Timeless Truths: Houses or Homes?

Timeless Truths: Houses or Homes?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Jesus speaking in Matthew 7:24 [NIV]

14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness… 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:14-15 [NIV]

The word choose in the Joshua passage really means “don’t be wishy-washy—make a decision!”

Three Observations:

• Most great truths are things we’ve heard before and/or already know.
• We tend to defy the truth.
• Good news! God is able to transcend all the junk in the world!

THREE KEYS FOR THE HOME

1. GOD

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10 [NIV]

• God is the glue of great families
• You may choose to hide from people, but you can’t hide from God
• The message of the Bible is this:

God loves us, desires a relationship with us, and seeks us

Families without God are families without the potential for greatness.

• Strong families have a high degree of religious commitment that translates into family commitment.

Choosing God may mean some family housecleaning [AKA: spiritual inventory].

Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:14 [NIV]

• We need to be careful that we don’t fall into the traps the Hebrews fell into that lead them to serve false gods.
• Keep God first!

Your relationship with your family is predicated by/grounded on your relationship with God.

• The closer we are to God, the closer we are to our family.

2. GRACE

• We all need grace in our lives.

Family gatherings can be great reminders of God’s grace.

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem… So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

Joshua 24:1a, 13 [NIV]

• If the family is not a place of grace, children will search elsewhere until they find it.

Family should be a place of grace and truth.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Luke 15:7 [NIV]

• This is critical because the world doesn’t grant much grace.

3. GUMPTION

Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

Joshua 24:19 [NIV]

The family is the principal teaching agent ordained by God.

• We must choose to be committed to God.
• Group commitment leads to accountability.

And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

Joshua 24:24 [NIV]

• This was Israel’s community commitment.

Does your family have God, Grace, and Gumption?

• It takes all three to thrive in this world.

Thanks to Dr. Keith Newman for essential teachings in this post.

Next Thursday's Timeless Truths Series: To Follow Jesus – Deny Yourself

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