Is Jesus the Answer? Gospel Meeting
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my doubts?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my happiness?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my anxiety and fear?
God’s Institutions
There are three institutions, it is said, that were not man’s idea. The first is the concept of government—not a democratic republic, monarchy, or communist concept, but government as a whole. It is God’s idea. In Romans chapter 13, we see that the government is supposed to serve a purpose: to minister to those who do good and to deal out retribution and punishment for those who do evil. There’s a reason the government is given the jurisdiction it has and the ability to wield the sword to inflict punishment on those who do evil.
The second is the church. It’s not man’s idea that we have what is known as the church; it’s God’s idea. Paul writes in Ephesians that it was before the foundation of the world was laid that the idea of the redeemed and the church was already in the works. Some people say, “Did God just know we were going to sin and need redemption, and there was going to be a special place?”
Here’s the deal: God’s not surprised by anything, but knowledge is not the same as causation. You can know your children, and you know there’s always that one who, when they see a boiling pot of water on the stove or something they shouldn’t touch, you tell them, “Don’t touch it.” The more you say it, the more you know they’re going to do it. “Don’t jump in the water.” Why did you tell that one? Because they’re going to.
Knowing your child doesn’t mean you caused them to touch what was hot or jump in the water. Knowledge is not equated to causation. God knew we were going to need redemption. He knew there was a need for the Savior before the foundation of the world was laid, but that doesn’t mean He caused it.
The church, the redeemed, the called-out ones—that’s God’s idea.
The Family as God’s Idea
The third institution is what we’re talking about tonight: the concept of the family. Think about Genesis chapters one, two, and three with the fall of man. In the early chapters of Genesis, there was no vote held in the garden saying, “All in favor of marriage, raise your hand. All in favor of man and wife being married and having children, raise your hand. All opposed, say nay.” There were only two people—a man and a woman—and the woman’s vote didn’t count in that time period.
There was no vote in the garden because that wasn’t man’s idea. God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for man to be alone.” So, it was God who took a bone from the side of man, fashioned it into a woman, and presented his bride to him. It’s a beautiful representation of God’s ideal.
When we think about family, we must understand that the very God who created this institution also gave us direction for it. He didn’t just create it, spin it like a top on the ground, and leave it spinning until it unwinds, leaving us to say, “Well, their family is going more than mine, and mine wore out.” No. We’re still people. We get to make decisions. We have free will, and sometimes our decisions and free will get in the way of God’s ideal for our families. But that doesn’t mean the family was not God’s intent, nor was it a loving intent, nor did He leave us without direction.
Is Jesus the Answer for My Family?
Tonight, as we consider the concept of whether Jesus is the answer for my family, I will repeat what I said yesterday for those visiting. At first, your answer is, “Yes, Joe, we’re at a gospel meeting. Of course, Jesus is the answer. Let’s close the book, sing the song, and go on our merry way.” But some questions are not meant for a simple answer. Some questions are asked to drive home a statement.
Live For Your Family
In Romans 8, “Who will separate us from the love of God?” wasn’t asking for an answer; it was making a statement about the love of God. Tonight, is Jesus the answer? The obvious answer is yes, but the statement I need you to hear is bigger than that.
Love Your Family
We serve a God who sent His Son, Jesus. We’ve talked numerous times about the nature of Jesus—His power, His person, His presence. But tonight, I want you to think about this: the whole mission behind Jesus coming is adequately put in 2 Corinthians 5. I love how the Apostle Paul deals with his mission, and I love this concept that we serve a God who has the mission of reconciliation at the forefront of His mind. He has the mission of bringing those who were lost back into the fold, those who have wandered away back into the comforts of the loving arms of the Father. Over and over, you see parables about the rejoicing of the one who comes home, the father who never ceases to look for the son who erred and insulted the father when he left. You see a picture painted of reconciliation.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, 21
I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but when you see the word “reconciled” repeated over and over in this passage, it’s a keyword. When you see a repeated keyword, an antenna should go up in your mind, saying, “I wonder what he’s talking about here.”
