========================================================================
  IS YOUR FAMILY AN IDOL
  by Anton Bosch
========================================================================

Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of prioritizing God over
family, warning against making family an idol. It delves into the
consequences of idolizing family, such as suffocating children,
fostering narcissism, and hindering obedience to God's Great Commission.
The speaker urges listeners to surrender all to God, trusting in His
blessings and promises.

Topics: "Idolatry of Family", "Surrendering to God's Will"
Scripture References: Mark 10:29, Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:37, Genesis 22:1, Numbers 14:26

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This sermon emphasizes the importance of prioritizing God over family,
warning against making family an idol. It delves into the consequences
of idolizing family, such as suffocating children, fostering narcissism,
and hindering obedience to God's Great Commission. The speaker urges
listeners to surrender all to God, trusting in His blessings and
promises.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's read from the Gospel according to Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10
and from verse 17 through 31. Mark chapter 10 17 through 31.

Mark 10 verse 17. Now as he was going out on the road one came running
knelt before him and asked him good teacher what shall I do that I may
inherit eternal life? And so Jesus said to him why do you call me good?
No one is good but one that is God. You know the commandments do not
commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
do not defraud, honor your father and your mother.

And he answered and said to him teacher all these things I have kept
from my youth. Then Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him one
thing you lack. Go your way sell whatever you have and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven and come and take up the cross and
follow me.

But he was sad at this word and went away sorrowful for he had great
possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard
is it for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God? And the
disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and
said to them children how hard is it for those who trust in riches to
enter the kingdom of God? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

And they were greatly astonished saying among themselves who then can be
saved? But Jesus looked at them and said with men it is impossible but
with God all things are possible. Then Peter began to say to him see we
have left all and followed you. So Jesus answered and said assuredly I
say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters in
or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the
Gospels.

We shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers
and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecution and in
the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last and
the last will be first. We've been speaking since we finished the Gospel
of Luke we've been speaking on Christian idols these last few weeks and
we'll continue to do so for the next while.

I'm not sure how many there will be in the series. This is the second
one and I would encourage you if you did not see the first one or you
went here last week to watch it on YouTube. I believe that these are
very very important messages for the time in which we are living.

As my time in this church is coming to a close I'm trying to address
those things that I believe are absolutely essential for us to know and
to remember. This morning I want to speak about another one of these
idols and I understand that these messages are difficult to accept. I
understand that people are and get upset when we speak about these
things.

That's just the way it is. I cannot not speak the word that I believe
needs to be spoken because we're we're afraid of people's reactions.
Unfortunately when we speak about these things and again we're going to
get very practical this morning when we speak about these things there
are three possible responses.

The one response is to get angry with a preacher and to lash out at the
preacher and some do that very well. The the other is to is to play
Teflon. Nothing sticks.

You sit here and say amen amen amen when in fact the message may be for
you. And then the third which really in the end are just the very few
who will hear the word and respond and repent and make right that which
needs to be made right. So these are difficult things and I want to
speak this morning about families.

I spoke last week about self as the great idol and it all flows from
that. But family can be an idol and I know immediately you say well you
know I'm this pastor is against families. I'm not against families.

I'm all for family. Family is very very important. Family is important
in the Word of God.

But the problem with all of these things is that the good gifts of God
can often become idols. Money is something God gives us which is helpful
and useful to be able to preach the gospel in order to live our lives.
But when money takes its wrong place in our lives it becomes an idol.

I think we're mainly adults here but relationships between men and women
is a gift from God. But we know how that the world has taken that and
has perverted it into an idol and worship that and unfortunately in the
church this happens sometimes too. Knowledge is a gift of God and yet
there are many and there's a whole sect in the Old Testament in the New
Testament time and still continues today called the Gnostics who build
their whole faith around knowledge, knowing things.

Knowledge is a good thing. God is all knowing. It's the very nature of
God but at the same time when knowledge is elevated to a wrong level it
becomes an idol.

