Introduction, Part 3

Tonight, we want to continue looking at the introduction to God's hope for your home. Someone asked me recently, why is it taking you so long to do what it is you want to do with God's hope for your home? Why is it you don't cover it in a weekend seminar or cover it in a four to six week series? Simply this, your problems didn't happen over a weekend, and your problems didn't happen. not begin in four to six weeks. We have been looking at your home and looking at it from an evaluative standpoint.

What is the condition of our homes? And we look, first of all, that they were the kind of homes that are attacked by the adversary.

All of us fall into that category. Satan is alive and well on planet Earth and is doing all he can to destroy our homes. We also looked and saw where our homes are manipulated by the media, that the surrounding television, movies, books, periodicals that we read are trying to control our thoughts and minds. That led us to the third aspect of evaluating our home, and that is the fact that we have our homes controlled by the culture, more so than by Christ, our homes are controlled by the culture.

We've seen where our homes are crushed by conflict, divided by divorce, devastated by the demands we put upon one another, afflicted by attitudes, bad attitudes, bitterness, jealousy, envy, unforgiving, hearts abandoned by actions. Those who said they would be faithful to us have abandoned us and that becomes a major problem. We've been corrupted by compromise and ravaged by revenge. Those are just a few things that we have discussed concerning our homes. And yet the Bible is very clear about the hope God gives for our home.

There is hope. No matter how bad your marriage is, no matter how bad your family life is, God offers and promises hope. That's his encouragement. That's his encouragement to you. And tonight we want to look at that hope.

We began by looking at it last week and we'll get into more of it this evening. We won't finish it tonight. We'll finish it next week because there is so much God says about the hope for your home.

In by way of the introduction, let me read to you Psalm 71, the first eight verses. It says, in thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be ashamed.

In thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me, incline thine ear to me and save me. Be thou to me a rock of habitation, to which I may continually come. Thou hast given commandment to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the land of the, wicked out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and the ruthless man for thou art my hope o lord god thou art my confidence from my youth by thee i have been sustained from my birth thou art he who took me from my mother's womb my praise is continually of thee i have become a marvel to many for thou art my strong refuge My mouth is filled with thy praise and with thy glory all day long.

My prayer for you and for me is that we individually as well as our family would become a marvel to people around about us. They would look at us in wonder and marvel at the work of God because our hope is in our God.

He is our refuge. He is our strength. He is our shelter and our guide. Salmust would go on and say in verse number 14, but as for me, I will hope continually and will praise thee yet more and more. The psalmist knew that his hope was in the Lord. God's word gives us hope. God's word is encouraging. And through that encouragement, we are able to trust and to believe and to wait and to hope. on our God and in our God to accomplish a great work. So what is the hope for your home? What is God's encouragement to you?

I want to give you five basic foundations that will help you in terms of God's hope for your home. And these five foundational principles will lay the framework for the rest of our study in the weeks and months to come. But the very first one we began talking about last week, We need to fear the Christ.

We need to fear the Christ. Reformation is not the answer to your marriage. Transformation is the answer to your marriage. And only God can transform an individual's heart. And the Bible says in Roman chapter, excuse me, Revelation chapter 14, verse number seven, that when the eternal gospel is preached to those who live on the earth, the angel says, fear God, give him glory, and worship him.

That is the essence of the gospel. Fear God, give him glory, and worship him. Psalm 130, verse number four, says, There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared. Your family, your marriage, your heart. home begins the upward journey toward Christ's likeness when it begins to fear the Christ. That's where it begins. Listen to Psalm 128. Psalm 128, verse number one, how blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you. your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house your children like all of plants around your table behold for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the lord in order for your family to be what god wants it to be fellas you need to fear the lord in order for your wife to grow in order for your children to grow in order for them to be what god wants them to be fellas you need to fear the god for that man is the blessed man listen to psalm 112 psalm 112 verse number one praise the lord how blessed is the man who fears the lord who greatly delights in his commandments his descendants will be mighty on earth the generation of the upright will be blessed wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever.

