Making A Difference Where You Are Part 1

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. As sexual predators seek to devour your kids, you need resources to defend those kids and their futures. Today, more of Erwin Lutzer's commandments for parents in an age of immorality.

Get those pens and pencils ready. This is serious stuff. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we've been learning about reclaiming the family. Tell us about today's concluding message on making a difference where you live. You know, Dave, it is God who instituted the family.

Of course, Adam and Eve were married in the Garden of Eden, and it was his intention that the family be the basic unit of society. Strong families mean strong opportunities for sharing the gospel and transforming culture. So my heart is not simply as to what happens in our home, but rather what happens beyond our home and the impact we are having as we are blessing others. That is our privilege. And I want to thank the many of you who stand with us with your prayers and your support as we continue this series of messages and the ministry of Running to Win, which perhaps you have heard me say before, it is in 20 different countries in three different languages.

Now, that's because of people like you. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? That's someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. This is what you do. Go to RTWOffer.com. RTWOffer.com.

Click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now let us open our minds and our hearts as once again we think about the scriptural teaching of the role of the family in the world. The question before us is simply this. How do we become countercultural in an age of decline at a time when our families are being so severely assaulted? The family is the basic unit of society in all cultures, Christian or non-Christian. And yet we find today that there are enemies that are stealing the family and stealing our children.

Today, pornography has expansive First Amendment rights, but there are some who would contest that teaching abstinence in school is unconstitutional. What do we do in the midst of an atmosphere like this? As Christians, we believe strongly that it's the family that is supposed to convey the next generation, to convey to the next generation the Christian faith. That's what the Bible teaches and yet clearly it's not happening because we're losing young people. We're losing them to the world. And then the problem is even more serious than I think most of us realized.

One of my daughters emailed me this article that was in Parade magazine a few years ago, where a man who was writing who is an attorney for abused children, he defends them in court. And he is a humanist because he talks about the human race evolving over a period of time, but we can forego that and I want you to get his insight because what he sees here is terrifyingly true. He believes that the long-term survival of our culture is at stake. He says the fundamental failure is this, we are not protecting and preserving our own. Our own notion of the human family as the safeguard of our species has not evolved. Instead, it has gone through the opposite direction. It has devolved. It has devolved to the extent that we tolerate unprotected, even violently abusive parents. It has devolved to the extent that we tolerate predators within a child's circle of trust in schools, clubs, within religious organizations. It has devolved to the extent that abusers, even when they have been identified, are permitted further opportunities to pray.

That's P-R-E-Y. It has devolved to the extent that we insist on the rehabilitative potential of those who viciously injure and or sexually assault their own children. And it has devolved to the extent that we permit convicted predators of children to be released and walk among us. In the article he contrasts the human beings with animals. And he says that wolves are predators, most assuredly, but they will protect their own and they will actually attack those parents of little baby wolves who are not protecting their own.

They'll take over and protect them. So what he's saying is the animals here are much better than we are. He says the family is self-destructing, destroying itself from within by its failure to nurture and value its offspring.

Wow. What he's saying is in these messages I've been presenting the world out there as attacking the family. He's saying that the problem is sometimes the family itself, a much more serious problem. The situation would be hopeless except for God and except for people like you who are listening to this message.

Because we hold in our hands the key to changing the culture and to changing the direction of where things are going. How helpless and needy we are in God's presence to do this. Now if you were with us last week you know that I was lecturing on eleven commandments. Moses had only ten, I had eleven.

And I finished number seven and promised you the rest today. But then what should I do with the other message that I was planning to preach? Well, what I have decided to do is to take the eleven commandments and make them fourteen. Moses never had the option of having eleven commandments because God only gave him ten.

But because I am making these up I can have as many or few as I want. I can change the number of commandments as long as they are mine. So I'm going to give you today seven more commandments and incorporate into some of them the ideas that I was planning to preach on the final message on this series.

Because this is the final message. So what we're going to do is to plunge in at commandment number eight. If you're visiting or you're listening by radio and you say well what's numbers one to seven, sorry about that.

You have to get the tape, the CD, the DVD, whatever else there is available to you. But that's what you need to do because we're plunging in at number eight. Number eight, create an environment conducive to upright behavior. Parents don't allow children to have a television set or a computer in their bedrooms. Do you realize how addictive these things are? Certainly there's pornography on the internet and other kinds of things that are violent but even apart from that these things are powerfully addicted.

