THE FAMILY... BACK TO BASICS       	  Pastor Bob Chroninger 
Trinity C.U.  5-3-98 P.M. 		Genesis 2:7-25         A:\GEN2-7 
	Did you ever wonder how the "family" came to be?  Did you know that the
      "family" was (is) God's idea?  Do you realize that there is a vicious 
      (Satanic) attack on the family today?  The "social architects" are 
      presenting to us various "alternatives" to God's Idea... and the 
      pressure is on to be "politically correct". The very stability and 
      security of society depends upon strong family ties... and the moral 
      breakdown in the family will ultimately result in the decay and downfall
      of a strong society. The church must continually call its people and 
      society BACK TO THE BASICS.  So... what are they? 
I.  GOD MADE MAN... No accident or spontaneous generation... 
      Not A Process of  "evolution"
  A. He created the worlds and everything else... 
  B. He formed man... out of the dust of the ground
  C. He breathed life into man... man became a living soul 
  D. He made man in His image... though sin marred that image.. 
    1. And the man brought forth a son in his own likeness..Gen.5:1-3 
II.  GOD MADE "MAN" MALE AND FEMALE...  Gen.1:27 
  A. He Provided for Them... 
    1. Provided a "garden"...2:8-17 
    2. Provided a "Help" meet for him... 2:18, 21-23.. a "counterpart"
	- from a rib... not his head... or his feet !!
	- she was everything he needed to be "complete"
  B. He Planned for Them..  2:24 
    1. "Leave".. a man... not forsaking parents.. but a new unit of their own
    2. "Cleave".. to his wife.. commitment.. one man one woman - bound together
        until death itself 	separates.. Ro.7; 1Cor.7
      - then... free (not obligated) to marry "in the Lord" 1Cor.7:39 
	- divorce allowed... "because of the hardness of your heart" 
	- divorce not in God's original plan... Mat. 19:8;  Malachi 2:15,16 
    3. "One Flesh"
	- physical consummation of the marriage covenant...
	- propagation of the race.. Gen.1:28 
	- pleasure of the relationship..  1 Cor.7:2-5 
III.  GOD MADE THE FAMILY..  for good reasons... to produce and nurture
      children in the best possible setting! (And to provide full satisfaction 
      for Husband and Wife)
	"Life Without Father" by David Popenoe, Readers Digest 2-98 pgs. 65-69 
  A. The Situation...  By the turn of the century... 50% of American 
     children... no Dads 
    1. The problem?	 not death..... but divorce, disertion, and single
       parent births
    2. The product of  Fatherlessness... 
	- The success rate is lower for these children compared with widowed
        Moms
	- The (A) contributing factor in the explosion of girls becoming 
        sexually active so young 
	- The tripling of teen suicide
	- The high rate of alcohol and other drug abuse 
	- The drop in Scholastic Assessment Test Scores..-75 pts. 1960-90 
	- The tendency of teen age boys to get in trouble 
	- The rise of child neglect and abuse since 1976 
	- The increase of violence against women... etc, etc, etc.
   B. The Solution... 
    1. Marriage must be reestablished as a strong social institution 
	- Religious leaders must reclaim moral ground
	- Marriage counselors must favor traditional marriage 
	- The "tide" must be reversed..
 		"Nothing is more important for our children or for our future
              as a Nation"
WELL... IT'S BACK TO THE BASICS... OR "DOWN THE TUBES"
   LET'S LEAN ON GOD AND HIS WORD... INSTEAD OF OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.
   LET'S COMMIT OUR WAY TO THE LORD... HE KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US.
   LET'S ALLOW HIM TO BE LORD AND SAVIOR OF OUR LIVES....
 NOW! BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.