I’ll tell you what he’s talking about: reconciliation. And the way He did that is through Jesus.
The Unfairness of Forgiveness
Notice verse 21, because it’s in this verse that I want to drive home a principle and a point: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
I want to ask a simple question tonight: Was that fair?
We talk all the time about fairness. Children talk about it: “That’s not fair. They got two scoops of ice cream, and I only got one.” “They got to play the video game for 30 minutes, and I only got 29.”
Parents, how many times have you grown weary of the discussion of what’s fair and what’s not fair? Here’s my question: Was it fair what God did to Jesus for you? I would offer that it was not fair, but you need to understand something tonight. Forgiveness is not fair because forgiveness calls on the one who had the wrong done to them to offer something to the offender that they don’t deserve. Fair says, “You did the crime, you pay the time.” Forgiveness says, “You did the crime. I’ve got good news: I’m not going to hold it against you when you surrender and come back.”
Applying Reconciliation to Family
Why would I bring that up in dealing with whether Jesus is the answer for my family? Because there’s a strong principle: if Jesus lived and died for me, do I have a responsibility to do that for other people? How am I going to tell them about reconciliation if all they see in me is vengeance? How am I going to tell them about the goodness of God if all they see in me is grudge-holding, wanting what is fair? It’s very difficult to talk about grace, mercy, and forgiveness when all they see in me is ugly, mean, vengeful, and grudge-holding.
They say, “You know some big words; I can tell you attend a church somewhere. But whatever you’re learning in that church building has not made its way past your head and into your heart.” Tonight’s lesson may be a little pointed. I am concerned that there are some families in that boat. There’s a lot of head knowledge, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been translated into actions in their lives.
Living for Others Like Jesus
If I’m going to know that Jesus is the answer for my family, I look at how Scripture paints the disposition of Christ—how He approached you, sin, and His mission.
First, if I’m going to know that Jesus is the answer, I’ve got to know that Jesus lived for other people. He lived to carry out the mission of His Father, no doubt, but that mission was for your benefit of reconciliation. From 2 Corinthians 5, the whole purpose of what Jesus did was not only obedience to the Father (Philippians 2) but for your benefit.
If there were more husbands who lived for the benefit of the family, do you think families would be better off? If there were more wives who lived for the benefit of the family, would families be better off? What about children? I don’t believe children get a pass if they’re old enough to hear and understand the words coming out of my mouth. If children lived for the betterment of the family, would families be better off? These are rhetorical questions because the obvious answer is yes.
Living with Love
Husbands Love Your Wife
What do I mean by living for others? There are two concepts. First, I live for my family with love—not the kind of love that comes and goes, where you do for me, and I’ll do for you. I love it when you give me gifts. Don’t get me wrong, we love it when people give us flowers, cards, or white sparkling grape juice. Happy anniversary, by the way. Of course, we love it when people are gift-givers, but that’s circumstantial love. I’m talking about a deep-seated love, a love that permeates every aspect of our bodies, minds, and emotions—the agape love.
In Ephesians 5, we see what kind of love we’re supposed to have in our homes. It’s interesting that in this passage, the husband is specifically instructed to love the wife. That’s not by accident. Ladies are saying, “Thank you for not dealing with subjection.” Don’t worry, we’ll get there, but not from this passage. You can talk about subjection all day, but if you don’t have love, you have resentment. If you don’t have love in what you do, you have a lady who feels imprisoned or enslaved.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church.” — Ephesians 5:25
This relationship is used as the illustration. How did Christ love the church? The easy answer is He gave Himself up for the church, but don’t miss what’s said here. Yes, He gave Himself up for the church. It was about reconciling the lost, doing for people who did not deserve it.
