Our Vocation In The Family

Please stand in honor of God's word.

The Old Testament reading is in Deuteronomy chapter 6 starting in verse 4.

Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and these words that I

Commanded you today shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk to them when you sit in your house.

And I mean you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and you should be they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and and on your gates.

The New Testament reading today is found in the book of Ephesians

the reading from chapter 5 starting in

verse 22.

Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church his body and is himself its

Savior.

Now as for the church now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their

husbands.

Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her that he might sanctify her.

Having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.

So that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such

thing.

That she might be holy and without blemish in.

The same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church.

Because we are members of his body.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one

flesh.

This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself and let the wife see

that she respects her husband respects her husband.

Remain standing, please.

Well

open your Bibles if you would.

To Genesis 3, I think we're gonna start there.

This.

Past week we had a Fire retreat conference.

I always thought it was a retreat, but they kept on calling it a conference.

We were at.

It was a for men a men's retreat.

Out in Amish country a lot of fun.

I was I had the privilege to Preach one of the sessions there.

And the subject for all three sessions was the man's vocation and

Who here knows when I say I may I shouldn't.

I don't want embarrassing what but who here knows when I use the word vocation?

Theologically what that means?

Is that a it's not a word we use very often.

But it's a very needed thing to understand.

And I was able to give that the man's vocation in the home or in the family and

Then a few days ago. It was decided that it would be better for me to preach Because

of pastor Tim's different conditions, and so I didn't mean for that to be a joke.

I didn't mean I didn't and I realized as I was saying it was gonna sound like a joke.

It wasn't it's.

It's it's serious.

It's not that serious now.

I'm going too far the other way all right.

But but I realized that I didn't want to come up here and preach just to men although you know that's necessary

sometimes.

So I tried my best to kind of you know.

Tweak it a little bit to make it our vocation in the family in other words.

Children men and women.

I know there's still some people left out because some people aren't married.

And so it's still good if you're planning to become married one day you need to listen right and if you don't think that It's

in the cards for you.

It's still good for you to know what it looks like to help others who are married right?

And so I'm trying my best to make sure that this message is for all here on this Lord's

Day.

Let me begin in prayer.

To settle settle our hearts mainly mine my heart father in heaven.

Thank you Lord for this time that you have called us to gather.

It is a good thing to gather in your name.

And it's a good thing to have the word open up, and I pray God that you would help.

Me.

To proclaim how good it is that you have given us callings vocations.

That you didn't just leave us to do whatever we desire here on this earth, but you loved us enough to give us

vocation To truly enjoy what you've given to us.

And so I pray God that you would help me to be clear.

And I ask that you would help the congregations ears to be open that there would be soft hearts and that they would receive any Truth

that might come forth from my lips.

And that it would change us as your means of grace does happen.

I.

Thank you Lord for your spirit because we know that it's him that applies the work of Jesus and these things to our hearts.

And so God I pray that you'd be with us in this great time of our need in Jesus name.

Amen.

Psalm 115 verse 16 says the heavens are the Lord's Heavens, but the

earth he has given to the children of man.

God is a Very kind God.

He's kind in all his ways to us even to you.

I know whatever situation he may be in it is very important for you understand that God is kind.

He's he's he's wonderfully kind.

He's so kind he's given us this creation to enjoy him in and Given this

creation to us it's very important that he would teach us or show us how to enjoy this thing that he has given each one

of us.

And Vocation is this doctrine of it's another way of saying calling.

God gives calling to each one of us in different areas of life.

If you are a husband you are given a God -given calling to be a husband if you're a wife to be a

wife if you are a.

If you have parents you are have a vocation to be a child

or your your parents children.

However best way to say that we all have our own different vocations.

We all have different callings that God has called each one of us.

And it's a gift from God for us to enjoy what he has given us this creation.

He has given us imagine going to Cedar Point.

Being from Michigan.

See everyone who is at the retreat they get to hear the same jokes again.

Isn't that great?

It's not great that to hear the same stuff.

God bless you your patience being from Michigan.

Growing up.

We were told the only good thing in Ohio is Cedar Point.

That's the only good thing in, Ohio.

And if you think about it Cedar Point is a very fun amusement park track.

You know with the attractions and everything.

But imagine going there not knowing at all what's going on and having no one to instruct you no one to run the rides.

Just you were just to go and do it yourself.

That fun is all the pleasures and funds that would be in there would quickly Be gone as you die on one of the

coasters because you're not following safety protocols.

You know you had this fun thing, but there needs to be guidance there needs to be rules.

You need to know what's going on right.

Well God gives us this creation.

It's beautiful.

It's wonderful for us to enjoy.

You know we are supposed to be happy Christians.

We are we're supposed to be happy and He gives us calling so that we can enjoy this

creation by glorifying him.

There's one thing that this world needs is calling.

This this pagan world we live in this world broken world we live in.

People do not realize that God has a calling on them to act in a certain way.

God expects you to answer the vocation the calling in a particular way to glorify him and enjoy

Him forever and people don't know that now because they reject God exists.

And so they cannot enjoy this creation as God has given us to enjoy.

