What Happened to the Family?

Reading from God’s Word

We’re living in a moment of deep confusion.

The very idea of family—what it is, who defines it, and why it matters—is under attack.

We see it in the headlines, in legislation, in classrooms, and sometimes even in our own homes.

People are asking: What’s gone wrong? Why are families struggling, marriages failing, and children adrift?

Tonight, we’re asking a hard but necessary question:

What happened to the family? And more importantly—what does God say we must do to restore it?

Let’s begin where Jesus did: not with statistics or opinions, but with God’s design from the very beginning...

Matthew 19:4–6 CSB

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Introduction

When the Family Falters, Everything Falters

“You may have heard that a church, community, or nation will rise no higher than the spiritual condition of its families.”

The home is not just where life begins—it’s where character is formed, faith is cultivated, and society is shaped.

God designed the family as the foundational building block for every stable culture.

When it’s strong, everything else can flourish.

But when the family falters… everything begins to break down.

The Evidence Is All Around Us

We are living in the wake of a cultural earthquake—and the aftershocks are everywhere:

Violent crime is exploding in our cities.

Depression and suicide among teens are reaching all-time highs.

Fatherlessness is no longer the exception—it’s becoming normal.

Pornography, drug addiction, identity confusion, and fractured homes are devastating communities from the inside out.

And the statistics back it up: “Children from broken homes are…

5 times more likely to commit suicide

6 times more likely to be in poverty,

9 times more likely to drop out of high school,

10 times more likely to abuse substances,

14 times more likely to commit rape,

20 times more likely to go to prison,

32 times more likely to run away from home.”

The family was never designed to be optional. It’s a spiritual ecosystem. When it breaks, everything breaks with it.

The Spiritual Fallout Is Just As Severe

This crisis isn’t just showing up in the world. It’s showing up in the church.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched three families I know personally—families that were once active in the church—drift apart.

The cracks began early:

Sin wasn’t dealt with.

Marital wounds were left to fester.

Church involvement became shallow.

The kids saw the inconsistency… and eventually, they walked away from the faith.

This is the real tragedy:

When families collapse, children often lose not just their home—they lose their hope.

And when homes are broken, churches grow weak.

When churches grow weak, communities become unstable.

And when communities crumble, nations begin to unravel.

This Is Not Just a Sociological Issue—It’s a Spiritual One

The enemy of God has always attacked the home.

In Eden, Satan didn’t wait long. He went after the first couple before the first chapter of marriage was even finished.

He knew: “If I can fracture the family, I can fracture the world.”

And the same war continues today.

Quote: “When the family falters, everything falters.

This is biblical reality.

Biblical Foundation: Psalm 11:3

Psalm 11:3 CSB

3 When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The family is one of those foundational structures. When it’s removed, the moral scaffolding of a society collapses.

That’s exactly what we’re watching today.

So what’s causing the collapse?

It’s not just economic pressure. It’s not just political tension.

It’s that we’ve forgotten God’s design—and traded His truth for cultural lies.

Which leads us to the next point...

Broken Families, Even in the Church

“These challenges are not just out there—they're in here.”

The Crisis Isn't Limited to the Culture

While our media and politicians often point fingers at “secular America” as the source of family decline, the sad truth is that Christian homes are suffering too.

Marriages in the church are not immune to divorce.

Young people raised in Christian homes are increasingly walking away from the faith.

Many families in the pews look spiritually sound on the outside—but are quietly falling apart on the inside.

Over the last few years, “I’ve watched three families—once deeply involved in the church—slowly disintegrate. The cracks began early with unaddressed sin and unresolved pain. As the kids left home, the marriages unraveled. And now, their children are struggling spiritually or have walked away from God altogether.”

Symptoms of Spiritual Neglect

Why does this happen?

Sin isn’t confronted.

Couples grow distant and settle for a cold, functional relationship.

Children see hypocrisy or indifference—and conclude faith isn’t real.

It is Solomon who said:

Proverbs 24:3–4 CSB

3 A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.

If the home is not intentionally filled with wisdom, understanding, and the knowledge of God, then the cracks will eventually show.

