WEBVTT 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:09.919 Hey, I'm Pastor Forrest, and welcome to the Multiply Church Podcast. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:15.439 Each week we open God's word together to help you meet God and multiply good in your everyday life. 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:18.879 We're so glad that you've taken time to join us for this week's sermon. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:24.079 And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss a message. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:27.120 Now, let's dive into this week's sermon. 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:33.679 I want you to imagine with me a moment of time. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:55.520 Some of you may have experienced this before or have yet to, but imagine yourself you're in a driveway, you're in an airport, at the security checkpoint, you're in a dorm room, and you're about to leave your son or daughter for them to begin life on their own. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:06.000 And they've got suitcases in hand, they're putting their suitcases into the Uber or about to put their suitcase on the conveyor belt, the TSA. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:21.760 And for those of you who have lived this moment before, and and there's many in the room that you haven't yet to live this moment, or maybe you have for some of your kids, but not all of them. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:33.040 If you if you if you picture this moment, I would imagine that there's a question that's going through your mind, which is Did I raise a good kid? 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:37.439 Has it been enough? 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.799 What are they carrying out from this home? 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.519 What are they carrying out from this house? 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:45.760 What's in their suitcases? 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:50.640 Literally, but then also what are they carrying out from your home and what they've learned? 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:57.840 Because at some point life is gonna hit them and those suitcases are gonna unzip and sometimes they're gonna get shaken out. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:26.960 And I imagine that you could be standing there in that moment with a lot of anxiety because a lot has been left up to luck or to chance, or in that moment, you could be standing there steady because you have worked a plan with the Lord and not outsource the formation of your children, but instead you've been intentional in your leadership and in your parenting. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:03:00.479 Ecclesiastes is a book that we've been going through in this series, and by no means is Ecclesiastes a parenting manual, but Ecclesiastes does give some warning labels for fathers in particular, of if you spend your life chasing temporal things, chasing smoke, you may at one point you'll look up and see that the home that you've built was not built in the purposes that God had for you and have for your kids. 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:13.439 Ecclesiastes, as we look through it, it's it's authored by the wisdom of King Solomon, who is uh uh no stranger to dysfunction as a child of King David. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:21.199 And in the first paragraph, in the last paragraph of Ecclesiastes, the author introduces this teacher to us. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:33.120 This teacher that's giving us this all this knowledge and wisdom about life, and it's some really straight-shooting, brash, and it's sometimes depressing wisdom about the nature of God. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:40.400 The teacher starts off the book by talking about that so much of life is meaningless. 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:43.439 This word meaningless is this Hebrew word heavel. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:44.879 Everybody say hevil. 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:49.599 And this word heavel, it has carries multiple connotations to it. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:04:03.439 It has the imagery of vapor or smoke or mist or things that are temporary, fleeting, a paradox, an enigma, even deception, hence the smoke and mirrors. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:14.960 And if we aren't careful, we'll build our lives and our meaning on things which are meaningless. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:28.959 And over the course of the book, this teacher gives us insight into several things that are good gifts from God in the midst of a heavily world where there's so much that's meaningless. 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:45.519 Last year, as I was studying this book of Ecclesiastes, I couldn't stop thinking about the people of our church and thinking about the men that were in our church and thinking about all the things that we do day to day, so many things that we do that ultimately lack meaning or eternal value. 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:54.800 But in this book, we see that there are good gifts that are given by the Creator that we should treasure and that we should build our lives upon. 00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:01.199 And here's the the list of these things, some which we've already heard some messages on the last couple of weeks. 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:17.360 The first one is good work, the second is a good wife, third is good family, a good meal and good friends, a holy fear of the Lord and to keep his commandments. 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:22.399 Now you've heard some great sermons on the first couple of these the last few weeks. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:32.399 One from Jeremy Taylor as he talked about what it looks like for us to have a good work and what we should do in our lives and where work should be in a priority list. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:38.560 And then last Sunday you heard from Seth Nolan as he talked about enjoying your wife and having a good wife. 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:50.959 And what I want to do today, my goal today is for us to build a life of meaning in a world that oftentimes is filled with that which is meaningless. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.680 See, today we're gonna talk about good family. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:05.839 As everybody desires to have a good family, everybody desires to have good family life, but unfortunately, that hasn't been everybody's experience. 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:14.720 But here's the thing: you get to write a new story for your family going forward. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:25.839 From this day forward, whatever you've experienced, whatever's happened, you now get to grab the pen and write whatever story for the future of your family. