HOW TO HAVE GOD'S BLESSINGS UPON OUR HOMES
Ephesians 5:22-33 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband."
It is essential that the homes of our nation be strengthened. We are obviously sliding down a slippery slope of moral degradation and family breakdown. The pages of history are filled with the stories of nations that left God out of their national and family life. In Gibbon's, "The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire," the record makes it clear that the doom of that great Empire was sealed when moral and family values were abandoned and the leaders of the Empire began to cater to the natural desire of the masses for more "things;" free bread, larger circuses and continuous Roman Holidays.
It has been said, "As goes the home, so goes the nation." If the homes of a nation are built upon slippery sand, that nation faces certain destruction. The analogy our Saviour used about the contrasting foundations of the two houses in the gospel of Matthew, surely informs us on this matter as well. It is essential for the structure of the family to be built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, His Way and righteousness.
The Bible tells us of many homes. In the garden we find the first home. Then there were the homes of Abraham, Issac and Jacob; all with their successes and failures. We find the details of relationships, sibling rivalries and conflicts given to us for our example and instruction. There was a home in Bethany that Jesus loved to visit. There was a home with a prodigal son with all the sorrows and heartaches; as well as the forgiveness, restoration, reunion and joy of such a situation. A home that reached out to a far country and the love of a father that brought a wandering boy back into his arms. There was a home in Nazareth with a Godly father and mother where our Savior grew to maturity and manhood.
In all these examples we can conclude that the sweetest home on earth is the home with Jesus is at the center. A Christian home. Not a perfect home by any means, but a home that strives to serve the Lord. A home that tries to place Jesus and His will and way above all else. A home where Christ is the Head and where the mother and father and children love God and live for Him by living for each other.
What does it take to make such a home today? Someone has well said, "It takes a heap of living to make a house a home." And this is certainly true, especially if you insert the word, "Godly" before living. But there are specific essentials that are necessary for a Christian home. Let us look at those essentials together.
GOD HAS PROMISED AND REALLY DESIRES TO BLESS AND PROSPER OUR HOMES. "Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." (Prov. 24:3-4) God wishes to fill our lives and our homes with precious and pleasant riches that can only be acquired His way. If we were offered a sure fire formula for acquiring real temporal financial riches, many would spend the time and energy necessary to learn and apply the formula and become rich. God has given us clear and certain instructions for filling our homes with eternal precious and pleasant riches. He desires to build it from the ground up. If He is going to build our bless our homes it is clear that they must be built upon the right spiritual foundation. Any lasting spiritual structure must begin with the right foundation. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:" (Matt.7:24) "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (I Cor. 5:11)
It is God's purpose to establish and build Christian homes that are established in the faith. ". . .to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:" (I thess. 3:12b) It is His will that the Christian home be filled with all spiritual wisdom, understanding and knowledge. He has promised these special spiritual blessings to those who truly seek them. He has given a seven-fold requirement in obtaining His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly." (Prov. 2:1-7)
If we are going to be spiritual blessed by God in our homes we must be ready to receive His blessings of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. It is obvious the Word of God is to be the source of these spiritual blessings. But we are responsible to search out, receive and implement them in our lives and in our homes.
We must be anxious to hide these spiritual treasures in our hearts and our homes.
We must be willing to incline our ears and spiritually listen to His Word that contains these treasures. We must be ready to apply our hearts to wisdom, knowledge and understanding. We must have hearts that burn and cry out for these treasures. We must value these spiritual blessings above all earthly things. We must consistently and continuously be committed to seek and search for this wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
GOD CAN ONLY TRULY BLESS A HOME HAVING CHRISTIAN PARENTS.
It is just as logical to say a Christian home must have Christian parents as it is to say a brick home must have bricks. The best brick structure must have bricks that have been faithfully and truly laid upon the right foundation and bonded together with a strong and lasting mortar. The best family structure involves two Christian parents; laid upon the right foundation and bonded together by the strong and lasting mortar of God's eternal love.
Some think the greatest blessing would be to be the son or daughter of a famous person. Someone who has wide notoriety and popularity in his contemporary world. Others think that the greatest blessing would be to have parents who have accumulated financial riches that will guarantee them a comfortable physical life and might be passed along to the next generation. But those who have had real Christian parents consistently conclude that this is the greatest blessing God can give a child. To be blessed with Godly parents and a Christian home counts for time and eternity and far outweighs any prestige one might gain from having rich and famous parents.
There are two methods of salvation that can be used to save those who might perish at sea. The first is the lifeboat method. This entails establishing life saving clubs up and down the coast that can keep a watch upon the sea and then row out and save those who have been shipwrecked upon the shoals and rocks along the shore. This method is very risky for both the perishing and those who courageously go to their rescue.
The second method is the lighthouse method. This involves placing lighthouse all along the shores to illuminate the dangerous rocks and shoals and prevent the potential shipwreck. The advantages of this method are obvious.
