1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,760 Well, I hope you have your Bibles open 2 00:00:01,760 –> 00:00:03,980 at Galatians and chapter three. 3 00:00:05,420 –> 00:00:08,000 This is one of the most fascinating letters 4 00:00:08,000 –> 00:00:10,600 in all of the New Testament and 5 00:00:10,600 –> 00:00:12,060 the verses that have been read 6 00:00:12,060 –> 00:00:15,900 from chapter three really get us to the heart 7 00:00:15,900 –> 00:00:18,820 of what it’s all about and I want to suggest to you 8 00:00:18,820 –> 00:00:21,000 that the theme of Galatians 9 00:00:21,840 –> 00:00:25,280 is probably about the most important theme 10 00:00:25,280 –> 00:00:27,920 for us to grasp in relation 11 00:00:28,160 –> 00:00:30,200 to family life today. 12 00:00:32,279 –> 00:00:33,919 Let me try and paint the picture. 13 00:00:35,200 –> 00:00:39,560 There were a group of believers in this area called Galatia, 14 00:00:39,560 –> 00:00:41,599 they had come to faith in Jesus Christ 15 00:00:41,599 –> 00:00:44,580 through the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. 16 00:00:44,580 –> 00:00:46,720 You’ll notice from chapter one and verse two 17 00:00:46,720 –> 00:00:50,060 that churches had been established. 18 00:00:51,160 –> 00:00:54,320 Early on in the life of these churches, 19 00:00:54,439 –> 00:00:58,160 it seems that there was some confusion over the gospel. 20 00:00:59,320 –> 00:01:03,880 Some people placed such emphasis on obedience 21 00:01:03,880 –> 00:01:08,660 that they actually undermined grace. 22 00:01:08,660 –> 00:01:12,160 Now, this meant that in effect they abandoned the gospel. 23 00:01:12,160 –> 00:01:14,580 If you look at chapter one and verse six, 24 00:01:14,580 –> 00:01:16,980 you will find that Paul is astonished 25 00:01:16,980 –> 00:01:20,040 that such a thing could happen so quickly 26 00:01:20,040 –> 00:01:23,320 among sincere Christian people. 27 00:01:23,320 –> 00:01:25,239 But this is precisely what happened, 28 00:01:25,239 –> 00:01:30,239 that the strong, strong emphasis on obedience 29 00:01:30,760 –> 00:01:34,800 had become so dominant in the life of the church 30 00:01:34,800 –> 00:01:37,459 that they had actually lost sight 31 00:01:37,459 –> 00:01:41,459 of the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. 32 00:01:41,459 –> 00:01:43,260 That is what Galatians is all about. 33 00:01:44,480 –> 00:01:47,839 Now this has happened to some good Christian folk. 34 00:01:47,839 –> 00:01:50,160 And this letter in the New Testament 35 00:01:50,160 –> 00:01:51,279 that is so important, 36 00:01:51,400 –> 00:01:54,800 reminds us that it can happen in a church. 37 00:01:54,800 –> 00:01:58,620 You can start out with the gospel of grace, 38 00:01:58,620 –> 00:02:02,080 but end up living and sounding 39 00:02:02,080 –> 00:02:03,559 as if what you’re really about 40 00:02:03,559 –> 00:02:08,360 is simply morality, law, and obedience. 41 00:02:08,360 –> 00:02:10,059 Now that can happen in a church, 42 00:02:10,059 –> 00:02:11,759 and I think we’ve all seen it. 43 00:02:11,759 –> 00:02:14,039 Here’s the application today, 44 00:02:14,039 –> 00:02:19,039 it can also happen in Christian family life. 45 00:02:19,580 –> 00:02:21,320 And in this last Sunday in our series, 46 00:02:21,320 –> 00:02:23,360 I want us to think about that together 47 00:02:23,360 –> 00:02:26,300 and how we can make sure that we avoid it. 48 00:02:26,300 –> 00:02:28,479 Now let’s focus in on Paul’s question 49 00:02:28,479 –> 00:02:30,759 in Galatians chapter three and verse two, 50 00:02:30,759 –> 00:02:33,279 that really seems to me to be absolutely critical 51 00:02:33,279 –> 00:02:37,240 for our thinking as parents about raising children. 52 00:02:37,240 –> 00:02:38,979 Galatians chapter three and verse two, 53 00:02:38,979 –> 00:02:43,979 Paul says I would like to learn just one thing from you. 54 00:02:44,619 –> 00:02:49,619 Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law 55 00:02:49,779 –> 00:02:52,380 or by believing what you heard? 56 00:02:53,619 –> 00:02:56,699 Now this one verse brings together four themes 57 00:02:56,699 –> 00:02:59,380 that are really central to our whole understanding 58 00:02:59,380 –> 00:03:02,339 of the gospel, receiving the Spirit, 59 00:03:02,339 –> 00:03:07,259 observing the law, hearing the gospel, 60 00:03:07,259 –> 00:03:09,820 believing the gospel. 61 00:03:09,820 –> 00:03:11,639 Let’s put them in this order, hearing, 62 00:03:11,639 –> 00:03:14,600 believing, receiving, obeying. 63 00:03:15,839 –> 00:03:17,360 Now look at Paul’s question. 64 00:03:18,440 –> 00:03:23,440 Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law? 65 00:03:24,600 –> 00:03:26,839 Now what’s he talking about, what spirit? 66 00:03:27,720 –> 00:03:29,979 Well Paul is clearly talking here 67 00:03:29,979 –> 00:03:33,559 about the Holy Spirit of God 68 00:03:33,559 –> 00:03:35,919 and just to fill that in for us a little bit, 69 00:03:35,919 –> 00:03:39,080 throughout the Old Testament remember God had promised 70 00:03:39,080 –> 00:03:43,039 that one day he would pour out his Holy Spirit 71 00:03:43,039 –> 00:03:45,220 upon all of his people. 72 00:03:45,220 –> 00:03:48,699 And you remember that that happened on the day of Pentecost. 73 00:03:48,699 –> 00:03:51,240 You can read about it in Acts chapter two 74 00:03:51,240 –> 00:03:52,639 and actually I am going to invite you 75 00:03:52,639 –> 00:03:54,699 to turn to Acts chapter two, 76 00:03:54,699 –> 00:03:56,639 the story of the day of Pentecost 77 00:03:56,639 –> 00:03:59,279 that is so important for understanding 78 00:03:59,279 –> 00:04:00,699 the book of Galatians. 79 00:04:00,699 –> 00:04:02,500 So if you turn back to Acts chapter two 80 00:04:02,500 –> 00:04:06,960 let’s just review the story so that it’s fresh in our minds. 81 00:04:07,000 –> 00:04:08,699 Now at this point in the story 82 00:04:09,960 –> 00:04:11,860 Jesus has ascended into Heaven 83 00:04:11,860 –> 00:04:14,300 and you have about 120 believers 84 00:04:14,300 –> 00:04:17,100 who are gathered together in a small room. 85 00:04:17,100 –> 00:04:19,000 And you remember on the day of Pentecost 86 00:04:19,000 –> 00:04:21,000 there was the sound of the wind, 87 00:04:21,000 –> 00:04:23,679 they saw this extraordinary fire 88 00:04:23,679 –> 00:04:25,380 that separated into tongues 89 00:04:25,380 –> 00:04:26,940 and rested on all of them 90 00:04:26,940 –> 00:04:31,940 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. 