Elements of a Christian Home- Love

Introduction

So far we have discussed two vital elements to the formation of a Christian home. A Christian home must have Christians, faithful followers of Jesus Christ, at its heart and must also be ordered according to God’s design, with the husband submitting to the authority of Christ, the wife submitting to her husband, and the children submitting to their mother and father.

Today we are going to take a look at another element that is absolutely necessary to the formation of a Christian home. This element is love.

Love is not merely something that is said but is an active word, something that is done.

In this passage we see the specific command to a husband to love his wife. This emphasis is because the wife needs to feel loved and valued by her husband.

It is also true that each member of the Christian home will show love to the other members of the home. The love that we should show one for another is personified in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A home will never be a Christian home without LOVE. We must:

Love Sacrificially (Vs. 25)

The example given to us in this passage of scripture to help us to understand the love that should be modeled in the Christian home is the love that Christ has for the church. The first statement made in reference to this love is that He “gave himself” for the church.

Jesus Christ sacrificed his very life for the church. He was willing to leave the glory of heaven to become a man and to dwell in a sin cursed world knowing ultimately that He would be unjustly crucified for the sins of all mankind. That is surely love!

He left the splendor of heaven, Knowing His destiny Was the lonely hill of Golgotha, There to lay down His life for me. CHORUS: If that isn't love the ocean is dry, There're no stars in the sky And the sparrow can't fly! If that isn't love then heaven's a myth, There's no feeling like this, If that isn't love.

He left the splendor of heaven, Knowing His destiny Was the lonely hill of Golgotha, There to lay down His life for me. CHORUS: If that isn't love the ocean is dry, There're no stars in the sky And the sparrow can't fly! If that isn't love then heaven's a myth, There's no feeling like this, If that isn't love.

The Christian home is made up of members who love sacrificially.

It begins with a husband who is willing to sacrifice of himself for the benefit of his wife and children. - Jacob sacrificed seven years of his life in service to Laban for Rachel’s hand in marriage (this is what a young man may have to do to earn my daughter’s hand in marriage) yet he was willing to make this sacrifice because of the love he had for Rachel. Even when he was given Leah instead, he was willing to serve seven more years to make Rachel his own!

A wife must be willing also to make sacrifices for the good of her husband and children (Laura leaving family and friends), as well the children being willing to sacrifice to support their mother and father as they follow the Lord (Missionaries on deputation and the sacrifice children make).

A vital part of loving someone is being willing to place their needs above our own. If we are to have a Christian home we must love sacrificially.

Love Unconditionally (Vs. 26-27)

The next couple of verses remind us of the love that Christ has for the church and his desire to bring it to ultimate perfection. In this can be seen the unconditional nature of Christ’s love.

You and I as the church are far from being without spot or blemish today and yet Christ loves us just the same. Christ’s love is not contingent upon our performance be it good or bad. This is another great lesson which reveals the love that must be present in a Christian home.

What a joyous thought that Jesus Christ loves us in spite of our spots, our wrinkles, and our blemishes!

Too often a husband may say “ I would love my wife more if she would only _________.” Many times a wif may think to herself “It would be much easier to love my husband if he would only ____________.” Children may think “I would love my mom and dad if they would only let me __________.”

The reality is that our love for one another, if it is to follow the example of Christ, should be unconditional! We do not love our spouse any less because he/she does not meet our expectations. We do not love our children any less because they do no perform to the level we believe they should.

A Christian home is made up of, in our case, 6 sinful people and each of us are going to make mistakes and disappoint one another from time to time. We cannot allow this fact to cause us to stop loving our spouse or our children. Children you cannot allow the mistakes of your parents to cause you to love them less.

Instead if we truly love we will make it a habit to offer forgiveness and reconciliation of the relationship, just as our savior does for us time and time again.

Unconditional love produces a strength in the relationships in the home, as each member recognizes that they are not under the pressure to perform to earn love.

We do not ignore sin or pretend as though mistakes do not happen, but we continue to love in spite of the sin and the mistakes.

Parents with a child who becomes involved in gross sin- continue to love and work towards restoration. The relationships in the home are each meant to last for a lifetime and if this is to be the case we must love unconditionally!

Love Generously (Vs. 28-29)

Now Paul gives an illustration to show the generous nature our love should show in the home.

Each one of us woke up this morning and likely had breakfast. Why? Because our stomach told us we were hungry and we would not deny it food. Many of us will go home this afternoon and have a nap on the couch. Why? Because our body is telling us it is tired, and we would not dare deny it proper rest.

This is the point that Paul is making about the love that is to be shown in the Christian home.

Our love is to be a generous love, just as the love that Christ has for us is a generous love. - given us all things that pertain to life and godliness

To love generously, is to do all that is in our power to provide for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of our home. This does not mean that we give our children everything they want, but it does mean we do everything in our power to provide them with that which will help them to be physically and spiritually well.

Love will motivate us to nourish (provide for) and cherish (take care of) one another within the bounds of the home.

Love will cause us to provide for our family to the best of our ability making sure that their needs are met just as we would do for our own selves.

Love will cause us to take care of our family meeting their emotional needs and making sure that our love is felt as we offer comfort and support.

Think how wonderfully the Lord has provided for and taken care of the church. We ought to do the same for the members of our home.

We ought never to withhold any good thing from the members of our home when it is in our power to grant it. - withhold not good

Conclusion

The world defines love very differently than does scripture. You and I will have no hope of manifesting Christ-like love without Jesus Christ in our lives.

- God commendeth his love/- greater love hath no man

Jesus Christ loved you enough to go to calvary to pay the penalty for your sins. Don’t leave His love unrequited, respond today and place your faith in Him as savior.