Talking to a man yesterday in Christian work, actually it wasn't yesterday it was some time ago. He's in Christian work and he said to me that his wife spends up to 25 and 30 hours a week on the computer playing video or computer games and apparently she belongs to some kind of a club where all the people get together. Maybe people she hasn't met and they're playing this game. Oh it's her outlet. It's her way to relax.

Isn't that fine? But what does that mean for the marriage? What does that mean for the children?

And you put filters on your computers most assuredly but even they sometimes can be circumvented because what's happening today is you find that the predators are trying to stay ahead of the technology. It's a constant battle. Be actively involved in what your kids are watching and how much time they are given to watch it. Create an environment conducive to upright behavior. I look at my own heart and I am terrified to think what could have happened to me if I had been brought up in today's world with all of its temptations and its pressures and its opportunities to sin. Second? Well normally it's second but now it's number nine. I've never begun a sermon before at point number eight.

This is new for me. So I want to be clear I don't want to be like a politician who left a political rally in Washington the other day and whispered to one of his aides I hope that in the excitement I wasn't happen I didn't happen to make myself clear about anything. I want to be clear.

Point number nine. Walk the fine line between grace and law. Walk the fine line between grace and law.

There are some men who are totally all law. We have rules in this home and you'd better obey those rules. I have seen parents cause their children to be angry when the Bible says fathers do not provoke your children to anger because of the excessive control this is true especially of parents who have been abused special and and particular control of their children thinking I'm going to shape you into something that I wasn't and here I am to do it. Children rebel. Yeah I have rules and insist that those rules be kept but always make sure that there is also abundant grace.

Take circumstances into account. Use discretion. Have an open atmosphere where kids can ask questions about sexual matters about what's happening in school and then they can ask those questions without being condemned. So often children complain because they can't talk to mom and dad because mom and dad know in advance what the children are going to say and mom and dad have an answer instead of mom and dad connecting with the feelings and the pains and the hurts of their children.

