Archive for January 2009

The Family

January 25, 2009 by PastorDave.

#340, The Family, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday, 01-25-09

Title: The Family
Text: Joshua 24:14, 15

Introduction

Moses had died and past the torch to Joshua, Joshua takes God’s people into the Promised Land and they conquer most of it and settle in the cities and begin life in this new land.
Joshua now is preparing to die (he’s around 110 yrs old) and the book of Joshua, chapter 24 Joshua begins his farewell speech to all the tribes of Israel.
Joshua 25:14-15 – “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
House = a corporate group living inside a dwelling place (Bayith)
In other words Joshua said, As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Today we want to look at our third pillar (core value): Healthy Relationship with our Family.

Transition: We value family, God is the creator of the family, it is a core value of this church, if the Bible is our authority, then family and the promotion of healthy family relationships will have to be a priority, because it is God’s.

Today we want to see that family is God’s design, in the design there are roles & responsibilities, and when family breaks down God has a plan.

A. GOD’S PERFECT DESIGN

1.    Genesis 2:24 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
2.    God told the first male & female (Adam & Eve) to be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it and to rule over every living creature. (Gen. 1:28)
3.    But we see here (Gen. 2:24) God has a design for mankind; God wants mankind or us to fill the earth and subdue it using His perfect design.
4.    His perfect design: father & mother they have a son and the time will come when the son will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, who will be a woman who has a mother and father and she will leave them to be with her husband.
5.    Now when they come together they will be fruitful and have children (boys & girls). Now that is basically it. The design is God’s and it is perfect and we are to follow it.
6.    Now as we follow it, what happens, well next we get grandparents.
7.    2 Timothy 1:5 – “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (we see heritage and generations in God’s design)
8.    After grandparents the family extends to uncles, aunts and cousins
9.    Esther 2:7 – “Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother, this girl, who was also known as Esther.”
10.    This man Mordecai took in and brought up his uncles daughter, Esther; and together this team of Mordecai & Queen Esther saved a whole people group.
11.    This is God’s design for us; God put it together, that we his people would as families, come together and subdue the earth. (show family screen)
12.    So what does the enemy desire, to destroy God’s perfect design, destroy family.
13.    This is God’s design and we value it and want you to be successful inside of it!
14.    Use my immediate family as an example, you can start right now.

B. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE FAMILY DESIGN

1.    Ephesians 5:33- 6:4 – “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother- which is the first commandment with a promise—that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
2.    God is giving us within His perfect design roles with responsibilities: The husband must love his wife (role = husband, responsibility = love wife) wives = role, responsibility = respect husband; role = children, responsibility = obey parents in the Lord & honor, father = role, responsibility = bring up children in the Lord.
3.    There are other Scripture verses which expand, but what we discover is that each of us in this perfect Design has roles and responsibilities that are God-given.
4.    No role is more valuable to God than another.
5.    Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
6.    The scripture is a reference to value of all of our roles and responsibilities. Within the family there are different roles, each role has God-given responsibilities, but they are all equal in value and importance!
7.    We value these God given roles & responsibilities. We want to assist husbands, wives, sons, daughters, grandparents, etc with understanding their roles and being successful!
C.    GOD’S PLAN

1.    There is a pressure to not preach this kind of “family” message today. Because this traditional, biblical family has been under attack for so long in our culture that many people are living in this situation, so it makes them feel sad, or mad.
2.    For those of us here today, I understand, my birth father left me when I was a baby. I never had a chance, like some of you.
3.    But I want you to know, we cannot form our values (as hard as this sounds) around our personal life experiences, we must but our faith in God and trust in His Word and ask Him for the strength and grace to submit to His design and plan.
4.    Every one of us will have the most success possible inside of God’s perfect design. The design is perfect, but people are not.
5.    So here is God’s plan when things have fallen apart.
6.    2 Corinthians 5:18-19 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
7.    God’s plan is reconciliation! It is our ministry & our message!
8.    Matthew 5:23-24 – “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
9.    Colossians 3:13 – “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
10.    Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
11.    God’s plan is that as far as it is possible with you, reconcile & forgive with your family!

1.    Joshua told the whole nation of Israel, as for me and my house, my family we will serve the Lord!
2.    God as birthed each one of us, as chosen parents for us, He even chooses our brothers and sisters and grandparents, and this is His Creation & His Design for all of us.
3.    The goal of the enemy is to destroy these God ordained relationships, with unforgiveness, anger, and bitterness.
4.    But no one can stop you from surrendering to who God designed you to be, taking seriously the responsibilities God has given and reconciling/forgiving those in your family!

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