Family Matters
May 14, 2023

At the very core of our belief system is the institution of family. What does a great family look like? The rapid changes of our society and culture seek to answer this question in spite of the truth of God’s Word.

I. The answer depends upon

.
A. perspective is different from perspective.
B. perspective is different from perspective.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

C. comes through setting faith based boundaries and relationship.
D. It goes against our divine nature to be and
because we have been given the gift of choice.

Genesis 2:15-17 NKJV
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

II. God changes relationships through the principle of .

Influence can be defined as the capacity or power to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, or opinions of others.

A. Influence through

.
B. Influence through .
C. Influence through .
D. Influence through .

III. Teaching our children how to is a significant part of parenting.

Parents influence the development of moral fiber—the capacity to do what is right, no matter the circumstance.

A. Young children are led with

—all ten fingers on the steering wheel.
B. Adolescent children are led through
—five fingers on the steering wheel.
1. They need a .
2. They think they can fly .

This is the time to allow them enough freedom to stumble and crash but not burn.

C. Adult children are led by —no fingers on their steering wheel.

Love your children when they least deserve it because that is when they need to be loved the most.

IV. Every family has a

.
A. What is your family’s
feature?
B. As parents, we introduce the through which our children will view the world.
C. Filters are
.
D. Boundaries bring .

V. The goal of
is to prepare and protect.

A. Boundaries are not about keeping others , as much as it is about defining who you are and what you think.

“The whole point of having boundaries is so that we can contain ourselves within the parameters of where I stop and others begin.”

1. Boundaries are not intended to

others but to your family.
2. Healthy boundaries are like state lines—define the .

B. Boundaries allow us clarity to our .

An attempt to change the boundary lines by force is paramount to a hostile takeover—an act of war.

C. Boundaries bring

.

VI. boundaries.
A. Teach them the of our faith.

John 10:10 NKJV
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Psalm 145:9 MSG
God is good to one and all; everything He does is soaked through with grace.

B. Teach your children to

humanity—allow
to guide them.

GIVE YOUR CHILDREN EYES TO SEE HURTING HUMANITY. COMPASSION ACTIVELY CARES FOR OTHERS.

Matthew 14:14 AMP
When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt [profound] compassion for them and healed their sick.

Matthew 9:36 NKJV
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

C. Teach them

.

I Thessalonians 5:18 AMP
In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

D. Teach them that they are responsible to

their own heart.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

E. Teach them the grace of

and
.

Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Psalms 103:12 TLB
He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.

F. Teach them that

the light of hope—a light that shines and penetrates darkness.

Colossians 1:27 NKJV
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

John 1:4-5 AMPC
4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it—never put it out…

G. Teach them the value of hard

.

I Thessalonians 4:10b-12 NKJV
…10 But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

H. Teach them to use their

—don’t let others dictate their decisions.

Colossians 1:28-29 MSG
That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

I. Teach them to accept

—do not blame others.

Proverbs 28:13 MSG
You can’t white-wash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

Matthew 7:1-2 MSG
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.

J. Teach them that the

does not owe them anything—they owe everything.

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

K. Teach and

them to make .

Deuteronomy 30:19 MSG
I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live.

L. Teach them

—tell the truth, stand for what is right, keep promises and act consistently with personal values and beliefs.

Psalms 26:11 NKJV
But as for me, I will walk in my integrity…

VII. Teaching tools:
A. Set age appropriate

.
B. Set age appropriate
.
C. Give them age appropriate
.
D. Hand them their early by giving them the power of age appropriate .
E. Do not be afraid of allowing them to .
F. Stand-back and let them in their .

Ask yourself the question, are their choices due to a character flaw or maturity issues? We are not born wise—wisdom comes with maturity.

G.

without ceasing.