← Back to sermon library

to Deuteronomy chapter 6. Deuteronomy 
chapter six. This morning's sermon is gonna 
be more of a topical sermon, but we'll certainly be looking 
at Deuteronomy six. So I thought it would be a good 
chapter to read, to frame our minds and hearts aright with 
reference to the subject matter at hand. So beginning in chapter 
six in verse one. Now this is the commandment and 
these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded 
to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are 
crossing over to possess. that you may fear the Lord your 
God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I 
command you, you and your son and your grandson all the days 
of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore, 
hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be 
well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord 
God of your fathers has promised you, a land flowing with milk 
and honey. Here, O Israel, the Lord our 
God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your 
strength. And these words which I command you today shall be 
in your heart. You shall teach them diligently 
to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your 
house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you 
rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they 
shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them 
on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. So it shall 
be when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which he 
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you 
large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full 
of all good things which you did not fill, hewn out wells 
which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did 
not plant. When you have eaten and are full, then beware, lest 
you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 
from the house of bondage. You shall fear the Lord your 
God and serve him, and shall take oaths in his name. You shall 
not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all 
around you. For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you. 
Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and 
destroy you from the face of the earth. You shall not tempt 
the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. You shall diligently 
keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies 
and His statutes, which He has commanded you. And you shall 
do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it 
may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the 
good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, to cast out 
all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken. 
when your son asks you in time to come, saying, what is the 
meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which 
the Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your 
son, we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought 
us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord showed signs 
and wonders before our eyes, great and severe against Egypt, 
Pharaoh, and all his household. Then he brought us out from there 
that he might bring us in to give us the land of which he 
swore to our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to 
observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord, our God, for our 
good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is this day. Then 
it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe 
all these commandments before the Lord, our God, as he has 
commanded us. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we ask now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to guide us 
and direct us as we consider various passages in Holy Scripture. 
I just pray, God in heaven, that you would strengthen this church, 
strengthen us as a local body, but strengthen us as well as 
individuals and as families. And grant us the grace to be 
faithful in a situation where there's so much enmity against 
the living and the true God. Give us grace to be faithful 
in the midst of a generation that has very little concern 
for the God of heaven and earth. And give us grace to be faithful 
in rearing our little ones unto you. God, bring them up in the 
training and the admonition of the Lord, as this is so essential 
and so important. And God, we pray, we cry out 
to you for the grace necessary to do these very things. Forgive 
us now for all of our sin and unrighteousness, and fill us 
with your Spirit. Guide us by your Spirit. And 
we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I want to encourage 
the brothers in the church. Remember, ladies, I said on Mother's 
Day we hammer the women, and on Father's Day we encourage 
the men, because it's typically the opposite when it comes to 
evangelical and reform. Mothers get special treatment, 
and fathers get the mallet from the pulpit. So we're going to 
do things a bit differently. Actually, this is for husbands 
and wives. It regards the worship of God 
in private families. Now when we come to Scripture, 
we see this practice in the Bible. But what we do not have is a 
particular verse that says, this is how you must engage in it. The same Bible that tells us 
not to take away from the Word of God, tells us not to add to 
the Word of God. So I want to give encouragement, 
I want to give some practical suggestions, but the reality 
is, is that you should do this is obvious. How you should do 
it is up to you before God Most High. When it comes to good ideas, 
if not checked, they become bad laws. I remember about 16 months 
ago, not coughing on one another and making sure our hands were 
clean has now evolved into a situation that I would have never envisaged. 
We have a good idea that has become a bad law. Well, the same 
thing happens in the church. Well-meaning, well-intentioned 
preachers say good things, but then they back it up as if it's 
a divine requirement. I don't want to do that. I think 
legalism or neonomianism is one of the biggest threats facing 
the church today, and I certainly don't want to contribute to that 
or add to it. So I want to look first at the 
biblical emphasis on family worship, and then secondly, the practical 
elements involved in family worship. And again, no one text that says, 
this is how thou must do this, but rather, hopefully, some practical 
suggestions. But with reference to the biblical 
emphasis, we're gonna look first at the Old Testament, and then 
secondly, briefly, at the New Testament. But turn back for 
just a moment to Genesis chapter 18. If you're taking notes and 
you want the six particulars that we're gonna look at with 
reference to the Old Testament, we have the purpose for Abraham 
in Genesis 18, the command for Israel in Deuteronomy 6, the 
practice of Joshua in Joshua 24, the assumption of the Psalms, 
and fourthly, Fifth, the emphasis in the Proverbs, and then we'll 
end with some negative examples too, specifically from the former 
prophets. But notice in chapter 18 in the 
book of Genesis, the Lord's unwillingness to hide from Abraham that he's 
going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham is a friend of God, he 
is a prophet of God, and so God wants to include him on the information 
concerning what will happen in Sodom and Gomorrah. Notice the 
Lord's covenantal purpose for Abraham in verse 18. Since Abraham 
shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations 
of the earth shall be blessed in him. reminiscent of Genesis 
12, when God calls Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and he 
tells him to leave his family, leave his home, leave his land, 
and he will inherit the nations as his possession. Not him specifically, 
but rather his seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the Lord's 
intimate knowledge of Abraham there in verse 19. For I have 
known him, in order that he may command his children and his 
household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to 
do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham 
what he has spoken to him." So with reference to this intimate 
connection between Yahweh and Abraham, God knows specifically 
how Abraham conducts himself with reference to his household. 
