THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT
Program Air Date - 5-19-02
LESSON TITLE: THE CHRISTIAN HOME: "GOD AND THE FAMILY"
WELCOME
What a privilege we have this morning to join together in the study of God's Living Word. We welcome you to our program and we thank God that you have chosen to be with us today. We are excited about this opportunity we have together this morning to glorify our creator. May we each do our part to make this time acceptable in His sight and according to His Will. Now, let's approach our Father's throne in prayer.
(Prayer)
Our theme song for this program is a precious old hymn which reminds us of the wondrous gift we have been given through God's Word. Won't you join in with the congregation at this time as we sing together about this Book of Books. The name of the song, "Give Me The Bible!"
(SONG # 1)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
How many times have we been lost in our lives? I think us men are worse than ladies about this, because we are generally to tough to stop and ask for help when we need it. I often will look for a house or business here in Springfield and wonder if I will ever find it. Thinking, should I go this way or that way? Probably all of us have been in this situation before and it really leaves us feeling a bit confused or even lost.
I think most of us ask these same questions in other parts of our lives too: Should I do or say, this or that? Should I follow him or her? Is this really something I should be involved in? Sometimes the questions deal with trivial matters, but often they can be life altering. Determining which way to go or what to do is a very important lesson which we must all learn in life.
Isn't life about making these types of decisions everyday. It certainly is. So our goal must be to learn to decide which way or what to do according to what God wants.
The Bible often talks about, the paths or the way of God. It is important to recognize this in our decision making process so we won't leave God out. In Proverbs 3:6, we read, "in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." God is there for us to show us the way if we will only let Him. In fact, this is why He has given us His Word. The Psalmist David said, "your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path," Psalms 119:105. God's word is the light, which illuminates our pathway. It can show us which way to go and tell us which turns to take.
Also in the book of John we read, "and Jesus said to them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me," chapter 14, verse 6. So, Jesus is the way which we must follow to get to the Father. It is the Word of God that teaches us about that way, Jesus, and how we must follow Him. Thus, our paths are brightened by Jesus and His word, so that we know the direction we should go.
So as we look down each road in life, let's make decisions that include the help of Jesus. If we remember Him and His Word, it will help us to make decisions that will please our God in heaven. Then, the result will be that God will bless each one of us as we are doing that which is according to His Will.
Today we will be concluding our study from God's on "The Christian Home!" We will sum up our series this morning by considering the topic, "God and The Family." So continue with us after our next song and in a few minutes I will return with this lesson from God's Word. It's now time to join in our second hymn of the morning, the name of the song, "To God Be The Glory."
(SONG # 2)
LESSON
Speaker: Ray Sullins
Thank you for continuing with us this morning as we now have opportunity to look at God's Word again as we conclude our series as was mentioned earlier on "The Christian Home." This morning we want to look at God and the family as we kind of wrap things up. We've so far looked at so much about the Christian family and I appreciate all of the good comments and all of those who have written to us and called and asked for tapes. We've had a great response as far as people wanting transcripts and tapes from the program. We do appreciate you getting in touch with us and requesting those items. But I also want to let you know that this morning as we conclude, those are still available. We still have lessons that deal with what the family is from the very beginning, and we've looked at how we fit in, love in relationship to the family. We've looked at communication and its importance in the family. We've looked at the duties of husbands and wives and children and parents, as we've looked at individual lessons there. This morning then we want to kind of just bring it all together by looking at a lesson on the family, the family of God and really looking at the lesson called "God and the Family", because really a family that is right, that is proper, that is as it should be in this life is one that has got God at the foremost and the front and really one that is focused primarily in all things on God, the Creator, the giver of all, the one who as we have seen in our study from the very beginning that planned this concept of the family.
You might remember there as we have already looked at verses in many of these places throughout our lessons together. But in Genesis chapter 2 as we study there about how that God had not only made man but eventually made a woman out of the rib of a man. Then we know that in about verse 24 that actually He says there that a man should leave his father and mother and then cleave to his wife and the two become, as the Bible says, "one flesh." Why? Because Adam had just said, "This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." And then this man and this woman who have now left their families and become one in flesh to become one unit, one married group before God, two individuals. Then again, we find they begin to make the family.
We also looked at lessons throughout the Bible that told us about how that they were commanded to go and to replenish the earth such as Adam and Eve. Not only them, but Noah was also told along with his sons to go out and to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, having children, again the other important part of a good and a godly and a wholesome family.
