Sermon Outlines On The Christian Home and Family PDF
Sermon Outlines On The Christian Home and Family PDF
Sermon Outlines On The Christian Home and Family PDF
The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel.
Feel free to use them as they are, or adapt them to suit your own personal style.
[In this series of lessons, we shall consider what Jesus and His apostles taught concerning the Christian
home and family. I believe a good place to start is by affirming “The Sanctity Of Marriage”...]
[Is the idea of marriage as a sacred union a Biblical concept? What did Jesus and His apostles say about
it...?]
CONCLUSION
We shall consider those injunctions, starting with the duties of husbands in our next lesson. In the
meantime, some food for thought from an uninspired (though wise) perspective...
[What are those Biblical injunctions concerning the proper roles of the members of the family? Let’s
first consider the duties of husbands...]
[Husbands have a duty to love their wives in every way! They also have the duty to...]
[To our duties as husbands to love and respect our wives, let us add one more...]
CONCLUSION
In our next lesson, we shall consider the duties of wives. In the meantime, some additional food for
thought for husbands...
[Now let’s consider what the inspired apostles of Christ taught were the duties of wives, beginning with
one that seems to offend many today...]
[Sadly, lives are ruined when people won’t listen to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. Wives need
to submit to their husbands, just as Christians are to submit to Christ. Another admonition...]
A. WITH AFFECTION...
1. “admonish the young women to love their husbands” - Tit 2:4
a. Grk., philandrous - “fond of man, i.e. affectionate as a wife” - Strong’s
b. “pertaining to having affection for a husband --‘having love for one’s husband, having
affection for one’s husband.’” - Louw-Nida
2. This affection is something that can be taught (learned); if needed, seek advice from a mature
sister in Christ - Tit 2:3-4
B. WITH INTIMACY...
1. To prevent unfaithfulness - 1Co 7:2
2. Rendering affection properly due, not withholding marital rights- 1Co 7:3-4
3. Abstaining only with mutual consent, for the purpose of prayer - 1Co 7:5
[Just as husbands are commanded to love their wives, so the wives are commanded to love their
husbands. If the original love has been lost, it needs to be re-learned! Finally, wives must...]
A. AS HOMEMAKERS...
1. “to be discrete, chaste, homemakers, good” - Tit 2:5
a. Grk., oikourous - “a stayer at home, i.e. domestically inclined” - Strong’s
b. “one who works in the home - ‘one who takes care of the home, homemaker.’” - Louw-
Nida
2. “manage the house” - 1Ti 5:14
a. Grk., oikodespoteo - to be the head of (i.e. rule) a family: guide the house - Strong’s
b. “to command and give leadership to a household -- ‘to direct a household, to manage a
home.’” - Louw-Nida
3. This also can be learned from older sisters in Christ - Tit 2:3-5
B. AS MOTHERS...
1. Note the instructions for young widows: “marry, bear children” - 1Ti 5:14
a. Grk., teknogoneo - “to be a child-bearer, i.e. parent (mother)” - Strong’s
CONCLUSION
In our next lesson, we shall consider the duties of parents. In the meantime, some additional food for
thought for wives...
[God’s purpose for marriage is to create families in which children have the benefit of parents who
provide the best upbringing possible. For this to occur, parents must fulfill their duties...]
CONCLUSION
Finally, some food for thought: Seven Ways To Impact Your Child’s Faith
1. Model a growing and personal faith. [If they don’t see it, they won’t catch it.]
2. Include faith in normal conversations.
3. Be well-rounded. [Don’t compartmentalize your faith.]
4. Be authentic.
5. Serve together
6. Pray for your children and with them.
7. Learn and communicate love in their language.
-- The Relaxed Parent by Tim Smith
[A good place to begin is Ep 6:1, where the apostle Paul charges children to...]
[Children can be thankful their Christian parents do not live under the OT, but the NT! Nonetheless,
disobedience is not to be taken lightly. Nor is obeying parents to be done begrudgingly...]
3. This promise is true in general; there are often exceptions (e.g., Jesus)
4. But a child who loves and respects his or her parents is more likely to benefit from them
5. From their wisdom, but also from God’s providential care!
6. Disrespect your parents, you incur both their wrath and God’s as well!
[The duty of children to honor their parents does not end when they leave the home. When mothers and
fathers become aged, children have the duty to...]
A. AS TAUGHT BY JESUS...
1. When He exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ traditions - Mk 7:6-13
2. The command to honor one’s parents implied care by adult children - Mk 7:11-12
3. Thus the duty to love, respect, and care for parents never ends!
B. AS TAUGHT BY PAUL...
1. In teaching concerning the care of widows - 1Ti 5:3-8,16
2. Children (and grandchildren) are to repay their needy parents - 1Ti 5:4
3. Thus we are to provide security for our parents and grandparents as needed
4. Failure to do so denies the faith, and makes one worse than an infidel - 1Ti 5:8
CONCLUSION
Such homes and families are a common occurrence, wherever the admonitions of the Lord are taken
seriously by all the members of the family...!