Abraham had been brought up an idolater. Abraham had been brought 
up in the Chaldeans. Abraham had been brought up a 
stranger to the grace of God Most High. But Abraham has now 
been conquered by that grace and Abraham is all in. He trains 
his servants, he trains his children, he trains those around him in 
terms of religion, in terms of the way of approach to the true 
and living God. And notice specifically what 
is highlighted. He commands his children and 
household to keep the way of Yahweh, but then specifically 
to command his children and household to do righteousness and justice. 
Have you ever wondered why in Micah chapter 6, when the children 
of Israel are trying to figure out what God has against them, 
and they say something to the effect, shall we bring our firstborn 
as sacrifice before the living God? God says through the prophet 
Micah, chapter six, verse eight, he has shown you, oh man, what 
is good and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, 
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Well that was 
predated from Micah's prophecy all the way back here to the 
practice of Abraham. He taught his children, he taught 
his servants, he taught his family and his household with reference 
to the service of God Most High. Now this is proleptically, he 
is going to have a great deal and he is going to do this to 
be sure. Now notice secondly the command for Israel which 
we read there in Deuteronomy chapter 6. Most instructive, 
most important, to see that the nation of Israel was to be regulated 
by the Word of God. Not regulated by emotion, not 
regulated by feeling, not regulated by irrationality or criminality, 
but rather they were to be regulated by the Word of God. Notice what 
they would confess as their central confession according to verse 
4. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall 
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 
and with all your strength. In light of who God is, that 
is legit. In light of who God is and what 
he has done for us, this is the necessary implication. Therefore, 
love him. Paul does the same thing in Romans 
chapter 12. Therefore, beloved, by the mercies 
of God, I beseech you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, 
which is your reasonable and rational service." In other words, 
if Romans 1 to 11 is true, and it is, if it is the reality that 
Christ has saved us from our sins, that justification by faith 
is the reality, then what is the necessary or logical implication? that you are to present your 
bodies to him. You're to live in a certain way 
that is well-pleasing in his sight. Terms of sanctification. You live like one who has been 
justified freely by God's grace. And so the same thing is true 
here. We have this one true and living God, and the response 
is, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your 
soul, and with all your strength. But then notice the necessity 
to internalize that truth in verse six. It can't just be catechetical. Though catechism is important, 
it needs to be experiential. It not only needs to be up here, 
but it needs to be in here and actually forget that because 
these are the same. Heart and head are interchangeable 
in scripture. The idea being is it's not just 
theory only, but it's application. It's not just something out there 
cognitively, but it's something that we hold true to. Notice 
in verse six, these words, which I command you today, shall be 
in your heart." In other words, what God is doing here on the 
plains of Moab through Moses functioning as a prophet, preparing 
the children of Israel to take the land by conquest, is to be 
something that they hold on to. It is something that governs 
them. It is something that they delight in. It is something that 
they rejoice in. And then notice in verse 7, you 
shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk 
of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, 
when you lie down, and when you rise up. So there is that individual 
emphasis in verse 6. The words which I command you 
today shall be in your heart. There is the family insistence 
or the family emphasis there in verse 7. Verses 8 and 9 indicate 
again, individual and societal. So verse 8, you shall bind them 
as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between 
your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house 
and on your gates. Again, the societal application, 
the law of God governed the land of Israel. That was the purpose, 
that was the emphasis, and that is what is enjoined upon the 
people here. But in terms of instructing our 
children, God does not say, do it if you think it might help. 
Do it if you think it might be beneficial. Do it if you have 
the time. There are certain things in life, 
brethren, that you make time for. and you make time for instructing 
your children in the truth concerning the living God. You don't just 
sort of tack it on. You don't just sort of add it 
on. You don't just say, well, you know, we didn't get around 
to it today. There's times of formal instruction. What we'll 
argue later is the use of a family altar. I don't mean in a papist 
sense, but in terms of gathering the family together and worshipping 
God together. There should be those formal 
times. There should be those seasons. There should be that 
emphasis on the part of fathers and mothers to instruct their 
little ones in the true and saving religion. If we do not, brethren, 
If we do not seek to address or counteract the prevailing 
philosophies of our generation, it will be ruinous. These poor 
kids, and I don't mean poor in the sense that they are judicially 
or that they are not sinners, they're not in Adam, but these 
poor kids are faced with threats and faced with temptations that 
some of us weren't. We didn't carry around phones. We didn't have access to the 
internet. We didn't have all those things 
that can be used successfully, can be managed effectively, can 
be helpful in terms of life. It's a wonderful way to, you 
know, find your way in a GPS. But there's a whole lot of things 
attached to those particulars that we need to guard our children 
against. And the way to do that is by 
instructing them in the truth of God's holy word. So seasons 
of formal instruction, a family altar, but then informal, when 
you rise up, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when 
you go to the zoo, you point to the giraffe and you tell your 
little son or your grandson, isn't that an amazing thing that 
God made? See, we seek by grace to bring 
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ. 
We don't just say, well, let them figure it out. I've heard 
parents say that before. They're even doing that with 
gender now. Well, when they're three and they can figure out 
whatever gender they want to be. That is nonsensical. That is absolute folly. What 
hole have we fallen into societally where somebody actually thinks 
that's a good idea? I guarantee you no parent that 
has any ounce of intelligence takes their newborn baby that 
just starts to learn how to roll and puts them in the middle of 
the bed without pillows around them. Well, you know, if he rolls 
off, that's just the way it goes. I mean, it's not the end of the 
world if a kid happens to roll off the bed, mother, so don't 
freak out that way. But we don't do that. And yet 
when it comes to religion, when it comes to God, well, we'll 
let Johnny or Junior figure out his own way. No. Because the 
world doesn't operate that way. They're indoctrinating. The devil 
is active. He roams about like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour. He has infiltrated all manner 
of places within popular culture and society. You don't think 
that he's not actively engaged in trying to corrupt your child 
with false religion, with cultism, occultism? with humanism, with 
all the prevailing philosophies that are anti-God. If we are 
not going to step in the gap, if we are not going to exercise 
the stewardship that God Most High has entrusted to us, then 
we need to repent. We need to stop that attitude 
and we need to understand that these children, if we're not 
indoctrinating them, Someone else is going to. And I don't 
personally as a father and grandfather want somebody else doing that 
unless of course they happen to go to our church and I know 
them and love them and trust them. This is a horrible situation 
that we are facing today. And it is certainly not the case 
that parents can abdicate responsibility when it comes to this most crucial 
element in terms of the religious education of their children. 