Political liberty is a great gift of God to us in this country but when
that is elevated beyond its right place it becomes an idol. And the list
can go on and on and on and the same obviously applies to family. Now
you'll notice that in this passage, and I'm going to, I'm not going to
preach on this passage, I'm going to come back to the last few verses
because there are certain principles here, but you'll notice that one of
the points that Jesus makes in verse 19 is you know the commandments.

Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false
witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother. Jesus is
quoting the Ten Commandments. Remember the Ten Commandments consists of
the first four commandments relate to our relationship with God, the
next six commandments relate to our relationship with one another.

The first of those six, interestingly enough, and I don't believe that
it's coincidence because remember the first commandment is you shall
have no other gods, that's what we're dealing with. So that is the most
important, if you will, of the four. Of the six it seems that the most
important is the fifth command, which is the first of the six, which is
honor your father and your mother.

And so entrenched in the law is the concept of family, is the concept of
the relationship between parents and children. In Psalm 68 verse 6,
Psalm 68 verse 6, God sets the solitary in families, the solitary those
who are alone. God sets those who are alone in families.

He brings out those who are bound into prosperity, but the rebellious
dwell in a dry land. What he's speaking about here is the church. God
brings those who are without family, those who are alone, into the
family of God.

In fact the church is patterned on God and his Son on heaven. Remember
that we are the bride of Christ, he is the bridegroom. The relationship
between the bridegroom and the bride is reflected in the church and so
the church becomes a picture and a pattern of God's ultimate desire for
the family.

We are called brothers and sisters because we are part of the family of
God, with God as our father. One of the most important things that
happens as a result of our salvation is that we are able to cry father.
We're able to call God our father, not like so many people call God
their father but he is not their father in reality.

But in reality, knowing the fatherhood of God, many who have grown up
without fathers or have grown up with fathers who have not reflected the
God, the godly fatherhood, have found in God their father in a very real
and a very practical way. And so the church is patterned after the
family. The Godhead is the ultimate family.

God reveals himself as father and son and Holy Spirit. Why does he not
reveal himself as God and the Word? Because remember Jesus is the Word.
In the beginning was the Word.

But why does he choose to reveal himself as father and son rather than
God and Word? Because of the importance of family. So family is
absolutely essential. Family is important.

It is important that as Christians we have our families are godly
families. But as we've said, with anything that is good we're able to
take those good things and we turn them into idols. Now I want us to go
to the to the Old Testament and I'm going to begin in Numbers chapter
14.

Now what happens in Numbers 14 is that God had brought Israel out of
Egypt, remember, and he brings them to the Promised Land. This is
probably six months after they had come out of Egypt. And he prepares
them to cross over the River Jordan and to take possession of the land.

The people of Israel rebel against God and they say we're not going in.
There are too many problems and we want to go back to Egypt. Well let's
have an election.

And they said we're going to elect a man who will lead us and who will
take us back to Egypt. They said the second best rather than going to
Egypt is that we die in the wilderness. Now remember that that God's
plan for them was to enter into the land, them and their children and
their families, and that in that land he was going to bless them.

It's going to be a land of milk and honey, it's going to be a land of
prosperity, a land of where they would be safe, a land where they would
have independence after having been slaves for hundreds of years. God
just wanted the best for them, but they wouldn't do what God wanted for
them. And I want you to notice the one of the reasons they give for not
obeying God.

Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword? That our
wives and children should become victims. Would it not be better for us
to return to Egypt? So their excuse was there are giants in the land and
the giants are going to kill our children and our wives. Now that wasn't
the real reason.

The real reason is they were running scared, but they hid behind the
women and the children becomes the excuse for not doing what God wanted
them to do. Now remember what God wanted them to do was not onerous. God
was going to give them the victory.

God was going to give the land to them. The enemy in fact was ready to
run out the other side the moment they crossed the River Jordan. Forty
years later you remember they the spies go and they they they lodged
with Rahab and Rahab says when you guys came 40 years ago we were ready
to run, but they never came.

