nelson's annual preacher's sourcebook, 2010 edition

Nelsons AnnualPreachers Sourcebook

Preacher's Sourcebook 2012.indd 1 8/18/2011 4:34:32 PM

Nelsons AnnualPreachers SourcebookVolume 1

Kent Spann and David Wheeler, Editors


2011 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promo-tional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations marked nkjv are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted kjv are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VER-SION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked nrsv are taken from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible. 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked gnt are taken from The Good News Translation. 1976, 1992 by The Ameri-can Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked hcsb are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (hcsb). 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked msg are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Typesetting by Gregory C. Benoit Publishing, Old Mystic, CT.

Spann, Kent and David Wheeler (ed.)

Nelsons annual preachers sourcebook, Volume 1.

ISBN 10: 1-4185-4896-0

ISBN 13: 978-1-4185-4896-4

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 rrd 12 11 10 09


CONTENTSIntroduction ix

2012 Contributors xivWorship Services xviiiPreaching Series xix

Weekly Sermon SuggestionsWeek 1 1Week 2 10Week 3 17Week 4 24Week 5 30Week 6 37Week 7 44Week 8 51Week 9 58Week 10 64Week 11 71Week 12 79Week 13 86Week 14 93Week 15 101Week 16 109Week 17 116Week 18 123Week 19 130Week 20 136Week 21 143Week 22 151Week 23 159Week 24 165Week 25 172Week 26 179


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Week 27 187Week 28 195Week 29 204Week 30 211Week 31 217Week 32 225Week 33 232Week 34 239Week 35 247Week 36 253Week 37 260Week 38 267Week 39 273Week 40 281Week 41 289Week 42 295Week 43 302Week 44 310Week 45 318Week 46 326Week 47 332Week 48 339Week 49 345Week 50 350Week 51 356Week 52 362

Funeral Sermons The Life More Than Meat! 368A Precious Departure 372When Life Falls Apart 375

Suggested Worship Services (Weeks 152) 378Extra Service 485Christmas Eve Communion Service 487


CONtENtS j Vii

Christmas Eve Service 489Baby Dedication Service 491

Sharpening Your Preaching Skills Preaching on the Family 493Preaching through a Book of the Bible 498

Shepherding Gods People Ministering To People In Special-Needs Situations 503Ministering in Times of Grief 508

Shepherding the Shepherd Working with Volunteers 512Leading by Faith 515

Heroes of the Faith Bob Russell 518Billy Sunday (18621935) 521

Special Occasion RegistriesBaby Dedication 525Baptisms and Confirmations 526Funeral Registration 527Funerals Log 528Marriage Registration 529Marriages Log 530Sermons Preached 531

Scripture Index by Week 533


iNtRODUCtiON j ix

INTRODUCTIONRecently, I (Kent Spann) did a funeral service where I actually rode with

the funeral director. It was a long drive, so there was plenty of time to talk and get acquainted. On the drive back, I decided to ask him how he got into the funeral business, and what he liked about it. His story was an interesting one. After he told his story, he turned to me and said he had a question that he had always wanted to ask a preacher. His question was simply this: How do you come up with sermons every week?

That was the question I had when I first started. As a young pastor, I had to produce three messages a week. Twenty-seven years later, I am closing in on my fifteen-hundredth sermon. I have certainly preached more times than that. That question still comes to mind.

One of the helps that I shared with the funeral director was sermon material like the book that you are holding in your hands. It is the reason that David Wheeler and I got involved in this project. It is why we spend the countless hours necessary to gather, edit, and compile the material you just purchased. We have a passion to help preachers like you. It is the reason that Thomas Nel-son Publishers keeps putting out new editions each year.

After a long, dry sermon, a minister announced that he wished to meet with the church board following the close of the service. The first man to ar-rive and greet the minister was a total stranger. You misunderstood my an-nouncement. This is a meeting of the board members, explained the minister. I know, said the man, but if there is anyone here more bored than I am, then Id like to meet him. We want to help Gods preachers produce dynamic mes-sages from the most exciting book in the entire world: the Bible.

New Format One of the things you will notice about this years volume is that it is not

tied to the calendar. There are 52 weeks of sermons, three each week. The rea-son for the new format is to make the book useable for the long haul. When you put a date on it, it becomes dated once the year has passed. We will be creating new volumes each year with different emphases.


