I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In the beginning, God created the family as the foundation of all society.

                                                             1.      When God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, He created woman (Gen. 2:18-24).

                                                             2.      God joined them in marriage and commanded them to "be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:27-28).

                                                             3.      Thus, the family, based upon a monogamous relationship of husband and wife with the procreation of children, is the first and foremost institution of human society.  This basic element of God’s design has not been changed by God from the beginning.

B.      Not only is the family the foundation of society, but it is also foundational to the practice of Christianity.

                                                             1.      It has been said that "the family that prays together stays together.”  There is more truth to that statement than we may realize.

                                                             2.      This aspect of the Christian faith is often neglected in our time, and the church suffers for it as Christian parents fail to pass their faith in Christ to their own children.

C.      Presently, let us consider what it means to believe in God with all your household.

II.      TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN

A.      The mission of John the baptist proves that honor for the family is necessary to prepare people for the Lord.

                                                             1.      When the angel Gabriel spoke to Zacharias about his son John, he indicated that John’s work of turning the sons of Israel back to God included restoring the families.  Notice Luke 1:16-17:

"And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.  It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

                                                             2.      In this mission statement for John the baptist, Gabriel quoted from the prophecy of Malachi.  Notice the full text of this prophecy of God’s words in Malachi 4:4-6:

"Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.  Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.  He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

                                                             3.      We readily recognize John’s work in preaching repentance to Israel (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:1-14) and proclaiming the coming of Christ (Isa. 40:3-5; Luke 3:16-17; John 1:29).  However, let us not forget that he also restored "the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers” by turning them back to God’s laws concerning the family.

a.       As the Jews had selfishly turned away from God in pursuit of their own worldly gratification, fathers had failed to carry out their God-given duties toward their children.

i.         Fathers were to diligently and constantly teach their children the word of God (Deut. 6:4-9).

ii.        They were to tell their children of the history of God’s people (Ex. 12:26-27; 13:14; Deut. 32:7; Josh. 4:6-7).

iii.      The duty of the fathers was to prepare their children to serve God through instruction and godly examples, and the generation of fathers in John’s time had failed to do so.

b.       Likewise, children had failed in their godly responsibility to honor their parents (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; 21:18-21; Matt. 15:3-6).

c.        Thus, John’s message of repentance turned the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the hearts of the children back to the fathers in preparation for the Lord.

B.      Honor for God’s design of the family is still needed for the people of the Lord, but it is often lacking today.

                                                             1.      The modern concept of the structure and function of the family is a far cry from the original design of God.  The broken concept of the world is failing, and souls are being lost because of it.

                                                             2.      There is once again a dire need to turn the hearts of parents and children back toward one another.

a.       Many men have abandoned their God-given responsibilities toward their wives and children in favor of their own selfish pursuits (Eph. 5:25-31; 6:4; 1Pet. 3:7).  Their failure to provide materially and spiritually for their own families makes them worse than unbelievers (1Tim. 5:8).

b.       The failure of men to lead their wives and make provisions has led many women to fail in their God-given roles within the home and family as wives and mothers (Eph. 5:22-24; Tit. 2:3-5; 1Pet. 3:1-6).

c.        The failure of parents to train their children has led to children’s disobedience and dishonor toward their parents throughout life (Eph. 6:1-3).

                                                             3.      If the careless people of John’s generation could not receive Christ without turning their hearts back to their families, then how can people expect to receive Him while their hearts are far removed from the godly honor of their own families?

III.   HOUSEHOLD FAITH

A.      Throughout the ages, faith has generally been a family matter shared by entire households.

                                                             1.      The faith of Noah and his household led God to save them from the flood (Gen. 7:1; Heb. 11:7).

                                                             2.      Abraham was chosen because he shared his faith with his entire household.

a.       Notice Genesis 18:19 – "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

b.       Abraham received the covenant with his whole household (Gen. 17:23, 27).

                                                             3.      Joshua declared the faith of his family, saying, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15).

                                                             4.      Household faith was expected in Israel, for families served God together (Ex. 12:3; Lev. 16:6).

B.      It is evident in the New Testament that whole families were converted to Christ together.

                                                             1.      Some of the blessed families who believed in Christ together where the households of the royal official from Capernaum (John 4:53), Cornelius (Acts 10:2; 11:14), Lydia (Acts 16:15), the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31-34), Crispus (Acts 18:8), Aristobulus (Rom. 16:10), Narcissus (Rom. 16:11), Stephanas (1Cor. 1:16; 16:15), Caesar (Phil. 4:22), and Priscilla and Aquilla (2Tim. 4:19).

                                                             2.      Let us not overlook the fact that the promise given to Abraham stated, "And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:16).

C.      Today the church is dependent upon the strength of faithful families.

                                                             1.      Christian men are expected to lead their families in the faith and thereby strengthen the church.

a.       This is seen in the qualification of elders in 1Timothy 3:4-5 – "He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?).”

b.       If men would teach the members of their families to be faithful to the Lord and save them from the wicked influences of the world, then their family members would also be faithful members of the church, which is the household of God (1Tim. 3:15).

                                                             2.      When families fall away from God, the church suffers.

a.       Paul instructed Titus to silence false teachers "because they are upsetting whole families” (Tit. 1:11).  The churches in Crete were losing whole families to false doctrines just as local churches in our nation are losing whole families to worldliness.

b.       The Lord warned about the division that would have to occur in some families because of Him (Mic. 7:6; Matt. 10:34-37; Luke 12:51-53).

i.         Christ did not seek to divide households, but He recognized the tendency of families to be unified in their religion.  For this reason, He said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

ii.        By His own experience (Matt. 13:57; John 7:1-9), Jesus knew how difficult it is for one to part from his family.  For this reason and many others, it is much better for the whole family to share faith in Christ.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      The problems with families today are the result of a lack of faithful leadership and an unwillingness to separate from the world (2Cor. 6:14-18).

B.      Until we begin to correct these problems and serve God with all our households, the church will continue to suffer and souls will continue to be lost even from within Christian families.