Israel never crossed the river. God had already put the fear of Israel
and of their God in the inhabitants of the land, but they said no our
wives and our children. I want you to see the the consequence of this.

In verse 28 there's a long conversation between God and Moses, but the
bottom line is say to them God says to Moses now say to them as I live
says the Lord just as you have spoken in my hearing so I will do to you.
In other words what you want what you're gonna get. The carcasses of you
who have complained against me shall fall in the wilderness.

All of you who were numbered according to your entire number from 20
years old and above and we know that was 600,000 men except for Caleb
the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun you shall by no means
enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in, but your little
ones whom you said would be victims I will bring in and they shall know
the land which you have despised. You see they wouldn't do what God
wanted them to do and they said our kids will be victims. In fact one of
the main reasons why people don't obey God in the way that they relate
to their families and the way they run their families is they say oh no
it's it's not good for the kids.

As a result they didn't enter the land but as for you your carcasses
will fall in the wilderness and your sons shall be shepherds in the
wilderness 40 years now look at this and bear the brunt of your
infidelity until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. For 40
years those kids had to live in the wilderness because of the parents
disobedience. And folk when we are disobedient to God we bring a
judgment upon our children and we bring drought and famine and hardship
and difficulty into their into your into our families because we will
not do what God has asked us to do.

In fact the problem goes way back. You remember that right at the very
beginning God makes Adam and Eve and Eve is deceived and she eats of the
fruit that she should not. But the New Testament tells us in the book of
Timothy first Timothy that Adam was not deceived.

He knew exactly what was going on but what did Adam do? He chose
obedience to his wife or he chose his wife let me rather put it that way
rather than obedience to God. That's what Adam did and in the process he
sold us all down the river every one of us because of Adam's sin death
has passed the scripture says on all flesh. I don't know what would have
happened if we can only guess if Adam said I'm not going with Eve I'm
with God.

God said don't eat I think there would have been a very very different
story. I think the whole of history would have been different. Jesus
would not have needed to die.

Eve would have died for her sin but God would have raised up another
woman maybe for for Adam. But Adam chose his wife over God. She had
become his idol.

She had become his God. In Genesis chapter 19 we find another story and
what had happened in Genesis 19 is you remember that Lot had fled from
Sodom and Gomorrah. His wife turned back she had her own idols of the
city the stuff that she owned a house and stuff that she had in the city
she turns into a pillar of salt.

