Threats

As we're continuing our series on the family and we're looking at what are those things that would threaten the family we find that those threats have a very wide range and so we will be looking at a wide range of scripture today as well. We will be bouncing around everywhere. They will be on the screen if you want. I'll try to announce the verses as they come so that you guys can turn in your Bibles and and stay with me on that. But as we talked to threat about threats to the family and as we've looked at roles in the family, look at God's design for the family as we've gone through this series some of you are sitting out there those of you who haven't given up on me are sitting out there and thinking well, I really have a family I'm single or I had a family but now they're all grown and out of the house or whatever in your thinking. How does this apply to me? Well in particular next week, we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about How singles and widows and orphans and every other variation fits within God's design for the family, but today is we talked about threats. I don't want you to tune me out either because as we talked about threats to the family, I want us to understand that these threats are not just to my family there. They're not just threats to a family with a mom and a dad and two and a half kids roaming around the yard, right? That's not the only family friends when I say threats to the family of talking about threats to really what it means to be human what it what it means to be. An image bearer of God when these threats come they're not just attacking marriages. They're not just attacking the parent-child relationship there. They're attacking what it means to be fundamentally human and says I talk about these threats. Where do you have a family or not? Please don't tune me out, please. Please don't hear these and be like stuff that really does it it digs down to the heart of God's intention for us as people. And so when were looking at threats there is a wide range of them and because there's a wide range of them. I won't have time to cover all of it this morning because I won't have time to cover all of it this morning. I have to go quick to cover what little bit I am going to cover and so bear with me as we make this jump, but I guess I wasn't thinking about this week as a spring about this week's a lord. What are the threats to the family? What are the threats to us is as your people, it really became clear to me that there are threats outside. Our families there are threats in the culture at large that would threaten us. There are also threats very much closer to home inside the family threats even inside the church that would lead us away from God's design. So we're to talk about external threats in the internal threats to the family first off external threats materialism is one of those threats that because we're Americans, we really just ignore until recently in which our culture has begun to recognize the material is it might not be all it's cracked up to be what is materialism. Depends on what you're talking about Dave but it's all a threat. Okay, first off materialism is kind of this idea that what matters is how much stuff I get right at that. My life's fulfillment is found in me having more bigger TV nicer car. That's materialism. However, materialism can also mean a philosophical statement that says nothing exists but matter all right, and I would argue that that philosophy automatically gives rise to the view that all that matters is what I get right if nothing exists, but matter things we can touch taste see here. Spell right there. I was like, okay, there's five ways. We interact with the world around us and it's not that. It literally doesn't matter if it's not matter. It doesn't matter that philosophy leads to so the only thing that matters is how much stuff I get how much matter I get write these things logically cohere, however, Is that in accordance with the world as it really is? I would argue. No, I would argue that we cannot. Take everything down to just matters all that exist. Therefore. The only thing that matters is how much matter you get. We cannot do that because there's a whole other dimension to life that we neglect. If we think that we would be neglecting the spiritual reality around us. We would be neglecting the fact that there is more to the world than what we can see that there is a reality a spiritual reality that undergirds everything right? We're told that God himself created all matter that God himself made this which by definition says that matter is not all there is is God was when matter was not there is a spiritual reality to the world and if we forget that if we follow the course of the world we say all that matters is how much stuff I get when we bring that we allow that kind of idea. To our family it will destroy us. it will destroy us if we think what's more important then whether or not my son or daughter knows Jesus Christ is whether or not they get a job that can pay them enough to get all the toys they want. Wait, we we mistake when we look at the world. We think you know what? Jesus is great and all but would really make me happy as a shopping trip. You know what? Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the empty tomb God. But what I could really go for right now is a Cinnabon.