The man who fears God is the blessed man. The man who fears God has descendants who are mighty upon the earth. The man who fears God has righteousness flourishing in his home. So you need to fear the Christ if you want your home to be what God wants it to be. But if we're going to fear him, number one, there must be a submission to the commands of God.

We must submit to God's commands. That tells you you're fearing the Christ. Ecclesiastes 1213 says, fear God and keep his commandments. Fear God and keep his commandment. That's a sum of man's life. But if we're going to fear the Christ, we're going to submit to his commands. Number two, you need to stay away from sin.

One's positive, one's negative. You need to stay away from sin. Listen to Proverbs chapter 3, verse number seven. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. If you're going to fear the Lord, that means you're going to turn away from evil. Why? because you fear what evil will do. You fear what sin will do. You fear those things because God has said, look, be careful. Be careful. If you go that way, the consequences of sin are devastating. You're fearing your God. It says in Proverbs chapter 16, these words, verse number 16.

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold? Do you believe that? Do you believe it's better to be wise than it is to be rich? Some of you are not so sure about that. And this is this. And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who watches his way preserves his life. That's important. Why? Because verse 6 says this. By the fear of the Lord, one keeps away from evil. You want to fear God? Stay away from evil. Submit to his commands.

Number three, sacrifice. to the Lord. Sacrifice to the Lord. You know the story? Genesis 22. God told Abraham the sacrifice is the only son Isaac. He took him up in the mountain, Mount Moriah, the place foreseen by God. He lifted up the knife to sacrifice his son and the angel of the Lord stopped him. In verse number 12, what does it say? Now I know Abraham. You fear me. You want to fear God? Then you sacrifice those things that he asks you to sacrifice. You sacrifice those things that are the most important things in your life to show God that they are not more important than he is in your life.

You trust God so much that you will give everything away for him. You sacrifice to the Lord and you demonstrate that you fear the Christ. Now I know, Abraham, you fear me. now Abraham you know you fear me why because you are willing to give up your son your only son for me God says what will you do for me what will you do for my name's sake not for your sake but for my name's sake will you sacrifice time will you sacrifice your life will you sacrifice whatever it takes to make your marriage what God wants it to be if you're going to fear the Christ why because we fear the Christ we fear God and therefore we're going to demonstrate that by serving him we're not going to serve other gods we're not going to serve other people we're going to serve only one God one master that is the Lord God Jehovah our lives are committed to him therefore you fear the Christ when you say God I'm going to serve you no matter what because you are my one and only God.

Next, you serve the Lord when you sanctify your life. When you set your life apart for God's purposes. It says over in 2nd, 3rdian 7, verse number 1, therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. In the fear of God, we are moving toward holiness. We are seeking to perfect holiness to become more and more separate from those things of the world in order that the world will know that we are not like them.

We fear God more than we fear them. Paul would say in Philippians too that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Why? because it is God who is at work in us to do and to will of his good pleasure. Peter would say in the 1 Peter chapter 1, that we are to be holy as he himself is holy. Therefore we are to conduct ourselves during our stay here on earth in the fear of God. 1.17. Is your life set apart for the purposes of God? That's what it means to fear the Christ. And lastly, by surrendering to the Lord.

By surrendering to the Lord, Psalm 115 and verse number 11 says this, you who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. You who fear him, trust him. Surrender your life to him. Give everything over to him. Believe in him. Give your life to him. Trust him. Wrap your trust around him in such a way that you throw yourself, on him for his mercy surrender your life to God and thus demonstrate that you fear God now ask yourself the question do you fear the Christ does your family fear the Christ number two principle number one is fear the Christ number two is follow His commands.

