God's Purpose for the Family
Malachi 2:13-16
In 1955, the norm for the American family was a husband and wife and 2.2 kids. No longer. Today, the American Family is being totally redefined. Family can mean almost anything and include any number of configurations. It can mean one man and one woman, or it may mean two men. It may mean two women. It can be with or without children. It may mean a single parent and their kids. It may mean grandparents raising their grandchildren. It may be a person and their pet. The sitcom ‘Friends’ showed us that it may mean a group of young people living together and sharing life together. And we could go on and on.
The family was created to be the primary building block of society. As the home goes, so goes society. Ultimately, the home will not only dictate the direction and health of a society, it also has the power to change it. That’s why it’s so important to know God’s purpose for the family. This morning I want to ask somes question: What is the purpose of a family? What is the purpose of your family? And are you working toward trying to fulfill a clearly defined purpose for your family? Are you seeking God’s purpose for your family? So what is God’s purpose for the family? Enough questions! How about some answers…
First, the family is where we learn to glorify God and live for him. Our Scripture today teaches us that God is seeking Godly offspring. God’s has brought you together in flesh and spirit that you might have children who love God and serve him and whose seek to glorify him. Glorifying God is the purpose for our individual lives, as well as our family life. This is not something that just happens. It does not even happen just because you come to church and send your kids to Sunday School and youth group. It happens because in your home you show your love for God and you exemplify what it means to live and serve Jesus. In other words, you model the life He has called you to live. Parents are meant to influence their kids toward Christ through both teaching and example. A recent poll of 272,400 students found that parents have 2 to 3 times more influence in their children’s lie than anyone else! What you do, how you live and who you are makes a difference!
Second, families are to win the world for Christ. Your family is meant to be one of God’s most effective instruments to reach others for Christ and to show what it means to live for and follow Jesus. God wants the Christian family to be like the chosen people of Israel who were called to be a light unto the nations to draw the world to worship him. Our families have been entrusted with the good news of God’s love, and God has imparted to us the responsibility of sharing that news with a needy world that does not know him. Our family life is meant to be an example of what kind of life is possible when it’s centered on Jesus. The presence of God has not come into our homes just so our families can be blessed, but so that the world may be blessed through our families. We need to model Jesus and his love and forgiveness. We are called serving the world in our neighborhoods where we live and be witnesses for Him. And when we do, we glorify God.
Third is to bless others. Genesis 12:3 calls us to “bless all the other families of the earth.” The Bible clearly teaches that believers are the children of Abraham today through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 2:29; 4:13; Galatians 3:29), so this prophecy and responsibility to “bless” the world applies to us today. How do we do that? Through hospitality. Hospitality is an important theme in the Scriptures. Church leaders are called to be hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2), and we are told to show hospitality to strangers (1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 13:2) and to one another (Rom. 12:13) -- and to do so without complaining (1 Pet. 4:9)! Jesus and His disciples were dependent on people opening their homes to them (Mat. 10:11-14), and some homes, such as Mary and Martha’s, were continually opened to the Lord (Luke 10:38). The early church met in homes and thus were able to reach their neighborhoods for Christ. (Acts 2:46; 20:20; 1 Cor. 16:15,19; Rom. 16:5,23; Col. 4:15). It is in the home where hospitality is to be experienced most authentically and when we do open our homes to others, we bless and minister to them.
But we don’t have to be at home to provide hospitality! Rodney Buchanan tells the story of one church family eating. As the wife was in the habit of doing, she said to the waitress, who had just delivered their food to the table: “We’re going to pray together here in a minute. Is there anything we can pray for you about?” The waitress was somewhat stunned and said, “Does it show that bad?” She became so emotional, she had to walk away. When she came back, she said, “This has been the worst day of my life. This morning my grandfather died. And then I just found out that my boyfriend has been cheating on me the whole time we’ve been going together. It’s wonderful to know that there are people who care.” That simple act of Christian love and concern ministered to her and brought her closer to God. And that brings glory to God.
Fourth, the family is where we receive love and nurture. That takes time. Love and nurturing do not happen in a fast food society filled with brief and shallow encounters. It’s not about quality time but quantity time. It doesn’t happen as you are gulping down a fast food meal between music lessons and soccer. It doesn’t happen as you eat in front of the television. Love and nurturing are not happening if you’re not talking to each other. Think about that the next time you talk about spending “quality” time with your family. Spending a lot of time just messing around is more important than a little bit of time, even though it may be high quality. The more time you spend with your family and your children, the more impact you will have on their lives. Love and nurturing occurs when you read together, play together, pray together, eat together, share life together, serve together and worship together.
“Always Kiss Me Good Night: Instructions on Raising the Perfect Parent” is a book which compiled advice kids would give to their parents. Here are some of the things the kids said in their one sentence responses:
- “Come home early.”
- “Stop talking on the phone and talk to me.”
- “Sometimes can you play with me instead of saying no?”
- “Take care of me till the end of my day.”
- “If you get mad at me, remember to forgive me.”
Did you hear what they were saying? They want to know if they are special and important to you. You show by giving them your time and attention. It’s called nurturing.
Love and nurture is not just for children. It is also for the elderly. God set up the family so that every person’s needs would be taken care of, no matter the life stage. Everybody needs love and nurture, especially your parents as they get older.
Fifth, learning to be in relationships. The closeness of the sibling relationship is pictured in Proverbs 17:17 when we are told that
