FAMILIES

FAMILIES “God sets the lonely in families.” (Ps. 68:6)

The family is the oldest institution on the earth. It was established by God in the Garden of Eden before man had sinned. It is earlier, therefore, than all laws of merely human origin and is foundational to a stable society. Adam and Eve had a family. God had commanded them: “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28). Their first two children were Cain and Abel and they represent the good and bad in society. Cain was bad and Abel was good. Many years later the Apostle John would write: “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.” (1 John 3:11-12)

After Cain killed Abel “Adam lay with his wife again and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’ Seth also had a son and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.” (Gen. 4:25-26)

GOOD FAMILIES AND BAD FAMILIES

Genesis chapters 4 and 5 contain the first of many genealogies in the Bible. First is the genealogy of Cain (Gen. 4:17-24). Then the genealogy of Seth (Gen. 5:3-32). Cain’s family was bad, and Seth’s family was good. The seventh child from Adam in Cain’s genealogy was perhaps the most wicked man on earth at the time. His name was Lamech and he was the first man to have more than one wife. He also killed a young man who injured him and then bragged about it (Gen. 4:19-24). The seventh from Adam in Seth’s genealogy was the most righteous man alive. His name was Enoch and he was so good that God took him to heaven without having to die (Gen. 5:18-24; Jude 14-15).

Sadly, there are still good families and bad families in the world. Consider these two families in the United States. First the family of Max Jukes. Max lived in the state of New York. He did not believe in Christian training and married a girl of like character. From this union men have studied 1,026 descendants. 300 of them died prematurely. 100 were sent to the penitentiary for an average of 13 years each and 190 were public prostitutes. There were also 100 drunkards. The family cost the state $1,200,000. This family made no helpful contribution to society. Next, the family of Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan also live in New York. He believed in Christian training and married a woman of like character. From this union men have studied 729 descendants. Of this number came 300 preachers, 65 college professors, 13 university presidents, 60 authors of good books, 3 United States Congressmen, 1 vice president of the U.S., and barring one grandson who married a questionable character the family has not cost the state a single dollar.

JESUS HAD A FAMILY

The genealogy of Jesus is also found in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38. In a committed family relationship you know exactly who your father is, who your grandfather is, etc. Without the family you’re not sure. Jesus not only had a family with genealogical roots, He also had a caring and nurturing family around him during his earthly ministry. You remember, I’m sure, that Mary the

mother of Jesus and Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist were relatives (Lk. 1:36). Remember also that when Jesus was 12 years old his parents lost track of Him coming home from Jerusalem. Immediately they began searching for Him among their “relatives and friends” (Lk. 2:44). During His earthly ministry His family cared so much that they tried to take charge of Him (Mk. 3:21). When Jesus was dying on the cross, His mother was there, but she was not alone. Among that small group of faithful disciples was her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas (John 19:25). This woman is thought by many Bible scholars to also be the mother of James the less, one of the 12 apostles.

GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE A GOOD FAMILY

There is no doubt that Jesus loves little children and wants them to be in a good family (Lk. 18:15-17). “A child left to himself disgraces his mother.” (Prov. 29:15) Wise King Solomon wrote: “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him” (Ps. 127:3) Jesus loves little children and wants every child to be raised in a godly family. This is one reason why sex is forbidden outside of marriage for every child needs a family. In a godly family little babies can find shelter, protection, and correction. That’s why it is important that every little baby is raised in a loving family! The word “Malachi” means “angel” or “messenger”. Here is how the prophet Malachi explained God’s purpose in marriage: “Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. ‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel, ‘and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,’ says the Lord almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.” (Malachi 2:15-16)

ADAM

During the six days of creation everything was “good” until God created Adam. Since Adam did not have a wife “The Lord God said, it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Gen. 2:18). “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” (Gen. 2:21-22) After God made Eve he ordained that “man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24). God wants every man to have his own family.

God ordained that the husband be the head of the family. Nothing God created has two heads for this would only bring confusion, and God is not the author of confusion. Paul explained to the Corinthians: “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Cor. 11:3) Headship need not result in oppression. God does not oppress Christ, Christ does not oppress the church, and a godly husband does not oppress his wife. Christian families who obey the Bible are among the happiest people on earth.

There are 195 countries in the world and in 52 of these countries the Bible is illegal or severely restricted. Countries without the Bible are not a good place to raise a family. For example, note the dramatic contrast between North and South Korea. Bibles are illegal in North Korea and 31,000 North Koreans who have defected from their country since 1953 looking for a better place to live. Armed North Korean soldiers patrol the border to keep people from escaping. On Nov. 14, 2017 a North

Korean soldier escaped across the demilitarized zone to South Korea but North Korean border guards fired some 40 rounds of ammunition trying to kill him. He was critically wounded but survived. Bibles are plentiful in South Korea. In fact, in 2018 the Korean Bible Society provided more than 6 million Bibles for 118 countries in 217 languages. The Bible is a friend to the family and blesses every country where it is taught. Unless you want to be a missionary or a martyr, don’t move to a country that doesn’t allow the Bible to be taught.

