The family is the basic building block for society as a whole. I entitled my first sermon, introducing this series on Marriage and family, “The Day the Music Died.” I referred to it as the time when the family in the United States began its downward spiral. It began with the loose morals of the “pill” generation and continued downward encouraged and sometimes driven by the mass media that glorifies sex in so many different ways and mostly out of the context of marriage. The trends also introduced a wide tolerance for “alternate” lifestyles rather than upholding the sacredness of heterosexual marriage. Dennis Rainey, founder of Family Life Seminars, said, “This idea of moral tolerance has eroded the foundation of the American family and society. Many Americans today have little or no concept of how to maintain a successful marriage and how to raise children to become responsible adults. In addition, a growing number of educators, politicians, and members of the media are attacking and redefining the family, creating a vast amount of confusion about what a family is. Many people today proclaim that ‘family values’ are important, but the gradual shift to moral relativism has led to a great debate about what ‘family values’ ought to be.”

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.” I believe he was referring to a family built upon the biblical principles, designed by God, established to be permanent and exclusive. This is not what our political leaders promote today. As Zimmerman discovered in his study of civilizations that have appeared and disappeared upon the face of the earth, if any society wants to survive, it must uphold, strengthen, and continue to build up God’s specific program for marriage and the family.

The very family unit is the subject of three of the 10 commandments. Exodus 20:12 commands children to “honor your mother and father.” This command was established to solidify the family unit. Rebellion and dissent disrupts God’s purpose for the family. Exodus 20:14 commands, “thou shalt not commit adultery.” The very core of a family unit is the faithfulness of the marriage partners. God’s plan is that the integrity of that union never be compromised. The society itself rests upon this foundation. Then, towards the end, Exodus 20:17 informs us that God recognizes the disruptive nature of society when the family unit as well as its very property rights is threatened. It says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Marriage and family are divine institutions. They are sacred! My marriage and family is sacred to God and should be sacred to others. You’re marriage and family is sacred to God and is sacred to me and should be sacred to others.