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:40.959 And so today, as we zero in on this book, we're gonna see, and the book talks about Ecclesiastes, talks about fatherhood, but it speaks to broader parenthood and even aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, the principles that we look at. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:50.160 See, every year we spend weeks of time talking about family dynamics, and I encourage you to go back and listen to those previous series that we've done about family. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:56.079 One this last year, which was family trip, and the one year before that was family feud. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:57.759 And so you can find these online. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:07.920 But today we're gonna look at and take seriously the wisdom of God from Ecclesiastes, four fathers, for parenting. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:13.040 Now let me say this there are no experts in parenting. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:18.160 If somebody tells you they're an expert in parenting, they're probably lying. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.040 Their pants may be on fire. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:30.639 And I don't know for this, this for me as a parent, uh, sermons like this, I have uh a three-year-old and a six-year-old. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:34.560 So by no means am I coming up here and saying that I'm an expert in parenting. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:36.160 I'm just getting going. 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:44.319 But what we do have is we have the truth of God's word that comes from the perfect heavenly father that we have. 00:07:44.800 --> 00:08:00.319 So no matter what you've experienced and what kind of earthly father you've experienced, we have the great example of a good, good father who loves us, who cares for us, and teaches us how we are to live and how we are to raise our families. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:05.920 And so there are no experts, and for me, this is an intimidating Sunday with young kids. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:10.480 So if you hear something this morning that's good, hit me with an amen, okay? 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:19.279 Now, a lot of my content today has come from and informed by this great book called Intentional Father by Pastor John Tyson. 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:22.079 And I highly recommend this book to you. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:28.480 If you're a dad with a son, a dad with a son that's coming up to being close to being age 13, definitely get this book. 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.879 We'll be talking more from this book in the future. 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:40.639 But today, as we zero in on this wisdom of fatherhood, if we don't get this right, we're gonna miss out on some things. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:49.360 Because, fathers, here's the thing we can be physically present at home and at the same time spiritually and emotionally absent. 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:55.679 And we also can have our parenting that we have this kind of someday mentality that we're living in. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:04.559 Oh, when life someday slows down, well, then we'll get to teaching the word and and and all these conversations. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:10.720 Or someday when my kid gets older, then we'll do more of what we should. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:27.200 And it's easy for us to fall into right now in 2026 as parents, for us to outsource the formation of our kids to screens, to sports, to school, even to church. 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:35.360 You know, it's also easy for us dads to confuse just providing for actually parenting. 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:38.080 We have an active role. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:39.759 We have an active role. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:53.840 And many of us, oh, listen, we're people, we mean well, we we we want our kids to do well, we love our kids, we love God, but we actually need to have a plan that's rooted and formulated from the scripture. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:10:01.519 And if we don't know the word of God and if we aren't walking this out with our Heavenly Father, we're gonna lose out on some things. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:19.759 We're gonna lose out on having a genuine connection with our kids, that our kids would love us and would trust us enough to confide in us, have a relationship with our kids that one day when they leave home, they still want to return and have a relationship with you. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:26.559 You can, without having this plan, without being rooted in God's word, you could lose authority with your kids. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:36.879 Your voice just become background noise to their favorite influencer or the friends that they have at school of how they want to formulate their life? 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:45.600 You can lose out on leaving a legacy that isn't just leaving stuff, but actually leaving a spiritual strength in your children. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:11:00.720 Or the joy that's in your home because you may have a full schedule and the sports calendar is full, or you have a full house, a lot's going on, but what good is that if their souls are not healthy, if there's emptiness in the soul? 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:24.799 The spiritual momentum that we can lose out on if we aren't working a plan from the scripture, and and if we make faith be something that is optional or even occasional, and then later in life wonder why our kids walked away, or thought that it wasn't so important to worship or to be in God's house or to serve the Lord. 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:38.960 And what we're going to do is we're gonna go through four passages from Ecclesiastes that are these warnings, these warnings to fathers and parents about the heaven of this life in our family relationships. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:44.000 And what we're gonna do is we're gonna take these four principles that are really just perspectives, it's very high level. 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:48.000 And what I want you to do is I want you to pack these into your parenting. 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:55.840 So when one day when your kid is walking out with a suitcase, you know what's inside of that bag. 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:58.720 So what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at a few passages. 