GOD’S THOUGHTS ABOUT HOUSEHOLDS

Ephesians 2:13-22; Acts 18:1-3,24-26

I was encouraged by the reference in prayer to speak about households. Our brother mentioned that our young brother and sister, in marrying today, have begun a household; it is a very important matter. If we are interested in a subject, it is good to see what Scripture says about it, indicating what God’s thoughts are about the matter. It is always good to look to see what Scripture tells us as to God’s thoughts. This passage in Ephesians refers to God’s household. The context of this scripture gives us some instruction as to the thoughts of God about households. His household is special; His household is the church. It is Jew and Gentile formed into one, reconciled by the blood of the cross. That is what the apostle says here. At one time the Gentiles were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but now in Christ Jesus “ye who once were afar off”, that is Gentiles like you and me, “are become nigh by the blood of the Christ”. Then Christ, by what He has done, has “broken down the middle wall of enclosure”; that is, what separated Jew and Gentile. Before that point in time, there were Jews and there were Gentiles, and Jews nationally and religiously did not have anything to do with Gentiles. But Christ came in and His work changed all of that; a notable feature of the Christian testimony at the beginning was that He formed “the two in himself into one new man”, as it says here.

God was pleased with that. God had His Man, the Lord Jesus. His coming into this scene and the laying down of that perfect life of His, involving His sacrifice and the blood of His cross, changed everything. It set aside these religious differences that had existed before and instead the two that had been so distinct, Jew and Gentile, were reconciled into one by the blood of the Christ. That is, believers are formed into one and they become, as the apostle says here, God’s household. What a dignity and blessedness marks God’s household! What dignity marks believers who have come to know the Lord Jesus, who have come to know for themselves the blessedness of the blood of His cross and are formed into the church, Christ’s assembly. The assembly is what God has in mind, and it is referred to here as God’s household; “ye are no longer strangers and foreigners”, no longer far from the light of God, but brought in by what God has done, as our brother has been saying, in making Himself fully known in the incoming of His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We live in a wonderful time when God has revealed Himself fully in one blessed Man. The Lord Jesus has loved us, and loves us now; He gave Himself for us so that we should become one in Him and should be here for Him and here for God. That is what God has in mind. He has in mind that He should have believers for Himself, referred to here as “fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God”. How dignified and blessed that is! It is the portion of every believer to know this and to enjoy it. God’s house reflects Himself, it speaks of Himself and He has set His Son over it. It says that He has set “Christ, as Son over his house, whose house are we” (Heb.3:6). The Lord Jesus gives character to what is for God. If we are to approach the Father it is “through him” and “by one Spirit”. The privileges that are available to believers in this time, in which through God’s mercy and sovereign grace we have been set, are immense – approaching and entering the very presence of God.

Thinking of the assembly as forming God’s household brings into our mind the idea of nearness to God. The assembly is that which is formed according to Him, because a household is to be according to the one who is over it. For God’s household, that of course is Christ. What is formed according to Christ is pleasing to God. God can take account of it as His household. What an elevated and dignified thought! God desires that all believers – and I trust everyone in this room is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ – should know the privileges of being included in His household and of drawing near to Him, approaching Him, coming into His presence. If there is anyone here who does not know the blessedness of the things that are spoken about in this chapter, now is the opportunity! This is not a gospel preaching, but we can speak to each other with hearts that are softened, and our hearts are particularly towards one another at a time like this. We would simply say that if there is any one here who does not know the incomparable, eternal blessedness of knowing the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, you can believe in Him now! God has wonderful blessings in mind.

I wanted to say these things to bring out how God cares about households. He cares about the household that our young brother and sister, in marrying today, have set up. It is very interesting to look at what is said about households in Scripture. There is a reference to Abraham and his household. Abraham was an influential man in his household and God knew that he would lead his household rightly (Gen.18:19) and that it would be committed to God’s interests here. Abraham was a reliable man and it is a fine thing when the head of a household is reliable before God. God takes account of that, as He did in relation to Abraham. God also had regard for households among the children of Israel. He made provision for the passover to be held in the house – that is, that the Lord Jesus and His precious death should be appreciated in households.

There are many references to households in Scripture. You get Rahab’s household; it was her father’s house but she had faith and that whole house was saved by Rahab’s faith. A household of faith is a sphere of salvation. Our brother who has just spoken was referring to Moses: Amram and Jochebed, Moses’ parents, formed a household of faith and they took action to ensure the salvation of their house and God blessed them in it. Then in New Testament times, households were greatly used in supporting the work of the apostle Paul.

We have read about one of these households in the Acts, the household of Priscilla and Aquila. It is interesting to read the six references to Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18, in Romans 16, in 1 Corinthians 16 and in 2 Timothy 4. You will find that Priscilla and Aquila are referred to six times. On three occasions Aquila, the husband, comes first and on three occasions, Priscilla is mentioned first. It was a household where husband and wife worked very closely together for the furtherance of the testimony and for the glory of the Lord Jesus. I simply wanted to draw out here some features of a household that is available to the Lord for service, first of all for the furtherance of the testimony as spoken of by the apostle Paul.

He was a vessel of the testimony, remarkably used, and he came to Corinth. Humanly speaking, he did not know what he would find there, for Corinth had quite a reputation as a city. Paul came there to preach the gospel and he found a household already there that was devoted to the Lord Jesus. What a strong point that was! A household devoted to the Lord Jesus in faith in Him and love for Him is a strong point for the Lord. He can use it for blessing and for His own glory. I think Aquila and Priscilla were available in that way, and I would encourage our dear young brother and sister, and all of us who have households, to hold them for the Lord and for His glory and for the blessing of His people. That is what Aquila and Priscilla did. They made room for Paul and took him in and they worked together, in a natural way. They worked together in a spiritual way too. We can see that in the way they were able to help Apollos, who was a mighty man. In tenderness, grace and love they took him to themselves and unfolded the truth that they had absorbed from Paul, and instructed him.

What an encouragement it is to see a brother and sister, a husband and wife, devoted to the Lord individually, coming together, for “Two are better than one”, Eccles.4:9. It is a matter of strength in the things of the Lord. You might say, You are setting a very high standard in all of that; is this possible to attain? It is, because God never sets forth a thought of His without providing the power to fulfil it. He makes things possible by and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Looking at our side and our responsibility, I believe all things are possible to those who love and are devoted to the Lord Jesus and who put Him first. We have had reference to that already in prayer. That is an immensely strengthening thing in the moral history of a household, where husband and wife love the Lord Jesus and put Him first. Such a household is reliable and strong, and of immense value. I commend that to our young brother and sister and to all of us, that we might desire to be here for Him and for His glory and His pleasure and for the strengthening and blessing of the testimony. May these thoughts encourage us, for His name’s sake.

Alistair M Brown