Grandparents Day Sermon 2018
Genesis 5: 21 – 32
“21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, ‘He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.’. 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.”.
It’s National Grandparents Day. How did it all get started?
Marian McQuade and her husband Joe were residents of Fayette County, West Virginia. They were the parents of 15 children, grandparents of 40 and great grandparents of 8. In 1973, after a 5-year campaign, Mrs. McQuade pushed legislation that Congress passed proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. September was chosen to honor Grandparents because it symbolized the "autumn years" of life. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.
Today, I’m going to tell you about an elderly couple.
One day, Grandpa Henry was sitting in the park with a 75-year-old man. Henry discovered that this other 75-year-old Grandpa had just married a 25-year-old woman. Grandpa Henry was amazed. "Your wife must be very attractive", he said. "No, not really," replied the older man. Henry thought for a moment and then he said, "Then she must be a great cook and housekeeper.". "No, she’s not much for that, either, said the man.". Henry thought for a moment and then asked, "Then why did you marry her?". The 75-year-old Grandpa yawned and said, "Because she can drive at night.".
How many of you are grandparents? Do you think your life will have any influence on your grandchildren? How about your great grandchildren?
In Genesis 5, we get an account of a man named Enoch. He was the Father of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the father of Lamech.
Lamech was the father of Noah.
The Bible says Enoch walked close to God. What does the Bible tell us about Noah?
In Genesis 6: 8 & 9 the Bible says, “8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”.
So, Enoch walked with God and so did his great grandson Noah! Grandparents do you think your faith will affect future generations? You better believe it will.
Grandparents are you living a life like Enoch’s?
I want you to listen to what Hebrews 11:5 says, “5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”.
Don’t you want your children, your grandchildren, and your great grandchildren to turn out like Noah?
Look at some of the fruit in Noah’s life:
#1: NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN IN A TOTALLY CORRUPT AGE:
We saw earlier in Genesis 6: 8 & 9 that Noah walked with God.
There’s another testimony to Noah’s life that’s found in the book of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 14: 13 & 14 says, “13 Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.”.
Was it easy for Noah to be a righteous man?
Look with me at Genesis 6: 5 – 7. Here we read, “5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”.
That sounds like the way things are today! You know, it would be easy for grandparents to be like all the rest. It’s not easy to be like Enoch and Noah. But God’s word calls us to righteousness.
Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6: 16 – 18, “16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’. 17 Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate.’, says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.’, says the Lord Almighty.”.
What do your grandchildren see when they look at you? Do they see you living like the evil people of this world?
What kind of an example are you setting for them?
Meanwhile, Grandpa Henry’s wife Grandma Bessie was at home babysitting her grandchildren. Bessie wondered just how much her 3-year-old granddaughter Allison had learned. She picked up a box of Crayons and began a test to see if she had learned her colors yet. She would pull a Crayon out of the box and ask what color it was. Little Allison would tell her, and she was always right. Finally, the little girl slid out of the porch swing and headed for the door. Over her shoulder, the little girl said, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!".
Secondly,
#2: NOAH FOLLOWED GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY:
Genesis 6: 14 – 16, "14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one-cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.”.
Did Noah build the Ark the way he wanted to? No! He followed God’s instructions exactly as given!
Genesis 6:22 says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”.
I believe if Noah had doubted God’s wisdom...or chosen to build it his way...the Ark would’ve sunk, and all would have been lost!
All his sons would have died.
Noah’s son Shem would have drowned in the flood!
Genesis 11:10 says, “This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.”.
Who was Arphaxad? He was the Noah’s grandson!
Genesis 11:12 through 27 tell us he was also the great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather of Abram who later became known as Abraham.
There would have been no Abraham. Listen to what Hebrews Chapter 11 says about these men.
Hebrews 11: 5 – 8 says, “5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”.
It’s obvious that the faith Noah possessed made it possible for him to obey God even in times when it was hard to do so. That faith was passed down through the generations. That same faith made it possible for Abraham to obey God...
When God told him to leave his home…
Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”.
That same faith made it possible for Abraham to obey God...
When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac...
Hebrews 11:17, “17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son…”.
