In the sermon 'How To Build in Babylon' by Jason Dohm, the speaker references Jeremiah 29, highlighting the instructions to build, dwell, and plant even in places where one might be captive. The sermon emphasizes seeking the peace of the city and praying for it, as this peace is beneficial for the inhabitants. While macro-level events may seem out of control, individuals have significant influence within their personal lives, marriages, and families. Fathers are encouraged to focus on areas where they have influence, particularly in raising children in the training and admonition of the Lord, as guided by Ephesians 6:4. Mothers are likened to the Proverbs 31 woman, possessing a broad influence in home and life building. The sermon underscores the importance of leveraging personal spheres of influence to advance the kingdom of God within the home, despite external chaos.

On the one hand in Jeremiah 29, you have the instruction to build, dwell, plant. Does it stop there? Verse 7 continues, and seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will have peace. So Jeremiah 29 gives us what we ought to be doing, things that we have a tremendous amount of influence over, but then an outlet for things that we don't have any influence over. We can pray to God, we actually seek the peace, even of these pagan places.

Can you imagine that? God wants us to seek the peace of the pagan places and to pray for it, because when there's peace there, you get to enjoy the peace. So for fathers and mothers, you have this admonition in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 for parents to bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord. This really focuses us on something at the micro level. So we get really frustrated that things seem out of control at the macro level, that the big picture seems out of control.

But actually, there are places where God has given us a tremendous amount of influence. And that is with our personal life with the Lord, in our marriage, in our family. So dads are actually pointed towards the areas where God has given us a tremendous amount of influence. And honestly, in many ways, it doesn't matter what's happening out there. What's happening in here within our home, God has handed us tremendous amounts of influence, and he tells us exactly how to use that influence to bring up our children into the training and admonition of the Lord.

People might not care anything about the things of the Lord out there, but in here we care about the things of the Lord and really can advance the kingdom of God in our homes. And in terms of mothers, specifically mothers, I don't know how you do better than Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 is thought of as home building. I have no objection to that. It is home building.

But it's really, it's so broad. I'm not sure that does it justice. When you look at Proverbs 31, it is life building for the home and everyone who lives in the home. So, again, moms are given this sphere of tremendous influence. Again, things can be spiraling out there, but in here, moms have tremendous influence to build a life for the home and everybody who lives in the home.

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