Rev. David Holwick E Church Covenant #4
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 5, 2006
2 Timothy 1:5-7
WILL YOUR CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN?
Church Covenant: "We also promise to maintain family and secret devotions;
to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our
kindred and acquaintances."
I. Having a championship families.
A. How the Super Bowl athletes cope with the pressure.
Backup quarterback David Greene is a Seahawk who was active in
Christian ministries in college.
He says he was greatly influenced by his Christian coach.
Many of his Seahawk teammates are Christian.
"We have guys who are in the Word every day when you could be
getting stressed out.
When you're living with pressure, you have to surround
yourself with good people and that's what we try to do.
If you believe in Christ, then you can live with pressure
regardless of what happens on Sunday." #30422
B. Families come first.
The Steelers have their Christians, too.
Troy Polamalu plans to make a statement today that millions
watching on TV probably won't notice.
He will be wearing his simple, silver wedding ring under his
black gloves as he goes about his defensive exploits.
"I don't think we put any value on marriage any longer in our
country...
To me, the wedding band is a symbol of my wedding bond with
my wife [Theodora] and my bond with God." #30422
C. We must excel at what really is important.
1) It is safe to say that none of us will ever play in a
Super Bowl.
(Though while your man watches the game he is thinking,
"I could do that...")
2) However, we must win at something more significant - our
families.
a) Most of us get married in the eyes of God.
b) Is that the last time we want God in our family?
c) Your family is where you will make your mark for God.
II. Secret and family devotions.
A. Devotions or quiet time is our personal prayer and Bible study.
1) How much time do you spend with God?
a) You don't have to be a monk or a preacher.
1> Fifteen minutes a day can make a huge difference.
b) It is important that it become a habit.
1> A personal plan is better than slapdash approach.
2> Prayer journals, a Bible reading plan.
2) If you are not growing spiritually, how can you expect
your family to?
a) Share your insights with family members.
b) Pray regularly for them.
B. Encourage your kids to spend time with God.
1) Devotions in the Holwick family.
a) Celeste gives them spiritual lesson each morning,
with breakfast.
b) I do it when I am preparing for a sermon like this
(guilt is an awesome motivator...)
1> Josiah is out of the cocoon of family and church.
A> He has noticed that high school is different
from homeschooling.
2> He has lots of deep questions.
A> How can we know the Bible is true?
How can we even know there is really a God?
B> Where will he get answers if we don't provide
them?
C. Christians have a sanctifying effect on EVERY relationship.
1) Godliness has real power. 1 Cor 7:14
2) Pray for them, set a good example. 1 Pet 3:1
III. To religiously educate our children.
A. The lazy approach.
Adam Gadahn is a classic example of the enormous impact parents
have on their children.
Adam grew up in a quasi-Jewish/Christian home where his
parents taught him to believe in one god.
But they were not terribly specific about which god was true
and they rejected the Trinity and the idea Jesus is God.
Thus, the bright young man was never rooted and grounded in any
kind of truth.
Adam Gadahn was smart enough to realize that pluralism that
surrounded him was not a coherent system of thought.
So, according to his personal statement on the Internet, he
went looking for truth.
First he looked into "demonic heavy metal music," leaving his
room a mess and not bathing regularly.
Not surprisingly, his parents didn't approve.
He explored other religions.
At the age of 17, Adam started going to a mosque and even
worked in one.
The mosque had moderate American Muslims and when Adam became
more militant and belligerent, they kicked him out.
Adam ended up in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan where he worked
as a translator.
Today, he stands accused of helping the group of international
terrorists responsible for thousands of murders all over
the world.
25-year-old Adam is on the FBI's most wanted list.
If you don't provide a foundation of truth for your kids,
who will?
Most American children won't go off and join a terrorist
organization.
But many of them will reject the Christian message and
worldview in favor of materialism, secular humanism and the
cult of success which characterizes much of our culture.
Parents are the first line of defense in preventing this
eternal tragedy.
There are no guarantees that a child raised by strong
Christians will follow in his or her parents' footsteps.
But having a strong Christian role model who takes the time to
explain important points of the faith makes the path to
truth much clearer and sets the choice in bold relief.
#26691
B. Church and Sunday School should not be an afterthought.
1) Modern families face a smorgasbord of activities.
a) Commitment to church is harder now - lots of competition.
b) Jesus' family was committed, and attended Passover
every year, though most didn't. Luke 2:41
c) Like any habit, the most benefit comes from consistency.
