Future Family 3 – Future Children

Pastor Chris FluittSermons

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You have so much more than the present. You have a Future.
Part of your future includes those that come after us. God wants you to have lineage, a line of life that flows from you.
Your lineage, your future children will face danger. There is a way to help them in the present.

Future Family 3 – Future Children from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
 
Future Family 3 – Your Future Children
Future Family Bumper
 
Welcome to the 3rd week of our Future Family Series.  I hope everyone had a great 4th of July yesterday. We are thankful for freedom.
My name is Chris Fluitt and I am one of the most blessed people you will ever meet. I am blessed to be Pastor of the mighty Redemption Church. Blessed to be loved by my family. Blessed to be a child of God.  I hope to be a blessing for you today.
SEARCH ENGINE
After this Future Family series we are doing one of the biggest series of the year. WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Everyone has questions. Most people go to Google, Bing, or Yahoo to find the answers.. Because we feel safe with the anonymous nature of the internet.  But we think the local Church should be a place where people feel safe to bring their questions.
So in the Search Engine Series we will be taking your questions and answering them live.
I need you to do things

  1. Get out your phone and text us your questions to our anonymous line. 214 856 0550.
  2. Invite your friends. We have invitation cards. We also have content on our website and Facebook that can be shared.

Let’s pack this place for our kick off of the Search Engine Series on July 19th.
 
Today we are going to talk about your future children
And I have some selling to do right now, because some of you might want to check out because…

  • We’ve already had our kids
  • I am a kid myself.. I won’t have kids for a long time
  • I never plan to have kids

 
Ok listen up.
You’ve already had kids.  Well do you care about your kids’ future?  Today is for you.
You are a kid yourself. I am going to be talking about parent children relationships today. I am going to say things that you need to hear.. but also things that your parents need to hear.  Kids the Bible has commands for your parents in how they should treat you.
You never plan to have kids…  Ha!  So you are practicing abstinence?  Because that is the only sure fire way to plan to not have kids… And it didn’t work for Jesus’ mom Mary.
God may put it on your hearts to adopt one day.
Also we should expand the idea of children to be those that come after you that we are called imprint upon. This would include those we aren’t biologically linked to us. You may decide to invest in the lives of our nephews and nieces, kids in our neighborhood, or others younger than us in the local church.
God wants lineage for your life   So, do not check out on me and this Word.
 
Your Bible focuses on lineage.  Many places it writes down genealogy/family tree.

  • Genesis 5 – Adam to Noah
  • Genesis 11 – Shem (Noah’s son) to Abram(Abraham)
  • 1 & 2 Chronicles – Marks the genealogy of all the Tribes of Israel.
  • Matthew gives the genealogy of Jesus from the line of His mother Mary.
  • Luke gives the genealogy of Jesus from the line of Joseph – Jesus’ earthly father. Joseph was not biologically Jesus’ dad, but his lineage mattered.

God cares about lineage.. He cares about genealogy. He cares that names are written down BECAUSE He wants everyone to have a future.  Although they lived thousands of years ago, the names, lives, and stories of these people live on.. They have a future.
Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.(NIV)
Psalms 127:4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are those born in one’s youth.
Psalm 127:5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in court.
Children are a heritage and reward
We need to take a moment and talk about this. In our world children are not always treated as a reward.  Many children in our own nation are not wanted.  They are cast off as unwanted pregnancies.
I know that this government gives women the right to choose. I am not here to preach on the politics of that, but I am here to say there is something deeply wrong when we abort a baby because it inconveniences us.
Your Bible says that children are a reward, not a punishment. It says they are a blessing, not a curse.   Some people feel like their life is over when they see the positive results of a pregnancy test, but God says they are a heritage that lives past you.
Do not be nervous. I am not telling you to go out and get pregnant and have children. Not my point.  I am saying that Children are not valued enough in our society.
You should have Future Children.  People that come after you that you have imprinted character, truth, advice upon.
But as the case with our series.. Your Future Children are in danger
In the best comedic science fiction trilogy of all time, Back to the Future, the crazy professor shows up in his DeLorean time machine and warns Marty.. Your kids are in trouble in the future.  And that is what I have come to tell you today.
I am pretty sure that our future lineage will face bigger dangers than we ever did.

  • They will have struggles between right and wrong. There will be situations where everyone around them tells them “it’s ok” when it really isn’t. Will they have the courage to choose the right when it is easier to choose what is wrong?
  • They will have trouble with faith.  In an ever increasing secular society they will face larger battles over keeping faith than anything we faced.
  • They will have to overcome the failures of the previous generations.  They will have to overcome your shortcomings mom and dad.
  • They will face inner character struggles.