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Each volume will still contain holiday sermons such as Christmas, New Years, and Easter. Instead of going by the date, look under Special Occasion Sermons in the table of contents for the holiday sermon you need. Each vol-ume will still contain worship services to help you put together a total service. Feel free to move the services to fit the sermon or week you need them. Finally, each volume will include funeral sermons to help you when you receive the call to preach a funeral sermon.

You will also notice also that we have added a longer second sermon. Now, in addition to the longer sermon, there is a medium sermon and a short ser-mon. We hope the addition of the longer second sermon will give you more material.

New FocusThis years volume will focus on preaching on the family. There are three

series: Faith in the Family, The Missional Family, and Single and Satisfied. In addition, there is a standalone short message in week 6. David Wheeler has prepared an article on the importance of preaching on family.

New MaterialAs always, there is new material by new preachers. I am delighted to wel-

come many new contributors whose material I think will really bless you. I am thrilled that Love Worth Finding ministries gave us permission to publish some of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers sermons. His preaching was so powerful.

Make It YoursDr. Rogers said on one occasion, when talking about using his sermon mate-

rial, that if you can fit it in your gun then shoot it. He wasnt saying take his message and preach it verbatim; he was saying take the material and make it your own. Put it in your words. Speak it in your congregations language. Fill it with your illustrations. Make your own applications.

That is what you need to do with this book. It is not a substitute for getting into the Word and hearing God. It is not an escape from the hard work of ser-mon preparation. It is a primer. Some of the sermons include personal stories


iNtRODUCtiON j xi

by the preachers. Replace their story with your story that is very much like theirs. You can also use their story by telling it from their viewpoint.

FeedbackDavid and I welcome your feedback. Some of it we can put into action. Some

of it we cannot do because of size limitations. You can reach David Wheeler at [email protected] and Kent Spann at [email protected].

You are the real heroes to David and me, and we so appreciate you. We are honored that you bought this book. May God use it to encourage and nourish you.

David Wheeler and Kent Spann

Editors


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ABOUT THE 2012 WORSHIP SERVICESThis section of the 2012 Preachers Sourcebook includes fifty-six separate or-

ders of worship: one for each of the fifty-three calendar Sundays for 2012, two Christmas Eve services, and a service for baby dedication. Included are sug-gestions of choice songs for worship, an order of worship, time for greeting, time for prayer, and appropriate scriptures for almost every week of the year.

FormatThe format varies for each service order. Each service can be used indepen-

dently according to need or in its entirety as one service. Six elements are included with each worship service: (1) each worship service has an opening song, Scripture, or call to worship; (2) included with each service is a song or worship set to be used during a welcome or time of greeting; (3) each service includes a time for intercessional prayer, followed by a song or worship set; (4) an invitation or call for response is included with each service; (5) each service includes a song or worship set to be used during the time of offering or wor-ship through giving; and (6) each order includes an optional concluding song to be sung after the benediction.

Song SelectionsSong selections for the worship services do not follow any particular stylistic

preference, be it either contemporary or traditional. Rather, worship services are designed according to the Scriptural idea, theme, or subject. Most songs selected for use are taken from a list of well known hymns and gospel songs, and these songs are songs of encouragement, theology, invitation, dedication, or faith. Stylistically, every effort is taken to make the services practical and broad enough for use by the entire evangelical community.

Scripture ReadingsScripture readings are written for use by small readers theatre teams or the

congregation with the worship pastor. A variety of Biblical translations and paraphrases are identified as follows: kjv (King James Version); ncv (New Century Version); nlt (New Living Translation); nasb (New American Stan-


iNtRODUCtiON j xi i i

dard Bible); The Message; nkjv (New King James Version); and hcsb (Holman Christian Standard Bible).

Worship SetsWorship sets are grouped into one, two, three, or four songs. Most song se-

lections are organized by key relationships, theme compatibility, and function.

ResourcesResources for song selection primarily include The Baptist Hymnal (2008),

The Celebration Hymnal (1997), Red Tie Music (redtiemusic.com), The Songs for Praise and Worship Series, LifeWayWorship.com, worshipideas.com, and Praisecharts.com. Most songs used for these order of services are taken from the new Baptist hymnal (nbh), also known as The Baptist Hymnal (2008).

