The Family Part 4

Scripture Reference 1 Corinthians 13:4

Unconditional Love
God builds His family based on what Jesus did on the cross, which was an act of unconditional love (agape love)
(NLT) Ephesians 1:5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure (we are adopted)
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of works, that no one should boast
Unconditional love = love that is given excluding all terms and conditions or performance (We have done nothing to His Love)
The underlying thread that ties our families together should be agape love
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour 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

Order With Unconditional Love in mind:
God’s family is based upon a divine order and submissiveness
Submission = a military term meaning to place yourself under the control of another. Submission is vital to the survival of any family or organization
Sow submissiveness reap submissiveness sow rebellion reap rebellion
Divine order: Ephesians 5:22–6:4
Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body
Ephesians 5:23 Christ is the head of the Church and the husband
Ephesians 5:23 The husband is the head of the wife, he is to lead with sacrificial behavior like Christ who lead the Church by dying for her
Ephesians 5:24 Wives are to be submissive to their own husbands
Ephesians 6:1 “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right”
Forsaking this order and the principle of submission is one of the main causes for divorce
The opposite of order is chaos

Teach Children
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it
Means to develop an appetite for the things of God from a young age
We are to teach our young people the word of God
Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up.
Nothing will impact young lives more than introducing them to the wonderful counselor and letting Him instruct their lives Himself.
Children learn more from example than from anything else, you cannot lead by hypocrisy! You must do what you preach.
Want your kids to be godly then you act the same way
Want your kids to stay married then you stay married
Parents must love their children unconditionally
Conditional love leads to competition and striving for acceptance
If a parent shows favor or more love to one child than the other the children will compete for love and are likely to hate one another
If we are not accepted at home children will find acceptance somewhere else usually by the first group that will. (The Wrong Crowd)

Discipline Children
1 Kings 1:6 His father had never rebuked him by asking, Why do you behave as you do? David never disciplined Absolom he rebelled
Discipline without unconditional love = rebellion
Discipline without example = rebellion
Discipline without consistency = rebellion
No discipline = rebellion
Discipline is not an outburst of anger
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers do not exasperate your children instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord
Exasperate = infuriate or anger