Building A Christian Family

Building A Christian Family

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. - Psalm 127:1

I would like to start my sermon with a small family joke: A little girl asked her father, "Where did the human race come from?" Her father replied, "God made Adam and Eve. They had children. And we are the descendants of Adam and Eve." The next day, the girl asked her mother the same question. Her mother answered, "Many years ago, there were these monkeys. The human race evolved from the monkeys."

Confused, the girl went back to her father and told him what her mother had said. "I'm confused, Daddy," she said. "Which story is right?" Her father smiled and said, "It's very simple, sweetheart. I told you about my side of the family, and your mother told you about hers."

Family is an important blessing God has given us. Family is full of joy, laughter, and love. But it is important to build up your family in the ways of the Lord. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” - Psalm 127:1-4

If we want to have a strong and healthy family, the Lord must build our home! “Family relationships will either be dynamic and maturing, or stagnant and dying.” -Jack O. Balswick. (senior professor of sociology and family development at the Department of Marriage and Family School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary) How is your family today? A part of our destiny as Christians involves our family life. God’s Word gives us several key points to building and having strong and healthy family relationships. Today, we will meditate on five of them– covenant, grace, empowerment, intimacy, and divine order.

I. COVENANT – NOT CONTRACT

“The logical beginning point of any family relationship is a covenant commitment, which has unconditional love at its core. Out of the security provided by this covenant love develops grace. In this atmosphere of grace, family members have the freedom to empower each other. Empowering leads to the possibility of intimacy.” (Jack O. Balswick).

What is a Covenant? A Covenant is “an unconditional commitment.” This commitment is demonstrated supremely by God as the role of parent. There are two examples of covenant mentioned in the Bible; found in Genesis 6:18 (with Noah) and Genesis 7:1-7 (with Abraham). God says to Noah, “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. (Genesis 6:18)” God says to Abraham, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” - Genesis 17:7.

But understand, a strong and healthy family must be based on COVENANT, not a contract. For a contract says, “IF you do this, THEN I will do that.” A contract can be broken. But a covenant is unconditional and unbreakable. God is a primary and superior example of holding a covenant. God loves us unconditionally and eternally, and He desires we do the same for our families.

A question many people argue with is: “What if I married the wrong person?” The answer: You didn’t. Once you marry someone, they become the right person. Of course there will be troubles in a marriage, but marriage is a working commitment. Each and every day, you are to work on your relationship, strengthen your relationship, and understand one another. Just as each and every day, you are called to work on your relationship with Christ. A relationship is not perfect in one day, just as family is not perfect in one day.

Notice also, that the covenant is not just between husband and wife – but is also for your children too. As parents, we must make a commitment to unconditionally love our children.

II. GRACE – NOT LAW

Children of God, family relationships are designed by God to be lived out in an atmosphere of grace, not law. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” - 1John 3:1. In God's family, there are no outsiders, no enemies. - Desmond Tutu. We see this principle also taught in Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”