Joshua was determined in his declaration.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
- Thankful for having a home
- Thankful for laughter
- Thankful for refuge - not be a war zone
- Thankful for Companionship- my wife and children
For what about your home are you thankful?
In our text, Joshua declares his home will follow God’s ways.
A home will not be a Godly home by accident. There is not some quick fix, easy formula. For a home to be what it should be, it will take work.
I. The Home was Created to be Permanent
A. God’s Plan - one man with one woman to rear children
Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." It matters not what religion says. Today’s religion wants to redefine mariage.
B. God’s Priority - it is forever! Matthew 19:4-6 "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
C. God’s Principles Ephesians 5:22 - 6:4
1. The Husband -
- Love like Jesus - vs. 5:25 It is not automatic, but on purpose
- Love as yourself - vs. 5:28-29
- Lead to God - 6:4 Do not provoke to anger, but to GOOD
2. The Wife - Submit to God’s plan
- Relinquish your will - vs. 5:22 again on purpose
- Rely upon the Lord - vs. 22 HE is the target of your submission
Wives, your goal is to honor the Lord - by following His plan you honor HIM
3. The Children - Obey the Leaders (Parents) vs. 6:1-3
- It is right (disobedience is wrong - duh)
- It is Commanded
- It has promises - Prosperity and Long life
God’s Plan always works, man’s ways do not. IT IS THAT SIMPLE!
But must be done by submission of Husbands, Wives and children to God’s Plan. To add to that is to say that God is not enough!
II. The Home was Corrupted by Disobedience - Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
The man would have to labor in work. Creation was ruined. Tell that to an environmentalist. And the place of security was corrupted.
A. The Result of the Curse
1. The Wife will have Rebellion instead of Submission
2. The Husband will be Ruling instead of Guiding
3. The Atmosphere will be Rioting instead of Unity
B. The Reaping of the Curse
1. Sin within - (Neglect, Selfishness, Anger, Bitterness)
Eph 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour crying out, brawling), and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you."
2. Sin Against - (Adultery, Divorce)
Malachi 2:16 "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away:"
Those that have gone through the pain of a divorce would agree, it is not somewhere you need to go. God despises the putting away, or divorce. The curse of sin caused the conflicts. We must fight to keep our homes strong in the Lord.
III. It Can be Corrected By Grace
A. Salvation is the Foundation of a Good Home -
John 4:53 "So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house."
Acts 16:15 "And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."
Acts 16:33 "And he (Philippian Jailer) took them (Paul and Silas) the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."
Those that do not have a Christian home can still serve the Lord, but a Christian home, a Godly home is a blessing to all that abide there.
B. Submission is the Fortification
We do not like the word! I have taught you before, but IT IS NOT SUBMISSION IF YOU AGREE!!! To Submit means that you have to push aside your own will.
1. We must Submit to a Godly Walk (a daily walk with God)
Ps 101:2 "I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."
2. We must Submit to the Godly Plan for the Home (Ephesians 5:22-6:4)
C. Sweat is the Preservation - A good home will not just occur, it takes effort. There is no instant good homes, no grand quick fixes, A Good home will be a Godly home, and to have a Godly home, it will take Grace and Great effort.
Many times people think they need counsel, when all they really need to do is to submit to God and do what they already know to do.
We try our best to find a better, easier way. Or find a fresh answer to what God has already told us. As I have said many times before, most counseling occurs because we refuse to conform to Christ.
We want a different answer than we hear from God’s Word, from the preaching. We want any way to get validation to our own thinking or a way to make things easier to our flesh. God has given the plan, are you submitted to it?
The strongest marriages I have ever known never had to have counseling. WHY?
Did it mean they had no problems? NO Did it mean they never struggled, or never disagreed? Absolutely not. They were merely obedient in what they already knew to do.
Until we are obedient in the things we already know to do, why would anything else work? Most homes do not need counseling, they need gratitude. Most of our problems are rooted in that we do not get our own way, we are spoiled, and want what we want. We have a great problem - many are not thankful for their home.
The ultimate end, the ultimate direction and goal of every life is one thing - to bring glory to God! 1 Corinthians 6:20 "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." If it is our goal to glorify God, then our homes will also.If we are going to glorify God, we will be thankful for our homes.
Salvation - Submission - Sweat - and the home will be fine.
Are you thankful for your home? Are you thankful enough to merely do what God would have you to do?
Disclaimer: A man once told me that if it is true, it is not new. If it is new, it is not true. We all know there is nothing new under the sun. With that said, I glean ideas for my sermons from God’s Word, my own thoughts and work, and many other sources. Any similarity to my sermons and others, where credit is not given, is either coincidental, or an unintentional mistake on my part. As none of us have a corner on the wisdom and teaching of God’s Word, it is my desire that any of my outlines be an encouragement, a help, and hopefully a motivation for others to preach God’s Word clearly. Please feel free to use any portion of my sermons if they can be of help to you and your ministry. It is all for His Glory.