Notice as well later on in the chapter, verse 20, when your 
son asks you in time to come saying, what is the meaning of 
the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord 
your God or Lord our God has commanded you? Notice what you're 
not supposed to say. Well, I don't know. I wasn't 
paying attention. I don't know. That's for pastors and theologians. 
I don't know. That's for seminary students. 
I don't know. That's for the reformed church. 
I don't know. I don't care. I'm not going to 
engage in this. That's not what the father does. 
The son throws the ball over the plate. The father takes the 
whack at it. When your son asks you, why do 
we do what you do? Answer him. Tell him. We fear the true and living God. He has saved us by his grace 
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He has published his 
law. It is perfect. It is a reflection 
or revelation of his perfections. And because we break that law, 
he sent his son to die, to live, to die, and to rise again. If 
your kid asks you, tell him. Indoctrinate him. The enemy certainly 
wants to. Notice thirdly, the practice 
of Joshua. Joshua chapter 24. Joshua chapter 
24. So the children of Israel, if 
we're following the Bible, have left the plains of Moab. In Deuteronomy, 
they enter into the promised land in the book of Joshua. They are told to go in and conquer 
the land. They are then told to divide 
the land. And then they are told to retain 
the land. And that's the emphasis in the 
latter chapters. So Joshua renews the covenant 
with God at Shechem in chapter 24. And then Joshua lays down 
the gauntlet as it were. He sounds like Jesus in Matthew 
12. He who is not with me is against me. He sounds like Elijah 
at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings chapter 18. How long will you falter 
between two options? If God is God, serve him. If 
Baal is God, then serve him. You can't bring this half-hearted, 
this sort of divided attention and think you're doing any good. 
So notice what Joshua does in chapter 24 at verse 14. Now, 
therefore, fear Yahweh, serve him in sincerity and in truth, 
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side 
of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord, and if it seems 
evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day 
whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served 
that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the 
Amorites in whose land you dwell. Again, he's not actually advertising 
for those false gods. He's not saying, you know, that's 
an option out there, go ahead. He is laying down the emphasis 
that I mentioned. He was not with me, he's against 
me. How long will you stumble between two opinions? If God 
is God, then serve him. If Baal is God, then serve him. 
So he's laying it down, he's making it clear, but then notice 
how he underscores his own conduct. He says, but as for me and my 
house, we will serve the Lord. Now you need to understand something, 
brethren. You are busy men. I have been very encouraged over 
the years and very blessed to see the work ethic that is demonstrated 
in this church. It is a wonderful thing to see 
hard-working men. But you haven't been tasked with 
invading Canaan and killing people and breaking things. That is 
a full-time job, and nevertheless, Joshua was able to inculcate 
in his children the fear of God. He taught them the truth as it 
is in Jesus. This idea that, well, I'm too 
busy. There are seasons, to be sure, 
that are extra busy. But don't take it from your family. Rather, take it from yourself 
in terms of time. In other words, neglect your 
own situation before you neglect your wife and your children. 
That just makes good sense. You may think, well, I don't 
know if I can do it. Joshua did it. Joshua was faithful. Joshua was a military commander 
that was tasked with dispossessing the land of Canaan of the Canaanites. I think I've told you before, 
he didn't do it through a Facebook campaign. He didn't do it through 
social media. He didn't say, we want all the 
Canaanites to go ahead and leave now because Israel is here. No, 
he went in there as a military commander and he did what God 
had called him to do. Matthew Henry makes the wise 
and sage observation. He says Joshua was a ruler, a 
judge in Israel, yet he did not make his necessary application 
to public affairs an excuse for the neglect of family religion. 
And I don't want to bind anyone's consciences. There are things, 
circumstances, seasons of difficulty and trial, and you certainly 
don't need me to harangue you and say, oh, you're just a terrible 
person. But on the other hand, brethren, if we want and we believe 
that it is good to instruct our children in the fear and admonition 
of the Lord, we will make time for it. We will certainly seek, 
by God's grace, to maintain fidelity in this aspect of family religion. Again, understanding that if 
we're not indoctrinating them, someone will be. And that someone 
that will be hates God, despises Jesus Christ, wants to shut churches, 
wants to put pastors in prison, wants to engage in all sorts 
of mayhem. Now notice fourthly, in terms 
of the assumption in the Psalms, we already read at the outset 
in Psalm 22, notice in verses 30 and 31, a posterity shall 
serve him. How could that be the case? It's 
the case because they took seriously, not every Israelite, but some 
of the Israelites, the remnant that was faithful, took seriously 
the mandate in Deuteronomy 6. They instructed their children. 
