Psalm 127-128 - The Importance of Family

Family portrait: Key West, Florida (Photo credit: State Library and Archives of Florida)

It's Sunday in the South. Here's a short outline of the sermon I plan to preach today as pulpit supply for a seminary friend at Union Baptist Church near Creedmoor, NC.

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY: PSALM 127-128© Gene Brooks

Union Baptist Church, Creedmoor, NC

August 7, 2005

Written: November 975 BC – Completion and dedication of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3)

Psalm 127 – Moving priority from work to family.

1- Workaday life without obedience to God is lived in vain (Psalm 127:1)

a. All of life is spiritual. There is no compartmentalization. Home, business, local government, military. Deuteronomy 6:4-9: 4; John 15:5; Psalm 33:16-19; Genesis 11:4-7: 4

2. Work for the sake of the almighty dollar is in vain (Psalm 127:2).Beware the feverish pace of work for work’s sake, workaday pressures for work’s sake is emptiness. Work for years, sacrifice family time, leads to regrets. 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:12; Matthew 6:25, 31-33; 8:24

3. Family is a gift from God. Psalm 127:3-5a. Family is the basic unit of society – more important than the almighty dollar.

b. The Lord builds society through the family.

c. Eg., Massachusetts birth certificates – Parent A & B; Senator Frist – embryonic stem cells

d. Children are not a penalty or burden – but show God’s favor and blessing

Genesis 33:5; Deuteronomy 7:13;

Psalm 128: Strong families build strong communities

4- The Secret of blessing is living in reverent obedience to God (Psalm 128:1, 4) bookend blessings.

5- Hard work is blessed when your priority is obedience to God (Psalm 128: 2).

Leviticus 26:3-5; Isaiah 65:21-23

6- Obedience to God blesses, strengthens marriage (Psalm 128:3)

7- Obedience to God strengthens the family (Psalm 128:4).Not a psalm for the individualist

Note the table. As families we must return to the family table.

Deuteronomy 8:7-10: 7

8- Strong families create strong communities (Psalm 128:5-6).

Prosperity and Longevity – what so many families are striving for in feverishly working. They have it backwards. It does not take a village to raise a child. It takes strong families to build strong communities.

Application: Are you throwing away precious times with your children in order to put in more hours? Are you working to provide for your family, or to cover debts on big, expensive toys? Do you set aside time in your schedule for special memories with your spouse and children? One of these days, will your children resent you for the years you were absent from their lives working when they needed you? Are you spending your time working to build a business that your children will fight over once you’re gone? Have you ever stepped back a moment and asked yourself why you’re putting in over 40 hours a week? Are your sacrifices for your company worth the neglect of your kids? On your deathbed, who will be most precious to you – your spouse and children, or your supervisor at work? When you stand before your Lord, what will you answer about your priority on family? Will you have gold, silver, precious stone, or wood, hay, and stubble?