Spiritual Decay Always Begins in the Home

Throughout Scripture, the rise or fall of God's people often began in the household:

In Judges 2:10, an entire generation arose “who did not know the Lord”—because their parents didn’t pass down the faith.

Judges 2:10 CSB

10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.

Eli’s failure to discipline his sons led to the fall of his household and judgment on Israel (1 Samuel 2–3).

Even David, a man after God’s heart, paid a price for a fractured family life (2 Samuel 13–18).

Principle: The health of the church depends on the health of the homes within it.

So if the problem is that we’ve drifted from God’s design… what is that design?

What did God intend the family to be in the first place?

Let’s go back to the beginning—to creation—and see what God’s Word says about the family He built.

God’s Design Still Works

“Before we can fix what’s broken, we have to understand what God built in the first place.”

Our culture is busy redefining the family.

But God already defined it in the very beginning—and His design still works.

To restore what’s been lost, we must return to God’s original blueprint.

God Created Male and Female

Let’s go straight to the Word:

Genesis 1:27 CSB

27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

There are only two genders—not a spectrum, not a self-made identity. We don’t define gender. God does.

Application: Confusion reigns when creation is ignored. But clarity and dignity come when we honor our Creator.

God Designed Marriage as a Covenant for Life

Again, we consult the eternal standard, God’s Word, for the details:

Matthew 19:4–6 CSB

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Marriage is not a social contract or legal agreement.

It is a sacred covenant designed by God between one man and one woman, for life.

Let’s put Genesis 2:24 back on the screen and observe three foundational elements:

Genesis 2:24 CSB

24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Marriage involves Leaving – A new loyalty is formed that supersedes parental ties.

Genesis 2:24 CSB

24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Marriage involves a Cleaving (Bonding) – A physical, emotional, and spiritual union.

Genesis 2:24 CSB

24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Becoming One Flesh – A public covenant that redefines roles and responsibilities.

Like a structure with interlocking beams, a healthy marriage is built on trust, commitment, and mutual submission under God.

God Intended the Family to Produce and Nurture Life

Now, let’s go back to Genesis 1:28.

Genesis 1:28 CSB

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

God’s plan includes the raising of children—not just biologically, but spiritually.

Parents are the first disciplers.

The home is where faith, character, and conviction are formed.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 CSB

6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

God Honors the Family as Sacred

The family was the first institution God established—before government, before nations, even before the church.

Ephesians 5 and 6 place the family at the center of Christian living and discipleship.

The home is a living example of God’s relationship with His people:

The husband models Christ.

The wife models the church.

Children are taught obedience and respect.

God’s design is not only beautiful—it’s powerful. It brings stability, joy, and purpose when it’s followed.

But as we know… many no longer follow that design.

In fact, our society is working hard to replace it with something else entirely.

So let’s talk about what’s happening now in our world—and why it matters.

The World is Rewriting the Blueprint

“Our culture is not just drifting from God’s design—it is actively replacing it.”

We are witnessing an intentional, organized effort to dismantle everything God created as good, especially the family.

The home, as God defines it, is now seen by many as outdated, oppressive, or even dangerous.

The Strategy of Organized Destruction

Quote from William Barr: “This is not decay; it is organized destruction. Secularists and their allies among the 'progressives' have marshaled all the forces of mass communications, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.”

This isn’t accidental.

It's an aggressive agenda to replace biblical truth with moral relativism, radical individualism, and sexual anarchy.

The celebration of gender confusion, the redefinition of parenting roles, and movements that deny the value of the nuclear family all point to a deeper rebellion against God.

Examples of Redefinition

Feminist author Sophie Lewis calls for “family abolition”, describing mothers as "gestators" and advocating for raising children communally, outside of the traditional home.

The founders of BLM publicly stated their desire to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.”

Public policies increasingly exclude or marginalize parents when children seek abortions or gender transition treatments.

In recent years, activists have begun using the term “MAPs” (Minor Attracted Persons) to normalize and destigmatize pedophilia.

What began as a push for sexual freedom has become a full-scale campaign to redefine what it means to be human.