Men, you’re not called to love your wives because she deserves it. You’re called to love your wives because the example is the way Christ loved the church. You love your wife because you love Jesus, because you’re following in His footsteps.
You say, “It’s not easy. Sometimes she bites my head off.” How many times do you think people, even the redeemed, abuse Jesus? How many times do you abuse Jesus when you know His desire and example, yet walk contrary to that? This is not a threat; it’s an example. You have an agape love, a love that esteems, that indicates the direction of the will, that demands putting others above self, seeking their best. You find your joy in doing what’s best for her.
Finding Joy in Others’ Shining
That is totally opposite to the American concept. We live in a world that says you seek your own joy, your own happiness, make sure others pour into you. Yet, the Scriptures teach that your joy is found when she shines. Think about how Jesus’ joy shines when you receive reconciliation. “There’s more rejoicing in heaven over one who repents.” The joy is found when someone else shines.
I’m not sure we’ve gotten this point because our culture has taught us that our wives are for our pleasure, to take care of our needs. We’ve even taught that to our young ladies growing up. Then our joy is wrapped up in whether or not we’re fulfilled.
True fulfillment is not in what you get but what you give. You’ve heard at birthday parties or holidays, “It’s better to give than to receive.” The kids are like, “I’m glad you feel that way.” We understand that’s out there, but do we relay that to our homes?
I want to challenge you this evening: Do you really love your wife? Is your joy rooted—not in happiness, but in joy—when she shines? That’s the implication behind this text. He gave Himself up for her so that He might sanctify her, for her benefit, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory. Men, do you love your wife? Wives, do you love your husbands in that same manner?
Wives Loving Their Husbands
In Titus 2:4, we see that older women are supposed to teach younger women to love their husbands and children. I’m going to assume that’s happening in this congregation and where you attend. It’s interesting that the Bible doesn’t say older men teach younger men how to love their wives. It directly states, “Jesus is your example, do it.” But older Christian sisters are to take younger Christian sisters and say, “I’ve got something you need to know.”
Ladies, with utmost respect to myself and my brothers in this room, we know that sometimes not everybody is easy to love. We also know that when you’re called to submit, there’s a lot of tongue-biting and lip-biting that’s supposed to take place. It’s hard to submit if you’re always rebelling vocally.
Can you imagine that in the military? A general tells you to do something, and you say, “I didn’t want to do that. I told you it wasn’t going to work.” How long do you think that would last before it was dealt with? It’s hard to submit if you’re constantly refuting and running off at the mouth.
Does that mean there’s no room for conversation? No, but there’s a difference between conversing and rebelling. I mesh Titus 2 with passages like Ephesians 5. Older sisters have wisdom in this area. They’ve come to understand that love doesn’t always mean you speak your peace or enforce your way. Love means, “I want him to shine, and in so doing, that’s where I find my joy.” I made a decision for his benefit so that he may be the husband and father in this home that God has called him to be.
The Scriptures teach about a contentious woman but not a contentious man. Does that mean there’s no such thing as contentious men? You can add to the text if you want, but I know that’s in the Bible.
Sisters, I don’t believe any of you are contentious, but I don’t preach to keep you comfortable. I’m asking, do you love your husbands? Young ladies, if you’re not married yet, how are you mentally preparing as you seek a man to be your husband, the leader of your home? What are you doing to prepare yourself to be the wife and perhaps mother in your home that God’s called you to be? It’s hard if all you’re being taught is a rebellious attitude, and then you get into a marriage and say, “The Scriptures say I’m not supposed to do that.” That’s why older women are to teach younger women, because it’s hard, and with wisdom comes responsibility.
Older sisters, you may not think you have a purpose bigger than what you’ve done, but I promise there’s a young lady who doesn’t need a lecture. She needs someone to walk with her as she learns to love her husband.
Children’s Responsibility to Love
Children don’t get a free pass either. While I won’t go into all of that, John 14:31 says love is demonstrated in obedience. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” In Ephesians 6:1-4 and Colossians 3:20, children are instructed to honor and obey their parents.