That's why men refuse or boys refuse to become men.

We have a bunch of boys that will not become men.

Because they don't realize that you have a calling on your life.

Something that's significant that you can do that will give you fulfillment but instead boys don't

realize that they're raised up without this idea of a calling from God and so their life is very

Insignificant and so they live a life in all sorts of fleshly desires video games not

leaving their parents basement at age 30.

All this sort of things they are boys not men.

It's played.

I Forgot to turn on my notes.

I'm gonna get in trouble if I don't follow my notes somewhat here.

Women.

You know women have a calling you do it's a calling from God a very specific calling depending on

Different circumstances in your life, but the world tells us that there is no calling from God.

Women are to be submissive.

That's deeply backwards.

You're not one of those people Fundamentalists are you and women your your roles that you are given in Scripture is

actually looked at as backwards.

It's actually demeaning that you should actually Climb up to be a role of something else.

You see even the woman's vocation is taken away from her in this society.

We live in children and adolescents.

They're bored why do children get in trouble they're bored.

They're not told that they have a vocation from God that it is their delight and joy to fulfill.

And so they're bored and so they get in trouble as a youth.

That's why I got in trouble because I was bored.

I had no deeper meaning.

It was just all for my pleasures and fun.

I was bored and so I got in trouble.

Our children are bored because they don't realize that they have a calling from God that it is their delight

to Fulfill we all have vocation.

And we all have a deeper meaning in life to fulfill that vocation that calling from on high.

You think about the greatest generation right when I say those words, what do you think of the greatest generation?

Well, you think of World War two, don't you and why.

Because the greatest generation these men boys becoming men.

They had a calling that was deeply significant.

They had to fight the atheistic fascist regime that was spreading like wildfire Across Europe

and they had to go there and end the evil.

What a calling that is.

And they answered that call and they have this nickname being the greatest generation.

It caused them to become men.

The conflict brought about this this this rite of passage if I may use that to become men.

We don't need World War three.

We don't we don't need another world war.

We don't need such a big conflict.

Why.

Because we have the greatest of conflicts we have spiritual warfare.

We have that conflict going on every day.

It's not somewhere out in Europe or in Middle East and Afghanistan and Iraq, but it's right here

right now in our homes.

And it's a greater conflict.

If I may say this then World War two right now in your homes every one of you.

We have an enemy that wants to destroy you.

That wants to lie to you and tell you lies about who you are and what your calling is from God.

And it wants to destroy you like cancer hidden deceptive, but nevertheless deadly.

We have great conflict and Many times we can ignore it

as it destroys us from within.

So we don't need World War two.

We have a great calling today right now in this moment, but we need to know it.

We need to know what does God have for me in my vocation?

How am I to fulfill it?

Let it be your delight to look into that and to receive this calling on high.

And let it develop your character into a godly mature person.

But do not ignore it beloved or it is your death and it is your family's death.

So to explore this explore this calling on high I'm trying my best not to just make it about men.

This is how this sermon was created after all so please forgive me if it comes across that way.

But men most of all as the leaders of the home needs to wake up every one of us needs to wake up every morning.

We need to tell her I'm gonna pray to God because it's so easy for us To be leading well last week,

but then be completely off track today.

Nevertheless, let's go to the beginning.

Let's go to Genesis 3.

Let's go to the first vocation that we see the first calling from God and the first family

as well.

I think it'd be helpful because we'll see certain Things happening that goes on

today too that can help us today.

Okay.

I'm hoping to draw this out in a quick Secession of time there should be a series everything it never have enough

time.

But beloved let us not stop complaining about it and just do it right Genesis 3.

Now the serpent we have this we have this calling from God.

Adam was to take care of the garden we talk about this often and we should and That was his calling from God take care of

this garden and he was to do it in righteousness.

He was to be righteous.

He was to protect the guarded from unrighteousness.

Right and he had a family he had a wife.

That's a family right there beginning of a family and this is what his calling on high was to be but

the enemy comes Genesis 3 verse 1 now the serpent Was

more crafty now.

I don't I Tell you right now the first thing that the enemy will do to try to lie to you say that this this this

story isn't Really true a serpent.

Come on.

Let's be real and this actually happened.

And this is can tell you how it can take you to the serpent.

We need to listen this.

We need to believe it.

We need to apply it now.

The serpent was more crafty than the other beasts of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman look how this attack starts.

The God actually say right the God actually say.

You see that that's questioning God's Word.

How much do we have people questioning God's Word today?

Well, it's backwards to believe that this is all true.

Come on.

No way.

It's backwards.

You're gonna be one of those weird bigoted fundamentalists God.

Did he actually say those things?

Come on?

Did God actually say?

Says the wicked serpent we mean.

Did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden.

Notice a strategy to create?

Hmm.

To create a well, maybe God didn't actually say these things.

You know and for your individual life, maybe God didn't actually call me to be a specific way.

Maybe God didn't actually say that.

Maybe it is up to me to be any calling that I want.

Maybe I don't have this God on high telling me to be a specific way.

Maybe that is true.

Maybe I have autonomy a freedom within me.

Maybe God didn't actually say.

The woman see him right here.

We'll find out later that the man seems to be there.

Adam seems to be there.

You know what Adam I believe should have done right there.

It should have said and the man said yes.

God actually said now get out.

Protected his family protected his home, but we have the woman said to the serpent we may eat in verse 2

chapter 3 of Genesis of the fruit of the trees in the garden.

But God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden neither shall you touch it Lest you die.

Pretty good so far Genesis 3 4 but the serpent said to the woman you shall

not surely die that has blasphemy.

That is terribleness that is taking what God had said and saying no and that is

awful.

Blasphemous, it's something that we should take very seriously that someone would deny the truth the

Word of God.

And insert their own lies.

It's serious business.

We'll get to more of that why later you'll not surely die.

For verse 5 God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be open and you'll be like God

knowing good and evil.

You see what the serpents doing there.

God had a specific calling for Adam and Eve.

Do not do this be like this and the serpent says God's limiting you.

He's trying to limit you.

You can be so much more if you just kind of have your own calling and you do your own thing do your own thing.

Right so that is what the serpent does he denies the Word of God and he denies.

He says this the calling that God has given you to do it limits you.

It is not good for you.

You could be so much better if you just do this.

You could see how the echoes of this goes into our family today, right?

It's the same stuff that is around us.

Just use your head for a moment.

You can see the same Argument that God actually say no no no no he didn't say it.

You know what it could be so much better if you just do it this way instead.

Men don't leave your homes.

Don't worry about it be indifferent and watch TV all day.

Women don't submit to your husband's that's backwards.

You know you need to be so much more.

Children be autonomous be your own person, right?

Disney.

Disney tells our children to follow their heart.

It's never wrong.

No it is wrong.

You're depraved right, but you know no just let's do something else.

There's the serpent denying the vocation given to Adam and Eve.

What happens.

Well Genesis 3 6 so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food.

And that it was the light to the eyes.

And that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.

She took of it innate.

What do we see there.

Eve has a desire within her heart?

It looks good.

I want it.

It tastes probably good.

Let's check it out so instead of fulfilling the vocation she has got from God.

That God's Word has said she has a desire.

That's contrary to that and she says let me take.

Do you see how this works?

Do you see how that that's exactly how sin works today?

Desire is not rooted in your calling from God, but desire is rooted in Autonomy and

rebellion against God.

Is that not how sin works today beloved?

You can listen to me James 1 14 through 15.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Desire is good, but not your own desire.

God's desire for you, which makes it your desire.

That's good your own desire bad.

You're you're enticed by your own desire.

Rebellion against God then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is Fully grown brings forth

death.

Not just to you, but to everyone you're responsible for it has that influence of death on them.

Not good first John 2 if you look notice one thing in your studies notice how much sin has

to do with your own desires.

The desires of the flesh right and it starts right here in the garden and look good to even so she took of it.

She didn't remind herself of what her calling was but instead she fulfilled her own wicked desires

given by Satan at the beginning.

So in Genesis 3 6 at the end of it she took the fruit and Ate and she also had to find

Adam because he was busy doing something to give it.

No, he just she's gave it seems like the Adam was there the whole time.

Which makes it's like that your typical 21st century husband today, right completely indifferent doing

other things.

Not concerned that his wife is being destroyed in front of him right there.

Maybe Adam wasn't there the whole time though.

Who knows?

Okay, one result of this fall and support for us when we talk about the family is look at Genesis 3 16

to the woman he said I will surely multiply your pain and childbearing and pain you shall bring

forth children and Here's what I want to emphasize for just one moment your desire shall be contrary to

your husband, but he shall rule over you.

This idea was what's getting at here.

Is that the family the most natural way for the family to function is for the man to lead and for

the wife to submit?

Yeah, that is natural.

That is exactly how it should be and if that's offensive to you I would ask you just keep your mind open a little bit.

To the Word of God.

It is a natural thing for the husband to lead and we'll talk more about what that looks like.

Not in any way he wants the husband to lead and for the woman to submit.

But here all of a sudden now the wife's desire is for I would say that leadership.

Also, that doesn't become natural anymore.

That's actually deeply offensive.

But so we have this kind of kind of what do you call it contention in the family now?

No more is it natural for it to be that way?

But now there's fighting there is where the family should be an intimate place of

peace.

But now it's World War three in the homes.

Okay today.

Today now we do not have a garden to take care of.

Okay.

We do not have a garden to take care, but we have our homes.

We have our families.

We have our families.

We have our homes and we are to do something very particular with our homes our homes.

Our families are to look like something very specific.

It is a calling from God that you have a family and it's to look like something that he has determined for it to look.

Like not our own desires is to look like something and it's to be a place where

righteousness dwells.

It is to be a place just like Adam was to take care of the garden and righteousness.

Obedience to God your home is to be a place where righteousness dwells.

Where the gospel the second Adam who didn't fail his vocation, but he succeeded in his vocation.

We make our homes look like Christ in his kingdom.

That is our garden.

So to speak that is our duty.

That is what we are doing in our families for righteousness to dwell here.

But we had the same enemy and the same tactics.

