We have been looking at Luke 15 and exploring the term lost and how that pertains to our families.
Lost = to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
Found = to get knowledge of, come to know, God
1 Thessalonians 5: 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ
God does not want anyone to be lost. He has come to save us.
The book of Luke is an interview with those who knew Jesus. 1/3 of the times that lost is used in the New Testament is found in Luke. People who talked about Jesus to Luke talked about His heart for the Lost.
Jesus does not want anyone lost.
1. Possessed
Entitled this possessed but I don’t want us to think of Hollywood and people turning their heads, but to be possessed by God.
Word in 1 Thessalonians 5 appoint means to possession or property Only found 6 times in the New Testament. We will look at another of them
1 Peter 2: 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
This is the word possession.
- Obtaining
- We are God’s
- We have a future in heaven (1 Peter 2: 11 We are temporary citizens here)
- Battles here are short lived
2. Surviving
Ephesians 1: 14 (the Spirit) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of His glory
2. Living to be an influence
1 Peter 2: 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us
Glorify God does not mean they will accept Jesus, but that we will live lives that they know it is Jesus who is empowering us rather than us just being a nice person Glorify God means they would know that, That man was a Christian
1 Peter then gives Instructions on how to live in a pagan world.
- With godless leadership
- With godless working conditions
- With godless spouses
- In community in general
We are going to look at spouses and there is a lot more instruction for women than men because he is writing to believers and if writing to women then their husbands are not believers.
3. Godly living
1 Peter 3: 1 – 6 so much in here just have time to pull out two points.
Wives submit to their husbands.
Galatians 3: 28 no longer male or female for all are one in Christ
Yet, submission to authority can be totally consistent with equality in importance, dignity, and honor. Jesus was subject to both His parents and to God the Father, but was not lower than either of them. “Thus the command to wives to be subject to their husbands should never be taken to imply inferior person hood or spirituality, or lesser importance.” (Grudem)
Submission is a hard term for us in today’s society. The Bible talks about submission and it is not inferiority, but it is a respect for the role of their husband.
EXAMPLE: These women were living in a culture where women change the pagan religion of their husbands to Christianity so they are asking the question “what am I to do?”
Should I leave him? I am a child of God I am superior to him.
1. Stay with Him
1 Corinthians 7: 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him
Vs 14For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy
There is an influence of an open heaven over a house because of the one believing spouse.
2. Even if they don’t obey the Good news. It is stronger idea than merely “do not believe” It has the idea of someone in active disobedience to God’s word.
Example: Husband doesn’t tithe then don’t do it. Baptized then don’t get baptized.
EXAMPLE: perverted things, what should I do? Can say no but know that there will be consequences when we disobey those in authority over us.
EXAMPLE: Daniel disobeyed king at cost of lions den.
I Peter 2: 20, 21 If you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering just as Christ suffered for you.
Possession to save and preserve you. We need His Holy Spirit in our lives.
4. Barrenness destroyed
We have verses that talk about an inward heart rather than outward appearance. We don’t have time to look at these verses so lets go to the end.
Vs 5b and 6 They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. 6 For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
This is not talking about submitting even tot he point of when Abraham gave her away two different times. Submit no matter what happens. It is talking and referring to a specific situation. When did Sarah call her husband master.
Sarah was.
- Burned out on believing God’s promises
- No more faith to believe the promises of God
- Mocking the promises of God
God has never let one of his promises fall to the ground.
It is hard and going to get worse
This is why we need the Holy Spirit to obtain and survive
Genesis 21: 1 God did for Sarah (doesn’t mention Abraham) what He promised
No fear no matter how hard it may be upon you. You are daughters of Sarah you have been born into a Kingdom.
Named him Isaac means laughter. I laughed at God now he has brought me laughter.
God is going to bring the promises he made over you come to fruition.