June 23, 2025 • 40 mins
What foundation are you building for your family? After exploring God's sovereignty in the book of Daniel, we turn our attention to something equally important but much closer to home—the spiritual foundation we're establishing for our children.
The research is crystal clear and compelling: parents are the primary spiritual influence in their children's lives. A national study from the University of Notre Dame concluded that "the single most important social influence on the religious and spiritual lives of adolescents is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents." This influence exceeds that of youth pastors, friends, or any other mentor they might encounter.
Just as Jesus taught that the wise builder constructs his house on solid rock to withstand storms, we must build our family's spiritual foundation on something that will last. When heavy rains and floods come—and they will—what foundation will your family be standing on?
Many of us teach our children that success, sports, or financial security are top priorities, often without realizing it. We show what we truly value by how we spend our time, energy, and resources. When we consistently choose sports over church, work over family worship, or entertainment over prayer time, we're silently communicating what matters most.
Joshua's bold declaration should be the anthem of every Christian family: "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." This isn't just a decorative wall hanging—it's a daily commitment that shapes generations. Research shows that when faith becomes optional for one generation, it becomes unnecessary for the next, and eventually unimportant to the third.
What will your children remember about your family's priorities? Will they recall a home where God was central, prayer was normal, and following Jesus was more important than anything else? The foundation you're building today will determine whether their faith can withstand tomorrow's storms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
For the last eight weeks we spent a decent amount
of time in the book of Daniel,kind of went through all 12
chapters, kind of hit a few inpassing, but got to the end.
And the biggest focus of Danielis the whole idea of the book
is that God's sovereign right.
(00:22):
And so we talked a little bitabout this last week and the end
of the world.
And I'm telling you, man, Idon't watch the news very much,
but every time I do I feel likethe end of the world's tomorrow.
Or there's moments where I'mlike Jesus, if you're going to
come back, now's a really goodtime, like if you just want to
go ahead, like we're ready andwe're waiting, but we don't know
(00:46):
right, we don't know the end,but we do know that it was God's
sovereign.
So in the end God wins.
And that's one of the thingsthat he establishes throughout
the book of Daniel is don'tworry about these things, don't
stress about them, becauseultimately God's in charge of
everything.
And that brings us hope, thatshould offer us hope.
(01:08):
And so now we're going to kindof shift gears a little bit and
we've been looking kind of atthe big kingdom.
So this is God's kingdom andthat's always our focus, but
we're going to bring it down toa very practical level and we're
going to start looking at thekind of kingdom we're building
(01:28):
in our homes, because I thinkthat that's significant.
I think it matters how we raiseour kids, I think it matters
what we teach our kids.
I think foundations areimportant, as is a 6'5".
379 pounds now, 379 pounds.
(01:51):
I'm a big dude.
I've been a big dude my wholelife.
So I just want to let you know,if you ever invite me to a
family function, you offer me afolding chair.
I'm probably not sitting on it.
I don't trust them.
I never have, because everyphone interview I've ever sat on
it bends every single time okay.
And so, like, when I look atlike sitting down, I'm like like
(02:15):
if you ever see me sit down,like I'm always in a squat
position, because I'm like mymuscles on my legs are never not
set, because if it goes outlike, I'm going to stand up.
So foundations are important.
If you've ever sat down on achair that broke in front of a
bunch of people, you understandFoundations are also important,
because sometimes, when yourfoundation falls out from under
(02:35):
you, you wipe out.
So I'm going to share this withyou.
It's an embarrassing moment thathappened to me at camp.
So Thursday night we had a tonof rain out of camp and I had my
, my flip-flops on my, my heydudes, and you know, danny and
the boys came out and so there,you know, we took a break and we
(02:57):
went to the basketball courtsand we're playing basketball and
there's like water, like allover the basketball court, and
so so they're shooting hoops andEverett loses his ball and it
bounces off and it rolls intothis very large puddle of water.
And so me, being dad, I'm likeI'll get it.
And so I walk over this waterand I very gingerly tiptoe my
(03:17):
way through the water as to notupset the balance of gravity,
right.
And so I'm walking and in theblink of an eye I realize my
legs were no longer going to beunderneath me.
In about three seconds I feelmy foot slip, my legs go up,
both legs kick up and I fallflat on my back in this giant
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puddle of water.
I disperse so much water Ithink it dried it.
So I disperse all of of thiswater and I'm laying.
By the way, I'm the camp medic,so keep that in mind, that if I
get injured, who's going to helpme, right?
So I fall, I land on my backand, luckily for me, I'm smart
enough to keep my head up, so Idon't whack my head, so I just
lay there.
And I'm laying there because mynext thought is do I fake being
(04:07):
injured?
So this isn't embarrassing,because if I'm injured, no one's
going to make fun of me.
And as my senses start to comeback, I can hear my wife
laughing, which is to beexpected, and I can hear Everett
going ooh, right.
And so luckily there's no oneoutside, but there's this group
(04:28):
of people over here and I'm likeGod, please don't let them have
seen this.
I don't need this right now.
So I gather myself and I get up, and it's at that moment that
you appreciate having a goodfoundation, because when your
foundation fails, it's miserable, right?
Thank God nothing happened.
I could have been reallyinjured, I could have smacked my
hand.
My pride's a little broken, butthat's to be expected.
(04:54):
And so when we talk aboutfoundations, the Bible was very
clear on what it is to have abiblical foundation.
The foundation, the tone youset in your home, I would argue,
is the most important tone youcan set, because your first
ministry is your family, alwaysMore than the church, more than
(05:19):
like participating in the church.
The only thing that goes aboveyour family is God.
That's it.
The only thing that goes aboveyour family is God, but your
family is one of the mostimportant foundations that you
set.
And so, just to give you someidea, here's some research, real
quick, of why this is important.
(05:40):
This was a national study ofyouth and religion.
This was conducted bysociologist Christian Smith and
a team out of the University ofNotre Dame.
After the research, they saidthe single most important social
influence on the religious andspiritual lives of adolescents
is the religious life modeledand taught to them by their
(06:01):
parents, which means your kidsare paying attention to you.
The impact of their parents andhow they lived out their faith
was more important than theirfriends, their youth pastor, the
pastor of the church or anyonethey encountered, a youth group,
any coaches, any other mentors.
(06:23):
The number one influence on howthey choose to follow Jesus
starts at home.
This is research led by Dr CaraPowell in the Fuller Youth
Institute.
It said that intergenerationalrelationships and parents who
live out authentic faith havethe most lasting spiritual
impact.
(06:43):
The presence of five or moreadult mentors, parents included,
also correlates with stronger,lasting faith into adulthood.