The parallel to the Christian home is clear. It is much better and more effective to establish and build Christian homes throughout a land that can train and warn the children of the nation about the potential dangers and disasters lurking along the shores of life. If we wait until disaster strikes and then bring into play a lifesaving effort in the form of government and community programs designed to rescue and remedy the social and moral breakdown of our culture, we have waited too late. The leadership and influence of Christian parents in this effort is indispensable. "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." (II Tim. 1:5)
GOD CAN BEST BLESS A HOME WITH AN ACTIVE AND VITAL CONNEC- TION WITH A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH. The institutions of the family and church are linked together in the scriptures and in practice. God has always desired to be glorified both in the family and in His church. The local church is the /5 family of God in action. Scripturally, historically and contemporarily, faithful local assemblies of baptized believers have always been comprised of faithful families headed by faithful parents. Even in the Old Testament, it was established that faithful worship, praise and service was a family affair. Joshua stated the position when he challenged Israel with these words, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
The New Testament confirms this foundational fact as well. When Cornelius came made his commitment to Christ and was baptized, his household came as well. When the Jailer at Philippi was gloriously saved and baptized, his household was as well. Paul and the apostles speak of the, "Church in your house etc." "Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end." (Eph. 3:21)
Today God still wishes to be glorified in the family. When family of God is commanded to regularly meet together in the local assembly of baptized saints, it is clear that the institutional Christian family is to be the primary unit participating in the life and ministry of the New Testament Church. Parents who do not recognize and place this primary principle into practice will have difficulty imparting the concepts of real faithfulness and true loyalty to their children. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb. 10:25)
Perhaps we have all heard the old story of the little boy who was being sent off to Sunday School by his father. To counter the boy's objections the father said to him, "Go on to Sunday School. When I was a boy my Dad made me go." The little boy aptly responded, "O. K., I'll go, but a bet it won't do me any good either!"
ALL GOD'S PROMISED BLESSINGS UPON THE FAMILY ARE BASED UPON LOVE. God's concept of family entails love. He uses the concept of family again and again to demonstrate the expression of His love. Throughout the Old Testament God uses stories about family relationships to teach and illustrate His love for His people. In the New Testament, the story of the prodigal is story of God's love illustrated by the love of a father for His Son. All this is illustrated by such statements as: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: " (I John 3:1)
If God is to bless the Christian family, then family love should emulate God's love.
Giving and sacrifice is the primary characteristic of God's love. God will bless the family that is also characterized by an attitude and spirit of selfless giving. This is especially true in our day and time when so many families in the world are characterized by selfishness and materialism. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;." (Eph. 5:25)
If God is to bless the Christian family then family love should be a serving love.
The concept of submission one to another and living our lives to meet the needs of the significant others God has given us, is based upon the servant spirit of God's loving Son, Jesus Christ. Both scripture and experience confirm that the greatest blessing available in Christian living are only available to those who will, by the Spirit of God, place this principle into play in all their relationships, especially in the family. "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children," (Titus 2:4)
If God is to bless the Christian family, then His love must be practically expressed.
In the story of our Savior's washing of the disciple's feet we can see the pattern for the expression of His love in the family of God, as well as in the Christian family. Of course, the lesson teaches humility, forgiveness and a servant spirit. But the overwhelming practical aspect of the story is our Savior's willingness to place His love into practical application and action. It is significant that this is the occasion He said to all who would follow Him, "By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35)
GOD CAN ONLY FULLY BLESS HOMES UNIFIED IN PURPOSE AND PRACTICE. There should be unity of purpose from the beginning. This is one reason why it is so important or Christians to marry Christians. A house built upon the wrong foundation and divided against itself cannot even stand, must less be really blessed by God.
To be fully blessed, the Christian home should be unified in the faith as it was once delivered to the saints. Jesus gave us the definitive position on this when He prayed this prayer for those who had been saved, baptized and were learning His all things in that first assembly, "Sanctify them in the truth, thy Word is truth." It's obvious in the context that He prayed the same prayer for all those who meet the same definition in every age.
Paul's statements upon the unity of faith Christ requires of His followers should make this amply clear: "There's one faith, one Lord, and one baptism." (Eph. 4:5) Paul also made it clear that the true New Testament Church was the protector and propagator of this faith. Unified spiritual agreement, goals, ambitions, values, priorities and desires should be the hallmarks of a real Christian home.
There should be strong agreement on standards and values. Both parents need to take a strong, unified stand on such matters and impart their convictions to their children by word, example and action. There is a radical differences in mere preferences and deeply held convictions. Too many homes operate upon the basis of what different members might prefer; rather than what the Word of God requires. There should be a unified determination to do right and teach our children right and wrong - because it is right! "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
A real unified spiritual focus is needed if God is to bless our home. It really is true in principle that "the family that prays together stays together." The spiritual home life of a family should have regular practical expression in family prayer and devotions in order to allow God to fully bless the home in the way He desires.
GOD BLESSES A CHRISTIAN HOME WITH A FORETASTE OF OUR HEAVENLY HOME. When our Savior wished to tell us of the eternal joys in store for those of us who have been saved by His grace, He spoke of our dwelling eternally His Father's house. The language used conveys the idea of the extended Jewish family in which it was not unusual for all the living descendants to live in loving harmony in dwelling places focused upon the patriarch's house. Then before Jesus closes the book upon the subject, He describes the eternal joys of such an existence in the Revelation.
With this as a background, it is easy to see that the nearest thing to heaven on earth is a happy Christian home. The qualities that describe our heavenly home - love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, (fruits of the Spirit) - should be found in a truly blessed Christian home. Such blessed Christian homes should reflect the very nature of the Father and the Son to the world around us. Such homes should be testimonies of light in a dark and sin cursed world. They should be beacons that shine upon others the joys and blessings of becoming a part of the family of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
