Christ In The Home

Proverbs 24:3–4
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Pastor Randy Smith

If you begin reading your Bible from the beginning, it won’t take long before you see God’s special concern for the family. After He created the world, He created two people (Gen. 1.27). And soon after He created man and woman, He brought them together to become one flesh in holy matrimony. They were called to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). Everything was very good (Gen 1:31).

Unfortunately, what God intended for good, soon became corrupted. The marriage partners disobeyed God (Gen. 3:6). They began to doubt and blame each other (Gen. 3:12). Their children experienced vicious conflict among themselves (Gen. 4:8). The family, the treasure of God’s creation, was in no time in chaos.

Unfortunately the times have not changed regarding the family. What was intended to reflect God’s glory to the world lives contently without any evidence of His presence. What was intended to bring joy to humanity experiences heart-wrenching pain and agony. What was intended to provide unity and support witnesses disloyalty, divorce, run-a-ways and rejection. And unrivaled in past generations, the sanctity of marriage and the biblical distinction between the genders is being attacked from all directions.

The family as we know it is in serious trouble. Reason being is because the family is failing to function as God designed it. Possibly we can expect this from the world, but all too often the Christian family is no better. Why is that? Perhaps it is due to the absence of sound examples or biblical instruction. Perhaps it is due to sheer laziness or the love for sin. Yet for whatever the reason, I am convinced that many Christian homes are not glorifying the Lord and are not experiencing the satisfaction and the joy that God intends.

I am not implying that Christian families do not experience the problems that worldly families encounter. We too have to deal with death and illness. We too have to deal with broken appliances, rising fuel costs and unreasonable neighbors. We too have to deal with poor report cards, difference in opinions and balancing busy schedules. Yet there is something different about the Christian family. For God has given us grace. And God has given us principles in the Bible that can help us weather these storms and even overcome them. Yet I believe in many Christian homes the grace is never utilized, and the principles we employ come more from the world than God’s Word.

In 1 Timothy 3:4 we read, “He [in reference to the pastor] must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity” (cf. 1 Tim. 3:12).

Now you might be wondering why I chose a verse related to the qualification of a pastor for Christian living in the home? The reason being is that all these qualifications contained in 1 Timothy 3 (and Titus 1) are expected for all Christians. The Apostle Paul is only saying to be sure we chose men for leadership that demonstrate these traits! Or as D.A. Carson once put it, “The remarkable thing about the pastor qualifications is that they are not remarkable (quoted from memory).” In other words, every Christian family must be a well-managed home.

This verse is talking about a well-managed home, one that is orderly. It is a home that demonstrates the balance between mercy and firmness, between compassion and justice and between forbearance and confrontation. It is a home that biblically resolves conflict, builds unity, maintains love, promotes Scripture, disciplines children, rewards service, accepts responsibility, values fun and exalts Christ.

The same Greek word (oikos) translated here “household” (or “family”-NIV) is the same Greek word used in verse 15 as a metaphor for the church – “the household of God.” The implication is that the family should be a “little church.” The only way we can have a strong big church is to have a lot of strong little churches. That is why Paul logically said in 1 Timothy 3:5, “But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?”

God expects our homes to be well-managed. I have briefly covered the word “manage.” Yet I have not spoken of the word “well.” The Greek word is kalos. I can still remember when I memorized hundreds of Greek words in Bible College. Kalos was one of my vocabulary words the week I suggested to Julie that we name our second daughter “Kayla.” Kalos means “good” or “beautiful.” A well-managed home is good and beautiful.

I am convinced this is God’s will. And I am convinced that when we walk by the Spirit and abide in His Word, by His grace we can produce homes that exalt Christ and bring us much happiness. And to narrow it down, if I have to choose one trait of a well-managed home, it is that a well-managed home is loving.

I will draw much of my material this morning from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

1. A Well-Managed Home Is Loving

The Bible says that “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8). Throughout the early chapters of Ephesians, we read much about God’s love for His people. 1:4-5 says, “In love He predestined us.” 2:4 speaks of His “great love with which He loved us” through the grace found in Christ Jesus. 3:19 calls us “to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.” And 5:1-2 tells us to “be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved (us) and gave Himself up for us.”

Did you observe the sequence? Loved before you were born – before you had done anything good or bad (cf. Rom. 9:11). That is unconditional love. And loved in providing Christ for your redemption. That is sacrificial love. We are to experience this love (3:19), know this love, and then imitate God (5:1-2) by showing this same love to others. Summary: Receive this love, extend this love!

Ephesians covers three spheres of where this love should especially be extended: One, we are to love God. 6:24, Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Two, we are to love the church. 4:16 speaks of the “growth of the [church] for the building up of itself in love” (cf. 1:15). And three, we are to love our own family members. For example, three times in chapter 5 husbands are commanded to love their wives (5:25, 28, 33).