They emphasize that faith thatsticks after high school is
often built in the context offamily conversations, service
and community.
The Barna Group study says this.
(07:04):
That repeated research from theBarna Group supports these
other two right?
So the National Study of Youthand Religion and the Fuller
findings.
It says children raised byparents who are highly engaged
that's important highly engagedin their faith are more than
twice as likely to stayconnected to Christianity as
(07:26):
adults.
So, as Barna also notes, theparents talking about faith in
their daily life, not just goingto church, is a critical factor
.
So the way that you talk aboutyour faith, the way you live out
your faith when you are home byyourself, is significant Not
(07:47):
only for you but for yourchildren.
It needs to be modeled at homefirst.
So this morning we're talkingabout foundations and why
foundations matter.
I'm going to try to go for aneasy one here, right, I might be
(08:11):
really bad at this.
So foundations matter, right,the things you teach your kids
matter.
So the kind of faith you have,the kind of decisions you make,
the way you live, is important.
Jesus actually sums it up inMatthew 7, verses 24 to 25.
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He says this.
He says therefore everyone whohears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is likea wise man who built his house
on the rock.
The rain came down, the streamsrose and the winds blew and
beat against that house, yet itdid not fall because it had a
foundation on the rock.
(09:02):
So Jesus is talking about thisactually in the Sermon on the
Mountain.
So he's and he's talking aboutthis actually in the Sermon on
the Mountain.
So he's given all thisinstruction of how to live,
things to do, and he says listen, because if you take what I
teach you, if you take what Ibelieve and what I'm showing you
, and if you can make that yourfoundation, you're going to find
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that your life is going to workout a lot better, because that
foundation, the foundation thatI've given you, is solid and it
matters.
And so that's question one,right?
What does it look like?
What's the foundation you'resetting for your kids?
The foundation you're settingfor your kids?
(09:49):
Maybe you spend the last coupleyears teaching kids that making
a lot of money is the mostimportant thing that they can do
in this world.
Not a bad thing, right?
You know, everyone wants tohave a good job.
My kids want to have a cybertruck when they get older.
I have no idea why.
I don't know how they're tohave a good job.
My kids want to have aCybertruck when they get older.
I have no idea why.
I don't know how they're goingto pay for it.
It's going to be college with aCybertruck.
(10:10):
They're not getting both Right.
But maybe you teach your kidsthat having money is important.
Maybe you've built a life onteaching your kids that you know
sports is the way to go Right.
Maybe it matters.
Maybe we're teaching our kidsthat sports is the most
(10:35):
important thing.
And how do we do this?
We put sports above everythingelse.
We put sports above family time.
We put sports above church else.
We put sports above family time.
We put sports above churchbeing at church.
I know, listen, I live in thesame world that you do.
When I was younger, playingbaseball on a Sunday wasn't a
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thing.
I used to wrestle.
We always wrestled on Saturdayand usually we had Sunday
tournaments and I didn't reallygo to church when I was younger.
But I remember oh man, this istense To all of you that have
(11:19):
anxiety.
I'm really sorry about this.
Yeah, I remember Sunday reallywasn't a big concern.
Sunday was kind of sacred,right.
I mean I don't even rememberstores being open on Sunday and
then Walmart went 24-7 for somereason.
But I remember when my oldeststarted wrestling and so he
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started he would wrestle onSaturday.
And then everyone's like areyou coming to the meet tomorrow,
on Sunday?
I'm like no, we're not.
And he asked me one started hewould wrestle on Saturday and
then everyone said are youcoming to the meet tomorrow on
Sunday?
I'm like no, we're not.
And he asked me one time he'slike why?
I'm like because God's moreimportant than wrestling.
I was like because that am Ikind of bummed, you're missing
it, because an opportunity topractice, of course, but your
relationship with God and beingin church is more important.
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There's always going to be moretimes to wrestle.
I'm not worried about that.
And so we've set a tone veryearly on in our kids' lives that
Sunday matters.
Sunday is important, being inthe Word of God is important.
So what do you?
What foundation are you settingfor your kids?
(12:26):
Right?
That's kind of a cheap one,right there.
So Jesus says in the Sermon onthe Mount, he says listen,
you're believing me, my words,my truth that these things
matter to you.
So what kind of foundation arewe setting for our kids?
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We tell them that God isimportant, but do we model that
it's a whole thing to say it,right Word of mouth, but do you
model that as a family?
Are you in the Word of God?
Are you studying the Scripturestogether?
Are you praying together?
Are you helping your kidsunderstand that Jesus is the
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only thing that lasts?
So why does this matter?
One Jesus is the only thingthat lasts.
Paul says it in 1 Corinthians,3.1, says for no one can lay a
foundation other than that whichis laid, which is in Jesus
Christ.
Matthew 7.25 says the rain camedown and beat against that
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house, yet it did not fallbecause it had its foundation on
the rock, on Jesus.
Colossians 2.7 says rooted andbuilt up in him and established
in the faith.
Proverbs 20.7 says therighteous who walk in his
integrity, blessed are hischildren after him.
So the kind of things that youteach your kids about God
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matters.
Is God priority?
Is building the kingdom of Godin your home something you talk
about often, or is it somethingyou do in passing when you have
time?
And it's so important that, asfamilies you set the tone for
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for your kid's faith.
And what's interesting is theresearch actually shows that
that actually shows itself laterthat even as kids walk away
from their faith, they're morelikely to return to it if they
had a strong foundation in thehome that modeled it for them.
Because that happens, right.
(14:43):
I spent the weekend with abunch of high schoolers and a
bunch of middle schoolers thisweek and let me tell you, that
happens right.
I spent the weekend with abunch of high schoolers and a
bunch of middle schoolers thisweek and let me tell you that
happens.
Some of them aren't so surewhere they stand.
Some of them have grown up inhouses their whole life and
they're wrestling with it.
But again, what foundation areyou setting for your kids?
(15:05):
Rt France, in his commentary onthe Gospel of Matthew, says it
reminds us that the parable ofthe wise and foolish builders
would have made immediatepractical sense to Jesus'
original audience.
In a region where sudden flashfloods could turn dry riverbeds
into raging torrents, the needfor solid foundation wasn't just
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theory, it was survival.
And so when Jesus is saying,listen, if you put your
foundation on me, all thingswill be okay and he's talking to
people who are aware of what itmeans to lose everything
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Because foundation matters.
You know, one of the craziestthings about water is water has
this really incredible abilityto erode foundations away.
You know, things don't lastlike they used to.
(16:09):
We were out eating yesterday andwe saw I really want to attempt
to take one from the top man.
So we were out eating yesterdaywith the boys and we saw this
old truck.
