Broken part 4

Family decay = moral decay, and things to come

Key quote:“What until now has been considered a "normal" family, made up of a father, a mother, and a number of children, has in recent years increasingly begun to be viewed as one among several options, which can no longer claim to be the only or even superior form of ordering human relationships. The Judeo-Christian view of marriage and the family with its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures has to a significant extent been replaced with a set of values that prizes human rights, self-fulfillment, and pragmatic utility on an individual and social level. It can rightly be said that marriage and the family are institutions under siege in our world today, and that with marriage and the family, our very civilization is in crisis.” Prof. Andreas J. Kostenberger, SEBTS

Key verses: Ephesians 5:22-33, 6:1-4

Three primary reasons for marriage and the family structure:

Relationship pointing to intimacy- As we have covered in previous sessions, our marriage is used biblically as a model of Christ’s interaction with the church.Childbearing- Be fruitful and multiply. Scripture describes the ability to have children as a blessing to their parents and a gift from God.Childrearing- To literally train and empower the next generation of young believers. We’re given stark warnings of how to teach our kids, reminding them of the goodness of God.

In the creation of Adam and Eve God was showing His creative nature and ability. We know He made us in His image, yet lower, but still endowed us with a small part of His creative abilities. Did you ever think of it that way? God could’ve created each successive pair of humans who would marry and live and die, but instead He designed us to share in the creation of life, from the life in us, aren’t our children bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh too? In the Fall of Man narrative we see a reversal of God’s plan.

Three reasons family done right works:

Man meant to lead- God’s endowed authority on the man. It’s his responsibility to lead the home both physically and spiritually. With authority comes great responsibility.Woman equal but different- God’s role for women is equally important as suitable helper and co-worker with the man and “manager” of the family unit.Children are the students- children are to be “sponges” in training to lead in their future lives and families. Not ineffective while kids or young adults but learning obedience, authority, and leadership from both parents, all pointing to God.

The man is to love and cherish his wife, be responsible for leading the home, and be the primary provider. The woman is to love and respect her husband, provide children, and manage the home. These gender specific roles (created by God) in perfect balance complement each other and foster stable growth in the children.

While we as humans didn’t create marriage, we did however create divorce (Matt. 19:8). It took less than six generations from Adam where we see the first recorded polygamous relationship (Lamech- Gen. 4:19), we see the first recorded multi-partner damages in Abraham’s life (Gen. 16), and divorce was already being practiced by man well before God gave Moses the laws dealing with it.

Why is divorce so harmful?

A broken vow- we made a promise before God and man. There are many warnings about a hastily made or broken vow. Entering marriage we not only promise our spouse to be faithful but also make a promise to and before God. God takes vows seriously and so should we.It separates one into two- what God has joined into one now must be torn apart inescapably leaving damage. Can also lead to future divorce.It points to me instead of us- our focus returns only to ourselves instead of serving the needs of others. We start serving in the home, can’t go elsewhere first.It destroys kids- children of all ages will be damaged by divorce as the often choose sides and their view of each parent is forever changed. Can also set the wrong example.

The family unit is God’s perfect design and we’ve covered things like homosexuality and divorce which can destroy it. However, there’s one more that we can’t fail to mention, the evil of abortion. Abortion destroys the family structure before it is started. Abortion, more than any other sin in America, will heap heavenly judgment upon our heads and it is we, the New Testament Church, who are called, no commanded to defend life! Abortion says; not all lives matter, abortion is murder and it is genocide!

“Legalized abortion is a national holocaust; an affront to our national character; a contradiction of established principles subscribed to from the beginning of Western Civilization; an insult to the principles of our Declaration of Independence; a bane of our national spirit; and a stench in the nostrils of Almighty God.” Chuck Baldwin

Abortion must move from distasteful to disgusting. It must become a part of our lives, it must guide the way we vote, guide the way we speak, guide the way we give, and it must go from the back burner to top of our list. If there’s anything to become an activist about it is abortion. Abortion places convenience ahead of responsibility, it places pleasure over permanency, and it takes God’s creative gift and calls it garbage, medical waste and parts for experimentation. God will not be mocked!

When we look at our culture today it is easy to be shocked and dismayed, and we might be tempted to pull back. However, when we look around the world and see Christians murdered, Christians persecuted, Christians starving for their faith we cannot simply say that’s terrible and then go about our lives. It is time for this church to stand up, and fight for the Truth, fight for the struggling, fight for this culture. We started this series with an intentional focus on sin in our lives, repetitive sins, sexual sins, and our desperate need for God to rid our lives of them. Only then can we affect culture. Pray this with me; God clean out my dark places Lord, give me the fortitude to fight the battle with sin and in so doing let your light shine in me for your glory not mine, & as I wait for your return make me a culture warrior!