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Ephesians 6:1-4 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Well, as Nathan said, my name is Kyle Webb, and my wife and my dad and my son are all here this morning.
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We have been just overjoyed to be a part of this faith family for the last few weeks.
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We've only really been coming here. I think this is our fifth week we've been here.
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So just a little warning to those of you who might be visiting.
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Be careful when you ask to get involved, okay, around here.
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You might be preaching within five weeks of being here.
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And I say that just jokingly. I love Nathan, and we were great friends in college,
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and we've kind of been separated for a while, and it's good to be back near him.
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Good to be back near the Shell Nuts, who I also knew in college, and the Cheathams.
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You know, it's a great privilege and joy to be with you here this morning, to have the opportunity to share his word.
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I love, this is something I love to do.
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This is something that God has really instilled in me with the desire to do, is to share his word.
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So what I'd like to do this morning is I'd like for you to turn with me to Ephesians 6.
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Nathan mentioned to you that we're going to be talking a little bit about the biblical basis for family-integrated churches.
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So I know in some ways this morning that I'm kind of preaching to the choir,
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because you're already a family-integrated church.
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Most of you, or some of you at least, will know a lot of this already that we're going to be talking through,
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but it's a great reminder for us as a faith family to be able to recognize this is why we do the things we do.
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And if you are a guest, you've been visiting recently,
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this is likely some of the reasons why we do things the way we do here in this church.
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So it's kind of twofold.
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If you're new here, then you kind of get an understanding, further understanding of why we do this this way at this church.
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And you also get an understanding of, for those who have been here for a while,
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just kind of a reminder, this is why we do this.
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And I have to confess to you something before we jump in this morning.
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I'm a recovering student pastor.
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I feel like I'm at an AA meeting.
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I'm Kyle, and I used to be a youth pastor.
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And a lot of what I want to share with you this morning comes out of my convictions
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of what happened during that time, those years that I spent in student ministry.
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And so I just want you to know that.
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I want to share with you this morning some statistics that are just sobering to me.
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Recent statistics are showing that we are losing a generation.
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For instance, studies are showing now that we're losing anywhere from 75% to 88% of our young people
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by the time that they are freshmen in college.
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By the way, if you look around, not necessarily in here, but you look around in churches
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and all of our churches across America, and there's a generational gap of college students,
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20-somethings that are by and large missing.
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And I commend college students.
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We have a lot of college students in the room this morning.
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And this is even during the summertime when a lot of the college students are away.
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So that's really incredible.
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This church has been able to sustain that college group, this generational gap that exists in most churches
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and across America.
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If you look at most churches, though, you're going to see a generational gap of 20-somethings
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and going into 30-somethings even, where these people, they're going off to college,
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these students are going off to college, and they're not returning.
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I want you to think about this as well.
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Right now in our culture, our birth rate is below replacement rate.
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Replacement rate is 2.1 children per family.
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Right now in America, we're at 1.9.
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Now it's not as bad as most of the industrialized world.
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France is at 1.5.
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Italy is even worse at 1.1 children per family.
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And what this means is that we're not having enough children for our culture to continue to survive.
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We're slowly dying generation by generation.
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France has a birth rate of 1.5.
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However, the African Muslims and Arab Muslims who have immigrated into France,
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their birth rate is 6 children per family.
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This means that by sheer numbers alone, France is going to be within two generations of a Muslim country.
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Why?
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Because the people in France, just like us,
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they want prosperity more than they want children.
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They want prosperity more than they want the blessings that God has given us through children.
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Now let me put these two pieces of statistical information together for you
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and let you know why this matters to us here in our culture,
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why this matters to Christ's family church.
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At two children per family, believers, we're really no different than the rest of our country.
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At almost two children per family,
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and we're losing at least 75% of our young people by the freshman year of college,
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that means that we need two Christian families
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to get one believer into the next generation.
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Let me make it even more plain.
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There are 16 million Southern Baptists on paper.
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It doesn't mean they're all worshiping this morning,
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but there are 16 million Southern Baptists on paper.
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By these numbers, next generation, 4 million.
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Third generation, 1 million.
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Fourth generation, 250,000.
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It's more than just numbers now, isn't it?
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Oh, it's okay.
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We'll just bring it up through evangelism.
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Now that's interesting.
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In order to replenish those numbers through evangelism,
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we'd have to reach at least three lost people per Christian in our country.
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Right now, Southern Baptists are reaching one lost person per 47 Southern Baptists.
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Let me make this plan to bring it home.
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Christianity in America is dying.
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Just plain and simple.
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Christianity is dying in our country.
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And this is what our answer has been.
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In our churches and across the United States,
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our answer has been,
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let's divorce ourselves from this topic.
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Let's separate ourselves from this emerging tragedy that's going on in our country.
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And let's give our children to the student ministers and to the children's ministers
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and let them take care of it.
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Youth pastor will straight them out, right?
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Well, that's a valiant effort, but it's simply not enough.
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Dr. Reed, one of my evangelism professors in seminary,
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wrote this in Raising the Bar.
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He says that over the last 30 years,
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we have seen the largest increase in numbers of professional youth ministry degrees
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and parachurch organizations designed to reach youth.
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And we have seen the greatest decline in youth baptisms ever.
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So we have more people who vocationally are trying to reach young people.
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We have more organizations who are trying to reach young people.
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And yet we have fewer baptisms than ever.
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So they say, well, those youth pastors, they're just not doing their jobs.
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No, youth pastors for the past 30 years have been trying to do the job
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that God has given you as parents to do for your children,
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to raise them and encourage them in the admonition of the Lord.
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And this is what we're going to see this morning,
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is that before the church was established,
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before Jesus ever established his church,
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that God established a family.
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And one of the major functions of the family
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is to raise children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
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And so before we dive into this text,
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I want to consider three simple foundations
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that are going to guide us as we go through this text this morning.
