THEME:- THE
DELIGHTED FAMILY
TEXT:- GEN.
18:17-19; MATT. 7:24-27; I SAM. 3:11-14.
FOCUS:- THE EFFECT OF
CONVERGENCE (WORLD AS A GLOBAL VILLAGE) AND DIVERGENCE ON CHRISTIAN FAMILIES
AND VALUES.
TOPIC:- GOD’S
DELIGHTED FAMILY - A CONQUERING FAMILY.
One trend we see in the globalisation of our world is that
the world is not moving away from itself, but it is daily moving toward itself,
embracing itself, carrying out activities that does not glorify or honour GOD.
The church, if truly is the church of GOD must be seen to be moving in an
opposite direction, away from the world. But what the devil does is that he is
trying to make us see a church that is moving in the same direction with the
world. But we cannot be deceived because we know that friendship with the world
is enmity with GOD (James 4:4).
** In science, they Say “like charges repel, and unlike
charges attract.” But in the spiritual set up, like charges attract, while
unlike charges repel. GOD will always be attracted to those things that carry
and exhibit His nature. Satan, too, will always be attracted to those things
that carry and exhibit his own nature (John 8:42-47).
** One of the things
GOD had in mind when he created man was Family. And it is not just any type of
family, but one that HE HIMSELF will be a part of (Gen. 3:8). GOD from time immemorial
has been a family designed personality - (Gen. 1:26).
** Even the devil
tries daily to ensure that his subjects see themselves as family members.
** The first thing
GOD did when He created the Family was to bless it (Gen. 1:28).
From GOD’s
perspective, what is a Family?
In Gen. 11:6, GOD defined
a family as a group of people or persons that is ONE. One in purpose; one in
pursuit; one in serving GOD and of course, one in all things. Jesus Christ
re-echoed this in John 10:30, when He said and I quote: “I and my father are
one.”
** Jesus prayed for
us that we all will be one amongst ourselves, and that we will also be one with
Him and His Father (John 17:21-23).
You may be husband
and wife, but the moment your goals, your purpose, your pursuits are not one,
then you are not a family. Marriage does not make a man and his wife a family.
Also, the fact that children have become a part of the man and his wife does
not make them a family. No. Having a united goal and purpose makes a people a
family, whether they be two or more.
Is there anything
like a Christian family? Yes (Num. 22:12; Gen. 18:19).
Is there anything
like Christian values? Yes (Philp. 4:8-9).
BENEFITS OF BEING A MEMBER OF GOD’S DELIGHTED
FAMILY
1. You are undefeatable – (Num. 22:6). This is to say
that no matter the challenge that confronts a family that GOD is delighted in,
that family will always win because that family is more than conqueror – (Rom.
8:31-39).
2. That family becomes a part of GOD’s family in
heaven (John 14:1-3).
Heaven is a home prepared by GOD for a FAMILY – His
family members (Rev. 7:13-17; 21:4-8).
** At creation, GOD
started with the family. At the end of our world, GOD is coming back to establish
the kind of family He started with at creation.
THE PRAYER OF AN IGBO MAN!
An Igbo man had no wife, no child, no money, no house and a
blind Mother. He prayed fervently to God and God was moved by his prayers and
told him to make ONLY ONE request which will be granted to him.
Then the Igbo man prayed and said, "God, I want my Mother to see my wife putting diamond bangles on my daughter's hand inside my car parked in front of my mansion."
When God heard this prayer, God said to Himself, "I still have a lot to learn from these Igbo people."
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