Aug. 6, 2017 – Life at Home

Ephesians 5:22-28; 6:1-3  

Home is where our identity in Christ is clearly lived out.

No matter where we live, or in what season of life we currently find ourselves, home is that place where we can let our hair down. It's when we're at home that we reveal who we really are and demonstrate what really matters to us.  While we may pretend to be a faithful Christian at church, it's impossible to fake it at home.  Home is the place where the people we love the most have a front row seat to our lives.

Jesus wants to be the best member of your family that you can possibly be.  As disciples of Jesus, our identity is in Christ and that identity can be seen in a home environment of Christ-centered love, submission, and obedience.

Identity in Christ defines a godly wife.

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 The man, you see, is the head of the woman, just as the Messiah, too, is head of the church. He is himself the saviour of the body. 24 But, just as the church is subject to the Messiah, in the same way women should be subject in everything to their husbands.

Identity in Christ defines a godly husband.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as the Messiah loved the church, and gave himself for it, 26 so that he could make it holy, cleansing it by washing it with water through the word. 27 He did this in order to present the church to himself in brilliant splendour, without a single spot or blemish or anything of the kind – that it might be holy and without blame. 28 That’s how husbands ought to love their own wives, just as they love their own bodies.

Identity in Christ defines a godly child.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord. This is right and proper. 2 ‘Honour your father and your mother’ – this is the first commandment that comes with a promise attached! – 3 ‘so that things may go well with you and that you may live a long life on earth.’

Here are some word studies of various verbs used in these scriptures:

• Submission: from Latin submittere "to yield, lower, let down, put under, reduce." 

• Subject:  Latin subicere "to make subject, subordinate." 

• Obey: from Latin obedire, oboedire "obey, be subject, serve; pay attention to, give ear," literally "listen to." 

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Prayer List:  I am keeping descriptors vague and general as a reminder of needs discussed more than a specific listing.

     ☐ Nancy.

     ☐ Foreign child's visit.

     ☐ Family members with life-impacting medical issues.

     ☐ Safe travels for our members.

     ☐ Job opportunities for family members.

     ☐ Brother-in-law and sister for health problems.

     ☐ Co-workers, continued support with health and family issues.