Did God really say that?

No, no husband wife child you did do it this way.

It's better.

It'll be better for you.

If you just do it this way, I thought for sure in my youth drinking alcohol and going to parties was better for me.

That's more fun.

It's boring to be with you Christians.

For sure, that was truth deception lies.

It is better for you to be in rebellion.

Satan said to my heart and I believed it and it was leading me to my death.

No, you're to do this instead right it's the same lies and since we are falling in Adam

Grabs hold of our rebellious hearts and tendency, right?

Our desires aren't naturally in God.

What a what how crazy is that our desires are naturally in rebellion?

So he speaks to our worldly flesh and if we are not Aware of it.

We're not on the attack if we're not offensive.

We're not aware of it.

We will be taken as prey.

Naturally, actually don't think that you'll be able to see it from all angles.

You won't you will be getting destroyed in your family just like a hidden cancer beloved if we are

not alert.

If we are not looking at the Word of God and letting it roll over us.

So if I were to ask you wife husband.

Even children.

If I were to ask you what is the goal of your family?

Well, what are you trying to do you a husband and wife you ought to have a goal.

For your family.

I don't care if you have kids out of the house now, you should have a goal.

What is our goal?

What are we doing in my in our family?

You should be asking each other this have deeper conversations.

What are we doing here?

What is this?

What is this about?

What are we supposed to be doing?

What is the goal of your family?

And if it's only stuck and I kind of say this often I don't know how often I said it behind here, but whatever

if it's only stuck in the physical.

You know, I want a healthy 401k.

I want children who?

Do well in school go to college and make money.

Here's my another joke.

I keep on looking over here.

Here's my other joke.

Okay, I'm gonna repeat is that I all about, you know, we need to have physical mindedness,

right?

Like I have five kids I'm working on more so that one of them ought to be successful make enough money so I can retire.

Right so I can retire in their basements.

So I mean I understand there should be a mind in this of physical things.

I'm not saying to be so heavily minded, you know, this is what's so spiritual minded that you're no

physically good.

No earthly good.

Yeah.

I mean that doesn't make any sense.

So there should be a reasonable understanding of the physical nature of everything, right?

But the problem that I think many of us Christians are in is that the goal of our homes of our

family is Focused on the physical.

It's focused on our children growing up and be successful.

We tell our kids more about how you need to make money and go to school and get.

I was told over and over again you Got in order to be successful.

You got to go to college and and get yourself a hundred thousand dollars into debt and blah blah blah, right?

I was told what to be sexual but I wasn't told much about how to be successful in the kingdom of Christ.

I Think a lot of times we can be focused and it's so easy on the physical things.

While the spiritual things of our vocation from God gets deeply neglected and our goals in our home

reflects that.

What has God told us to do?

Colossians 3 1 through 2 if then you have been raised with Christ.

You know this thing if you're a Christian if you beloved call yourself a Christian.

Then seek the things that are above.

Where Christ is.

You love Christ so much he's up there and you want to seek him that's your desire.

He's seated at the right hand of God set your minds on the things that are above not on the things of earth.

It's Paul saying don't worry about the earth at all.

Don't know but he's saying let your focus be on The spiritual and let everything

else fall into place.

No, that's what we get in Matthew 6 25 through 33.

I don't have time to go through the whole thing.

But you remember that's Jesus saying stop worrying.

Stop worrying about what you're gonna wear what you're gonna eat.

All right, the pagans worry about that kind of stuff your your God knows that your father knows that.

Don't worry about that.

Stop being anxious.

But see a lot of people don't read on to the antidote to what Jesus then tells you to do.

And what does Jesus then tell you to do?

He says in verse 33.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and then all those things.

The physical things will be added.

It'll be there.

Sometimes we face martyrdom and hardships and everything indeed.

But whenever our focus is on the physical and we don't focus on the spiritual that is death indeed.

We are called as Christians to not be like the pagan that denies the spiritual world altogether.

But we are called to look to Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father and let our vocations be set in.

That our focus to be in that and then everything else let it fall off of that through that now.

There's all sorts of different things we could talk about what that actually looks like when the rubber hits the road.

But there is that theological general truth right there is.

Is your family your goal with your wife or whatever?

It may be your children.

If you're a single parent is your goal that this household would be seeking first the kingdom of Christ.

So that everything else can flow from that or are we seeking the things of the earth?

Primarily isn't that what Satan told Eve to do?

Eve tried answering.

No.

No, we have a vocation from God to not do that and Satan says don't worry about that.

Just eat the things of this world, right?

Just take the things of this world.

The devil is always trying to get you off the vocation that you have from the Lord and just Your desires and the flesh of things of the

world focus on the things of the world.

There's a trick from the evil one.

So as individuals we are to seek first the kingdom of Christ and all the niceties of this life will organically

follow from that.

And a family is made up of individuals gathered together and it has the same goal to seek first the

kingdom of Christ.

Now I think a great trick of Satan is to make a home look well put together.

But the goal of that well look to you know that the home that looks nice.

But the goal of it is nothing to do with the kingdom of Christ.

Everything to do with the kingdom of the world.