Several newer songs are used in the service orders. Take advantage of your churchs resources, such as the praise team, small ensembles, or the choir, to teach new songs. It is good to take time to teach new songs ahead of time. And it is suggested that, when teaching these songs, the worship leader take an op-portunity to have the congregation sit during the learning process. Once the congregation is familiar with the new songs, invite them to stand, participate, and worship.

Finally, may God bless you as you use these worship services to facilitate worship in your fellowship. May you worship the Lord in all of His fullness.

Enthusiastically His,

Vernon M. Whaley, Ph.D.


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2012 CONTRIBUTORS

Rev. Brian BillSenior Pastor of Pontiac Bible Church in Pontiac, Illinois, where I have served

for eleven years. I have written several articles for various websites and newspapers, along with two evangelistic tracts. I am also a Featured Contributor at SermonCen-tral.com. Full-text sermon manuscripts are posted at www.pontiacbible.org.

Dr. Bill Bright (19212003)Founded Campus Crusade for Christ, the worlds largest Christian ministry.

His booklet The Four Spiritual Laws has been printed in 200 languages and distributed to more than 2.5 billion people. He also produced the Jesus film, which has been viewed by more than 5.1 billion people.

Dr. Jimmy DraperDr. Jimmy Draper, Former President of Lifeway Christian Resources, Nash-

ville, TN.

Dr. Bill ElliffDirectional Pastor of The Summit Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

He is a frequent conference speaker, writer, and consultant to churches, draw-ing from his forty-plus years of pastoring and revival ministry.

Dr. Duane FloroCurrently serves as Ministry Evangelism Strategist for the State Convention

of Baptists in Ohio. Previously, he pastored churches in Kentucky, West Vir-ginia, Indiana, Arizona, and Oklahoma.

Rudy HernandezFounder of Rudy Hernandez Evangelism, Inc. He has represented World

Ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention on special preaching-teaching missions around the world.


2012 CONtRiBUtORS j x V

Junior HillAuthor and world-renowned evangelist. He has conducted over 1,700 reviv-

als and numerous foreign crusades.

Rev. David HirschmanAssociate Dean, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Online Programs.

Victor LeeVictor Lee is a Christian journalist and Minister of Single Adults at First

Baptist Concord in Knoxville, TN.

Dr. Richard LeeFounding Pastor of First Redeemer Church in Atlanta Georgia, with over

5,000 members. He is also the speaker for Theres Hope America radio and television ministry.

Dr. Larry LewisPastor of First Southern Baptist Church, San Diego. He also serves on the

staff of the Mission America Coalition as National Facilitator of Denomina-tional Ministries.

Rev. Robert MatzTeaching fellow and PhD student at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has pas-

tored churches in Virginia and Texas, as well as serving on two church staffs in Tennessee.

Dr. James MerrittSenior pastor of Cross Point Church near Atlanta, Georgia, and host of the

television broadcast Touching Lives. He also was the President of the South-ern Baptist Convention from 20002002.

Dr. Calvin MillerResearch Professor and Distinguished Writer in Residence, Beeson Divinity

School. Artist and author of over forty books.


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Dr. Karl Ray MinorSenior Pastor of Becks Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC since

2002,and the Research Assistant for Clayton Carnall World-Wide Ministries, Inc.

Dr. Doug MuntonSenior Pastor of First Baptist Church, OFallon, IL since 1995. Author of

Warriors in Hiding: The Surprising People God Chooses and Uses and Seven Steps to Becoming a Healthy Christian Leader.

Dr. Phil NewtonSenior Pastor of South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis since 1987. He is

the author of Elders in Congregational Life(Kregel, 2005), co-author of Con-duct Gospel-Centered Funerals(with Brian Croft; Day One Publications, 2011), and co-author of Venturing All upon God: The Piety of John Bunyan(with Rog-er Duke; Reformation Heritage Books, forthcoming), as well as contributor to other books and journals.

Dr. Dean RegisterFounder and Sr. Pastor of Crosspoint Community Church in Hattiesburg,

MS. Author of Romans: Gods Amazing Grace and contributor to The New Quest Study Bible.

Dr. Dwight Ike ReighardSenior Pastor of Piedmont Church in Marietta, Georgia, and author of

three books.