Follow his commands. Say, well, isn't that part of fearing the Lord? Yes, it is. But turn in me to Ephesians chapter 5 for a moment. Ephesians chapter 5. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. Ephesians chapter 5. It says this. Verse number 15, therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise. Remember we told you in Proverbs 16, it's better to be wise than it is to be rich. Now, Paul says, listen very carefully. Be careful how you walk, not as an unwise man, but as a wise man, making the most of your time because the days are evil.

so then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is if you want to be wise understand what the will of the Lord is everybody wants to know what the will of the Lord is Paul says I want you to be wise therefore understand the will of the Lord now listen very carefully here is God's will for your family ready and do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation but be filled with the spirit that's the command you got to follow this command you need to be filled play rao is the word you need to be controlled you need to be dominated by the spirit of God when God's spirit dominates your life listen carefully to what happens happens in your home.

It says this, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Always give me thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Listen, when you are dominated by the Spirit of God, God says, this is my will for you.

This is what I want you to do. I don't want you to be drunk with wine in which dissipation. I don't want you to be controlled by another substance. What I want you to be controlled by is the Spirit of Almighty God. It is so easy for our hearts and lives and minds to be controlled by everything else other than the Spirit of God. And Paul says, no, I want you to be controlled by God's spirit. If you are controlled by the Spirit, you will speak differently, you will sing joyfully, You will say thanks obediently and you will submit willingly.

That is a byproduct of a spirit-controlled life. Listen, any two-spirit-filled people can live together on this earth. Any two-spirit-filled people can live together. I don't care who you are. Why? Because God's Spirit controls your life. God's Spirit works through His Word. Okay? Number three.

Number one, fear the Christ. Number two, follow his commands. Number three, fortify your convictions.

You got any convictions? You got any convictions in your family? I'm going to tell you the convictions you need to have they're very basic you need to have at least these you might have more but you've got to have these to remind your Bible is Joshua chapter 23 follow as I read now it came about after many days when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side and Joshua's old in advancing years that Joshua called for for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers and said to them, I am old, advancing years.

And you've seen all that the Lord your God has done all these nations, to all these nations, because of you. For the Lord your God is he who has been fighting for you. See, I have a portion to you these nations, which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off from the Jordan even to the great sea toward the steadying of the sun and the Lord your God he shall thrust them out from before you and try them away from before you and you shall possess their land just as the Lord your God promised you be very firm be very courageous then to keep and to do all that has written in the book of the law of Moses so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.

In order that you may not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you. And as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. One of your men puts to flight a thwart. thousand. For the Lord your God is he who fights for you just as he promised you.

So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you. But they shall be a snare and a trap to you. and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you now behold today I am going the way of all the earth and you know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed all have been fulfilled for you not one of them has failed and it shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

When you transgress the covenant of the Lord, your God, which he commanded you and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you. Tremendous words from John. Joshua to his people. Let me give you the basis for blessing and in the consequences of compromise as Joshua gave to the nation of Israel.

Number one, if you're going to have a home that's fortified by convictions, there must be a conviction of the remembrance of his ways.

When's the last time you sat down with your children or your wife and rehearsed the ways of God in your marriage? was the last time you did that to go back and say you remember when God did this remember how God orchestrated these events remember how God supplied our needs when there was nothing left remember how God intervened and brought about his good purposes in our lives that's a great family project isn't it sit down with your family and say let's remember when God did this that's got to be a conviction of yours am convicted in my soul never to forget what God has done for once you forget you will compromise number two that needs to be obedience to his word I remember it's of his ways and obedience to his word he says this be very courageous be very firm then to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand and to the left.

There needs to be in obedience to His Word. Number three, there needs to be a severance from the world.

In the world, not of it. So many times we compromise because we don't cut the ties with the world. We want to listen to the music the world listens to. We want to do the things the world does. us we want to go the places the world goes we want to be in the activities the world's actively involved in and you know what if you don't sever ties with the world the world is going to bring you down and joshua said you've got to cut yourself off from these nations you can't do what they do or you're going to serve their gods and you're going to bow down to them don't do that that's got to be a conviction in your family number four there needs to be allegiance in your walk allegiance in your walk and fifthly diligence in your worship diligence in your worship verse 11 so take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God where's your family have you compromised on your convictions I trust that you haven't Does your family have convictions?

I trust that it does.