Dr.
Laura,
I
am my kid’s Dad and I enjoy your show. I believe strongly that a protective,
loving, supportive, non-abusive Dad should be in every daughter’s life.
I have worked hard these last 16 years to be these things. However, in the last
couple of years my life has become more difficult. Boys have entered my
daughter’s life and I have had to create rules for them to live by. (I
actually have given these to 4 separate boys).
I
am a 6’-3”, 220lb, policeman and it is amusing to watch the boys read the rules.
They try to figure out if I am kidding or not. My daughter takes all this in
good humor and enjoys the support. Several times at parties or at school she
has told boys to “stop that, or I will tell my dad.” It works.
I
hope you enjoy this: Rules to Date My Daughter, Stephanie
RULE #1
My daughter’s name is Stephanie. Her name is not “Mama”, “Houchie”, “Babe”, or any other name currently in the vocabulary of your age group identifying young women. With her permission, you may call her by her nickname, “Sam.” If I hear any of these other terms used to refer to my sweet girl you will get an immediate response from me, her father.
RULE #2
I am Stephanie’s father. You can call me “Sir”.
This is as in “Yes Sir”, “No Sir”, “I wouldn’t think of it, Sir”, and “I
will remember that good advice, Sir.”
RULE #3
Do not touch my daughter in front of me as it may
provoke an uncontrollable and probably overly aggressive response on my part. You
may glance at her as long as your glances are from the neck up.
When a woman says “No” it means “No!” However,
when Stephanie says “No” it means, “If you do not immediately stop what you are
doing I will tell my Daddy and very soon, when you are alone and least expect
it, he will be standing behind you in the dark with a grin on his face waiting
for you to turn around so you and he can have a “friendly” chat.
RULE #5
If you stop in front of my house and honk you had
better be delivering a pizza. If I learn that you are honking for my
daughter I will come outside and twist off your honker. Also, be aware
that I will be observing to see if Stephanie opens her own car door. I open the
door for my mother, my wife, my daughter, and any other woman who gets in my car.
You should do the same. However, if I ever get into your car, please do not
open my door.
RULE #6
When you meet me for the first time please do not
be uncomfortable if I stare at you. I am only doing this so I can cement
the memory of what you look like into my mind. This, of course, is in case I
have to come after you for violating one of the rules.
I would hate for there to ever be a case of mistaken
identity involving an innocent bystander.
Please bring my daughter back home in the same shape
she left in. Drive carefully. Protect her from drunks and obnoxious people. Do
not coax her to try drugs or alcohol. Always be ready to use your body to
get between her and any objects flying in her direction. Also, I expect her
clothing to come back in the same condition it left in. You should know that I
would not react well if I saw even one grass stain on any portion of her
clothing.
Do not go to school and tell stories to your pals
about my daughter, whether true or untrue. If you do, be prepared to explain to
those same pals how that mouse appeared under your right eye.
RULE #9
Stephanie will always have a specific time in the
evening when I expect her home. Please take this curfew seriously because I
will not be able to sleep until I know she has safely returned home. If you
bring her home too late or, God forbid, the next morning, the camouflaged
face looking in the window of your car will be mine.
LAST COMMENT FROM DAD:
Young man, if you are still here after reading these
rules you must really care for my daughter. This is the way to get me on your
side. Seriously, there is only one rule. This one rule is simply that you
care for my daughter as much as I do.
