DATE: June 22, 2008
SPEAKER: Pastor Kevin Snyder
TITLE: Will Your Faith Have Children?
SERIES: Becoming A God-Shaped Family In A Simpson Filled World
Introduction
We want to wrap up our relationship series today. The question I want us to consider is :”Will your faith have children?”
Often when it comes to relationship messages we hear that question in a different way: “Will Your Children Have Faith?”
But I want to switch that order because I think the question we want to address:
- Needs to be more universally applicable today – those without kids….can apply to the reproducing of your faith in others
- It gets at an even more fundamental issue.
“Will your Faith have children” puts the spotlight on our spiritual condition. Is our faith so vital, so injected with life, so contagious and attractive that it is capable of reproducing children. You see, if you are spiritually barren no amount of methods will bring about the desired results. In other words, before we can expect our children to have faith we need to ask, “Will my faith have children?” Is there life to give birth to life?
I want to use that question to review what we have talked about over this relationship series.
Today, is decision day. If you haven’t caught it by now my dominant interest is in us responding and applying God’s Word – goal is that we seek to obey God’s Word not just know it.
And so I want us to do a spiritual assessment today as to what we have been looking at in this series and make some decisions and commitments to God that will shape our hearts & families for the future. This is an opportunity….an opportunity to change some things today that will change our future. It can be a defining moment.
And so, this morning, can I just encourage you to engage with God here these next few minutes. Have the courage to ask him: “What mid-course adjustments do I need to make to God-shape my life , my family a little more?”
Would you do that?
What does it take for my faith to have children?
Sermon worksheet – Assessment questions
- We need to be real, not perfect.
Sometimes we think we have to be perfect before our faith can be transferred. We think we need to hide our foibles, and humanity behind this cloak of perfection. But you know what, I have found people more drawn by our being real than our putting forth the image of perfection. They can relate to real.
So let me tell you a “real” story.
One of my latest embarrassing moments was on our vacation. We were visiting Joyce’s brother’s place.
Stayed overnight and we were sleeping in the bedroom between the bathroom to the left and the Master bedroom to the right.
Well, during the course of the night I had to make a trip to the washroom. I got up feeling groggy and disoriented. Pitch black. Couldn’t remember which way to bathroom.
Feeling my way in the dark down the hall. Get to the end…unsure…but door was open and thought good. Flip on the light (2:45 am) and lo and behold there is Joyce’s brother and his wife blinded by the light. Of course, I’m standing in my underwear.
Well, needless to say we all had a good howl over that for the next morning, afternoon, evening, next day…
Here’s the point (if there is one).
Out of that event everyone started telling stories of embarrassing moments. We were drawn together by our humanity.
As Bonhoeffer once said,
“True fellowship doesn’t happen when we worship together, sing hymns together, even pray together, true fellowship happens when we confess our sins to each other.”
Sometimes we feel that if anyone is going to follow after our faith we have to be perfect. We often feel like I did when it comes to this parenting thing….feeling our way along in the dark….hoping we are doing it right. And then we discover when we get there how foolish we are. We messed up.
2 Cor. 4:7 (Message)
Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at.
Point:
God has put the treasure in cracked pots. It is through the cracks that Jesus shines out. If we have no cracks people may be impressed with the vessel, and not notice Jesus so much
If gold or crystal vessel – look at vessel and say “Wow!”
But God didn’t choose gold and crystal vessels…he chose “cracked pots”
Why?
So people are drawn to the Jesus that shines through us. .
What that says to me is:
For our faith to have children we need to be real, not perfect.
- How real are you with people?
- Do you allow people to see your cracks? Your doubts? Your questions? Your struggles?
Question:
On a scale of 1 – 5 how easy is it for you to be real and transparent about your questions, doubts, foibles?
1 2 3 4 5
hard easy
What makes this hard for you?
For our faith to be reproductive….
- It needs to have a Kingdom Cause
Graphic: picture of church helping down & out – earl & Trish – mission slide, etc
Means: Faith focus needs to be bigger than just getting your soul into heaven.