This is the mindset. Do we start to take on when we live in a world that says matter is all that matters materialism will drive our thoughts away from Christ. It will be the source of our comfort the source of our strength instead of Christ and when we lose those things If we've adopted this view of materialism. There's nothing left for us if Christ is not enough. Then when we lose the stuff we thought was we're no longer satisfied. When are family faces a crisis the house burns down the car breaks down. The job is no longer available. Our family has nothing to fall back on if we bought into this materialistic worldview. Look at Luke chapter 12 verse 15 with me. What he said to them take care and be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions in the abundance of his possessions. How many of you thought my life would be complete if I could just get that new side-by-side. My life would be complete. If I could get that house. Jesus says know your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions. That's not life. That's not living. Materialism is a threat to the family that we see all around us in the world as we seek toys as we sit comfortably take pleasure. Jesus would say yeah, I wouldn't trust those things. I wouldn't lean on those things. It's a threat to the family is not a threat to the family is atheism. Atheism is an external threat to the family now despite some people's efforts. I think it is impossible to be a Christian and be an atheist. Okay, what you understand the fundamental to the Christian faith is the assertion that God exists. Okay, and so it is impossible to be an atheist and to be a Christian. So you're thinking about how is this a threat if it's by definition excluded from my Christian home? because even if we may not say there is no God how many of us live as if there is no God. How many of us have households that are indistinguishable? From the household of somebody who said there is no God how many of us pursue the same things desire the same things that somebody who says there is no God pursues in desires. Atheism is a subtle trick. It is a it is a secret influence. I think even in the church that we would seek to produce a life that God would honor without the power of God at work. That we would seek to manufacture an experience of the spirit and presence of God through cool music or dim lights. Then we would look for that experience without actually caring about the reality is functional atheism. And there's a threat to our family that is a threat if if God does not exist in the very Foundation of family is no more. If God does not exist the best case scenario for Morality In the home is found in looking at a troop of baboons and saying how do they do it while I guess that works for us? If God does not exist, that's what we're left with though. Look at the world. And see what information we can claim in what we glean is. You better fight. You better strive to come out on top of the pile cuz nobody else cares about you. They only care about themselves. That's what we see in the world and yet that's how we often live our Christian lives. We got a fight we better struggle as if God doesn't exist. No, God exists, and we have to submit to him denying God. Is the height of foolishness over and over and over again in the word receive this Romans 1 professing to be wise they became fools and exchange the glory of The Incorruptible God for creatures and the things that were made Psalms 14-1. You can look at that with me. The fool says in his heart. There is no God, they are corrupt. They do abominable Deeds. There is none who does good. The fool says in his heart there is no God I would submit. But a fool might also say there is a God and turn around and live is if there wasn't both of these are dangers either professed atheism or functional atheism. Another threats is sexual idolatry. Now, we don't typically use words like idolatry today. That's that's not something as part of our common vernacular. But what am I talking about what I mean when I say sexual idolatry when we look at the culture around us. Here's what we see. We see a culture that has denied God has dispensed with God. And in doing so his realized we really need a guy. We don't want Big G God. We want a little G God and so in doing so they had to look for what I'll call Transcendence. They've had to look for something outside of themselves something bigger than themselves and by and large through the normalization of immodesty adultery. No commitment sex. Our culture has enshrined sexual pleasure. as that Transcendence thing Indian in doing away with the god of the Bible in doing away with Yahweh.

We found that we need something in place of the spiritual wonder where now missing sexual pleasure stands in for Spiritual Wonder today is the only thing any left to the person who is denied. It's the only thing left that we can say. This is going to take me Beyond My Moment Beyond Myself. And so we have this whole trickle trickle down series effects when we've been Shrine sexuality and sexual pleasure as the highest good now all of a sudden you have physical Beauty being the standard for your worth. Men women when you look in the mirror, you don't look at yourself anymore and say I see a person with an incredible mind. I see a person with a gift of creativity. I see a person who's contributing to the world in this way in this way in this way. You look in the world you say I don't look like what I see on TV. then we may not worry about what we look like in the mirror, but we take the shirt off and we suck it in don't we? Because we live in a culture that says what you look like is the only determination of whether you are worth anything.

Because we've done away with the image of God being enough we've done away with this spiritual sense that there is something beyond the physical world. And once you exclude that in all you have left is what do I look like will I be accepted on that basis? That's the end result of 8th idolization of sexuality. We have this situation where you no longer exist as a person as an image bearer of God where I no longer exist as a mind capable of thought and intelligence, we merely exist to be valued by one another on a scale of physical Beauty to be burned. As an offering to the god of my sexual desire people to come useable disposable in a culture that has rejected God and enshrined sexuality as the highest good we see this play out in so many different ways. We see this play out in heterosexual ways and in homosexual ways. I'm going to take a stand on this that is not a popular stand to take homosexuality is wrong. Homosexual intercourse is sin homosexual marriage is not Christian marriage. However Church This external threat is when we have not dealt with well. We have responded. With judgments and criticism far more often than we've responded with love. We have done a poor job of loving the homosexual in the church. We've we've made it as if this sin was the only sin will gladly welcome a glutton. I mean you guys let me in right?