[The Bible has much to say for those in such situations, either because of their own choice or
circumstances beyond their control. Let’s begin with those who have never been married...]
I. THE UNMARRIED
b. Or they put away their spouse for reasons other than fornication
CONCLUSION
Whatever our circumstances, married or single, may we follow God’s Word and glorify Him with our
families and our lives...!
A. MONEY...
1. Most couples argue over bills, debt, spending, and other financial issues
2. Parents and children argue over allowances, or the lack thereof
B. CHILDREN...
1. Discipline, diet, and other parenting issues can be sources of disagreement
2. Having children can accentuate differences in beliefs on issues like how to discipline, who is
responsible for most of the child care or what educational options to choose
C. INTIMACY...
1. For spouses, frequency, quality, and infidelity are all common sources of disharmony
2. Parents struggle in guiding children through land-minds in our sex-crazed culture
D. CHORES...
1. Many couples argue over equitable distribution of household work, and how to do it
2. Instead of dividing household chores fairly they quibble over who did or didn’t do what
E. FRIENDS...
1. What friends will be considered acceptable for spouses and children?
2. Not all friends are helpful to relationships, some of them are toxic
F. ENTERTAINMENT...
1. What shall we do with our spare time? Where shall we go?
2. Different interests can threaten family relationships
G. RELIGION...
1. What shall we believe? How shall we raise the children? What holidays shall we observe?
2. Religious differences in religion can create much conflict in the family
H. RELATIVES...
1. In-laws, grandparents, siblings, step-children, etc., can all create stress within a family
2. To what degree do we allow them to impact the nuclear family?
I. EXPECTATIONS...
1. We all go into marriage and family with certain expectations
2. We expect spouses to be as mature as our parents, our standard of living equal to theirs
3. Unmet expectations are a major source of conflict in marriages and families
J. PERSONALITIES...
1. There are personality traits and personal habits that can doom marriages and families
2. Even adults can suffer from “childhood arrests”, and behave like selfish children
[This list is not exhaustive, but illustrates the challenges that families often face. Even so, I believe the
solution is rather simple if we are willing to implement it...]
B. BEHAVE AS CHRISTIANS...
1. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ
a. Develop Christ-like qualities - cf. 2Pe 1:5-8
b. Produce the fruit of the Spirit - cf. Ga 5:22-23
2. Treat your family like brethren
a. With lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, forbearing with love - Ep 4:1-2; Php 2:3-4
b. Just as loving brethren helps to ensure good days and answered prayers - cf. 1Pe 3:7-12
3. Love your family like enemies
a. Refuse to retaliate, respond with good - Mt 5:38-42
b. Love your enemies, just as God loves you! - Mt 5:43-48
4. It takes two to fight, so be the bigger person
a. If one person does the right thing, differences quickly diffuse - cf. Pr 15:1
b. Proper conduct more likely encourages the other person to do likewise
CONCLUSION
The home and family as Christ would have it can be one of the most wonderful blessings in the world...!
1. Our previous study listed many potential causes of family conflict that often...
a. Strain the best of families
b. Lead many to believe divorce is an easy solution
[For the past generation, quick and easy “no-fault” divorce has been available. We are just now learning
of the long-term effects of divorce. It is not a pretty picture. Consider what studies have shown on...]
A. MENTALLY...
1. Teenagers in single-parent families and in blended families are three times more likely to
need psychological help within a given year. (Peter Hill Recent Advances in Selected
Aspects of Adolescent Development Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 1993)
2. Compared to children from homes disrupted by death, children from divorced homes have
more psychological problems. (Robert E. Emery, Marriage, Divorce and Children’s
Adjustment Sage Publications, 1988)
3. The study of children six years after a parental marriage breakup revealed that even after all
that time, these children tended to be lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure”. (Wallerstein,
The Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children - Journal of the American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry 1991)
B. SOCIALLY...
1. Children of divorce, particularly boys, tend to be more aggressive toward others than those
children whose parents did not divorce. (Emery, Marriage, Divorce and Children’s
Adjustment, 1988)
2. Children of divorce are four times more likely to report problems with peers and friends than
children whose parents have kept their marriages intact. (Tysse, Burnett, Moral Dilemmas of
Early Adolescents of Divorced and Intact Families. Journal of Early Adolescence 1993)
3. Seventy percent of long-term prison inmates grew up in broken homes. (Horn, Bush,
Fathers, Marriage and Welfare Reform)
C. ACADEMICALLY...
1. Studies in the early 1980′s showed that children in repeat divorces earned lower grades and
their peers rated them as less pleasant to be around. (Andrew J. Cherlin, Marriage, Divorce,
Remarriage Harvard University Press 1981)
2. Children of divorced parents are roughly two times more likely to drop out of high school
than their peers who benefit from living with parents who did not divorce. (McLanahan,
Sandefur, Growing Up With a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps - Harvard University
Press 1994)