It was an old Ford Ranger.
I think it was like 1970s and Ilove the fact that my kids
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appreciate old cars.
And then I remember thinking tomyself.
Or Everett said to me he's likewell, they don't make them like
they used to.
I'm like man, you were right.
I was like if I've taught youanything well in this world
besides Jesus, it's that.
But over time things fade,buildings collapse, money
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disappears.
We're so built, we're sodetermined to teach our kids
that they've got to have asecure future, but yet when it
comes to teaching them about theonly secure future possible, we
ignore that, or at least wedon't prioritize it enough.
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What does it look like to be afamily that follows Jesus?
What does it look like when weteach our kids to pray, to not
give up To have hope indifficult times.
What does it look like when weteach our kids to have a solid
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foundation, one that matters,one that's eternal, one that
they can stand on forever?
(18:06):
I think Jenga is one of myfavorite games, because you ever
seen people do stuff.
You're like I have no idea howthat even works.
But what if we taught our kidsthat the most important thing in
the world was to follow Jesus,him above everything?
And the question is what doesthat look like?
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When Jesus says that on thisfoundation, your house will not
fail, I've always understoodthat to mean that when storms
come, when life gets hard, Ihave something to stand on
that's unshakable.
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I've always understood thatwhen bad things happen, even
when good things happen, at theend of my life, even looking at
the world that we live in, I'mnot worried about the future.
I don't, because I know wheremy foundation is.
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If anything, the only thingthat I worry about is am I
teaching my kids to follow Jesus?
Am I modeling for them?
Deuteronomy 6, verses 6-7, saysthese commandments that I give
you today are to be on yourhearts.
Impress them on your children,talk about them when you sit at
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home, when you walk along theroad and when you lie down and
when you get up, faith that ismodeled is meant to be this idea
that it's consistent, notperfect.
Keep in mind your kids need tounderstand you're not perfect,
that's okay.
No one's perfect Kids.
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Parents mess up they do.
That happens sometimes.
But a godly parent comes backand says listen, I'm sorry,
forgive me.
Let's keep following Jesustogether.
Let's do everything we can tomake sure that our marriage, our
finances, our life, everymoment of every day, is built on
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the one thing that's eternal,because all the other stuff will
fade away, and we know that,right, we know that.
I've never met anyone whodisagrees with that.
But we get so distracted by theworld we allow everything else
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to get in the way.
Everything Jesus says buildyour life on me.
Model for your children what itmeans to have faith in God.
I might regret this one, butI'm committed.
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Yeah, see, here's what I know.
Without Jesus, it doesn't mattermuch, right?
I love this game.
It's fun, foundation'simportant, and so that has to be
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the thing we continue to ask asa family, and there's a whole
lot more that we're going totalk about in the next couple
weeks.
But what is your foundation.
What foundation are you settingfor your kids?
Does church matter?
Does going to church matter, oris church something that you do
when you have time?
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Does spending time in the Wordof God matter, or is God
something you only get to whennothing else is in the way?
Do we teach our kids to prayonly when things are falling
apart, or do we teach our kidsto pray and seek God even when
things are going right?
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It starts at home.
That's it.
That's the bulk of this entiremessage.
If there's one thing I pray thatyou walk out of here with, is
the realization it's not yourchurch's responsibility to teach
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your kids about Jesus.
I know right, ooh, because Iknow what I do for a living.
My goal is to minister and todisciple people.
That's important, incrediblyimportant role that I take
seriously in my life.
But if the only place your kidsare finding about Jesus is a
church or youth group, thenthey're missing something.
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They need to see it at homemore than anything.
The research has proven thatthat modeled for them is more
important than anything else,and I know I know you don't
think your kids are payingattention, but, man, they are.
Your kids watch how you react.
So if church is an option foryou, eventually it becomes an
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option for them.
If spending time in the Word ofGod is something that only you
do whenever you have time, theneventually it becomes something
that only they do when they havetime, when praying out to God,
it is really only done whenthings are going south.
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Your kids learn and model thatbehavior.
There was research done a coupleof years ago and it actually
shows kind of the ways that welose the church in four
generations.
Talk about this idea that forthe current generation, church
is optional.
Right, so this is something youdo on occasion.
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The next generation, it becomesoptional and unnecessary.
So they'll go every now andthen, but really they start to
wrestle with it later on in lifeas it's something that really
matters.
The generation that followsthat it becomes unnecessary.
They're not against it, they'renot opposed to it necessarily,
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but they don't really think it'simportant because it wasn't
modeled for them.
And then the last generation isall together, it's just
unimportant.
They walk away from it.
They, they completely avoid itall together.
We have a culture that has notmade church important enough.
We have a culture that that hasnot made faith important enough
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.
And listen.
I again I'm probably going torub some on the wrong way.
I'm not opposed to prayer inschool, don't get me wrong.
But that's not going to bringour families back to Jesus.
We are.
We have to be the ones thatmodel that for them.
They have to see it at home.
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If you're insisting on prayerin school every single morning,
then you better be praying inyour house every single morning,
because that you can do.
No one can stop that for you.
If we're insisting on havingthe Ten Commandments on display
in the public eye, then youbetter be living them out.
People better see that modeledfor you, because I'm telling you
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right now, they might see it ona plaque, but if they don't see
it in you when you follow Jesus, it's not going to mean a
single thing to them.
We talk about how we need tobring people back to Jesus.
We need to have a nation whoreturns to the Lord.
I believe that and I believe itstarts in your home.
If you want your kids to thinkchurch is important, then you
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need to show them that church isimportant.
If you want your kids tobelieve that prayer is necessary
, then you need to model thatfor them.
If you want your kids to knowwho Jesus is, then tell them
about Jesus.
Stop waiting for someone elseto do it for you.
Your number one priority isyour family.
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You are responsible for howyour kids follow Jesus.
Now there comes an age whenthat's their decision.
I get that, but until theyleave my house, man, they better
see a whole lot of Jesus,because when they go into this
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world, this world is not goingto show it to them.
Wherever my kids go to college,I pray they go to Johnson
University.
That's where I went to school.
That's a really cool Biblecollege in Tennessee.
That's a shameless plug.
It's amazing.
I get to hang out with some oftheir students this week, but
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they might not.
They might go to a college thatdoesn't have anything like that
and they might not see Jesus ona regular basis.
But I hope that the foundationthat I give them is strong
enough.
In Acts 2, chapter 10, we comeacross a man by the name of
Cornelius.
By the way, imagine, of coursethey didn't know, but imagine
like you're in heaven, you findout your name was written in the
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Bible.
I think it's a pretty coolthing.