Will gladly welcome a drunkard will gladly welcome. Just about any Center you can think of gossips Wheel of gossips. Oh my goodness. We love gossips. homosexuals now when I go to love them, we're just going to judge them. Sin is Sin whether it's the sin I struggle with or the send you struggle with its sin, but we've done too often as we made a Whipping Boy out of homosexuality and that's all we're known for where the anti-homosexual people know where the anti-saloon people wear the pro Jesus people. We are much harder on ourselves than we are on the culture and yet it's so much easier to sit inside our glass house and throw stones. And Sable, the cultures is going to pot because of over door fell. No. I'm going to make a statement that will maybe not be received. I am not concerned about homosexuality Elmo sexual marriage in our culture. I'm not concerned about it being legalized. What I'm much more concerned about is the ready acceptance of no fault divorce in the church. What I'm more concerned about is the fact that statistics say that 80% of the men sitting in this room have an addiction to pornography. That's what I'm more concerned about the scene inside not to send out there. So I wanted to take a clear stand and say when we look at our culture and we see sexual pleasure being enthroned. We see it play out in heterosexual and homosexual ways. That's a threat to the family. But we ought not to key just on one issue and say well this is what God cares about know. God cares about us. Look at look at 1st Corinthians 6.

Leave from sexual immorality church, this is Paul talking to you. This isn't Paul talking to the culture actually in the chapter just before this Paul tells the Corinthians. I'm not telling you to judge Outsiders. Don't need to deal with sending your meds flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have from God you are not your own for you were bought with a price so glorify God in your body. If a culture is telling you sexual pleasure is the highest good is a matter of fact sexual pleasure is our new deity. We look back and we say know God is God Jesus is Lord and I am his and whether it's homosexually or heterosexually my body is not my own. I don't get to use it. However, I want I don't get to use the bodies of the people around me. However, I want I am submitted to Christ this threat against us of sexuality being God has to be met with a submission to Christ the final external thread. I'm going to deal with his this entertainment driven Society. An entertainment driven culture is a huge threat to the family when things are valued only on the basis of whether or not they make us laugh. We have a problem when things are valued only insofar as they can cause us to forget our mundane existence for a moment. We have a problem. We have a culture that time in timeout is devoted. To us being entertained to not having to think how many of you are familiar with Neil Postman amusing ourselves to death. You're that book highly recommended reading amusing ourselves to death and he makes the point when we seek Amusement we are seeking something that is it problematic in right up front. When we seek Amusement this word Amusement comes from the Greek Muse to think not to be amused is to not be thinking and yet time and time again, we are told that we're to take captive every thought we're not to be those who don't think as Christians were to be those who are continually thinking continually evaluating the world around us. Is this good is this right? Is this pleasing to God that's who were designed to be and when we've given ourselves over to entertainment to being continually amused to continue having to instead of think we are missing a fundamental way that God created us. God did not create us to be consumers of entertainment. God created us to be contributors to the world around he put us here in order to see what we would add to The Human Experience. Not what we could do lean out of it. We're not here to consume. We're here to contribute and instead of asking whether or not something is funny. We should be asking is it beneficial? Philippians 4:8 Says finally Brothers. Whatever is true, whatever is Honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure whatever is lovely. Whatever is commendable if there's any excellent if there is anything worthy of Praise think about these things think about what is pure true just lovely honorable. When you look at the entertainment you consume weekend and week out. Does it meet that criteria Christian? If not, it's a threat to you. It's a threat to your following Christ in your home. But here's the truth of the matter where they were talking about materialism or atheism or sexual idolatry or That's Entertainment driven culture. I'm far less concerned. About the culture around us. Then I am concerned about the internal threats that we've allowed to accumulate against the family in our homes, the internal things those things that we don't even realize that we've been partakers are allowed into our homes that we say, this is okay. And yet we haven't stopped to think is it these things is it true? Is it pure is it Joyce? Is it is it honorable that lovely is it just not thinking about the things that we brought into our home and so here are some of the threats that are taking place right inside our home regardless of the culture outside. The first thing is outsourcing. Now I'm hoping that some of you just had a momentary question. You're kind of in the Rhythm your kind of like okay, he's talking we've been about 30 minutes into this thing is going to start wrapping down soon or I want this word to catch you off-guard. When do you normally think about Outsourcing not in route and not in terms of your family, right the business term, right? We can hire somebody else to do it cheaper than we can do it in-house. And yet this is very much. What the American Family the American Christian family has done by and large. We have outsourced a really crucial things things that God designed to be taking place inside the home. We've pushed out the first thing I want to talk about it is we have outsourced our quality time. We have outsourced the time that we spend together. And that's a problem. We we we no longer value time with our families. We no longer see just being together as being enough. I work you go to school kids. I work you work wife. I got an idea once a year. Let's take a vacation will get some quality time together. Let's Outsource quality time of the year so we can have it for that vacation. That's not what God designed. The family to be like God did not design us to be microwave meal families. God designed us to be families. It enjoyed spending time together who were less concerned about convenience and more concerned about interacting and engaging with one another. We've moved as a culture to family finding something. You just relegate to that one week a year set of taking advantage of the time that we're all together. We also have the internal threat in Outsourcing that we've outsourced our sexual satisfaction pornography. I reference this earlier it to the men but ladies I want you to understand this is a threat for you as well every pull that I've seen that the use of Internet pornography is rising amongst men. It's especially Rising amongst teenage boys, but it's also Rising amongst women, so I don't want to make the mistake of assuming this is just a guy's problem, but we have by-and-large outsourced our sexual satisfaction to pixels on a screen. God says that is not the way it's intended to be. I'm going to say something to make shock. Some of you God is perfectly okay with sex? Even bigger sex was God's idea.

