OceanSide church of Christ

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The Proverbial Home
by: Dalton Gilreath

I.              Intro

a.    Some enter marriage realizing it is not everything they wanted it to be

b.    Nabal and Abigail had a miserable marriage

                                          i.    No one could talk to Nabal (1 Samuel 25:17)

                                        ii.    Abigail tells David “folly is with him” (25:25)

c.    The purpose of this study is to give 8 principles of a happy home

                                          i.    These 8 rules all come from the book of Proverbs

II.            Seasoned Speech (Proverbs 25:11)

a.    Speech can be “fitly” spoken and rudely spoken

b.    Paul commands our speech to be seasoned with salt (Col 4:6)

                                          i.    This means our words must be palatable to hear

c.    If our spouse doesn’t season his/her speech we must respond “softly” (Prov 15:1)

                                          i.    Otherwise we provoke wrath instead of hindering it

d.    Solomon also forbids withholding good from others when they deserve it (Prov 3:27)

                                          i.    When your wife looks gorgeous be sure to tell her

                                        ii.    When your husband impresses you don’t hold that in

e.    Solomon says it’s foolish to “vent” all of your emotions (Prov 29:11)

                                          i.    It is better to wait until a better time

III.           The Golden Rule (Proverbs 27:14)

a.    When your spouse isn’t a morning person don’t speak with a “loud voice”

                                          i.    It takes consideration of the dislikes of your spouse to keep this rule

b.    Jesus describes this in Matthew 7:12

                                          i.    Put yourself in your spouse’s shoes and avoid their dislikes

                                        ii.    If she doesn’t like the toothpaste squeezed from the middle, don’t do it

IV.          Selflessness (Proverbs 15:33)

a.    We must be willing to humble ourselves if we want a happy home

                                          i.    We must not be selfish and stubborn (1 Peter 5:6, Phil 2:4)

b.    If both spouses look to please one another they will find happiness

                                          i.    Arguments go on and on because both parties are full of pride

                                        ii.    Needless fights occur due to a lack of humility

V.           Be Content (Proverbs 23:4-5)

a.    Focusing on becoming rich will leave you dissatisfied

                                          i.    Riches won’t bring joy (Ecc 5:10)

b.    We must learn contentment through a new perspective on life

                                          i.    Focusing on what we have instead of what we don’t have

c.    Paul was content in every situation (Phil 4:11-13)

                                          i.    We must have his grateful attitude if we want a happy home

VI.          Be Consistent (Proverbs 11:9)

a.    Hypocrisy will ruin your home and your children

                                          i.    Many people wear a mask to services

b.    Timothy was said to have “unfeigned” or genuine faith (2 Tim 1:5)

                                          i.    The reason was because it was passed down by example

c.    Paul says that love is to be without hypocrisy (Rom 12:9)

VII.         Make Time For Family (Proverbs 31:27-28)

a.    Quality time is important but so is quantity time (Deut 6:6-7)

                                          i.    You never know when those teachable moments will come

b.    Paul says we must make good use of our time (Eph 5:16)

                                          i.    We have 86,400 seconds every day

1.    How are we using them?

VIII.       Talk About Spiritual Things (Proverbs 1:7-8)

a.    Children are molded more in the home than anywhere else

                                          i.    1% of their life is spent at church

                                        ii.    16% of their life is spent at school

                                       iii.    83% of their life is spent at home

                                       iv.    The real training must happen at home

b.    Solomon says if you train your child right he will not depart from it (Prov 22:6)

                                          i.    Our children are the future of this nation and the church

IX.          Guard Your Hearts (Proverbs 4:23)

a.    Everything we do and say first crossed through our heart (mind)

                                          i.    Guard your heart and your family’s heart

                                        ii.    If nothing bad gets in nothing bad will come out

b.    Jesus said the filth in the heart is what defiles you, not food (Matt 15:16-20)

                                          i.    Pay attention to what is entering your heart through tv, music, internet, etc