They taught them the law. They pointed them to the great 
redemptive act of God in terms of the Exodus. They were faithful. And as a result, David can say 
in verse 30, a posterity shall serve him. It will be recounted 
of the Lord to the next generation. They will come and declare his 
righteousness to a people who will be born that he has done 
this. One of our brothers prayed, I 
think it was last Sunday morning. We don't want a one generation 
church. We don't want it. I mean, if 
that's all we're going to get, praise God, it's better than 
not having any church. We want two generations, three 
generations. four generations. We want to 
see our sons rise up and go faithfully into ministry of the word. We 
want to see that sort of thing happen. Well, it's not gonna 
happen if we just passively and idly sit by and let the world 
train our children to actually despise God Almighty. A posterity 
shall serve him. Look at Psalm 78. Psalm 78. Again, this is an assumption 
in this altar. Psalm 78 verses four to seven. Verse four, we will not hide 
them from their children, telling to the generation to come the 
praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that 
he has done. For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed 
a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should 
make them known to their children, that the generation to come might 
know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise 
and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope 
in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. 
You see, there is something larger than just us. There is the passing 
of the baton. There's the instruction concerning 
Bible and doctrine that we give to these children. There is something 
greater than just ourselves. And if we don't value that and 
prize that, we're not going to operate consistently with the 
principle. And then notice in Psalm 145, Psalm 145, same emphasis 
in verse four, one generation shall praise your works to another 
and shall declare your mighty acts. Again, it's assumed by 
the psalmist that the people of God who have been blood bought 
by the Lord Jesus Christ are going to do this. Imagine, men, 
women, you have a hobby. I bet your children know what 
that hobby is. I bet they see your delight in 
it. I bet they see your desire for it. I'm not suggesting that 
religion or Christianity or doctrine in the Bible is simply a hobby. 
It's far greater than that. So if they know you like stamp 
collecting, they better know you love the triune God. They 
better know that you subscribe to the Old and New Testaments. 
They better know that you affirm that all Scripture is given by 
inspiration of God, and that it's profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. 
If they don't know you're a stamp collector, but they know that 
you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you'll hear on that 
day, well done, good and faithful servant. You can make it through 
life without teaching your kids about stamp collecting. I can 
amen that 100%. Notice fifthly, the emphasis 
in Proverbs. This would be a whole sermon, 
I'm just gonna highlight a few points. Proverbs 1, 8. Proverbs 2.1, Proverbs 3.1, Proverbs 
4.1, Proverbs 5.1, Proverbs 6.1, Proverbs 7.1. Solomon is instructing 
his successors. Solomon is instructing his sons. Yes, he wants to equip them for 
their future accession to the throne, but he wants them to 
function in daily life in a way that is pleasing to God Almighty. 
So over and over and over again, he says, my son, my son, my son. What does that emphasize? Again, 
Solomon is a king. Solomon is reigning over Israel, 
a consolidated kingdom. This isn't the divided monarchy. 
It's not that he just has the 10 northern tribes of the two 
southern tribes. This is a united monarchy. The 
temple is built. Solomon has done great work in 
terms of the sort of typological kingdom of God on earth. And 
yet he has all this time to instruct his children. Not that he has 
all this time. He makes the time so that he 
can instruct them. And the one specific passage 
is one I know we all know in Proverbs chapter 22, verse six, 
train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old, 
he will not depart from it. What is he assuming there? He's 
assuming that we love our children. He's assuming that we want the 
best for our children. And as the blood-bought children 
of God, we know what the best is. And we know the best is the 
service of God Most High. We know the best is believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. We know the best 
is a commitment to and an allegiance to the word of the living God. 
And so we will train them up in that way with the confident 
expectation that when he is old, he will not depart from it. Now, 
in terms of the negative examples, turn back to 1 Samuel. You've 
got it in Eli and you've got it in Samuel. But in 1 Samuel 
2, we get a picture of Eli's sons, and they're not good guys. 
They happen to function as priests at the tabernacle, and they were 
just not good fellows. People would come to offer up 
their sacrifices of meat, and these guys would take a big three-pronged 
fork and put it in there and take out a bunch of meat for 
themselves. It taught Israel to despise the sacrificial system. That's not good. The sacrificial 
system was to point Israel to the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world. They were supposed to esteem 
it. They were supposed to revere it. They were supposed to delight 
in it. And yet these sons of Eli did this sort of thing. But 
not only did they steal the sacrificial meat of others, Which, brethren, 
if you ever find yourself stealing someone's sacrifice, you've hit 
a low point in your life. You are in an abysmal place of 
wretchedness and depravity. Just like in Malachi, they were 
bringing the lame and the blind and the defective animals, and 
even stealing animals when they were going to sacrifice at the 
temple. Again, if you're stealing a sacrifice 
to offer up to God, you're in the bottom of the barrel. You 
need to claw your way out of it and stop that kind of behavior. 
But with reference to these sons of Eli, not only did they steal 
the sacrifices, but they lay with women at the tabernacle. 
So just wretched, horrible people. But if you look at 1 Samuel 2.12, 
this is the core of the issue. They did not know Yahweh. In 
other words, they did not know experientially the God of heaven 
and earth, and as a result of that, the symptomatic sinful 
expression was the stealing of sacrifice and the laying with 
women. With reference to Eli, he knew or had at least some 
knowledge of what they were doing, and he didn't stop them. Now, 
I think this is a terrifying passage. I referred to Ezekiel 
9 a few weeks ago, and so that's one of the terrifying passages 
of Scripture. Well, so is 1 Samuel 3. Look 
specifically at what Samuel is told. Verse 11, then the Lord 
said to Samuel, Behold, I will do something in Israel at which 
both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day, 
I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning 
his house from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will 
judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because 
his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain them." 
Now get this, Eli can't change their hearts. He is not sovereign. He can't make them believers. 