How's that for a thought for your day? God is the one who came up with this he's perfectly cool with it. Within the relational bounce that he's established one man, one woman in a committed lifelong relationship. That's when this is supposed to take place. We've outsourced that and we've said now I can find sexual satisfaction just by taking in a few images.

That's not right. You know why that's such a problem. It's not just that we objectify the people that we use for our satisfaction. It's that we are by definition neglecting the hard relational work required. for True sexual satisfaction by Cheap convenience We're not willing to invest relationally for those who are unmarried. You're not willing to invest relationally in a spouse because you're finding fulfillment elsewhere. Write for those of us who are married not willing to invest in the time. It takes to relate with a spouse to create that atmosphere where this is even possible because that's hard work.

This is a difficult thing but by Outsourcing that we have lost one of the primary drivers. For relational engagement in the home. We've outsourced our emotional satisfaction to the media. We've outsourced start emotional satisfaction. What do I mean? I mean that God primarily intended us to experience and express emotions inside of relationships and we have now offloaded that we've offs Outsource that to the media and now we find our emotional Satisfaction by getting outraged of the political news from our chosen site. We have an entire industry geared toward providing you precisely the little new snippet that will stoke your outrage meter. At the other side and I don't care if you're Democrat, and you're mad at the Republicans. Are you Republican and you're mad at the Democrats or you're neither in your mad at everybody?

You are finding emotional satisfaction in taking a news that fits your preconceived notions and then expressing that in a way that takes no account of relationship. You've outsourced emotional satisfaction. You either Outsource are emotional search for heroism. Right? We want Heroes. There's a reason fairy tales of the first things we teach our kids. There's a reason why we at least maybe there's a reason why I want my kids to love Lord of the Rings, right? I want them to resonate with the heroes in that story. I want my kids to be loyal and faithful like Samwise gamgee. Tell me you're looking me like.

I'm a nerd. I'm okay with that now.

