Series: The Kingdom Family (Part one)

Just Do Your Part

Colossians 3:18 - 24

18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Col 3:18–24.

Today I want to continue a series exploring the significance and importance of the family! Last year I preached and taught about being a Kingdom man, a kingdom woman and a kingdom family. Before God created all the institutions that govern our society: the government, education, work, financial, military, arts, music, and religions institutions, he created the family. The foundation of everything and every institution is the family. Genesis 1: 26 - 28 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Now if the enemy can attack and devastate the family to the point that it becomes dysfunctional, then everything that sits on its foundation will become dysfunctional. Over the next several weeks we want to look at the roles of each of the members of the family and why they are vital in maintaining a strong and functional family unit.

JUST DO YOUR PART

A Family Needs:

• The “Strong” Man/Husband (Priest, Prophet, Provider, Protector): Ephesians 5:25–28

o Ephesians 5: 25 - 28 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 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. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

o 1 Peter 3: 7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. A family needs,

• The “Priceless” Woman/Wife (Powerful, Priceless, Patient, Prayerful): 1 Peter 3:1–4

o 1 Peter 3: 1 - 4(NIV) Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2  when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3  Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  A family also needs,

• The “Glorious” Child (Honor & Glorify Their Body, Soul, and Spirit): Ephesians 6:1–3

o Ephesians 6: 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

But before we dig into the specifics of each of their roles, let's spend today talking about the importance of each of them doing their part. Over my life I’ve been seen several successful teams (sports teams, corporate business teams, and church and ministry teams). Now what made them successful is not luck, fortune, or even skill; what made them successful is that every member of the team did his or her part!

What makes a family successful is when each member, regardless of what they face, do their part!

Series and Sermon: The Kingdom Family: Just Do Your Part , “Just Do Your Part, Keep Your Faith, Encourage Yourself”

I. Just Do Your Part

Colossians 3: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; A successful family requires each member to keep doing their part Heartily! The word “Heartily” here means wholly, willingly, thoroughly, and wholeheartedly!

Too many families have too many family members who have stopped doing their part wholly, willingly, thoroughly, and wholeheartedly because they have experienced one too many losses. I have been a member of successful sports teams, corporate business teams, and church and ministry teams. Not because we didn’t have losses and failures, but because we had members who did their part heartily regardless of losses and failures.

This past week we saw the U. S. Olmpic basketball team stuggle to beat teams that they should have beaten easly. When they fell behind in these games they didn’t lose their heart! They kept playing to win!

One of the key characteristics of a team that loses its heart is they internalize their failure and turn on each other. They stop focusing on their adversary and start blaming each other! When families lose their heart, they stop doing their part! They turn on and blame each other! But failing or not doesn't make you a failure, losing doesn’t make you a loser; that only happens when you lose your heart and stop doing your part!

Deuteronomy 10: 12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Psalm 119: 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Psalm 9: 1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

Just do your Part with your Whole Heart, and Let God take care of the rest!

II. Keep Your Faith

Colossians 3: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

A successful Family also requires each member to keep their Faith in God. Not only can losing cause one to lose their heart, it can also cause them to lose their faith. So why do we lose our faith? Because we have our faith in the wrong thing! I’ve talked and counseled many people down through the years who have had a crisis of faith, and the one thing that they have almost universally had in common was that they had their faith in the wrong thing.

They were losing their faith in God, but it wasn’t God who had failed them; it was a person; it was a job; it was a betrayal; it was loss; it was a failure; it was a hurt. Too many people have meausured their faith in God with their faith in people, and when people fail them, they feel that God has failed them. Others measure their faith in God with success, prosperity, recognition, promotion, winning, power, or authority; and when they lose these things, they lose their faith in God.

Someone once said that “God is not required to do what we think, He’s only required to do what he says!” And since most people don’t really know what God said, they lose their faith based on what “They Said,” on what “They Thought,” or on what “They Feel!” We must keep doing our part, and have Faith in God and what God said!

Romans 10: 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2 Corinthians 5: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Our Faith must be like the Hymnal: “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.”

III. Encourage Yourself

Colossians 3: 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

● The Kingdom Family requires each member to keep doing their part Whole Heartedly

● The Kingdom Family requires each member keep their Faith in God

● Finally, The Kingdom Family finally requires each member to encourage themselves in the Lord.

1 Samuel 30: 3 - 4 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

We have been told through the years that real men don’t cry. But David and his men were hurt to their hearts. These men had been harden by war, the lost of a friend in battle and they were real men. But they cried when they saw that their families had been taken.

1 Samuel 30:6 (AV) And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Encourage yourself in the Promises of God: 2 Corinthians 1: 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Encourage yourself in the Power of God: Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Encourage yourself in the Plans of God: Jeremiah 29: 11(NIV) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Encourage yourself in the Word of God: Psalm 119: 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

I. Just Do Your Part

II. Keep Your Faith

III. Encourage Yourself