"FAITH IN THE FAMILY"
INTRODUCTION
- As Christians, we are privileged to be members of God's family...
- With God as our Father in heaven
- With Christ as our Elder Brother
- With many fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and
sisters - cf. Mk 10:29-30
- Even so, we also have duties as members of our human families...
- As husbands and wives
- As parents and children
- As married and single
[What impact should our faith as Christians have on our physical
families? What are our responsibilities as Christians who are blessed
with familial relationships? Consider first...]
- THE CHRISTIAN AS HUSBAND AND FATHER
- DUTIES OF THE HUSBAND...
- Husbands are to love their wives - Ep 5:25-29
- As Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her
- As their own bodies, nourishing and cherishing them
- Husbands are to leave mother and father - Ep 5:31
- Leaving parents to be joined to one's wife
- The husband therefore gives his wife priority over his
parents
- Husbands are not to be bitter toward their wives - Col 3:19
- "do not be harsh with them" (ESV)
- "never treat them harshly" (NRSV)
- Husbands are to be understanding and give honor to their wives
- 1 Pe 3:7
- Understanding their delicate nature
- Honoring them as heirs together of the grace of life
- DUTIES OF THE FATHER...
- To provide the necessities of life - 2Co 12:14;1Ti 5:8
- Parents ought to provide for their children
- A man who fails to do so is worse than an infidel
- Not to provoke the children to wrath - Ep 6:4; Col 3:21
- That is, by unreasonable commands; by needless severity; by
the manifestation of anger - Barnes
- Lest, by your continually finding fault with them, they
should lose all courage, and despair of ever pleasing you
- ibid.
- To provide for spiritual training of the children - Ep 6:4
- Bringing them up in the training (discipline, ESV) of the
Lord
- Bringing them up in the admonition (instruction, ESV) of the
Lord
- To provide loving discipline as necessary - He 12:6-11; Pro
13:24
- Even as our Heavenly Father disciplines His children
- Though it may be unpleasant at the moment
[Such are familial responsibilities of Christian men as husbands and
fathers. Now let's consider...]
- THE CHRISTIAN AS WIFE AND MOTHER
- DUTIES OF THE WIFE...
- Wives are to submit to their husbands - Ep 5:22-24; Col 3:18;
1Pe 3:1-2
- As to the Lord, as is fitting in the Lord
- In everything, as the church is subject to Christ
- Wives are to respect and love their husbands - Ep 5:33; Tit 2:4
- Not just to submit, but to do so with respect and love for
their husbands
- Which older women should teach the younger women
- DUTIES OF THE MOTHER...
- To love their children - Tit 2:4
- Which ought to be natural
- Yet sin can lead to a lack of proper affection - cf. Ro 1:31
- To manage the household - Tit 2:5; 1Ti 5:14
- The primary responsibility of the wife and mother
- Though a woman may also engage in activities outside the
home - cf. Pr 31:10-31
- To provide spiritual training when male leadership is lacking
- 2Ti 1:5; cf. Ac 16:1
- Timothy's mother and grandmother were believers
- Evidently his father was not, which is too often the case
today
[Such are the duties of Christian women as wives and mothers. Next
let's take a look at...]
- THE CHRISTIAN AS CHILD AND SINGLE
- DUTIES OF CHILDREN...
- To obey their parents - Ep 6:1; Col 3:20
- In the Lord, for this is right
- In all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord
- To honor their parents - Ep 6:2-3
- The first commandment with promise - cf. Exo 20:12
- By providing for their welfare in later years - cf. 1 Ti
5:4,8,16
- DUTIES OF THE SINGLE CHRISTIAN...
- To utilize the advantage of being single - 1Co 7:32-35
- Use your freedom to increase your service to God
- Don't be selfish with the extra time and freedom you have
- Don't begrudge others who may not do as much as you because
of their other responsibilities (e.g., children, spouse)
- To watch out for the dangers of being single - cf. Ec 4:9-11
- Temptation - make an effort to develop a close relationship
with the Lord
- Loneliness - accept invitations to be with others, initiate
opportunities to be with others
- Self-centeredness - offer yourself in service to others; be
flexible
- To remember that you are in the family of God - Mk 10:29-30
- You have many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children
- Make the effort to develop and utilize these relationships
[Finally, some remarks regarding discipleship as it relates to our
familial relationships...]
- THE CHRISTIAN AS DISCIPLE
- PUTTING THE LORD BEFORE THE FAMILY...
- Of course, we are to love our parents, spouses and children
- Yet our love for the Lord must come first - Mt 10:34-37; 12:46-50
- Otherwise we are not worthy to be called His disciple
- Only then will Jesus view us as members of His family
- By putting God and His kingdom first, our families will benefit
more - cf. Mt 6:33
- God's providence will help provide for our families' needs
- We will also be better parents, spouses and children by
following Jesus
- PRESENTING THE LORD TO THE FAMILY...
- By way of example - cf. 1Pe 3:1-2
- So wives were to influence their unbelieving husbands
- So we can influence other unbelieving members of the family
- By way of instruction - cf. Ep 6:4
- So fathers were to instruct their children
- So we can teach other members of the family
CONCLUSION
- The nuclear family is a wonderful blessing, intended by God to
consist of...
- Husbands and wives who love and respect one another
- Parents who love and discipline their children
- Children who honor and obey their parents
- As Christians, our familial duties are clear...
- Whether as husbands or wives
- Whether as parents or children
- Whether as married or single
May our faith in Christ lead us to be the best spouses and parents, the
best children and singles, we can possibly be...