Paul's admonition of the family Col. 3:18-21

Introduction

Paul has just addressed the church as a whole telling them what they need to put off and what they need to put on.

The church is made up of families and I truly believe the stronger the families the stronger the church.

Paul here is going to address the family unit as a whole, he has a message for the wives and for the husbands, he has a message for the children and the fathers

For there to be order in the church there has to be order in the home, remember the first thing Christ established wasn’t the church but rather the family.

Gen 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

When God created the world, he created a divine order from the very beginning. When a Husband and a wife get married they leave and cleave. Satan has been attacking the family since the beginning of time. The divorce rate even among people who claim to be Christians is over 50%. Its the reason that 30% of Americans under the age of 18 are a part of a single parent home. Thats around 19 Million kids!

As goes the family so goes the church.

Lets look at Pauls admonition of the family

Pauls Admonition to the wives

Paul here is giving us the order of the family and he starts with the wives.

Wives submit to your own husband

Submit- To yield, resign or surrender to the power, will or authority of another

An almost parallel passage of this is found in Eph. 5:22-24 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

The husband is the head of the house, and that is how Christ designed it. This doesn’t mean as husbands we are rude and condescending to our wives, but we lead them to Christ as we move closer to Christ.

I promise it’s a lot easier for your wife to submit to you when you are acting Christ like. You should treat your wife as Christ treated the church and I promise she will have an easier time submitting to you.

Pauls admonition to the husbands

Love your wives

A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian… and most of all, his family ought to know. - D.L. Moody

Eph. 5:25-33 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Pauls admonition to the children

Obey your parents

Eph. 6:1-4 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Ex. 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Deut. 5:16 “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Prov. 3:1-2 “My son, forget not my law; But let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, And peace, shall they add to thee.”

Almost every time that the Bible tells us to honor father and mother it comes with a promise

Pauls admonition to fathers

Provoke not your children to wrath

the results is they are discouraged

Eph. 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Nurture- That which promotes growth; education; instruction

Admonition- Gentle reproof; counseling against a fault; instruction in duties; caution; direction.

Conclusion

Don’t let Satan have your family