What God Can Do for Your Family

Sermon:
Series: How to Have a Happy and Healthy Family
Scripture: Psalm 127
Sermon: "What God Can Do for Your Family"

(ILL: Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, "Theres no place like home) And shes right.
Theres no place like home, when it is happy and healthy. A happy and
healthy home is one of the best places on earth, while an unhappy and
unhealthy home is one of the most miserable places. So how can we have a
happy and healthy home? Were going to take the next several Sundays and
answer that question straight from the Bible.

There are several steps we must take and turning to God is the first step.
Somebody says, "Preacher, what can God do for my family?" Thats a good
question and Psalm 127 gives a good answer.

I believe this psalm was written by David to his son Solomon. David gives
his son some godly advice on starting a family. He mentions 4 things God
can do for any family who turns to Him.

What can God do for my family?

I. God Can Help Me BUILD My Family.

"Unless the Lord builds the house . . ." (v. 1, NIV) David isnt talking about
constructing a shelter. Hes talking about establishing a family. David is

saying, in effect, "God can help you BUILD your family."

". . . its builders labor in vain" (v. 1, NIV). In other words, if you want a
home that will last and survive, then youd better turn to the master homebuilder: God Himself. God invented the family. He knows what will work and
what wont work. He can help fix whatever problem your family encounters.
Its like this:

A story is told of Henry Ford. One day he and his wife were driving in the
country and they came across a man whose Model T had broken down. He
was under the hood trying to figure out what was wrong, when Mr. Ford
asked if he could take a look. And in just a few minutes, Mr. Ford had the
Model T running. The owner was amazed and said, "Im impressed with your
knowledge of Model Ts, and Im amazed that you fixed it so easily." Mr. Ford
replied, "I ought to be able to fix it because Im the one who DESIGNED it."
And dear people, thats how it is with God and the family. God says, "I can
fix it because I designed it!."

Somebody says, "Rick, thats nice to know but tell me how God can help me
build my family."

God isnt going to wave His hand over you and your spouse and
supernaturally transform the two of you into Ward and June Cleaver. Nor will
He wave His hand over your children and change them into the Brady kids.
God doesnt work that way. Instead, He gives you the necessary instructions
and tools and says, "Heres what you need. Get to work. Ill help you every
step of the way."

Where are those instructions? They are revealed in the Bible. The Bible is
best marriage manual and child rearing manual on the market. It has
withstood the test of time and it has millions of satisfied customers. So youd
be wise to heed what it says about the family and put it into practice (ILL:
The wise man who built his house on the rock).

Be wise!! Make a commitment to listen to what God says about the family
and ask Him to help you put it into practice. Follow His instructions and He
will help you BUILD your family.

II. God Can Help Me PROTECT My Family.

"Unless the Lord watches over the city . . ." (v. 1, NIV)

What is a city? Its a group of families who live close together. And the word
"watches" means to guard, protect, and save lives. So David is saying, in
effect, "God can help you PROTECT your family."

The family needs protection in todays world (ILL: the ADT commercial where
a burgular is trying to break into a home and oldest daughter pushes the
panic button and frightens the burgular away). Not only does your family
need protection from burglars and prowlers, it also needs protection from
evil spiritual forces. You see, the Devil and his demons would love nothing
more than to break up and destroy your family. (1 Peter 5:8) And what are
some of the weapons they use against the family?

A. Alcohol.
The bottle is a cold blooded killer. It kills lives. It kills marriages. It kills

families.

If you have booze in your house, then you are housing a cold-blooded killer!
In fact, you better off having Charles Manson as a house guest. At least hed
be quick about it - while the bottle takes its time in killing your family.

Moms and Dads, do you know what drinking parents produce? Drinking kids.
If you can stay away from booze, then you more than triple your childs
chances of staying away from that poison. And God can protect your family
by helping you you stay away from it.

