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Tragic Failures In Life’s Most Basic

Relationship

Refuse To Teach Your Children

Abdicate Your Leadership

Let Children Avoid Punishment Our society almost now universally

frowns upon any form of punishment We’re more concerned with damage to

the violater’s self-esteem than with the damage the violater does to himself, others

Let Children Avoid Punishment Nothing good results if punishment is

withheld or delayed Eccl 8:11 Examples…

Eli 1 Sam 2:12-17, 22-25 3:11-14 David 2 Sam 13:1-14, 21, 23 3:2

Because Amnon was his 1st born? Because of his own sin? 2 Sam 11-12

Let Children Avoid Punishment We do our children no favor if we allow

them to avoid needed punishment They learn to “use others”…even

“play” their parents to their own advantage

Bad behavior is enabled for a lifetime

Let Children Avoid Punishment What is discipline’s purpose? Heb 12

It indicates love v. 6 It makes a child “legitimate” v. 8 It produces respect, shared holiness,

and righteousness vv. 9-11

Play Favorites With Your Children Nothing can destroy good will among

peers more than favoritism The Scripture is emphatic re: this part

of God’s character Deut 10:17Acts 10:34 Rom 2:11 Gal 2:6Eph 6:9 Col 3:25 1 Pet 1:17

Play Favorites With Your Children It is good to appreciate differences

among your children It is not good to lead children into a

“contest” for love & affection through parental favoritism

Play Favorites With Your Children Examples…

Jacob & Esau Gen 25:27-28 Family members will act dishonorably

because of favoritism Gen 27 Joseph Gen 37:3

Bitterness among siblings is created that can last for years vv. 4, 18-20, 23

Forget About Your Spouse Our first 4 points dealt with children This last one focuses on the primary

relationship marriage Gen 2:18 A relationship that must be continually

nurtured, cared for…never neglected nor taken for granted

Forget About Your Spouse Our first 4 points dealt with children This last one focuses on the primary

relationship marriage Gen 2:18 If “spiritual love” can grow cold, so

can “marital love” Rev 2:4-5a

Forget About Your Spouse Think back to all the effort you put in

when dating and courting Especially all the “little things” you did

to get his/her attention Has tenderness, affection ceased? Has dating & courting stopped?

Forget About Your Spouse Marital love is supposed to grow more

special over time Prov 5:15-20 God expects couples to become more

enraptured, not less Reference is to an older woman…not a

new bride

Conclusion God expects success…not failure

Society, the church depends on success He didn’t create this relationship only to

see us abandon His plan, live in misery Can there still be problems even though

His principles are practiced?

Conclusion Failure is guaranteed if no one shows

any interest in God’s plan for the home Do you get a yearly physical…do you

review your insurance periodically? Examine your home to determine if it is

headed for success or failure

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