The Restoration of the Home I. What happened to the first family? A. Mankind fell into sin. When mankind disobeyed the clear command of God and fell into sin, six things happened. 1. Man became a sinner (Ps. 51:5). 2. Man’s mind became defiled (Rom. 8:5-8; Col. 1:21; Tit. 1:15).

3. Man became a slave to sin (Rom. 6:17). 4. Man became an enemy of God (Jam. 4:4). 5. Man became dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2). 6. Man started on a course to eternal damnation (II Th. 1:6-10).

B. Mankind fell and lost touch with the divine purpose for the family. 1. The first family lost the image and character of God. 2. The first family became separated from fellowship and relationship with God. 3. The first family passed on their sinful nature to their offspring. 4. The first family conceded their dominion over the earth and became slaves to sin.

II. What effect did sin have on family life? Sin precipitated a wide range of family problems which were not experienced from the beginning. A. Sin introduced disrespect for and rebellion against parental authority. 1. Ham showed disrespect toward his father Noah by mocking him and not covering him with a garment (Gen. 9:20-27).

2. Rachel rebelled against her father Laban by stealing the household idols and then lying about it (Gen. 31:19). 3. Reuben insulted God and his father by having sexual relations with his father’s concubines (Gen. 35:22).

B. Sin introduced hatred and envy among family members. 1. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous of God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering (Gen. 4:1-8). 2. Esau bore a grudge against his brother for tricking him out of his birthright (Gen. 25:29-34; 27:41). 3. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him because of his dreams and because of the favor of their father toward him (Gen. 37:11).

C. Sin introduced improper and unprincipled relationships in marriage. 1. Lamech committed polygamy by taking both Adah and Zillah as his wives (Gen. 4:19). 2. Lot drank himself drunk and committed incest with his daughters (Gen. 19:30-38).

D. Sin introduced self-centeredness and dishonesty in marriage. 1. Abraham lied about his wife being his sister in order to protect himself while putting his wife at risk (Gen. 12:10-20). 2. Isaac did the same thing (Gen. 26:7-16).

E. Sin introduced a lack of respect and love for children on the part of parents and relative. 1. Lot offered his two virgin daughters to wicked men (Gen. 19:8). 2. Laban tricked Jacob by giving him the wrong daughter in marriage (Gen. 29:18-30).

F. Sin introduced deception into the marital relationship. Rebekah disguised her favorite son, Jacob, to look like Esau so that he could receive the blessing (Gen. 27:5-17).

G. Sin introduced favoritism in the parenting process. 1. Isaac favored Esau while Rachel favored Jacob which resulted in hatred between the boys and their eventual offspring for generations to come (Gen. 25:28). 2. Jacob favored Joseph over the other sons because he was a son of his old age and a son of his favorite wife (Gen. 37:3).

H. Sin introduced unfaithfulness between spouses. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph into an adulterous relationship (Gen. 39:7).

III. What is God’s solution for the fallen condition of the family? A. God is very interested in the restoration of the home (Jer.31:1; Mal. 4:4-6). 1. He is interested because He has not forgotten His original purpose. 2. He is interested because the family is the basic building block of the Church.

3. He is interested because marriage and the family are a type of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22-33).

B. God’s solution for man’s problem is Calvary, the place where Jesus died for the sins of all people. 1. The household of Cornelius was restored through life in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:1-2; 44-48). 2. The household of Lydia was restored through life in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:14-15). 3. The household of the Philippian jailor was restored through life in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:25-34).

C. Man is responsible to take full advantage of God’s answer. 1. Men and women must first come into right relationship with God. a. This means repenting of their sins against God and against other family members. b. This means receiving Christ as the Lord of their lives and their family life.

2. Men and women must be willing to find out what God has to say about family life. a. This means searching the Scriptures for the truth about their God-ordained roles in the family. b. This means seeking the counsel of those who are aware of God’s guidelines for the family.

3. Men and women must trust God’s word over the words of man. a. Men often have their ideas about how the family relationships should be. b. Women have their ideas as well. c. Children have an altogether different idea from the parents. d. Society has its ideas of how the family should work.

4. Men and women must put the word of God into practice. 5. Men and women must desire and actively solicit the help of God in the fulfilling of their God-ordained roles and responsibilities.