NOAH

The godly husband cares for and protects his family. “By faith, Noah when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Heb. 11:7)

It is a godly thing to care for your family. Paul wrote: “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Tim. 5:8)

Noah apparently labored for 120 years in building the ark (Gen. 6:3). It was worth it, however, because he saved his family. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen. 6:10). There were eight people in Noah’s family. This included Noah and his wife, his three sons, and their wives (Gen. 6:18; I Pet. 3:20). There is no effort too great if it involves saving your family!

After the flood the sons of Noah had families of their own and children of their own. These children also had families of their own and children of their own. These families became tribes, and the tribes became nations. The tenth chapter of Genesis is called the “Table of Nations.” The chapter begins “This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.” (Gen. 10:1). Then the Bible explains how the sons of Noah had families and began to fill the earth!

ABRAM

Abram (later called Abraham) came from a family of idolators. Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and explained to the people: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.” (Josh. 24:2) As the head of his family Joshua wanted them to serve the Lord. He said to the people: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Since Abraham came from an idolatrous family God commanded him: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3 KJV)

As you know, Jesus was a descendant of Abraham (Matt. 1:1-16). It is through Jesus all the families of the earth have been blessed!

JACOB

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and his name was changed to Israel (Gen. 32:28). The name “Jacob” means “supplanter” (Gen. 25:26) and the name “Israel” means “One who struggles with God.” Note the contrast. In the flesh Jacob struggled with his brother, but in the spirit he struggled with God. Jacob’s 12 sons are therefore known as “Israelites.” These 12 sons had families that became 12 tribes. Then these 12 tribes became a great nation as God predicted. Israel remains a mighty nation to this day.

Families, of course, were an integral part in the formation of the nation of Israel. It was through the family that the Israeli children learned about God as Malachi explained. “Shema” is the Hebrew word for “hear”. The word “Shema” refers to a prayer which the devout Israelite prays every day. This prayer is found in the Bible and begins with the word “Shema” from which the prayer receives it’s name. “Hear. O Israel: The Lord your God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:4-9).

It is in the family that children are to learn about God. There are 168 hours in the week and most children spend most of those hours with their family. One hour per week in Sunday School cannot correct 40 hours of ungodly teaching that children receive in the public school. Fathers need to teach their children when they sit at home or walk along the road. Noah built an ark to save his family, certainly we can take the time to save our families by teaching them about God.

THE CHURCH IS A FAMILY

When Paul described the relationship between husbands and wives he was also describing the relationship between Christ and the church. “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Eph. 5:22-33)

• Jesus said: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:50)
• “So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19)
• “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” (Heb. 2:11)
• “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
• “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity” (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
• “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” (Eph. 2:19)
• “all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14)
• “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:16–17)
• Paul referred to Phoebe as “our sister.” (Rom. 16:1)
• Peter referred to Silas as our “faithful brother.” (1 Pet. 5:12)
• We are to “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” (Rom. 12:10)
• Paul told Timothy that God’s household is the church of the living God. (1 Tim. 3:15)
• “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” (Eph. 3:14-15)
• “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15)
• “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)
• “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:5-9)
• Etc.

SOMETHING WORSE THAN DYING AND GOING TO HELL

Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else. Here are a few examples:

• “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28)
• “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the
• supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matt. 5:22)
• “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matt. 5:29-30)
• “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. (Matt. 7:13)
• “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.” (Matt. 18:8)
• “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:46)
• “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mk. 9:47-48)
• Etc.

It is hard to imagine anything worse than dying and going to hell, but there is! SOMETHING WORSE THAN DYING AN GOING TO HELL, IS DYING AND GOING TO HELL AND THEN REALIZING THAT YOU LED YOUR LOVED ONES TO HELL WITH YOU!

NO MAN GOES TO HEAVEN ALONE!

NO MAN GOES TO HELL ALONE!

OUR EXAMPLE INVARIABLY LEADS SOMEONE ELSE TO FOLLOW US!

WHERE IS THE FLOCK THAT WAS GIVEN YOU?

The prophet Jeremiah had this haunting question for the pastors of God’s people: “Where is the flock that was given you, thy beautiful flock?” (Jer. 13:20 KJV) The owner of the sheep expects the shepherd to be responsible for the sheep!

God has entrusted everyone with responsibility! Some are given 5 talents, some 2 talents, and some only 1 talent (Matt. 25:14-30) Those who are faithful in their responsibilities will be rewarded. Those who are lazy and worthless will be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30). It is required that stewards be found faithful! (1 Cor. 4:1-2).