 
I want to talk to you about what your Future Kids needs and I want to use the interesting story of Samson to illustrate it.
Your Future needs your Present
The story of Samson starts in Judges 13, with His parents. Much of a child’s future is decided before they are born by their parents. Parents, right now in the present, the way you spend your time, the focus of your life, the decisions that you make, are deciding the future.
Samson’s mom was barren, unable to have children, but an angel showed up IN HER PRESENT SITUATION with news and instructions FOR THE FUTURE.  She thought it was a man.. but it looked like an angel..
Judges 13:6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name.(NIV)
She then tells her husband the news and instruction.  Watch what the husband does not do…

  • He does not say “yes dear” while he continues reading his paper.
  • He does not say “well that is great. Let’s hope for that.”
  • He didn’t disagree and he didn’t blindly follow.

Here is what he did..
Judges 13:8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: “O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”(NIV)
He prayed.  The mom had heard instruction, but the father also wanted instruction.  The angel showed up again to the father of Samson.
Right there in the Present the mom received word of a future.  Right there in the present the Father bowed his face in prayer concerning the Future.
Children, do you realize that before you were ever born, your parents stood in the present and prayed over your future.
We need families where the Mother & Father have a relationship with God. Where they are committed to the same future.  It starts in the present..
Follow the instructions
God has more than suggestions for your future.  He has instructions. He has commands. He has rules.
It is not enough to have had a face to face with an angel.. You need to obey the Word of the Lord. It is not enough to have a good time in worship and feel His presence.. You need to obey the Word of the Lord. It’s not enough to be told of a great future.. You need to obey the Word of the Lord.
God has instructions for your life and for the life of your children.
Do you know what His instruction is?

  • Yes – Then get to it!
  • No – come to the altar today and ask “what would you have me do God?”

AND PASS THE INSTRUCTION ON.
 
Don’t lose your voice
They had heard the instruction of God. They had followed that instruction and taught it to their son. But something happened in Judges 14..
Judges 14:1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.(NIV)
Judges 14:2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”(NIV)
Judges 14:3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”(NIV)
There is a disagreement over a romantic interest.  Big shock right!?  That NEVER happens… *sarcasm*
Parents you are called to imprint, influence, direct.. but that doesn’t mean control.
Psalm 127 said “like arrows in the hands of the warrior.”  You aim and arrow but then you have to let it go. That is the picture of parenting right their… You aim them but then there comes a place where you have to let go and let them hit the target.
Now we can’t be sure what kind of conflict was happening here. Perhaps they had..

  • Big arguments over choosing a girl from the Philistine camp.
  • Small conversations in passing.
  • Could be they tried to influence… Could be they tried to control…

 
We can’t be sure how this went down.. but we are sure of this.. Samson’s parents are never given a voice again in the story. They are mentioned.. they appear again.. but their voice is gone.
Don’t lose your voice
Now this talk goes both ways… first the parents and then the kids..
Parents.  Could it be that Samson’s parents were so disappointed by his choice that they withdrew their voice? Could it be that because he didn’t listen to him they no longer gave voice? Maybe they were offended by Samson’s response to their advice so they never tried again? Is it possible that they never got over this decision that Samson made and they let it come between them? Maybe they crossed over the threshold of influence and tried to control and ended up
One of the most valuable things you are given is a voice to speak into your child’s life. Don’t lose your voice.
There are things you can say that will cost you your voice. There are hypocritical behaviors that cost you the effectiveness of your voice. Your attitude can cost you your voice.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.(NIV)
The original Hebrew says to not come alongside and rouse up anger.. to pick at until someone explodes.
Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.(NIV)You can embitter your children with your voice.
Parents your voice matters!  Protect your voice.
 
Now Kids.  You are the future. You are the reward and gift from God. I want to talk to you.
Is it possible that Samson shut his parents out of his life over a dis-agreement. Could he in his pride said “your opinions are not important. I don’t need your advice.” Could he have forgotten that his parents prayed for him long before he was born. Did the son forget that his parents had heard from God and tried to follow the instruction of God for his benefit?
You need the voice of the previous generation. You need their wisdom and their heart. Do not turn that voice off.  This will effect your future.
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.(NIV)
Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother”–which is the first commandment with a promise–(NIV)
Ephesians 6:3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”(NIV)
 
Now the story of Samson is very sad. He ends up choosing enemies over family. He ends up in chains and blinded. He ends up a laughing stock for his captors the philistines…  His story did not end up like mom and dad hoped it would when they say the angel and received the instruction.
 
Something happened that changed the course of Samson’s future. That picture of the mighty judge of Israel had faded and changed to a picture of a slave tied between two pillars.
Samson had some problems.. but he still had a future. He was still God promised. He was still a miracle. He was still a reward and a heritage. I believe he was still loved by his parents.
He had awful things in his past.. but he had also received the instruction of God.
Samson still had a future.
I need to talk to some parents that are worried about their kids.  Maybe you are shocked about the things they have done. You are worried sick about the current situation. Maybe you have lost contact with them. Maybe you are trying to parent but aren’t sure you are doing anything right and that you are going to ruin them…  Listen.  THEY STILL HAVE A FUTURE.
Don’t let anything in the past keep you from embracing that future with them.
Samson still had a future.
Judges 16:28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more…
Samson prayed..
You still have a future.  Do you want to walk into that future today?