Lot continues to flee with his two daughters and in Genesis 19 31 the
firstborn the first of the two daughters said to the younger our father
is old and there is no man on the earth to come into us as is the custom
of all the earth in other words we don't have children we don't have
children we don't have family come let us make our father drunk drink
wine and we will lie with him that we may preserve the lineage of our
father what's this all about family family now was God not able to give
Lot progeny was God not able to give Lot descendants well remember that
parallel to the story of Lot and I'm going to come to Abraham in a
moment but parallel to the story of Lot is Abraham Abraham is past
having children age-wise his wife is barren she's past age of having
children and yet God gives him not just children but gives him children
as many as the sand on the seashore and as the stars in heaven so could
God give a family yes he could but they chose family over God because
they knew what they were doing was not right and so they lie with their
father now I didn't give you the scriptures because I know I'm gonna run
short of time but out of this relationship between Lot and his two
daughters come two nations two families Moab and Ammon these are two of
the families two of the nations in addition to Amalek and there's
another story with Amalek also family that gave Israel a hard time
fought against them over and over Saul fought against them David sought
fought against them but Solomon worshipped their gods now the God of the
Ammonites for those who know the scriptures will know that the God of
the Ammonites is a God known as Molech M-O-L-E-C-H or sometimes spelled
M-O-L-O-C-H what was Molech known for what was the hallmark of the
worship of this God of Molech child sacrifice abortion abortion is the
modern form of child sacrifice a terrible form of worship you see that
which was born out of the worship of the family resulted in the murder
of the children can you see the connection God is not mocked but
parallel to the story is the story of Abraham and there are many many
stories that I can take from right through the Old Testament and I've
only selected these few and we know the story of Abraham God comes to
him and he says a very strange thing to him he said God said to Abraham
take now your son your only son Isaac whom you love remember this is
John 3 16 in the Old Testament for God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten son the son that God loved the Lord Jesus so he says
to him take your only son whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and
offer him there is a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I
shall tell you now let me just explain that God does not sanction child
sacrifice God is not asking for child sacrifice because God is testing
Abraham God would never have gone through with us so God is not
encouraging the sacrifice but God is testing Abraham because remember
what was important to Abraham this boy Abraham had waited over a hundred
years for a descendant and God had promised him that he would have a
descendant and not only would have been one descendant but he would have
multitudes Abraham's whole life is bound up in this one boy remember he
had another son who wasn't really a true son he was born out of
disobedience to God again Abraham trying to do what God didn't want him
to do trying to take matters in his own hands and raise up his own
family and he raises up Ishmael out of whom come the Arab nations who
are still fighting with Israel to this very day and so here's Isaac and
God says give him up we know the story takes the boy puts him on the
altar and raises up the knife I can't imagine what went on in Abraham's
heart at that moment but what I see is a man who feared God above all
else who loved the Lord more than he loved his son and folk that is what
God is asking of us and I know you're sitting here and you're saying
well preacher that's impossible well if you love anything more than you
love him it is an idol and if you're not willing to give it up you're
not saved you say well that's strong preaching remember we looked at
some of these verses last week that those who are idolaters will not
enter into the kingdom in other words they're not saved because they're
not worshipping God they're worshipping something else besides God and
God tests Abraham and he says remember this is not the first time God
tested Abraham because Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees and God said
go to the promised land what did Abraham have to do at that point
Abraham is young in his face Abraham had just had some kind of very
brief encounter with God he hadn't had all these years of walking with
God but what was the choice Abraham had to make at that point do I stay
with my family or do I obey God and go to the land that he has promised
me Abraham leaves all of his relationships except lot and we know what
happened with lot who came with him lot just gave him grief all along
you see it's not that God wanted to destroy Abraham's family God wanted
to give him something better God does not want to take things away from
us in order to rob us or in order to deprive us or in order to for us to
to suffer but he wants to rid us of our idols that he might give us
something better something greater and so he said don't lay your hand on
the lad or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God since you
have not withheld your son your only son from me the angel of the Lord
called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and he said by myself
we've seen this in the book of Hebrews by myself I've sworn says the
Lord because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son
your only son blessing I will bless you multiplying I will multiply you
your descendants as the stars of the heaven as a sand which is the
seashore and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies
and your seed in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed
speaking of Jesus because you have obeyed my voice what a difference
between lot and admittedly lot didn't have much to do that because lot
was stoned out of his mind which he shouldn't have been to begin with
and Abraham out of the one comes the Messiah out of the one comes the
church and the great nation of Israel and out of the other comes
idolaters who attack the people of God and the difference is simply who
is your God in Luke chapter 14 great multitudes went with him and he
turned and said to them if anyone comes to me and does not hate his
father and mother wife and children brothers and sisters yes and his own
life also he cannot be my disciple now remember Jesus is not saying we
must hate our family I want to emphasize that I don't want anyone to get
the impression I know what happens on YouTube as people skip over
certain sections and I listen to certain bits and they run away with it
and say well this preacher is against families I'm not against families
God is not against families and God is not telling us that we must hate
parents cults build on these verses because cults expect people to walk
away from their families and to sell their souls to the cult leaders but
what he is speaking about because clearly we read in Mark that Jesus is
on a father and mother so then is he contradicting himself when he says
that if you you need to hate father and mother how can you honor your
father and mother and hate them no clearly Jesus is not saying we must
hate in that sense but that our love for God must be so much greater
than our love for family that our love for family looks like hate it's
simply a degrees of comparison and he says if anyone comes to me and
does not in other words if you're not willing to do what Abraham did and
surrender now remember Abraham didn't take his boy and say yeah going to
the wilderness and let the Lions catch you what did Abraham do with his
son he surrendered him to God he put him in God's hands this does not
mean that we don't do fulfill our obligations and our responsibilities
as parents but we don't worship our children or the rest of the family
and Jesus says if you're not willing to give up you see it's not what
exactly was Abraham why Abraham's example is so important it's not what
happens it's what's in our hearts are you willing to give it up and that
applies to anything that applies to the worship of yourself it applies
to money it applies to pride it applies to anything God may not ask you
to give up your money but if you're not willing to give it up there's a
problem I don't believe that God is asking anyone here except my wife
and I to give up family but you need to be willing to because if you're
not willing to surrender everything you cannot be his disciple Matthew
chapter 10 verse 37 Jesus said he who loves father and mother more than
me see his where it comes down to loving father and mother and this
would apply to the rest of the family more than me is not worthy of me
and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and he
does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me and he
who finds his life will lose it and he loses his life for my sake will
find it I'm going to come back to this idea at the end because I want to
get practical now but this is the principle the principle is that if we
are willing to lose things for his sake we will gain them here he's
speaking about your life but in the passage that we read in Mark he's
talking about all sorts of other things the things that we try and hold
on to he says you're going to lose it the things that you're willing to
let go you will gain it you see because at the end of the day it's not
up to us to keep our lives together it's not up to us to keep our
families together folk you can do everything you you like you can try
and apply yourself as hard as you like but if God does not keep your
family it will not be kept and this is the problem is that we try and do
what we cannot do we cannot save our children only God can so best we
surrender them to God and say Lord I give them to you that's why so many
Christians make a mess of their lives because they want to run their own
lives instead of saying Lord I can't run my life I don't make good
decisions but Lord I surrender myself to you you live your life through
me so let's get practical and this is where the offense comes because
everyone agrees with me up to this point mostly when we miss church for
family activities we've chosen family over God I understand there are
times that we have to pay attention to the family but here's the problem
churches at the most three hours a week and yet there are many who find
it hard to give God those three hours when in fact they have 24 times 7
with family family has 99% of your time anyhow God's asking for 1% I
don't know I didn't do the sums somebody who's clever and math can work
out 24 times 7 and work out what 3 is as a percentage of that but it's
very very small oh I can't come to church family have arrived oh the
kids have got something on we can't go to church probably one of the
points in which I felt the most disgust in my own heart God needs to
help me with that was when a preacher asked me to preach a series of
messages on a Wednesday night I think it was because he has to go to
Little League with his kids a preacher cannot do his job because he has
to be with the kids when we neglect strangers at Thanksgiving Christmas
remember that God sets the solitary and families there are those amongst
us who do not have family but because we worship our family we won't let
anyone else in it's just us families in church who do not mix with
others outside of their families this is not just a problem here this is
a problem in many small churches where small families dominate or when
large families dominate small churches and outsiders just feel like