But we've outsourced Our Heroes to the popular culture. We look for Heroes in the movies Thor be like 4 or don't you know, whatever. Instead of saying you know what? I want to be like my dad. My dad's my hero God designed us to find Gyros close to home Heroes. We live with Heroes who we saw that they're going to say that man. Love Jesus. I want to be like that. That's how God designed us and it was outsourced Heroes. We've outsourced ladies. Nevermind don't answer that. I know I didn't answer to ask a question, but I was going to get some guys in trouble.

Romance tends to die in a marriage unless it is very intentionally kept alive. But now we don't need it cuz we can go watch the Hallmark Channel. Right, we can go read a book that we picked up for a buck. Right and we can find some romance. We can find something to Stokes that emotional fire instead of meeting one another's needs relationally, right and so many other things we've lost the ability to connect because of social media We we we we the people live under the same roof is us because we're too busy staring at our phones together. We've outsourced is relational connection than me that we have to feel valued by other human beings without Source until now. It's a like a comment or share this grabs. Our attention. I have worth I have value God designed us to find a family that would say even though you're a blooming idiot. I love you. Even though I disagree with you, let's go hang out. Let's go play soccer. Let's go do something together, even though we might disagree you have worth as a human being that connection. We've outsourced so many other things we've outsourced education and this is not a plug for homeschooling. I'm talking to you adults. I sent the kids away remember.

We've house or Star education. When was the last time you intentionally set out to learn something new? When was the last time that you were so gripped by an idea that you had to go study at you? Wanted to go learn more you wanted to go do more to do something about this.

What's the time we just watch other people's good ideas on YouTube.

Instead of seeking to be those who are educated to be those who are curious. There's a book by Barnabas Piper called the Curious Christian. We have to be curious people as Christians. We were designed by The God Who made everything. How many do you understand everything?

Glad there's not a test. none of us do. There's always new things to learn and get some how all the information is at our fingertips. We just going to sit back and be like, oh well. So much cool stuff when I had an opportunity this week to go and learn something new and Lee and Simon to the guys from church here. We went out to Cathedral Gorge State Park and we took pictures at night from 10:30 p.m. To 2 a.m. We were taking pictures of the Milky Way. I never done anything like it, but I learn something new and it was awesome. When was the last time you intentionally set out to learn something new? We're meant to be curious people and yet because we've outsourced education to The Experts. We no longer seek things for ourselves. And we do this with our kids to Deuteronomy 6:4 we talked about this last week right into the running at 6 for this is the vision for Israel's education. This is a vision for creating a curious people the people of got here o Israel the Lord Our God the Lord is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your might and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way, when you lie down when you rise shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your Gates. He's describing curious people. I love the Lord my God with all my heart with all my soul with all my might. I love God therefore. I want to know more about what he's giving me in this world. I want to go to learn about geology. I want to go to learn about heaven forbid mathematics. I want to go to learn something just for the sake of understanding more of the God who made me and I want this to be a lifestyle waking sleeping Rising sitting going out coming in everybody. I talked to I want them to know this is a person who wants to know things as a person wants learning it without sourced it. I'll just Google it. How many of us ever get around actually Googling it pops into your head and you wondering like huh? And then you never do anything with Abby curious people?

We've outsourced I mentioned this briefly with Outsource our relationships to technology. Wright was outsourced relationship social media and in all of you seen it you've gone out to eat and there's we won't use your family cuz I'd be embarrassing for you. So remember that other family sitting at that table right there were sitting there and everybody was on their phone and nobody was talking the other night. We went out to dinner we're celebrating our anniversary and as we walked in we saw this this family sitting at Table and there wasn't a cell phone in sight. How cool is that? I'm I'm very aware that I had try to watch for this sweet. They don't even have a cell phone out. But guess what cell phones aren't the problem. Computers aren't really the problem the problems in here because I watched that family, which is really awkward and kind of creepy if they would have caught me.