While the Bible never says, “Children, love your parents,” there’s plain teaching that when you love, you submit, you demonstrate. You may think your dad and mom don’t deserve that, or your grandma and grandpa don’t. Here’s the deal: we don’t deserve that. We don’t walk around with any misunderstanding of what we are, but we want you to be obedient to God. God gave the adults in your life to guide you spiritually. They deserve to be honored and respected because of who they represent in your life. When you honor and obey your parents, you’re honoring and obeying God. It’s not that your parents are God; it’s that you do what you do because you serve God.
Serve Your Family
If you’re going to live for your family, you need to live with service. I love the Scriptures when they dive into concepts regarding servants. In John 13, where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He gave the ultimate example, saying, “I gave you an example that you should do unto one another.” It wasn’t about foot-washing ceremonies. The highest-ranking individual in the room lowered Himself to the position of a servant. He girded His loins with a towel, something He would never have done in a culturally normal way.
He was saying, “Nobody’s above getting down and doing the dirtiest cleaning—washing the feet of people who wore sandals and traveled on dirt roads.” Nobody had washed Jesus’ feet when He came in. There’s no indication their feet were washed other than what Jesus did. Did any of those guys think to say, “Okay, Jesus, now it’s Your turn”? I don’t know; I don’t want to read into the text. All I know is He said, “As I gave you an example, you go and do to one another and to others.”
A life of servitude is supposed to be our disposition, not our mission trip. Mission trips are good, but we often check into “I’m going away for a week to do service” instead of “My whole life is about service; this week it just happens to be over here.” That’s a different mindset, one we often fail to see because it’s not rooted in the right things.
Motivated by Compassion
If service is going to be a way you live for your family, you must be motivated by the same thing that motivated Jesus. In Mark 1:40-41, a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him, falling on his knees, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Verse 41 says, “Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”
In Mark 6:33-34, when Jesus went ashore and saw a large crowd, He felt compassion. Over and over, when people had a need, Jesus didn’t respond because He was obligated. He responded with compassion. You’ll find this in Mark 8:2, Luke 7:13, the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), and the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15).
Why didn’t it say, “Jesus looked upon the leper and had obligation because He was sent to heal people”? Or “Jesus noticed the widow was sorrowful and had an obligation, so He raised the child from the dead”? Why didn’t the Good Samaritan stop and help the one who had been beaten because he had an obligation? Many families and marriages operate on obligation. If you get them apart for an interview, they’d say they’re not happy or fulfilled. Why? Because obligation often leads to resentment: “I’m doing this because I have to, because the preacher said I had to, because that’s what Jesus wanted.” Obedience? Yes. Right motivation? Absolutely.
Jesus didn’t just love people in word; He was compassionate to their needs. Men, if you know your wife has a need to converse—some say ladies talk more than men—does compassion mean you run away from that or lean into it and try to be helpful? Ladies, if your husband has a need, is it an obligation to you, or do you compassionately respond? You say, “It’s a whole lot easier to compassionately respond if I know I’m loved.” Thus, you see love and service together as we look at Jesus being the answer.
Dying to Self for Family
Will you die for your family? I don’t mean physically die, though most of us would say, “If it was me or my spouse, take me. If it was me or my children, take me.” I take that for granted. But on a daily basis, we are called to die to pride and selfishness. When Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin so that we could become the righteousness of God, there was nothing about elevating Himself or self-preservation. Philippians 2 points out that He became obedient even to the point of death on the cross. Why? Because He put you over Him.
If you’re a Christian, you’ve got to understand you died. You weren’t just put in water or brought up out of some religious ceremony. The Scriptures say you died, were buried, and a newness of life came out. You say, “I’ve always struggled with anger, with pride, with not saying I’m sorry, with finding a reason it was somebody else’s fault.” A newness of life came out. You say, “I’m not going to let her talk to me that way. You can’t push me around. I’m an American woman, and it’s 2025.”