91 00:04:32,779 –> 00:04:33,980 Now with all this going on 92 00:04:33,980 –> 00:04:35,500 it’s not surprising that it wasn’t long 93 00:04:35,720 –> 00:04:37,079 until a crowd gathered 94 00:04:37,079 –> 00:04:39,660 and in verse 14 of Acts chapter 2 95 00:04:39,660 –> 00:04:41,480 Peter gets up to speak 96 00:04:41,480 –> 00:04:43,000 and notice what he says, 97 00:04:43,000 –> 00:04:46,420 this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, 98 00:04:46,420 –> 00:04:48,380 indeed it was spoken by all of the prophets 99 00:04:48,380 –> 00:04:51,079 but he quotes from Joel in particular, 100 00:04:51,079 –> 00:04:55,179 in the last days God says I will pour out my spirit. 101 00:04:55,179 –> 00:04:57,440 This is what God has always planned to do, 102 00:04:57,440 –> 00:04:58,279 Peter’s saying, 103 00:04:58,279 –> 00:05:03,059 to pour out his spirit on all of his people. 104 00:05:03,160 –> 00:05:04,779 Well now what Peter then did 105 00:05:04,779 –> 00:05:06,880 is to go on and preach about Jesus 106 00:05:06,880 –> 00:05:08,700 and you can read through the rest of these verses 107 00:05:08,700 –> 00:05:10,000 from verse 22, 108 00:05:10,000 –> 00:05:13,320 he tells the crowd of people who Jesus is, 109 00:05:13,320 –> 00:05:15,660 why Jesus died, 110 00:05:15,660 –> 00:05:17,600 how Jesus rose 111 00:05:17,600 –> 00:05:20,279 and then how Jesus ascended to the right hand 112 00:05:20,279 –> 00:05:21,679 of the Father in heaven 113 00:05:21,679 –> 00:05:23,119 so that in verse 36, 114 00:05:23,119 –> 00:05:24,239 he ends by saying 115 00:05:24,239 –> 00:05:26,320 that God has made this Jesus 116 00:05:26,320 –> 00:05:28,920 whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. 117 00:05:29,920 –> 00:05:30,760 Now by the way, 118 00:05:30,760 –> 00:05:31,920 this is what we mean 119 00:05:31,920 –> 00:05:33,480 by the gospel. 120 00:05:34,320 –> 00:05:36,540 The gospel is the good news 121 00:05:36,540 –> 00:05:37,959 of Jesus Christ, 122 00:05:37,959 –> 00:05:39,399 the Son of God 123 00:05:39,399 –> 00:05:41,000 who was crucified 124 00:05:41,000 –> 00:05:42,119 and risen, 125 00:05:42,119 –> 00:05:43,500 he is the savior 126 00:05:43,500 –> 00:05:45,040 who is able to forgive 127 00:05:45,040 –> 00:05:46,739 all who will come to him 128 00:05:46,739 –> 00:05:49,739 and he is able to change your life. 129 00:05:49,739 –> 00:05:50,980 That is the gospel. 130 00:05:52,260 –> 00:05:54,279 As Peter lay this out before the folks, 131 00:05:54,279 –> 00:05:55,320 notice what happens. 132 00:05:55,320 –> 00:05:56,839 Verse 37, 133 00:05:56,839 –> 00:05:58,760 they respond by asking 134 00:05:58,760 –> 00:05:59,700 what shall we do? 135 00:06:00,640 –> 00:06:02,579 And Peter’s answer is very clear, 136 00:06:02,579 –> 00:06:04,700 he says repent and be baptized 137 00:06:04,700 –> 00:06:05,519 every one of you 138 00:06:05,519 –> 00:06:07,220 in the name of Jesus Christ 139 00:06:07,220 –> 00:06:09,059 for the forgiveness of your sins 140 00:06:09,059 –> 00:06:10,079 and then what will happen? 141 00:06:10,079 –> 00:06:10,899 He says, 142 00:06:10,899 –> 00:06:12,359 and you, 143 00:06:13,260 –> 00:06:14,459 whoever you are in the crowd, 144 00:06:14,459 –> 00:06:15,779 if you will come to respond 145 00:06:15,779 –> 00:06:17,399 to Jesus Christ in this way, 146 00:06:17,399 –> 00:06:18,619 here’s what will happen, 147 00:06:18,619 –> 00:06:21,579 you will receive the gift 148 00:06:21,579 –> 00:06:23,579 of the Holy Spirit. 149 00:06:23,579 –> 00:06:25,920 Now notice what he says next, 150 00:06:25,920 –> 00:06:26,859 very significant, 151 00:06:27,260 –> 00:06:28,279 verse 39, 152 00:06:29,859 –> 00:06:31,839 the promise is for you, 153 00:06:31,839 –> 00:06:33,100 he says to the crowd, 154 00:06:34,579 –> 00:06:38,399 and for your children, 155 00:06:39,579 –> 00:06:42,500 for all who are far off 156 00:06:42,500 –> 00:06:44,320 for all whom the Lord, 157 00:06:44,320 –> 00:06:46,359 our God will call. 158 00:06:47,859 –> 00:06:48,899 So this is very clear, 159 00:06:48,899 –> 00:06:49,739 isn’t it? 160 00:06:50,660 –> 00:06:52,140 God’s promise 161 00:06:52,140 –> 00:06:53,820 for my children 162 00:06:54,779 –> 00:06:59,299 is that if they will turn in repentance and faith 163 00:06:59,299 –> 00:07:00,779 to Jesus Christ, 164 00:07:00,779 –> 00:07:01,980 what will happen? 165 00:07:01,980 –> 00:07:04,380 They will receive 166 00:07:04,380 –> 00:07:07,519 the Holy Spirit of God, 167 00:07:07,519 –> 00:07:10,119 and that’s what God wants. 168 00:07:10,119 –> 00:07:11,739 That’s his promise. 169 00:07:11,739 –> 00:07:13,179 It’s his promise to you, 170 00:07:13,179 –> 00:07:14,179 to your children, 171 00:07:14,179 –> 00:07:15,380 to all who are far off, 172 00:07:15,380 –> 00:07:17,059 to all whom the Lord our God will call, 173 00:07:17,059 –> 00:07:19,739 to all who turn in repentance and faith 174 00:07:19,739 –> 00:07:20,820 to Jesus Christ. 175 00:07:20,820 –> 00:07:22,420 This is the promise of God, 176 00:07:22,459 –> 00:07:24,100 this is the purpose of God. 177 00:07:24,100 –> 00:07:26,720 Nothing less than this is the purpose of God, 178 00:07:26,720 –> 00:07:30,660 that you receive the Holy Spirit of God, 179 00:07:30,660 –> 00:07:33,739 that God’s very presence should come and live 180 00:07:33,739 –> 00:07:36,279 and dwell in you, filling you, 181 00:07:37,239 –> 00:07:39,920 so that the life of God comes to live 182 00:07:41,140 –> 00:07:42,200 within you. 183 00:07:42,200 –> 00:07:44,799 Now, let’s go back to Gallatians in chapter three 184 00:07:44,799 –> 00:07:46,420 because really Acts two helps us 185 00:07:46,420 –> 00:07:48,459 to understand Galatians three, 186 00:07:48,459 –> 00:07:50,820 so let’s go back there as if where we started 187 00:07:51,239 –> 00:07:54,640 and we’ll stay there, Galatians chapter three. 188 00:07:54,640 –> 00:07:56,839 Now look at Paul’s question in verse two. 189 00:07:57,739 –> 00:08:01,339 How did you receive the Spirit? 190 00:08:01,339 –> 00:08:02,820 This is what I want to know, Paul says, 191 00:08:02,820 –> 00:08:04,100 I just got one question, 192 00:08:05,200 –> 00:08:06,820 how did you receive the Spirit? 193 00:08:08,160 –> 00:08:10,920 Was it by observing the law? 194 00:08:10,920 –> 00:08:13,239 Now the answer, of course, is of course not, 195 00:08:13,239 –> 00:08:16,320 of course it wasn’t by observing the law 196 00:08:16,320 –> 00:08:19,760 or was it by believing what you heard? 