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Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ Feb 4, 2007

“The Family Institution”

Part 1 of 5 “Family” series

	Welcome to a new series on the family… This morning a look at the current family situation.
	I say over & over here at Cross Creek – we must capture our generation for Christ. It’s imperative!
	Let’s begin the series by defining marriage & the family…

Marriage is a sacred institution—the most basic and essential building block of a healthy society. The design of the family was instituted by God and rests on the marriage covenant and a vow of commitment between a man and a woman to live together in love and unity for a lifetime.

“Christians do not want to fail at raising their children & building strong families”

	We are flooded with information about doing family the right way… Living in 2007 information age
	We are the “How To” generation… we’re flooded with “how to” books from every guru imaginable. How to build a deck, how bake a cake, how to stretch your dollars, how to grow flowers or plant a garden, how to repair your car, how to surf the internet or use your computer, how to do a makeover… and yes, even how to enhance your marriage & raise your children…
	When I typed “family” into the Google search engine, it gave me 800,000,000 hits in .5 seconds… A Christian site - Christianbooks.com (CBD) returned over 10,000 “Christian” items concerning the family.
	BUT with all the resources, video’s, books, seminars, psychologist, and “experts” in the field of marriage, home & family – why do we see Christian families self-destructing all around us?

· Among married born again Christians the latest facts say 35% have experienced a divorce. (Barna Research) That figure is nearly identical to the numbers among married adults who are not born again: 38% (National Center for Health Statistics).

Let’s look at a few key truths concerning the institution called the family…

1. Marriage & Family are defined by God not man.

Mark 10:6-9 ⁶ "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' ⁷'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

	Our Creator God Himself defined marriage & the family – He’s the original designer of the family…
	Marriage is to be monogamous, heterosexual, permanent one flesh relationship.
	Yet today we see re-engineering of the basic family unit from sources everywhere, secular & Christian.
	Our families today are being impacted by secular humanism where there is no absolutes of right/wrong
	Compounding the problem of the disintegration of our homes is a liberal and compromising church…
	The Christian family today is in major crisis… I was told by another pastor – 88% kids depart faith.

	The secular media speaks often about the crisis of divorce, sexual promiscuity, abortion, infidelity, homosexuality, women’s rights, children’s rights, rebellion against authority, out-of-control parenting…
	Today, It’s almost easier to get divorced than married… $295 no fault divorces and they accept PayPal.

	Bill O’Reilly refers this crisis to the Secular Progressives (SP’s) where people become entrenched in powerful politics in our federal government who are bent on redefining & reshaping the family unit…
	We see the “vogue”, politically correct, SP’s screaming (with clout of the media) same sex marriages, homosexual couples adopting children… a general, it takes a village approach, undermining the family.

I’m not being political… except to say when you vote – vote your values!

Hillary Clinton wrote the book, “It Takes a Village” which sets forth an agenda that would move America closer to state sponsored parenting. The book that most shaped her life was George Orwell’s “1984” – a 1949 novel about a totalitarian government bent on total manipulation – the masses of people subservient to big brother the Government. In her book, she clearly believes that parents should NOT be permitted to train their own children UNLESS supervised by the secular government… she also suggests a more socialist approach to parenting should be the norm, including state-sponsored day-care centers and full day pre-schools for children as young as three…

This would require federally funded programs designed to indoctrinate children with whatever values the state deems acceptable… SECULAR HUMANISM.

I heard a humorous story…(little dated)

There was this plane that was about to crash and there were five passengers left on board, but only four parachutes. So they began to discuss who should get the parachutes. The first passenger was Bill Clinton. He said, I'm the President of the United States, the leader of 300 million people, I need a parachute. And so they gave him one & he jumped. The second one was Al Gore. He said, "I'm the Vice President and my country needs me." And so they gave him one and he jumped. The next one was Hillary Clinton. She said, "I'm the first lady of the United States and I'm one of the smartest, most intelligent woman in the world. She grabbed one and jumped. The fourth passenger was the Pope. And he looked at the fifth passenger who was a ten year old Boy Scout. He said, "Son, I'm old and frail and my life is just about all used up. I'm going to sacrifice my life and give you this final parachute." Then the ten-year-old boy said, "That's okay, sir. There's still two parachutes left. The smartest most intelligent woman in the world just jumped out with my backpack."

"By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God." - Gloria Steinem a spokesperson for the women’s rights movement.

	Ti-Grace Atkinson, former president of the NY chapter of the National Organization for Women says “she would like to eliminate all sex, marriage, motherhood, and love… marriage is legalized servitude and family relations are the basis for all human oppression”
	God defines the family - not fallen man, sadly we’re seeing more and more parents becoming more & more willing to let “someone” else raise their children… Parents are parenting “hands off” and into this “vacuum” steps in secular governments tangled bureaucratic web.

2. God’s Word (Bible) must be our Blueprint.

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ²so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.

	Our Creator not unregenerate man gave us the Bible as our Blueprint for every aspect of life.
	God tells us we should teach His commands (10 commandments) and the truth of His Word to our kids.
	Disobedience to His Word has brought our culture to call good evil & evil good… anything goes…
	A sinful, disobedient nation will reap the whirlwind of God’s judgment that we are seeing today…
	Secular Progressives are bent on diminishing Christian truth in the USA. Look around, what do you see??? In 1962 (Madalyn Murray O’hair & Supreme Court) successfully removed Prayer & Bible reading from public schools, today we’re seeing attempts to remove Christ out of Christmas (nativity scenes, crosses, etc), Take the reference to God out of our Pledge of Allegiance, Remove “In God we trust” from all our currency, scrub clean all “Christian” symbols & references from our sacred halls and institutions… In some cases, it’s easier today for a teen to be taken to an abortion clinic to kill an unborn baby than to receive an aspirin for a headache (which requires special parental notification).