Jesus came announcing the Kingdom of God. He ushered in this new kingdom. This kingdom was a spiritual community that was counter-culture.
- It sought to live out different values than the culture in which it found itself.
- It was a culture where the poor and meek were esteemed. This was a community that as people embraced it’s values would make a difference in the world.
- It would change how the poor were treated. It would change how lepers were treated. How women were treated.
- It would change the conventional structure of society in regards to slaves. It would change people viewed money.
Friends, if our faith is going to be attractive and reproductive it needs to have a scope and cause that is bigger than just “me- Jesus” It needs to be more than a Cnity that makes you feel better. It needs to impact more than just the concentric circle of yourself.
On Mother’s Day we talked about the plight of women in our world. We looked at the atrocious statistics regarding the treatment of women. And I challenged us to see our Cn influence go beyond just sending a card, buying flowers, and taking your Mom out for dinner. Those are all good. But a Cnity that is attractive is a faith that says,
“What is happening in our world to women is wrong….and we will be voice. We will be a community that challenges the oppressive treatment of women. We will be a community where women are given respect. Where abuse will not be covered or silently condoned. Where women’s gifts are welcomed. We will seek to be an agency that is actively engaged in changing those statistics.”
And it doesn’t just apply to that one issue.
One of the desires I have for us at East Side is not just that we be a friendly welcoming church but that we be a church that is making an impact on this community and globally. Church that has a Kingdom Cause…not just a “fix-me orientation.”
We need to have an answer to the question:
“If East Side Church didn’t exist how would our community and world be affected?
One of the things that I have heard about East Side that gives it a positive perception in the community is:
- our Room for One More Project
- Soup Kitchen
- Our support group ministry
- Mission’s project to Mexico
Ministries that are there for the community. Ministries that are our attempts to thrust back the darkness.
Friends, a faith that has children today is one that is proclaiming and seeking to be an expression of the present kingdom of God.
A faith that doesn’t bear much fruit these days is a faith that is all about “me”. It’s about my private beliefs. It’s just about me feeling better and being happier.. It’s just about getting into heaven when I die.
Question:
On a scale of 1 – 5 how broad is the scope of your faith?
1 2 3 4 5
me world
What “kingdom cause” in our world grips you?
What step can you take towards making a difference in this kingdom cause?
If our faith is to have children it needs to be….
- Alive & Personal
A faith that has children is an alive and personal relationship. There is a connection happening between you & God. There is a conversation going on.
Key Indicator: Prayer
Prayer is what turns your faith from a philosophy into a relationship.
Pastor Mike gave that message, ”Does your family have a prayer?” He highlighted that faith that is contagious is faith that
- doesn’t just talk to God when in crisis (phone only 3 numbers 9-1-1)
- When we want or need something for ourselves
- When we need a break
- When we need a bargain
- No, faith that is contagious is a faith where prayer is not just an oddity, an exception, to our family life, but a integral part of it. Natural.
Contagious faith is learning to live in a conscious awareness of God’s presence.
- It’s filled with arrow prayers.
- It is punctuated with times spent seeking God’s guidance and will.
- It’s enlivened by the freedom of confession and daily grace.
- It’s sprinkled with the enthusiasm of seeing God work in our realms in regards to things we have prayed about.
Our faith is shaped and permeated with prayer.
When the disciples looked at Jesus looked for that dynamic, that source, that transferable thing that would energize their life. And what they saw in Jesus was prayer. And they came to Jesus and said “Teach us to pray”
- Teach us how to connect with almighty God like you do.
- Teach us how to discover god’s will and ways for our lives.
- Teach us how to look to God for our needs
- Teach us how to live freely and in constant tune with the Heavenly Father.
- Teach us how we can access the strength and power to live victorious over temptation.
- Teach us how we can have our selfish hearts turned to be focused on God’s name, God’s will, God’s kingdom, and God’s glory.
- Teach us to pray.
Friends, here’s the question:
Connection
On a scale of 1 -5 how do you measure the “alivenessyou’re your connection with God?