Media, Education, and Corporate Messaging

Television, movies, and children's programming normalize LGBTQ+ lifestyles, gender transitions, and broken homes as acceptable or even superior alternatives to God’s design.

Public education systems often indoctrinate rather than educate, teaching children that they can choose their gender, reject their biological sex, and embrace any family structure they prefer.

Major corporations push these ideologies with pride-themed marketing campaigns—even aimed at young children.

If we do not intentionally teach our children God's truth, the world will gladly teach them its lies.

The Result: Cultural Chaos

Moral confusion

Identity crisis

Fatherless children

Sexual brokenness

A generation that, like in Judges 2:10, “does not know the Lord”

Isaiah 5:20 CSB

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

So what do we do?

How do we respond to a culture that’s replacing truth with lies, and light with darkness?

We return to God’s Word—and we live it boldly.

Let’s talk about how to respond.

What Must We Do Now?

“It’s not enough to recognize what’s wrong—we must be ready to live what’s right.”

As Christians, we are called not just to mourn the culture’s drift, but to model a better way. We don’t curse the darkness—we shine the light.

Return to God's Blueprint

Don’t be ashamed of God’s design for the home. Embrace it. Teach it. Live it.

Let Scripture—not the culture—define your values and your vision for family life.

Psalm 127:1 CSB

1 Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain;

Build your home on the Rock (Matthew 7:24–27), not on the shifting sand of public opinion.

Live the Gospel in Your Home

Husbands: Lead with love and sacrifice.

Wives: Support with strength and grace.

Parents: Disciple your children—don’t outsource it.

Children: Honor your parents and obey the Lord.

Ephesians 5:21-6:4 gives us a clear vision of what Spirit-filled family life looks like.

Model Truth with Grace

Speak clearly and lovingly about gender, marriage, and family.

Your convictions should be firm—but your tone should be Christlike.

2 Timothy 2:24–25 CSB

24 The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, 25 instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.

We’re not just winning arguments—we’re trying to win souls.

Your home can become a living testimony to the power and beauty of God’s design.

Strengthen the Church by Strengthening the Home

The church is only as strong as the families in it.

If we want to see revival in our congregations, we must see renewal in our households.

Application: Make your home a place of worship, not just rest.

Pray together. Eat together. Repent and grow together.

Challenge and Encouragement

To parents: Don’t be passive. The world is discipling your kids. Will you?

To single Christians: Honor God in your relationships. Prepare now to build a godly home later.

To grandparents: You’re not finished. Your influence is powerful. Teach and model faith across generations.

To the church: Let’s raise up families who reflect Christ—not culture.

The culture may be confused—but we don’t have to be.

God’s Word still speaks clearly.

His design still works.

And His grace is still powerful enough to restore broken families.

As We Close…

“The question is no longer, ‘What happened to the family?’ The real question is, ‘What will we do now?’”

We are living in a time of crisis—but not without hope.

The chaos we see around us is not the end of the story.

The same God who designed the family is still calling us back to His truth.

His Word has not changed.

His plan has not failed.

But we must have the humility and courage to return to it.

From the beginning, Satan has waged war on the home.

He has attacked marriage, distorted gender, undermined parenting, and scattered children.

And yet, the gospel still offers healing.

Through Jesus Christ, broken lives can be restored.

Marriages can be redeemed.

Fathers can rise up.

Mothers can find strength.

Children can learn truth.

Homes can shine with light in a world growing darker by the day.

Will you be part of the solution?

Will you build your family on God’s truth instead of cultural trends?

Will you raise your children to know the Lord—not just in word, but by example?

Will your home reflect heaven—or the world?

It’s time to stop drifting and start building.

If your family has suffered, there is still grace.

If your priorities have shifted, today is the day to return.

If you feel alone, God’s church is here to help.

Matthew 7:24 CSB

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The storm is coming—but the house built on the rock will stand.

Invitation

Maybe you need to come forward today to start over—individually or as a family.

Maybe you need to repent, recommit, or ask for prayer and accountability.

Maybe you’re ready to give your life to Christ and begin a new foundation in Him through baptism.

Whatever your need—now is the time to act. Let’s trust God’s way again.