Sermon Central
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The Ultimate Ride: Transforming Your Family The Wrong Way
Contributed by Jonathan Falwell on Jan 14, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Many parents TALK about living right and how their children should also, BUT they don’t put feet to their words!
The Ultimate Ride: Transforming Your Family the Wrong Way
Last week, we began a 7-week journey and I shared with you some vital Life Lessons from Scripture that not only strengthened your family in the immediate…but for a lifetime. The topic was “Leaving a Legacy,” I brought out a Model A Ford and compared the legacy that this vehicle; namely, the assembly line. All this was to illustrate our need to “Leave a Legacy” – a “God-honoring” legacy!
I pointed out Four Lies from Satan about “Leaving a Legacy”
LIE #1 - You Can Leave A Great Legacy Without Seeking God’s Direction.
LIE #2 - You Must Have It All Together To Leave A Great Legacy.
LIE #3 - Your Mistakes Will End Any Chance For A Great Legacy.
LIE #4 - Leaving A Great Legacy Is Really Not That Important.
And then I shared with you that in order to leave a legacy, you must:
1. Put your life in His Hands!
2. Escape from your past!
3. Continue in Faith!
4. Finish!
Well today, I want to continue our series on the family by discussing the topic:
The Ultimate Ride: Transforming Your Life & Family
“Transforming Your Family the Wrong Way”
And just like a good salesman would do, I want to create a need for the cure, before I present to you a cure. Meaning, I want to tell you wrong way to transform your family, before we spend numerous weeks explaining the right way to transform your family.
The Bible does this on numerous occasions. So example, when talking about our need for salvation – to be saved (ie. Forgiven and cleansed) from our sins, it will state the wrong way first . . . like in
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Salvation is not by OUR works . . . but solely by the work of God!
Likewise, I think it is good to know the wrong way to transform your family before we learn how to do it the right way.
And to illustrate the wrong way to transform your family, we have our car today –
THIS BEAUTY right here is some ride!
. . . a one-of-a-kind edition!
. . . souped-up!!
. . . fully-loaded . . . with “I-don’t-know-what” kinda stuff!!!
[does it actually “take off” into space?!?!]
Is a vintage “1990’s Caprice!”
This version of the Caprice is a far cry from the ones that were manufactured in the 80s that our parents drove! Can you imagine if this was offered in the 1980s?!
Or, if you got dropped off at school in something like this?
NOW, don’t get me wrong, this is a very beautiful car…and it’s great for a family. SEE, it’s got…shiny thing-ies over here . . . and big shiny thing-ies over there . . . and black-as-black-can-be tinted window here . . . ALL A FAMILY CAR NEEDS!
Seriously, now, some of you may like this kind of car. But the point being is that this is NOT a family car.
Well, the same is true about transforming your family.
There is a right way to do it…and there is a wrong way to do it!
The world’s way gives a false sense of success – a way that people think looks good on the outside, but deep down, is just isn’t the right way to do it.
It looks good from the outside…but doesn’t serve your purposes for life.
Unfortunately, the world touts its methods of how to raise a family and keep it together, but, when it is all said and done, the world’s methods just won’t work out.
And so many parents have made these mistakes.
Mistake #1 - They Talk The Talk But Don’t Walk The Walk!
Meaning, many parents TALK about living right and how their children should also, BUT they don’t put feet to their words! They want to “DECLARE TRANSFORMATION” but don’ want to “DO TRANSFORMATION!” But, showing your family your personal example and commitment to the task is paramount to having a healthy family!
Notice a very vivid statement that the Apostle Paul offers Timothy
Philippians 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
But notice the words in sequence – LEARNED…RECEIVED…HEARD, AND THEN . . .“SAW!”
It is NOT just “Do as I say not as I do!” This will NEVER work out. Why? Because every parent quickly learns that children catch the SPIRIT of the home and not the LECTURES of the home! Meaning, you can teach them to not get angry at someone - but if you have a bad case of, say, road rage – the only principle kids will learn that, “It is OK to talk about one thing, but do another!”
