Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

Our lives are short. Our time on earth is like a breath. We are like grass; here for just a season.

Psalm 144:3, 4

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.

But some aspects of our lives will live beyond us into future generations.

The psalmist described children as being like arrows. In our children and grandchildren, we project our influence, our legacy into the future.

Psalm 127:3, 4

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.

We are all leaving a legacy of some sort.

And some of our legacy will be lived out by our children.

Raising children is one of the most difficult, time and money consuming, and challenging things a person will do in life.

The truth is some of the things our children will inherit both good and bad things from us. Like red hair, but susceptible to freckles and skin cancer.

The truth is that the environment that we set at home, the things that we tech our children, the life that we model to our children will set the course for the rest of their lives.

The things we do with our children and the way we live will impact their lives and their future. That's an awesome responsibility.

We can all look back to the way we were raised and the environment of our homes and see why we are the way we are today - some good, some bad.

I know this about us all, we all want a better future for our children.

The way to a better future is to focus on the present.

What's the environment of your house?

Chaotic? Raised voices? Conflict?

Distracted? Always television, games? Little conversation and connection?

Absent? Never home? Always running?

Secretive? Secret sins?

Home? Connection? Peace? Refuge?

Home environments mirror the hearts of the parents.

How can you change the environment of your home?

-Leave space for conversation and connection

-Limit TV and game time

-Eat dinner together every chance you get - at least a few times a week

-Talk over dinner

-Have a scheduled game night

-Model the environment you want for your family

Their are no perfect families.

But there are families who are intentional about honoring God with their homes and applying the wisdom of The Scriptures to their home life.

Raising a family is hard. The OT has more bad examples than good.

Adam's Family - adam chose Eve over God. Adam's family began with blame and ended in murder.

Abraham's family - Abraham pretends that Sarah is his sister. Later Abraham has a child with another woman.

Isaac's family - Isaac loves his son Esau more than his other son, Jacob. His wife Rebekah, loves Jacob more than Esau. The Mom and Jacob plot against Esau and daddy and eventually Jacob has to run away.

Jacob's family - Jacob has thirteen kids with four different women. Jacob favored one son over the others, those other brothers threw him down a well, sold him to slavery and then told their father he was dead.

1 Samuel 3:1-14

Eli was a priest and his sons ministered as priests. But they made people's offerings about them instead of about God. Eli threatened, but did very little. God gave warning, spelled out the consequences for their disobedience and then disciplined them.

Modeling will always win out over instruction. Your children will always pick up what you do and how you speak over what you tell them to do.

If your home is sick with disrespect, be respectful

If your home is sick with yelling, calm down, control your tone

If your home is sick with secrets, get them out in the open, deal with them

If your home is sick with misdirection, take charge

If your home is sick with distractions, limit the distractions and focus on connection

No one impacts the life of a child like mom and dad.

Intentionally or unintentionally, we build into our children's lives or take away.

GPA is important, competition is good, but no one looks back on sports or academics as to where their problems originated.

We are so intentional about so many things involving our kids.

What about the kind of people they need to be?

How have you helped build their character and faith to face the challenges that life will bring?

Parenting is so challenging. It may be the greatest responsibility of our lives.

Be intentional about the environment of your home - it's a reflection of you - and it will set the direction of your child's life.

The new year reminds us of a new start

Colossians says that God has canceled the written code that was against us.

He has nailed it to the cross. Meaning that Jesus' sacrifice took it away.

We no longer stand under its charge. The charges against us have been dropped.

Colossians 2:13, 14

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Not only were the charges against us dropped, our sin and guilt have been taken away.

1 John 1:8, 9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

He set us free - free from having to follow the OT Law that we were unable to keep, free from condemnation, free from the sin that had kept us in bondage.

Romans 6:17, 18

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

God made us alive

Ephesians 2:4, 5

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

When Paul considered the difference that Jesus has made in our lives, he said, we are something entirely brand new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Happy new year? How about your new life, your new freedom, the grace, mercy and forgiveness of God that is new every morning.

What do we do with this new life?

Paul was taking stock of his life in Philippians. He remembered his past achievements and said - they're garbage. I want to know Christ and be like him.

Philippians 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Forget what lies behind

Focus on the goal to win the prize

Ask The Lord. He has done all this for a purpose in your life.

We find our purpose when we join God in His purpose.