Dr. Mark RobertsSenior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a retreat center

and multifaceted renewal ministry in the Texas Hill Country. Formerly, he was Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church for sixteen years, as well as an adjunct professor for Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also author of several books.


2012 CONtRiBUtORS j x Vii

Dr. Adrian Rogers (19312005)The legendary pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church from 1979 to 2005. Under

his leadership, Bellevue grew from 9,000 to more than 30,000. His messages are still heard on Love Worth Finding.

Ruth SchenkA writer for the faith-based newspaper, The Southeast Outlook, of the

Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Bailey SmithFounder and president of Bailey Smith Ministries. He is a former pastor and

author of several books including the best seller Real Evangelism.

Dr. Bryan E. SmithSenior pastor of the 3,500 member First Baptist Church in Roanoke, Vir-

ginia. In addition to his role as a pastor, Dr. Smith has served in numerous positions of responsibility at both the state and national levels of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dr. Kent SpannPastor of the Highland Baptist Church in Grove City and co-editor of Nel-

sons Annual Preachers Sourcebook.

Dr. Jerry SuttonDean and Vice President of Academics at Midwestern Baptist Theological

Seminary. He has ministered as Senior Pastor for 31 years, and is the author of three books. His latest book is A Primer on Biblical Preaching.

Dr. David L. ThompsonSenior pastor of the North Pointe Community Church, which he started

in 1999.


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Rick WarrenFounding Pastor of 20,000 member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,

California. His wildly popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, has sold more than 30 million copies, making it the top selling hardcover book of all time.

Dr. Vernon WhaleyDirector of the Liberty University Center for Worship, and Chairman of

the Department of Worship and Music Studies in Lynchburg Virginia.

WORSHIP SERVICES

Dr. David Wheeler Professor of Evangelism, Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theologi-

cal Seminary, Lynchburg, VA, and co-editor of the Nelsons Annual Preachers Sourcebook.


PREACHiNG SERiES j xix

PREACHING SERIESMany of the messages are placed in series. Series offer many advantages. First,

they assist the preacher in planning and preparation. Second, they build conti-nuity for the audience. Third, they help the worship leader plan the upcoming worship services. Fourth, if you use powerpoints, visual aids, or notes, you can create a visual aid for the series instead of one for each individual message.

The user is free to preach individual sermons out of the series, change the order of the sermons, select another time of the year, and change the title of the series.

The Missional Family (Week 15)The Missional Family Series is designed to lead families into self-examina-

tion and exploration of five aspects of Christian living that can guide them into missional living. A missional family will be thankful, and the result of living thankfully with right priorities and right purpose that are rooted in the Word will be holy living. If God aligns your family with the truths contained here, you will be On Mission!

Family Matters (Week 19)Family matters to God, so matters of the family are important to God. This

series looks at some of the things that matter, such as fidelity, growing in mar-riage, parenting, and being the mother and father God intended.

Obey Anyway (Week 710)There are times that we are pumped and ready to go, while there are other times

when we really dont want to take the next step. In this series, Dr. Dean Register reminds us that, even when we dont feel like obeying, we need to obey anyway.

Single and Satisfied (Week 1619)This series speaks to an often overlooked group of people in the church:

singles. Their needs are special, especially widows. Dr. Karl Minor shines the light of Gods Word on this very important group of people.


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The Gospel Truth (Week 1028)The gospel was under assault in Galatia. Paul masterfully defends the doc-

trine of justification by faith and his apostleship in this book that is sometimes called Pauls mini-Romans. This nineteen-week series will take your congrega-tion on an exciting journey through Galatians.

Enough (Week 3134)Believers live in two worlds: the kingdom of this world, and the kingdom

of our God. Paul teaches us in Colossians 3 how to live with this dual citizen-ship in such a way that the heavenly kingdom is brought to earth through us. In this series, Dr. Bill Elliff shows us how Gods kingdom can come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven in our personal lives, our churches, and our homes.

The Forgotten Kingdom (Week 3537)Christs first public message announced the entrance of a new kingdom. To

experience its fullness, we must learn how to enter the kingdom, live passion-ately for the kingdom, and share the kingdom with others. Join Dr. Bill Elliff, as he shows you how to enter, live, and share the kingdom.

