Theme: Model Family
Text: Hebrews 13:1-8
?Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever.
Introduction: The theme for this month is ‘Holy family’. The theme for the day is ‘Model Christian Family.’ Hebrews 13 rarely used rarely to explain the family principles. But I see it as another excellent passage to talk about a Model Christian Family.
Here, We learn the qualities of model family life. This family has charity, Hospitality, Spirituality, Chastity, Prosperity, Security, and Stability (Hebrews 13:1-8). I group them as be commendable, be contented, and be confident family.
Be commendable : (v. 1-3)
v. 1. Charity: Loving Family
v. 2. Hospitality: Receptive family
v. 3. Spirituality: Praying Family
Be content (v.4-5)
v. 4. Chastity: Honourable Family
v. 5. Prosperity: Satisfactory Family
Be confident (v. 5. C - 8)
v. 6. Security: Confident Family
v. 8. Stability: Christ Centric family
Be commendable Family : (v. 1-3)
v. 1. Charity: Loving family
Love is the base for life. John 3:16 says, ‘God so loved the World’. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7, 13). Love forgives, adjusts, and accommodates without limit.
v. 2 Hospitality: Receptive family
Hospitality builds the family ties. Sharing and caring is part of family life. True Bible followers are known for reception. Receiving relationships with gladness of heart. Jesus taught his disciples the importance of the hospitality to the strangers, needy and downtrodden and is counted for the in final judgment (Matthew 25:34-40).
Love your strangers was a principle of the ancient Israel (Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10.19). Paul emphasised to ‘show hospitality to strangers’ (Romans 12:13), Peter urged to do it ‘without grumbling’ (1 Peter4:9).
Two best examples are: Abraham fed the strangers (Genesis 18:1-2), Lot entertained the strangers without knowing that they were Angels (Genesis 19:1-2), and Job says that the sojourner has not lodged in the street and he has opened his doors to the traveler (Job 31:32).
v. 3 Spirituality: Praying Family
The symbol of Christianity are three: The Cross, The Bible, and the Praying Hands. No Christian home can exist without daily family prayer. All must sit at around the table for prayer. Reading the scriptures, praying together are must.
The love and reception must be associated with family prayer and reading of the WORD of God. Satan subtle ways to give excuse: Children be excused because they have exams, elders be excused because they are sick. Husband be excused because he is breadwinner and very busy with office, wife be excused because she is preparing the meal for all. But, All must come together and read the word of God, sing together, and pray together.
Praying for the people who are bounded, and imprisoned for the causes of gospel is our bouton duty. There are prisoners of the Gospel all over the world, especially in the Islamic, communist, and even some parts of India for the Missionary activities. Some are directly arrested, some are imprisoned with wrong allegations and fraudulent charges. We need to pray for their lives and release.
Also, pray for the liberation of the People who are bounded by Satan, and Sickness. Peter was imprisoned (Acts 12:4-5), Apostles were arrested (Acts 5:18), and Paul was arrested (Acts 21:33), the prayers of the believers helped them to be released. The simple prayers you make at the corner of your house is so powerful.
Be contented family
v. 4. Chastity: Honourable Family
Marriage is an institution which God has established at the creation of Adam and Eve, two become one flesh (Genesis 2:24), confirmed by Christ (Matthew 19:5). "Marriage" is the union of one man and one woman in wedlock.
There were dangers from Judaism and Gnosticism leading to impurity (Hebrews 12:16), false asceticism of men “forbidding to marry” (1 Timothy 4:3). The laxity of morals among Gentiles (Acts 15:20), and the increase of divorce amongst believers (Matthew 5:32) on those days of early Christianity.
Many separations, and divorces are due to absence of Christ, arrogant, Impotence, and a demand for unnatural sex. The natural and lawful use of the wife by the husband, and of the husband by the wife are permitted by God and is honourable. God hates unclean societies especially Christians.
v. 5. Prosperity: Satisfactory Family
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:”
The measure of the wealth is not the quantum of money, properties, and materials but in the measure of satisfaction of a man over what he possessed with.
Let your discussion at home be positive, be spiritual and be with gratitude to God. Let your conversations be faith oriented and God-centric. So watch your conversations, discussions, reflections, plans and goals. Wealth is not an indication of blessedness but the satisfaction.
In a day-to-day conversations, we tend to speak of depression, stress and anxiety in the family. These things overpower our faith in God, and puts us down. Depression is Excess past and stress is excess present, and Anxiety is Excess future. Some people have excess of all these. The only solution is JESUS CHRIST Who is the same for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
According to Ellicott Conversation refers to the way of thought and life, character, disposition. Benson further explains it as our behaviour, or manner of living. Be satisfied with your circumstances (Darby Translation) or manner of living without conversations (21st C KJV). So let your character, your moral essence, your inner nature be free from the love of Money and shun greed and be financially ethical in life (Amplified Bible). Adam Clark says the covetous man is ever running out of present realities into futurity with insatiable desires after secular good. He never comes back, never gives up. Contentment is a gracious disposition of mind.
Be confident Family
v. 5c -7. Security: Confident Family
Have Confidence in God (Hebrews 13:5.c): “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (KJV).
God will not leave his people nor withhold any good thing from them needful for them but will supply them with the necessaries of lives. ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee’ was a reference to God's promise to Joshua for the battles and leadership (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5). Now it is quoted for our daily cares.
The word for fail reveals that he will never to let go off, nor to lose the grips on (John 10:29). The word for forsake indicates, to abandon. He will never abandon or desert us. For God to fail us or forsake us is an impossible task.
v. 8. Stability: Christ Centric family
This promise is the golden walls of protection and security for all who put their trust in God. This promise tantamount of the word given to Jacob (Genesis 28:15), to Moses and the nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:8), to King Solomon (1 Chronicle 28:20).
Our confidence comes with the promise of God, with the role model of the Pastors, servants of God, and with the evergreen and unchanging Savior.
He is same for all days and all seasons. Jesus Christ is the same for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. “Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus is the same for tomorrow.
Conclusion:
Holy family model is: v. 1. Charity: Affectionate family, v. 2. Hospitality: Entertaining family, v. 3 Spirituality: Praying Family, v. 4. Chastity: Honorable Family, v. 5. Prosperity: Wealthy Family, and v. 6. Security: Healthy Family, and stability Jesus Centric family (v.8).