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The first is that the Word is sufficient.
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God's Word is sufficient.
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I must confess that I'm not really an expert at much of anything.
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I don't really consider myself an expert of really much of anything at all.
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And I'm certainly not an expert on parenting.
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And so I hope that you find it comforting this morning
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that I don't feel like it's my job or my position
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to tell you how you need to be parenting your children,
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to give you parental advice.
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I just don't think that that's what God's called me to do this morning.
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And it's not my goal to give you my personal philosophy on parenting.
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My goal is to expose this Word, which is true in our lives.
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And to expose what God has told us about parenting.
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And by the way, for those of you who are single in here,
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this message is for you as well.
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Those who are single or maybe you're married but don't have any children.
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Because we as a faith family need to absorb ourselves into this faith family
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and be able to encourage the parents,
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be able to help the parents as they try to raise their children in a godly manner.
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So for you this morning, if you're single,
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maybe one day you'll get married.
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Maybe God's leading you toward that.
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Maybe God's going to bless you with children one day.
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And so hopefully these words will be true and ring true into your lives,
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into the future as God leads you in that direction.
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And my goal is to expose this Word that's true,
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that's really foundational for all of our lives, for all parenting.
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I'm going to stick as quickly, as closely to God's Word as I can.
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And it's not that God's kind of wishing that He had a revised New Testament
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saying what would be more relevant into a culture today.
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It's not like God's sitting around thinking,
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man, if I could just write a whole New Testament
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that we could teach parents more about what it means to be parenting in today's culture.
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But God gave us exactly what we need in His Word.
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We have everything we need, which raises the level, which raises the importance of God's Word.
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When we gather here as a faith family,
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we've got to realize that we're teaching from a Word that God has given to us,
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that has everything pertaining to life and godliness.
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And so there's no different this morning.
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We need to unpack what the Word has to say about parenting.
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Now, I know as soon as I say that,
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there's going to be parents in this room that are thinking,
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now, Kyle, it's great and all, it's very interesting that you're saying all this,
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but I'm not sure that Habakkuk and 1 Chronicles
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has a lot to say about the situation that I'm in right now.
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And you're probably right.
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I think I would go so far as to say this,
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I don't believe that this book was written to give you all the answers
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to all of your parenting questions.
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Believe me, one of the things that I'm looking forward to
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is when Joseph can actually communicate to us.
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He's 16 months old.
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It'll be really great when he can actually communicate what's wrong
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because as it is right now,
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he just likes to scream when something's wrong.
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And we don't know whether we need to take him to the hospital
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or to give him a bottle.
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Sometimes we're just kind of wondering,
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what do we need to do with him?
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And Habakkuk really isn't telling us,
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giving us the answer to that.
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You know, Habakkuk's not really fueling the answer for something like that
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in our parenting.
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However, this is the way the Word is sufficient.
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And don't miss this because this is the key in our lives.
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The most important thing that you can do for your children
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is to grow into the image of Jesus Christ.
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In Leviticus and 2 Chronicles and Habakkuk,
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they all speak to that.
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And your kids need to see Christ in you more than they need to see the philosophy of Dr. Phil.
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So let's not bypass this Word,
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which is sufficient for all life,
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for all godliness,
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for all parenting.
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The Word is sufficient.
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And it's the means by which God is transforming you
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into the image of Christ.
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Secondly,
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second foundation this morning,
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the home is central.
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This is where we get ourselves into trouble.
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And not in this church,
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but in churches across America,
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we get ourselves into trouble here
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because we live in an age of professionalism.
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We hire out even responsibilities,
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our own responsibilities as parents.
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We want our sons to be good athletes,
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so we send them to the ball coach
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to teach them skills
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so they can become the best athlete possible.
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We want our daughters
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to get the best possible education,
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so we send our daughters to the tutors
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so that she can get her grades up
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and so that she can make better scores on her SATs.
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And then what happens is
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we transfer that into the church world.
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And in the church world,
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we send our children to the student pastor,
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to the children's ministry
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to get the best possible biblical education.
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What we're going to see this morning
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is that from the very beginning,
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God has established the home
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as the central and primary method
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from transferring His Word
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from one generation to the next generation.
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It's not the responsibility of youth pastors
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and of children's pastors
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to teach or to evangelize your children.
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As a believer in Jesus Christ,
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it's your responsibility
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to disciple
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and to share the gospel with your children.
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I want you to hear loud and clear
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that it is not the church's job.
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If you're a believer in the room,
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it's not the church's job
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to evangelize your child.
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What we're created within our Christian culture,
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our church culture in America,
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is an atmosphere
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where it's almost like
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we're saying,
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listen,
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we've got your kids,
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you don't worry about it.
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We're professionals.
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Don't attempt this at home.
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And it's wrong.
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And it's unbiblical.
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And I'll tell you from firsthand experience
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that student ministry is ineffective
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the way we currently do it
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in America.
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And I want to encourage parents today
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that you have everything that you need
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to disciple your family in the home.
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Everything that you need
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is right here in God's Word.
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The Word is sufficient.
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The home is central.
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The gospel is necessary.
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We've got to have the gospel
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being taught in our homes.
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You have to teach our children.
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We've got to teach your children the gospel.
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The gospel is not something
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that we just hear in prayer,
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prayer,
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and move on with the rest of our lives.
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The gospel is incredibly important in the home.
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It's our source of salvation.
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And by the way,
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it's our only source of salvation.
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I don't think I have to tell any parents
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in the room this morning
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that your child
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has the propensity to sin.
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They kind of come out that way, right?
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They come out ready to take you on
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with their best shot.
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I know this from having a 16-month-old
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and already he's tried.
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Don't get me wrong.
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He's the biggest blessing in my life in the world.
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But he's also sometimes the biggest challenge
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that I've ever experienced.
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Because children,
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they come out as sinners.
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And guess what?
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You're a sinner too.
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So what happens when you put sinful children
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and sinful parents under the same roof?
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You've got yourself a challenge, right?
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Some of you in here might just have an amen
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to say to that.
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Some of you are just saying,
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that's me.
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You're speaking to me right now, Kyle.
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And here's the deal.
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You won't find this in many books
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or many seminars
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or any self-help type conferences.
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But what your children ultimately need
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is the gospel.
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See, in a lot of books that you read,
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you'll see a lot about behavior change.
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This is how you change your child's behavior.
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But the ultimate reality is
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that until your child has the gospel,
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until Jesus gives us new hearts,
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there's no hope for change.
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And as a parent,
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until your child is able to receive Christ,
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until Jesus is able to impact them
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and change them from the inside out,
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you've got no hope for change.
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We need new hearts.
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Our children need new hearts.
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Not just to be saved from the penalty of sin
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and just move on with our lives.
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We need new hearts.
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The gospel is our source for transformation.
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This is Ephesians 5.18,
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the context in which our passage this morning is found.
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Be filled with the Holy Spirit,
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the Spirit in you through the gospel,
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transforming you.
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No matter how much we teach our children to be good,
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there's no way for them to follow God's word
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apart from the grace of God working within them
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and changing their hearts and their lives.
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And so it's with these three foundations
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that we dive into our text this morning.
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Ephesians chapter 6,
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starting in verse 1.
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I know this is a long intro,
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but just bear with me.
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We needed to get through some stuff
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before we dive into the text.
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Ephesians 6, verse 1.
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And children,
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obey your parents and the Lord,
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for this is right.
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Honor your father and mother,
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which is the first commandment with a promise,
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so that it may be well with you,
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and that you may live long on the earth.
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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
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but bring them up in the discipline
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and instruction of the Lord.
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You look at all four verses in this passage,
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and all four verses,
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parents are emphasized.
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In verse 4, it's fathers.
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In Scripture, we get this picture
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that fathers are to be the leaders in the home.
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They're supposed to be responsible
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for the spiritual formation of the family.
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Not sole responsibility,
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but a leading responsibility.
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You see back in Ephesians 5,
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one chapter before where we are this morning,
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Ephesians 5, it doesn't get any clearer.
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The husband is the head of the home.
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Husbands need to lead families.
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It doesn't mean that, man,
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that we're supposed to lord over our wives and children.
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It's not like we should say,
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me, man, you, woman, me, say, you do.
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Right?
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We're supposed to love our families,
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Ephesians 5 says,
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as Christ loved the church
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and gave himself up for her.
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Men, it's time that we step up to the plate
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and give ourselves up for our families.
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The sacrificial love
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that God has called us to,
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men in the room.
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So what does this word say to parents?
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What is the application here to parents?
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God gives you children by His grace.
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God gives you children by His grace.
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Verse 1,
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Obey your parents and the Lord.
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Verse 4,
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Bring them up in the discipline
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and instruction of the Lord.
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The whole picture here
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is bookended in this passage.
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It revolves around God.
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The picture is that God
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has entrusted children to the parents.
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Parents, your children are not your own.
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They are God's.
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And you are stewards over them.
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And God has called you
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to do something with them.
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And in this passage,
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God has called you
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to raise them up
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in the instruction
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and discipline of the Lord.
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Not only does God give you children
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by His grace,
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God gives you children
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for His glory.
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You look throughout Scripture.
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You look all the way back to Genesis.
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And you begin to see that God,
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everything that He does
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throughout history
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has been for His glory.
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Genesis is where Abraham
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receives the blessing.
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God gives Abraham a blessing.
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He's going to be the father
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of many nations.
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Why?
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Scripture says it's for God's glory.
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The walls come down at Jericho.
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For whose glory?
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For God's glory.
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David is able to slay Goliath
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for the glory of God.
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So that a nation
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would come to worship
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and so that all people
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would see that God
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is the kind of God
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that takes care of His people.
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And that God would be glorified in that.
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Even down to the cross.
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Jesus died on the cross.
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Yes, because of our sin.
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And we get to benefit
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from the sacrifice
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that Christ made.
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But it was ultimately
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for God's glory.
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So God has given us children
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by His grace
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and for His glory.
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And I want to put that
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next to what the world says
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about being a successful parent.
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Because there's a huge gap
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between what the world says
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as being a successful parent
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and what the Bible says
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as being a successful parent.
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The goal of biblical parenting
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is not to help your children
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get a good education.
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The goal is not that you see to it
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that your children
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have the best grades.
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Go to the best college.
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As the best education.
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Now I'm not saying
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that education is bad.
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There's certainly
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some validity in the statement
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that we need
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to honor and glorify God
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with our minds
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to the best of our ability.
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I believe that that's true
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and part of that is education.
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But what we run into
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a problem is
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when we put grades
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and we put education
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far above relationship
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with Christ
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in our homes.
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The goal of biblical parenting
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is not to help your children
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be a great athlete.
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The goal is not
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to make your children
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the best
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at every single sport
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that they play.
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It's not running yourself ragged
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throwing the kids
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in the minivan
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running them around
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all over town
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trying to get to every
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sporting event
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that they play.
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To win trophies
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that will eventually
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sit around
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gathering dust
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in some room
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that you never go in.
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That's not the goal
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of biblical parenting.
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The goal of biblical parenting
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is not for your child
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to go on great dates.
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The goal of biblical parenting
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is not to help your children
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in glorified divorce practice
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which is what dating
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essentially is.
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Where children
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and teenagers
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and sometimes younger
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even onto their college years
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are involved
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in exclusive relationships
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sometimes even
21:35
sexual relationships
21:36
only to move on
21:38
to somebody else
21:39
the next year.