I want to be careful how I say I almost didn't say this part.

I don't I'm gonna say it Tim.

Correct me.

Okay, just right away come up and correct me the crack house.

That gets their kids taken away.

It's serving the domain of darkness.

Just as the morally sound home that does not have the service and worship of Christ at its center.

And one may be worse than the other but both are serving the domain of darkness if you are not Serving the kingdom of

Christ you are allowing the domain of darkness to take root in your home.

Even if it looks beautiful and polished off to the world outside.

You get what I'm saying in our age of religious degradation.

Going downhill most Christian homes have enough morality to keep from being the crack house.

But not the fortitude to be a bastion of kingdom activity.

They have enough morality to not look like that crack house.

But they don't have enough kingdom activity to be a bastion of gospel warmth.

And so one generation of Christian family fails to produce the next 70 of

our children are leaving the faith.

They're leaving the religion once they get out of the house now.

It's all different reasons.

I'm not trying to say if your child has left the faith.

That means you did everything wrong.

But the whole number 70 of our children are spending two decades in our homes

and they decide that it's not warm enough there and so they leave.

There is something Seriously wrong with that that cause that should cause us to repent.

Eyes filled with tears what's going on here?

Why are our children leaving for the pagans their worldview stinks?

There's nothing good about it.

Why are they going there?

Because there's something going on in our families.

It's not gospel.

It doesn't have the warmth that should have where they want to come in.

There's something going on with that statistic at least generally speaking.

We need to stop blaming the world stop blaming college.

College shouldn't take your kid.

College didn't do that.

It was just a circumstance that drew your kid away.

But there wasn't a kid goes away.

They should feel like a certain sense of man.

It was much warmer.

The gospel light was much better than this stuff this dribble that I've been doing now.

It should draw him back.

But when there is no gospel warmth, they don't have nothing to go back to.

I'm gonna stop blaming the world.

We need to stop blaming college.

We need to stop blaming those things and we need to ask ourselves did am I leading my family? to

gospel warmth.

Or did I just send my kids or go with my wife to church in a building at a certain time?

But then in the intimacy of my home where no one can see there was no gospel warmth at all there Beloved that is going to

destroy you and your family and it has and it's continue to do so until we change something.

I don't time to do it.

If you look I find it interesting in your own study time Joshua 24 14 through 16, we got that

famous Line from Joshua, right?

He says but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

It's beautiful, right?

It's good.

But notice what he says at the end of 14.

He says or I always lose it.

I lost it last time and I didn't learn my lesson.

He says in verse 15 and If it is evil in your eyes, he's talking to Israelites

to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve.

What's so interesting about this?

He says choose this day Israelites who you're gonna serve.

Is it gonna be the gods in Canaan?

Now we're about to take out or is it gonna be Yahweh notice.

He doesn't say Choose to say if you're gonna serve Yahweh, but he says choose to say who you're gonna serve.

Why is that so significant because beloved your household is going to serve something.

You're either going to serve God and if you're a neglectful for to that then you will serve

the domain of darkness.

There is no gray area.

There is no well, you know, I don't.

I'm not against God.

Well, if you're not for him, you're against him.

Right, and so I find it interesting.

Joshua says choose to say who not if who are you going to serve in the domain of?

Darkness, are you going to serve and The beloved kingdom of our dear Lord Jesus Christ.

I Hope it's said about every one of us here that I will serve the Lord.

I'm not gonna serve the domain of darkness.

I am going to be actively serving the Lord and looking out for different ways the kingdom of darkness is

coming in and creating division and Creating that and making that gospel warmth be dampened.

I'm searching every way where that's happening and I'm destroying it.

May it be said of all of us that as our desire because the kingdom of Christ is too good

to mess up.

It's too warm.

It's too inviting.

It's too good to see your children walking in the faith to see your wife and your greatest desire is to see her

growing.

And the Lord and loving her in that way, but of course I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's go if you quick if you will don't quickly just take your time.

Ephesians 5 22.

What does it mean then?

What does it mean?

One could say that that was a 30 -minute introduction, but I'm you know, it's where

it won't be that long.

Beginning of a family is a marriage.

It's beginning of a family.

And Ephesians 5 22 through 33.

We're gonna just see this very hate to say it.

But very quickly to see what is our vocation was a wife called to do.

What is the man called to do?

What is a husband called to do?

We've seen Ephesians 5 22 wives.

Submit to your own husbands ask the Lord.

It's clear, isn't it?

Yeah, you submit just a little bit.

No, no as the church submits to the Lord.

So wives submit to your husband's.

No matter how unpopular that gets we will proclaim that because that is the good things that God has for

you.

It's for you to have a heart of submission to your husband.

Okay, even when you're and we could talk about it could be a whole sermon.

But even when your husband is difficult.

It is good to have a heart of submission to him as you are doing it to the Lord.

Even masters who have servants servants are told to submit to their slave owners as they're doing it to the

Lord.

There's a heart of submission and you're doing it for to the Lord.

Wives you are called to submit to your own husband's ask the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife

even as Christ is the head of the church his body and as Himself its Savior

now as the church submits to Christ and Ephesians 5 24.