197 00:08:19,799 –> 00:08:21,239 Yes, of course it was, 198 00:08:21,239 –> 00:08:23,160 that’s how we received the Spirit, 199 00:08:23,160 –> 00:08:25,820 by believing what we’ve heard, by believing the gospel. 200 00:08:25,820 –> 00:08:28,859 This is precisely what happened on the day of Pentecost, 201 00:08:28,859 –> 00:08:31,440 it is what happened everywhere that the gospel went 202 00:08:31,440 –> 00:08:32,599 throughout the early world 203 00:08:32,599 –> 00:08:35,000 and everywhere it has gone ever since. 204 00:08:35,000 –> 00:08:36,400 They heard the gospel, 205 00:08:36,400 –> 00:08:39,799 they received the Spirit as they turned to Christ 206 00:08:39,799 –> 00:08:41,900 in repentance and in faith. 207 00:08:41,900 –> 00:08:45,539 So the relationship between these four key elements 208 00:08:45,539 –> 00:08:47,599 of understanding the Christian faith, 209 00:08:47,739 –> 00:08:50,340 hearing leads to believing, 210 00:08:50,340 –> 00:08:54,059 that leads to receiving, that leads to obeying 211 00:08:54,059 –> 00:08:57,520 and that order is absolutely critical. 212 00:08:57,520 –> 00:08:59,219 The relationship between these things 213 00:08:59,219 –> 00:09:01,580 is critical to our understanding of the gospel. 214 00:09:02,520 –> 00:09:05,479 You did not receive the Spirit by obeying the law. 215 00:09:05,479 –> 00:09:08,000 No, just as it was on the day of Pentecost, 216 00:09:08,000 –> 00:09:10,919 you received the Spirit as you believed the gospel 217 00:09:10,919 –> 00:09:15,580 responding in repentance and in faith to Jesus. 218 00:09:15,580 –> 00:09:17,559 So he’s teaching this very clear principle, 219 00:09:18,400 –> 00:09:20,880 that we need to take in and if we grasp it, 220 00:09:20,880 –> 00:09:23,659 it will deeply affect our parenting. 221 00:09:25,880 –> 00:09:30,179 You don’t receive the Spirit by obeying the law. 222 00:09:33,479 –> 00:09:37,880 You do receive the Spirit by believing the gospel. 223 00:09:39,119 –> 00:09:41,419 Can I have a amen for that, 224 00:09:41,419 –> 00:09:43,080 just to make sure we’re all together? 225 00:09:43,080 –> 00:09:44,080 We believe that, don’t we? 226 00:09:44,080 –> 00:09:45,239 That is what we believe, okay? 227 00:09:45,239 –> 00:09:47,000 Now we’ve got to try and apply it. 228 00:09:47,940 –> 00:09:49,840 Now before we go any further, 229 00:09:49,840 –> 00:09:52,880 I want us all to be clear about the relationship 230 00:09:52,880 –> 00:09:55,099 between the law and the gospel 231 00:09:55,099 –> 00:09:56,520 as it’s explained in the Bible. 232 00:09:56,520 –> 00:09:59,239 Let me just say, if you think this sounds 233 00:09:59,239 –> 00:10:01,159 a little bit theoretical, 234 00:10:01,159 –> 00:10:04,400 I ask you to hang in with me for about three minutes 235 00:10:04,400 –> 00:10:06,960 and I promise you, we’re going someplace with this, 236 00:10:07,719 –> 00:10:10,000 and I promise you it’s someplace good. 237 00:10:11,159 –> 00:10:13,080 There really is though a great deal 238 00:10:13,080 –> 00:10:15,359 of confusion on this point. 239 00:10:16,200 –> 00:10:21,200 Some folks have the idea that the law is bad 240 00:10:22,159 –> 00:10:23,919 and the gospel is good 241 00:10:24,760 –> 00:10:28,400 and that is not the teaching of the Bible. 242 00:10:29,440 –> 00:10:31,520 If you have the idea that the law is bad 243 00:10:31,520 –> 00:10:32,960 and the gospel is good, 244 00:10:32,960 –> 00:10:34,979 that is not the teaching of the Bible 245 00:10:34,979 –> 00:10:37,039 and it’s important to make that clear 246 00:10:37,039 –> 00:10:38,320 because if you think the law is bad 247 00:10:38,320 –> 00:10:39,159 and the gospel is good, 248 00:10:39,159 –> 00:10:42,520 you’ll have an idea of parenting that includes no law. 249 00:10:42,520 –> 00:10:44,219 You’ll say there should be no rules. 250 00:10:44,299 –> 00:10:45,739 There should be no standards 251 00:10:46,820 –> 00:10:49,080 and you will completely misunderstand 252 00:10:49,080 –> 00:10:53,299 the pattern of parenting that is laid out in the Scripture. 253 00:10:53,299 –> 00:10:54,960 Don’t say the law is bad. 254 00:10:56,159 –> 00:10:58,219 That’s not scriptural. 255 00:10:58,219 –> 00:11:00,619 Romans chapter seven and verse 12, 256 00:11:00,619 –> 00:11:03,979 Paul says the law is holy, 257 00:11:03,979 –> 00:11:06,780 righteous, good. 258 00:11:06,780 –> 00:11:08,219 It is good. 259 00:11:08,219 –> 00:11:11,260 Look at verse 21 of this same chapter that we’re in. 260 00:11:11,260 –> 00:11:12,400 Galatians chapter three, 261 00:11:12,400 –> 00:11:13,619 notice what he says there. 262 00:11:13,640 –> 00:11:16,359 Is the law opposed to the promises of God? 263 00:11:16,359 –> 00:11:17,679 Are these two different things? 264 00:11:17,679 –> 00:11:18,799 What’s his answer? 265 00:11:18,799 –> 00:11:20,960 Absolutely not. 266 00:11:22,320 –> 00:11:26,280 The law and the gospel both proceed from the mouth of God 267 00:11:27,179 –> 00:11:28,440 and God never changes. 268 00:11:28,440 –> 00:11:30,619 God is good. 269 00:11:30,619 –> 00:11:32,520 So if the law comes from God, 270 00:11:32,520 –> 00:11:34,419 how can the law be bad? 271 00:11:35,359 –> 00:11:38,760 If your son or your daughter grows up to be a person 272 00:11:38,799 –> 00:11:41,559 who is faithful to their spouse, 273 00:11:41,559 –> 00:11:43,979 can be trusted with money, 274 00:11:43,979 –> 00:11:45,880 tells the truth, 275 00:11:45,880 –> 00:11:48,280 honors their father and mother even into old age, 276 00:11:48,280 –> 00:11:50,000 that is good, isn’t it? 277 00:11:50,000 –> 00:11:51,640 That is really good. 278 00:11:51,640 –> 00:11:54,000 That is not bad, that is good. 279 00:11:54,000 –> 00:11:56,299 Thank God for the law. 280 00:11:58,479 –> 00:12:01,580 So the relationship then between the law and the gospel 281 00:12:01,580 –> 00:12:03,840 is not that the law is bad and that the gospel is good. 282 00:12:03,840 –> 00:12:04,760 What is it? 283 00:12:04,760 –> 00:12:09,760 It’s this, the law is good, the gospel is better. 284 00:12:10,960 –> 00:12:14,880 The law is good, the gospel is better. 285 00:12:14,880 –> 00:12:18,080 And the reason that the gospel is better than the law 286 00:12:18,080 –> 00:12:21,580 is that when you believe the gospel, what happens? 287 00:12:21,580 –> 00:12:23,280 You receive the spirit. 