21:40
It's glorified
21:41
the divorce practice
21:42
and parents
21:43
we should not
21:43
be encouraging it.
21:47
The goal of biblical parenting
21:49
is not to help
21:49
your children
21:50
have a great career.
21:52
Likewise
21:53
the goal
21:54
is not to help
21:54
your children
21:55
make great money.
21:58
See the problem
21:58
with all of these
21:59
is that there are
22:00
worldly views
22:02
of success.
22:03
And not what the Bible
22:04
teaches
22:05
is successful.
22:07
I'm not saying
22:07
these things
22:08
are inherently bad
22:09
I'm saying that
22:09
we're teaching
22:10
our children
22:11
what it means
22:12
to be successful
22:13
in the world's sight
22:14
not in God's sight.
22:17
And even in our churches
22:18
we're teaching
22:19
our children
22:19
that they need
22:20
to be successful
22:20
in this world
22:21
and this is simply
22:22
not true.
22:24
But here's why
22:25
this is important
22:25
and this is why
22:26
this is so subtly
22:28
dangerous to us
22:29
because the picture
22:30
that is so common
22:31
is that we
22:31
tell our children
22:32
that they need
22:33
to get good grades
22:34
that they need
22:34
to be dating
22:35
the cutest guy
22:36
or girl
22:36
in high school
22:37
that they need
22:38
to be good at sports
22:39
that they need
22:40
to work hard
22:40
and play an instrument
22:41
so that they
22:42
can be successful
22:43
in this world.
22:44
All along
22:44
we teach them
22:45
these things
22:46
and every single day
22:47
we prioritize
22:48
a worldly view
22:49
of success
22:50
and yet we're not
22:52
teaching our children
22:53
to serve
22:53
the Lord
22:54
in their lives.
22:57
We're not
22:58
prioritizing God
22:59
in our homes
23:00
and in our families.
23:02
And God help us
23:03
if our answer
23:03
is to say
23:04
well we attend
23:05
church every week.
23:06
so you give
23:10
a couple hours
23:11
every week
23:11
to God
23:12
while pouring
23:13
hours upon
23:14
hours upon
23:14
hours of your
23:15
time and effort
23:16
into taking
23:18
your kids
23:18
to ball practice
23:19
and to their
23:20
ball games
23:20
and to gymnastics
23:21
and to the dance
23:22
team and everything
23:23
else that is
23:24
wrapped in this
23:25
secular world view.
23:28
This is what
23:29
Bodie Bauckham
23:29
says, author,
23:30
professor, and pastor.
23:31
He says in his book
23:32
that's called
23:33
Family Driven Faith
23:34
he says if I teach
23:35
my son to keep
23:35
his eye on the ball
23:36
but fail to teach
23:37
him to keep
23:38
his eyes on Christ
23:39
I have failed
23:40
as a father.
23:43
We must refuse
23:44
to allow trivial
23:45
temporal pursuits
23:47
to interfere
23:48
with the main thing.
23:50
No sports endeavor
23:51
will ever be
23:52
as important
23:52
as becoming a man
23:54
or a woman
23:55
of God.
23:57
Later on he goes
23:58
in his book
24:00
he goes on
24:00
to share about
24:01
this family
24:02
who's struggling
24:02
with their college
24:03
student.
24:04
Thomas had grown
24:06
up in the church
24:06
and he was a
24:07
regular in the
24:08
youth group
24:08
and he attended
24:09
Disciple Now.
24:10
He went to all
24:10
the youth group
24:11
meetings on a
24:12
regular basis.
24:13
He went on
24:13
the mission trips
24:14
with the church.
24:17
When Thomas
24:18
got into college
24:19
things began to
24:20
change.
24:20
He stopped
24:21
attending church.
24:22
He began to
24:23
struggle in class.
24:25
Upon further
24:26
investigation his
24:27
parents found out
24:28
the reason why
24:28
he was failing
24:29
his classes
24:30
was because he
24:31
was out drinking
24:32
at night.
24:34
with his
24:35
buddies and
24:35
often times
24:36
missing classes.
24:38
Finally Thomas
24:39
was suspended
24:39
from the college
24:41
baseball team
24:41
because the
24:42
result of a
24:43
random drug
24:43
test revealed
24:44
that he was
24:44
using anabolic
24:45
steroids.
24:47
The story
24:49
kind of begs
24:49
this question
24:50
what happened?
24:53
What happened?
24:54
How could this
24:55
happen to such
24:56
a promising
24:57
young man?
24:58
this is what
25:00
Bodie Bauckham
25:01
says.
25:01
He says,
25:02
this man and
25:02
his wife had
25:03
gone to great
25:03
lengths to see
25:04
to it that
25:04
their son became
25:06
the best
25:06
baseball player
25:07
he could be.
25:08
This also
25:09
meant that
25:09
during the
25:10
summer and
25:10
fall church
25:11
attendance was
25:12
sporadic at
25:13
best.
25:14
Like many
25:15
parents they
25:15
found themselves
25:16
traveling to
25:16
tournament after
25:17
tournament and
25:18
praying for the
25:19
opportunity to be
25:20
out on Sunday
25:20
since that meant
25:21
that they were
25:22
playing for a
25:23
title somewhere.
25:24
What they
25:25
didn't realize was
25:26
that they were
25:26
teaching Thomas to
25:27
prioritize baseball
25:28
over the fourth
25:29
commandment.
25:32
They were
25:33
teaching Thomas
25:34
that he should
25:35
honor the
25:36
Sabbath and
25:36
keep it holy
25:37
unless it's
25:37
baseball season.
25:39
Thus when Thomas
25:40
got to college and
25:40
he had to choose
25:41
between going to
25:42
church and hanging
25:43
out with his
25:43
teammates the
25:44
foundation for his
25:45
decision had
25:46
already been laid.
