Working on Family Problems

1. Read: Philippians 2:1-4

2. About the Text:

1) This chapter is concerned with attitudes that help us cooperate with one another.

2) How can we improve our personal relationships with one another and avoid strife?

3. A word about personal relationships.

1) There are likely not very many people that haven’t had a disagreement.

2) It is how we handle these disagreements that sets us apart as faithful Christians.

4. A note about disagreements.

1) There are times when we must disagree with others, particularly when truth is at stake.

2) These principles apply to this situation, but the primary emphasis of this lesson is to discuss situations when we are disagreeing for some other reason than the sake of truth.

5. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.”

2. This ought to be the foundation of our families.

3. Do we antagonize our family members? Why?

1. Romans 13:8 “Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.”

2. If we see those around us as the objects of our love, we will be inclined to encourage them.

3. Are we loving our family?

1. John 7:24 “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

2. It is often easy to jump to conclusions.

3. It’s easy to do this with our families, but we need to talk before we judge.

1. 1 Corinthians 12:6 “And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all.”

2. Husbands and wives have different ways of looking at things.

3. Are we wanting to accomplish the same goal in different ways?

1. James 1:19 “Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”.

2. It is hard to listen to someone when they disagree with you. We want to justify.

3. Often problems can be solved simply be listening.

1. James 3:8 “But the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison.”

2. We ought to desire to control this above all other things.

4. James 1:19 says we ought to be “slow to speak.”

1. Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice”.

2. Anger will only escalate a situation from bad to worse.

3. Take some time out if you are angry with your family.

1. Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

2. Paul often dealt with problems in the churches, but he commended what was right.

3. We may disagree, but we can always commend someone on what they do right.

1. Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

2. When someone has done something wrong, then they need to be rebuked.

3. We must do this with love.

4. If the other person has the right attitude, then they will repent.

1. 2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

2. If we have done that which is wrong, then we need to repent.

3. We want to make it about others; it’s really about our relationship with God.

1. Luke 17:4 “And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

2. If our brother repents, then we have the obligation to forgive.

3. Forgiveness means we will not hold it against him/her.

1. Ephesians 4:25 “Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.”

2. We need to be up front and honest with those with whom we disagree.

3. Nothing truly gets solved if we don’t express the whole truth.

1. 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.”

2. We need to have humility and be willing to serve each other.

3. Pride is a great enemy and can cause many problems.

1. Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

2. Children need consistency; they are hypocrisy detectors.

1. 1 Corinthians 6:7 “Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?”

2. Sometimes things won’t work out our way, and we feel wronged.

3. We ought to be willing to be wronged for the sake of Christian unity.

1. 1 Peter 2:21 “For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps”.

2. We ought to look to the Lord and ask, “What would Jesus do” in this situation.

3. He lived a sinless life and is our perfect example; let us imitate him.

1. Read James 3:13-18

2. Go through list of things to practice.

1) This list isn’t necessarily exhaustive.

2) I’m sure that we can think of other things to do in these situations.

3) But this list is imminently practical.

3. Invitation