Then also, we've looked at verses as you might look now again with me in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy that lays out so well for us the things that God has presented to us at least through the Israelites and the plans that they were given at Mt. Sinai that also goes further to show us how they adhered to the statutes of our Lord and how we also can learn from them in striving our best to keep those things that God presents to us today in the New Law. But there in Deuteronomy chapter 4, you might again notice with me some of the ideas that are presented there as he mentions beginning in chapter 4 and verse 1 the idea that Israel was commanded to do all the statutes and judgments, all those things that they had been taught, to live and to go and possess a land that would be given to them and to accomplish all those things as he continues on down through the text that they had been commanded to by the Lord their God. And then you get into verse 6 and he continues on talking about how that they should carefully observe what God had said and use their wisdom to do as God said, to follow again His statutes, and in this they would be a great nation as we read in verse 7, and as they were a great nation, they should go on to follow the law of God, the judgments of God and you can just see how redundant he is here in chapter 4 as Moses tells the Israelites what is commanded in relationship to obedience.
But look at the next verse, that is again verse 9, as he again says, "Only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself lest you forget the things your eyes have seen and lest you depart from your heart all the days of your life and teach them to your children and your grandchildren." Here we see again that unit, that group, that family situation that includes not only here as we see a husband and a wife and their children, but eventually as their children have children that also includes the grandchildren. And what is he talking about here? He says, "Teach them about..." Who? "God." You see here God and the family at the helm of the family, the head of the family, that which will again bring about that which is perfect and righteous and good according to what we need in our families. Again, God must be there. And that's what's being discussed here. In fact, he goes on in verses 10 and following to even discuss further about how they should especially remember the great power that God had demonstrated and again all the things that He had given them through the Word and so on and so forth and that's what the family today of God must be, based on God, based on His Word that we have, based on the principles, the duties that are laid out for each one of us as His children to fulfill according to His purpose, not our own purpose, but according to His purpose.
Now again, turn with me to Joshua, another verse that we alluded to in some of our lessons. But there in Joshua again chapter 23, the last verse talks about how there that God really was a God that desired the people to follow Him. In fact, Joshua here was actually talking about how that eventually people there of Israel would no longer adhere to the commands and the laws of God. Notice what he said there in verse 16 when he said, "When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord, your God which He commanded you and have gone to serve other gods and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you." Here we see kind of a warning I would say as Joshua was giving now to the Israelites in his latter days, in the farewell addresses that he was giving to Israel. He says, "Look." He says, "You will be turned against by God if you do not do His statutes and keep His covenants and He will take away your land and cause you to go into captivity," And we know that later that took place. So I believe really he's talking about somewhat of prophecy here that was actually going to be fulfilled as you'll notice there as he began the verse, that is verse 16, "when you have transgressed." Because at this point, as we read on in chapter 24, they were committing themselves to God. But we know it wasn't long before they began to turn away because immediately we go into the period of the judges when they began to leave God and no longer adhere to Him and actually of following the gods of those Canaanites many times in nations around them.
If you'll also notice there the great proclamation that was made as we could call it there by Joshua in chapter 24, and if you'll go there and you'll notice as he mentioned in verse 14 that "now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in serenity and in truth and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the river in Egypt. Serve the Lord, and if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you yourselves this day whom you will serve whether the gods which were of your father served and were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Ammorites in those lands in whom you dwelled, but as for me and my house," he says, "we will serve the Lord." Again, a family, a household, a unit, a father, a mother, children, grandchildren, grandparents, however we look at it, a home, a house that is made up with God at the top is again a house that will always be prosperous, a house that will always be worth being a part of.
Brethren, I don't know of anything we could talk about and could have really considered over the past few months of more importance than the Christian home. I say that because as we discuss it, we look at the history of this world and we find world power such as Rome who really if you will look at the reasons why it came to it's knees and why it was destroyed, one of the fundamental principles was again they had turned away from the common, general precepts and ideas of a good and righteous home. They had left God's will and the decline was in relationship to men no longer wanting to be fathers but yet wanting to do and to be involved in sin. And mothers no longer wanting to be mothers and children not being children and families not being families and homes not being homes and God was not at the top. Brethren, when you're talking about a nation, when you're talking about a family, when you're talking about a household, when you're talking about a church, without God at the top, without God first, without seeking Him first, it will never stand. It will never be as it should.