A newness of life came out. Some of us just got wet.
We forgot there was a newness of life. You weren’t supposed to be the same as you used to be. You weren’t supposed to carry the same traits. “This is just how my daddy was. This is how my daddy talked to my mom, so I’m going to talk to you.” No. Otherwise, you’re saying the blood of Jesus can only go so far. He can’t transform you into a newness of life; all He can do is make it so you can take a cracker and some grape juice.
An individual who holds onto their past is refusing to let God work in their life. You died.
Living Stones and Spiritual Sacrifices
In 1 Peter 2, Peter talks about how we are living stones. Verse 4: “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Verse 9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
You’ve probably been told that New Testament Christians are priests. The Scriptures teach that we are a priesthood, using covenant language similar to the Old Testament referring to the children of Israel. Priests had a purpose; they weren’t just a title. They offered sacrifices to God. You say, “Joe, we do that.” Peter refers to that, saying we are living stones being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
What sacrifice is he talking about? We say, “That means He wants us to sing, give in the collection plate, serve with our time, evangelize.” Does He want all those things? Yes. But it’s for our benefit; He doesn’t need our money. It’s a surrendering of your safety net. The only sacrifice mentioned is us. We are the ones who, according to 1 Peter 1, obeyed the gospel, and in obeying the gospel, we died to self. Because of obedience to a word that never fails, we are to be different.
You and I are both the priest and the sacrifice on the altar. We choose to sacrifice ourselves for the cause of Christ, meaning there’s no room for pride or self-seeking in my life. If that raises its ugly head, I have not been wholly devoted to God.
The Impact of Removing Pride and Selfishness
Can you imagine how many marriages would thrive if pride and selfishness were taken out? How many parent-child relationships, grandparent-grandchild relationships, would be improved? How many arguments would not be had? How many “I’m sorrys” would be said? The truth is, sometimes some people just get wet in the water.
The good news is this journey is a journey. Romans teaches that we’re being sanctified, meaning we’re growing continually throughout our lives into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. As He was, so we become. That’s a process. If tonight’s sermon felt a little pointed, mission accomplished. It comes from a place of love, but also from this: if Jesus is really the answer, you’ve got to follow His lead. If you want the blessing, follow His lead, and I promise you’ll never spend a day regretting it.
Can you imagine if family members poured into family members instead of waiting for others to fill their bowl? I said this once and apparently said it wrong. There’s a right way and a wrong way to say this, and I may say it wrong tonight. You ever heard of a colander? Not a calendar—a strainer. A strainer and a bowl are different. They’re often made of the same thing, but one allows the blessings or water to pass through; the other is about filling it up. In your family, are you a bowl or a colander? Are you all about you, or are you allowing what’s poured into you to pour into others? It’ll change your world when you realize Jesus has called us to follow His example.
Invitation to Obey the Gospel
If you’re not a child of God, I encourage you with everything I am to become one. This lesson wasn’t designed to teach you how to become a child of God, but the Scriptures explain that, and we’d love the opportunity to study with you. To summarize, you can’t keep doing it your way. You can’t say, “Jesus is Lord of my life” while doing it your way. You’ve got to get out of His way. You’ve got to repent, change things in your life. All those things will never rid you of the guilt that sin has caused. The only one who can rid you of guilt is God through the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s where baptism comes into play; that’s where sins are forgiven, when you’re brought back into a right relationship with Him. If you’ve never obeyed the gospel, we’d love to help you.
But chances are, most of us have. So here’s our invitation tonight: Are you following in the footsteps of Jesus? I can’t answer that for you, but I promise I’m going to ponder that for me. If we can help you, pray with you—I know the shepherds here want to counsel with you if you’ll let them.
Whatever we can do, please contact us, we want to study with you and help you to come to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