When our public schools started in 1852 in Massachusetts, the emphasis was on building character with the main text book being the Bible, academics automatically followed with some of the greatest minds… today with God banned in the classroom we see the emphasis being placed upon academics not character building… resulting in national failing grades in almost every measurable category.

Professor Chester M. Pierce, M.D., Professor of Education and Psychiatry at Harvard says, “Every child in America entering school at the age of five is mentally ill because he comes to school with certain allegiances to our Founding Fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being, and toward the sovereignty of this nation as a separate entity. It's up to you as teachers to make all these sick children well - by creating the international child of the future."

Listen to what Paul Haubner, a specialist for the N.E.A. says, "The schools cannot allow parents to influence the kind of values-education their children receive in school; that is what is wrong with those who say there is a universal system of values. Our (humanistic) goals are incompatible with theirs. We must change their values."

	Communism says give me a child at three years of age and we’ll make him a communist for life.
	Islamic radicals have been doing this for years… brainwashed to strap on bombs for Ali…
	Systematic stripping away TRUTH, Biblical core values & replacing with Secular Humanism…
	I.e. - Kyoto treaty, global warming, save the dolphins & seals – global one world community (antichrist).
	America the blessed & beautiful is despised – socialist, terrorist, thugs, and dictators are the true hero’s not the US (The great Satan). Yet we bountiful give our resources to the world (God’s blessing).

Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America…

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

	The breakdown of our culture is the result of the breakdown of our families… Christian families.
	The Family is defined by God, His Word is the blueprint, the roadmap we follow for success in homes
	The third truth to understand this morning brings things closer to home…

3. The Family is Critical for every generation.

	Increasing numbers of “latch-key” children – unsupervised time & activities… “Internet gone wild”
	Seeing a serious rise in crime & violence – even girls beating upon other girls…
	Alcohol, drug use, unrestrained sexual activity; we’re seeing the indulged generation… lacking a spiritual & moral compass – the American family is disintegrating before our eyes…
	We’re seeing parents yielding their authority as more & more moral standards are relaxed.
	The media routinely mocks “family values” where proud rebellious children rule the home…
	We’re seeing Jerry Springer & Girls gone wild replacing the Walton’s or little house on the prairie.
	Deceit show like “Touched by an Angel” was removed because “God was mentioned in every episode”.
	We cannot lose our generation of young people… this tide must be turned.
	We don’t need more Reform but genuine true Redemption… reaching more people with the Gospel.

Look at the three generations in Israel’s history… turn to Joshua 24 & Judges 2…

1^st Generation – Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

	1st Generation Christians are hot, on fire for Christ, 1^st generation Christians are committed
	They knew God and saw His mighty works / They had convictions based on TRUTH… “I know”
	They had Right Actions & right Attitude / They are Spiritual and faithful to church and ministry

1^st Generation – as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD

2^nd Generation – Judges 2:7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.

	2^nd generation Christians tend to be lukewarm, lazy, indifferent, self-satisfied, compromising
	Instead of knowing TRUTH, they use phrases like “I think” / Generation of satisfy me, take care of me
	They had right actions BUT wrong attitudes / Classified as carnal not spiritual

2^nd Generation – and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel

3^rd Generation – Judges 2:10-13 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger ¹³because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

	3^rd generation Christians are Cold, empty, devoid of spiritual understanding & use phrases “I feel”…
	Consumed with “things” of the world, Wrong actions & Attitude, unfaithful in church attendance
	Probably not saved, a natural man – they knew not God.

3^rd Generation – another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

What generation Christian are you? This message should frighten some of us deeply...

“This is not just a cultural war ~ it’s a spiritual war and you’re in it”

Judges 21:25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

	The enemy is engaged in an all out assault on our families… we’re fighting an invisible war (Eph 6)
	Notice in Judges… Israel had “no king”… like today we don’t want to come under authority of Jesus
	Living life, raising children, and trying to manage our marriage with no king brings the inevitable result of what we’re witnessing in our families… everyone doing as he sees fit.
	We tend to “disconnect” from church / fellowship because of poor decisions (activities) and don’t “feel” connected… so busy running the kids to every event except to church (God comes in last place).

	It’s about changing the hearts of men… then the culture/government/schools will change
	Don’t blame the culture, gov’t, church, youth group for the fractures you’re seeing in your family…
	We must capture this generation for Christ… we only have one shot at it… make your life count.
	Next few weeks we will explore getting a handle in our homes… making a difference.

4. Examine our Heart’s before God.

Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

Remember…? – A thinking problem, salvation… what has Christ done for you

How’s my relationships? – with your children, spouse, family, others

Where do my priorities lie? – God, Family, Church, everything else

What am I teaching my family? – Being an example, apathetic or hypocrite

Am I willing to get serious with God? – Turn/change/repent/seek/call

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Over the next few weeks we will bring this series all together scripturally – the TRUTH of God’s Word!

Let’s Pray

Adapted from following resources:

The Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org

Family Info Sites - http://www.familylife.com and http://www.familyfacts.org

“Successful Christian Parenting”, John MacArthur; Word Publishing 1998

“The Five Love Languages”, Gary Chapman; Northfield publishing 2004

“Starting Your Marriage Right”, Dennis & Barbara Rainey; Nelson Books 2000

“Battle Cry for a Generation”, Ron Luce; Cook Ministries – NexGen 2005

“Bringing Up Kids Without Tearing them Down”, Dr Kevin Leman; Delacorte Press 1993