B. Adultery.
There is only one sin that can break the marriage bond in the eyes of God and that is the sin of adultery. The devil and his demons will do everything
they can to get you to be unfaithful to your spouse. But God can protect
your family by helping you be faithful and committed to your mate.

C. An Attitude of Selfishness.
This is Satans most successful weapon against the home. This "me first"
mentality destroys the home from within. God can protect your family by
helping you develop a Christ-like attitude: an attitude that puts the needs of
your mate and your children before you own.

God can help you protect your family - if youll just make a commitment to
follow Him and obey His word.

III. God Can Help Me PROVIDE for My Family.

Do you know how God provides for your family? He doesnt send food down
from heaven like He did for the Israelites so long ago. Instead, He provides
through good old fashioned work. He tells us to provide for our families by
earning a good honest living.

Verse 2 describes two types of fathers who try to provide for their families.
The first father cant sleep at night because he isnt content with what he
has. He works long hours in order to provide his family with the luxuries of
life. The second father can sleep at night, not because hes lazy, but because
hes content with what he has. He works in order to provide his family with
the necessities of life - and hes content with that.

Moms and Dads, we need to learn the difference between luxuries and
necessities. Children dont need lots of toys, designer clothes, and swimming
pools. Those things are luxuries. Children need a roof over their head, food
on their table, and clothes on their back. They need your attention, your
affection, your guidance, and your good example. They need to be
disciplined in love. They need to know that they are important to you, that
you love them, and you enjoy spending time with them. Those are
necessities.

If you can provide both the luxuries and necessities - then more power to
you. But most parents have to make a choice. Dont be like the first father
mentioned in verse 2. Be like the second father and provide what your
children NEED instead of what they WANT. And you will find contentment and
peace of mind.

IV. God Can Help Me RAISE My Family.

Verse 3 describes the value of children . . .

They are a heritage, not a hindrance; a blessing, not a burden. Dear people,
there is no such thing as an unwanted child - only unfit parents.

The feminist movement says, "Children will cramp your style. Theyll keep
you from pursuing your career and being somebody."

And a lot of men argue, "Children are too expensive. If I have children, then
I might not be able to drive the kind of car I want to, or live in the kind of
house I want to, or take the kind of vacations I want to. After all, children
make a rich man poor." Wait a second sir. You have it backwards. Children
dont make a rich man poor. They make a poor man rich! You cant take any
of your money to heaven, but you can take all of your children to heaven - if
youll lead them to Jesus. Thats the value of children.

Verses 4 and 5 describe the values of children.

Somebody asks, "When should I start teaching values to my child?" When

they are young and impressionable. Verse 4 gives a good analogy. When
does a warrior influence his arrow the most? After hes shot it? No. When he
holds it in his hand. The best time to start teaching your child godly values is
while they are very young - while theyll still very impressionable.

Somebody else asks, "Whats the best way to teach values to my children?"
The best way to teach your child is by a godly example. Teach your child the
Bible with your lips and back it up with your life - and it will make an

impression on their young hearts.

Moms and Dads, what about you?

If youre lost, I want you to know that these principles can help you build a
happy and healthy home, but they wont get you into Heaven. Only a person
relationship with Jesus can do that. So before you focus on building a happy
and healthy home, you need to give your heart and life to Jesus. If the Holy
Spirit is convicting you and youre ready to say "Yes" to Jesus, then please
pray this prayer, "Dear Lord, I admit Im a sinner and I need to be saved. I
believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead in order to pay
for my sins and purchase for me a home in Heaven. And I commit
everything I have to Him and I want to live for Him every single day of my
life."

If youre saved, I want you to pray this prayer, "Dear Lord, I love my family
and I need you to help my family. I put you first in my life and I ask you to
help me build, protect, provide, and raise my family".

References:
1) All Scripture references are from the NIV
2) Parts of this sermon were gleaned from a message preached by Adrian
Rogers entitled, "The Home on the Rock"
Credits to: sermoncentral.com