So a well-managed home is an environment where love prevails. Allow me to narrow it down even further. A loving home is a place where affection rules.

In Ephesians 5:28-29 husbands are commanded “to love their own wives as their own bodies.” Paul says, “He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church.”

Men, the examples given in this passage are very convicting! Think about how much you “nourish and cherish” your bodies. Think about how much Jesus Christ “nourishes and cherishes” the church. When we consider ourselves with our physical body and Christ with His spiritual body, tremendous affection takes place.

I like what we read in Deuteronomy 10:15: “Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them.”

I am concerned that many family members in Christian circles in seeking to rebel against a “feeling-orientated” love have removed all feelings from their love. Love is a duty, yet we must not neglect delighting in the one whom we are loving.

Wives, do the compulsory flowers on Valentine’s Day bring you more honor than the husband who “cherishes” your heart on a regular basis? Children, do the tickets to Great Adventure mean more to you than the mom or dad who “nourishes” your soul by listening to all your stories with interest and delight? Family members, we are called to “love,” but we are also called to “like!”

Is there an affectionate love in your family? Do you like one another? Is it evident to all in and outside of your home?

Here is one way to start: Men, did you know that one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is a loving relationship with their mother? And wives vice versa! Do your children know that your relationship with your spouse is more important than your relationship with them?

Do your children see the two of you as “best friends?” Children learn much when they hear the tender words and see the outward displays of affection, but they also find comfort in a steady environment that each of them so deeply crave.

Elton Trueblood said, “It is the father’s responsibility to make the child know that he is deeply in love with the child’s mother. There is no good reason why all evidence of affection should be hidden or carried on in secret. A child who grows up with the realization that his parents are lovers has a wonderful basis of stability” (The Recovery of the Family, p. 94).

Imagine a home where everyone felt emotionally safe – where each family member was appreciated and accepted and respected. Imagine a home that enjoyed each other’s company and laughed at their silly inside jokes and was able to have fun in the most simplistic environment. Imagine a home where everyone rallied around someone hurt, and everyone rejoiced when someone succeeded. Imagine a home where chores were done voluntarily and forgiveness was offered frequently and communication was conducted joyfully. Is this not the home of affection that your heart desires?

You might be saying “yes,” but we don’t know how to achieve it! Allow me to say for starters that these homes don’t happen naturally. Like a garden that goes without discipline and dedication, weeds and chaos are the natural by-products of a home that is not well-managed.

I believe the best way to have an affectionate home is to first understand and then practice the affections of Christ. If you are not growing in your knowledge and experience of His love personally, you will not have the know-how or the strength to manifest it with your family. Second, I would encourage you to spend not only quality time but quantity time with your family.

I like how Paul told the Philippians, “I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:8). Or what he said to the Thessalonians, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8).

Here are some ideas for you to consider to build family affection:

Make it a point to eat dinners together. This is a tremendous time to engage in meaningful communication. Families are great at talking but very few have any idea of what it really means to communicate – the mutual sharing of our thoughts and ideas and feelings. Discuss the day without interrupting each other. Teach without lecturing. Correct without running roughshod over another’s opinion. Create an atmosphere that is calm and cheerful and fun and positive, and definitely one that does not compete with outside distractions like a television set or out-of-control telephone. It is not easy with the busyness of our schedules nowadays, but I believe it is imperative to guard this sacred time.

Also, make every effort to do things together as a family. Break away from the modern technological devices that promote isolationism and find activities that your family enjoys doing together.

Plan a vacation each year, and make it a point to be together on the vacation! There will never be a greater opportunity to be together 24 hours a day. It is the best time to give undivided, unrushed, relaxed attention to one another. It is a great way to build family camaraderie.

Also, intentionally schedule regular outings for the family – anything from a day-trip to shooting baskets after school. I am convinced that the best activities that build family affection are often minimal in expense or entirely free. Climb a lighthouse. Walk the beach. Visit an historical site. Go for a car or bike ride. Find a new nature preserve. Keep it varied. Keep it exciting. Keep it creative. Keep it deliberate and spontaneous. These are the events your kids will remember for a lifetime.

All these events are saying, “I choose to spend time with you.” “I choose to give to you my most valuable commodity-time.” That says worlds about our priorities!

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But even the failed activities bring success because they develop family character and oftentimes leave behind the best stories, if we are humble enough to laugh at ourselves.

Keep it varied. Keep it exciting. Keep it creative. Keep it deliberate and yet spontaneous. These are the events your family will remember for a lifetime.

And by all means, remember the time your family spends in the Word and Prayer together will never be in vain!

It is important that our families are affectionate (cf. Phil. 2:1). And lest anyone think I jettisoned the Bible for the closing twenty percent of the sermon, I was only fleshing out Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another (and) tender-hearted,” treating each other as Christ treats us. As our affection for one another grows, we will be more loving. And as our family grows in mutual love, our home will be well-managed for our joy and God’s glory.