25:47
In other words
25:48
Thomas' lack of
25:49
commitment to
25:50
spiritual matters
25:51
laid the groundwork
25:52
for his moral
25:53
compromise.
25:55
Let me tell you
25:56
something.
25:56
In this room
25:57
this morning
25:57
don't think
25:58
that this
25:59
situation won't
26:01
happen to you.
26:05
I've seen it
26:06
as a student
26:06
pastor over
26:08
and over
26:09
and over
26:10
again and
26:10
it's especially
26:11
true for
26:12
parents that
26:13
prioritize all
26:14
these other
26:15
things over
26:16
your child's
26:16
spiritual formation.
26:19
The reality is
26:20
that if dads
26:20
in this room
26:21
are more
26:21
passionate about
26:22
teaching their
26:22
sons how to
26:23
swing a baseball
26:24
bat than they
26:24
are about teaching
26:25
your sons how
26:27
to study the
26:29
Bible then
26:29
we've missed
26:30
the point.
26:32
If moms in
26:33
this room are
26:34
more passionate
26:34
about teaching
26:34
their daughters
26:35
how to wear
26:36
their makeup
26:36
than they are
26:37
about what it
26:38
means to have
26:39
a gentle and
26:40
quiet spirit
26:41
then we've
26:43
missed the point.
26:45
The danger is
26:45
that one day
26:46
our sons and
26:47
daughters are
26:47
going to stand
26:48
before God in
26:49
heaven with all
26:50
of these things
26:50
that we've told
26:51
them are important.
26:52
all these things
26:53
we've told them
26:54
that would make
26:54
them successful
26:55
and they're
26:56
going to be
26:56
standing before
26:57
God on that
26:58
day and all
26:58
of that is
26:59
burned up in
27:00
the fire.
27:01
They stand
27:02
before God
27:03
as beggars
27:03
on that day
27:04
and it is
27:04
completely and
27:06
utterly our
27:08
failure as
27:09
parents to
27:10
have taught
27:10
them what was
27:11
truly important
27:12
in their
27:12
lives.
27:15
The goal of
27:16
biblical parenting
27:17
is not to
27:17
raise our
27:18
children in a
27:19
worldly success.
27:21
The goal of
27:21
biblical parenting
27:22
is to help
27:23
your children
27:23
accomplish a
27:25
great commission.
27:27
That's the
27:28
goal of
27:28
biblical parenting.
27:30
That is
27:30
God's view
27:31
of success.
27:35
And it's
27:36
there from the
27:36
beginning of
27:37
scripture.
27:37
God says to
27:38
his people,
27:38
you raise your
27:39
children to
27:39
know me,
27:39
to love me,
27:40
to serve me.
27:41
You raise
27:41
your children
27:42
to spread my
27:44
word, to
27:45
make me known
27:46
in all the
27:46
world.
27:47
Is that what's
27:48
really driving
27:48
our parenting?
27:49
Is that what's
27:51
really driving
27:52
us as parents
27:53
today?
27:56
Are we
27:57
fueling the
27:57
great commission
27:58
to make
27:58
disciples or
27:59
are we
27:59
hindering?
28:00
I've had
28:01
parents come
28:01
to me as
28:01
a student
28:02
pastor saying,
28:03
I would
28:03
never let
28:03
my child
28:04
go into
28:04
a third
28:05
world country.
28:06
It's just
28:06
too dangerous.
28:08
I've had
28:08
other parents
28:08
say, I
28:09
would never
28:09
let my
28:10
child go
28:10
into a
28:11
country that
28:11
was closed
28:12
because of
28:12
the danger
28:13
level that
28:13
there is in
28:15
that country.
28:16
That's because
28:17
we've come to
28:17
the point in
28:18
our Christian
28:19
walks where
28:19
we value
28:20
long life.
28:22
You won't
28:23
find that in
28:23
the word of
28:24
God.
28:25
You won't
28:25
find valuing
28:26
long life.
28:27
What you
28:27
will find is
28:28
valuing,
28:29
sacrificing
28:30
your life,
28:31
giving your
28:31
life up for
28:32
the sake of
28:33
the glory of
28:33
God.
28:33
Jesus had
28:34
twelve
28:34
followers.
28:36
Twelve,
28:36
he had more
28:37
than that.
28:37
Twelve close
28:38
followers,
28:39
these disciples.
28:42
Judas
28:43
committed
28:44
suicide.
28:47
Ten others
28:48
died on
28:49
account of
28:51
sharing and
28:52
spreading the
28:52
gospel of
28:53
Jesus Christ.
28:56
Do you
28:56
think that
28:57
they would
28:57
have done
28:58
it all
28:58
over again
28:58
and done
28:59
something
28:59
different to
29:00
spare their
29:00
lives?
29:01
I don't
29:01
think they
29:01
would have.
29:04
The
29:04
twelfth one
29:05
was exiled
29:06
on account of
29:07
the gospel.
29:09
John was
29:09
exiled on
29:11
account of
29:11
the gospel.
29:14
You simply
29:14
won't find it
29:15
in scripture
29:16
where God
29:17
values long
29:18
life.
29:19
In fact,
29:19
you find the
29:19
opposite.
29:22
Here's where I
29:22
want to take
29:24
you to another
29:24
location in
29:25
scripture.
29:26
Deuteronomy
29:27
chapter 6.
29:28
If you would
29:28
turn there
29:29
with me.
29:31
Deuteronomy
29:31
chapter 6,
29:32
the fifth book
29:32
of the Bible.
29:35
Another place
29:35
where we
29:35
really don't
29:36
have time to
29:36
go this
29:36
morning,
29:37
we're running
29:37
out of time.
29:37
In Genesis
29:38
18-19,
29:39
when God
29:40
speaks to
29:40
Abraham about
29:42
his children,
29:43
it's the first
29:44
time the
29:44
teaching is
29:45
ever mentioned
29:45
in God's
29:46
word.