God's purpose for you will always involve glorifying Him, loving and serving others, and pointing people to Jesus Christ.

For generations, the Israelites only knew God from afar.

The Lord's presence was with them in the tabernacle and in the temple.

But they could not enter into God's presence

They were physically separated by heavy curtains

Spiritually, they were separated from God because of their sins.

People longed for God, but He was out of their reach.

The tabernacle and the temple were a foreshadowing of God's plan.

700 years before Jesus was born, God promised through the prophet Isaiah that a son would be born to a virgin and would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us".

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

We sing a Christmas carol called

O Come, O Come Immanuel

O come, O come Immanuel

and ransom captive Israel

who mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel

The song speaks comfort to Israel.

Israel had been exiled and was captive to foreign kings.

Even in her exiled and captive state, she could rejoice in the promise of God that He was coming.

Instead of mourning, she could rejoice because of Immanuel, God with us

Matthew 1:18-23

God promised that He Himself would come.

Immanuel, God with us

The eternal God, came to be with and live among men.

In Jesus, God is with us.

He is the one we longed for.

He is the long-awaited Messiah

He is the promised Savior

We long for forgiveness from God, we have forgiveness in Jesus

We long for acceptance from God, we are adopted into his family in Jesus

We long for purpose from God, in Jesus we are ambassadors

We long for God to know us, Jesus is our great high priest

We long for God's help in struggle, Jesus said he'd be with us to the end

We long for God's unconditional, stubborn love; in Jesus we experience God's deep love for us

He is all we need.

We can be with God, near God in Jesus Christ.

Jesus prayed for his followers in John 17

John 17:24

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

He prayed that we might see his glory and to love him

I pray this Christmas that we would be able to see Jesus in all his fullness

And to love him and all that we find in him

Not a half-hearted love, but a deep love, from God

Prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.

Remember that what you long for has come in Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness; acceptance; purpose; help in struggle; wide, long, deep and high love

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - Charles Wesley

Come, Thou long expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free

From our fears and sins release us

Let us find our rest in Thee

Israel's strength and consolation

Hope of all the earth Thou art

Dear desire of every nation

Joy of every longing heart

Gen 25:24-26 Jacob is born a deceiver, a schemer

Gen 25:27-43 Jacob schemes his brother, Esau, out of his birthright

Gen 27:1-40 Jacob deceives his father, Isaac and took Esau's blessing

Gen 27:41-28:9 Jacob flees Esau and starts his journey to Haran to seek a wife

Gen 28:10-15 Jacob has a dream of a stairway to heaven. God passes the promise of Abraham and Isaac to Jacob

Gen 28:16-22 Jacob's response to God's promise: "If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey... then the Lord will be my God."

Gen 29-30 Jacob marries and starts a family

Gen 31 Jacob heads back home

Gen 32 Jacob prepare to meet Esau from whom he stole his birthright and his fathers blessing

Gen 32:22-26

God could have overpowered Jacob at any time

Why doesn't he?

God was merciful, patient and kind to Jacob

God revealed to Jacob that He was the Source of all Jacob's success, not Jacob's own striving.

Jacob's story is true of us all.

We all go through times when we wrestle with God for control of our lives.

When we fight with God, we cannot win

Yet, Gods goal is not to overpower us, but to help us move from reliance upon self to reliance upon him

So that after all our striving, we can finally say, I trust you

We all have to answer the question, who do I trust to be in charge of my life?

Me or God?

We may have grown up with God, but He's not really been our God.

We all have to decide for ourselves, will I follow God?

God mercifully, patiently, kindly deals with us - wrestles with us

He willingly restrains his hand

We wrestle with Him, struggle with him over control over our lives

God does not want to overpower us, but wants us to yield to him, to willingly submit not only to his authority, but also in trust of who he is.

It may have been the loss of a loved one

It may be that live is not turning out like you hoped

Gen 32:27-32

This is the turning point - the 180 - in Jacob's life

Jacob's the old nature remains, but its power is broken.

He is a new creature and needs a new name

He gets it from Him who can name men, because

1) He sees the heart's depths, and because

2) He has the right over them.

To impose a name is the sign of 3) authority, 4) possession, 5) insight into character.

The change of name indicates a new epoch in a life, or a transformation of the inner man.

Gen 35:1-4; 14-15

God is powerful and sovereign

Yet with us, he is gentle, patient, and merciful

He patiently waits for us to turn to him

Do you trust him?

