Sabbath: What Have They Seen in Your House?
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Read for This Week’s Study: Isaiah 38:1-39:8; 1 Cor. 7:12-15; 1 Pet. 3:1-2; Heb. 6:12; Hebrews 13:7; 3 John 11; Isa. 58:6-7, Isaiah 58:10, Isaiah 58:12.
Memory Text: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV).
Perhaps we have reached a stage whe n, thanks be to the Lord, our lives are (at least for now) going well: family is fine, work is fine, health and finances are, too. Or maybe not? Maybe your home, for now, is in pain, turmoil? Either way, when someone comes to visit your home, like emissaries from Babylon who visited King Hezekiah, what answer could be given to the question that the prophet Isaiah later asked the king: “What have they seen in your house?” (Isa. 39:4, NKJV).
What have people seen in your house? What have heavenly angels seen? What kind of spirit permeates our residences? Can one “smell” the scent of prayer? Is there kindness, generosity, love, or tension, anger, resentfulness, bitterness, and discord? Will someone who’s there walk away thinking Jesus is in this home?
These are important questions for all of us to ask ourselves regarding the kind of home that we have created. This week we will look at some of the issues that can make for a wonderful home life, despite the inevitable tensions and struggles that homes today face.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 22.
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Those of you who read my comments regularly know that I am fond of quoting John 13:35:
I make no apology for the frequency of this quote because, more than anything else, our love for one another is the single most effective way of communicating the gospel. And so often we forget that principle in the pursuit of doctrinal purity, and/or unity. We fail in the Gospel commission if we do not love one another.
Such unselfish love is something that cannot be painted on the outside by administrative edict, nor by the acquisition of church buildings, or successful institutions, but has to come from genuinely converted hearts. It shows in how we treat race and immigrant issues. It is evident in how we treat those who feel disenfranchised by the church. It shouts when we confuse compassion and condemnation.
Adrian Plass, the British Christian humourist, tells of the story of a church where he was asked to speak. Right is a prominent position in the church, where everyone could see it was a very ugly wooden cross. At the pot-luck, after the service, he asked why they had such an ugly centerpiece. The local elder told the story of how a cranky old man had come for one of the pot-luck lunches a few times and then started attending the church services. Then one day, he turned up with this ugly old cross in a wheelbarrow and said he wanted to give a testimony. It turned out that the first time he came he was hungry and then as he came more and more often he noticed how everyone got on with everyone else and that amazingly he was always included in that love. He wanted to be part of the group because they made him feel so welcome. In return, he wanted to give them this cross that he had spent hours creating in his little workshop back home. To their credit, the church accepted the gift and made it the centerpiece of their church. Not long after the old man died but instead of getting rid of the piece, they retained it as a reminder that their love for one another was touching the hearts of those around them.
What do people see in our house?
What have you hanged on the walls of your living room?
Can a visitor start a conversation about Christ depending on what you have hanged on the walls of your sitting room?
I really like checking what people hang on the walls and I have observed this.
Our Muslim brothers hang three written picture, one big and two small ones. The writing is from the Quran but I have no idea about the size and why three.
Most families hang their own picture. Some hang the heads of wild animals, others hang (Juju) to protect themselves from the evil spirits.
Funny enough some hang the picture of Jesus but the one with a halo around the head (catholicism)
One day I visited a house of an Ethiopian and on the walls I found the picture of Ellen G White. She was from the othodox church and had no idea who the lady was. This made me to tell her about my faith. Also she had a full-size picture of Jesus where she used to kneel and pray in front of it.
What you hang can start a conversation.
Use the walls of your living room to preach.
Very good illustration of love, Maurice.
I can think of a story that is sort of the reverse of what Maurice shares. In one of our churches discussion arose about having a modest cross attached to the front of the pulpit. The majority of the congregation as enthusiastically for it, but one member was enthusiastically against such a measure. To the objecting saint the cross on the pulpit was equal to idolatry. What to do?
The pastor wisely shepherded the congregation into a self denying attitude of love toward the offended member over the cross, and held back from affixing a wooden gibbet upon the pulpit. Love prevailed.
A couple of years went by and the member who strong opposed the cross went to their rest in Jesus. A few weeks later, without any formal event, the cross was quietly placed on the pulpit.
I pray we can show love in our house. It is the substance that reveals Jesus is really in our hearts.
Maurice, Cyrus and Kevin, thanks alot for the wonderful submissions. Many of us are blessed by your comments.
There are people who are aperently in need of help but if you render it to them out of love they misinterprete the help you render to them by considering your it to either be a mocry or an effort to show you are better than them or you are indirectly making jest of them and so on and this has now lead to fear of being misinterpreted in the minds of people who wants to help. How possible will one apply John 13:35 in this kind of eviroment where gift of Love are misinterpreted and given negetive impretions?
That is a good question Ephraim, and it makes the issue complicated. One thing that we need to consider carefully is that we often try to offer material help when the best thing we can do is listen. It is much easier to throw money at a problem than listen to the real issues of those in need. I interpret John 13:35 as being the sort of love that comes from understanding one another.
Hi Brothers and Sisters of this Blog,
I'm teaching the Sabbath School lesson this week; here's part of my Introduction: (please enjoy reading it, and do not criticize it; this is just my own opinions, not the Bible)
"This entire Sabbath School Quarterly is focused on the Family, how we interact with our family, how we can build strong families, and how we carry God’s word in the next generations of our families. Our entire society depends on the strong Family Nucleus; without families, our society would be thrown into chaos. Also, what our children see in their house will have a powerful impact on what they will carry over into their own homes and families.
In many families, generational sins are carried over to the children, grandchildren, and even the great-grandchildren, 'visiting the sins unto the third and fourth generation', sounds familiar. I don’t believe in the term that the secular world calls it “generational curse”, that’s why I call it “generational sins”. All sins, whether they are generations sins or not, can be forgiven and overcome through Christ. No one is left helpless or without resources from God in overcoming their sins. Just because your father (or mother) had a problem, doesn’t mean that you will have that problem, there is plenty of help and resources from God available to everyone. However, the home, the first school for all children, will have a powerful influence on how our children will resolve their own difficult situations in their future. A child that watches their mother or father deal with difficult days at work by drinking alcoholic beverage, will more than likely do the same thing when they grow up, and have difficult days at work. In my home, I ask my husband almost every day, “how was your day at work?”, so that he can verbally release his frustration of the day without having to seek other forms of coping with his difficult days. I have no idea what he is talking about while he is explaining his day to me, but just the ritual of verbally venting his problems is a good start to resolving the problems. So, if we had children, they would be able to observe our interactions in dealing with day to day problems. Let’s look at some of our Bible heroes’ home, and if they were a positive or negative influence on the next generations."
Be Blessed everyone!
this is a solemn topic..parents interaction in the house can be a tool to foster church unity or not...family unity is church unity.