10/29 Sermon on David, Part 7

Senior pastor Philip Griffin of The Family Church concluded his series about King David of Israel with Part 7, titled The Ingredients of an Unhealthy Home.  Not exactly a positive-sounding title, is it? Well, that's because David himself gave a multitude of examples of poor parenting...and these weren't just his shortcomings: we have to deal with the same issues today.  The scripture of focus was 2 Samuel Chapters 13-18...you can read it through the following link to Bible Gateway: [link]...

Pastor Philip listed five ways in which parents can create an unhealthy home for their children as well as for themselves: setting a bad example, refusing to discipline, denying problems, avoiding reconciliation, and not expressing true feelings.  In the selected passages, David set a very, very bad example to his children through his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband: Amnon, one of his sons, raped his own half-sister Tamar.  When her full-brother Absalom found out, he expected his father to punish Amnon...but David refused to discipline him.  So a severe family problem came into being, and Absalom lured Amnon into a deadly ambush...with David willfully oblivious to the developing crisis.  After Absalom fled, he was allowed to return to Jerusalem but David made no effort to meet with his son: no reconciliation ever happened.  The embittered Absalom then usurped David's throne and publicly slept with his wives...it wasn't until Absalom's eventual death at the hands of his old enemy Joab that David expressed contrition toward his now-diseased son: but it came too late...

Although the example of David and his sons is very dramatic and moving, all of us have our own dual memories and responsibilities with our families.  With our childhood families, we not only remember how our parents treated us, but we tend to unconsciously copy them as we in our own turn become parents, for better or for worse...sometimes even things we know that our own parents did wrong.  Pastor Philip laid out some very constructive principles to help guide us to become more Christ-like in our parenting roles and apply the ingredients of a healthy home: setting a good example, choosing to discipline, acknowledging problems, welcoming reconciliation, and expressing true feelings...

Although I usually hear the weekly sermon at church on Sunday, sometimes I'll click on their YouTube video website to brush up on some of the speaker's points.  You can watch this week's message, too, through the following link to YouTube: [link].  The Family Church meets each Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11, with the  weekly message, music, prayer, fellowship, hospitality, and opportunities for discipleship and learning.  Oh, and the complimentary coffee isn't bad, either...