What Have They Seen In Thine House?

TITLE: Sermon on Christian Influence | What Have They Seen In Thy House?

INTRODUCTION:

A. In 2 Kings 18:1, a man by the name of Hezekiah became the 13th king of Judah.

1. Of his reign we are told – 2 Kings 18:3

2. Hezekiah was a great king, but he displayed weakness of character when the king of Babylon sent messengers…

a. These messengers came to congratulate Hezekiah upon his recovery from a very serious illness.

b. Hezekiah seems to have the idea that he must convince the king of Babylon, through his messengers, that he was indeed a mighty king.

c. Therefore – 2 Kings 20:13

3. The Lord was carefully observing all that transpired and sends Isaiah to ask Hezekiah a few questions – Isaiah 39:3-4

B. God through the prophet Isaiah asked Hezekiah, “What have they seen in thine house?”

1. This is the question that I want to ask you today

2. “What have they seen thine house?”

DISCUSSION:

A. WHAT HAS GOD SEEN IN THINE HOUSE?

1. God knows our thoughts

a. 1 Corinthians 3:20

1) It takes time for a man’s life to reveal how he thinks

2) But God already knows

b. Wicked thoughts destroyed the world in Noah’s day (Gen. 9:5-6)

c. Sin can be committed in the mind

1) Matthew 5:28 … adultery in the heart

2) 1 John 3:15 … hating a brother

d. It is a very sobering thought to know that “The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man” (Psa. 94:11)

1) The Lord knows what we think of Him (Psa. 56:5)

2) The Lord knows what we think of others (Jam. 2:1-4) … prejudice

3) The Lord knows when we think too highly of ourselves (Rom. 12:3)

4) The Lord knows what we think of our families – whether we have a Christian attitude toward our wives, husbands, children, parents

e. Is this not a scary thought?

2. God is perfectly aware of our words

a. Matthew 12:36

b. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

1) How do you speak to your spouse?

2) How do you speak to your children – your parents?

3. God knows, sees, and will judge our actions

a. To go to heaven we must DO for the Lord

1) Luke 6:46

2) Matthew 7:21

b. What has God seen us do in regard to our family’s spiritual welfare?

1) Are we all mouth and no action?

2) Are we working, endeavoring, striving to DO for the Lord???

4. What has God seen in thine house?

B. WHAT HAVE THINE CHILDREN SEEN IN THY HOUSE?

1. Children are quick to pickup hypocrisy!

a. We may say that the church is the most important institution to us in the world

1) Yet, when we miss worship regularly – attend Bible Study seldom – come late to worship services – fail to study our Bibles – What are we saying?

2) What have your children seen in your house?

b. Children at a very early life learn what our priorities are

1) We MUST put God first; in fact, with God its first place or no place!

2) The home is the BEST place for priorities to be branded in the minds of our children

c. For this to occur, parents MUST listen to Jesus

1) Matthew 22:37

2) Matthew 6:33

d. Our children must see us put God FIRST!

e. What do our children see in our house when:

1) They are not permitted to miss school, but are permitted to miss Bible Study and worship?

2) We make them do their homework, but never see to it that they have time for Bible Study

3) Do they see us study our Bibles?

2. So many parents have wasted their years – they have not taken time enough for God, the Bible, the church, their children, their spouse, nor the Christian life.

a. We can’t put off until tomorrow being a good Christian parent or a faithful Christian.

b. POEM:

I took a piece of plastic clay
And gently fashioned it one day:
And as my fingers pressed it still
It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again when days were past;
The bit of clay was hard at last.
The form I gave it still it bore.
But I could change that form no more.
I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day,
And molded with my power and art,
A young child’s soft and yielding heart
I came again when days were gone,
It was a man I looked upon.
He still that early impression wore.
And I could change it never more.

3. It is important to ask the question, “What do our children see in our house?”

C. WHAT HAVE OTHERS SEEN IN THY HOUSE?

1. What do your friends and neighbors see in your house?

a. Is there any difference between our’s and their’s.

b. Sadly, in too many cases, there seems to be little difference between many Christian homes and homes of the world

2. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

a. Different from worldly parents

b. Different from spouses of the world

3. 2 Corinthians 3:2

a. Our lives are an open book – we are an “epistle”

b. We should think of our lives in this fashion:

1) The seconds of our lives are as words

2) The minutes of our lives are as lines

3) The hours of our lives are as paragraphs

4) The days of our lives are as pages

5) The weeks of our lives are as chapters

6) The months of our lives are as sections

7) The years of our lives are as volumes

c. Our life is an open book!

4. What has the world seen in thine house?

D. WHAT SHOULD BE SEEN IN OUR HOUSE?

1. A husband who is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23)

2. Husbands who love their wives (Eph. 5:25; Col. 3:19)

3. Wives who are submissive to their husbands (Eph. 5:24)

4. Wives who respect and love their husbands (Eph. 5:33)

5. Children who are trained in the Scriptures (Pro. 22:6)

6. Parents who discipline and spank their children (Pro. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15; 13:24)

7. Children who obey their parents (Eph. 6:1)

8. Children who see their parents praying, studying and being faithful to the word of God.