outsiders because they're not part of the family because you see blood
is more important than spirit blood can never be more important than
spirit remember they come to Jesus they say your your mother and your
brothers are outside and Jesus says who are my mother and my brothers
those who do the will of my father Jesus was not disrespectful to his
mother and remember he takes care of her right up to the end but Jesus
acknowledges that spirit is more important than blood and this family
here should be more important than your blood family and parents won't
allow their kids to mix with kids of other families because they feel a
sense of superiority you've made a god of your family kids who are
taught by their parents that they are Christians and they're saved
because they're born into a Christian family I'm not talking about those
in historic churches I'm talking about people in evangelical churches
where kids are raised to believe that you are a Christian because we
will not tell them that you are a sinner because that's gonna hurt the
kid's psyche we will not admit to the fact that the kid is naughty
because we believe that they're angels if you believe forgive me you
believe that your kids are angels and you believe that they're geniuses
you've made an idol of your kids it's as simple as that so well why how
can you say that because here's the reality your kids are not angels I
have not seen any children and I love children I've loved your children
as my own but I've never seen a child who is an angel because evil the
scripture says is bound up in the heart of the child you believe your
kids are a genius you're deceived your kid may be first in their class
it doesn't make them a genius and even if they were a genius doesn't
necessarily make them a nice kid I've told you before I want that bumper
sticker on the back of my car my cat is more clever than your honor
student but you see you say well why is this a big issue it's a big
issue because it speaks to our hearts if you really believe that your
kids are angels you really believe that they are geniuses and there's
nobody as clever as your kids it speaks to your state of mind you cannot
see the reality you cannot see the truth now they may be good kids they
may be clever but you've turned them into idols remember the guy who
takes a piece of wood and cooks his food on it and takes the other half
of the log that he cut and he falls down and he worships it and he can't
see the stupidity that this thing is a piece of wood when parents can't
see that their kids are not that bright or they are not that you know
that there are others that are more clever than them or that they're not
as angelic as they think they made an idol all right we need to move on
drawing your happiness fulfillment and identity from the family rather
than from Christ when family identifies who you are rather than being a
Christian and I know it's maybe not a good time to talk about that but I
need to the evidence comes at the grave when the family has become
everything and God has become this it's evident in the way people mourn
I'm not disrespecting those who have lost loved ones very recently and
those who have lost love lost loved ones as time has gone on but folk if
we're not willing to put God first when we lose family everything falls
apart because my whole hope my whole life my whole everything is bound
up in my family many parents and grandparents love to brag on their kids
and their grandkids and that's fine but the problem comes when we're
quick to brag on our kids and slow to brag on Christ when all we can do
is talk about our kids and what they do and how they this and that and
we find it hard to speak about Jesus thank you I know you say well
that's not possible yes that's possible I have seen it I've seen it here
because what my heart is filled with his family and not Jesus and that
flows on to parents and grandparents who just want to speak about their
kids and they can't listen to others speak about theirs now there are
dangers and I need to move on otherwise I'm going to run out and I want
to speak about very quickly about the practical problems that come with
when we worship family and they don't know particular order but the one
thing that happens is that kids feel suffocated because their parents
are hovering over them all the time parents are just trying to protect
and to guard them because this is my little treasure I'm not talking
about being responsible parents I'm not talking about being safe and
doing all of the right things but it becomes excessive and the result of
that is that those kids will act out when they are teenagers you may be
able to hold them and you may be able to to keep them restricted until
they get to 12 13 and 14 and then they will act out I've seen this in
cults over and over I've seen this in families over and over and that
which you try to hold on to you will lose kids grow up narcissistic and
self-centered because they've been taught that everything revolves
around me and us and our family we spoke about that last week that leads
to the worship of self because the kids are being taught to worship
myself from small and a folk again to me we don't have the time but but
let me let me just explain that when we did the parenting series and I
know it's a long time ago and I know that a lot of that wasn't
acceptable but when the baby there is a progression when the baby is
first born yes everything revolves around that baby when it says yeah
you need to be there and you need to wipe it and need to wash it and you
need to feed it you need to do all of these things but that needs to
change as the child grows older but unfortunately sometimes it doesn't
change and so we have 50 year old and 60 year old babies in the world
today we still think everything revolves around me because they never
grew up because the parents never taught them that they are not the