288 00:12:24,640 –> 00:12:27,719 The holy spirit comes into you. 289 00:12:27,719 –> 00:12:30,679 That’s something that the law can never bring you into. 290 00:12:30,679 –> 00:12:34,280 The law is about living a model life, that’s good. 291 00:12:35,099 –> 00:12:38,780 The law is about a disciplined life, that’s good. 292 00:12:38,780 –> 00:12:42,380 We need to teach and train our children in that, it’s good. 293 00:12:42,380 –> 00:12:44,359 But the gospel is better, 294 00:12:44,359 –> 00:12:49,080 because it is about God filling you with his own spirit. 295 00:12:51,219 –> 00:12:56,219 The law is black and white, the gospel is color. 296 00:12:56,820 –> 00:13:01,820 The law is like the little speaker in your cell phone, 297 00:13:05,739 –> 00:13:08,299 the gospel is like surround sound, 298 00:13:10,599 –> 00:13:13,419 the law is like dial-up, 299 00:13:14,440 –> 00:13:16,539 the gospel is Comcastic! 300 00:13:19,679 –> 00:13:20,719 For those of you who don’t know 301 00:13:20,719 –> 00:13:23,659 that was an internet connection analogy. 302 00:13:24,380 –> 00:13:28,859 I want my kids to know that the law is good. 303 00:13:29,880 –> 00:13:33,500 I also want them to know that the gospel is better. 304 00:13:33,500 –> 00:13:35,880 I want them to learn morality, 305 00:13:36,799 –> 00:13:38,440 I want them to see in me 306 00:13:38,440 –> 00:13:41,580 something more attractive than morality. 307 00:13:42,559 –> 00:13:44,760 I want to show them the life of the spirit. 308 00:13:47,559 –> 00:13:48,599 It seems to me, you know, 309 00:13:48,599 –> 00:13:51,820 there are many kids who have rejected Christianity 310 00:13:52,820 –> 00:13:55,200 because all they’ve ever seen is the law. 311 00:13:57,179 –> 00:14:01,059 Imagine with me a family going on a long flight. 312 00:14:02,619 –> 00:14:06,799 Picture them boarding a large 777 aircraft, 313 00:14:06,799 –> 00:14:07,960 you know, the kind where you get 314 00:14:07,960 –> 00:14:09,359 your own entertainment center 315 00:14:09,359 –> 00:14:11,780 on the back of the seat in front, okay? 316 00:14:12,679 –> 00:14:14,700 And can you imagine this family 317 00:14:14,700 –> 00:14:17,580 for mom and dad and Susan and little Johnny, 318 00:14:17,580 –> 00:14:19,460 and for Johnny, it’s the first time 319 00:14:19,460 –> 00:14:21,099 he’s ever been in an airplane, 320 00:14:21,099 –> 00:14:22,580 he’s never flown before. 321 00:14:22,580 –> 00:14:24,739 And so, they get into this large plane 322 00:14:24,739 –> 00:14:25,900 and they find their seats. 323 00:14:25,900 –> 00:14:28,340 Mom and dad have the window and aisle in front 324 00:14:28,340 –> 00:14:31,659 and Susan and Johnny have the window and aisle behind. 325 00:14:31,659 –> 00:14:33,780 They all get in and they are settled 326 00:14:33,780 –> 00:14:36,140 and when they do, mom gets out the little magazine 327 00:14:36,140 –> 00:14:38,539 to see what entertainment is going to be provided 328 00:14:38,539 –> 00:14:40,380 and to her great delight, 329 00:14:40,380 –> 00:14:43,719 it is the latest film by Walt Disney. 330 00:14:43,719 –> 00:14:44,780 Oh, it’s going to be marvelous, 331 00:14:44,780 –> 00:14:46,140 it’s going to be a great flight. 332 00:14:46,140 –> 00:14:47,979 So, she turns over and she says to Johnny, 333 00:14:48,020 –> 00:14:50,900 hey, Johnny, there’s a great film on 334 00:14:51,900 –> 00:14:54,780 and we can all watch it sitting right here in our seats. 335 00:14:56,580 –> 00:14:58,299 Susan, show him how it works. 336 00:14:59,960 –> 00:15:03,039 Well, the flight takes off and the film comes on 337 00:15:03,039 –> 00:15:04,979 and mom and dad and Susan and Johnny 338 00:15:04,979 –> 00:15:08,340 all have their headphones on as the film gets going. 339 00:15:08,340 –> 00:15:12,099 Mom and dad in front are laughing too loud 340 00:15:12,099 –> 00:15:15,559 as you do when you have headphones on. 341 00:15:15,559 –> 00:15:17,460 Susan is laughing too. 342 00:15:18,919 –> 00:15:23,919 But Johnny through an oversight that nobody has noticed 343 00:15:24,940 –> 00:15:26,760 is stuck on the wrong channel. 344 00:15:27,960 –> 00:15:30,919 He’s on the flight information channel, 345 00:15:30,919 –> 00:15:33,840 you know the one where you see that map 346 00:15:33,840 –> 00:15:38,840 and a little plane that moves impossibly slowly 347 00:15:39,659 –> 00:15:44,239 across the ocean and you have numbers 348 00:15:44,239 –> 00:15:48,440 showing the altitude and the speed 349 00:15:48,440 –> 00:15:51,260 and the number of miles traveled and the change 350 00:15:51,260 –> 00:15:54,080 and then occasionally you see a flat view 351 00:15:54,080 –> 00:15:59,080 and then the vertical view and Johnny watches it. 352 00:15:59,260 –> 00:16:04,260 And after about half an hour his eyes glaze over 353 00:16:07,479 –> 00:16:09,000 because he’s completely bored. 354 00:16:10,239 –> 00:16:12,640 He sees his mother and father in front laughing 355 00:16:12,760 –> 00:16:17,119 and excited and what do they think is so funny 356 00:16:17,119 –> 00:16:19,460 about this map and the little numbers? 357 00:16:22,080 –> 00:16:25,020 Eventually the family gets off the plane 358 00:16:25,020 –> 00:16:29,059 and nobody knows that Johnny missed the film. 359 00:16:29,940 –> 00:16:31,539 They all assumed that he saw it. 360 00:16:33,299 –> 00:16:36,159 So his dad says hey Johnny, I bet you enjoyed 361 00:16:36,159 –> 00:16:38,140 the film wasn’t that great. 362 00:16:40,000 –> 00:16:42,200 Johnny can’t really work out why they thought 363 00:16:42,280 –> 00:16:44,960 it was so good, but let’s face it, 364 00:16:44,960 –> 00:16:49,179 grownups are strange and sometimes a little dull. 365 00:16:50,159 –> 00:16:52,080 And perhaps they do think it was great, 366 00:16:52,080 –> 00:16:54,500 but when I grow up I want to have 367 00:16:54,500 –> 00:16:55,880 more fun than that. 368 00:17:00,500 –> 00:17:03,080 There are many kids who have rejected Christianity 369 00:17:03,080 –> 00:17:05,140 because all they’ve ever seen is the law. 370 00:17:05,699 –> 00:17:10,699 And I want to speak to you if that’s your position today. 371 00:17:14,959 –> 00:17:18,180 if you think Christianity is boring, 372 00:17:18,180 –> 00:17:22,619 you have not yet seen or grasped the gospel. 373 00:17:24,579 –> 00:17:29,579 How in all the world could being filled 374 00:17:30,119 –> 00:17:32,839 with the spirit of the living God, 375 00:17:32,900 –> 00:17:36,140 the creator of the universe, be boring? 