It says that, caesarea, therewas a man named Cornelius a
centurion.
So keep in mind, he was Roman Acenturion in what was known as
the Italian regiment, and he andhis family were devout and
God-fearing.
He gave generously to those inneed and prayed to God regularly
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, he said.
One day, at three in theafternoon, he had a vision.
He distinctly saw an angel ofGod who came to him and said
Cornelius.
Cornelius stared at him in fear.
What is it, lord?
He asked.
The angel answered your prayersand gifts to the poor have come
up as a memorial offeringbefore God.
Now send men to Joppa to bringback a man named Simon, who is
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called Peter.
He is staying with Simon theTanner.
His house is by the sea.
When the angel who spoke to himhad gone, cornelius called two
of his servants and a devoutsoldier who was one of his
attendants.
He told them everything he hadhappened and sent them to Joppa.
And so, as the story continues,he goes to Peter, who's a
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devout Jew, and Peter hasn'tquite understood yet that the
gospel that he has is also forthe Gentiles.
Cornelius would have been aGentile.
So this angel appears toCornelius, a man who's devout
and he's following God, so muchso that his family, he's
modeling it for them.
And he goes and he's the one.
And so Peter has this vision ofunclean and unclean animals and
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wrestles with that.
Based on his background, thingswere considered unclean and God
said don't you call anythingunclean that I've called clean.
And so, all of a sudden,cornelius, this Gentile, shows
up.
Peter has this realization thatthe gospel is for all those who
have chosen to follow God, eventhis Gentile Roman soldier.
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So there's a turning point inthe book of Acts for Peter.
But I love it because, evenbefore all of this happened, the
focus is on the fact thatCornelius was someone who was
dedicated to God and he prayed,he showed it, he modeled it, so
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much so that an angel came tohim.
Because it matters.
It matters what you teach yourkids.
It does, it always has.
We allow so many things to getin the way of building a solid
foundation and then we wonderwhy the world is the way that it
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is.
You know, the biggest thingthat concerns me in my life is
my kids.
You know, the biggest thingthat concerns me in my life is
my kids.
I want my kids to follow Godwholeheartedly.
I want to teach my kids that,even if they have to lose their
life for the sake of the gospel.
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It's worth it.
How do you teach that to a kid?
Man Sounds nuts right.
But I think how you model itmatters.
Are you willing to sacrifice?
Are you willing to go thedistance?
Are you willing to prioritizeGod over everything?
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Or is this just something youdo on occasion because you have
nothing else to do?
I'm not saying being in churchis a bad thing it's the opposite
, actually but how you live fromSunday to Sunday matters,
because your kids are watchingyou, what they get downstairs.
I love Jesse Birch man.
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Jesse's our youth pastor.
He's a phenomenal guy,incredibly wise.
Now they get married, excitedfor him, his future.
He does amazing things.
All the people who volunteerdownstairs I know Marian goes
down there.
John, we have wonderful peoplethat go down there.
Glenda, we have wonderfulpeople downstairs.
They teach your kids amazingthings.
It's awesome.
It's so much fun.
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Sometimes I think I'd rather bedownstairs because they get a
snack and I never get a snackduring church and that's not
fair, but it is whatever.
But we have people who are herededicated to teaching kids
about God.
But it comes back to you.
I do want that Slim Jim, butI'm not going to eat that right
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now.
I appreciate that, but it allcomes back to you.
What are you teaching your kids?
Does church matter, does arelationship with God matter,
and are you someone who justgives lip service to it, or are
you actually living it out theway that you're supposed to?
Proverbs 20, verse 7, says therighteous who walks in his
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integrity and blessed are Hischildren after Him.
It's all about living for Jesus.
It's all about modeling what itlooks like to follow after Him.
Seeing it at home, researchproves, is the best way to
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ensure that your kids willfollow Christ.
I love going out to camp, butalmost always I can tell the
kids who come from aChrist-centered home and the
ones who don't Behavior'sdifferent.
You know what?
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How they view themselves isdifferent.
I've learned that how they viewthemselves is different Because
if they don't have someonetelling them how much Jesus
loves them, if they don't haveparents modeling for them what
it means to be gracious andforgiving, and if they're
overrun by the world and thelies of this world, you see that
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in them and they come out tocamp and they get a small window
of hope and then you pray forthem because you have no idea
what they're going home to.
So think about that.
Not even your kids.
What about the friends of yourkids?
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What do they see when they comein your house?
That matters you might be theonly Jesus they ever see.
What if God has put you intheir life to model that for
them?
What if you're supposed tobring their parents to an
understanding of who Jesus is?
What if your ministry is notjust in your home but in your
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neighbor's home?
What is your foundation?
Does it matter enough to you toprioritize?
Because foundation matters.
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And if you're not setting agood foundation for your kids,
it is Because if they're notlearning about Jesus from you,
they're learning about somethingelse, from somebody else.
I guarantee that, man, thestuff.
My kids come home sometimes andtell me they've learned and
they've heard from their friends, and I'm like, okay, let's talk
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about that.
In the book of Joshua, israelhas made a lot of mistakes.
They've done a lot of weirdthings.
They've fallen away, they'velost track of their faith.
They've, you know, got involvedwith other cultures and
worshipped other gods that theyweren't supposed to, and a whole
lot of bad has come with it.
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And so Joshua comes along, andJoshua's determined that he's
going to live differently.
Right, they find the book ofthe law and they read it and
they understand it and they tryto process it and obviously it's
a call of conviction, but it'salso this reminder of who God is
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.
And Joshua 24, 15, when he'sstanding in front of the house
and I love this, and if you'veever been in anyone's house who
follows Jesus, this is on thewall in their house, or should
be.
And if not, go to Hobby Lobby.
It's there, but I think it'simportant and I don't want to
downplay that at all.
But Joshua 24, 15 says but ifserving the Lord seems
(36:12):
undesirable to you, then choosefor yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the godsyour ancestors served beyond the
Euphrates or the gods of theAmorites in whose land you are
living.
He says but as for me and myhousehold, we will serve the
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Lord.
He's saying listen, you canfollow whoever you want, but me
and my house, we follow God.
Don't mistake that, don'tconfuse that.
When you come in my house, youwill find I pray, you find that
(36:56):
the most important house person,our home, is God Doesn't mean
we're perfect by any means, butI will teach my kids to follow
God because it's the only thingthat lasts forever.
It's the only thing thatmatters.
It's the only foundation worthbuilding.
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If God blesses them with thoseother things, so be it.
It's his choice, but if my kidsgrow up, it's my responsibility
to show them what matters most.
God matters more than anything,and my prayer is that they take
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that into their homes,generation after generation
after generation.