I like
that a fathers expressing his heart for his daughter wanting her to find
someone who will care for her as much as he does
A)Also showing that it is a serious thing to him /should anyone –
Violate her in any way
B) God’s heart is the same toward his people He is looking for Shepherds who would have his heart toward his people
1)
Those who would care
for HIS people the way that HE does And He gets angry at those who would
violate them / take advantage / fleece
C) Well here in 2 Peter 2 we see God’s heart toward false teachers
1) Against those who would fleece the flock / take
advantage of the flock
D) V. 1-3 Characteristics / v.4-9 we have the promised Judgment
Described as a SWIFT DESTRUCTION
1)
3 Examples that are
given that reveal – how much the Lord hates it when his people are taken
advantage of
E) However in the mist
of the examples of Judgment the Lord gives two examples of His GRACE to
illustrate
1)
That He takes care of
those who belong to Him – Examples are seen in the lives of Noah
& Lot – both were
rescued from the Judgment
Noah
& Lot are both good examples of last days believers – both men lived at a
time & in a place that received severe Judgment from God
A)Noah lived in a world that had grown so wicked that God declared that it would be destroyed by a flood
B) And LOT lived in a city that had become so perverse that God decided to destroy it by FIRE !!!
C) These Two men that
were last days believers – living in the last days before the judgment of God
came upon their cultures
1)
Both were saved / both
were described as JUST MEN - but that is where the comparisons end
C)
See Noah is listed in the Hall of faith – Heb.
11 – mentioned w/ that group that had faith in
the Lord & did great
exploits for
the Lord
D) This morning I want
to do a contrast between Noah & Lot – see what was different about these two men – One
in the Hall of faith – Much fruit
1) The other described as a Saved Soul but a wasted life / no fruit
First lets
look at NOAH – Gen . 6
A)Scene – described in v.
5-7 5Then the LORD saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And the LORD was
sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So
the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry
that I have made them.”
B) And then we read - 8But Noah found grace in
the eyes of the LORD.
C) Noah was ALSO a sinner – Sin separated him from
God – Wages of sin is death –
1) So Noah deserved to die like the rest of the world –
But Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord
I love
that phrase – when the rest of the world turned their backs on the Lord &
wandered FAR from the Lord
A)Noah turned to the Lord & found GRACE IN HIS EYES
MH. God looks down upon those with an eye of favour, who
sincerely look up to him with an eye of faith.
B)
Grace is Unmerited / Undeserved favor -
God looks favorably upon your life even though you don’t deserve it .
C) So the first thing we want to note about Noah is that He was a recipient of the grace of God –
Next we see the Result of having received that Grace
A) 1st -V.9
Noah was a Just man that is, justified before
God by faith / Described in Heb 11:7. as an heir of
the righteousness which is by faith,
B) 2nd He was Perfect in his Generations -He was perfect, not with a sinless perfection, but a perfection of sincerity;
1) He was a FAITHFUL MAN – Perfect in his Generation
C) Noah went against the
grain / He swam against the tide – he lived in the mist of a wicked &
perverse Generation – but he loved God
1)
In a time when it was
not popular to believe in God / walk w/ God / to stand for the Lord – NOAH WAS
FAITHFUL
D)
It is easy to be a Christian when
Christianity is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith and
resolution to swim against the stream
1) to appear for God when no one else
appears for him:
We
can look at our lives & think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a
$1,000 bill & laying it on the table 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.'
A)Think of it a
different way – God sends us to the
bank & has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters.
B) We go through life
putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there..
"Usually giving our life to Christ
isn't glorious.
1)
It's done in all those
little acts of love, 25 cents at a time.
C)
It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory;
it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long
haul."
1)
Noah faithfully walked w/ God over the long Haul
D) Not how you start
that matters it is how you finish that counts / 100 yrd dash - 90 yrds great – last 10 slow down
3RD
Noah lived in fellowship w/ God He
walked with God, as Enoch had done before him. – Fellowship & Communion /
Result of Grace
A) He lived a life of communion with God; it
was his constant care to conform himself to the will of God, to please him,
4th – V.22
Noah obeyed the word –
A)Although Noah had never seen rain / although he
would be ridiculed he believed what God said & did what God asked/ He Built an Ark
Keep
Place here in Gen. / go to Heb. 11 – what was behind this man
V.7 Noah walked by
Faith
A)Noah’s faith is seen through out his story – he believed the word
& acted upon it – But I am especially intrigued by this phrase
By
faith Noah built the ark for the saving of his household
B) What is interesting to me in that is – Check the Genealogy – Noah
began this project before his sons were even born
1)
They
were born in when Noah was 500 – late start – and the ark was completed when he
was 600 yrs old – took 120 yrs to build
C) He built that boat &
made room for his sons & their
wives before they were even born
1) By faith NOAH was planning ahead !!!!