I would like to also suggest this as we think about what God appointed as goals and purposes of the home. Again, He appointed the husband as head, we have studied. He appointed the wife also as one who in equal submission shows love by obeying her husband, and the wives submit and the children are brought forth and raised up in the admonition of the Lord according to what the Bible says and they honor their parents because the children again find out what God says in respect to their duties as children in the home and then the parents also raise their children in a way that will not provoke or bring them about to wrath. We've looked at all of these concepts, but have we forgotten the fact that in all of these areas again, man, father, woman, wife, children, again daughter or son, whether we talk about again husbands, wives, whatever it is, again it's all about God. In fact, if you'll remember with me, it's not about marriage, my marriage, your marriage, my marriage, my wife's marriage. It's about God's marriage. It's not about my home. It's God's home. It's not about the child that is my child. It's God's child. It's not about my family or your family. It's about God's family. You see again, it's a mindset. It's an idealogy that we must proceed and continue to understand that truly that at the foundation of a good, godly family is God. And what is God? God is love. And when we start talking about God being love we understand that the love encompasses all things that we need to understand properly in relationship to a good, and a godly family. In fact, love being the greatest, even over faith and hope, we find love, even greater than anything else that we could do in religion. It is love. Why? Because that love is the foundation that we build the faith and the hope and all those other things on that we must believe and follow and be obedient to if we are to be those households that again serve God. And it's that same love that Paul talked about in Ephesians chapter 5 as he talked about husbands loving wives and wives loving husbands and then on down even in chapter 6, he talked about children loving their parents and parents loving the children and not provoking their children. On and on and on, we see this foundation there in spiritual matters, in home matters, in godly matters, in worldly matters, love, love, the love of God. But brethren and friends, if we could understand that this love is that which again bears all things, believes all things, that shows respect and honor and gives that which is due to those who deserve those things. Again, that is where we will find God and God's Word and God's Will being carried out in all things as we have been asked to be a part of that as followers once again in His kingdom.
We've looked at examples there in Timothy where Timothy was raised in a home, had a grandmother who was a Christian there in 2 Timothy 1:5, had a mother who was a Christian, one who brought him up as he should be.
We've looked at verses such as 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 again where Timothy was found faithful because he was brought up in a household that was faithful. Again a home, a good, godly home must be based on God, must have God again at its helm.
I would like to read one thing that I found that I found very intreresting in relationship to our topic. It really was an application of employment to make a home better. I found it interesting. I've used it before at the congregation where I preach. It says, "I would like a job as a tutor, a teacher and advisor to your family." It says, "I will never take a vacation and I will never be out of humor. I don't drink or smoke and I won't borrow your clothes or raid the refrigerator. I will be up in the morning as early as everyone in the household and I will stay up as late as everyone wishes. I will help solve any problems of your children that they might have and I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that no question your child asks will ever go unanswered for what matters. I will also answer any of your own questions on the subjects that range from how you got here to where you will go someday. I will help settle battles and bets and differences of opinion. I will give you information that will help you with your job, with your life and family and other interests. In short, I will give you the knowledge that will ensure the continued success of your family before God. What am I? I am the Bible. Do I get the job?"
Again, the point is that when we take God, we must take this book, the Bible, the Word of God, and when we take the two together because one is from the Creator and we follow it and we put it in the homes and we use it and our children respect it and we respect it and when Sunday morning comes and Sunday night and Wednesday night and every opportunity that we have comes to serve God, it's not a matter of again will we go. It's a matter of when we go. It's not a matter of where will go be fit in. It's where we will fit our lives into what God has asked us to do. You see again, that's the Christian home. That's the home that has God as the head of the family, that has God in the place of recognition that He deserves to be and that is the home that you and I are each responsible to do our part to fulfill again as husbands, as men, as fathers, as wives, mothers, as women in this world, as children. Let's all study the Word of God and ask ourselves what is our duty? What is my responsibility? What can I do to make the home a good, godly home? What can I do to make sure that everything that I participate in is in relationship to God? Again, the answers are found in His Word.
Will you go to the Word of God and study it and commit to your memory, into your hearts the things that God has asked you to do according to your duties in the home and will you then fulfill the functions that He has required of you so that the end results when we have been found faithful in the end will receive the crown of glory and an eternal life in our heavenly home?
(# 3 - "Amazing Grace!")
CLOSING COMMENTS
Let me thank you again for choosing to be with us today for the Living Word program. I hope and trust, that together we have all benefited from this service to our Lord. Let me also invite you to join us every Lord's Day morning at 7:30 as we give this time to our Creator.
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I hope we have all been able to learn more about the Christian Home through this series together. May we all accept the challenge and do our part, make our homes acceptable before God and pleasing in His sight!
(Program closing)