Maybe that was an easy question for you before

But as life has changed, it has become a difficult question.

Do you trust him?

He is powerful and sovereign

And gentle, patient, and merciful

Gen 25:24-26 Jacob is born a deceiver, a schemer

Gen 25:27-43 Jacob schemes his brother, Esau, out of his birthright

Gen 27:1-40 Jacob deceives his father, Isaac and took Esau's blessing

Gen 27:41-28:9 Jacob flees Esau and starts his journey to Haran to seek a wife

Gen 28:10-15 Jacob has a dream of a stairway to heaven. God passes the promise of Abraham and Isaac to Jacob

Gen 28:16-22 Jacob's response to God's promise: "If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey... then the Lord will be my God."

(He asks for food, clothes, and a safe journey).

Jacob's faith is weak, but God is patient and will prove that He can be trusted

Gen 29:1-14 Jacob arrives in Haran and meets Rachel

Gen 29:15-30 Jacob works for seven years to marry Rachel, but is deceived by Laban and Jacob marries both Rachel and Leah.

God allows polygamy in some OT stories, but it ALWAYS causes trouble.

God's design is a man and a woman in marriage.

Jacob's love for Rachel - he worked for her for 14 years.

He had a devoted love for her.

He had a self-sacrificing love for her

Jacob will become Israel, the father of the 12 tribes.

His devoted, self-sacrificing love for Rachel is a foreshadowing of Jesus' devoted, self-sacrificing love for his people.

Genesis 29:31-35 - Leah's children

"the Lord saw Leah." Reuben - sounds like "he has seen my misery"

Simeon - "one who hears"

God knows our struggles, our pain.

He sees. He hears. He cares for you

God demonstrated his love for Jacob by being with him when he was afraid.

God is demonstrating his love to Leah by blessing her with children when she was hurt.

Genesis 30:1-8 - Rachel tries to earn what she already has

Why is Rachel so upset about not having children?

She's insecure. She's competitive, jealous.

She's afraid Jacob will love Leah more.

So she works, and schemes, and strives to make Jacob love her.

Did she have to work to earn Jacob's love?

No, he demonstrated his love for her by working for 14 years.

She was trying to earn what she already had.

And it made a mess of her family.

She couldn't just accept Jacobs love for her.

We can have the same problem with God.

God loved us before we had done anything

Ephesians 1:3-6

In love, he predestined us for adoption

He chose us to be holy and blameless

We can know in our heads that God loves us and accepts us, but don't really believe it in our hearts.

When we live like this, we're trying to earn the unearnable.

You're trying to earn Gods grace and favor.

1) you believe you can earn God's favor - arrogant

2) you believe you cannot earn his love and come to believe we'll never have it.

The truth is, if you have faith in Jesus, you already have God's love and acceptance.

You could do nothing to earn it.

In his grace - his undeserved favor - he loved you.

If you're striving to be loved, accepted, significant, you are not receiving Gods love for you.

John Newton, the reformed slave trader who came to Christ spectacularly in a storm that almost took his life, and later wrote the hymn, Amazing Grace, said once, "My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior."

I can tell you in my own life, that I am a great sinner. The longer I live, the more sin I find. Not just more sin, but deeper sin. I find that sin has had a corrupting effect on my mind, my heart, my desires.

There is a constant pull within me away from God and toward selfishness.

But, since I have become a believer, God has begun to show me the devastating effect of sin in my life.

And now, he is restoring what has been twisted and broken in me.

We are talking about the impact that Jesus has in lives - not just the moment of salvation, which is glorious and impacts our destinies, but also the way that Jesus saves ALL of our lives.

He is transforming our lives - to undo the effects of sin in our lives and restore us to what God had intended all along - to make us more like Him.

We are going to talk about Jacob, the son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham.

Jacob was a twin. his brother, Esau was born first.

Jacob was born a schemer, a deceiver. Gen 25:25-26

The birthright belonged to Esau, but Jacob schemed him out of it. Gen 25:29-31

In Gen 27 – the account of Jacob impersonating Esau to steal his father’s blessing – Jacob schemed and took his blessing.

Why does Jacob scheme – he wants to get ahead.

He is selfish. He doesn’t mind hurting other people, and lying to get what he wants.

He has no faith that he’ll be taken care of – his brother would receive his father’s estate.

