Gtcotr/ss020214
I
have not studied the Word of God so diligently for these past 35 years so that
I could stand here this morning and help you identify all of the trouble you
have been having with your marriage, your finances, your family or your outlook
on the future. Rather, I have grown in life to the point where I now have very
little time for the problem because of the consuming respect I hold for the
answer.
If
you have trouble today you know it. Some of you may not want to face it but
deep down you know it. God has not left you without a witness. Although God is
kind, His love is merciful and He is gracious, He nonetheless points out our
trouble to us as only He can do. But whether you are at the top of your game today
or living life at the bottom of the barrel, the path which leads onward and
upward is remarkably the same for everyone.
Today
we are going to continue our discussion on Family Relationships, specifically those
Rules which govern Family Relationships. Again, I am not here to point out the
problems but rather the solution. And believe me, there is a solution for every
dilemma we face. So without condemnation, criticism or closed mindedness, let’s
go to the Word of God together and survey the rules which will build and
maintain healthy family relationships.
You
know, everything we enjoy has rules, some written some unwritten. Break the
rules of the game and you stand to be disqualified. True peace and lasting
success comes only from respecting and following God’s rules.
You see, Rules are designed by God to
govern Relationships. Take for example the relationship Bernie
Madoff had with his clients. Madoff was a licensed stockbroker and his clients
were those who provided him money to supposedly invest. For many years it
appeared Madoff was a market-savvy financial advisor who was making his
investors well above average returns on their money. However, Bernie was
breaking the rules which were established to govern those relationships. Bernie
Madoff was probably a pretty good guy but he was also a thief, a cheat, a liar
and a scam artist.
For
a long time he got away with breaking the rules and he appeared very successful
for decades. He, his wife and 2 sons enjoyed everything money could buy. They
had access to more than $50 billion – what a fairytale life.
Today
however at age 75, Bernie Madoff sits alone in prison serving out his 150 year
sentence after having to forfeit nearly $20 billion. Why, because he was found
guilty of breaking the rules. His scheduled release date is November 14, 2139,
providing he gets some time off for good behavior.
Now
I’m not picking on Bernie, like I said he no doubt was a nice guy and a good
provider for his family, he just didn’t maintain a healthy respect for the
rules. Like I said, I don’t want to pick on Mr. Madoff at all … he, his family
and his investors have all suffered greatly. I pray he finds peace. That will
probably depend somewhat on whether or not he has learned to follow the rules
in his new environment. God bless him and his victims.
I
could have launched this subject taking about Lance Armstrong who beat cancer
and won the Tour de France an amazing 7 times before being stripped of all of
his titles and medals and banned from competition for life because he didn’t
keep the rules. Or perhaps I could have told you about Miss America 1983 who
posed nude and ended up giving up her title. Like Bernie, all of those things
they wanted, valued and worked so hard for in life were lost because they
didn’t maintain a healthy respect for the rules which govern relationships.
When we participate in any event we fall subject to the rules which
have been established to govern that event. The main event we will be discussing today
is Family. So without further ado,
let’s look into the written Word of God to find the Basic Bible Blueprints for Family
Relationships and review some fundamentals. Our topic this morning:
Respecting
the Rules of Relationship
As
we turn to the book of Ephesians it is interesting to note that the whole body
of the 10 Commandments is a list of rules which govern relationships. The first
4 Commandments are rules on how we are to relate to God and the last 5
Commandments are rules on how we are to relate to others.
Right
there in the middle, Commandment #5 is all about how we are to relate to a
growing, ever changing family. Ok – on to Ephesians chapter 5 where we find God
speaking to us as a man would speak to his children.
Ephesians 5 (The New Living Translation)
21 And further, submit to one
another out of reverence for Christ.
This
verse is not telling us to mutually submit to one another as we walk through
life. Rather this verse, just like the 10 Commandments, firmly directs us to
recognize the family, find our role and follow the rules. What does, “submit to
one another out of respect for Christ” mean?
22 For wives, this means
submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
25 For husbands, this means
love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church. He gave up his life for her
These
are the fundamental rules which govern this particular relationship and serve
to make up the Basic Bible Blueprints for the marriage covenant.
33 So again I say, each man
must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
These
basic rules governing marriage are clearly repeated so as to not be ambiguous.
Much like the 10 Commandments – These rules are not designed to govern the
loopholes or exemptions. These are not problem oriented suggestions but rather
solution based directives aimed at giving God the greatest room and reason to
insert Himself into the marriage when needed. What about the other primary
family relationships? Paul continues:
Ephesians 6
1 Children, obey your parents
because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.
2 “Honor your father and
mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise:
4 Fathers, do not provoke
your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with
the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
The
one fundamental rule governing family relationships is simple – so simple in
fact that only God could have been its Author. Simply put –
Find your place and do your part according to God’s Word.
If you need more details, refer to the manual
or make plans to attend next Sunday when we will be covering Family
Relationships and your Bill of Rights within the family.
Ephesians 6
10 A final word: Be strong in
the Lord and in His mighty power.
The greatest strength you will ever find is when you find yourself
in Him.
This is the place where I hope to lead you to
connect with God in a meaningful way. There are 5 Potential Prayers which I
want you to consider right now. Which one of these prayers will you pray today?
1. Prayer of Thanksgiving
·
Offering thanks to God because He has
confirmed that you are right on track with His Will, following the rules and
giving Him the greatest opportunity to work through you on behalf of your
family and the future.
2. Prayer of Petition
·
Letting God know you have heard His Word and
need His help to change and follow His long established guidelines for family.
3. Prayer of Intercession
·
This is a prayer prayed in earnest for other
family members asking God to open their eyes and soften their heart to do His
will. God will hear your cry today and He will do His part.
4. Prayer of Repentance
·
If you know you have been wrong and have
disregarded these rules for whatever reason, you owe God an apology and need to
ask His forgiveness. Then begin afresh and follow the rules.
5. Prayer for Salvation
·
If you just don’t want to obey God or follow
His rules or care enough about what He wants to live for Him then that’s reason
to be concerned about your salvation. Conversion transforms us and creates
within us a new heart, a new mind and a new will. You’ll not be perfect but you
will want to be like Him.