29:47
It's mentioned
29:47
in the context
29:48
of family.
29:49
It's God
29:49
saying to
29:49
Abraham,
29:50
Abraham,
29:50
instruct your
29:51
children in
29:51
my ways.
29:52
Instruct your
29:52
children in
29:53
my commands.
29:54
It's the
29:55
first picture
29:55
that we see
29:56
of this word
29:56
instructing.
29:57
It's used
29:58
in the context
29:59
of a father
30:00
teaching his
30:01
family or
30:01
leading his
30:01
family in
30:02
God's word.
30:03
Then you
30:04
get to
30:04
Deuteronomy
30:05
6.
30:05
This is what
30:06
Deuteronomy
30:06
6 verse 4
30:07
says.
30:09
Hear,
30:09
O Israel,
30:10
the Lord our
30:11
God,
30:11
the Lord is
30:12
one.
30:12
There's a
30:13
statement of
30:13
faith and
30:14
based off
30:14
that statement
30:15
of faith.
30:15
Love the
30:16
Lord your
30:16
God with
30:17
all of
30:17
your heart,
30:18
with all
30:18
your soul,
30:19
with all
30:19
of your
30:19
might.
30:20
These words
30:21
which I
30:21
am commanding
30:22
you today
30:22
shall be
30:23
on your
30:23
heart.
30:24
You
30:24
shall teach
30:25
them how?
30:26
Diligently.
30:27
To your
30:28
sons and
30:29
shall talk
30:29
of them when
30:29
you sit
30:30
in your
30:30
home.
30:32
And when
30:32
you walk
30:32
by the way,
30:33
when you
30:33
lie down,
30:34
and when
30:34
you rise
30:34
up,
30:35
you shall
30:35
bind them
30:36
as a sign
30:37
on your
30:37
hand,
30:37
and they
30:38
shall be
30:38
as frontals
30:39
on your
30:39
forehead.
30:40
You
30:40
shall write
30:40
them on
30:41
the
30:41
doorpost
30:41
of your
30:42
house and
30:42
on your
30:42
gates.
30:44
You get the
30:44
picture here?
30:45
From the
30:45
very beginning,
30:46
the central
30:46
avenue for
30:47
disciple-making,
30:48
for spreading
30:48
the word of
30:49
God,
30:49
has been in
30:50
the home.
30:52
So what does
30:53
this mean for
30:53
us today?
30:54
How can we
30:54
instruct our
30:55
children so
30:56
that they
30:56
know the
30:56
word?
30:57
First of all,
30:58
we have to
30:59
have a verbal
30:59
commitment to
31:00
God's word
31:00
in our
31:01
homes.
31:03
This is
31:04
verse 7.
31:04
Impress
31:05
them on your
31:06
children.
31:06
Talk about
31:07
them when you
31:07
sit at home,
31:08
when you walk
31:09
along the
31:09
road,
31:10
when you
31:11
lie down
31:11
and when
31:11
you get up.
31:12
That pretty
31:12
much covers
31:13
any time
31:13
that you
31:14
can possibly
31:14
be teaching
31:15
God's word
31:16
in your
31:16
home.
31:17
Be teaching
31:17
it.
31:19
If you're
31:19
at home,
31:20
talk about
31:20
the word.
31:21
If you're
31:21
away from
31:22
home,
31:22
talk about
31:22
the word.
31:23
When you're
31:24
going from
31:24
home to
31:25
wherever you're
31:25
going,
31:26
talk about
31:27
the word.
31:27
All the
31:28
time.
31:28
Talk about
31:29
it more
31:29
than you
31:29
talk about
31:30
baseball.
31:30
Talk about
31:31
it more
31:31
than you
31:31
talk about
31:32
college
31:32
football.
31:33
Talk about
31:33
it more
31:34
than you
31:34
talk about
31:34
how to
31:36
do your
31:37
makeup and
31:38
shoes and
31:39
whatever else
31:40
girls talk
31:41
about with
31:41
their
31:42
daughters.
31:45
Make a
31:46
verbal
31:46
commitment
31:47
to the
31:47
word.
31:49
The best
31:50
Bible
31:50
teacher is
31:52
not me
31:53
for your
31:54
children.
31:54
The best
31:55
Bible teacher
31:55
for your
31:56
children is
31:56
actually not
31:56
Nathan.
31:57
I think
31:57
that he
31:57
would agree
31:58
with that.
31:59
The best
31:59
Bible teacher
32:00
for your
32:00
children is
32:01
you.
32:02
As a
32:03
parent.
32:04
You are
32:04
the best
32:05
Bible teacher.
32:05
God's called
32:06
you to do
32:07
it.
32:07
We must
32:08
make a
32:08
verbal
32:09
commitment,
32:09
but also
32:09
we must
32:10
have a
32:10
visible
32:11
commitment.
32:12
This element
32:13
is in this
32:13
passage here.
32:15
Deuteronomy
32:15
6.
32:15
You know,
32:16
mom or dad
32:17
may not be
32:17
talking to
32:18
you right
32:18
now,
32:18
but it's
32:19
there on
32:20
your walls.
32:21
It's on
32:21
your gate.
32:25
We need
32:25
to start
32:25
stamping
32:26
things on
32:26
our forehead,
32:27
maybe stamping
32:27
scripture on
32:28
our forehead
32:28
somehow when
32:29
we go out
32:29
and walk
32:30
around.
32:30
I'm not
32:31
ruling that
32:31
out.
32:31
Maybe that's
32:32
there in
32:33
the text.
32:33
Maybe you
32:33
want to
32:33
really look at
32:34
it incredibly
32:35
literally and
32:36
actually do
32:36
that.
