Family Matters
Ephesians 6:1-4
Main idea: We glorify God by living together in Gospel-shaped families.
Matthew 19:14: “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.””
Ps 127:3–5: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
“From God you receive them. To God you lead them.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
1 Samuel 1:26–28: 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
John 14:18–21: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
“One's heart goes out to the children of such fathers, and those of us who are fathers ourselves know that we too are far from perfect. ButGod the Father is not called Father because he copies earthly fathers.He is not some pumped-up version of your dad. To transfer the failingsof earthly fathers to him is, quite simply, a misstep. Instead, things arethe other way around: it is that all human fathers are supposed to reflect him--only where some do that well, others do a better job of reflecting the devil.” ~James Miller
Hebrews 12:7–11: 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Deuteronomy 6:7–9: 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