D. PHYSICALLY...
1. Children living with both biological parents are 20 to 35 percent more physically healthy
than children from broken homes. (Dawson, Family Structure and Children’s Health and
Well-being - Journal of Marriage and the Family)
2. Following divorce, children are fifty percent more likely to develop health problems than two
parent families. (Angel, Worobey, Single Motherhood and Children’s Health)
3. Children of divorce are at a greater risk to experience injury, asthma, headaches and speech
defects than children whose parents have remained married. (Dawson, Family Structure and
Children’s Health and Well Being - National Health Interview Survey on Child Health,
Journal of Marriage and the Family)
4. Most victims of child molestation come from single-parent households or are the children of
drug ring members. (Los Angeles Times 16 September 1985 The Garbage Generation)
5. A child in a female-headed home is 10 times more likely to be beaten or murdered. (The
Legal Beagle, July 1984, from The Garbage Generation)
6. People who come from broken homes are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide than those
who do not come from broken homes. (Velez-Cohen, Suicidal Behavior and Ideation in a
Community Sample of Children Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry 1988)
E. SPIRITUALLY...
1. Religious worship, which has been linked to better health, longer marriages, and better
family life, drops after the parents divorce. (Patrick Fagan, Ph.D. and Robert Rector, The
Effects Of Divorce In America, June 2000)
2. Many young people from divorced families “experience a loss of trust that affects their belief
in God - making them overall much less religious than their peers from intact families,”
(Elizabeth Marquardt of the Institute for American Values and Professor Norval Glenn of
the University of Texas, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce)
3. Children of divorce are also “much less likely to say their mother and father taught them how
to pray and prayed with them – and are much more likely to say they doubt the sincerity of
their parents’ religious beliefs, do not share their parents’ values, and to say there are things
their parents have done that they find hard to forgive.” (ibid.)
[There is also the “sleeper effect”, where adult children have a resurgence of anxiety, fear, guilt, and
anger they had suppressed for many years. Truly, divorce is “treacherous”! But not just for children...]
A. MENTALLY...
1. Men and women both suffer a decline in mental health following divorce, but researchers
have found that women are more greatly affected. Some of the mental health indicators
affected by divorce include depression, hostility, self-acceptance, personal growth and
positive relations with others. (Nadine F. Marks and James D. Lambert, “Marital Status
Continuity and Change among Young and Midlife Adults: Longitudinal Effects on
Psychological Well-being,” Journal of Family Issues 19, 1998)
2. A recent study found those who were unhappy but stay married were more likely to be happy
five years later than those who divorced. (Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for
Marriage (New York: Doubleday, 2000)
B. PHYSICALLY...
1. Life expectancies for divorced men and women are significantly lower than for married
people (who have the longest life expectancies) (Robert Coombs, “Marital Status and
Personal Well-Being: A Literature Review,” 1991)
2. The health consequences of divorce are so severe that a Yale researcher concluded that
“being divorced and a nonsmoker is [only] slightly less dangerous than smoking a pack a day
and staying married.” (Harold J. Morowitz, “Hiding in the Hammond Report,” 1975)
3. After a diagnosis of cancer, married people are most likely to recover, while the divorced are
least likely to recover, indicating that the emotional trauma of divorce has a long-term
impact on the physical health of the body. (James S. Goodwin, William C. Hunt, Charles R.
Key and Jonathan M. Sarmet, “The Effect of Marital Status on Stage, Treatment, and
Survival of Cancer Patients,” Journal of the American Medical Association 258, 1987)
C. FINANCIALLY...
1. Families with children that were not poor before the divorce see their income drop as much
as 50 percent. Almost 50 percent of the parents with children that are going through a divorce
move into poverty after the divorce. (Patrick Fagan, Ph.D. and Robert Rector, The Effects
Of Divorce In America, June 2000)
2. Studies show that women experiencing divorce face roughly a 30 percent decline in the
standard of living they enjoyed while married and men show a 10 percent decline. The
consistency of this finding caused one researcher to conclude: “However ‘prepared’ for
marital disruption women increasingly may be, they are not prepared in ways sufficient to
cushion the economic cost.” (Pamela J. Smock, “The Economic Costs of Marital Disruption
for Young Women over the Past Two Decades.” Demography 30, 1993)
D. SPIRITUALLY...
1. Jesus taught there is only one ground for divorce and remarriage: fornication - Mt 19:9
2. That divorce and remarriage for any other reason results in adultery - Mt 19:9
3. Those who divorce their spouses for a reason other than fornication, cause them to commit
adultery! - Mt 5:32
a. Either by putting them in a situation where they are likely to commit fornication
b. Or by putting them in a situation where they might enter an unscriptural marriage
4. Those who commit fornication or adultery as a result of unlawful divorce or remarriage will
not inherit the kingdom of heaven, unless they repent! - 1Co 6:9-11; Ga 5:19-21; He 13:4
CONCLUSION
May God help those suffering from the tragedy of divorce, and may God help us if we do not warn our
families and our society of the terrible consequences of divorce...!