I. GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE FAMILY.
Ge 1. God’s Family Dream.
So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them. 28 and God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the
earth.
2. Fellowship and
Procreation.
Genesis 2:18-20
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I
will make him an help meet for him
(man with a womb for procreation)
II.
GOD’S DESIGN FOR
CHILDREN.
1.
Children
belong to God.
Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the
fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of
them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the
gate( arrows are targeted)
2. Parents are to teach
their children to Reverence God.
Deuteronomy 6:5
and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.6 and these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine
heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
a.
The
Fear
of the lord is beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 111:10
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!
Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
3.
Parents
are to teach their children to love God.
Deuteronomy
6:5
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 and these words, which
I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 and thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up.
Genesis 17:9-12
And God said
unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after
thee in their generations. 10 this is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between
me and you and thy seed after thee; every man-child among you shall be
circumcised. 11 and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it
shall be a token of the covenant betwixt you and me. 12 and he that is eight
days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations,
he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is
not of thy seed.
4.
We
are to raise up children for the glory of God by his word not yours.
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the heart
of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou
beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child
left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
a.
Sometimes parents have
different views on how to discipline children but it is important that a
compromise is made beforehand.
b.
When two families come
together to form one blended family, they are coming from different households
and different rules.
c.
It is crucial to set up
rules for discipline and to make the rules the same for all the children.
d.
Children should not be
allowed to manipulate one parent against another.
e.
Discipline should always be
done with love and with God's approval, but not to make the children angry. (Ephesians 6:4).
III. PARENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR RAISING CHILDREN.
1.
Unity
in household between husband and wife.
God brought Adam and Eve together as the first
husband and wife. He had formed Eve from Adam's rib, which shows us how men and
women are to leave their father and mother and be joined together forever,
inseparably. (Genesis
2:24; Matthew 19:5).
Satan wants to hinder by causing
divisions in this areas
Family: The stronger the marriage unit, the stronger
the whole family will be. We need to build out family according to the word of
God.
2.
Single
Parents Should be in unity/one with God and His Word.
Proverbs
22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it.
Ephesians
6:1
Children,
obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honor 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 and admonition
of the Lord.
3.
Parents
Should Exhibit Unconditional Love.
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it; 26
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where
there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
IV. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
FAMILIES
1. How
Do you Deal with a Blended Family.
(E.g. Moses, Jesus, Mary was a virgin, and David they all came from
blended family)
Q. My children do not respect my new husband, they
have been so use to me and me letting do whatever. This man wants to restore
order and my children are fighting back
A. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own
husbands” (I
Peter 3:1 KJV).
This is so crucial to child training, yet an area
often overlooked. Your marriage relationship shouts to your children, as it is
an area of great security or insecurity to them. When your children are
disrespectful to your husband, look at your own actions to see where you have
not been honoring him.
Q. How do I deal with a rebellious child that wants to
do what they want to do.
A. rebellious attitude is a cover up, pray for
discernment and discuss it.
Q. What are some ways to bring back mother daughter
relationship between teenagers vs. Father and son.
A. find a way to spend quality time with them.
Q. My parents won't let me date someone I feel could
be my husband.
A. They might know something you don’t site with them
and find out why.
Q. How to deal with bitterness, resentment and low
self-esteem issues in my child.
A. continue to speak the word over him and treat him
according to word.
Q. How to get my child to fall in love with Jesus.
A. Create an atmosphere for God in your home.
Q. My boss is married and says he wants to be with me.
He makes gestures that let's me know he would be a great provider and husband
to me. Should I encourage him to leaving? A Run
The physical family is the most important building
block to human society, and as such, it should be nurtured and protected.
But more important than that is the new creation that
God is making in Christ, which is comprised of a spiritual family, the Church,
made up of all people who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
This is a family drawn "from every nation, tribe,
people and language" (Revelation 7:9), and the defining characteristic of
this spiritual family is love for one another: "A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).