He would be mostly left out.

He operated in fear – not in faith.

We operate out of fear all the time – we all have fears – fears that our children won’t do well, fear of being alone, fear of not having the money we’ll need, fears that people won’t like us.

Your fears reveal the areas in your life where you do not trust God.

Your fears drive you to take on yourself the things that God wants to do in your life.

What was Jacob’s fear? What did he do with it”

Isaac told Jacob not to intermarry with the Canaanites (Gen 28:2), likely because they worshipped different gods. He told him to go to Paddan Aram, where his mother was from, north of Beersheba where they lived, in Mesopotamia.

Jacob would take this journey as a young man to find a wife.

Big and scary trip – as a young man, he stayed around his father’s tents, now he would take a journey far away.

At this point, God had not revealed himself to Jacob.

Genesis 28:10-22

vv. 10-11

vv. 12 – Stairway – a bridge between heaven and earth – between God and Jacob.

This was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ – he would be the bridge between heaven and earth – between God and man. The mediator between God and men. The OT is full of foreshadowing God’s plan to redeem us.

Here, the meaning is God was offering to be Jacob’s God. He would send his angels as ministers to Jacob.

vv. 13-15 – God’s promise to bless and work through Abraham passed to his son Isaac. It would now pass from Isaac to Jacob.

God promised:

1. Multitude of descendants

2. All people would be blessed by him (Jesus would be one of his descendants)

3. God would be with him

4. God would protect him

The gods of this day were local deities, supposedly having rule over certain areas.

God rules over all the areas of your journey.

vv. 16-19 – Jacob recognized that he had met God.

He set up his rock-pillow as a memorial of worship and consecrated it with oil – like an offering.

vv. 20-22 – IF you will be with me, protect me, give me food and clothes, and return me to my father, THEN you will be my God, and I will give you a tithe.

Even though God revealed himself to Jacob spectacularly, he still did not trust God.

He was worried about having food and clothing.

He will continue to scheme to gain and to protect his stuff.

He does not yet trust God.

Jacob – “you are the God of my father and grandfather, but I’m not sure you’re my God.”

This is the journey that everyone of us must take.

Will I follow the faith of my parents or take some other way.

There is a deeper question here, do I trust God to watch over me and protect me or do I trust my own abilities?

Here’s the great grace of God. He SHOULD say, take it or leave it.

I am the only true God, where do you think everything in your life has come from – ME!

You are the one that cannot be trusted, I am known as “the faithful one.”

God, in his grace and patience, goes on the journey with us, willingly proving His goodness to us.

What areas of your life do you fear? Lack of money? Fear for your children? Fear of loneliness? Fear of rejection? You are trying to do it all on your own and it’s getting worse.

If you are not turning to the Lord in those areas, they are driving you to do crazy things.

God offers to go on the journey with you. “Trust me, I will take care of you and watch over you.”

Turn it over to him. Trust him. Let it go. Romans 14:23b, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

John 15:26, 27

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Jesus' plan: be with me, then tell others what you found.

D.T. Niles, a Sri Lankan evangelist, said evangelism is

One beggar telling another beggar where he can find bread.

Children usually come to Christ because of the faith of their parents

But when adults come to Christ, it is usually because a believer has loved them into the kingdom

What you do is more important than what you say

1. Drop your mask - Let people see your struggles - and the reason for your hope

2. Treat all people with respect - Be kind to the rude, love the unlovable, be a friend to someone without a friend. The world takes notice of people who love others - it is uncommon in the world

3. Find ways to bless and serve others - Put others first. shows you are not a phony, but that you live what you believe.

4. Escape the Christian subculture - be a friend to someone who doesn't look like you, think like you. Christians are not to be hermetically sealed until Jesus comes back. We are to be IN the world but not OF the world.

5. Be a model of forgiveness - the world struggles to forgive. The Christian should be. Don't hold grudges. Don't talk bad about people who talk bad about you. You've received

1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Shouldn't someone else do this?

Shouldn't someone older, wiser, holier, or at least a pastor?

Paul to the Corinthians: You don't have many fathers, I'm sending you a peer.

1 Corinthians 4:14-17

I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

My story

God forgave my sins

God saved my marriage

God gave me courage to be a better father

Talk to your coworkers.

Be a regular at the grocery store, gas station, coffee shop, a restaurant.

Get to know a few people.

Engage with them. Listen to them.

