All In The Family:putting The Pieces Together Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• How many of you have put together a puzzle sometime in your life or you like to put together puzzles now as a hobby?

• I used to do a lot of puzzles because my mother loves to put them together.

• There is some unexplainable satisfaction derived from putting the pieces of the puzzle together, until you finally get the last piece placed.

• When you get a puzzle there is usually a picture of what the completed puzzle will look like when it is done.

• I know when I used to put together puzzles we would have the box in a prominent place so all who were working on the puzzle could see when the finished product was supposed to look like therefore making it easier to puts the pieces together.

• When you look at the state of the family today even though from what I can gather from the CDC, divorce rates are down from the peak in the 1970’s, it kind of seems as though we are trying to put together the family puzzle with no picture of what the finished product should look like.

• Many times people end up basing the model for how to piece together their family puzzle from a wrong image.

• Many will try to put together their family puzzle based on the faulty dysfunctional model from which they come from.

• The real sad thing is many Christians are trying to put together family puzzle based on the faulty world model which tells us to take the person out for a spin by living together first before making a real commitment.

• The sad thing in those cases more times than not the relationship with may have otherwise thrived ends at some point because when I tell you I want to take you out for a test ride, I am saying I am not REALLY committed to YOU, that I am not really COMMITTED to working through the tough times.

• I will stay with you as long as I can get what I want from you.

• Furthermore; what I am saying is that you can count on me to turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble.

• I could bore you with statistics so I will save you from that other than to say the 50% marriage failure rate is FALSE. The CDC tells us that there are x amount of marriages in a given year and X amount of divorces in a given year; and that the divorce number is ½ of the marriage number so therefore 50% of marriages fail.

• YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT YEAR THE FOLKS WERE MARRIED AND THEN GO BACK TO SEE HOW MANY WERE DIVORCED IN A GIVEN YEAR TO GET A MORE ACCURATE PERCENTAGE.

• The numbers are still too high.

• Not only do we see marriage failing but we see a lot of parental failures also; we see way too many children growing up with no solid upbringing.

• Today we are going to look at Colossians 3:18-21 so we can learn how God wants us to put the pieces of the family puzzle together in such a manner that it reflects the beauty God intending for marriage and family!

• Let us turn to Colossians 3:18 to begin.

• SLIDE #2

• Colossians 3:18 (ESV) Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. How the wife fits into the family puzzle.

• OK guys that covers it, let’s go home! 

• In all seriousness, I have always found it interesting to see the progression of the book of Colossians, especially the progression of chapter 3.

• Most of the chapter has been talking about the transformation that is to take place in the lives of those who are Christians, then all the sudden, we come to this FAMILY section in which we are told how the pieces of the family puzzle are to come together.

• I believe Paul progresses from doctrine to practice. In other words a great way to practice your obedience to Christ is through the family unit.

• We are called to live out our faith in our family and for those who have family members who are not Christians, living out your faith in your family, being consistent in the practice of your faith will help win them to Jesus.

• Show that your faith is more than just lip service, that your faith will lead you to make the tough decisions that will make the practice of your faith meet the words you speak about your faith.

• As a male standing before you this morning, this is the part where I can get in trouble with the ladies very quickly!