We Also read in v. 7 that Noah was moved w/ Godly
fear
In
any given situation we are going to be led & motivated by one of 2 things –
Fear of MAN / Fear of GOD.
A)
Going to ask what do you think Lord -or what are they
going to think –
B)
The
Bible says that the Fear of the Lord is the Beg. Of Wisdom
/ it will be a FOUNDATION OF WISDOM
1)
That
means your life is going to have a mark of STABILITY & STRENGTH
C) FEAR OF GOD means
– Utter dread of doing anything that would displease Him.
D) So the Bible declares that
the fear of the Lord is the Beg. Of wisdom / but it also tells us that THE FEAR OF MAN IS A SNARE.
E)
If
you are worrying about what People think – it will snare you / it will trip you
up – it will knock you down.
Noah wasn’t
worried about what People thought of Him
A)Noah what are you
doing – Building an Ark – why ? Rain – Ha ha ha
B) Noah only cared about what the Lord thought
1)
Fear of man is a snare
C) Listen if you are
Worried about what everyone else is thinking – you are NOT going to be pleasing the Lord
A)For 120 yrs that Noah was building that
boat – He was calling people to repent – to turn to the Lord
B) How
many takers – only 7 souls – / Mrs.
Noah / 3 sons & their wives
1) Those of
you who are active in sharing your faith – be encouraged
C) Noah is Listed in the hall of faith – He has a
glorious entrance
Now lets
consider Lot who is not listed in the
Hall of faith/ In fact Lot’s epitaph
could read : Saved Soul but a Wasted life
A)Now Lot ALSO found grace in the eyes of
the Lord – In Gen. 12:5 Abe leaves Ur – that wicked city – told take his wife /
but also took Lot
1) And Lot was blessed because of Abe – that was grace
C) Like Abe Lot Believed in Jehovah God – for that
reason he is referred to in 2 Peter as Just Lot / Righteous man read v.7,8
again
1) He had faith in the Lord – but
that was about as far as it went
D) Abe was called the friend of God – but Lot had
no such title
1) Abe like Noah – walked w/ God but Lot radically
back slid – Lets consider the steps to Lot’s Backsliding
1st –He was
attracted to the world – Gen.13:10
A)Conflict w/ Abe & Lot’s servants –
time to separate – Abe – I will go one way you can go the other – Abe lets LOT –choose !!!
10And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the
plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
B) Notice that phrase –
it was like the EGYPT – Egypt = the world
1)
Egypt at the time was
THEE PLACE - Capital of all Wealth
Luxury Power & Perversion -
C) It would like
watching an episode of DALLAS & thinking – that is the life that I want to
live !!!!!
1)Lot wanted to go & live in this place that was
like the world
D) Great place for raising Cattle – but a lousy place for raising a family
Great place for making a Living / lousy
place for making a LIFE
2nd – v.12 Lot Pitched his tent
toward Sodom
A)It was bad enough that Lot wanted to live on the plains near the city but he faced his tent so he could see the city lights
B) He would look w/ Longing eyes upon
that wicked city
C) People TODAY have the
same mentality – I am not going to participate in
that / I am just going to look
1)
I would never commit adultery but I just like to watch these TV shows
& MOVIES that promote it
D) INTERNEST I just like to look at the pictures but it doesn’t affect me
Quote
Prov. 5 For the lips
of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the
end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to
death, Her steps lay hold of hell.