God asked Cain: “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen. 4:9) God will hold each one of us accountable for the way we treat out brethren! Please consider:

• “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matt. 18:6)
• “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.” (Mk. 9:42)
• “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Lk. 17:2)
• “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” (Rom. 14:21)
• “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,” (Matt. 13:41)
• “But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal. 2:8)
• On Judgment Day “the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matt. 25:34-40)

LAW VS. LOVE

Christianity is not like a court of law, it is like a marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33). The family is held together by “love” and not “law”. Please note that love is more demanding than law. “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.” (Ex. 21:2-6)

The law required six years of service, but love demands service forever. Love never fails! (1 Cor. 13:8) Please consider the following Scriptures!

• The law forbade adultery, but love forbids lust (Matt. 5:27-28).
• The law requires an “eye for eye and tooth for tooth”, but love requires that we turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:38-39).
• The law requires that you “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” but love requires that we love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44).
• Love sums up the law and the prophets: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
• through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
• Since love is more demanding than law, please consider that love is the narrow gate, and law is the wide gate! Nothing is more demanding than love!
• “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16)
• “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 14:13)
• Jesus said: “Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
• The only way we can love one another in the same way that Jesus loves us is by receiving the Holy Spirit. Love, as you know, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26).

GOD IS OUR FATHER

When the disciples wanted to know how to pray Jesus taught them to pray to God like He was their father (Lk. 11:1ff). He pointed out that our earthly fathers, who are evil, give good gifts to their children, and reasoned that our Heavenly Father would do even better. This was, at the time, a theological bombshell. Jewish people never thought of God as their personal father. He was considered the Father of the nation as in Deut. 32:6. He was considered the Father of the king as in 1 Chron. 17:13. But God was never considered as a personal father. In their minds, He was so high and lifted up that He could only be approached through a mediator or priest.

The Hebrew word for father is “ab”. It is used 1,195 times in the O. T. Scriptures, but only 15 times does it refer to God (13 times as an epithet and twice directly in prayer). Remember that the Hebrew people were so afraid of God that they would not even attempt to pronounce His name for fear that they would be taking it in vain. They never thought of praying to God as a father.

Calling God “Abba” or “Daddy” was even more offensive to the Jew. The New International Dictionary of N.T. Theology states: “Nowhere in the entire wealth of devotional literature produced by ancient Judaism do we find “abba” being used as a way of addressing God” (Vol. 1 p. 614). Yet this is precisely the way that Jesus prayed (Mk. 14:36), and this is also the way that Christians are taught to pray (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).

Thinking of God as our Father helps us to focus on the dramatic difference between the Old Testament, and the New. In Old Testament times only the High Priest could approach God, and even then only under the strictest and most limited circumstances. Many of these limitations are listed in Lev. 16:. As you know, the High Priest could only approach God one day in the year. If he was not properly clothed, or if he deviated from the divine rituals, he died. It must have been a frightening experience for the High Priest to enter into the presence of God. Christians, by contrast, enter boldly into the presence of God any time we want to (Heb. 10:19ff.) The blood of Jesus Christ, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empower us to cry out “Abba - Father” (Gal. 4:6). We are not slaves any longer, we are sons.

We have an earthly father because he planted an earthly seed in the earthly womb, of our earthly mother. This earthly seed contains the DNA of our earthly father, and provides us with an earthly “image” or “likeness” of our earthly father. (1 Cor. 15:49). As you know, there is a great gulf between flesh and spirit. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and neither does corruption inherit incorruption. (1 Cor. 15:50). That’s why we have to be born again!

Christians are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of the incorruptible, even the Word of God that lives and abides forever (1 Pet. 1:23). The Word of God is not physical, it is spiritual. Jesus said that the words which He spoke were “spirit” and “life” (John 6:63). Just as we received earthly life from an earthly seed, we can receive spiritual life from a spiritual seed (John 3:6). Just as the earthly seed provides us with the earthly image of our earthly father, the spiritual seed provides with the spiritual image of our spiritual Father. Our nature is changed because God’s seed abides in us (1 Jn. 3:9). The change is so dramatic that Christians are even called “new creations” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Biblical teaching about the Fatherhood of God is of particular value in maintaining the unity created by the Spirit. Philemon, for example, was a Christian in Colossae. Onesimus was his slave who ran away to Rome. When Onesimus was “born again” he automatically became a brother in Christ to the man he had defrauded. The unity they experienced, however, was somewhat fragile and they had to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3). These two brothers in the Family of God were separated by many miles, and many barriers. Paul’s letter to Philemon is a gracious reminder that our brotherhood in Christ is more important than any obstacle that separates us. God has children in every race, kindred, tongue and people. His children are both rich and poor and are found in every strata of society. As long as God is their Father, however, they are our brothers. If Jesus is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb. 2:11), neither should we be ashamed to call them brethren.

Paul wrote to the Galatians: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

Yes! The sons of God will be heirs according to the promise and co-heirs with Jesus Christ: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:14-17)

PLEASE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD!

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)