Three Areas That Define Your Life

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland.

Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together bringing you truth. For a new generation, this is TNG Radio. Every year as a new year begins, in the media they will look at who passed away in the previous year. From the areas of leadership and business and government and entertainment, there's often a retrospective. And as we've begun this new year, I saw a couple of shows on television where they talked about very famous people like Chuck Berry, the guitar player, and Fats Domino died, and other major leaders. And the passing of lives like that and the turning of the calendar, the beginning of a new year, led me to think about what is so often talked about when considering the life of a person, legacy. And I welcome you to the program.

This is Alex McFarland on TNG Radio, Truth for a New Generation. And if you've got a Bible, turn to Luke chapter 12. We're going to talk about the three things that determine or define your life. It's a pretty good thing to talk about as the new year begins because we have to set our goals. And most people, even young people, will begin to think about doing things in the new year. We make resolutions, and we promise ourselves that we're going to do this, or we're going to stop doing that, or maybe we're going to save up money to achieve a goal.

And that's a good thing to do. But I want to, in the context of this brief program, I want to give you three areas that really will determine your life. And then I specifically, as we wrap up, I want to talk about how this relates to our culture today because we're a blessed nation. We've got a lot to be excited about.

And 2017, people are waxing eloquent talking about how the stock market hit goal after goal and record after record. But really, we are at a time in our nation's history when people of all strata, and certainly God's people, the Church, really need to be very serious and very intentional and very committed to doing things that are a positive for God and country. And so let's talk about the three areas where life is determined and defined. I want to give you those three words, then I'll unpack it a little bit. And I would submit to you that your life is really defined in terms of relationships, priorities, and legacy.

Relationships, priorities, and legacy. And I'll unpack that in just a moment, but let's look at the Word of God. Luke chapter 12, beginning at verse 16, Jesus is talking about a person that many commentators talk about, and they call him the rich fool.

Not a good pairing of words there to be known as a fool, but a rich fool. Jesus said this in Luke 12 verse 16. He, Jesus, spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.

In other words, I've got so much bounty, I just don't even have enough building to put it in. Verse 18. He said, This I will do. I will pull down my barns, and I will build greater barns. And there I will bestow or store all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.

Take ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Verse 20. But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul will be required of thee, then whose things shall they be which you have gotten or provided?

So is this one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God? Okay, wow, what about this? Let's talk about this and then we're going to come back to Luke chapter 12.

It reminds me of a story that has really intrigued me. John Wesley, the great leader of Methodism, one time met a very rich farmer and they were on a porch and the farmer pointed in various directions and he said, I have land over here and I keep my livestock over there and I own so many acres in that direction. Wesley, pointing toward the sky, said, well, how much do you own in that direction? And that really is the question because what are we doing in light of eternity? Let's talk about the first area that really, really, really does define your life and that is relationships or who you love. Do you supremely love God first and your family and others?

Because your life is so, so shaped and informed by the relationships, the people you love. Now let me say this and we've talked much about this on the programs, that we've lived in a time when we've witnessed the unraveling to a degree of the American family. And there's not only the loss in so many ways of individual families but really pervasively as a culture we have begun to lose the family, which absolutely is the bedrock of any society. You can think of any analogy you choose, the glue that holds it together, the, you know, nails and beams that support the building, but everything, my dear friend, I want to say it with all of the emphasis I can muster, everything rises or falls on the state of the family.

Lose at anything else, but win with your family. And yet we are several generations into an America where so many people, young people, used to be teenagers, now grownups, now people in middle age, they've never seen family at their best and a lot of people don't really value family relationships because for so many, sadly, family has not been a positive thing. Arcee Sproul, who just passed away in late 2017, great theologian, great Christian thinker, great defender of the faith, Sproul said this, quote, we Christians are to live on a different plane. We are to live quorum Deo before the face of God. In other words, quorum Deo is Latin, meaning, you know, that God sees. Everything is done in the visibility and the watch of the Lord.

