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Family Religion: Identifying the Head

Here is the sermon outline for September 28th, 2014 sermon.
Family Religion: Identifying the Head
Ephesians 3:14-19; 5:21-29
Household Religion
If our faith leads us to believe that we are part of God’s family as the church, then our families should reflect our faith
Our families should seek to preserve unity among its members through working together toward a single purpose, having attitudes that result in peace, tending to one another with our words
The next part of Paul’s “family rules” speaks to households
Ephesians 5:21-24 & 33b speak to wives in relation to their husbands
Ephesians 5:25-33a speak to husbands in relation to their wives
Ephesians 6:1-3 speak to children in relation to their parents
Ephesians 6:4 speak to fathers in relation to their children
Ephesians 6:5-8 speak to servants/slaves in relation to their master
Ephesians 6:9 speak to masters in relation to their servants/slaves
Paul is explicitly speaking to the rules of households, how they should treat one another
What does “head of the household” mean?
The head of the household in a family religion is not who makes the decisions or provides for the financial needs
Those are tasks that can be done by anyone in the household - Proverbs 31:10-31
Who should make the decisions - the wisest person, the person with the most knowledge in a given area, the one who understands the best what is needed
Who should provide for the financial needs - the one who can do the most for the family financially
In our culture, family is not structured the same; we cannot lock a 21st century family into a first century family model, if we even understand it properly
Headship redefined
In terms of family religion, the head of the household fulfills the duties that are described as the husband’s role
loving their wives
giving up self for her
washing her by the water
presenting her as holy and blameless
nourish and tenderly care for her
The head of a household  in a family religion is the person who is responsible for:
Seeing that everyone experiences Christ’s love
To be an example of Christ’s self-sacrificing love
Nurturing and caring for everyone in the household
Providing for everyone’s sanctification in the family
To guide everyone in the family toward holiness
So who should do fill this role
It is not always the husband
The face of family has changed somewhat
But it wasn’t set in stone in the Bible either
Proverbs 31 shows a wife fulfilling that role
1 Corinthians 7:14 - a believing wife sanctifies the unbelieving husband
2 Timothy 1:5 - it is Timothy’s grandmother and mother who fulfilled this role
The one who should be the head of household in a family religion is the most spiritually mature one who steps out and accepts responsibility to lead the rest of the family


Sermon Notes
Household Religion
If our faith leads us to believe that we are part of God’s family as the church, then our families should reflect our faith
Our families should seek to preserve unity among its members through working together toward a single purpose, having attitudes that result in peace, tending to one another with our words
What does “head of the household” mean?
Headship redefined
In terms of family religion, the head of the household fulfills the duties that are described as the husband’s role
The head of a household  in a family religion is the person who is responsible for:
Seeing that everyone experiences Christ’s love
To be an example of Christ’s self-sacrificing love
Nurturing and caring for everyone in the household
Providing for everyone’s sanctification in the family
To guide everyone in the family toward holiness
So who should do fill this role
It is not always the husband
Proverbs 31 shows a wife fulfilling that role
1 Corinthians 7:14 - a believing wife sanctifies the unbelieving husband
2 Timothy 1:5 - it is Timothy’s grandmother and mother who fulfilled this role
The one who should be the head of household in a family religion is the most spiritually mature one who steps out and accepts responsibility to lead the rest of the family
Household Religion
If our _faith_ leads us to believe that we are part of God’s family as the church, then our families should reflect our faith
Our families should seek to preserve unity among its members through working together toward a single purpose, having attitudes that result in peace, tending to one another with our words
What does “______________________” mean?
Headship redefined
In terms of family religion, the head of the household fulfills the __________ that are described as the husband’s role
The head of a household  in a family religion is the person who is responsible for:
Seeing that everyone experiences Christ’s love
To be an ___________ of Christ’s self-sacrificing love
___________ and ____________ for everyone in the household
Providing for everyone’s sanctification in the family
To _________ everyone in the family toward __________
So who should do fill this role
It is not always the __________
____________ shows a wife fulfilling that role
________________ - a believing wife sanctifies the unbelieving husband
_______________ - it is Timothy’s grandmother and mother who fulfilled this role
The one who should be the head of household in a family religion is the most __________  ___________ one who steps out and ___________________to lead the rest of the family
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