A Sermon For You
A Ministry of Huckaby’s Evangelism
Special Issue
Fathers day 2001
The Home
By- Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D.
(Preached at State line Christian Church 1989)
Our text is from the Gospel of John 19:27, please read along with me this morning as we are going to look at some aspects of the Home. "Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." John 19:27.
While the word home in this verse is not in the original text, but was added for enlargement of our understanding, it is the fitting word which expresses the desire of the Lord Jesus as he hung upon the cross that day. We are going to hear many other verses of Scripture that do have the word home from the original today.
My message today is simple. I would like to look at what a home is.
A home is not a house. It is those who live within the house. Those who spend their lives, or a part of their lives living and learning just what life is all about. So let us this morning, go to God’s word to see just what is meant by the word, HOME.
(Prayer) Our heavenly Father, we come to you this morning, seeking instruction of your meaning of a home. Bless us as we look into your book the Bible for some solid answers to our needs. Fill thy servant with thy Spirit, and bring the lost to Christ, the backslider back to God, is my prayer in Jesus Name.
A Place Of Instruction
Deuteronomy 4:9-10, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them to hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children."
We my friends are held responsible for what our children are taught. We are accountable for their instruction for life. The Home first of all is to be a place of instruction for each member of the family.
A Place Of Worship
1 Corinthians 16:19, "The Churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord with the Church that is in their house."
Did you see that, our house contains a church, and that church is our family. You say, Oh, preacher, that is not right, the Church is in a building which we attend whenever we want on Sunday morning, then may be on Sunday night, and possible on a Wednesday night at times. Yes, that is exactly what I mean. The Church is in you house if you are saved. And you expect faithfulness to your services don’t you. By the way Jesus Himself made the statement, "If two or more are gathered together in my name, I am in their midst." If Jesus is at a gathering of two or more, and your wife and kids, and you add up to two or more, then your house is a place of worship. Just as much as a building that people gather in and worship. The home is a place of worship!
A Place Of Duties
Proverbs 31:27, "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
The home is a place of duties. It is a place for children to learn to work, it is the place where mother and dad learn to work more. If you don’t think so let me loan you my three children for about a month, you will learn what the true meaning of work really is. In 1 Timothy 3:4-5, and verse 12, the bible says, "One that ruleth well his own house, having children in subjection with all gravity; (For a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?)" Now verse 12, "Let the deacons be the husband of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." One of the worst things in our day is the fact of no duties for our homes. Too much TV, too many activities, too much laziness. The down fall of a home will start when no one does their duty.
A Place For Unity
Genesis 45:24, "So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way." Again in Psalms 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
The home should be the class room that teaches us how to live in Unity. Here again is one of the reasons that children are so rebellious today. Why we have those who shoot the teacher, and fellow students. There is no Unity anymore, because God has been expelled from the homes, and the schools, and the places of business. We must teach and also learn Unity. It is a pleasant thing to know.
A Place Of Forgiveness And Forbearance
Genesis 50:17-21, "So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil; and now we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him, And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants, And Joseph said unto them, Fear not; for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not; I will nourish you, and your little ones, And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them."
If any man had reason to hate someone it was Joseph. Sold into slavery by his brothers, his father told that he was dead, trouble surrounded him for many years before God brought him to the place where he was of the greatest use. And he was a man who had forgiveness to those who wronged him. We must learn forgiveness first in the home, if we are to be the kind of Christian that God wants us to be. If you say, that you cannot forgive, then you had better remember the Lord’s Prayer that He taught to His disciples, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
In Matthew 18:21-22, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against mw, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not to thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." Or we could say, keep on forgiving him. How often does God forgive us? He forgives me many times each day, each hour, and we should learn to forgive too. The first place of learning to forgive is in the HOME!
Deuteronomy 14:26, "And thou shalt bestow that money, for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth; and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, And thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household."
A Place Of Rejoicing
The home is a place to learn to have fun. Here is another reason people are such grouches today, they never learned the way to have godly fun at home. Mother and Dad were always to busy with their own selfish ways to take time to laugh and play with the kids. Don’t get mad at me, I am just telling the truth, you are a grouch of the worst kind. Learn to play with your family, learn to laugh. If you don’t think that God has a sense of humor, you need to look in the mirror when you get home. If you learn to have a joyful home, you will have a home where there is Unity, forgiveness duties, worship, and instruction. It all starts at home, or it is never learned in the correct way.
A Warning To The Family
Finally, a warning to the family from God. In Deuteronomy 29:18, "Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;"
Can you see this verse being fulfilled today? I can. My friends we had better take this matter of the Home serious today. One day in the future we will stand before the author of this book the Bible and we are going to give an account of how we followed it. If you have not been faithful then repent and start being faithful today. If you are not a Christian, become one now, receive Jesus Christ into your heart today, Do it Now!
Pray; Lord Jesus come into my heart and life, I repent of my sins, and I receive you now. I believe that you died for me, and that you arose from the dead to save me, the best I know how I trust you now for salvation. In Jesus Christ I ask it. Amen. If you are here and this message has touched you, ask God to forgive you and set you on the right path in serving Him and your home. He will if you just ask, Him to.
If you have made a decision for salvation, or of rededication after reading the message by Brother Gary Huckaby, please write to tell us of you decision for The Lord Jesus. We will gladly send you helps in getting started right.
Huckaby’s Evangelism
P.O.Box 1011
Pine Mountain, GA. 31822
glhuckaby@excite.com