Number ten. Teach your children wisdom. Teach them wisdom. Now it's popular to say come on there men take your sons to ball games take them to football games bond with them wonderful idea but that's not the end of it. Take them through the book of Proverbs and I'm not saying hammer them with the Bible that's that's an extreme that kids rebel against also but it says in the book of Proverbs chapter one that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom teach them wisdom and you go through the book of Proverbs and you've got wisdom regarding all kinds of things like the kinds of friends that they should choose chapter one verse ten it says my son if sinners entice you do not consent if they say come with us and let us lie and wait for blood the kinds of crimes that kids are even committing today do not go with them how do you how do you choose your friends at school that's the kind of wisdom we have to pass on the warning regarding sexual sins the way in which children should watch their words there are dozens of verses in the book of Proverbs about that and money management you see teaching your child wisdom means that you're teaching them how to live in this world in all those different areas from a biblical point of view well as you might guess I need to hurry to finish these points as well these commandments commandment number 11 teach them personal accountability personal accountability this is actually the passage that I had intended to preach an entire sermon on so I'm going to give you a summary of it it is found in the 18th chapter of the book of Ezekiel if you have your Bible today and haven't yet turned to any of these passages that I have so hurriedly referred to the 18th chapter of Ezekiel is fascinating because there are people who write me letters and I've received a number of them since this series began who've said something like this what about the sins of the fathers my father was an alcoholic my father was promiscuous and and does that mean that I'm somehow boxed in because the sins of the fathers are passed on to the generations and and to what extent can I break out of my family mold that's a very good question what God does in the 18th chapter of Ezekiel he says this very clearly everybody is going to be responsible for themselves he gives three scenarios I'll outline them very quickly scenario number one is where you have a righteous father but a violent son it says in verse 10 and this is a righteous father he's described in the preceding verses he says if he fathers a son who is violent a shedder of blood etc etc now we're going to skip all the way to verse 13 he has done these abominations he shall surely die his blood shall be upon himself boy it's time to pause on that one what God is saying is that you sometimes have righteous fathers who produce violent sons sometimes parents say to themselves as they look at their child who has not followed God and they have said what did we do wrong sometimes the answer is nothing it is possible to have righteous godly parents and unbelieving violent children that's what the text says some parents need to be liberated from the false guilt that comes that believes that their adult children becomes a barometer of their own parenting we have to be able to judge parents by what they did and their response rather than by the way in which their children turned out it says in the Old Testament that Samuel who walked with God his children walk not in his ways but turn to immorality that's scenario number one God says each is going to be held accountable secondly there's another scenario and this is in verse 14 he's saying what happens if this man and now we're talking about the violent son in verse 14 what if he fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done he sees and does not do likewise he does the righteous things verse 17 he obeys my rules and walks in my statutes he shall not die for his father iniquities he shall surely live those of you who've had bad parenting those of you who have had fathers who were violent alcoholics whatever you can fill in the blank the simple truth of scripture is that you can live differently you do not have to live the way your father lived in fact the text says you see the sins of your father and you turn against it and say I'm going to live a righteous life so that's another scenario and what is the summary of all of this verse 20 the soul who sins shall die the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself individual judgment you will not be able to stand before God in the day of judgment and say the way I acted as an adult is my parents fault now your parents if they abused you they will be judged also by God the fact is radical individual responsibility there is one other scenario in the text that I'll point out and that is this where a wicked man changes his ways and God forgives him you'll notice this in verse 21 but if a wicked person turns away from all of his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statues and does what is just and right he shall live he shall not die God says if you if you are living today in a unbiblical sinful lifestyle if you turn from your sins God will bless you and you will live individual responsibility radical radical accountability before God we have to teach our children that there comes a time when our children are old enough when we need to share with them our hearts give them a warning and then after that simply say but you know the responsibility rests on your shoulders from here on out the direction that you take you are personally accountable before God you can control your children when they are young you cannot control them when they become older and then they are accountable for their actions number 12 commandment number 12 understand the need for personal conversion the need for personal conversion the Bible says in John chapter 3 verse 6 Jesus said that which is born of the flesh is flesh that which is born of the Spirit is spirit we've all been born of the flesh that's how we get here on planet earth but not all who are listening to this message have been born of the Spirit and what your child needs to do is to be converted by God this is Pastor Lutzer sometimes we lose sight of the fact that conversion is a miracle the same power of God that created the worlds is the same power of God that creates within us a new nature when we come to saving faith in Jesus Christ the Bible makes it very clear that if any man be in Christ he is a new creation all things have passed away behold all things have become new you as a parent cannot give your children and new creation it is done by God now we can instruct the children we can pray for the children we can show the children what the Christian life is all about but God does the saving and once we recognize that we leave the child in God's hands even though we do all that we can to nurture them in the admonition of the Lord I want to thank the many of you who enable us to continue this ministry in three different languages in 20 different countries for example throughout the Middle East running to win is heard in Arabic throughout Central and South America it is heard in Spanish it is because of the investment of people like you that we can continue would you consider becoming an endurance partner that's someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts of course you need info here it is go to RTW offer.com of course RTW offer is all one word RTW offer.com when you're there click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 let me emphasize that our heart and our mind and all that we have is invested in this ministry to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to many thanks for helping us it's time once again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life one of the most ancient statements of faith we have is the Apostles Creed which speaks of Jesus descending into hell after his crucifixion a listener writes wanting to know this Pastor Lutzer in light of what you teach about Sheol and Hades can you please give the biblical references supporting the Apostles Creed's reference to Jesus visiting hell thank you so much for this question and you know it may not be entirely clear in scripture but the Bible does say that Jesus Christ descended into Sheol and Sheol in the Old Testament is often simply translated grave sometimes it means more than grave it seems to be a place of activity where spirits gather but I don't think it's correct to say that Jesus descended into hell in my way of thinking Sheol is not synonymous with hell and so Jesus perhaps did not go into a place of torment because the word Sheol sometimes means grave but this is most important Jesus did not redeem us by his suffering in Sheol you know sometimes I've even heard people on television say that Jesus went to hell he went there to suffer for us no my friend Jesus suffered for us on the cross redemption was accomplished on the cross and it is there that Jesus suffered and died and his blood became a sacrifice for our sins so we are redeemed by his death and by his resurrection if he did go into a place of torment if Sheol is interpreted as a place of torment rather than simply the grave I can assure you that he did not stay there very long because he said to the thief today you shall be with me in paradise so the Apostles Creed I think as it stands is incorrect I don't think that Jesus descended into hell he descended into Sheol which in context may mean only the grave and most assuredly he did not suffer there for us thanks for your question God bless you and have a good day thank you Dr Lutzer for your perspectives on the creeds and the scriptures if you'd like to hear your question answered go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at Running to Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614 next time our Reclaiming the Family series concludes with some final commandments for parents plan to tune in for Dr Erwin Lutzer this is Dave McAllister Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church