I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Christians need to be diligent to protect their homes from a culture which is becoming more and more antagonistic toward God and godly people.

                                                             1.      Our society is plagued by promiscuity, fornication, adultery, lasciviousness, homosexuality, divorce, violence, drunkenness, and many other prominent sinful behaviors.

                                                             2.      These influences can be devastating to a home and can pull adults and children away from God.

B.      Yet many Christians invite these influences and corrupt their own homes from the inside out.

                                                             1.      Proverbs 11:29 says, “He who troubles his own house will inherit wind.”  It is difficult enough to deal with the trouble in the world around us.  We certainly do not need to trouble our own homes.

                                                             2.      This series, “Building a God-Centered Home,” has been presented with the assumption that persons interested in this series want to have God-centered homes.  Therefore, it is assumed that they would not trouble their homes intentionally.

a.       Obviously, a person cannot live in sin and open rebellion against God and expect to have a God-centered, untroubled home.

b.       However, there are less-perceived ways that Christians trouble there own homes.  In this lesson, we will attempt to raise our awareness of these ways and consider what we should do about them.

II.      BAD COMPANY

A.      How desperately we need to learn the lesson from 1Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’”

                                                             1.      All of the efforts made to build a God-centered home can be quickly destroyed by the effects of bad company, and many homes have been ruined in this way.

                                                             2.      This verse urges us not to be deceived, and yet we often deceive ourselves into believing that we can associate with bad company and still not be affected.  We may think that we are strong enough to overcome any ungodly influence, but we are not (consider Gal. 6:1).

B.      Bad company comes in many forms, all of which can be equally harmful to the home.

                                                             1.      Certainly, ungodly persons and false teachers are in the category of bad company.

a.       These are the people who become agents of Satan by influencing the home for evil.

b.       This is why we must choose our companions and those of our children very carefully.  Their influence can completely change our lives (Prov. 1:10-19; 13:20; 2John 10-11).

                                                             2.      Ungodly people and false teachers do not have to be physically present in the home to be bad company.

a.       They may spread their corrupting influence in the home through media, such as television, videos, the internet, books, magazines, music, and even toys and video games.

b.       It is through these that we foolishly invite bad company into our homes and embrace it.

C.      Television is an especially effective influence of bad company in the home.

                                                             1.      Let us acknowledge that not every television program, commercial, or movie is evil.  These are simply media and tools that can be used for good or evil.

                                                             2.      Unfortunately, much of the influence of television is for evil.  Consider some of the statistics:

a.       According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average American child will have seen 8,000 murders on television by the end of grade school.

b.       Studies of MTV, one of the most popular cable networks among teenagers, performed by the Parents Television Council (PTC), found that programs on MTV featured almost twenty-one uses of profanity per hour, eighteen depictions of sexual activity per hour, and seventeen uses of suggestive and lewd dialogue or innuendo per hour.

c.        The PTC has also found that the frequency of profanity, depictions of sexual activity, and depictions of violence in primetime network programming is on the increase on every open-air (non-cable) network.

d.       These facts are especially disturbing when we consider that the amount of television watched by children is an average of four hours per day according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.  This means that a child will have spent about 2.8 years of his life watching TV by the time he turns eighteen years old (25% of his non-sleeping hours).

                                                             3.      Many evil thoughts would not be conceived by anyone in the home if they were not implanted through television.  This evil influence of TV must be realized by Christians in order to prevent it.

III.   HOME BASE

A.      Rather than inviting evil from the world to influence the home, let us make the home a haven of safety and godliness from which we may go out and influence others in the world for good.

                                                             1.      When we are at home, we should have a home base that strengthens our faith and prepares us for the challenges of the world against our faith (1Pet. 3:13-16).

                                                             2.      A person’s home is the one place where he can eliminate evil influences and control his own environment.

B.      Therefore, let us be diligent to create a God-centered environment in the home.

                                                             1.      The mind of a Christian needs good things from the home on which to dwell.

a.       No mind will remain empty and idle.  Something will fill the void, so we must feed our minds on what is good.

b.       “Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” (Phil. 4:8)

c.        “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2)

                                                             2.      Therefore, we must place those things in our minds in the home by studying the word of God (2Tim. 2:15), teaching those things to our children and to one another, meditating on those things, worshipping God, and working in the home as God intended.

                                                             3.      If we seek entertainment or news in the home, let us be sure that we consume only that which is wholesome and acceptable.

a.       Let us take the attitude of David, who said, “I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.  I will set no worthless thing before my eyes…” (Psa. 101:2-3).

b.       Let us be diligent to protect our hearts by not allowing the filth and trash of the world to enter our hearts through our eyes and ears.

i.         The Lord said, “The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matt. 6:22-23).

ii.        He also said, “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you” (Matt. 18:9).

iii.      It is through our eyes and ears that we fill our hearts, and in our hearts are the things that define who we are, whether good or evil (Matt. 6:19-21; 15:16-20).

                                                             4.      Parents must be careful to protect their children from worldly influences and to place nothing before them to cause them to stumble.

a.       Parents must feed their children on God’s word and prepare them to stand against the ways of the world.  “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping in according to Thy word.” (Psa. 119:9)

b.       The Lord warned us against causing a little one to stumble (Matt. 18:5-6).

i.         Parents must not allow their children access to ungodly television programs, movies, internet pages, or video games.

ii.        Parents must also guard their children against ungodly influences from friends or other outside sources.

C.      Finally, do not let the world determine what is acceptable in your home.

                                                             1.      Do not be concerned if worldly people think that you are strange, extreme, or sheltered because you do not conform to worldly ways in your home.  In fact, you should be more concerned if they do not think of you in this way (Rom. 12:2; 2Cor. 6:14-18; 1Pet. 4:4-5).

                                                             2.      Notice 1John 2:15-17.  Build your home on the eternal values of God and His word and not upon the fleeting things of the world.

                                                             3.      Remember that the wise man built his house upon the rock, but the foolish man built his house upon the sand (Matt. 7:24-27).

a.       The two houses appeared to be the same until the storms came.  Then the strength of the rock supported the wise man’s house, but the foolish man’s house fell.

b.       The foundational Rock of a God-Centered Home is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Make sure your house is built on Him, and your home will endure through the storms of life.