Loyal To God, Loyal To Family

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing the Heavenly Father said to these first children was, "Don’t."

"Don’t what?" Adam replied.

“Don’t eat the forbidden fruit." God said.

"Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve. . . we have forbidden fruit!" "Naw!" “Yeah!”

"Do NOT eat that fruit!" said God. “WHY?” Adam asked.

“Because I am your Father and I said so!" God replied. A few minutes later, God saw His children having a fruit break and was He angry!

"Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit? "God (as our first parent) asked? "Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?" said the Father. "I don’t know," said Eve. "She started it!" Adam said.

"Did not!" "Did too!" "DID NOT!

At this point, God had had enough… and to punishment Adam and Eve He decreed that they should have children of their own. Thus, the pattern was set and it has never changed!

There are people who believe that their family was a punishment from God:

The husband doesn’t love; The wife doesn’t submit; Children don’t obey; and the parents are sometimes harsh and hard to be around

God Intended Family to be Good: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I. Pay Attention to Our Families’ Foundation – God

A. The Family is under attack – at its foundation/core

1. 3 creations of God – Family Church Government

2. 3 attacks of Satan, especially the family

B. Love God in every way – no room for the Enemy

II. Teach Your Children

A. A Purpose of Family is the Nurture of Children – Ephesians 6:4 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1. Tendency to Ignore/Sacrifice Our Children (Lot and daughters)

2. God says children are important – “Multiply” (Garden of Eden; Egypt; Babylon) [Unexpected

[Gene’s aid to parents and families – “Family Faith Path” – Stepping Stones to build a child’s faith from birth to adulthood.

B. A Purpose of Family is to Teach Respect – Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

[Suzanna Wesley said, "If a child doesn’t learn to obey his or her parents at home, they will never learn to respect authority of man or God in society."

III. Make It Obvious

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

A. External Reminders of Teffilin and Mezuzah

1. Easy in a Jewish Neighborhood

2. Tougher in a Non-Jewish One – still to be done

3. No Holding back

B. External Reminders in Actions – Colossians 3:17 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1. Actions are intended to be seen – Matthew 5:16 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

2. Beware – Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

1. Author and speaker Zig Ziglar loved golf and once took his son with him out to the golf course. His son was still relatively new to the game, so Zig was very impressed by his son’s performance on one of the par 4 holes.

At the tee, the boy lifted the ball straight and true down the fairway. A second shot got him onto the green within 14 feet of the cup. Wanting his son to succeed, he went to great trouble in sighting the shot for him and gauging the lie of putt and then told his son just how he ought to play it. His son stepped up to the ball and putted the ball perfectly into the cup just as his father had taught him. His first birdie.