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:00.080 I want you to know these passages. 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:01.759 I want you to be able to refer to them. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:07.759 So if you have your Bible, turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter six, is the first of the four that we'll start in. 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:13.600 If you have your phone app on your Bible app, please pull that up so you can highlight these verses. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:17.840 We're gonna start in chapter six, starting in verse three. 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:21.120 I'm reading from the New Living Translation and also be on the screen. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:34.240 Scripture says this a man might have a hundred children and live to be very old, but if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn't even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:38.320 His birth would have been meaningless and he would have ended in darkness. 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:43.759 It would, it wouldn't, uh, uh, he wouldn't even have had a name. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:48.720 And he would never have seen the sun or know or of its existence. 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:54.480 Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 00:12:55.440 --> 00:13:01.759 He might live a thousand years twice over, but still not find contentment. 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:03.279 Everybody say contentment. 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:08.559 And since he must die like everyone else, well, what's the use? 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:14.720 Real encouraging wisdom today from the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:16.480 Really uplifting. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:35.759 I know you've heard this before, and as I think about what this scripture is saying, the fact that you can have a hundred children, you can live for a thousand years twice over, but if you don't have peace and you don't have contentment, well, what in the world do you have? 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.240 You've heard it said like I have, most men live quiet lives of desperation. 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:55.120 It is so easy for us to be so busy with life and doing all the things with life that even if we had a hundred children but we don't enjoy them, it's so easy for us to miss the blessing that's right in front of our faces. 00:13:55.759 --> 00:14:07.360 Be so stressed out about work or about achievements that we're missing the moments and the comm and the contentment that we should have in a home with the people that we love the most. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:18.399 Or maybe for you, you just get so exhausted that you forget to do the things that you need to do in order to have a healthy home that you want. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:22.879 And it's easy to get that way because these kids get on your last nerves. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:28.799 They make you want to pull your hair out of your head no matter what season that you're in. 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:32.960 I've got young kids right now, I'm in the tantrums and tears time right now. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:38.080 And this too shall pass, but then it will be another season to come. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:48.879 But even in the midst of all of that, what if we miss the blessing of the joy of the children that we have right in front of our faces? 00:14:50.000 --> 00:15:01.200 And we lack the peace and the contentment that comes from having a home that's built and rooted on Christ, on his word. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:09.919 And so the first of these big principles that I want us to follow that that Ecclesiastes is telling us is that we need to have peace before performance. 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:15.840 You can have a hundred children and still not take time to appreciate them. 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:21.279 Don't miss the blessing, don't miss the blessing. 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:33.600 And as your kids get older, it's it's for us to, as fathers, to spend times and parents for us to spend times with our kids, watch this, with phones down. 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:52.399 And that intentionality of the time for you to be reading through a book with your kid or helping to train them, even if you're reading five verses with them in the mornings or in the evening, you have the opportunity to enjoy the season of child that you have at the time. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:16:03.600 And for you to, when they accomplish things or you finish a book together, or you're reading the scripture together, you get to celebrate that with them, actually do something with them that they like to do. 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:25.519 To get down on their level or take them outside and to do whatever the sport thing, whatever it is, and for you to spend that time with them, because there's this warning of you can have a hundred kids and live a thousand lives twice over, but if you haven't found peace and contentment, what's the use if you miss the blessing? 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:32.000 This blessing that we have in our children, that we're building this legacy of Christ with them. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:41.919 And the next warning that Ecclesiastes gives us is that warns us that you can build a legacy and then hand it to someone who still loses it. 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:48.240 I read this in order to share it with you. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:58.559 Imagine a farmer walked down a backcountry road and saw another farmer who was repairing a fence and his young sons were there helping him. 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.480 Why are you letting your sons help you? 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:01.919 The first farmer asked. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.400 It's gonna take you five times as long. 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:06.480 You should just do it yourself. 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.039 Oh, but you've made a mistake, the second farmer said. 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.359 You think I'm repairing a fence? 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:14.880 I'm not. 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:16.799 I'm raising my sons. 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:35.039 We want to have our children to be raised for them, to be in meaningful relationship with the parents, helping them to be raised in the word of God. 