32:37
But I
32:37
believe what
32:37
this passage
32:38
is really
32:38
telling us
32:39
is that
32:40
the picture
32:42
is that the
32:42
word is
32:43
visible in
32:43
your home,
32:44
so visible
32:44
that it
32:45
permeates
32:45
everything that
32:46
we do.
32:48
And you
32:48
might want
32:49
to post
32:49
your memory
32:50
verse for
32:50
the week
32:50
up on
32:51
your
32:51
children's
32:54
mirrors so
32:54
that they
32:55
can see
32:56
it,
32:56
visibly
32:56
see it
32:57
in the
32:57
home.
32:58
We also
32:59
have to
32:59
make a
32:59
visible
33:00
commitment
33:00
to God's
33:01
word.
33:02
You know,
33:02
just a few
33:03
generations ago
33:03
a man was
33:05
considered
33:06
spiritually
33:07
responsible if
33:08
he did
33:08
these things.
33:10
Unfortunately
33:11
today a man
33:11
is considered
33:12
spiritually
33:13
responsible if
33:14
he sends
33:15
his children
33:15
to the most
33:16
cutting edge
33:17
youth or
33:17
children's
33:18
program.
33:22
We can
33:22
no longer
33:23
sit idly by it.
33:24
I know,
33:25
again,
33:25
I'm just
33:25
preaching to
33:26
the choir
33:26
here.
33:27
You've
33:27
chosen
33:28
Christ's
33:29
Family
33:29
Church for
33:29
a reason
33:30
and that
33:30
may be
33:30
one of the
33:31
reasons why
33:31
you've even
33:31
chosen Christ's
33:32
Family
33:32
Church because
33:33
they do
33:34
things
33:34
differently
33:35
here.
33:35
We do
33:35
things
33:35
out of
33:37
the norm
33:37
of what
33:38
the culture
33:38
is doing.
33:40
I think
33:41
that's a
33:41
biblical
33:41
approach
33:42
rather than
33:42
trying to
33:43
copy what
33:43
all the
33:44
other
33:44
churches
33:44
are doing.
33:45
It's a
33:46
more
33:46
biblical
33:46
approach.
33:48
We must
33:49
also train
33:49
our children
33:50
so that
33:50
they show
33:51
the word.
33:53
In other
33:53
words,
33:54
you impress
33:55
upon them
33:55
the word
33:56
but also
33:57
you help
33:57
them make
33:58
it come
33:58
alive in
33:59
their lives.
33:59
You help
33:59
them to put
34:00
it into
34:00
practice in
34:02
their lives.
34:02
the picture
34:04
here is
34:04
that you
34:05
keep them
34:05
within the
34:06
boundaries and
34:06
train them
34:07
to walk in
34:07
obedience and
34:08
honor to
34:08
God.
34:09
It takes
34:09
training and
34:10
it takes
34:10
discipline to
34:11
do these
34:12
things.
34:14
Studying
34:14
through Ephesians
34:15
6 makes
34:16
you wonder
34:16
why are
34:17
families not
34:17
doing these
34:18
things in
34:19
our culture
34:19
today?
34:21
The instruction
34:23
is there.
34:23
God's told
34:24
us to do
34:24
it.
34:25
Why are we
34:26
not
34:26
worshiping
34:26
in our
34:27
homes?
34:27
Why are
34:27
we not
34:27
reading
34:28
God's
34:29
word in
34:29
our
34:30
homes?
34:30
Why are
34:30
we not
34:31
having
34:31
family
34:32
worshiped?
34:32
time.
34:34
I wonder
34:34
if maybe
34:34
it's
34:34
because we
34:35
like to
34:35
discipline
34:35
our own
34:36
lives.
34:38
Our
34:38
children
34:39
will never
34:40
be what
34:41
they cannot
34:42
see.
34:44
When you
34:45
look at
34:45
Titus 2.12
34:46
it talks
34:46
about how
34:46
God's grace
34:47
is training
34:47
us in
34:48
godliness
34:49
in such a
34:50
way that
34:50
we're able
34:50
to impart
34:51
that upon
34:52
others.
34:53
I think
34:54
from observation
34:55
the opposite
34:55
is true as
34:56
well.
34:58
You can
34:58
also train
34:59
your children
35:00
in ungodliness.
35:02
If they
35:03
see ungodliness
35:04
in your
35:05
lives,
35:06
you're
35:06
teaching
35:07
that.
35:07
You're
35:07
imparting
35:08
that upon
35:09
them as
35:09
well.
35:10
If you
35:10
don't hold
35:11
God's
35:11
word high
35:12
in regard
35:13
in the
35:13
home,
35:13
you're
35:14
teaching
35:14
your
35:14
children
35:14
that God's
35:15
word is
35:16
just not
35:16
important.
35:18
So that
35:18
means the
35:19
reality is
35:19
that husbands,
35:21
wives,
35:22
moms,
35:23
dads,
35:24
we need to
35:25
step up to
35:26
the plate.
35:26
single
35:29
people in
35:30
the room,
35:31
future
35:31
moms,
35:32
future
35:33
husbands,
35:34
future
35:34
dads,
35:37
call us
35:38
to you
35:38
too.
35:39
And the
35:40
way it
35:40
begins for
35:41
those of you
35:42
who don't
35:42
have children
35:43
is to
35:43
rally around
35:44
families in
35:45
this church
35:46
to support
35:47
them.
35:48
When a
35:49
child is
35:50
crying sitting
35:50
next to you,
35:51
you don't
35:51
roll your
35:52
eyes and
35:52
think,
35:53
oh man,
35:53
I just
35:54
can't listen
35:54
to the
35:55
sermon right
35:55
now.
35:55
I can't
35:56
figure out
35:56
what they're
35:57
saying.
35:57
You support
35:58
that family
35:59
because,
36:01
as Nathan
36:02
said earlier,
36:02
we don't
36:03
just tolerate
36:04
children,
36:05
we love
36:06
them.