376 00:17:37,500 –> 00:17:38,959 How could it be? 377 00:17:42,939 –> 00:17:47,939 I encourage you, if that’s where you are, 378 00:17:50,260 –> 00:17:52,119 don’t reject the gospel 379 00:17:53,739 –> 00:17:56,099 because all you’ve been looking at is the law. 380 00:17:57,060 –> 00:18:00,199 Be boring. 381 00:18:00,199 –> 00:18:03,199 Now, I want to give some pastoral advice here. 382 00:18:04,199 –> 00:18:05,219 And that’s all that it is. 383 00:18:05,219 –> 00:18:07,140 It is pastoral advice. 384 00:18:08,500 –> 00:18:11,560 But it seems to me that a child brought up 385 00:18:11,560 –> 00:18:15,699 in a Christian home and brought regularly 386 00:18:15,699 –> 00:18:18,660 to a Christian church is, frankly, 387 00:18:18,660 –> 00:18:21,500 very likely to make a profession of faith 388 00:18:21,500 –> 00:18:23,660 early on in life. 389 00:18:23,660 –> 00:18:24,939 I did this myself. 390 00:18:26,780 –> 00:18:28,119 My children did the same. 391 00:18:30,300 –> 00:18:33,800 If that happens, parents should rejoice. 392 00:18:35,020 –> 00:18:38,579 But be very careful not to affirm more 393 00:18:38,579 –> 00:18:40,719 than the child has experienced. 394 00:18:41,660 –> 00:18:43,660 Remember that, especially at an early age, 395 00:18:43,660 –> 00:18:45,880 though indeed there may be a conversion, 396 00:18:45,880 –> 00:18:48,599 I look back at my own commitment to Christ 397 00:18:48,599 –> 00:18:50,780 at the age of six and see that there was indeed 398 00:18:50,780 –> 00:18:52,380 a work of grace at that time. 399 00:18:53,020 –> 00:18:58,020 But remember that it is also possible 400 00:18:58,599 –> 00:19:01,119 that a child may simply be conforming 401 00:19:01,119 –> 00:19:02,199 to what you are teaching, 402 00:19:02,199 –> 00:19:04,199 especially if you’ve taught it strongly. 403 00:19:06,219 –> 00:19:11,219 And assuming that a child has received the Spirit 404 00:19:11,280 –> 00:19:13,680 when all they’re really doing is obeying the law 405 00:19:13,680 –> 00:19:16,619 and conforming to what you have taught them 406 00:19:16,619 –> 00:19:18,040 creates some problems. 407 00:19:19,000 –> 00:19:22,400 This is why we must be very careful 408 00:19:22,400 –> 00:19:23,880 in the home and in the church 409 00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:27,160 never to exert pressure for a child 410 00:19:27,160 –> 00:19:30,479 to make a decision which they may well do 411 00:19:30,479 –> 00:19:31,939 just to please us. 412 00:19:33,319 –> 00:19:35,060 And then think that they have the gospel 413 00:19:35,060 –> 00:19:36,459 when actually all they have is the law. 414 00:19:36,459 –> 00:19:38,500 They’re conforming to our expectations. 415 00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:42,119 Here’s the exhortation. 416 00:19:42,119 –> 00:19:45,819 Trust God to do His own work in His own time. 417 00:19:46,380 –> 00:19:48,739 Don’t confuse the law with the gospel. 418 00:19:49,900 –> 00:19:53,800 Never mistake conformity for conversion. 419 00:19:55,579 –> 00:19:56,660 Now, with these things in mind, 420 00:19:56,660 –> 00:19:58,699 I want briefly to take a look 421 00:19:58,699 –> 00:20:02,459 at what we framed today as the difference 422 00:20:02,459 –> 00:20:04,939 between parenting in the flesh 423 00:20:04,939 –> 00:20:07,199 and parenting in the spirit. 424 00:20:07,199 –> 00:20:08,500 Which is really just another way 425 00:20:08,500 –> 00:20:12,000 of expressing the difference between law and gospel. 426 00:20:12,859 –> 00:20:13,800 And I’ve found it helpful 427 00:20:13,800 –> 00:20:16,239 to think of parenting in the spirit 428 00:20:16,239 –> 00:20:20,000 as being rather like walking on a narrow wall 429 00:20:20,000 –> 00:20:22,939 with water on either side. 430 00:20:22,939 –> 00:20:26,959 The water is called parenting in the flesh. 431 00:20:26,959 –> 00:20:29,819 And obviously, from this picture, 432 00:20:29,819 –> 00:20:32,859 what we’re saying is you don’t wanna fall into the water. 433 00:20:32,859 –> 00:20:34,760 You can fall into the water actually 434 00:20:34,760 –> 00:20:36,859 in one of two directions as we’ll see. 435 00:20:36,859 –> 00:20:41,439 The first is simply trusting in human works. 436 00:20:42,680 –> 00:20:43,599 Now what that’s all about 437 00:20:43,640 –> 00:20:45,520 is simply this, it’s the kind of parenting 438 00:20:45,520 –> 00:20:46,920 in the flesh that says, 439 00:20:46,920 –> 00:20:51,920 if I do certain things as a parent 440 00:20:51,920 –> 00:20:54,619 and do them absolutely right, 441 00:20:54,619 –> 00:20:57,500 then all will be well with my child. 442 00:20:58,699 –> 00:20:59,959 And that is just the mistake 443 00:20:59,959 –> 00:21:03,040 that the Galatians were into applied in another way. 444 00:21:03,040 –> 00:21:04,560 You know, if I do the Bible reading, 445 00:21:04,560 –> 00:21:07,500 if I do the prayers, if I provide and order at home, 446 00:21:07,500 –> 00:21:10,900 if I exercise discipline, if I get everything right, 447 00:21:14,199 –> 00:21:16,400 now if you go away from family life month 448 00:21:16,400 –> 00:21:19,699 with a sense of, I’ve got to get everything right, help, 449 00:21:20,800 –> 00:21:23,040 if that’s the message you take away, 450 00:21:23,040 –> 00:21:25,660 you will be under an impossible burden. 451 00:21:27,119 –> 00:21:30,739 And some of us are feeling under that impossible burden 452 00:21:30,739 –> 00:21:33,140 and we need to be released from it. 453 00:21:35,439 –> 00:21:38,079 The Galatian believers started their journey with faith. 454 00:21:38,079 –> 00:21:38,979 They ended up living 455 00:21:38,979 –> 00:21:41,119 as if everything depended on their work. 456 00:21:41,979 –> 00:21:44,239 And there is no area, it seems to me, 457 00:21:44,239 –> 00:21:46,699 where we are more likely to fall into that error today 458 00:21:46,699 –> 00:21:48,400 than the area of parenting. 459 00:21:48,400 –> 00:21:51,939 Remember we believe in salvation by grace 460 00:21:51,939 –> 00:21:54,119 through faith in Christ. 461 00:21:54,119 –> 00:21:57,260 We do not believe in salvation by parenting. 462 00:21:57,260 –> 00:22:00,260 Thank God for that because if we did, 463 00:22:00,260 –> 00:22:02,959 you and I would be under an impossible burden. 464 00:22:04,239 –> 00:22:06,719 Your child’s salvation does not depend 465 00:22:06,719 –> 00:22:09,359 on you being the perfect parent, thank God for that. 466 00:22:09,359 –> 00:22:13,680 It is God who saves, not you, 467 00:22:13,680 –> 00:22:15,479 even when it comes to your children. 