim of the Bible is to show us our need for faith in Christ. I remember asking a youth group many years ago when I was a youth minister: “What is the main subject of the Bible?” No one got it right. It’s clearly explained here. It is to bring you to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. It seems every year children are saved in Awana or children’s camp or Sunday School. Why? Children are memorizing scriptures or studying the Bible. It makes lost people aware they need to be saved. We know that one out of every three unchurched persons enrolled in Sunday School will be saved within one year. The most effective evangelistic program for reaching the lost is to get them involved in some kind of Bible study. No other program comes near to being as effective for evangelism than a group of believers including nonbelievers in a small group study of the Bible.
Knowledge of the Bible is not only powerful for evangelism but it is powerful for edifying and equipping the saints to live Christian lives—v. 16-17.
The Bible edifies and equips Christians in two areas: beliefs and behavior. The Bible “teaches” and “rebukes.” In other words, the Bible will teach you what is true and it will expose error or wrong beliefs. The Bible edifies and equips Christians in their behaviors. We have practices and habits that are wrong and the Bible shows us what is right and correct. The Bible also trains us in righteousness. The word “training” refers to a system of discipline. Muhammad Ali said he ran five miles every day so he could dance under the lights. He had a system of discipline to prepare him for his fights. The Bible provides a system of discipline that will lead you to righteous living.
The outcome of edifying and equipping a Christian in his thought life and his lifestyle gets him in shape or prepares him to undertake whatever task God calls him to.
To summarize: Christians have two sources of strength for the Christian pilgrimage. First, observe the life of believers. What can you learn from the example of other Christians? Second, grow in your knowledge of the Bible. You will be led to salvation. You will know the truth and be warned of error in your thought life and lifestyle.
All you need are two things to convey knowledge of the Scriptures to your family. You need time and perseverance. It is worth whatever time you can give and you will need perseverance to push through your failures.
Carol and I did this just about every way it can be done. Even after my kids left home I’ve tried occasionally to promote knowledge of the Scripture. One Christmas as my gift I bought every adult member of the family a One-Year Bible. Our family goal was for all of us to read through the Bible. I don’t remember how many finished, but I do know we all got started. Maybe one day all of us will read through the Bible. Another year we all got copies of The Purpose Driven Life to read together.
My grandkids like for me to tell them made-up bedtime stories. After that I tell them a Bible story. The last time I did this with nine-year-old Bradley and six-year-old Carter lying beside me, we got into a discussion of heaven! I explained how we go to heaven and what we know is happening in heaven.
God’s plan is for families to teach their children the Bible. In order to give them knowledge of the Bible so they will continue and be convinced of its importance, make the time and persevere to teach your family the Bible.
Finally, God’s plan for families to teach their children the Bible means accepting responsibility to teach others.
IV. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH OTHERS (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5)
Paul summons Timothy into the presence of the Father and the Son. He reminds Timothy that everyone will give an account to God for how he has used the life God gave him. Therefore, he charges Timothy with living a consistent, Christian life. You see this in the context of this passage.
Next, Paul gives Timothy the obligations of his ministry that God will use to judge him. The main responsibility is to declare God’s message. There is only one message of salvation. All people are on their way to hell. They must hear of the one way to escape the judgment of God and be saved. In light of that, Paul tells Timothy to take advantage of opportunities. Correct erroneous beliefs that insist good works are required to be saved. Rebuke those with a straying conscience so they are not led away from the only Savior. Give hope to the faint-hearted. Be patient with people. Don’t give up on them easily. Give them intelligent arguments for coming to Christ and living for Christ.
Why is it so important that Timothy not grow slack or distracted in declaring God’s message? Because Paul said there would come a time when people won’t like what the Scriptures teach. Does that sound like today? They fill up the churches and run to the conferences of those who tell them what they want to hear. The result will be they will spiritually wander away from the truth.
To combat that from happening to Timothy, Paul gives him some personal obligations. Timothy is to live in a continual state of alertness to false teaching. How do you do this? Remain composed, don’t give up due to hardship, actively share your faith, do your work, and help believers. I wish we had time to deal with each of those.
William Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, tells of receiving a phone call one day from a very irate father. The caller exploded on the other end of the line, telling Will Willimon furiously, “I hold you personally responsible for this!”
He was angry because his graduate school-bound daughter had decided to (in his words) “throw it all away and go and do mission work in Haiti with the Presbyterian Church.” The father screamed, “Isn’t that absurd! She has a B.S. degree from Duke, and she is going to dig ditches in Haiti! I hold you responsible for this!” Willimon said, “Why me?” The father said, “You ingratiated yourself and filled her mind with all this religion stuff.”
Willimon asked the father, “Sir, weren’t you the one who had her baptized?”
“Well, well, well, yes.”
“And didn’t you take her to Sunday School when she was a little girl?”
“Well, well, yes.”
“And didn’t you allow your daughter to go on those youth group ski trips to Colorado when she was in high school?”
“Yes…what does that have to do with anything?”
“Sir, you’re the reason she’s throwing it all away. You introduced her to Jesus. Not me!”
“But,” said the father, “all we wanted was a Presbyterian.”
Willimon, went for the jugular, replied, “Well, sorry, sir, you messed up. You’ve gone and made a disciple!”
That’s exactly what we want to do. That’s God’s plan for the family. The Bible is a powerful resource God gives us.
PRAYER
INVITATION
When I was in high school toward the end of the year we’d pass around our yearbook and classmates would write notes in them. One of the most frequent comments would be, “Don’t ever change.” That’s a horrible thing to say.
The only way to be saved is to change—
The only way to grow spiritually is to change. Change your beliefs. Change your behavior.
The only way to get the home you want is to change. If it were today I’d write, “I hope you continue to change.”
Change your mind. Decide to be saved now and not later. Change your mind and decide to join the church this Sunday and not later. Change your mind and decide today you will rededicate your life to Christ.