1 2 3 4 5
dead/duty/ritual alive conversation
generally unconscious consciously aware
What commitment to change do you seek to make in this area?
Faith that is contagious and has children needs to settle ….
- The Lordship Issue
All of us are made to worship something. And since the fall of man God has warned us about our tendency to put good things in the wrong place in our lives. To make idols that become the central orienting factor in our lives. Those idols can be people – a boyfriend or girlfriend, career, money, kid’s activities,….almost anything that begins to take precedent over the place of Christ in our lives.
We talked about how when something steps into that place where God should be, our Cn faith becomes nominal. It gets relegated to leftovers.
When there is an idol in our life what we tend to pass on is our idol. People catch whatever is god in our lives. We may not teach that but that is what tends to be caught.
And so a fundamental question is :
Who is Lord in our lives?
The fundamental statement of faith in the NT was “Jesus is Lord”.
- Is that true in your life?
- Is Jesus Lord?
- Is your life oriented around him?
This is a commitment or recommitment that says,
“Jesus, I want you to be Lord in my life. I surrender the controls and direction to you. I surrender my will, my plans, my ambitions, my goals, my desires completely and without condition to your will. Not my will but your will be done”
Question:
Which picture best describes your life?
Where do you feel it ought to be?
Confess and commit yourself to having Jesus to be the Lord of your life.
Faith That has children has ….
- Solid Convictions/Values
Pastor Mike shared about 3 batons. The key baton to a good transfer is one that is solid , not limp. (pipe vs playdough)
We need to be a people of convictions. People who are rooted and strong so we know where we stand. We know where we can’t compromise. We know where our anchor is.
I love Joshua’s statement as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. You can choose who you want to serve, but this is my direction. This is my conviction. This is where I’m going.
Church, at times I wonder if as Cns we have been too influenced by Cdn politics. What I mean is we look at the polls to find out what the prevailing wind is and then we adjust our position to catch the prevailing wind of popular opinion. We fear being unpopular.
That may be shrewd political strategy but it is tragic Cnity.
Story:
Pastor in hospital.
Deacon came in with a card.
Deacons voted to send you a card. The vote passed 4 – 3.
Our morality, our acts of love and kindness shouldn’t be dependent on a vote or public opinion. We need to be people who things that are loving and right not because they are popular but because they are right.
Question:
On a scale of 1 – 5, how firm are you to living by your convictions and values?
1 2 3 4 5
weak solid
What conviction/value needs to be bolstered?
Friends, faith that has children is not chameleon faith. It’s not wishy-washy. It has values and convictions that have been found in God’s Word and are held too.
Faith that has children is….
- Lived not just Subscribed to
Have you ever subscribed to a magazine that you thought you would like but never ever get around to reading?
Pastor Mike challenged fathers , and all of us to be people who live out there faith at home, and are not content with just the fact that they subscribe to Cnity.
They are people who are actively seeking to apply the teachings of Jesus to their lives.
People who are actively seeking to …
- Express genuine love
- Live a transparent life
- Have genuine diligence
- Display genuine spirituality
- Impact others with positive influence
Question:
Identify on the pie diagram, the arenas that are hardest for you in terms of living out your faith? (H)
Where do you feel most successful? (S)
Identify the arena you desire for God’s strength and help to enable you to bring your faith into that arena.
Conclusion
Graphic: Metaphor slide
As I mentioned at the beginning this message is about making some commitments/ changes that will increasingly shape our lives and our family life for the future.
And so today is a defining moment.
i.e.
We make a lot of decisions in our daily lives, but not all of them are definitive moments. Only a few of the multitude of decisions we make could be classified as definitive decisions.
And in regards to this series, and your family life , this just may be a defining moment.
A moment where some commitments are made or reaffirmed, some changes made, some idols dealt with, some faith commitments made.
Exercise:
- I want you to look over that list today.
- Identify one area that you feel you want to change. One area where the status quo is not sufficient.
- Prayer
- Rejoice
- Repent
- Recommit
Prayer
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