He is Jehovah (Week 3843)There is no greater subject to occupy the mind than to consider the person

of God. One of the special names for God is Jehovah. The name Jehovah is often attached with a powerful descriptor revealing His character. In this six part series, you will look at some of those important names.

Reluctant Prophet, Sovereign Lord: Jonah (Week 3342)If ever there was a reluctant prophet, it was Jonah. God had a plan to use this

reluctant prophet. Join Dr. Phil Newton as he mines the riches of Jonah. You will see the greatness of our God.


PREACHiNG SERiES j x xi

A Theology of Christmas (Weeks 4952)Theology is the study of God, His attributes, and His activities. In this

Christmas series by Dr. Jerry Sutton, you will find a unique opportunity to explain how, why, and in what ways God relates to humanity.


WEEK 1 j 1

WEEK 1Series: Married with Children

The Biblical Model for the FamilyProverbs 22:6By Dr. David Wheeler

IntroductionThink about it: if you wanted to destroy a building, would you not aim your

most destructive blows at the foundation? In a very direct manner, that is ex-actly what Satan has been doing to the family for many years.

Faith Runs in the FamilyPastors and church leaders are often guilty of overlooking the fact that God

created the family before He created the church. In fact, I believe it was Gods intent all along that ones faith should be passed along generational lines. Con-sider what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:6, 7

From this passage, it is obvious that God places a high value on the family. Imagine for a moment what it would have been like to live in a home that host-ed several generations of the same family. This concept of passing biblical faith to the third and the fourth generations becomes much more understandable when you consider that parents and grandparents shared meals and performed daily tasks together.

From birth, children in households like this learned the stories and doc-trines of faith while sitting around the dinner table each evening and by work-


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ing in the fields daily with older family members. In doing so, children learned to both love God and to love others with all of their hearts!

This cycle of biblical mentoring was repeated as new generations came along. As a result, we still talk about movements of God from thousands of years ago. Even with the advent of the Church in the New Testament, as it was in the days of Moses in Deuteronomy, I believe that family remains the foundation from which to build.

Restoration of the Godly FamilyRaise up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not

depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). In a day where the family has deteriorated and the church is losing its influence on society, this simple passage holds sev-eral profound keys to restore the family back to the purpose for which God originally intended. The question is whether or not we are willing to do what it takes. There are four main points:

1. The Imperative of the home and family. The phrase, to raise up is not written as a suggestion. Rather, it is a command that has three very descrip-tive meanings. A. It means to put something sweet in the mouth of babes. One of the

responsibilities of the home is to create a positive impression related to faith. However, we are not talking about compromising biblical faith in order to make it easy for a child to believe. On the contrary, like a child who is unwilling to give up a candy bar because it is so fulfilling, this phrase instructs parents to teach their children that God and faith are never to be abandoned.

B. It means to build an altar. At this point, it is worth noting that it is significant for the writer of Proverbs to use a phrase in reference to the family that reflects back to the Jewish temple. After all, the temple was considered to be the highest and holiest place in Jewish society. Could it be that God is placing the family at the same level? That everything one brings into the home is to be placed on an altar as if it were an offering to God? I believe so!


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C. Finally, the phrase also means to dedicate. This is another meaning that comes from the temple. The process of dedication was evoked every time the priests would prepare the holiest of holies for a time of sacrifice. They would purify the temple and everything in the temple as a symbolic practice of honoring Gods holiness. After all, when they laid down the offering, God was expected to show up.

Lets compare this to the home. If the home is to be a place of daily wor-ship as well, should it not also be representative of Gods holiness? Thus, everything one watches on tv, along with every word and attitude, is to be scrutinized under the same expectation of purity. In other words, if our homes are to be places of worship, should we not treat it that way? The home and family need to be rededicated to God!

2. The initiation of the home and family. This comes from the reference to Raise up a Child.A. All too often, parents miss out on many of the most influential years of

a childs life because they are pursuing worldly things, such as acquiring a larger home, fancier car, or a more secure bank account. The truth is, there is nothing inherently wrong with nice thingsbut at what sacrifice? It seems that parents are spending way too much time away from home; paying other people to pour their values into their children. In turn, the parents buy their kids more stuff to fill the void.

The bottom line is, children dont need more stuff. What they desper-ately need is their parents willingness to be a spiritual mentor! If not, how will the next generation learn to follow Christ? True parenting begins when a child is a childregardless of the cost.