468 00:22:17,280 –> 00:22:19,520 I will never forget the conversation 469 00:22:19,520 –> 00:22:22,420 where the ugliness of this came home to me. 470 00:22:24,880 –> 00:22:28,180 I was talking with a couple who had two daughters 471 00:22:28,180 –> 00:22:31,640 who had both grown up to be fine Christian women. 472 00:22:32,619 –> 00:22:35,560 They were distantly related to another couple 473 00:22:35,560 –> 00:22:38,880 in the same church who also had two daughters 474 00:22:38,880 –> 00:22:42,520 who had grown up and had turned far, far away from the Lord. 475 00:22:44,319 –> 00:22:46,319 Speaking with this first couple, 476 00:22:46,319 –> 00:22:50,680 they spoke with sadness about the second couple’s two girls 477 00:22:50,680 –> 00:22:52,000 and then they said this. 478 00:22:54,119 –> 00:22:57,819 If only their parents had done what we did, 479 00:22:57,819 –> 00:22:59,640 it could all have been so different. 480 00:23:00,959 –> 00:23:02,780 And I nearly died when they said it. 481 00:23:05,000 –> 00:23:08,500 They just robbed God of all the glory 482 00:23:09,520 –> 00:23:12,199 of what he done in the lives of their own kids. 483 00:23:13,959 –> 00:23:18,439 Not only that, they turned the salvation of their children 484 00:23:18,439 –> 00:23:20,900 from a glorious work of grace 485 00:23:23,119 –> 00:23:25,180 into a work of human effort. 486 00:23:27,640 –> 00:23:29,839 That’s placing your confidence in human works 487 00:23:29,839 –> 00:23:31,140 rather than the grace of God. 488 00:23:31,140 –> 00:23:33,819 Beware of turning your child’s salvation 489 00:23:33,819 –> 00:23:36,540 into a human work, don’t go there! 490 00:23:37,380 –> 00:23:39,959 Because if you do, you will either sink 491 00:23:39,959 –> 00:23:44,800 under an impossible burden or you will be lured 492 00:23:44,800 –> 00:23:46,900 into an obnoxious pride. 493 00:23:49,979 –> 00:23:53,020 Your son, your daughter’s salvation is by grace 494 00:23:53,020 –> 00:23:58,000 through faith in Christ and that is why there’s always hope 495 00:23:58,760 –> 00:24:00,380 for your kids. 496 00:24:00,380 –> 00:24:02,040 Praise God for that. 497 00:24:02,760 –> 00:24:07,760 Let’s not fall off the wall of parenting in the spirit 498 00:24:08,920 –> 00:24:12,640 into the waters of parenting in the flesh 499 00:24:12,640 –> 00:24:16,599 by thinking as if it all depends on us 500 00:24:16,599 –> 00:24:19,479 and turn the grace of God into a human work. 501 00:24:19,479 –> 00:24:20,579 Don’t do that. 502 00:24:20,579 –> 00:24:22,520 Be released from that burden. 503 00:24:24,079 –> 00:24:24,979 Be released. 504 00:24:27,859 –> 00:24:30,000 Second, quenching the Holy Spirit. 505 00:24:30,479 –> 00:24:33,160 The thing here is that there is water 506 00:24:33,160 –> 00:24:35,300 on both sides of the wall, 507 00:24:35,300 –> 00:24:37,560 and there are two ways in which you can fall 508 00:24:37,560 –> 00:24:38,959 into parenting in the flesh. 509 00:24:38,959 –> 00:24:41,000 One is that you end up trusting in your own works 510 00:24:41,000 –> 00:24:42,640 as if everything depended on you 511 00:24:42,640 –> 00:24:44,599 and you live under an impossible burden. 512 00:24:44,599 –> 00:24:46,959 The other is that you quench the Holy Spirit 513 00:24:46,959 –> 00:24:49,219 by failing to recognize what he is doing. 514 00:24:52,560 –> 00:24:54,439 Now, we do indeed quench the Spirit 515 00:24:54,439 –> 00:24:56,719 when our eyes are closed to his work. 516 00:24:56,719 –> 00:25:01,040 Remember this. 517 00:25:01,040 –> 00:25:04,180 The Holy Spirit is always at work 518 00:25:04,180 –> 00:25:05,800 in the life of your child. 519 00:25:08,479 –> 00:25:10,479 Whether or not he or she is a believer, 520 00:25:10,479 –> 00:25:12,660 remember Jesus said, 521 00:25:12,660 –> 00:25:15,859 my Father is always working. 522 00:25:18,680 –> 00:25:22,560 The Holy Spirit is always at work 523 00:25:22,560 –> 00:25:24,079 in the life of your child, 524 00:25:24,079 –> 00:25:25,560 or each of your children. 525 00:25:25,560 –> 00:25:27,359 God is always at work, 526 00:25:27,359 –> 00:25:30,680 your privilege as a parent and mine 527 00:25:30,680 –> 00:25:33,359 is to try and discern what God is doing 528 00:25:33,359 –> 00:25:35,959 in the life of your child and then to encourage it. 529 00:25:38,680 –> 00:25:40,400 Now, the thing that makes this difficult, of course, 530 00:25:40,400 –> 00:25:43,920 is that God doesn’t send report cards, right? 531 00:25:43,920 –> 00:25:46,260 See, it’s easy to know how your kids are doing at school 532 00:25:46,260 –> 00:25:48,020 because they send you report cards. 533 00:25:48,920 –> 00:25:52,699 It’s easy to know how your kids are doing in sports 534 00:25:52,699 –> 00:25:54,219 because you can see the progress 535 00:25:54,219 –> 00:25:55,579 while you stand on the touch line 536 00:25:55,579 –> 00:25:59,540 or sit in the stands and shout and so forth and cheer. 537 00:26:00,760 –> 00:26:04,020 So it’s easy to affirm these things, isn’t it? 538 00:26:05,000 –> 00:26:07,739 Hey, son, I just saw your report card, 539 00:26:07,739 –> 00:26:09,319 straight A’s, good job! 540 00:26:09,319 –> 00:26:10,859 Way to go! 541 00:26:10,859 –> 00:26:12,099 Or something like that. 542 00:26:12,979 –> 00:26:17,979 Or in sports, hey, home run, way to go. 543 00:26:19,040 –> 00:26:22,319 That was a sweet pass out to the left wing. 544 00:26:22,319 –> 00:26:23,380 Beautiful. 545 00:26:24,500 –> 00:26:29,119 Three pointer with five seconds to go on the clock, ow! 546 00:26:29,119 –> 00:26:31,339 See, it’s easy to affirm these things. 547 00:26:34,859 –> 00:26:39,479 If these are the main things that are affirmed in your home, 548 00:26:41,160 –> 00:26:42,819 what will your child grow up thinking 549 00:26:42,819 –> 00:26:44,380 is really important in life? 550 00:26:46,839 –> 00:26:48,099 Straight A’s in sports. 551 00:26:48,199 –> 00:26:53,199 What about parenting that’s parenting in the flesh? 552 00:26:56,819 –> 00:26:59,280 Quenching the work of the spirit? 553 00:27:00,260 –> 00:27:01,560 If that’s all we’re doing, 554 00:27:04,199 –> 00:27:05,500 what about, 555 00:27:07,579 –> 00:27:08,859 do you know, I heard that 556 00:27:08,859 –> 00:27:11,420 you spoke to that new kid in the youth group 557 00:27:11,420 –> 00:27:15,780 who was on her own and didn’t know anybody, 558 00:27:15,780 –> 00:27:20,380 I thought that was terrific, way to go. 559 00:27:23,959 –> 00:27:26,280 What about, you know, 560 00:27:26,280 –> 00:27:29,540 I saw that you really were sorry about that, 561 00:27:29,540 –> 00:27:31,219 and I think God knows that too, 562 00:27:31,219 –> 00:27:35,800 that’s terrific, I think God’s doing that in your life, 563 00:2736,859 –> 00:27:37,699 it’s wonderful. 