3rd Lot moves into the city Ch. 14:12
A)Ch. 14 Describes when these foreign kings raided the cities of the plain and took their people captive –
B) Note v.12 They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
C) Lot goes from being on the outskirts to living inside this wicked city
1)
More Convenient –
closer to the grocery store / restaurants / Theaters
D) We will save on
travel cost – if we are not going in there all the time
At
this point Lot is on the verge of being totally sucked in / God gives Him a
Wake up call – but Lot ignores it – 4th thing
A)The kings come in & besiege the city – Lot & his family are taken plus all of their goods
B)
At that point Lot should have realized – that
he was in the wrong place / but it didn’t even enter his mind
1)
Listen the Bible
teaches that whom the Lord loves he chastens
C) The Lord loves you
enough that when you are fooling around in sin / He will allow you to suffer
for it – WAKE YOU UP
Lot is
rescued does he leave – does he wake up – No – goes deeper
A)Ch.19 Sitting in the gate – LEADER NOW – that is where the Judges were – Lot is now in a place of Judging –
B) Progression of Sin –Psa 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly,..stands in the path of sinners, …..sits in the seat of the scornful;
1)
Walking / Standing /
TO SITTING
C) Here is Lot SITTING
IN THE GATES
Now lets consider the Dreadful Result of Lot’s
Backsliding
1st – He was miserable : 2 Peter 2 :7,8
Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy
conduct of the wicked 8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them,
tormented his righteous soul from day to day by
seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)
A)OPPRESSED = TO WEAR DOWN W/ TOIL
1) Lot goes to Sodom hoping to be refreshed
– to be blessed w/ abundance – the riches & pleasures of the World – leaves
him – Worn down
B) Tormented his soul- from day to day – He was
tormented
C) Here is the thing
that I want you to Note – Lot lived oppressed & tormented by the sin of
Sodom / but it was his own
fault
1)
He didn’t have to live
in that place – He was Miserable
D) That is the case w/ those who try to live w/ one foot in the
Lord & w/ one foot in the World
1) They have
Too much of the Lord to really enjoy the world / but too much of the world to
really enjoy the Lord – MISERABLE WAY TO LIVE !!!
2nd
Lot had no impact on that city – Gen. 18
A)Abe intercedes – 50 righteous / 45 / 40/ 30/ 20/ 10/
B) Stops at 10 let’s see there is Lot – Mrs. Lot / there is Lots two married daughters / their two husbands - / Lots 2 virgin daughters
1) So there are 8 people – Surely Lot has lead 2 people to the Lord in that city
C) But the fact of the
Matter is that Lot hadn’t even led his son in laws to the Lord
1)
All of the yrs there –
Lot hadn’t had an impact on Sodom / but Sodom
had made an impact on his family
D) So that when the city was finally destroyed – Lot goes to get his 2 daughters and their husbands – they laugh at Him
1) Lots wife looks back - Only Lot & His two younger daughters survive – Tragic Story
What
is true of Lot can be true of us if we try to live w/ one foot in the world
& one foot in the Lord – this world will impact our kids
A)But if we go against the grain / if we make a stand for righteousness there will be a better chance of our kids doing the same
B) And even if some
don’t / seen kids of very godly parents backslide – but there is a better
chance of them eventually coming Back
Lot’s
story is a tragic story - Yes called righteous Lot – He believed in the Lord
A) But He didn’t walk w/ the Lord as he should have & as he could have
B) RESULT : Saved Soul but a wasted life
C)
So what you say at least He made it to heaven /
seem like he got the best of both worlds – not really –
1)
Remember – Miserable
oppressed & tormented Life – Instead of the Abundant life the Lord had for
him-
D) Plus – NO FRUIT = NO
REWARD
1)
Might not care now /
but you will care then
There is a
Better way – Back to Psa 1
A)The tree planted is a neat picture of the ABIDING LIFE – roots going deep into the Lord – Result
B) There is fruit in it’s season & the Leaves don’t wither –
1)
Branches extended upward
in Worship !!!! Prospers
C) NOAH OR LOT – which
do you prefer ? !!!!!!