Pray for 2-3 people with struggles.

Ask God for an opportunity to tell them what He has done in your life

What happens when God's people are living out their new life and pointing other people to Him?

More lives are changed and God is glorified.

What is your faith story?

How has Jesus changed your life?

Where does God's plan to save us end? It doesn't. He is redeeming all areas and aspects of our lives.

He has forgiven my sins, gave me new hope and purpose, saved my marriage, helps me be a better father/mother, helps me be a better husband/wife, helped me forgive something I never thought I could, helps me love people, healed my brokenness...

1. Life Before:

• Before Christ: Focus on shared experiences (“Earlier in my life...”)

• False Beliefs: Focus on wrong beliefs (“I always thought...”)

2. Life Change:

• Truth Encounter: Focus on key gospel truths (“Then I discovered...”)

• Faith Response: Focus on turn, trust, surrender (“I trusted Jesus to...”)

3. Life Now:

• New life: Emphasize life changes (“Since I trusted in Jesus Christ...”)

Hebrews says that Jesus is "the author and finisher" of our faith. He is not through writing your story. The longer and farther you follow Jesus Christ, His salvation will affect and redeem more and more of your life. He is always adding new chapters to your faith story.

The OT teaches that God loves people

King David wrote about God's thoughts and care for man

Psalm 8:3, 4 ESV

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

These words are in stone over the doors of Emerson Hall, housing the department of philosophy at Harvard University.

David was moved that the mighty Sovereign of the universe and Creator of all think of us? Why does he care for us?

But Gods love for people is not just big, it's also very personal.

It is not just generic or a sense of goodwill to man in general, but a very personal love

Hagar, Sara's maidservant said, "you are the God who sees me"

When Moses asked God to show him his glory,

Exodus 34:6

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

The psalmist declares God's love lasts forever in his faithfulness

Psalm 136:1-3 ESV

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Hosea teaches that God's love is stubborn. He refuses to give up on His people, but promises to love them in spite of their sin. Like a bridegroom pursuing his bride.

Hosea 2:19 ESV

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.

Jeremiah declares that Gods love is everlasting. Even in punishment for sin, Gods love perseveres.

Jeremiah 31:2, 3 ESV

Thus says the Lord : “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."

In the New Testament, Gods love took on its fullest expression in Jesus Christ

Gods love expressed in the OT is fully demonstrated by Jesus in the NT

John 13:1-15

Vv. 1-3 - Jesus knew his time had come

He showed them the full extent of his love - or loved them to the end

What he was about to do was a final act of love to demonstrate to them Gods love for them.

He knew God had given him authority, that he came from God, and was returning to him.

Vv. 4-5 - it was customary for the host to have a slave wash the dust from the feet of his guests

washing of feet was the duty of the lowest level slave

Vv. 6-11 - as Peter watched Jesus wash the other's feet, he objected

This was out of order. The Master does not wash feet.

This was the duty of the least, not the greatest.

The disciples had argued who was the greatest among them

James and Johns mom asked if her boys could be the most prominent of Jesus followers

Jesus turned all this on its head when he taught that the one who serves is greatest

"Unless I wash your feet, you have no part with me"

Jesus probably meant both (1) that unless he washed Peters sins by his death on the cross, then Peter would have no relationship with him,

Gods love for people is a love willing to sacrifice for others - and to pay the ultimate sacrifice

Jesus' foot washing is a foreshadowing of Jesus' willingness to lay his life down out of love for us.

This was the demonstration of the full extent of his love.

The OT expression of Gods love: abounding, faithful, devoted, forgiving, stubborn, everlasting, infinite, gracious

Jesus demonstrated all of that and then he showed the supremacy of his love for us: Jesus willingly sacrificed everything for us

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friends"

(2) that unless Peter allowed Jesus to serve him, Peter would not learn humility

Jesus' foot washing is an example of service that we are supposed to follow.

If you want to follow Jesus, you will be a foot washer.

You will give yourself in service to other people

Love God? Love people.

Vv. 12-17 - wash others' feet

Jesus taught his disciples, if you're going to follow me, you will be servant to all.

You will sacrifice for others, demonstrating my love for people through your service.

It starts with showing an interest in someone outside of you and your family.

Get out of your house.

Pray for people.

Look around you, there are people who are struggling with loneliness, depression, despair, disappointment. Wash their feet by spending some time with them.