564 00:27:41,199 –> 00:27:45,199 Now I want to suggest this as a serious, 565 00:27:45,199 –> 00:27:48,099 daily prayer for every parent. 566 00:27:50,260 –> 00:27:54,119 Because heaven doesn’t send report cards. 567 00:27:56,079 –> 00:27:59,180 You need the help of the Holy Spirit to discern 568 00:28:00,199 –> 00:28:03,319 what God is doing in the life of your believing child 569 00:28:03,319 –> 00:28:07,199 or your unbelieving child and then to pray into it 570 00:28:07,199 –> 00:28:08,319 and to encourage it. 571 00:28:10,160 –> 00:28:13,479 So learn to pray like this. 572 00:28:14,479 –> 00:28:18,760 Lord open my eyes to see what you’re doing 573 00:28:18,760 –> 00:28:22,119 in the name of your son or your daughter’s life. 574 00:28:24,199 –> 00:28:25,900 And start praying into that. 575 00:28:26,760 –> 00:28:29,160 Affirm that, go with that. 576 00:28:30,540 –> 00:28:35,000 And let the kids know that that is more important to you 577 00:28:35,000 –> 00:28:38,040 than anything else in the world. 578 00:28:40,199 –> 00:28:43,119 And yes affirm the straight a’s. 579 00:28:43,119 –> 00:28:47,040 And yes say way to go if he shoots a basket 580 00:28:47,040 –> 00:28:49,239 with five seconds left on the clock. 581 00:28:51,400 –> 00:28:53,160 But don’t let him leave home thinking 582 00:28:53,160 –> 00:28:56,760 that that’s the thing most important in life to you. 583 00:28:58,520 –> 00:29:02,420 Because that would be parenting in the flesh, wouldn’t it? 584 00:29:05,719 –> 00:29:07,839 Second, parenting in the spirit. 585 00:29:07,839 –> 00:29:10,920 What then is parenting in the spirit all about? 586 00:29:10,920 –> 00:29:15,199 If parenting in the flesh is trusting in human works 587 00:29:15,199 –> 00:29:17,119 or quenching the Holy Spirit, 588 00:29:17,119 –> 00:29:20,619 then think of parenting in the spirit 589 00:29:20,619 –> 00:29:24,400 as being like a narrow path of wisdom 590 00:29:24,400 –> 00:29:27,280 on which Christ will lead all who will follow. 591 00:29:27,280 –> 00:29:30,280 And it is a narrow path on which we need discernment 592 00:29:30,280 –> 00:29:34,079 and the help of Christ every single day. 593 00:29:34,079 –> 00:29:35,199 You say, well, what does it look like? 594 00:29:35,199 –> 00:29:37,199 Very simply, and from this passage, 595 00:29:37,199 –> 00:29:40,520 Paul points to Abraham as our example. 596 00:29:40,520 –> 00:29:42,119 And three things. 597 00:29:42,119 –> 00:29:43,599 First of all, faith. 598 00:29:43,599 –> 00:29:47,760 Parenting in the Spirit is always a venture of faith. 599 00:29:47,760 –> 00:29:50,479 Verse Six, as Paul points to Abraham 600 00:29:50,479 –> 00:29:51,599 as our model right here. 601 00:29:51,599 –> 00:29:56,359 Consider Abraham, he believed God. 602 00:29:56,359 –> 00:29:57,880 That’s parenting in the Spirit. 603 00:29:57,880 –> 00:29:59,260 It’s believing God. 604 00:30:00,319 –> 00:30:01,199 Remember the story. 605 00:30:01,199 –> 00:30:03,280 Abraham was an old man, 606 00:30:03,280 –> 00:30:05,660 and Sarah was pretty well 90 years old. 607 00:30:06,839 –> 00:30:09,359 And God told Abraham that he would have a son. 608 00:30:10,859 –> 00:30:13,040 And of course the thing was impossible. 609 00:30:13,040 –> 00:30:14,239 It was impossible. 610 00:30:14,239 –> 00:30:17,079 The Bible emphasizes the impossibility of it 611 00:30:17,079 –> 00:30:18,500 over and over and over again, 612 00:30:18,500 –> 00:30:22,280 and then it tells us but Abraham believed God. 613 00:30:24,280 –> 00:30:27,119 If you say you can bring a child out of an old man 614 00:30:27,119 –> 00:30:28,640 and a 90-year-old woman, 615 00:30:28,640 –> 00:30:32,260 I can’t see how in all the world you’re gonna do that 616 00:30:32,260 –> 00:30:34,819 but I believe it if you say it. 617 00:30:34,819 –> 00:30:35,680 That’s faith. 618 00:30:37,479 –> 00:30:39,859 Abraham trusted God to do the impossible. 619 00:30:39,939 –> 00:30:42,219 And that is what God is calling you to do 620 00:30:42,219 –> 00:30:43,660 with regard to your children. 621 00:30:45,119 –> 00:30:50,119 The salvation of your child is impossible except for God 622 00:30:53,500 –> 00:30:55,520 because it involves a unique miracle 623 00:30:55,520 –> 00:30:58,780 in which he will bring light into your child’s darkness, 624 00:30:58,780 –> 00:31:01,900 life into the deadness of your child’s soul. 625 00:31:03,380 –> 00:31:08,079 Place your confidence not in what you are seeking 626 00:31:08,099 –> 00:31:10,339 to do as you pursue the path of wisdom, 627 00:31:10,339 –> 00:31:13,719 but rather place your confidence in God’s ability 628 00:31:14,760 –> 00:31:17,599 to work a miracle in the life of your son 629 00:31:17,599 –> 00:31:19,239 or your daughter as a parent, 630 00:31:19,239 –> 00:31:22,780 God asks you to trust him to do his work 631 00:31:22,780 –> 00:31:26,359 as you pursue the work that He’s given to you. 632 00:31:26,359 –> 00:31:29,040 Mine is to teach, mine is to train, 633 00:31:29,040 –> 00:31:32,319 mine is to pray, mine is to provide an example. 634 00:31:32,319 –> 00:31:35,680 God’s is to save. 635 00:31:36,079 –> 00:31:39,920 And maybe you feel that the salvation 636 00:31:39,920 –> 00:31:41,560 of your son or your daughter right now 637 00:31:41,560 –> 00:31:43,760 is a long, long way off. 638 00:31:43,760 –> 00:31:47,300 Maybe you find it impossible to imagine 639 00:31:47,300 –> 00:31:50,319 your daughter filled with the Spirit of God, 640 00:31:50,319 –> 00:31:53,000 your son filled with the Spirit of God. 641 00:31:53,000 –> 00:31:55,479 You find it impossible to imagine, 642 00:31:55,479 –> 00:31:57,119 remember Abraham, 643 00:31:57,680 –> 00:32:00,359 parenting in the Spirit. 644 00:32:01,920 –> 00:32:03,079 It’s about faith. 645 00:32:06,680 –> 00:32:08,239 I pass on a phrase that has been 646 00:32:08,239 –> 00:32:09,719 a great benefit to me, 647 00:32:09,719 –> 00:32:11,160 picked it up years and years ago 648 00:32:11,160 –> 00:32:13,920 from just before our boys were born actually. 649 00:32:13,920 –> 00:32:17,479 Karoen was carrying Andrew. 