I watched that family go through the entire meal never pull out a cell phone, but never talk to each other either. Talk about awkward. They just sat there. And they're not in here. So I feel better. Okay. Alright. That's what we've become was going to sign it. And even when we don't have the crutch of the device, we still don't know how to interact with one another. And of course at my fable, we have the kids with us. So we were interacting by, you know, cleaning up the ketchup the got sprayed all over the seat and you know that kind of stuff but it was interaction anyways of a kind but this is the thing that we're crippled we're relational cripples today because we've outsourced our relationships to technology. We have disposable relationships on top of that. We have disposable relationships. I mentioned this earlier with no fault divorce with this idea of you know, what is just saying working out your way. I'll go mine everything Square we're done recently to somebody who I looked up to when I was young somebody who I took a lot of relational advice from in the in the church a Christian who just separated from his wife and they're like, this is cool. We're going to go our separate ways. It was devastating to me. And yet this is nothing new God's people have always struggled with this the idea of disposable. Marriages Malachi. 2:16, Malachi's in the Old Testament is a long time ago. This is what it says for the man does not love his wife. But divorce is Sarah says the Lord the god of Israel covers His Garment with violence says the Lord of hosts so guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless. If I could call men and women husbands and wives if I could call you to one thing it would be this love your spouse.

Love your spouse don't. Don't not love your wife. Don't not love your husband. Don't cover your garment with violence that you'll picturesque way of of Malachi saying when you split a marriage, you're like splitting you're very clothing. You're exposing a selfish heart. That's what you doing. Malachi might have been written yesterday. We got to love our spouses not divorced doesn't happen. That's not to say that it's not a reality. We live within the some of you will have to face. I've seen this in my own family. But God's intention is it we would love our spouse we have these disposable relationships. And that is a threat when when when a relationship is grounded on Mi being fulfilled. Are you making me happy eventually that relationship will end whether it's a spouse or a kid or another relationship if it's geared towards am I happy am I fulfilled it's a disposable relationship in that destroys the foundation for the family. We may not divorce a wife or we may not divorce a husband. But we might still believe in disposable relationships.

That's your part of the house. This is my part of the house. I don't want to do the hard work. Keeping this thing together in reality. So let's just keep it together for fake. Just keep up appearances pretend that everything's okay no deal with the problems. And if you want some resources, if you want to read if you want to study this, I would be glad to recommend some let me let you in on a little secret your pastors and their wives don't have perfect marriages. And there has been times where I've needed a slap upside the head as a husband that thankfully my wife did not administer. But I found some books that did and did it well, and I'd be glad to share them with you so you can enjoy a slap upside the head to. But whatever it takes let's get away from this idea that the people around us are just there for us to use and dispose of let's get back to this idea that what we are to do is demonstrate the faithfulness of God in our relationships with the people around us. The next thing in and I realize that we're pushing time. If you could give me your attention for just a bit longer. Dizziness is a threats to the family that buy largest Christians. We just got to taking this. Well, I guess this is how life works you busy. And dad has his hobbies that he does and mom has her hobbies and the kids have their Sports and they have their programs and they have this that and the other and pretty soon. The whole family is going a hundred miles an hour every day of the week and that busyness never allows time to connect worse than that that busyness never allows us the time to get alone with God and a focus our Spirits are the one who made us. Busyness is a threat to the family. Think about what you do during week work school meetings some of you retired and you're finding out it's harder to be retired than it ever was to work some of you weren't. Which is busy we fill our lives with stuff and the question that I have for us is where in our schedule is there space for relationship. Where in your schedule is there space for you to get a loan with God for an extended. Of time? This is how bad this is infiltrated the Christian world this this culture of busyness. There's devotionals one minute with God.

How many minutes are there in a day? And all you've got time is one minute for God. What is problematic to me? That seems problematic but we have this reality. We're too busy or too busy to go to church right because we work all week and then on the weekend, we got to go to the lake and we got traveling sports games and we got this that and the other. We can't gather with God's people. We're too busy for that. And that is a threat to the family. It's a threats to your spiritual relationship with God effusion, 5 15 to 16. I read this last week, but I think it's worth reading again. Look carefully then how you walk not as unwise but as wise making the best use of the time because the days are evil, when you look at your busy calendar, can you honestly say this is the best use of my time in light of the fact that Jesus is coming back someday in light of the fact that I'm going to stop breathing in a moment that I don't know the date of Is this the best use of my time? That's the question I would have you ask. Finally did the final threat that I'll just briefly mention is a weekend only faith. A weekend only Faith. This is probably one that I should have given a significantly more time to because this is the American way. Got to get Sunday morning for two hours, maybe one depends morning and then I get the rest and I'm going to do what I do and yet I'm surprised when my kids reject my faith that made absolutely no difference in my life outside of just where I spent one morning on Sunday and there's only Faith guess what your kids are probably can have no face.