Okay, back to Sproul. This is not life under, but beyond the sun. There we find nothing but the one thing that could be, which is God himself. Living quorum Deo means understanding that vanity is vain, futility is futile, and chasing the wind is nothing more than chasing the wind. With our hearts abiding beyond the sun, we care about playing in barren sands, those sinking into an eternal grave at vanity fair. Living quorum Deo, said Sproul, means sharing the warning of the teacher that beneath the sun is only folly and beyond it wisdom. It means drinking deep from the life-giving water of him who alone can satisfy our thirst. Now that's a mouthful, but what Sproul was basically saying is that we Christians are to march to a different set of goals and priorities, and that begins with relationships. And all of these things hinge, of course, on your relationship with God. Stay tuned.

This is Alex McFarland. We are back after this brief break. Our country is falling apart. Political unrest, social upheaval, the breakdown of the family, the rise of atheism, the rise of Islam. Our religious freedoms are under attack. There's gender fluidity.

Gender identity is making a mess of freedom of expression. So we need to put some skin in the game and love this nation. As Christians, we are to stand strong. There has to be some personal investment in the living out and the preservation of America. Stand Strong America will help you take the fear that you face and the bleakness that you face, but help you become a champion, a bold champion for Christ.

In Stand Strong America, Jason Jimenez and I lay out the facts about our nation, the current condition, and how you, yes, you, your family, your church, your community can be involved in keeping this great republic. Stand Strong America is a guide to bring courage and hope for you, the Christian, wherever Christian books are sold. If you're a Christian parent, you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children, ages 5 to 12, and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids. Did Jesus ever sin? The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation.

The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, the book, study guide, and video series. You'll find it at AFASTORE.net. You are the one true God, the King who reigns on high. No one will deny. You are the one true God.

Time will only prove that you and only you are the one true God. Truthforanewgeneration.com. That is a website I want to make you aware of. Truthforanewgeneration.com. This radio show is part of its namesake, TNG radio.

Hi, Alex McFarland. Welcome back. We're going to get back to Luke chapter 12.

We're going to talk about the three areas that define your life, really, relationships, priorities, and legacy. I do want to make you aware of the next TNG conference, Truth for a New Generation. It's coming to central North Carolina, March 23 and 24, 2018. Now listen to this, folks. You've got to be there. You don't want to miss it because we're going to conclude this broadcast talking about a spiritual awakening in our nation. Frankly, a revival, a move of the gospel that our country so desperately needs.

I say, really, to survive. A big part of what we're doing with our conferences around the nation, the theme is this, save a nation. Save a nation.

That's the heartbeat of this ministry and certainly my heartbeat. If you go to the website truthforanewgeneration.com, you'll see that in Greensboro, North Carolina, March 23, 24, this is who you will see and hear it. Josh McDowell, Todd Starnes from Fox News, Lauren Green from Fox News, Jay Warner Wallace, cold case detective. He was an atheist. He became a Christian, one of the great defenders of the faith, Jay Warner Wallace. Abraham Hamilton III from the American Family Association. It's been my privilege to take Abe Hamilton to several events around the country and he always, always gets a standing ovation, bar none. Another speaker is Kamal Salim.

We go back about 15 years. He was in the IT department at Focus on the Family and he shared his testimony with me one day and I said, you've got to hit the road and speak. A cousin of Yasser Arafat, he was raised a Muslim, was a devout Muslim, a jihadist really, became a born again believer. Kamal Salim, his salvation testimony and his love for Jesus Christ and frankly, his service to this country and this world will amaze you.

Then Juan Valdez, he lives in Miami. He's a bilingual Spanish speaking pastor, theologian, missionary to the world, one of the greatest refutations of atheism you'll ever hear. Juan Valdez is brilliant and all of these speakers, Todd Starnes from Fox News, Lauren Greene, Jay Warner Wallace, Josh McDowell, you need to be there March 23, 24 because they've got a lot of content. We work with these people.