650 00:32:17,479 –> 00:32:18,739 When I came across this phrase, 651 00:32:18,739 –> 00:32:21,260 it has be one of the most helpful things 652 00:32:21,260 –> 00:32:24,420 that I have ever heard and it’s simply this. 653 00:32:25,359 –> 00:32:28,839 Bring your children up in faith, not fear. 654 00:32:30,119 –> 00:32:32,560 Bring them up in faith, not fear. 655 00:32:33,560 –> 00:32:38,079 Let them see that you trust God 656 00:32:39,439 –> 00:32:41,660 and that you trust God about them, too. 657 00:32:43,479 –> 00:32:48,479 Faith, faith, second gospel, 3 verse 8. 658 00:32:50,280 –> 00:32:52,520 The scriptures foresaw that God would justify 659 00:32:52,520 –> 00:32:53,900 the Gentiles by faith and announce 660 00:32:53,900 –> 00:32:56,719 the gospel in advance to Abraham. 661 00:32:56,719 –> 00:32:57,900 Well, we’ve been saying this right 662 00:32:57,900 –> 00:32:59,560 throughout our time this morning. 663 00:33:00,520 –> 00:33:02,400 God gave the law and the gospel. 664 00:33:02,400 –> 00:33:05,400 The law is good, the gospel is better. 665 00:33:06,380 –> 00:33:09,000 So make sure that there’s law in your home 666 00:33:10,540 –> 00:33:12,900 and make sure there’s lots of gospel. 667 00:33:14,479 –> 00:33:16,560 What’s the law, here’s the law. 668 00:33:16,560 –> 00:33:21,560 Tidy your room, be on time, say thank you. 669 00:33:22,839 –> 00:33:26,040 Now, look, I need you to be on your best behavior today. 670 00:33:26,040 –> 00:33:27,739 Any parent not said these things? 671 00:33:28,300 –> 00:33:30,819 Don’t kick your little brother. 672 00:33:30,819 –> 00:33:34,339 That’s a lot, we need the law, chaos otherwise, 673 00:33:35,180 –> 00:33:36,180 all good stuff. 674 00:33:37,619 –> 00:33:39,140 You need the law in your home. 675 00:33:40,380 –> 00:33:42,619 But you need the gospel far more. 676 00:33:42,619 –> 00:33:44,420 The law is given to drive us to Christ, 677 00:33:44,420 –> 00:33:46,479 the gospel is given to draw us to Christ. 678 00:33:46,479 –> 00:33:47,339 We need both. 679 00:33:47,339 –> 00:33:51,140 Make sure that your kids are seeing and hearing the gospel. 680 00:33:51,140 –> 00:33:53,800 You don’t get the spirit by obeying the law. 681 00:33:54,599 –> 00:33:57,280 The love of God has come in Jesus Christ 682 00:33:57,280 –> 00:34:00,760 and the purpose of God for you is more than morality. 683 00:34:01,739 –> 00:34:04,479 It’s that you be filled with the spirit. 684 00:34:04,479 –> 00:34:07,040 Oh boy, and if you could taste that, 685 00:34:07,040 –> 00:34:09,100 you would never want anything else again. 686 00:34:11,600 –> 00:34:14,320 That leads to the last thing, blessing. 687 00:34:14,320 –> 00:34:16,239 All nations will be blessed through you, 688 00:34:16,239 –> 00:34:17,679 God said to Abraham. 689 00:34:17,679 –> 00:34:20,719 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, 690 00:34:20,719 –> 00:34:22,199 the man of faith. 691 00:34:24,439 –> 00:34:26,459 Boy if there’s one thing our kids need to see 692 00:34:26,459 –> 00:34:28,419 in the home and in the church, 693 00:34:28,419 –> 00:34:32,000 and here every one of us is called to give a model. 694 00:34:33,239 –> 00:34:35,139 If there’s one thing our kids need to see 695 00:34:35,139 –> 00:34:36,780 in the home and in the church, 696 00:34:36,780 –> 00:34:41,540 it is authentic models, not simply of the law, 697 00:34:41,540 –> 00:34:43,820 but of the life of the Holy Spirit. 698 00:34:45,459 –> 00:34:47,439 Let me say this as a word of encouragement 699 00:34:47,439 –> 00:34:51,000 to some of our teenagers who love the Lord. 700 00:34:51,639 –> 00:34:56,639 A few kids who really love Jesus and get on fire for Him 701 00:34:58,580 –> 00:35:00,840 and find genuine joy in Him 702 00:35:00,840 –> 00:35:04,659 will have an extraordinary influence for the gospel. 703 00:35:06,439 –> 00:35:07,280 It really will. 704 00:35:08,860 –> 00:35:12,120 Other kids will see the life of the Holy Spirit in you 705 00:35:12,120 –> 00:35:14,679 and they’ll say, I want a piece of that. 706 00:35:16,100 –> 00:35:16,939 It’s powerful. 707 00:35:18,459 –> 00:35:20,719 And our calling as parents, our calling as a church 708 00:35:20,739 –> 00:35:21,840 is to live in such a way 709 00:35:21,840 –> 00:35:23,899 that that will be the reaction of many. 710 00:35:25,679 –> 00:35:27,260 Listen, do you have something in your life 711 00:35:27,260 –> 00:35:28,520 that’s more than the law? 712 00:35:32,239 –> 00:35:33,080 Do you? 713 00:35:36,520 –> 00:35:38,679 See, it may be the greatest thing that we can do 714 00:35:38,679 –> 00:35:43,000 for our kids at the end of Family Month, 715 00:35:43,000 –> 00:35:45,620 whether it be our own kids within the immediate family 716 00:35:45,620 –> 00:35:47,199 or whether it be the kids that are part 717 00:35:47,199 –> 00:35:49,620 of the wider church family is simply this. 718 00:35:51,500 –> 00:35:53,439 To recognize from the depth of our being 719 00:35:53,439 –> 00:35:56,199 that what they need from us is to see something 720 00:35:56,199 –> 00:36:00,820 more than the law, more than conformity, 721 00:36:01,800 –> 00:36:05,919 more than morality, they need to see 722 00:36:05,919 –> 00:36:10,919 the indwelling, outworking life of the Holy Spirit of God. 723 00:36:13,760 –> 00:36:15,199 And if there’s one place that I’d want 724 00:36:15,199 –> 00:36:17,540 to bring us all at the end of this month 725 00:36:17,540 –> 00:36:18,899 that we’ve shared together, it would be 726 00:36:18,939 –> 00:36:21,659 to the foot of the cross of Jesus, 727 00:36:22,560 –> 00:36:26,179 you receive the spirit believing what you have heard, 728 00:36:26,179 –> 00:36:30,379 and to cry unto him, Lord Jesus Christ, 729 00:36:30,379 –> 00:36:35,379 pour your spirit into me afresh as a father. 730 00:36:36,899 –> 00:36:40,820 Fill me afresh with your spirit as a mother. 731 00:36:41,919 –> 00:36:46,179 Fill us afresh, as a church, with your spirit 732 00:36:46,179 –> 00:36:50,620 so that a rising generation may see more than the law 733 00:36:53,080 –> 00:36:55,179 and discover the riches of the gospel, 734 00:36:56,159 –> 00:37:00,080 the life of the spirit that the world cannot give 735 00:37:00,080 –> 00:37:04,199 and it’s found only in Jesus. 736 00:37:04,199 –> 00:37:05,659 Let’s pray together, shall we? 737 00:37:07,020 –> 00:37:08,399 Father in heaven, 738 00:37:09,239 –> 00:37:13,840 you call us to something beyond ourselves, 739 00:37:14,439 –> 00:37:16,760 and for this we thank you 740 00:37:16,760 –> 00:37:19,580 and in this we cry out to you. 741 00:37:20,679 –> 00:37:25,679 Hear our prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.