October 30, 2022
“Honor your father and mother. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.” Ephesians 6:2.
“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. 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.” Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT)
How would you describe a godly family? What would you say is a “godly family” in today’s world?” How does a godly and healthy family reflect the love of Christ in an ungodly world? There is no better place to learn Christian values and the essential principles of life, (love, honesty, respect, integrity, truth, and displaying the fruit of the Spirit, and others) than in the family. God compares His church (the body of Christ) to a family, so the rules of the church on interpersonal relationships also apply to individual families. Family is the environment that shapes a child’s lifetime direction.
The book of Genesis paints a sobering yet convincing and realistic picture of family life! The first families of the Bible demonstrate at least a dozen of cases of what we would call today “dysfunctional”. However, the family was God’s unique idea from the beginning. In fact, of the three inseparable fundamental institutions of society designed by God, (Family, State, and Church), the family was the first institution!
The Family: In fact, one of God’s greatest resources for communicating truth and effecting change in any community and world is the family. This change is directly related to the family’s emotional, social, and spiritual commitment and passion. There is no greater institution, no better group of people to demonstrate, love, kindness, grace forgiveness, and effecting positive change in the world than the family. And nowhere can the truths of God’s Word be more effectively taught and modeled. On the other hand, there is no institution, no group of people with more power and ability to destroy a person than the family. The failure of parents to teach spiritual truths to their children directly impacts their relationship with God and how they treat others. Family is the environment that shapes a child’s lifetime direction. We as parents must remember that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will suffer from our sins. Exodus 34:7 reminds us “I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so, I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.”
How Does the Word of God Define a Godly Family?
The Bible talks about an earthly family as one united together by the bond of faith and made up of a husband and wife and usually children. A godly family of God is made up of Believers in Christ, obeying the Word of God and displaying the fruit of the spirit of Christ in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
WHAT IS Your Responsibility To Reflect a Godly Family In An Ungodly World?
♦ To provide spiritual instructions/training and share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7. (ESV) “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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.
Proverbs 22:6. (NLT) Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.
♦ DO NOT neglect to confront wrong and teach your children the TRUTH and spiritual truths! Neglecting discipline has tragic consequences!
1 Samuel 3:13. I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.
1 Kings 1:6 Now his father had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “What are you doing?”
Proverbs 29:15 To discipline and reprimand a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.
♦ To love them and discipline them when necessary. To teach them proper conduct. To be a good role model.
Titus 2:2-4. Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.
Ephesians 6:1-4. Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. 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.
Exodus 10:2 You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing.
♦ To share spiritual experiences with them and remind them of their spiritual heritage.
Proverbs 31:27 She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.
♦ A godly father is the priest, provider, and protector of his family/home.
Genesis 2:24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Ephesians 2:19. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.
James 1:18. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
RX: A TEACHABLE 
HEART Christian parents can pass on their faith to their children. “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” 2 Timothy 1:5. (NLT). Timothy is the first second-generation Christian mentioned in the New Testament. His mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, had become believers and had faithfully influenced him for the Lord. Although Timothy’s father apparently was not a Christian, the faithfulness of his mother and grandmother prevailed. Never underrate the broad consequences of raising one small child to love the Lord. Physical emotional and verbal abuse, as well as neglect, can damage the emotional well-being of a child well into adulthood, and often for a lifetime. Faith in God is the most important inheritance we can pass along to future generations.
FATHER GOD: Thank You for the gift of godly parents who stand on the Word of God, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen.