•  The idea of the Journey series is to grow as disciples towards spiritual maturity in each of our spheres of life.

HEAD: GOD HAS A PROPER ORDER OF SEQUENCE FOR ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN THE HOME.

•  The Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God are what we use to abide in Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 (NIV) Submit* to one another out of reverence for Christ.

• • *5259 hypó – often meaning “under authority” & 5021 tássō – to place in a particular order1
• The culture we live in says to submit is to show weakness, no value, and no worth.

God’s views ___________________ as a beautiful thing that Jesus modeled consistently.

Matthew 26:39 (NLT) He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

• Even though Jesus is equal to the Father, Jesus still submitted to the Father for His will out of love for him.

The roles between a husband and a wife:

Ephesian 5:22-27 (NIV) 21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything

• Spiritual authority is not a dictatorship!

1 Peter 3:7 (NLT) In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

• We are all one in Christ.

Ephesian 5:25-27 (NLT) 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing b her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

• God has given the men the responsibility of the spiritual authority.

Servant leadership and leading with humility can only be done if we are Abiding in Christ.

Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT) 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth.” 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

• As parents, we’re called to build our families up—not tear them down.

HEART: BUILDING A LEGACY IN THE HOME.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) 4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Model a deep relationship with Christ and relationships with other believers to and with your kids.

Building a legacy of Christian sin the requires intentionality.

What are the roadblocks in your life that stop your family growing spiritually?

• It’s essential to create a culture in the home where your children or grandchildren feel safe to .

HANDS: THE CHURCH SPHERE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE HOME SPHERE.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT) 24Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

• The Church is where we are discipled and matured spiritually so we can lead our family and make a legacy.
• Remember, God uses His Word, His Spirit, and His people to grow us in Christ and in our spiritual maturity.

Psalm 127:1 (NLT) Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain [emptiness, nothingness, vanity].

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Ephesians 5:1-2,21-6:4; Matthew 7:24-27; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Icebreaker: What is something you have built, made, or created? Share about what you enjoyed about the process and what effort was needed.

• What passages or points where challenging/encouraging to you from the sermon?

1.  Read Matthew 7:24-27 and Deuteronomy 6:1-10. What do these passages show you about relationship with Jesus and the home sphere?
2.  What shapes your idea of how a family works? A) What have you learned about family from God’s Word and relationships in the Church?
3.  Christ-follower homes are not just homes with parents and children. What relationships does your home sphere include? A) What does building a foundation and walls look like for you? What is challenging for you in bringing Christ’s impact to your home sphere? B) Roofs are important. Who, besides those you may live with, do you intentionally include in your family sphere?
4.  In your family, how do you help each other abide with Jesus? If you are single, with whom do you have spiritual conversations where you are real, known, and challenged? A) How is your home life being impacted by your relationship with Jesus? How do you want it to be impacted?
5.  How can we help each other grow in the health of our home spheres this year?

Bonus question: Sex, money, and the use of time are topics we often don’t discuss. The Journey of following Jesus impacts those areas, too. Which one of those areas needs to be brought more under Jesus’ priorities and perspective? What might that look like?