You know the research is rough,for how to lose generation.
When church becomes optionalfor you, it becomes unnecessary
for your kids.
I think the reverse is true,though.
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When church and therelationship with God is the
most important thing to you, itbecomes the most important thing
to your kids, above sports,above money, above all of it,
because, at the end of the day,god is only going to ask you if
you knew who Jesus was.
That's it, that's the solution,that's the answer.
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If your foundation is built onhim, everything else will
crumble, but not Him thatmatters.
All right, let's pray, god.
We thank you still.
For the last eight weeks we spent a decent amount
of time in the book of Daniel,kind of went through all 12
chapters, kind of hit a few inpassing, but got to the end.
And the biggest focus of Danielis the whole idea of the book
is that God's sovereign right.
(00:22):
And so we talked a little bitabout this last week and the end
of the world.
And I'm telling you, man, Idon't watch the news very much,
but every time I do I feel likethe end of the world's tomorrow.
Or there's moments where I'mlike Jesus, if you're going to
come back, now's a really goodtime, like if you just want to
go ahead, like we're ready andwe're waiting, but we don't know
(00:46):
right, we don't know the end,but we do know that it was God's
sovereign.
So in the end God wins.
And that's one of the thingsthat he establishes throughout
the book of Daniel is don'tworry about these things, don't
stress about them, becauseultimately God's in charge of
everything.
And that brings us hope, thatshould offer us hope.
(01:08):
And so now we're going to kindof shift gears a little bit and
we've been looking kind of atthe big kingdom.
So this is God's kingdom andthat's always our focus, but
we're going to bring it down toa very practical level and we're
going to start looking at thekind of kingdom we're building
(01:28):
in our homes, because I thinkthat that's significant.
I think it matters how we raiseour kids, I think it matters
what we teach our kids.
I think foundations areimportant, as is a 6'5".
379 pounds now, 379 pounds.
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I'm a big dude.
I've been a big dude my wholelife.
So I just want to let you know,if you ever invite me to a
family function, you offer me afolding chair.
I'm probably not sitting on it.
I don't trust them.
I never have, because everyphone interview I've ever sat on
it bends every single time okay.
And so, like, when I look atlike sitting down, I'm like like
(02:15):
if you ever see me sit down,like I'm always in a squat
position, because I'm like mymuscles on my legs are never not
set, because if it goes outlike, I'm going to stand up.
So foundations are important.
If you've ever sat down on achair that broke in front of a
bunch of people, you understandFoundations are also important,
because sometimes, when yourfoundation falls out from under
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you, you wipe out.
So I'm going to share this withyou.
It's an embarrassing moment thathappened to me at camp.
So Thursday night we had a tonof rain out of camp and I had my
, my flip-flops on my, my heydudes, and you know, danny and
the boys came out and so there,you know, we took a break and we
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went to the basketball courtsand we're playing basketball and
there's like water, like allover the basketball court, and
so so they're shooting hoops andEverett loses his ball and it
bounces off and it rolls intothis very large puddle of water.
And so me, being dad, I'm likeI'll get it.
And so I walk over this waterand I very gingerly tiptoe my
(03:17):
way through the water as to notupset the balance of gravity,
right.
And so I'm walking and in theblink of an eye I realize my
legs were no longer going to beunderneath me.
In about three seconds I feelmy foot slip, my legs go up,
both legs kick up and I fallflat on my back in this giant
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puddle of water.
I disperse so much water Ithink it dried it.
So I disperse all of of thiswater and I'm laying.
By the way, I'm the camp medic,so keep that in mind, that if I
get injured, who's going to helpme, right?
So I fall, I land on my backand, luckily for me, I'm smart
enough to keep my head up, so Idon't whack my head, so I just
lay there.
And I'm laying there because mynext thought is do I fake being
(04:07):
injured?
So this isn't embarrassing,because if I'm injured, no one's
going to make fun of me.
And as my senses start to comeback, I can hear my wife
laughing, which is to beexpected, and I can hear Everett
going ooh, right.
And so luckily there's no oneoutside, but there's this group
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of people over here and I'm likeGod, please don't let them have
seen this.
I don't need this right now.
So I gather myself and I get up, and it's at that moment that
you appreciate having a goodfoundation, because when your
foundation fails, it's miserable, right?
Thank God nothing happened.
I could have been reallyinjured, I could have smacked my
hand.
My pride's a little broken, butthat's to be expected.
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And so when we talk aboutfoundations, the Bible was very
clear on what it is to have abiblical foundation.
The foundation, the tone youset in your home, I would argue,
is the most important tone youcan set, because your first
ministry is your family, alwaysMore than the church, more than
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like participating in the church.
The only thing that goes aboveyour family is God.
That's it.
The only thing that goes aboveyour family is God, but your
family is one of the mostimportant foundations that you
set.
And so, just to give you someidea, here's some research, real
quick, of why this is important.
(05:40):
This was a national study ofyouth and religion.
This was conducted bysociologist Christian Smith and
a team out of the University ofNotre Dame.
After the research, they saidthe single most important social
influence on the religious andspiritual lives of adolescents
is the religious life modeledand taught to them by their
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parents, which means your kidsare paying attention to you.
The impact of their parents andhow they lived out their faith
was more important than theirfriends, their youth pastor, the
pastor of the church or anyonethey encountered, a youth group,
any coaches, any other mentors.
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The number one influence on howthey choose to follow Jesus
starts at home.
This is research led by Dr CaraPowell in the Fuller Youth
Institute.
It said that intergenerationalrelationships and parents who
live out authentic faith havethe most lasting spiritual
impact.
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The presence of five or moreadult mentors, parents included,
also correlates with stronger,lasting faith into adulthood.
They emphasize that faith thatsticks after high school is
often built in the context offamily conversations, service
and community.
The Barna Group study says this.
(07:04):
That repeated research from theBarna Group supports these
other two right?
So the National Study of Youthand Religion and the Fuller
findings.
It says children raised byparents who are highly engaged
that's important highly engagedin their faith are more than
twice as likely to stayconnected to Christianity as
(07:26):
adults.
So, as Barna also notes, theparents talking about faith in
their daily life, not just goingto church, is a critical factor
.
So the way that you talk aboutyour faith, the way you live out
your faith when you are home byyourself, is significant Not
(07:47):
only for you but for yourchildren.
It needs to be modeled at homefirst.
So this morning we're talkingabout foundations and why
foundations matter.
I'm going to try to go for aneasy one here, right, I might be
(08:11):
really bad at this.
So foundations matter, right,the things you teach your kids
matter.
So the kind of faith you have,the kind of decisions you make,
the way you live, is important.