He can't make them actual knowers of the Lord, but he can restrain 
their behavior. And brethren, that is something 
that is imperative upon the people of God today. As Reformed believers, 
we know it doesn't depend upon him who wills or upon him who 
runs, but on God who shows mercy. John tells us concerning the 
Word, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man, but of God. We cannot change their hearts, 
brethren, but we, by God's grace, ought to seek to restrain the 
lawlessness that they often engage in. See, this idea is very important 
today as I survey the scene. Raising decent human beings is 
a lost art. Again, we can't save them, we 
can't regenerate them, but by God's grace, we ought to restrain 
in such a way that at least we're sending decent people out in 
the world. Decent human being is an underrated 
category today. We don't want our human beings 
that flow from our loins thrashing Portland, tearing down statues 
and engaging in absolute lawlessness and rebellion. That's not acceptable. Well, by God's grace, we ought 
not to be an Eli because Eli was condemned for having not 
restrained them. Now, brethren, don't beat yourselves 
up. I mean, there's sin that our kids engage in. There's sins 
that no doubt they got away with. Wait till your kids are older 
and you have that discussion sometime. It's quite enlightening. You mean we didn't restrain you 
as much as we thought we were? But it's the overarching tenor 
of his life. He didn't care. He wasn't engaged. He wasn't involved. He was lazy 
when it came to the actual instruction of and the restraint of his sons. And then notice in chapter eight, 
chapter eight in 1 Samuel. And again, this is with Samuel. 
We don't have a statement that he did not restrain his sons. 
So we need to be somewhat cautious here. But I wanna show you something 
that this served in Israel's history. Verse one, chapter eight. Now it came to pass when Samuel 
was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name 
of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second Abijah. 
They were judges in Beersheba, but his sons did not walk in 
his ways. They turned aside after dishonest 
gain, took bribes and perverted justice. Not good. In fact, bad, 
we would say. But look at the effect it had 
upon Israel according to verse 5. It says, And they said to 
him... These are the elders of Israel 
gathered together. They come to Samuel at Ramah. 
And they said to him, Look, you are old, and your sons do not 
walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us 
like all the nations. That was the predicate to see 
their sons or the sons of Samuel engaged in lawlessness. They 
cry out, we want a king just like the other nations. Now, 
for those of you who have perhaps missed it over the last six months, 
I've tried to show in a few instances where the government can't always 
be trusted. I know that's a tough one, and 
I know it stretches the limits of credulity today, but there 
are times, say for instance, the beasts in Revelation chapter 
13. certain kings in the nation of 
Judah, certain kings in Babylon, certain kings throughout the 
world, and various other expressions. Notice what Samuel says is going 
to happen in their request for a king. Look at 1 Samuel 8, 10. 
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who 
asked him for a king. And he said, this will be the 
behavior of the king who will reign over you. He will take 
your sons and appoint them for His own chariots and to be His 
horsemen, and some will run before His chariots. He will appoint 
captains over His thousands and captains over His fifties, will 
set some to plow His ground and reap His harvest, and some to 
make His weapons of war and equipment for His chariots. He will take 
your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers, and He will 
take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive 
groves, and give them to His servants. He will take a tenth 
of your grain and your vintage and give it to His officers and 
servants, and he will take your male servants, your female servants, 
your finest young men and your donkeys and put them to his work. 
He will take a tenth of your sheep and you will be his servants." 
It's a horrible depiction of what the king is going to look 
like with reference to Israel. So again, this idea that civil 
government will only always do the best thing is simply not 
biblical. But the connection that you need 
to see in this instance is that Samuel's sons were a living testimony 
to the nation of Israel that we would rather have a king like 
the nations around us than to have these corrupt fellows over 
us. It is a horrible and wretched 
thing. Now, when it comes to Samuel, 
again, we don't have a statement that he did not restrain them, 
so I want to be somewhat careful in overstepping here. So those 
are some negative examples. Now in terms of the New Testament, 
there's just not a whole lot of data there with reference 
to this particular point. But what is there is absolutely 
crucial. Turn first to Ephesians chapter 
6. Ephesians chapter 6. We have 
the command by Paul and then we have the example of Timothy. in terms of family religion, 
the worship of God in private families. Ephesians 6, 4, and 
you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring 
them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. The similar situation 
is in Colossians 3, 21. You have, do not provoke your 
children, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. In other words, they're not playthings. 
You're not to be capricious. You're not to be arbitrary. You're 
not to engage in sort of lawlessness in terms of training up your 
children. And then the emphasis falls specifically on act and 
on word with reference to a father's instruction of his children. 
Notice what Paul says. but bring them up in the training 
and admonition of the Lord." That first word training, paideia, 
emphasizes actions and admonition emphasizes words. And notice 
that it's all to be done with reference to the Lord. In other 
words, there is a scope, a sphere of Christian behavior and ethics 
that you're supposed to operate in. And that extends even, yes, 
even to the rearing of your children. Ken Harms was here, he would 
remind me, we raise cattle, we rear children. When you rear 
your children, it is in the Lord. It is to be the training and 
the admonition of the Lord, both by word and action, you're to 
instruct them concerning the God of heaven and earth. That 
is crystal clear. It's plain evident, it's obvious. 
You fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring 
them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Now turn over to 
2 Timothy, 2 Timothy 1, just to see this in the life of Timothy. Remember, Timothy had... a Greek 
father, but he had a Jewish mother. In Acts chapter 16, this was 
the reason why Paul had him circumcised when they went into certain Jewish 
regions, so as not to cause unnecessary offense. But notice in chapter 
1, 2 Timothy, at verse 3, I thank God whom I serve with a pure 
conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember 
you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, 
being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy 
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, 
which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, 
and I am persuaded is in you also. What a great heritage! What a good thing to have a good 
mother and a good grandmother who tutored Timothy in the sacred 
scriptures. And we know they did that because 
of 2 Timothy chapter 3. Look at what he says in verse 
15, and that from childhood, you have known the holy scriptures. In view primarily is the Old 
Testament. So you had Lois and Eunice training 
Timothy in terms of Old Testament religion. What was the content 
of that Old Testament religion? Blood atonement by our Lord Jesus 
Christ. In other words, a neglect of 
the Old Testament is a neglect of blood atonement by our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Look at what he says. And that 
from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are 
able. The Holy Scriptures, identified specifically here as the Old 
Testament, which are able to make you wise for salvation through 
faith which is in Christ Jesus. You had the promise of Messiah 
to be believed on in the Old Testament. You had the blood 
atonement from our blessed Christ applied, according to Hebrews 
9.15, retrospectively. In other words, everybody that's 
entered into the presence of God Most High does so through 
the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. So Paul sees 
this faith in Timothy. Paul sees this faith as having 
been given by God, but having been nurtured into play by his 
grandmother and mother. And he says to him, you have 
known the sacred scriptures from your youth. So I believe the 
emphasis in the scripture, again, that you should do this is obvious. How you do this is up to you 
and God. Now, in terms of some practical 
elements, again, not laws, you must do this because Jim Butler 
said so. I know there's books out there 
on helps to a devotional life that become law manuals. I remember 
at one point in my Christianity feeling a bit off because I didn't 
journal for Jesus. Well, I'm sorry, there's nothing 
in the scripture that tells me I have to journal for Jesus. 
If you want to journal for Jesus, you're free to journal for Jesus, 
but don't make that a law for those of us who don't want to 
journal for Jesus. See, we can take a good idea 
and make it a bad law. We can take a good idea or a 
preference and make it somebody else's commandment. This is killing 
churches. This is so... horrible, that 
we take something that the Lord has shown us, and we want to 
make sure everybody else knows it. And we even have Facebook 
now and Twitter to make sure everybody does know it, and how 
it is the case that I'm such a holy and pious and righteous 
man. No, brethren, live unto God and 
seek to be faithful. Here's some things that I want 
to commend to your conscience. In the first place, the commitment 
to public worship. Now, that may seem a bit counterintuitive. It's on family worship, and you're 
telling us to be committed to public worship. That's because 
you're a pastor, and you make the big bucks when everybody 
shows up, because that's what the people said in the paper, 
right? That's not it. If you do not have regard for 
the church of Jesus Christ, if you do not have regard for the 
public worship of the triune God, do you think your children 
are? In other words, there are some lessons that are better 
caught than taught. We certainly teach them, but 
we want them to catch it as well. And with reference to our approach 
to religion, with reference to our approach to the Lord's day, 
we either A, Psalm 120 to it, I was glad when they said unto 
me, let us go to the house of the Lord, or we whine, grumble 
and complain because we have to go to church. Don't you think 
that your children will pick up the distinction? They'll pick 
up the difference? I mean, they're not brain surgeons. 
I'm not granting that. But they're not complete ignoramuses 
either. They can discern that sort of 
energy. And if you are portraying this 
idea that, oh, it's church again, then that's not going to commend 
church to your children. Listen to the psalmist. Yahweh 
loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 
You know, we all love the Puritans. Do you know there was a Puritan 
by the name of David Clarkson who preached a sermon with this 
title? Public worship to be preferred before private. Listen to that 
public worship to be preferred before private. This is a very 
individualistic privatized day that we live in. Oh, it's all 
about my quiet time. It's about my devotional life. 
It's about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is about 
covenanting together. It is about pressing forward 
one with another. Brethren, this morning, and I'm 
not always into this, but when I was praying for the brothers 
here, specifically brothers, in terms of our church, I praise 
God for this church. This church has helped me tremendously. This church has been great in 
terms of benefit. This church is where I want to 
be. And in terms of church, that's 
the message we wanna commend to our children. If it's not 
this church, find the church that you can commend to your 
children because it is that important. As well, we need to appreciate 
the dignity of the Church, Acts 20, 28, the Church of God, which 
He purchased with His own blood. We don't treat lightly that which 
Christ purchased with His own blood, and neither should we 
teach our children to treat it lightly either. And then in 1 
Timothy 3, we learn that it's the house of God. And then we 
have, of course, the prohibition against forsaking the church. 
Hebrews 10, 25, I'm sure you've heard this over the last little 
while. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is 
the manner of some, but exhorting one another in so much the more 
as you see the day approaching. See, brethren, there is a corporate 
dimension to our Christianity called the church that we, get 
rid of to our own hurt and our hindrance. Our confession of 
faith says, but God is to be worshiped everywhere in spirit 
and in truth, as in private families daily, and in secret, each one 
by himself, so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which 
are not carelessly nor willfully to be neglected or forsaken when 
God by his word or providence calleth thereto. and Terry Johnson 
in a very helpful book. Some of you might be new to this. 
Wow, what do I do? Well, Terry Johnson's written 
a book called The Family Worship Book. And he says simply, the 
first and primary key to your family's spiritual health is 
a commitment to the weekly public worship services of the church. That's a big one. That's huge. Do we want to raise a generation 
of people that hate the church? Well, of course we don't. But 
do we want to raise a generation of people who can take or leave 
the church? Of course we don't. One of the 
greatest tragedies we've witnessed over the last several months 
is this idea that church is somehow not essential. Ask any blood-bought 
believer whether or not the church is essential. Actually, that's 
probably too ambitious. Don't do that. Ask those who 
have a proper conception. See, brethren, I think there 
are blood-bought believers out there that have not been taught. 
They have not had the scriptures faithfully preached to them. 