We've partnered in many, many contexts but here is the two-fold thing I'm going to put in your mind and then we'll get back to Luke chapter 12. We must, friend, we must, we must have a revival in this country and while all of these speakers have a myriad of content and inspiring things, Lauren Greene and her background in journalism and music and she's written an incredible Christian worldview book herself. I mean there's a lot we can talk about but like me, these speakers have one button on their keyboard and that is save this nation through the spread of the gospel. The other thing I want to tell you is this, we have got to raise up a generation of young people that understand what they believe and why they know their convictions, they're willing to stand for their convictions. That's why you need to be in Greensboro March 23 and 24 for Truth for a New Generation. Some of you listening have been to our TNG events around the country.

We do this, we've been in many, many cities. We believe God has called us to go to 22 cities over the next five years and so if you've been to one of the previous TNG events, you know the only thing people are going to be asking at the end of the day, your kids of all ages, people are saying, oh when is the next one, where is it? It really will charge your batteries, it will put a fire in your heart and a vision in your life to live for God, to know the Lord and to make a difference today and eternally and so we hope to see you. For complete information go to the website truthforanewgeneration.com. Now I spent some time on that because priorities relates to how we live, relationships who we love, number two, priorities how we live. It's been said that people are made up of two things, convictions and priorities. Now convictions are what you believe.

What do you think is true? Priorities, what do you value and how you behave? We've got nouns and verbs here, truth and belief, values and behavior and really even though you might not consciously think about it, internally all of this informs the way you live and the things that you do and what you give time for.

We've all got some bandwidth. The man in the parable, his resources, his time, his abilities, he apparently was materialistic and God says you fool because you've made money, you've given yourself to building barns and filling the buildings with livestock, produce, all those things and all your goods, your goods, what will I do, I need more room and God says you've done all these things but you've ignored the state of your soul. Don't you know this very night your soul will be required of you.

Now in verse 20 of Luke chapter 12 there is the implication of an instantaneous moment, not someday, not gradually but this night, boom, your soul is required of you and then whose will all these things be? Literally the implication is what good is it? What good is it if you have seven figures in a 401k if you're not ready to meet God? What good is it if you've amassed all the wealth of this world but are really bankrupt in your soul? What good if your kids have hit age 16 and all gotten a brand new car, attended Ivy League schools, they've gotten jobs at all the right firms and memberships at all the best country clubs and golf courses? What good is it, my dear friend, if you pamper yourself and those around you and you spread the wealth and you're living large and yet you're not right with God, your kids don't know God and the priorities that you have, you look back one day and you realize they were all for naught. What good would it be?

It would be no good of course and verse 21 of Luke chapter 12 says, so is he who lays up treasures for himself but is not rich toward God. So relationships, who you love, priorities, how you live, when we come back we're going to talk about legacy which is what you leave. Like no other nation, Americans have lived under the blessing of prosperity and liberty. These gifts are part of the heritage of a country grounded in the truths of scripture and given by God to advance the gospel at home and abroad. In these days of moral and spiritual confusion, maintaining the freedom to express our faith in the public square has never been more important. The American Family Association, working to preserve religious liberty for generations can be a place for us. Attention all Christians who believe that America needs a spiritual revival, an awakening, a message of the gospel for our times. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to attend in the 2018 edition of Truth for a New Generation. The Conference on Apologetics, Worldview, and Evidence for the Christian Faith.

Greensboro, North Carolina, March 23 and 24. Hear an amazing lineup that includes Josh McDowell, apologist J. Warner Wallace, Lauren Green and Todd Starnes, both from Fox News, attorney Abe Hamilton III of the American Family Association, music by the bands and orchestra from North Greenville University, and much, much more. Sessions for all ages equipping you to share your faith confidently in any situation.

Visit truthforanewgeneration.com, that's truthforanewgeneration.com, TNG 2018, To Save a Nation, March 23 and 24, brought to you by North Greenville University, where Christ makes the difference. Hey, yeah, yeah, I wanna leave the legacy, how will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to your love to make a mark on things? I wanna leave it all in vain, a child of mercy and grace, who blessed your name unapologetically?

And leave that kind of love you say. Welcome back to the program, Alex McFarland here, TNG Radio. My frequent colleague, Dylan Burrows, will be back with us next week. About every other show, Dylan is on with us, and we've gotten some emails about the good work he does, and we also appreciate the amazing work he does in terms of our social media. We've got a growing Twitter feed of over 130,000 followers and a growing Facebook family of about 400,000 people.