Jesus actually sums it up inMatthew 7, verses 24 to 25.
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He says this.
He says therefore everyone whohears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is likea wise man who built his house
on the rock.
The rain came down, the streamsrose and the winds blew and
beat against that house, yet itdid not fall because it had a
foundation on the rock.
(09:02):
So Jesus is talking about thisactually in the Sermon on the
Mountain.
So he's and he's talking aboutthis actually in the Sermon on
the Mountain.
So he's given all thisinstruction of how to live,
things to do, and he says listen, because if you take what I
teach you, if you take what Ibelieve and what I'm showing you
, and if you can make that yourfoundation, you're going to find
(09:24):
that your life is going to workout a lot better, because that
foundation, the foundation thatI've given you, is solid and it
matters.
And so that's question one,right?
What does it look like?
What's the foundation you'resetting for your kids?
The foundation you're settingfor your kids?
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Maybe you spend the last coupleyears teaching kids that making
a lot of money is the mostimportant thing that they can do
in this world.
Not a bad thing, right?
You know, everyone wants tohave a good job.
My kids want to have a cybertruck when they get older.
I have no idea why.
I don't know how they're tohave a good job.
My kids want to have aCybertruck when they get older.
I have no idea why.
I don't know how they're goingto pay for it.
It's going to be college with aCybertruck.
(10:10):
They're not getting both Right.
But maybe you teach your kidsthat having money is important.
Maybe you've built a life onteaching your kids that you know
sports is the way to go Right.
Maybe it matters.
Maybe we're teaching our kidsthat sports is the most
(10:35):
important thing.
And how do we do this?
We put sports above everythingelse.
We put sports above family time.
We put sports above church else.
We put sports above family time.
We put sports above churchbeing at church.
I know, listen, I live in thesame world that you do.
When I was younger, playingbaseball on a Sunday wasn't a
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thing.
I used to wrestle.
We always wrestled on Saturdayand usually we had Sunday
tournaments and I didn't reallygo to church when I was younger.
But I remember oh man, this istense To all of you that have
(11:19):
anxiety.
I'm really sorry about this.
Yeah, I remember Sunday reallywasn't a big concern.
Sunday was kind of sacred,right.
I mean I don't even rememberstores being open on Sunday and
then Walmart went 24-7 for somereason.
But I remember when my oldeststarted wrestling and so he
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started he would wrestle onSaturday.
And then everyone's like areyou coming to the meet tomorrow,
on Sunday?
I'm like no, we're not.
And he asked me one started hewould wrestle on Saturday and
then everyone said are youcoming to the meet tomorrow on
Sunday?
I'm like no, we're not.
And he asked me one time he'slike why?
I'm like because God's moreimportant than wrestling.
I was like because that am Ikind of bummed, you're missing
it, because an opportunity topractice, of course, but your
relationship with God and beingin church is more important.
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There's always going to be moretimes to wrestle.
I'm not worried about that.
And so we've set a tone veryearly on in our kids' lives that
Sunday matters.
Sunday is important, being inthe Word of God is important.
So what do you?
What foundation are you settingfor your kids?
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Right?
That's kind of a cheap one,right there.
So Jesus says in the Sermon onthe Mount, he says listen,
you're believing me, my words,my truth that these things
matter to you.
So what kind of foundation arewe setting for our kids?
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We tell them that God isimportant, but do we model that
it's a whole thing to say it,right Word of mouth, but do you
model that as a family?
Are you in the Word of God?
Are you studying the Scripturestogether?
Are you praying together?
Are you helping your kidsunderstand that Jesus is the
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only thing that lasts?
So why does this matter?
One Jesus is the only thingthat lasts.
Paul says it in 1 Corinthians,3.1, says for no one can lay a
foundation other than that whichis laid, which is in Jesus
Christ.
Matthew 7.25 says the rain camedown and beat against that
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house, yet it did not fallbecause it had its foundation on
the rock, on Jesus.
Colossians 2.7 says rooted andbuilt up in him and established
in the faith.
Proverbs 20.7 says therighteous who walk in his
integrity, blessed are hischildren after him.
So the kind of things that youteach your kids about God
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matters.
Is God priority?
Is building the kingdom of Godin your home something you talk
about often, or is it somethingyou do in passing when you have
time?
And it's so important that, asfamilies you set the tone for
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for your kid's faith.
And what's interesting is theresearch actually shows that
that actually shows itself laterthat even as kids walk away
from their faith, they're morelikely to return to it if they
had a strong foundation in thehome that modeled it for them.
Because that happens, right.
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I spent the weekend with abunch of high schoolers and a
bunch of middle schoolers thisweek and let me tell you, that
happens right.
I spent the weekend with abunch of high schoolers and a
bunch of middle schoolers thisweek and let me tell you that
happens.
Some of them aren't so surewhere they stand.
Some of them have grown up inhouses their whole life and
they're wrestling with it.
But again, what foundation areyou setting for your kids?
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Rt France, in his commentary onthe Gospel of Matthew, says it
reminds us that the parable ofthe wise and foolish builders
would have made immediatepractical sense to Jesus'
original audience.
In a region where sudden flashfloods could turn dry riverbeds
into raging torrents, the needfor solid foundation wasn't just
(15:25):
theory, it was survival.
And so when Jesus is saying,listen, if you put your
foundation on me, all thingswill be okay and he's talking to
people who are aware of what itmeans to lose everything
(15:47):
Because foundation matters.
You know, one of the craziestthings about water is water has
this really incredible abilityto erode foundations away.
You know, things don't lastlike they used to.
(16:09):
We were out eating yesterday andwe saw I really want to attempt
to take one from the top man.
So we were out eating yesterdaywith the boys and we saw this
old truck.
It was an old Ford Ranger.
I think it was like 1970s and Ilove the fact that my kids
(16:34):
appreciate old cars.
And then I remember thinking tomyself.
Or Everett said to me he's likewell, they don't make them like
they used to.
I'm like man, you were right.
I was like if I've taught youanything well in this world
besides Jesus, it's that.
But over time things fade,buildings collapse, money
(16:58):
disappears.
We're so built, we're sodetermined to teach our kids
that they've got to have asecure future, but yet when it
comes to teaching them about theonly secure future possible, we
ignore that, or at least wedon't prioritize it enough.
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What does it look like to be afamily that follows Jesus?
What does it look like when weteach our kids to pray, to not
give up To have hope indifficult times.
What does it look like when weteach our kids to have a solid
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foundation, one that matters,one that's eternal, one that
they can stand on forever?
(18:06):
I think Jenga is one of myfavorite games, because you ever
seen people do stuff.
You're like I have no idea howthat even works.