I said other blunt things I would like that was the only one thing I said. Why do you come to church? If it's not going to be something that's real in the rest of your life through the week. Why do you give an hour on Sunday? If you could care less Monday through Saturday? God calls us to a lifestyle of faith. God calls us to take up your cross daily. Not just on Sunday take up your cross daily and follow me. That's the car is the weekend. Only faith. We reject that and yet so many American families have settled for a weekend only faith and were surprised when we don't feel close to God. We're surprised when our kids fall away from God. What is a CNS give for God threats? Outside threats inside. What do you do about it? Now what are you going to do? If you recognize that the fact that our culture says matter is all that matters. If you recognize that the overwhelming Drive of our society is to sexual expression has the highest good if you recognized that we are in a turn entertainment driven Society. What do you do if you recognize that within the family we've taken any doubts or so many things that God intended us to work out within the bounds of family. If you recognize we have these disposable relationships that were too busy and we have weekend only Faith. What do you do now?

First thing submit to Christ as Lord everyday every hour every minute every second every nanosecond of your life submitted to Christ as Lord say there's not a moment that he doesn't own. There's not a moment to Jesus is not my king. And here's why you got all these threats coming against. You better have somebody on your side.

Jesus is near to the humble. He's near to those who submit themselves to him who don't stand in front of him and say this is what I think you want to do Jesus, but who say whatever your will is I'm down do this to the first thing I would say is you recognize. These threats is recommit yourself to Christ. submit yourself to Christ everyday if you don't know Christ submit yourself to Christ. Everyday, if you know Christ submit yourself to Christ everyday second thing I'd tell you first thing submit to Christ second thing hang out with other people who are doing the same thing. Hang out with other people who are doing the same thing. Here's the thing if you make this commitment, you say I'm going to I'm going to submit to Christ, but I got this on my own. Good luck. You have an entire culture that is standing against you and saying Christ is worthless. Why would you do that and you will inevitably succumb to that pressure? You need brothers and sisters around you who have made the same commitment submits prices Lord hang out with others who do the same when you get together read the word of God. That's number three read the word of God. Say Okay, Lord. We're here to submit ourselves to you. We've got a group here who've agreed to do that together. And now we're going to say what we do. Read the word of God and he'll tell you that Red Hills. We kind of use a shorthand to talk about what he wants to do. You wants us to love God love others.

And make disciples. That's what he wants us to do love God love others make disciples, but you got to go to the word understand that so read the word together 4th pray for the holy spirit's power. Submit to Christ as Lord hang out with others to do the same read the word of God together and submit to the spirits power pray for the spirits power. Nothing happens. If it's just my good idea you were good idea or good idea. but when God gets involved he gets the glory first off we get forgotten, which is a good thing. And things get done. So we need to pray for the holy spirit's power to stand against these threats to to combat the threats in our own hearts. That would challenge the family. Then finally that's not enough. That's where we normally stop as Christians. We normally say okay. I got Jesus. I got some Christian buddies that I can hang out with we got the word of God and we're praying great mission accomplished. No. The fifth step of the one that makes it all real Engage The World Together. Submit yourself to Christ hang out with others to do read the word of God pray for the spirits power and then engage the world don't step aside from these threats build your little bunker and be like, okay, we're good. Because if you are safe from the war that still raging outside others aren't as for the primary task for the Christian is to not stay in the bunker but to go back out and to share the gospel with those in need of it to save you don't have to live this unfulfilled life. You don't have to submit to a culture that tells you working 80 hours a week is normal and right you don't have to submit to a culture that says your sexual fantasies are the highest good you don't have to submit to a culture that views you dearly as a product. You don't have to submit to a culture that values you only insofar as you look good. You don't have to submit submit to a culture that tells you there's nothing no meaning no purpose. Let me tell you about meaning and purpose. Let me tell you about Christ's value and you for who you are enough to die for you.

Submit yourself to Christ hang out with others to do the same read the word of God pray together and then engage the world. That's how we deal with threats to the family whether they're coming out from outside or inside. That's how we tackle this problem. Let's pray.