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The Family - A Blessing or A Curse

June 06, 2004

God created the family

Genesis 2:18,22-24 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Marriage is for life

Matthew 19:4-6 And he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain (two) shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (or separate).

The family reflect’s God’s love & commitment

Ephesians 5:24-25 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be (subject) to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.

The children are to be taught God's ways

Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training or discipline) and admonition (warning or reproof) of the Lord.

The man must provide for his family

1 Timothy 5:8 But if any (man) provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house (family), he hath denied the faith (stopped pleasing God), and is worse than an infidel (unfaithful or faithless).

The Lord made many things to bless man

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Man perverts their purpose by worshipping them

Deuteronomy 4:19 "And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.

A blessing of god turned into an idol of cursing

2 Kings 18:4 He (king Hezekiah) removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan ( a thing of brass).

Adam placed Eve above obedience to God

Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

God wants nothing before him

Exodus 20:3-5 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…”

Our love for the Lord needs to be first

Mark 12:30 Jesus said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

God tested Abraham's love

Genesis 22:1-2 And it came to pass after these things, that God did test Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he (God) said, Take (Abraham) now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Abraham loved God over his family

Genesis 22:9-10 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

God blessed Abraham's allegiance

Genesis 22:16-18 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Concern for the welfare of the family can lead us out of God’s will

Numbers 14:2-3 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

We can fall and not enter the kingdom

Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour (be diligent) therefore to enter into that rest (the coming millennial kingdom on the 7^th day), lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (as the exodus generation that did not enter Canaan).

Jesus divides the family

Matthew 10:34 " Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household (family).' 37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 "He who finds his life (now) will lose it (in the future), and he who loses his life for My sake (now) will find it (in the future).

If you love me you obey my commandments

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep (obey) my commandments.

Don't make your an idol

Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

The recompense is great

Luke 18:28-30 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he (Jesus) said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come age-lasting life (a life of honor, glory, and ruling in the millennial kingdom).

Follow Jesus first not your family

Luke 9:59-62 And he (Jesus) said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family"(NLT). 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit (ready or prepared) for the kingdom of God.

Your spiritual family comes first

Matthew 12:46-50 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.