But what if we taught our kidsthat the most important thing in
the world was to follow Jesus,him above everything?
And the question is what doesthat look like?
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When Jesus says that on thisfoundation, your house will not
fail, I've always understoodthat to mean that when storms
come, when life gets hard, Ihave something to stand on
that's unshakable.
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I've always understood thatwhen bad things happen, even
when good things happen, at theend of my life, even looking at
the world that we live in, I'mnot worried about the future.
I don't, because I know wheremy foundation is.
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If anything, the only thingthat I worry about is am I
teaching my kids to follow Jesus?
Am I modeling for them?
Deuteronomy 6, verses 6-7, saysthese commandments that I give
you today are to be on yourhearts.
Impress them on your children,talk about them when you sit at
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home, when you walk along theroad and when you lie down and
when you get up, faith that ismodeled is meant to be this idea
that it's consistent, notperfect.
Keep in mind your kids need tounderstand you're not perfect,
that's okay.
No one's perfect Kids.
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Parents mess up they do.
That happens sometimes.
But a godly parent comes backand says listen, I'm sorry,
forgive me.
Let's keep following Jesustogether.
Let's do everything we can tomake sure that our marriage, our
finances, our life, everymoment of every day, is built on
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the one thing that's eternal,because all the other stuff will
fade away, and we know that,right, we know that.
I've never met anyone whodisagrees with that.
But we get so distracted by theworld we allow everything else
(20:43):
to get in the way.
Everything Jesus says buildyour life on me.
Model for your children what itmeans to have faith in God.
I might regret this one, butI'm committed.
(21:10):
Yeah, see, here's what I know.
Without Jesus, it doesn't mattermuch, right?
I love this game.
It's fun, foundation'simportant, and so that has to be
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the thing we continue to ask asa family, and there's a whole
lot more that we're going totalk about in the next couple
weeks.
But what is your foundation.
What foundation are you settingfor your kids?
Does church matter?
Does going to church matter, oris church something that you do
when you have time?
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Does spending time in the Wordof God matter, or is God
something you only get to whennothing else is in the way?
Do we teach our kids to prayonly when things are falling
apart, or do we teach our kidsto pray and seek God even when
things are going right?
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It starts at home.
That's it.
That's the bulk of this entiremessage.
If there's one thing I pray thatyou walk out of here with, is
the realization it's not yourchurch's responsibility to teach
(22:42):
your kids about Jesus.
I know right, ooh, because Iknow what I do for a living.
My goal is to minister and todisciple people.
That's important, incrediblyimportant role that I take
seriously in my life.
But if the only place your kidsare finding about Jesus is a
church or youth group, thenthey're missing something.
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They need to see it at homemore than anything.
The research has proven thatthat modeled for them is more
important than anything else,and I know I know you don't
think your kids are payingattention, but, man, they are.
Your kids watch how you react.
So if church is an option foryou, eventually it becomes an
(23:30):
option for them.
If spending time in the Word ofGod is something that only you
do whenever you have time, theneventually it becomes something
that only they do when they havetime, when praying out to God,
it is really only done whenthings are going south.
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Your kids learn and model thatbehavior.
There was research done a coupleof years ago and it actually
shows kind of the ways that welose the church in four
generations.
Talk about this idea that forthe current generation, church
is optional.
Right, so this is something youdo on occasion.
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The next generation, it becomesoptional and unnecessary.
So they'll go every now andthen, but really they start to
wrestle with it later on in lifeas it's something that really
matters.
The generation that followsthat it becomes unnecessary.
They're not against it, they'renot opposed to it necessarily,
(24:39):
but they don't really think it'simportant because it wasn't
modeled for them.
And then the last generation isall together, it's just
unimportant.
They walk away from it.
They, they completely avoid itall together.
We have a culture that has notmade church important enough.
We have a culture that that hasnot made faith important enough
(25:04):
.
And listen.
I again I'm probably going torub some on the wrong way.
I'm not opposed to prayer inschool, don't get me wrong.
But that's not going to bringour families back to Jesus.
We are.
We have to be the ones thatmodel that for them.
They have to see it at home.
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If you're insisting on prayerin school every single morning,
then you better be praying inyour house every single morning,
because that you can do.
No one can stop that for you.
If we're insisting on havingthe Ten Commandments on display
in the public eye, then youbetter be living them out.
People better see that modeledfor you, because I'm telling you
(25:48):
right now, they might see it ona plaque, but if they don't see
it in you when you follow Jesus, it's not going to mean a
single thing to them.
We talk about how we need tobring people back to Jesus.
We need to have a nation whoreturns to the Lord.
I believe that and I believe itstarts in your home.
If you want your kids to thinkchurch is important, then you
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need to show them that church isimportant.
If you want your kids tobelieve that prayer is necessary
, then you need to model thatfor them.
If you want your kids to knowwho Jesus is, then tell them
about Jesus.
Stop waiting for someone elseto do it for you.
Your number one priority isyour family.
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You are responsible for howyour kids follow Jesus.
Now there comes an age whenthat's their decision.
I get that, but until theyleave my house, man, they better
see a whole lot of Jesus,because when they go into this
(27:02):
world, this world is not goingto show it to them.
Wherever my kids go to college,I pray they go to Johnson
University.
That's where I went to school.
That's a really cool Biblecollege in Tennessee.
That's a shameless plug.
It's amazing.
I get to hang out with some oftheir students this week, but
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they might not.
They might go to a college thatdoesn't have anything like that
and they might not see Jesus ona regular basis.
But I hope that the foundationthat I give them is strong
enough.
In Acts 2, chapter 10, we comeacross a man by the name of
Cornelius.
By the way, imagine, of coursethey didn't know, but imagine
like you're in heaven, you findout your name was written in the
(27:44):
Bible.
I think it's a pretty coolthing.
It says that, caesarea, therewas a man named Cornelius a
centurion.
So keep in mind, he was Roman Acenturion in what was known as
the Italian regiment, and he andhis family were devout and
God-fearing.
He gave generously to those inneed and prayed to God regularly
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, he said.
One day, at three in theafternoon, he had a vision.
He distinctly saw an angel ofGod who came to him and said
Cornelius.
Cornelius stared at him in fear.
What is it, lord?
He asked.
The angel answered your prayersand gifts to the poor have come
up as a memorial offeringbefore God.
Now send men to Joppa to bringback a man named Simon, who is
(28:27):
called Peter.
He is staying with Simon theTanner.
His house is by the sea.
When the angel who spoke to himhad gone, cornelius called two
of his servants and a devoutsoldier who was one of his
attendants.
He told them everything he hadhappened and sent them to Joppa.