So follow us on social media and surf the websites. Pray, please pray for Truth for a New Generation coming up, and stay tuned because we are coming soon to a city near you. Now, we've been talking about the three areas that define your life, relationship, priorities and legacy. And I wanna talk in the moments we've got left about how your legacy is so important and how you, friend, you can make a difference that will last eternally.

I mean, now think about what you leave. Will your legacy be positive or negative? Will your legacy be cherished or tarnished?

In 2017, we saw the fall of a lot of people over sexual harassment, and so that's a legacy, tarnished if not destroyed. And so I want you to think about that, and the Word of God calls us to think about that. In Luke 12, 34, Jesus says, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. You see, behind the machinations of life, behind the smile and the suit and the position within a community or a company or an organization, behind the plaques on the wall, behind the charade, God sees our heart.

I mean, think about that. God knows your heart right now. If your priorities are with the Lord and what will honor Christ, your Savior, and what will be the right legacy to bequeath to your kids and grandkids, I mean, where your priorities are and what you value and what you're doing with your time, talent, treasure, testimony, how you treat your spouse, God knows all of that. Have you heard that little bit of verse? We flatter those we scarcely know and please a fleeting guest, but render many a heartless blow to those we love the best. See, God knows the legacy that we're gonna leave.

Now, let me take a few moments and talk about the state of our culture. Now, God has given three entities to help a society be ordered and not fall into anarchy and implode like Satan would like for us to do, and the three magisterium or the three boundaries or forces for order are the home, the church, and the government. God instituted all three, the family, that's the home, the church, God's people, and good civil government. Our first president, George Washington, said it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor.

All nations. Part of what is wrong with this nation, America of 2017, and part of why we appeal to you to pray, walk with Christ, build a godly family, and be a witness, take up the mantle of calling and responsibility that God has put on the heart and life of every Christian is because, for one thing, God's word says for us to do these things, but the other thing is this. We must, in our nation, have a revival, and God has put the church here, the church corporately, you Christian, individually, to make a difference, and yet it's not happening as it might, and many Christians, I think, would rather care for the idol of public respectability than to speak out about sin, darkness, and lawlessness, immorality, immorality. Now, folks, many preachers, and the Lord knows that I love the church, and it's been my privilege to be in about 2,200 American churches.

That's a lot of churches from all 50 states. Now, I think I've seen it all, but I wonder how can there be 100 million Christians, 340,000 American churches, three quarters of a million ordained clergy in this country, and yet we're as dark a country as we are. Part of it is because of the deafening silence of the church that we are not standing strong for what thus saith the Lord. Look, regarding things like the nature of marriage, human sexuality, morality, virtue, the sacredness of human life, the fact that Jesus alone is the Savior, even our relationship with the nation of Israel and all of the kerfluffle over the capital being in Jerusalem and we Christians are not speaking with a unified voice in favor of what is good and right and true because the Word of God is not the North Star, the guiding light that it ought to be, and part of it is because we have this idol called respectability. We don't want to look like a fanatic. We don't want to ruffle any feathers.

There's a lack of discernment on the part of many Christians and the inability to see truth and to recognize falsehood and to impart to our kids a conviction and a priority that the number one thing in life is to follow God and to give one's life to Jesus Christ. All of these things contribute to the fact that we are not having a revival and we so desperately need a revival. Do you know what Teddy Roosevelt said? He was the 26th president.

He was the fifth cousin of FDR and Teddy Roosevelt began his presidency in 1901 and his cousin FDR would govern about 30 years later. Teddy Roosevelt said, I believe the next half century will determine if we advance the cause of Christian civilization or revert to the horrors of brutal paganism. In other words, in their time, they had a 50-year window to right the ship, as it were. That was his view. We, in our day, friend, your relationships, your priorities, the legacy you leave, I implore that you give your life to Christ and you invest yourself in the things of God because either we will advance the cause of Christ, as Roosevelt said, or revert to the horrors of brutal paganism.

And I fear that we're watching that begin to happen. Do your best for Christ. Make a difference. It will count for eternity. We'll be right back. on TV Radio.