Family Resources
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
Family is a big deal to God. God himself is the great and perfect father who handles a lot of responsibility in ruling over and caring for all of his creation. God has a son named Jesus whom he has forever been in healthy and happy relationship with. God sacrificially gives away his son Jesus to come to earth where he lives and dies in order to save God’s wayward human children. God then allows these wayward children to be adopted into the holy family through belief in the person and work of his son. Family is definitely a big deal to God. In many ways you might even be able to say the whole story of the Bible is about the story of God’s family.
For those who have experienced the pain of broken or lost relationships in their family, knowing God’s so big on family can have one of two effects. It can either create great difficulty since family is a sore subject and the result is a person distances themselves from God. Or it can create great hope and healing since we are designed for family and can experience redemption and grace by belonging to God’s special family through his son Jesus.
Not surprisingly, the Bible also has a lot of practical instruction on family. For many who are new to family or come from a family who did not know or exhibit the loving principles of God’s family the Bible is a great aid and resource to turn to for instructions on how to do family well. Below is a list of resources (books, articles, sermons & key Bible passages to study) I highly recommend for learning about family from God’s perspective as he has revealed in the Bible.
Family & The Gospel
Practical Ecclesiology Series | Selected Texts | James Martin
This week is an systematic theology sermon on the topic of family. Genesis 1:26-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-7 and Ephesians 6:1 are looked at for the exegetical insight on the reason and source for ministry. Special attention is given to God’s creation of family, the roles of family and the carry over of those roles in how the church is set up to function. This sermon was originally preached on February 6th, 2011 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
Nehemiah Series (Part 3): “Putting God’s Vision into Practice”
This is the third week of our sermon series, “Nehemiah: Building God’s Church in the City.” Part 3, this week is an exegetical sermon of chapter three and is about Putting God’s Vision into Practice. This sermon addresses the following issues in the context of church planting: unity, resolve, neighborhoods, jobs, family, quality, and humility. This sermon was originally preached February 1st, 2009 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
Viva La Vida Christus: Living the Life of Christ (Part 3)
This is the third week of our fall sermon series, “Viva La Vida Christus: Living the Life of Christ” dealing with Romans 12-16. Part 3, this week, is titled “The Life of Genuine Love” and works with Romans 12:9-21 and issues of love, humility, authenticity and 16 characteristcs of of the Christian life and behavior. This sermon was originally preached September 21th, 2008 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