They've not been shown or it's not been demonstrated the very 
emphasis of God in terms of church life. It is central in his redemptive 
plan. And if it's this attitude of 
I can take it or leave it, we're gonna pass that attitude on to 
another generation that's going to be ultimately pastoral nightmares. The idea that we have to harangue 
people, the idea that we have to entice people, we have to 
carrot and stick people just to get them into the church. 
You watch, I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but 
there's gonna be a whole host of sermons in the next few weeks 
and months on lambasting the people on the need to go back 
to church. They're quite content in their jammies on their couch. 
They're quite content toggling between cat videos and pastor 
whoever, you know, sharing his sermonette. It is going to be 
the emphasis with the gathered church in the coming weeks that 
they're going to have to harass people to come back to church. 
That rings disingenuous to me, for one, but I hope I hope that 
the churches are full again, and I hope that God's word is 
proclaimed from sea to sea. Because if there's other things, 
another thing that we have witnessed during this time frame is the 
desperate need of our nation for the redemptive religion of 
Jesus Christ the Lord. If ever we needed that word to 
run swiftly and be glorified, I would suggest, brethren, tis 
now. And we ought to be praying to 
that end, that God raise man up, that God unleash man to proclaim 
that whole counsel of God, such that persons are taught about 
the centrality of the church and God's redemptive plan as 
well. Second one is the sanctification 
of the Lord's Day. Sunday is different, child. It 
just is. It is the one day carved out 
by God for the public worship of God. It is the day of God 
where the people of God gather in the house of God for the worship 
of God. And when we do not esteem that 
day, they're not going to either. And then finally, the use of 
a family altar. Again, not potpourri. I'm not 
saying, you know, you carpenters out there get in the business 
of building actual altars to put in people's living rooms. 
This is what the Puritans referred to family worship. Well, what 
do I do there? Well, first of all, you could 
sing. You don't have to sing, you know, 
all the psalms. I think Psalm 104 is all in there. You know, 
some of those psalms are in the hymn book and they're not broken 
up. I'm not suggesting that. If you're engaged in Puritan-length 
sermons and your family devotions, dial it back, brothers. Just 
scale it down a little bit because that's not a smart way to proceed. But in terms of singing, praying, 
reading scripture, reading a helpful Christian book. And be aware, 
not every child's Bible story book is necessarily doctrinally 
sound. There's a new one that Banner 
of Truth is published by Catherine Voss that I would suspect is 
quite good. Some of you may have already 
utilized it or seen it. But with reference to Scripture, 
make sure they get real Scripture, they get real verses, they get 
real Bible, and then with reference to these sorts of things, it 
helps and benefits not just them in terms of instruction, but 
it helps and benefits them in terms of being able to sit for 
a few minutes. Again, don't do an hour and a 
half, but you're training them to perhaps be able to do an hour 
and a half. So that when it comes to Sunday, 
maybe they don't get everything. And brethren, I'm not so foolish 
as to think anybody always gets everything. But the bottom line 
is, I like to think that everybody gets something. That even the 
smallest among us, if they're paying attention and listening, 
they will hear something that does resonate with them. And 
that is the goal of our instruction as parents. to bring them up 
in the training and admonition of the Lord. And to do that in 
isolation from the church is neither healthy nor wise. And 
so we want to have a robust appreciation for the church. We want to have 
a robust appreciation for the Lord's day, and we ought to make 
use of the family altar. And at that family altar, I will 
summarize it this way, teach them the law and teach them the 
gospel. Teach them why we do what we 
do and teach them why it is the case that we now engage in it 
when before we didn't. Teach them sovereign grace. Teach 
them the blood of Jesus Christ. Teach them the glorious truths 
of the gospel. Teach them those things because 
they need to hear it. you need to pass it on to them 
such that a posterity shall serve him. Paedo-Baptists don't have 
a corner on family religion. It's one of the castigations 
against Baptists that somehow we don't care for our children. 
No, we use the family altar as well. And we acknowledge that 
even without Paedo-Baptism, God in his grace and mercy and in 
his loving kindness works in family units. There are Lois's 
out there, there are Eunice's out there, there are those faithfully 
instructing their children that God in his infinite mercy and 
grace saves by that grace, brings them out of darkness into marvelous 
light, and then they go out, they get married, they have kids, 
they duplicate that information, and we see again the grace of 
God working in and through and among families. I don't believe 
it's obligation. I don't believe it's necessity. 
I don't believe in every situation. He must save our children. But 
I am saying practically that he does choose to operate in 
that manner for his glory and for the good of his churches. It is a most blessed thing. Well, in conclusion, first, a 
recognition of the importance of family worship. Bridges commenting 
on Proverbs 13, 22. with the man, a good man leaves 
an inheritance to his children's children. He says, if there is 
no earthly substance to leave, yet a church in the house, a 
family altar, the record of holy example and instruction, and 
above all, a store of believing prayer laid up for accomplishment, 
when we shall be silent in the grave, will be an inheritance 
to our children of inestimable value. In other words, pass this 
information on. It is most necessary today. Secondly, the implementation 
of family worship. If you're not doing it, start. Ten sermons on how bad you are. 
Just start. You meet people like that. You 
know, I haven't been reading my Bible and praying as I ought. Then 
read your Bible and pray as you ought. Why do we overcomplicate 
things? I'm not praying as I ought, so 
I need to read A.W. Pink's book on prayer. Well, 
it's not bad to read A.W. Pink's book on prayer, but you 
could also pray I'm not reading the Bible the way I ought. I 
ought to get one of those calendars where I'm reading 20 chapters 
a day. No, you could just read a few 
sentences. Why don't we just take the simple 
path sometimes? Not the simplistic way, but a 
simple path. Johnson, again, Terry Johnson 
in that book says, remember, there's nothing to getting started 
like actually getting started. Doesn't sound helpful? We're 
making a point. Like everything else that is 
valuable but requires discipline and sacrifice, losing weight, 
stopping drinking, getting an education, staying married, attending 
worship service, it finally comes down to doing it. Start. Do it. That's it. Should be no questions. Amen. 