So also wife should submit and everything to their husband's that's scary it is first.

Peter I think says Women do not fear anything because it is a

fearful thing to have to submit to a human it is it's fearful.

And there's this idea that you are given a God -given calling to do something.

That is not easy to submit now, of course if you're in danger.

I always got to say if you're in danger if your husband is Physically attacking you and you are your life is at stake.

That doesn't mean you just you just take it right you get into safety.

But you are to submit even when it's difficult even when your husband is difficult you are to submit because as your God -given

calling it is a Glorious thing for a wife to be patient in that you will get

crowns.

You will get rewards for being such a godly woman.

There's much more that could be said about that.

But my speech the other couple days ago was on men not women and so that's what I'll give you there.

Verse 25 what why are wives to submit?

What is what's going on so that the husbands can do his job more openly if that makes sense or without

objects, okay?

Wives you submit so that the husbands can do their job.

And there's not a bunch of conflict and obstacles in the way husbands.

What are you to do husbands verse 25?

You have a calling that is very specific.

You do not lead your wives with a hard hand or any way you want to do because you have a calling from God.

And you are to fulfill it for the good of you and your wife for the glory of God.

And what is that husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church that should make you husbands

swallow hard.

How in the world am I going to love my wife as Christ loves the church.

That should make you fall down in your knees each morning.

Asking God to guide you because this is far too much for you.

And if it just causes you to be like yeah, I would beloved ask you to repent.

It is a lofty thing that husbands are what they are to do.

They are to love their wife so much as Christ loves the church that is a lofty ideal.

Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church.

Well, how did he show his love?

Well, what does he go on to say in verse 25 and gave himself up for her?

Why why did Jesus do that?

Why did he give himself up for his bride for his church that he might sanctify her sanctify means to separate?

You know.

So he so Jesus has a bride and he separates this bride away from everyone else.

And what does he do with that?

Separated body of people.

Well, it goes on to say having cleansed her by the washing of water and the word.

So what does Christ want to do with this bride?

He wants to separate it away from the rebellion of all of mankind and he wants to sanctify this body.

That is to set to to get the sin out of her.

To get the sin out of her.

And what does he use as his means or his tools?

The Word of God the truth.

You see how Satan took away people with the lie with deception

with falsehood.

Jesus does the opposite reverses it and separates the people sanctifies her by the word

of truth by the gospel sanctifies his bride.

Applies the work that he has done on the cross through the word of truth.

This is what he's doing.

So that he might in verse 27 present the church to himself in splendor.

Without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish as a Christian.

Jesus wants you to be holy and Jesus is your husband.

And so you say it is my delight to follow him in holiness because that's his desire for you beloved.

But look at in verse 28 in the same way.

So like that like the example that Christ has given us in the same way husbands Should love their wives as their own

bodies, right?

Because your bride husbands is your own body.

You have left your other household and you have became one flesh with your bride.

And so in the same way that Christ loves the bride so husbands you are to love your bride, too.

What does it mean to love your bride then?

What does it mean to have love for her is not to make sure you get her stuff on Valentine's Day and on your anniversary.

Although that can be that's obviously part of it.

But you see your bride in the kitchen cooking you see your bride taking care of your children.

You say I want her to be holy.

I Want the Word of God to be here.

God uses the word to sanctify his bride and I want to use his word too.

I want the word I want the gospel truth to be here.

I Don't want Satan's lies.

I don't want my wife to be taken away with that with all the lies of Satan.

I want the Word of God to flourish here.

That is loving your wife's not leading her with a heavy hand.

Right not leaning or any kind of fickle way that your heart desires.

You're irritated with certain things.

So now you lead her in a way based off your irritation not based off of the kingdom of Christ and the word of truth.

You would lead your wife into the kingdom of Christ.

That is true love right there that is true love and man that is difficult.

But it's a lofty call and Christ is our leader.

He's the one who has done it who is doing it.

And so we grab hold of his ankles and we say help me Lord Jesus Christ.

Men and I say this often to men do not let your morning devotions be boring.

You have far too many sins to repent of and take to Christ for your time alone with

Christ to be boring.

If it's boring that means you are not pointing out your sins to the Lord as he washes you clean and Guides you into further

holiness to do your job.

Well, do not have boring time with the Lord.

Repent of that because that means that Satan is hiding lot is hiding sins from your eyes.

My greatest times of worship is when I'm repenting and Christ is healing me.

Verse 28 in the same way his husband should love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself because she's part of his body now for no one has ever hated his own

flesh.

But nourishes it and cherishes it just as Christ does his body the church because we are members of his body.

Therefore a man in verse 30 Continuing on shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to the wife and the two shall become one

flesh.

This mystery is profound and I'm saying that refers to Christ and the church.

However, let each one love his wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

So that the husband can lead the wife.

Well Wife if you're not submissive and your husband's trying to lead you into holiness.

It's gonna make his job hard and sometimes and by the way wives.

You leave your husband's to into holiness.

It goes both ways.

Husbands, we tend to get blinded to certain things lovingly in submission point out

the sins, right?