Abraham obeyed God even when it didn’t seem logical. He followed the example set by his grandparents. His wife Sara was a granddaughter of this godly line of people.
Hebrews 11:11 says, “11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.”.
Do you now see the importance of passing on your faith? If they see you obeying God, it makes an impression on your grandchildren.
A few minutes passed by and Bessie’s 9-year-old granddaughter Jessica came out of the house carrying her grandma’s pocketbook. She got up in the swing next to Grandma Bessie and asked if she could see her driver’s license. Bessie took out her purse and removed the driver’s license. Jessica looked at the license and said, "That’s not a very good picture of you Grandma!" Bessie agreed! Then Jessica asked, "Do you really weigh that much Grandma?" "I’m afraid so", Bessie replied. After scanning the license for a moment, Jessica had the license back to Bessie and jumped down from the swing. As she opened the door to the house she said, "It says you flunked sex, too, Grandma!".
Thirdly,
#3: NOAH TOTALLY SUBMITTED HIS LIFE TO GOD:
Noah built the ark, got in the ark, and put his trust in God.
Think about this; Noah had never seen rain before the flood.
Hebrews 11:7 says, “7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.”.
You see, before the flood the earth didn’t need rain.
Genesis 2: 5 – 6 says, “5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.”.
So, Noah trusted God’s word! He submitted his life completely to the Lord. He trusted God to help him build that big Ark, and…
He trusted God to bring to the Ark all those animals.
Genesis 7:15 says, “15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.”.
See? Noah didn’t have to roundup all those animals! God brought them to the Ark and they went in to Noah!
Noah trusted God to take care of him.
Genesis 7:16 says, “16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.”.
God shut that big door to the Ark!
He protected Noah and his family from the flood waters!
Noah had complete trust in God!
Grandparents let me ask you…
? “Do your grandchildren see you acting like Noah?
? Do they see you walking by faith with God?
? Are you influencing your grandchildren in such a way that they become a joy to their parents and other people?
? Are you influencing them to be faithful, obedient, respectful, responsible and fun to be with?
? Or are you just spoiling them rotten and sending them home?”.
As I wrap my message up this morning, I want to share with you some things that I think Grandparents can provide for their grandchildren.
#1: Teach them about God and spiritual things.
#2: Guide them towards good marriages by modeling a good marriage.
#3: Don’t curse and have bad habits, if you don’t want them too.
#4: Be consistent and follow through on things.
#5: Spend time with them. Talk with them and play with them.
#6: Tell them that you love them often.
#7: Look for good things in your grandkids and not just the bad. Don’t run down their generation, instead encourage them to be the best of their generation.
#8: Don’t pressure them too much to excel.
#9: Believe them and believe in them.
#10: Share your life, the good and the bad, so they can learn from you.
#11: Let them see how Jesus has worked in your life and how He continues to work, even though you may have failed miserably as a younger person.
#12: Point them towards heaven as your time on earth is most likely shorter than theirs, let them know how family can all live together forever.
Let’s get back to our story of Grandpa Henry & Grandma Bessie.
After the granddaughter entered the house, a police car pulled up in front of Grandma Bessie’s house and Grandpa Henry got out. Bessie was shocked. She thought to herself, "I wonder what that old man has done now?" Henry was old, and his memory was fading. The policeman was polite as he explained that this elderly gentleman said that he was lost in the park and couldn’t find his way home. Bessie thanked the officer for his kindness and the policeman walked away. Bessie looked sternly at her husband. "Oh, Henry," said Grandma Bessie, "you’ve been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?" Grandpa Henry answered, "I wasn’t lost; I was just too tired to walk home.".
CLOSING:
Well, we make jokes about old age and being a grandparent. However, it’s no joking matter! The role you play as a Grandparent will be important for future generations in this life and for the next.
The greatest thing we have to give is our lives, and we need to be people who are safe to come home to…no matter what our children or grandchildren have done.
Each of us will leave a legacy. The life we choose to live will have an impact on those who come behind us that’s far greater than what we can imagine.
You need to show your grandchildren how to live a Godly life…show them how to love…show them how to forgive…show them how to give…and show them how to live forever with you and the God who created us.