center of everything families that are built around children fall apart
when the kids leave the family seen that over and over because the
parents never had a relationship all they can talk about is the kids oh
we gotta get Johnny to school tomorrow we got advice Susie a new dress
we've got to do this and that and the other thing oh did you see what he
did it's all about the kids all the focus all the attentions about the
kids and the parents drift apart the kids leave the home and you wonder
why you have so many empty nesters in the divorce courts isolationism is
contrary to the Great Commission it leads to disobedience the Great
Commission is go into the world and preach the gospel but no we want us
for no more our little family and that leads to disobedience to God and
what happens in that process is that the same as we spoke about last
week about self is that we then adjust our theology to suit our
disobedience and I know that there are those who may be here this
morning and those who are online who will find every verse in the Bible
about how important family is and why we should not discipline our
children why we should worship them why we should be constantly
affirming them telling them that they're the greatest they're the
cleverest they the prettiest I've seen pastors change their theology to
suit their disobedience in families folk the question simply is are you
going to be more obedient to God than to your kids because here's the
problem modern families are not built around parents they built around
kids and parents obey the kids because otherwise the kids going to throw
a tantrum who are you listening to are you listening to God or you're
listening to your family let's go to mark chapter 10 and I'm going to
draw to a close passage we began with so Jesus answered and said
assuredly I say to you there is no one who has left houses or brothers
or sisters or father or mother or wife or children lands for my sake and
the Gospels who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses
and brothers and sisters mothers and children lands with persecutions
and in the age to come eternal life I'm not going to analyze those
verses but this is the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ that nothing we
give up for him folk I'm not asking you to divorce your husband or your
wife I'm not asking you to kick your children out I'm asking you just to
put things in their right place make sure that God is in his right place
in your heart and life and when we do that God honors that and he honors
it he says here a hundred times over but there is nothing that we have
to surrender that God asks us to do what doesn't matter what it is that
God will not repay God unjust God is not unfair God is not a ogre who
wants to take stuff from us just to deprive us but he wants us to get
our lives right so that he can bless us yes we've spoken about the
dangers and the dangers are real but at the end of the day what's more
important is that I have God's blessing in my life and that I have God's
blessing in my family maybe you're tired of the story but let me remind
you of my own personal experience and in his experience I think we'd
been married 20 years when we came here a long time our marriage was not
good never was good but God brought us here God brought me here and I
remember calling Ina and telling her that I have to stay here as long
before the internet was in its infancy stages we were using the undersea
telephone line costing a fortune every minute and Ina had to make a
choice her family or obedience to God what a choice we just moved into
our dream home in South Africa some part of me felt that this was a way
out I could stay we could stay married and stay obedient in that sense
and I could carry on here and she could stay there but God spoke to her
the day she said I'm be obedient to God God healed a marriage it's been
20 years 19 years since then and we've known tremendous blessing and joy
in our marriage because my wife was obedient to God and chose God over
her daughters for God wants to bless us and we need to let go and we
need to put him first and here's the bottom line many who are first will
be last and what is last will be first you cannot hold on to things that
God takes the place of God in the end you will pay the price look I'm
not a prophet but listen to me remember what I said this morning put God
first and know his blessing put anything else first and you will know
heartache the choice is yours remember lot remember Abraham father we
thank you for your word we thank you Lord that your desires for us is
good and Lord that you in every way want to help us and bless us and
encourage us and Lord want us to prosper and yet Lord we've so often
feel that we can take things in our own hands and we can control our own
lives and our own families give us grace Lord to be obedient to you just
like Abraham was Lord to choose you first and to leave the rest in your
hands help us to understand Lord but above all help us to do father as I
said earlier I cannot understand what went on in Abraham's heart when he
raised that knife to the son that he loved but I understand his devotion
to you and I pray Lord that we may have one God only and that is not our
kids and our grandkids and our brothers and sisters and fathers and
family and I thank you Lord that in your promise you will return that
which we have surrendered for your sake help us understand Lord help us
above all to find it in our hearts to do the right things I ask this in
Jesus name I pray that you'd go with us Lord keep us protect us bring us
together again safely on Thursday I pray this in Jesus name amen

========================================================================
Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/25zqesvcUjw.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/anton-bosch/is-your-family-an-idol/
========================================================================