It goes both ways.

Husbands you are to be on guard for those sins in your wives.

In your wife anywhere to lovingly bring her out.

Wives submit.

Do not fight him on these things talk with him talk about it come into agreement.

Look it to the Bible go to your pastor do all those things.

But don't just automatically fight your husband's because he might bring something to your attention.

Hey again, it goes both ways.

Wives make sure you do in a very submissive way in a way that's it's very much respecting your husband's.

But point out sin point out these things that are causing the domain of darkness to take root instead of the kingdom of

Christ.

Nevertheless husbands our goal.

Wifes our goal is that the Word of God would stand supreme.

Where the lies of Satan take root naturally we set up the Word of God as supreme.

It is everything to us.

It's not just something that we say as Christians that makes for a good bumper sticker but it is something that our house

is a house that serves the Lord and His Word is supreme here because this is the

tool Jesus uses to make you clean.

Husbands, when is the last time you asked your wife how her devotions are going?

When is the last time you asked your wife?

What have you been reading in Scripture?

What are you battling right now?

How often our marriage is is rooted in just.

Just talk that doesn't go any further than the weather.

When's the last time husbands you asked your wife how it's going?

And if she's not doing it.

When's the last time you first went to the Lord and asked you to be used as a tool to bring her to do it?

And a lovingly leader in that green pasture.

Pastors oftentimes they say that their burden is to know Scripture better so they can then give it to their Congregation in a way that

well husbands you are the pastor of your wife.

Your burden should be to know the Word of God so you can lovingly teach her and bring her home her along.

But how often and I am guilty of this too.

Are we rather interested in sports facts and video games.

We should want to know the Word of God so we can lovingly give it to our wives.

Our conversation should be enriched with the Word of God.

The gospel should flow out of us the warmth.

And we can see our calling with our children very quickly.

Ephesians 6 1.

Children obey your parents and the Lord for this is right.

We want our children to be submissive and to obey.

And I don't know if you know this but your child is depraved.

And they don't want to submit and so you must train them to but why are you doing it?

Parents are you doing it because it's just annoying when your kids are disobedient that I find myself.

That's why I want to discipline because they're annoying me stop annoying me.

That's not why we discipline.

That's that's not why we want our kids to be obedient because we want our kids to enter into the kingdom of Christ.

Same thing with our wives.

We want our wives to be sanctified.

We want to lead our wives in a way that's sanctifying her.

Well same thing with our children.

We want them to be sanctified in Christ.

And so we teach them you must be obedient to me child so that I can lead you to our Lord.

I.

Try to talk to my son when I got to be in a way.

That's I got a spank him or I got to do something.

I know he's not gonna like I try to show him.

This is why I'm doing this.

I'm not doing this because I'm just irritated with you.

I'm doing this because I'm trying to lead you to Christ.

And so when he realizes that when that clicks in his head when they're old enough they realize yes, this is good for me.

This is good for me.

This isn't just because you're just randomly discipline.

Disciplining me because you're angry.

This is because you are loving me.

They will see that if you teach them that they are to be obedient so that in chapter 6

verse 4 of Ephesians Fathers, it's mothers too, but fathers you are to be leadership over this

process.

That's why I think he's talking to fathers here, but it's mothers here, too.

Fathers do not provoke your child to anger.

Don't you dare use their obedience and provoke them to anger with it because that will

cause them to be bitter and We do that whenever we are setting up a standard that is our standard

and they'll see through that and they'll be bitter for that.

They will.

They'll get old enough.

They'll realize that mom and dad just disciplined me in a way that was arbitrary.

It was in their emotions.

It was their own kingdom that they built up that they wanted me to submit to.

They'll know that and they'll be bitter.

Do not embitter your children.

What are you to do instead?

But bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and the kingdom of Christ in the word of truth

and When your kids see that this is where you're guiding them.

That's where you're leading them.

They will see that there is green pasture here.

There is warmth here.

I want this.

I need this discipline.

They will see this if you are patient with them and you show them that.

Far too often though we train our kids up in our law and they get bitter.

It's the same thing though, isn't it?

We are to bring them up not in the lie of Satan, but in the word of truth.

We are to sanctify our wives not with the lies of Satan but in the word of truth.

But in the gospel but in the word the word is to be dominant in our homes.

Now.

Application.

As we finish this Deuteronomy 6 4 through 9

Deuteronomy 11 18 through 21 We see that the general

environment of your home.

The.

Environment of your home just the way your home feels the way your family feels in your home the

general Environment of your home must be to teach proclaim and

celebrate and worship the word of truth God's Word God himself.

That is the feeling you want in your home the atmosphere of your home.

You want to be full of worship.

Full of the word of truth and how it guides us.

I'm gonna read it real quick.

Deuteronomy 6 4 through 9 notice here.

Oh Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one you Beloved shall love the Lord your God with

all your heart with all your soul and with all your might.

See how it starts in you individually.

I love the Lord in my heart so much and These words I

command you today shall then from that organic worship in your heart shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house.

And when you walk by the way, or when you lie down or when you rise.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and you shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write the word of the Lord on the doorpost of your house and on your gates now.