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:43.519 In the yes, the everyday lessons of life, how to change attire, and all the things that we teach our kids and want them to have when they leave the home. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:50.960 But the what is it that we are doing in order to instill those things that are meaningful in their life? 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:55.519 The second warning is Ecclesiastes 2 18, says this. 00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:04.319 I came to hate all my work, my hard work here on earth, for I must leave it to others everything I've earned. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:13.119 And you can tell whether uh you and who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:19.359 Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:20.480 How meaningless. 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:21.759 Verse 20. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:31.279 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:41.359 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.359 This too is meaningless, a great tragedy. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:51.440 I know I'm like most men, I want to leave something tangible for my kids for the future. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:53.839 I want to leave stability to them. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:57.119 I want to leave finances to them. 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:00.160 Because that's something that feels like that's something that I can control. 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:03.920 But ultimately, we can't ultimately control this. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:10.640 Maybe for you, you just you don't want your kids to struggle and you want them to do better than than than you did. 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:18.079 And it's so easy for us to overfocus on resources and under focus on the righteousness of our children. 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:26.319 So, what we're gonna do, and what we're gonna do as parents, we're going to focus on, we're gonna focus on integrity before inheritance. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:38.000 This author of Ecclesiastes says, Hey, I've been working all my life to hand over, to give this inheritance, but I don't know whether or not I'm handed it to somebody who's wise or somebody who's foolish. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:45.759 And we as parents, we as believers, we're the ones who are helping to form integrity in our children before we fund their future. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:58.000 That we're the ones that are helping to, yes, we want to give an inheritance, and the scripture says a good man gives an inheritance to his children's children, but we do that by forming their character before we give them cash. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:05.519 Well, you know, force, I just want them to have more than I did. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:12.799 I just want to set them up financially, and that's all well and good, but who will you be handing it over to? 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:16.720 Will it be a good man or woman or a foolish one? 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:17.839 Here's the thing. 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:24.960 We all want to raise a good man or raise a good woman and want them to be a good man or good woman in the future. 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:27.039 And there's that means a lot of different things. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:30.640 A good man leads a lot of different things to different people. 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:37.440 But here's the thing: what we know is good, and who our standard of what a good man is is Jesus Christ Himself. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.680 He's our standard of what it is of masculinity. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:52.319 For him that he was filled with love and justice and compassion, that he would give a hard truth, and then also that he would hold somebody who was sick. 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:56.240 He would weep over a friend who had passed. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:59.039 Jesus is our standard of what a good man is. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:06.480 And here's the thing: what we're raising our children, we don't just want them to be just a good man by the world standards. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:10.640 We want to raise boys that will be good at being a man. 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:21.039 We want to raise young daughters who will be good at being a woman, the woman that God has called them to be, the man that God has called them to be. 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:37.200 That we would actually raise up our kids, that they would be good at the things that Jesus has told us that we are to have an example of, and that we should be the ones that are fulfilling in our life that they would actually be good at being a man, be good at being a woman. 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:46.160 And yeah, that's all the skills of life and the things that we talk about, but it's also their character, their integrity. 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:56.000 I almost got hit this week by a young driver in a car, and I slammed on my brakes, and I could see the mom in the other car waving her arms and screaming at her daughter. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:58.799 And I remember those days learning to drive. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:07.440 You know, you don't hand a sports car to your kid and then not teach them how to use the brakes or how to stay in between the lines. 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:16.079 In the same way, we are responsible for building up the integrity of our children, not just the inheritance that they will have. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:18.319 What do you do when your child lies? 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:20.319 Are there consequences? 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:26.319 Or have they caught you lying so many times that now you don't really hold them accountable? 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:30.319 Mom, dad, parents, repent. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:32.799 Call them to repentance. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.000 Make it right. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:40.799 Because we serve a God of forgiveness and of justice and of reconciliation. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:45.359 Dad's in the room, there's probably something this week that you probably need to own. 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.440 You need to say, I was wrong, will you forgive me? 00:22:49.839 --> 00:23:00.160 And model to your children what Jesus has done for you and the forgiveness of the cross so that you would then ask for forgiveness. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:02.160 Show that humility. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:06.799 Or maybe for you to ask your kid this week and building their integrity. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:14.559 Hey, what's what's what was something that was hard to do the right thing this week? 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:16.880 Maybe when some nobody was looking. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:23.680 Integrity is what the values are that are in your house. 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:24.480 Can I ask you this? 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:27.839 What are the good values that are attached to your last name? 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:33.519 What are the good things about being a part of your family? 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:38.000 Hard work, loving, courage, conviction. 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:39.920 I want you to write them down. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:51.759 Because I want you to instill in your child the integrity and the good values that come from being a part of your family and having your last name. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:24:04.720 You're building up their integrity so that you're building their character so they know what is coming from the Word of God and what it truly means to be good at being a man, to be good at being a woman. 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:10.400 The next warning is in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, verse 7. 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:14.480 I observe yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:24.640 This is the case of a man who is all alone without a child or a brother, yet he works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:28.240 But then he asks himself, Who am I working for? 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.519 Why am I giving up so much pleasure now? 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:34.960 It's all so meaningless and depressing. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:43.039 We have this warning to us about what in the world, why are we, why who are we doing all this work for? 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:44.799 Why are we doing all this? 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:53.839 It's easy for parents, for fathers, for us to think, you know what, I'm spending long hours, I'm working hard and I'm doing it for them. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:56.960 You know, workaholism is real. 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:02.160 You know, it's one of the least talked about of the addictions because it gets rewarded. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:10.799 It gets rewarded with more money, it gets rewarded with most of the time with accolades from work, even promotions. 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:12.720 But who really wins? 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:17.920 What we want to do is we want to be about family before fortune. 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:19.599 Yes, work hard. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:38.160 Yes, have a great inhouse come, have a great job, but we want to be about our family before our fortune because yes, we're we're we're working and working our life away, but we if we're working our wife, like our life away without a good family to share it with, what in the world are we doing? 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.559 Well, if we're saying I don't have a choice. 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:48.160 My boss, this, that, you know, there's there's there's all kinds of jobs in this this economy. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:54.559 And we ultimately do have a choice about where we invest our time. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:26:04.799 And the scripture tells us what profit a man to gain the whole world, but to lose his very soul, or to lose the soul of his kids. 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:07.359 I mean, listen to me, listen to me, fathers. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:28.240 Finances are a terrible substitute for fathers, and Ecclesiastes ends with like a dad speaking to a son and talking to his son, as he gives this ultimate conclusion about what's important. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:32.960 The ultimate job for us in our kids' spiritual formation. 00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:42.240 In chapter 12, verse 12 and 13, it says, But my child, let me give you some further advice. 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:45.920 Be careful, for writing books is endless and much study wears you out. 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:47.200 That's the whole story. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:51.039 Now, here now is my final conclusion. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:56.720 Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:06.799 The fourth thing we want to pack in is we want to pack in a healthy fear of God before fear of anything else and everything else. 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:14.160 We want our kids knowing who is God and what position that he should have in my life. 00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:30.319 And that we, that your kids would have a healthy fear of God before they would have fear of man or of others, that you've taught them and given them instruction of where God should be in the priority list of their life and then how to obey his commands. 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:51.519 The only way that you can do that is by you yourself knowing what Jesus said and opening the scriptures and knowing what Jesus said in the gospels, in the New Testament, and for then you to instill that into your kids so that they will have a healthy reverence and worship of our one true God. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:59.519 That you're leading by example, you're not perfect, but you're leading by example. 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:01.599 I'll give you a different perspective. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:11.759 I actually uh told my six-year-old this week that I was gonna be talking about parenting, and I asked her, How do you be a good parent, a first grader? 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:16.160 And without missing a beat, she said, Okay, step one. 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:25.119 And I you're gonna think that I told her to write these, but literally I just wrote these down in the car when we were in the car together, she was in her booster seat in the back. 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:28.160 She said, Step one, listen to your child. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:31.440 Do what they say and listen to them. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:34.079 Now that's kind of like the opposite of good parenting advice. 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:36.319 These kids need to be listening to their parents. 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:43.759 But then she said, step two, if they do wrong, punish them andor talk to them about it. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.039 Talk with them about it. 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:55.279 She said, step three, if your child sins and tells you that they did, don't be rude. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:57.440 Help them. 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:00.400 And then number four, I'm kidding you not, she said. 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:03.039 Number four, step four, get good sleep. 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:05.359 That was what she said. 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:08.240 Now you think I told her to say these things. 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:10.240 I did not, out of the mouth of babes. 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:15.519 I think this is a good discipleship that's happened in multiply church kids' ministry over here. 00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:18.559 Can we just give it up for the kids' team and what they're doing over there? 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:25.440 We want to be people who are helping to raise our kids. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:29.680 That we're pursuing peace before performance and we don't miss the blessing. 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:36.400 Yeah, the report cards are important and all the different scoreboards, yeah, they're important. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:41.680 But what's more important than us seeing the blessing that's right in front of our face? 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:45.279 We want to have them to have integrity before the inheritance. 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:52.000 We want to form their soul before we fund their future and have our family be before our fortunes. 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:58.640 We want them to fear God and have a healthy fear, a holy fear of God before fear of man. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:07.039 Because that's truly what lasts in the midst of all the vapor in this world. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:13.200 You know, some of you in here feel like you're trying to parent with one hand tied behind your back. 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:14.480 You're a single mom. 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:21.599 You didn't have a relationship or didn't have a good relationship with your father. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:26.480 Father's Day is one of the most painful days of the year for you. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:33.039 I never met my dad's father, my grandfather. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:39.279 He died of suicide when my dad and the four siblings were very young. 00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:50.799 But instead of making excuses, my dad just worked that much harder with that much more intentionality to raise my brother and I. 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:52.880 He read books. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:31:01.519 He had other dads in our church and in this small group that he learned from and gained insight from. 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:16.640 He held me and my brother accountable to be responsible in school, to work at home, all the things around the house, to get jobs while we were still young in school, to be committed to our sports teams and to our friends. 00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.480 I remember one of these pivotal moments that happened the summer before my junior year. 00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:28.319 I'd rode the bench playing football for most of my junior year. 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:32.720 I was playing JV, but I was getting very little playing time on varsity. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:38.720 And I didn't want to be embarrassed going into my senior year if I wasn't really gonna play. 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:43.839 And so I remember that summer standing in a driveway with my dad, and I told him that I was gonna quit. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:45.359 I was gonna quit the team. 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:47.680 And he forbid it. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:50.799 He forbid it, he would not let me. 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:53.359 And I was so upset. 00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:58.720 I thought that he was the worst father, tears, angry. 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:05.920 But he believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, and I didn't quit. 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:14.799 And I ended up starting every single game of my senior year and ended up getting recruited to play at Cumberland, which I never thought that would happen to get to do. 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:28.000 My dad, I truly believe that that my dad he kept me from becoming a quitter the rest of my life. 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:38.400 If he had let me quit, there would be no telling how many other things that I would have quit in life right before the breakthrough. 00:32:40.480 --> 00:32:44.000 Right before something happened. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:45.359 Was my dad perfect? 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:45.920 No. 00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:47.599 Was he intentional? 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:48.480 Yes. 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:51.039 He got a lot of things right. 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:59.680 In that moment, he kept me and taught me something and put something in my character that still plays out in my life today. 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:06.559 Mom, if you're in the room right now and you're feeling like you want to give up, don't quit. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:14.160 If you have a brother who you think is never gonna change, can I tell you, don't give up on him? 00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:16.079 Do not quit. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:17.759 Keep going. 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:25.920 If you're thinking about calling it quits on your marriage right now, don't throw in the towel, do not quit. 00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:34.160 Talk to somebody, get a Christian counselor, talk to some other wise believers that are in your life to encourage you. 