And so, as the story continues,he goes to Peter, who's a
(28:50):
devout Jew, and Peter hasn'tquite understood yet that the
gospel that he has is also forthe Gentiles.
Cornelius would have been aGentile.
So this angel appears toCornelius, a man who's devout
and he's following God, so muchso that his family, he's
modeling it for them.
And he goes and he's the one.
And so Peter has this vision ofunclean and unclean animals and
(29:13):
wrestles with that.
Based on his background, thingswere considered unclean and God
said don't you call anythingunclean that I've called clean.
And so, all of a sudden,cornelius, this Gentile, shows
up.
Peter has this realization thatthe gospel is for all those who
have chosen to follow God, eventhis Gentile Roman soldier.
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So there's a turning point inthe book of Acts for Peter.
But I love it because, evenbefore all of this happened, the
focus is on the fact thatCornelius was someone who was
dedicated to God and he prayed,he showed it, he modeled it, so
(29:57):
much so that an angel came tohim.
Because it matters.
It matters what you teach yourkids.
It does, it always has.
We allow so many things to getin the way of building a solid
foundation and then we wonderwhy the world is the way that it
(30:24):
is.
You know, the biggest thingthat concerns me in my life is
my kids.
You know, the biggest thingthat concerns me in my life is
my kids.
I want my kids to follow Godwholeheartedly.
I want to teach my kids that,even if they have to lose their
life for the sake of the gospel.
(30:45):
It's worth it.
How do you teach that to a kid?
Man Sounds nuts right.
But I think how you model itmatters.
Are you willing to sacrifice?
Are you willing to go thedistance?
Are you willing to prioritizeGod over everything?
(31:08):
Or is this just something youdo on occasion because you have
nothing else to do?
I'm not saying being in churchis a bad thing it's the opposite
, actually but how you live fromSunday to Sunday matters,
because your kids are watchingyou, what they get downstairs.
I love Jesse Birch man.
(31:28):
Jesse's our youth pastor.
He's a phenomenal guy,incredibly wise.
Now they get married, excitedfor him, his future.
He does amazing things.
All the people who volunteerdownstairs I know Marian goes
down there.
John, we have wonderful peoplethat go down there.
Glenda, we have wonderfulpeople downstairs.
They teach your kids amazingthings.
It's awesome.
It's so much fun.
(31:49):
Sometimes I think I'd rather bedownstairs because they get a
snack and I never get a snackduring church and that's not
fair, but it is whatever.
But we have people who are herededicated to teaching kids
about God.
But it comes back to you.
I do want that Slim Jim, butI'm not going to eat that right
(32:10):
now.
I appreciate that, but it allcomes back to you.
What are you teaching your kids?
Does church matter, does arelationship with God matter,
and are you someone who justgives lip service to it, or are
you actually living it out theway that you're supposed to?
Proverbs 20, verse 7, says therighteous who walks in his
(32:32):
integrity and blessed are Hischildren after Him.
It's all about living for Jesus.
It's all about modeling what itlooks like to follow after Him.
Seeing it at home, researchproves, is the best way to
(32:55):
ensure that your kids willfollow Christ.
I love going out to camp, butalmost always I can tell the
kids who come from aChrist-centered home and the
ones who don't Behavior'sdifferent.
You know what?
(33:17):
How they view themselves isdifferent.
I've learned that how they viewthemselves is different Because
if they don't have someonetelling them how much Jesus
loves them, if they don't haveparents modeling for them what
it means to be gracious andforgiving, and if they're
overrun by the world and thelies of this world, you see that
(33:39):
in them and they come out tocamp and they get a small window
of hope and then you pray forthem because you have no idea
what they're going home to.
So think about that.
Not even your kids.
What about the friends of yourkids?
(33:59):
What do they see when they comein your house?
That matters you might be theonly Jesus they ever see.
What if God has put you intheir life to model that for
them?
What if you're supposed tobring their parents to an
understanding of who Jesus is?
What if your ministry is notjust in your home but in your
(34:21):
neighbor's home?
What is your foundation?
Does it matter enough to you toprioritize?
Because foundation matters.
(34:41):
And if you're not setting agood foundation for your kids,
it is Because if they're notlearning about Jesus from you,
they're learning about somethingelse, from somebody else.
I guarantee that, man, thestuff.
My kids come home sometimes andtell me they've learned and
they've heard from their friends, and I'm like, okay, let's talk
(35:06):
about that.
In the book of Joshua, israelhas made a lot of mistakes.
They've done a lot of weirdthings.
They've fallen away, they'velost track of their faith.
They've, you know, got involvedwith other cultures and
worshipped other gods that theyweren't supposed to, and a whole
lot of bad has come with it.
(35:27):
And so Joshua comes along, andJoshua's determined that he's
going to live differently.
Right, they find the book ofthe law and they read it and
they understand it and they tryto process it and obviously it's
a call of conviction, but it'salso this reminder of who God is
(35:50):
.
And Joshua 24, 15, when he'sstanding in front of the house
and I love this, and if you'veever been in anyone's house who
follows Jesus, this is on thewall in their house, or should
be.
And if not, go to Hobby Lobby.
It's there, but I think it'simportant and I don't want to
downplay that at all.
But Joshua 24, 15 says but ifserving the Lord seems
(36:12):
undesirable to you, then choosefor yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the godsyour ancestors served beyond the
Euphrates or the gods of theAmorites in whose land you are
living.
He says but as for me and myhousehold, we will serve the
(36:32):
Lord.
He's saying listen, you canfollow whoever you want, but me
and my house, we follow God.
Don't mistake that, don'tconfuse that.
When you come in my house, youwill find I pray, you find that
(36:56):
the most important house person,our home, is God Doesn't mean
we're perfect by any means, butI will teach my kids to follow
God because it's the only thingthat lasts forever.
It's the only thing thatmatters.
It's the only foundation worthbuilding.
(37:16):
If God blesses them with thoseother things, so be it.
It's his choice, but if my kidsgrow up, it's my responsibility
to show them what matters most.
God matters more than anything,and my prayer is that they take
(37:39):
that into their homes,generation after generation
after generation.
You know the research is rough,for how to lose generation.
When church becomes optionalfor you, it becomes unnecessary
for your kids.
I think the reverse is true,though.
(38:01):
When church and therelationship with God is the
most important thing to you, itbecomes the most important thing
to your kids, above sports,above money, above all of it,
because, at the end of the day,god is only going to ask you if
you knew who Jesus was.
That's it, that's the solution,that's the answer.
(38:26):
If your foundation is built onhim, everything else will
crumble, but not Him thatmatters.
All right, let's pray, god.
We thank you still.
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