Should we all go out and do that with everything?

No, the point is it needs to be everywhere.

Whenever you're just hanging out on your porch.

You should see the gospel.

Everywhere and you talk to your son and your wife about the gospel that you see the beautiful Sun going down and you talk about

How good God has been to us today?

Right.

The point is is that you should love the Lord so much within your heart that you can't help us.

See the gospel everywhere and you talk about it.

It comes forth from you.

It's the environment of the home.

It's when your kids come in they're breathing in gospel environment and they're breathing out worship, right?

This is what you should want and I would argue and there's so much that could be said more about that.

It starts in your own private life.

It starts beloved in your own private life.

You need to have that worship in your own heart.

If you do not have it don't expect it to be in the environment of the home.

It won't be there and we know that it needs to be that you need to wake up and have that time with the Lord.

Whatever during the day it is right you fall down on your knees and you say Christ heal me today.

Show me my weakness.

Let me see you as beautiful and wonderful and then in that.

Let me worship you as being so good to me.

Right, and then that just kind of comes out of you throughout the day.

And then your wife breathes it breathes it in your children breathes it in and they're worshiping too, right?

And I think for a very practical, I'm gonna end here with this because I'm running out of time.

I think a very practical step in this.

Very practical.

Because what I'm saying is is you want your environment to be a one of worship and a way that you can set the day Off -right

with your family is to start in a family worship time.

Okay, if our desire is for the kingdom of Christ and the Word of God to be proclaimed and to be exalted and be

the General feel in the home.

I suggest beloved that in your family.

There should be a time where you come together and you worship God explicitly together.

This is a time that you come together and you read God's Word.

You sing God's Word with hymns and you pray God's Word because you're setting the tone for the rest of the

day.

This is gonna be the atmosphere of my home.

Now one thing I would say I want to be careful because this looks like different.

This looks different everyone's home.

But I do think it's good.

I think if you look in church history, this is the Apostolic Age.

You look at the Reformation they took family worship very seriously.

They look at it as a staging ground as as a I don't know how to say a staging ground might be right but as a

way to start the day off in this to create this environment in the home as They open the

word together as a family as they sing praises together as a family as they pray

together as a family.

And I would say that this is the first Application.

This is the first practical step that you could take to make that environment in your home.

It's to have family worship consistently in your home and I it's not just for children.

You should be doing it individually.

But if you have a husband and wife, that's a family do it together.

I'm telling you that will create a unity a bond and where conversations are brought out there with the Word of

God open.

You have children do it with your children.

You should want to encourage them to talk about their day to talk about their their Hardships to talk about what they're thinking and everything

with the Word of God open during that time of family worship.

There's much more that could be said about that and I don't have time to say it.

Do I think it's a very quickly do I think it's a litmus test if you're not doing family worship your family?

No, but I do think it's a very practical step to.

With the desire for your house to be a kingdom of Christ activity going on.

It's a very good way to settle our hearts as a family together and the goal force from that.

And i'll end it with that God in heaven.

Thank you so much.

You know, I can't end it with that.

If you are very quickly if you're thinking this is too much for me I can't do this.

It's this sort of Vocation from God is lofty and it's too much for me.

Can I say something real quick good?

That is a good feeling to have good because that drives you to prayer it

drives you to Christ.

It is too much for me.

It is too much for you.

You can't do it beloved, but Christ empowers you to do it.

Anytime we realize that we're weak and Christ is strong.

That is a good day.

And so if you're thinking in this moment, I can't there's no way beloved good.

Go to Christ cry out to him say empower me by your by your gospel.

By your spirit to have such a love for the gospel that it flows out in my family.

You have pastors here that are wanting to help you have deacons you have elders you can utilize them.

It is good to need the lord and he will meet you.

I promise you when you go to him in repentance and desire to grab hold of him.

He won't let you down.

He never does God in heaven.

Thank you so much for the gospel.

Thank you so much for jesus christ our lord.

I can think of how much Lord this lofty calling is something that I failed to

even come close to.

But I know lord that in that I can then go to the lord.

Jesus christ I can go to you and you'll comfort me by empowering me lord.

To gather me up.

And to bring me into greater conformity to christ so that when I lead my family I do it in a way that honors you.

I'm, thankful that you are a god who does this.

You don't tell us to do a bunch of things that are too hard for us and say well, good luck.

You don't do that lord, but you tell us to do it and then you empower us to do it.

So I pray god that as people before me and me myself.

We would see that we have a vocation in our homes that it is a serious vocation and it is difficult and hard.

But glorious at the same time because christ jesus in his kingdom by his word empowers us to do it.

So that our families become a family of kingdom activity.

So I pray that that would be the desire of the husbands and wives here.

I pray that be the desires of the children.

I pray be desires for everyone in this church that we would have families here Who love the lord so much that is just

in the environment of the family itself lord if any of my words Were untrue.

I pray that they'd be forgotten.

And I pray that your truth anything that I said was true.

It'd be grab hold of.

And be celebrated.

Thank you so much for your grace in jesus name.

Amen.