2) For families that are torn in a million directions at once,
church commitment can connect us with each other.
C. Outward religion is not enough.
1) Many abandon faith because church doesn't seem genuine.
a) Parents may have been religious, but harsh and unloving.
b) Christianity becomes something you do, not something
you are.
c) Integrate your faith with real life.
2) Exhibit Biblical virtues in your home.
a) Model forgiveness, truthfulness, faithfulness.
1> Don't just talk about it, show it.
2> The home is the hardest arena, but if we cannot live
our faith there, then our faith isn't genuine.
D. Godly grandparents have a special role. 2 Tim 1:5
1) Even if your kids stray from faith, you can have an impact
on grandkids.
2) You get them Valentines' day cards.
a) Do you give them spiritual encouragement?
3) Grandparents can influence, but not demand.
a) Nurture and concern are more effective.
b) Guilt works, too.
IV. To seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.
A. The Biblical ideal is family salvation.
1) Each individual must meet God on their own.
a) But we are not just individuals.
b) God has put us in families.
2) Household salvation in the book of Acts. Acts 11:14
a) Even in the first century, Timothy was a third-generation
believer.
(though Lois and Eunice were probably saved together)
b) Families have always been the key to world evangelism.
B. The Second Generation Syndrome.
Gary Inrig has written a study on the book of Judges.
One of the issues he raises is called "The Second Generation
Syndrome."
It deals with the difficulty of passing on our vision and
convictions to our children and grandchildren.
Passing on the faith is a daunting and challenging task for
any parent.
Even is even harder to do it for succeeding generations.
Inrig writes:
"The second generation has a natural tendency to accept the
status quo and to lose the vision of the first generation.
Too often the second-generation experience is a second-hand
experience.
Church history is filled with examples of it, and sadly, so
are many churches.
The parent's fervor for the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the
children's formalism and the grandchildren's apathy."
What caused the children and grandchildren to lose the vision
of the parents?
Inrig continues:
"They knew about His deeds, but they did not know Him or
acknowledge Him.
They had lost touch with God.
Here we come to the heart of the second-generation syndrome.
It is a lukewarmness, a complacency, an apathy about amazing
biblical truths that we have heard from our childhood."
#30079
1) Evidence in the Holwick genealogy.
a) Many lines in our family can be traced back 500 years.
b) The religion of my ancestors would shift from generation
to generation:
1> Reformed -> Quaker -> Catholic -> Presbyterian
2> I am the first Baptist in all that time.
3> What will my children and grandchildren be?
2) Your spiritual heritage CAN be passed on.
When George McCluskey married and started a family, he decided
to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his
kids to follow Christ.
After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Every day between 11 a.m. and noon, he prayed for the next
three generations.
As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives
to Christ and married men who went into full-time ministry.
The two couples produced four girls and one boy.
Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a
pastor.
The first two children born to this generation were both boys.
Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the
same college and became roommates.
During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the
ministry.
The other didn't.
He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family
legacy, but he chose instead to become a psychologist.
He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents
that became bestsellers.
He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand
stations each day.
The man's name was James Dobson.
Through his prayers, George McCluskey affected far more than
one family.
#26692
C. Are your loved ones saved?
1) We need to talk to them.
a) Not just going to church with you, or believing in God,
but having a living faith.
2) Families should not be afraid to talk about God.
a) Especially of a personal nature.
b) Encourage a heart-felt commitment.
V. Will your circle be unbroken?
A. Original song is very sad, even morbid.
1) Everyone knows the chorus:
Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, lord, by and by
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky
2) Did you know the song is really about a mother's funeral?
I was standing by my window,
On one cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come rolling
For to carry my mother away
Oh, I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave
3) He knows she will be in heaven - but will he join her?
a) Will you?
B. Make your family's circle complete in the Lord.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#26691 "Pluralism Personified," Samuel Smith, Baptist Press,
http://www.baptistpress.org/, June 1, 2004.
#26692 "His Prayers Affected Three Generations," Steve Farrar,
Wit And Wisdom at http://www.witandwisdom.org, edited by
Richard G. Wimer, June 2, 2004.
#30079 "The Second Generation Syndrome," James T. Draper Jr.,
Baptist Press, http://www.baptistpress.org/,
October 24, 2005.
#30422 "The Superbowl - And Beyond," Art Stricklin, Baptist Press,
http://www.baptistpress.org/, February 1, 2006.
These and 25,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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