International Gospel Hour

Guest (Male): Friends, may I ask, are our lives glorifying God? What about our homes? Can we see Jesus in our homes? Let's meditate within that thought today as the International Gospel Hour is on the air.

J. Webb: It's time for our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. I'm J. Webb, and welcome to our study today as we embrace God's word to help us meet the challenges of today. Let's open our Bibles and open our hearts for this time of Bible study with our speaker Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour, a broadcast of the Churches of Christ. Here's Jeff.

Jeff Archey: Well, greetings and hello everyone. Great having you with us today here on our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. Also, I appreciate the kind intros by our J. Webb, and you'll hear J. throughout our broadcast. Tell you something I want to do for you, dear listener, from time to time I like to throw this in a broadcast. We are blessed with a number of great books by our friends at apologeticspress.org. And today, I want to send you a free copy of Dave Miller's "Why People Suffer."

It is a great book, and if you're struggling, you're suffering, you're hurting, I believe this book is just what you need. And it's free. That's right, no catch. All you do is call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name and address and just say "Suffer." That's all you have to say. You can also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab, and leave us the same information: your name, your address, and just type "Suffer" in the message box, and we will get that book out to you as soon as possible. It's a way to say thank you for listening to our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour, and we hope it will be of help to you.

Previous broadcasts have afforded us to examine the text of John 12:20-26. So I want to bring forth another thought from that text today, but let's consider John 12:20-26 as we read along, or as you listen as I share this with you. "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came and therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him saying, 'Sir, we would see Jesus.' Philip comes and tells Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them saying, 'The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone, but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honor.'"

Now please note the words of Jesus from this text: "The hour is come to glorify the Son." Let's think about glorifying Christ and let's define glorify, a word that means to magnify, to extol, to praise, to ascribe honor unto him. So let's ask from that definition: are our lives magnifying Christ? Do our lives praise Christ? Are we ascribing honor to him with our lives? Do we extol or continually exalt him? Now let's ask a little further. What about every member of your family? Your home. Are our lives glorifying the Son?

Imagine, friends, if we see Jesus in our homes, in every home. Would not our home lives be better with the influence of Jesus in our lives and following Jesus? Let's think on these things today, and we'll be back in a moment to continue that thought. But first, here's a good online offer from our J. Webb.

J. Webb: Please visit our fellow servants and friends at housetohouse.com. Take time to peruse and research your favorite Bible topic at housetohouse.com, and while there, please ask for a free copy of their publication, "House to House, Heart to Heart." It's there at housetohouse.com.

Jeff Archey: We would see Jesus. First of all, friends, let's see Jesus in the men. We're talking any man: husbands, fathers, single, whatever your status is in your household. You know, in Titus 2:1 and 2, Paul said to Titus, "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience." Now let's just start with the men of the household.

Give me a man that's sound due to the doctrine, the teaching, the word of God, that he knows the Bible—2 Timothy 3:16 and 17. Give me a man of faith who holds to the faith, the doctrine as reflected in Acts 6:7, Acts 16:5, and the doctrine to contend for in Jude 3. He is sober or self-controlled while he's building off his faith. The faithful man has a deep fear and respectful attitude toward God. He's serious in the moments that are needed. He's temperate with a life of faith that tempers those excessive desires that could consume his life and his faith.

Proverbs 25 or Proverbs 20, verse 5 says, "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out." Give me a man of love who seeks the welfare of everyone. Romans 15:2 says he will please his neighbor for his good edification. His faith is expressed in his love and his behavior. He's an honest man in his dealings, providing things honest—Romans 12:17—and he walks honestly—Romans 13:13.

He's a man of patience, which means the trials and afflictions that he faces, he honors God with them, reflecting James 1:2-4, Job 1, and 1 Timothy 6:11. He's got a calm and sensible attitude. The man has qualities that are sound in faith with love and patience. So I want to ask you, dear man, are you a man to whom others look unto? And we cannot help but to see once again the pattern of Christ of whom we should follow: 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1 and 1 Peter 2 and verse 21.

These are characteristics we want to see in the man, and we would see Jesus in every man. Let's move to the woman, whether a wife, a mother, you may be single. Your influence in your house, we continue in Titus 2:3-5: "The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Again, friends, likewise of the soundness of life. And to think about these ladies, and you know there is something special about women. You know, God saw it was not good for man to be alone. What did he do? He created woman—Genesis 1 and 2. Think of 1 Peter 3, verses 1 and 2: "Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or the lifestyle of the wives while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

We would see Jesus in the woman with proper behavior, reverent behavior as one who is holy because they were called to be holy—1 Peter 1:15 and 16. Women with proper speech, not slanderers or false accusers, but knowing a matter before they speak. Women with proper example. We see here not enslaved to much wine, or as the late David Lipscomb observed, the women of Crete were given to wine drinking, and to observe the fitness of the term "enslaved" and how the drunkard is thoroughly the slave of his appetite.

Individuals that come to their senses, they're moderate, they know how to control, to curb, and to discipline themselves. Women with proper teaching. We think of Matthew 28 and verse 19, how the context of older women instructing younger women and the younger women instructing their children. And you know, friends, that covers the majority of the world, does it not? What's that old saying? "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."

It is interesting to see the hierarchy, so to speak—the aged women to instruct the younger women. So give me women of faith that they are sound in their behavior, their speech, their example, and their teaching. So I ask you, dear lady, are you a woman to whom others look unto? It was Mary who said in Luke 1:38, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word," and the angel departed from her. Oh, we would see Jesus in the women in our household.

Now let's talk about we would see Jesus in the children, boys and girls. Proverbs 1 and 2 says, "Hear ye, children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law." Again, good doctrine, sound doctrine. Children that obey, as commanded in Ephesians 6:1-3. Children that are corrected, for what son is he whom the father does not chasten—Hebrews 12:7.

Children that will learn the ways of God, just as Jesus said in Luke 2:40, 49, "Know ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" And we think of the choice Solomon through inspiration taught to remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth—Ecclesiastes 12:1. Children that learn the ways of God, children that are respectful in their speech—Colossians 4, verse 6, even Titus 2 and verse 8, sound speech that cannot be condemned, and children that select their friends carefully—2 Timothy 2 and verse 22.

Let me ask you something, young people: are you one to whom others can look unto? And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man—Luke 2 and verse 52. What a great pattern to all of our boys and girls. Young people, do we see Jesus in you? Now, let's put it all together. The men, the women, the children, husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, boys, girls. We would see Jesus in every life, then we would see Jesus in the home. And oh, how the home needs Jesus.

Friends, before I go off the air, I do want to share one quick thing with you. Our J. Webb one more time about a free online Bible course that just might help you along this path, and I'll come back to wrap up our program today.

J. Webb: Our friends at International Bible Teaching Ministries have a great free online Bible course. Check it out at their website, ibtministries.org. While there, take a look at their biblically sound tracts and articles. Again, register free for your online Bible course that is waiting for you at ibtministries.org. That's ibtministries.org, and be sure to comment that you heard about it from the International Gospel Hour.

Jeff Archey: Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I'm Jeff Archey, and friends, keep listening.

J. Webb: Thank you for listening today. To God be the glory, and we hope that our study today will draw you closer to His word to walk in His way. Feel free to listen to our other programs at our website at internationalgospelhour.com and join us next time.