Secondly, if you are practicing family worship, then persevere. 
Well, you know, we keep doing it. My kids haven't had this 
aha moment where the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses 
us from all sin. Keep doing it. There's no time 
frame. There's no, well, you do it for 
the first four years of their early education and then just 
leave them on their own. No, just keep doing it. It's 
a wonderful thing. Keep doing it. And as I said 
earlier, if you're preaching Puritan-length sermons at family 
worship, then please back it down. Please back it down. You can really frustrate your 
children. We're told not to provoke them 
to wrath. Well, three hours after dinner 
of, you know, Robert Clarkson on public worship, to be preferred, 
over private, is probably going to provoke them to wrath. Especially 
when it's 80 degrees out and all their friends are outside 
playing. teach them scripture, pray with them and sing with 
them, and then let them live. That's a legit thing too. And 
then finally, the practical benefits of family worship. Again, this 
is probably coming along as you have to do this. No, I think 
you see it in the Bible. It's done. The how you do it, 
that's up to you and God. But in terms of some practical 
benefits, it is a means by which we're able to obey God and pass 
on to our children those things that he calls us to. You're supposed 
to teach them the great redemptive acts of God. You're supposed 
to teach them the law of God. Secondly, it is the means by 
which children are prepared to sit in the worship services of 
the church. I see that very practically as 
a father and as a grandfather, a very helpful thing for us. 
And one of the ways I find encouragement is that my kids can typically 
sit through a worship service today. They were taught early 
on, and that was a good beneficial thing. Third, it's the means 
by which familial closeness is fostered, right? We're told to 
actually love each other as families. What a great expression of our 
love for one another when we worship the true and living God. 
As well, it is the means by which a kingdom emphasis is maintained. 
We are teaching our children Matthew 6.33, even if we're not 
telling them this is Matthew 6.33. Seek first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness. Fifth, the means by which our 
children hear the gospel for the salvation of their souls. 
See, brethren, we have gold, we have rubies, we have diamonds, 
we have the pearl of great price. The persons we should most want 
to pass that on to is our children. We should want them to hear. 
We should want them to believe. We should want them to enter 
into the public worship of God with joy and with an adoration 
to the true and living God. And then as well, finally, the 
means by which parents can counteract the destructive influence of 
an ungodly world that is tirelessly trying to corrupt our children. 
It's evident out there. You see it. I don't have to even 
preach this because you know what I'm saying is true. This 
is not a vacuum. If we do not indoctrinate them, 
someone else will. So, brothers, I want to encourage 
you with every drop of encouragement I can muster. If you're doing 
it, continue to persevere. If you're not, start. And understand 
that it is in this that we honor God and we pass on the best thing 
we can ever pass on to our children, the knowledge of God Most High. and children, young people, the 
fact that you're here and the fact that your parents do engage 
in this is a wonderful testimony of their love for Christ and 
their love for you. And instead of rejecting that 
or resisting that or, you know, kind of rolling your eyes, praise 
God, many of us weren't raised with that. Many of us were not 
raised in homes with a Bible. Many of us were not raised in 
homes with two parents. Many of us were not raised in 
homes with any sort of degree of religion and that commitment. And the fact that you are in 
that scenario or in that position, it is most blessed. I look at 
it as street signs. You know when you're driving 
with your mom or your dad and you see that stop sign? That means 
stop. You don't go past that sign. 
You see another sign. It was great. Driving to Kelowna, 
there's a 120 stretch, you know, when you get out there off the 
beaten path. That's nice. That's, I think, probably the 
only place in Canada. It's a good thing. You see those 
signs and they're instructive. Well, that you have families. 
You have parents, you have pastors, you have friends, you have people 
in the church that are telling you the same message to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are signs, those are pointers, 
those are helps given by God. Don't tarry, don't wait, don't 
resist, don't hesitate, but rather look unto the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. you shall pass from death to 
life and you will enter into heaven above and stay there forever. That is most excellent. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for its clarity 
at this point of family religion. I pray for Your blessing upon 
all of us as we endeavor in this direction to seek to be faithful 
to Paul's words in Ephesians 6. I pray that we would not provoke 
our children to wrath, but we would bring them up in the training 
and admonition of the Lord. that it would be one of our chief 
missions in life to pass on this education to these little ones. 
And God, I pray that this church would be useful to that end as 
well, that parents would be instructed, that they would be helped along, 
and that in the public worship services, as law and gospel is 
preached, that the children would have ears to hear and hearts 
to receive these things. And God, may it be the case that 
this would be a multi-generational church, that you would sustain 
the work here, that you would bless and prosper the work here, 
and that you would be merciful and gracious. And we ask this 
in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Why don't we close by singing 
the doxology in praise to our triune God. It's found on page 
568 in your hymn books, and we'll stand as we sing together. ♪ Peace on earth, Christ is born 
♪ ♪ Praise Him, all creatures sing along ♪ ♪ Praise Him, all 
ye that hear Him o'er all ♪ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Thank you Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit for your great grace to us, for your mercy, for your 
loving kindness, for your goodness displayed not only in creation 
and providence but in in redemption. And we just want to pass that 
on to our children. And we know that your grace is 
absolutely crucial in terms of their salvation. But God, help 
us to use the means that you've ordained. We know that it pleased 
God through the foolishness of the message preached to save 
those who believe. So give us all wisdom, give us 
all boldness, give us all courage to pass on this information to 
the wonderful children in this congregation. And we ask this 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.