Your Family’s Place In The Eternal Purpose Of God

Your Family’s Place in the Eternal Purpose of God

(If only we knew what the # 1 Purpose of Family is!)

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, & with all thy soul, & with all thy mind. This is the 1st & great commandment” (Matt. 22:36-38). Jesus quotes from the “Shema” in Deuteronomy. 6:5-7:

“Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, & with all thy soul, & with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, & shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, & when thou walkest by the way, & when thou liest down, & risest up.”

Jesus is confronted with one of life’s most important questions: “What is the most important commandment in the law?” In other words what should be the #1 priority of my life? When the world, the devil & my own lust tempt me to waste my time or divert my energies to secondary issues; How do I make sure I fulfill the purpose for which I was created? How do I prevent life from becoming vain & meaningless?

Jesus answered this question by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Jesus, God manifest in human flesh, says nothing is more important than pursuing your relationship with God.

But how do I obey this command? Where do I start? The answer is found in the context of Deut. 6:5. These verses are part of the “Shema” Isreal, so everyone knew the entire passage by heart! They all knew that at the heart of the Great Commandment is family discipleship with parents being the primary spiritual trainers of their children.

“These words, which I command thee shall be in thine heart: thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,

The church teaches a lot on “Discipleship” especially through small groups. God loves discipleship small groups too. He just calls them families. He wants every believer to experience the ultimate discipleship small group – a Christian family. A great commitment to the great commandment, & the great commission not only builds a great church, it builds a great family & a great society! Thus our #1 Priority in response to the Greatest Commandment is to do everything we can to lead our own children, & the children of the church family, into a personal relationship with the LORD God that consistently impacts every area of their daily life.

THE FAMILY IS THE FOCUS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Psalm 78:1-7 gives us a picture of the powerful impact families have in advancing the Kingdom of God.

“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard & known, & our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, & his wonderful works that he hath done. For he.… appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise & declare them to their children” (Ps. 78:1-6)

As biblical history unfolds we see God’s constant focus on the family. The genealogy of Japheth records how “the isles of the Gentiles divided after their families, in their nations” (Gen. 10:5). God takes note of the “families of the Canaanites” (10:18) and records the genealogy of Ham, after their families (10:20). God records the genealogy of Shem, after their families…” (10:31). God summarizes this early history after the Flood by telling us “these are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generation, in their nations” (10:32). We have abundant evidence in the Bible that God will use you in some way to bring your relatives to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Covenants of God reveal the salvation of the entire family is His intent. God enters a Blood Covenant relationship with: Noah & his seed (Gen. 9:9); Abraham & his descendants (Gen. 17:7); David & his descendants (I Chron. 17:10). In the Old Testament, Rahab & her family were saved (Josh 6:17, 25). The entire family was redeemed from slavery by the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt (Ex. 12). Even as Gomer finally forsook her backslidden ways (Hosea 3), so our Heavenly Father waits for the return of every prodigal in repentance & faith.