3. The instruction of the home and family. This comes from the reference to raise up a child in the way he should go. The key here is that parents have to instruct and discipline their children. Too many parents have bought into the approach that their child should be their friend.

There is also the unbiblical concept that a parent should allow children to do as they desire so that they can learn from their mistakes. Please note that the instruction from Proverbs says to lead a child in the way that he should go not would go. Parents have a responsibility to discipline their children!



4. The impressions of the home and family. Finally, keep in mind that when everything is said and done, all that is left are the impressions of the home and family. This comes from the reference, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

ConclusionThe bottom line is that, after children leave the home, the impressions,

both positive and negative, live on in the lives of future generations. In oth-er words, if a child is expected to not depart from (Proverbs 22:6) biblical teachings, then they must be modeled in the lives of the parents!

As the old saying goes, true lessons in life are usually caught more than taught. If all a child knows about following God is to go to church on Sun-days, dont be surprised when the child departs from the faith when he leaves the home. Real faith is a daily process of dying to self and fully surrendering to Christ!


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ADDITIONAL SERMONS AND LESSON IDEAS

The Missional Family Is Permeated by the Teachings of the WordDeuteronomy 6:19By Rev. Victor Lee

IntroductionThe family that lives on mission will start and end with the truth of the

Word of God. It will permeate the family. Gods Word will be the familys guiding light, its counsel, its statement of record, and its reference point.

Knowing the truth, and living by the truth, will cause your family to be a mis-sional family. Restated, a family living by the Word of God will be on mission.

The Call to Live According to the Word of God Is a Generational Call (Deut 6:2)

The phrase you and your son and your grandson commands us to look beyond ourselves to future generations, even to parallel generations of siblings and cousins. From your position within your immediate family, you can influ-ence other lines of the family and future generations.

The Call to Live According to the Word of God is a Call with a Reward (6:2, 3)

The passage reads, that your days may be prolonged and that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fa-thers has promised youa land flowing with milk and honey.

Our Father desires to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13). He wants to bless you as you pass on the blessings of His wisdom and truth and as the Holy Spirit moves through you and others to reach the next generation.



The Call to Live According to the Word of God Requires Steadfast, Intentional Thought and Effort (6:7)

You shall teach them diligently calls us to teach without fail. The Hebrew word translated diligently means sharp pointed, as in you shall zero in on the truth of the Word of God and focus the application where needed in your home! This understanding of diligence fits perfectly with the declaration in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword.

The Call to Live According to the Word of God is a Comprehensive Call (6:7, 8)

And shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. This passage tells us that we are to teach the Word of God in all situations.

The Word of God is always:

-Relevant-Applicable-Useful-Encouraging

The Call to Live According to the Word of God is a Specific Call to your Household (6:8)

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. God is saying in this verse that the Word of God is the lens through which you should see life! The home must establish the Word as the lens for each family member.

The Call to Live According to the Word of God is an Evangelistic Call (6:9)

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. What is written on the gates announces the standard of the home to passers-by. As they get closer, it is announced again, even on the door posts.


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ConclusionThe best thing we can do for our families is to teach and then live the Word

of God!



A God Blessed Nation2 Chronicles 7:1216Dr. Robert Matz

IntroductionIn 2 Chronicles 7:1216, it quickly becomes apparent that our nation needs

the blessings of God. America needs Gods blessing in order to:

1. Live (v. 13a)2. Be financially stable (v. 13b).3. Have physical and moral well-being in our nation (v. 13c).

How Can It Happen?

1. Gods blessing of America depends on Gods People (v. 14a). God will not change America until He changes us.

2. Gods blessing of America demands our humility (v. 14b).3. God will bless America as His People are developed through prayer (v.

14c).4. God will bless America when His People desire His presence (v. 14d).

Gods people must seek favor (bakash, Hebrew meaning to seek favor) by doing what God says in His Word.

5. God will bless America when His People are disgusted by their own sin (v. 14e). A God-blessed America is one where Christians return God.

What happens when we return to Him?

1. God hears us.2. God forgives us.3. God heals us personally and nationally.

God is waiting on us to get right with Him so He can heal our land.


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ConclusionGod wants to bless America. The only thing stopping God from blessing

America is us getting right with Him.


nelson's annual preacher's sourcebook, 2010 edition

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