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:37.759 Don't give up, don't give in. 00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:39.200 Keep going. 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:45.279 If you feel like that, man, I can't get this parenting thing right. 00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:49.039 Can I tell you don't give up because you're not on your own? 00:33:49.279 --> 00:33:58.400 We have a God who loves us, who cares for us, and that we know that we have a God who said, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you, don't give up. 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:00.799 God believes in you. 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:22.639 He believes in you so much so that he went to the cross and died in your place and put all your sin on his back so that you could be, watch this, in right relationship with the Father, restored and redeemed, forgiven and set free, not giving up on you. 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:24.079 Don't give up. 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:27.840 What will you be putting in the suitcases of your children? 00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:33.760 What will be instilling in them in our homes and here at Multiply? 00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:36.960 And we're gonna talk about parenting a whole lot more as time goes on. 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:40.239 But I wonder today. 00:34:47.840 --> 00:35:07.679 What's the meaningful love, integrity, character, the honor, the power that your children are gonna receive because you are walking with Jesus. 00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:24.400 And I I pray over every home represented here that we would be walking more closely with God and that we'd be training our children, our children's children. 00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:35.360 And if you're in a season where your kids are gone and out of the house, can I tell you your 60s, your 70s? 00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:37.440 This is a time of impartation. 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:53.280 You've learned all kinds of things in life, and and there is somebody who is needs you not to quit on them a niece, a nephew, a grandchild, a child that's in our kids' ministry, teenagers. 00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:58.559 What are we putting into their suitcase? 00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:00.880 Will you stand to your feet now as I pray over all of us? 00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:05.119 Father, right now I pray, God, and thank you, Lord, for your goodness to us. 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:07.679 For God, the fact that you are our good father. 00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:17.440 That, Lord, we know, God, that you're so faithful to us and you never leave us or forsake us, but instead, God, Lord, you you walk with us. 00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:20.880 Even when we don't get it right, God, you're faithful to forgive us. 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:24.800 And so right now I pray over every single home that's represented. 00:36:25.760 --> 00:36:37.599 God, I pray, Lord, that we would be people who would be growing our faith in you and the faith of our family every single day, every single week. 00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:50.480 And I pray, Lord, over every home, God, that's wanting to grow and and to walk with you and see things go to new heights. 00:36:52.079 --> 00:37:06.159 If you're in the room right now and you want to grow in the grace of the parenting in your home with God, with your kids or your grandkids, would you just slip your hand up right now? 00:37:06.239 --> 00:37:09.840 If that's you, you want to grow all over the room, hands all over the room. 00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:16.719 Father, I thank you, God, for those right now who've lifted hands towards you, God, that they want to grow, Father. 00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:23.119 They want to grow with Lord, your help for them of a parent or grandparent, Father. 00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:28.000 Lord, that you you you're gonna supply to them every single thing that they need. 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:30.079 Father, give them wisdom. 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:37.280 Father, help them to be rooted in your word, that they would transfer it to their children, their children's children, God. 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:39.280 They're asking you for help. 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:41.760 And Lord, we know you're faithful. 00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:54.400 You're in the room and you don't even yet have these good gifts that are given from God because you've not given your life to Christ. 00:37:55.360 --> 00:38:03.679 If you're in the room and you've not given your life to Christ today, I ask that today would be the day of your salvation. 00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:08.320 That today would be the day that you're set free and forgiven. 00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:12.079 If that's you today, to receive him as savior. 00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:14.480 And we had two in our first service. 00:38:14.719 --> 00:38:26.400 If today is your day to cross over the line, to receive Christ as your savior, to be forgiven, to be set free, I want you at the count of three to raise your hand towards heaven. 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:27.360 If that's you, ready? 00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:28.480 One, two, three. 00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:30.000 Anyone in the house? 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:32.960 Raise it high. 00:38:34.800 --> 00:38:40.880 Father, I thank you, Lord, that you went to the cross and you died in our place. 00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:46.400 And you you created a pathway for us to be in right relationship with you. 00:38:46.880 --> 00:39:00.400 So, Father, today, as we give over ourselves to you, God, we ask, Lord, that you would move in power, that you would help us, that you would train us, that you would teach us, that you would mold us to be more like your son. 00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:04.320 We're so grateful you joined us for this week's message. 00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:07.840 At Multiply, we believe life was never meant to be lived alone. 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:12.880 If today you made the decision to follow Jesus, we'd be honored to walk with you on this journey. 00:39:13.039 --> 00:39:16.159 Visit multiplyky.com to let us know. 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:18.719 We love you and we'll see you again soon.