Sermon.978
Research: SerMt.021; Parable.006; # 568
Father’s Day 2001
From the pulpit of Bayview Baptist Church, June 17, 2001
“The Blessings of Parenthood”
Text: Luke 6:46-49
Today is Father’s Day.
One little boy was asked to define Father’s Day, and he said, “Father’s Day is much like Mother’s Day except you don’t spend as much on the present.”
Today we’re going to study one of the many parables of Jesus found in Luke Chapter 6:46-49 and also found in Matthew Chapter 7:24-27.
Many families live in spiritual houses built upon sand!
The right foundation is not present in many homes today.
Then, when sorrow, temptation, or adversity comes, the house built upon a sand foundation will not stand.
Jesus talked about two men who were building houses.
We might name this parable the “Wise and Foolish Builders.”
One man built his house on sand, and when the storms and winds came, his house crumbled and fell.
The other man built his house on a solid rock foundation and when the storms came, his house stood.
Both men build homes, but they build upon two totally different kinds of soil.
Do you remember that double-decker freeway in Oakland California that collapsed when an earthquake hit?
It was built on land that had been filled in.
Notice that both homes in our parable are hit by a storm, but only one of them survives.
That means that troubled times will come for everybody.
Every house we build will face a storm, so avoiding the storm is not the issue here, but instead, the outcome of the storm is determined by the foundation we build upon.
Everything depends upon the foundation.
Either you are building your life upon Jesus, or you are not.
What is a life foundation?
The foundation is the substructure that supports the base of daily life.
The foundation in this parable is obedience to God by obeying the Commandments of God and placing Jesus Christ, the Solid Rock of the foundation, firmly in place in our lives.
No home in our modern society can stand unless the family in that home has a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, so make Jesus the foundation of your home.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 3:11).
Read Luke 6:46-49
In the area of Palestine, the contractor must always think ahead.
In the summer months, there’s plenty of building lots that look like they have a solid foundation.
But in the winter months, the waters from the severe rains turn those seemingly pleasant building lots into flood areas.
Many shortsighted people have built their homes in a dried up riverbed, which looked like an ideal building spot for a home.
Jesus said, “He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock” (Luke 6:48).
The rock of that foundation is Jesus Himself!
Is that the way you’re building your home?
Jesus once observed, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).
Today, many homes are divided; the husband from the wife and the parents from the children.
There’s tension in many homes today.
A happy and successful home needs to be founded on the dedication of both the husband and the wife.
Under God, the parents are to be responsible for the spiritual climate of the home.
Mothers and fathers are to be the stabilizers of family life within the home.
This past week, we had Vacation Bible School here at our church.
We studied the Ten Commandments that were written by God’s own hand.
Perhaps we need some commandments for the home, the basic unit of our society, which is under attack from every thing the world can throw at it.
Going back to the basics of God’s Word, we learn again how to build a successful home.
The bible teaches us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the home.
He’s the unseen Guest at every meal and the silent Listener in every conversation.
Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
This love must begin in the home.
Dr. John Platt, our Director of Missions for the Columbia Metro Association was telling me recently about a couple he was helping some years ago while he was still pastoring.
This couple had filed for divorce, but Pastor Platt was called in by both the husband and the wife.
He told me he put all that he had into saving this marriage, but he felt like a total failure.
The couple insisted on getting a divorce.
Dr. Platt met them at the courthouse the morning their divorce was to be final.
He walked with them up the courthouse steps, praying every step this couple would change their minds.
Dr. Platt said this couple got half way up the steps of the courthouse and suddenly they stopped, tore up the divorce papers and asked him to perform for them a recommitment of their wedding vows.
They’ve been happily married every since.
That’s what Jesus Christ can do for a home; he can give you a new love.
Everything outside the love of God, in a sense, is an imitation love.
There can be, and there are happy and successful marriages outside of Christ and the church, but the depth and capacity and breadth of love remains unavailable until the person comes to know Jesus Christ.
Some husbands have the idea that they are the head of the house, and they walk around like a king.
One father was asked who was in charge at his home.
He answered, “Well, my wife bosses the children. My children boss the dog and the cat, and I can say anything I want to the geraniums.”
On the other side of that coin, some husbands believe they are the king of the home and they take their feelings out on the wife and children.
Also, some people are so wrapped up in themselves that they are just incapable of giving and receiving love.
They cannot respond to love because they never learned love when they were a child.
Learning to love Christ solves the problem because learning to love Christ teaches us to share love within the home.
So remember, fathers and mothers, when the children see no joy in the home, no joy in your Christianity, they won’t be attracted to Christianity.
Your attitude rubs off to your children and grandchildren, and our children will not be attracted to Christ if we make Christ seem dull.
The words of an old song go, “Will the circle be unbroken?”
Ask yourself that question this morning!
Are all the children in that family circle?
What is the greatest thing you can do as a parent?
Live a live of a consecrated Christian, and be the example your children need as they see Jesus living in you.
Your walk with God, your relationships with others, your relationships with your children and grandchildren are the greatest responsibilities you have.
Millions of people in our world today are living by their own standards and not obeying God’s standards; thus we have a very low psychosocial reserve in our society today.
I pray that as a parent, you will find time in your life to find success as a parent, and do the things you need to do in your heart and life that bring honor and glory to God.
God is the perfect parent who conveys to us all the ingredients of His blessings in the giving of His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
We present to you our invitation and ask that your prayerfully respond to the personal invitation Christ is presenting to your heart.
Rev. Jimmy Davis
Bayview Baptist Church
5300 Two Notch Road
Columbia, SC 29204
Email: BayviewBaptist@aol.com
Telephone: 803-754-8690