36:08
Here's another
36:09
side to that.
36:11
We need to
36:12
learn,
36:12
as a faith
36:13
family,
36:14
that the
36:14
worship of
36:16
children is
36:17
important to
36:18
God.
36:20
Their worship
36:20
is important.
36:22
Which is why
36:23
we want to
36:24
include them
36:24
in corporate
36:25
worship.
36:26
I've been
36:27
in a lot
36:27
of churches
36:27
and you
36:28
may have
36:28
been in
36:28
churches
36:28
in the
36:28
past
36:29
before.
36:29
They do
36:30
this thing
36:30
where they
36:31
allow the
36:31
children to
36:32
sit in
36:32
the service
36:33
through the
36:34
music time
36:35
and then
36:36
when the
36:37
time comes
36:38
for the
36:38
preacher to
36:38
come up
36:39
to preach
36:39
God's
36:39
word,
36:40
they usher
36:40
them out
36:41
of the
36:41
service.
36:43
Now,
36:43
you might
36:44
have a
36:44
different
36:44
philosophy
36:45
than I
36:45
do,
36:45
but think
36:46
about what
36:46
that teaches
36:47
children.
36:48
It teaches
36:49
them that maybe
36:49
singing songs
36:50
is important,
36:52
but the
36:52
teaching of
36:53
God's word,
36:53
we don't have
36:53
to be involved
36:54
with that.
36:55
teaching our
36:57
children
36:58
priority is
36:59
playing games
37:02
in a nursery
37:02
rather than
37:03
being in
37:05
the teaching
37:06
of God's
37:07
word,
37:07
time where
37:08
knowledge and
37:09
encouragement
37:11
is imparted
37:12
upon you
37:12
as a faith
37:13
family.
37:14
family.
37:15
Now,
37:16
I want to
37:16
encourage you
37:17
to read the
37:19
Bible together
37:20
in your
37:20
families.
37:21
I want to
37:21
encourage you
37:22
to at least
37:23
find one
37:25
day that you
37:25
can worship
37:26
together as a
37:27
family.
37:28
Schedule it.
37:28
If you don't
37:29
schedule it,
37:29
it's not going
37:30
to happen.
37:30
I'm speaking
37:31
from experience.
37:33
At least one
37:33
day a week
37:34
that you can
37:34
worship with
37:35
your families.
37:36
So,
37:37
challenge
37:38
husbands on
37:39
the way home
37:39
today.
37:40
Schedule time
37:41
with your
37:41
wife.
37:42
This is the
37:43
time that we're
37:43
going to gather
37:44
together.
37:44
If you want
37:45
to do it
37:45
six times,
37:46
seven times a
37:46
week,
37:46
that's even
37:47
better.
37:48
But one is
37:49
better than
37:49
none,
37:50
right?
37:50
So,
37:51
I encourage
37:52
families,
37:53
figure out a
37:53
time when you
37:54
can get
37:54
together to
37:55
worship together
37:56
as a family.
37:57
The word
37:58
needs to be
37:58
taught in your
37:59
home.
38:00
You know what
38:00
else you can
38:01
do is you
38:01
can read the
38:02
word in the
38:03
morning and
38:03
every night
38:04
with your
38:04
children.
38:06
That's something
38:06
that anybody
38:06
can do.
38:07
If you need
38:08
resources to
38:08
help you do
38:10
this,
38:10
to help you
38:11
in your
38:11
family
38:11
worship
38:12
time,
38:13
I'm sure
38:13
Nathan can
38:13
provide free
38:14
resources for
38:15
you.
38:15
I know
38:15
there's some
38:16
free resources
38:16
if you're
38:17
interested.
38:17
I can share
38:18
those with
38:18
you as
38:18
well.
38:19
Let me
38:19
tell you
38:19
why this
38:20
is so
38:20
important
38:20
today.
38:21
We're
38:22
wrapping
38:22
this up.
38:23
Let me
38:23
tell you
38:23
why this
38:24
is so
38:24
important.
38:24
You go to
38:25
scores of
38:25
church
38:26
buildings
38:26
across
38:26
America
38:27
and
38:27
across
38:28
Europe
38:28
and you
38:29
see
38:30
empty
38:31
buildings.
38:33
These
38:33
church
38:34
buildings
38:34
are
38:34
empty
38:34
shelves
38:35
of what
38:35
used
38:35
to be
38:36
great
38:36
thriving
38:37
churches.
38:39
Completely
38:40
empty
38:40
today.
38:41
I shared
38:43
with you
38:43
these
38:43
statistics
38:44
for a
38:44
reason
38:44
because if
38:45
we continue
38:45
in the
38:46
same
38:46
pattern
38:46
in our
38:47
culture
38:47
today,
38:48
we're
38:48
going to
38:49
see
38:49
hundreds
38:50
if not
38:51
thousands
38:51
of empty
38:52
church
38:52
buildings.
38:53
Possibly
38:54
even other
38:54
businesses
38:55
having moved
38:55
into church
38:56
buildings
38:56
because
38:57
that
38:59
congregation
38:59
has died
39:00
away.
39:03
The
39:03
statistics
39:03
are real.
39:05
Not making
39:05
it up.
39:07
I'm not
39:07
saying the
39:08
church is
39:08
going to
39:08
disappear.
39:09
God's
39:10
word is
39:11
going to
39:11
continue
39:11
on until
39:12
the end.
39:12
His
39:12
word
39:13
proclaims
39:13
that.
39:14
His
39:14
word is
39:14
going to
39:14
carry
39:15
on all
39:15
the way
39:16
through
39:16
eternity.
39:17
There's
39:18
no question
39:18
about that.
39:19
But whether
39:19
we're
39:19
involved or
39:20
whether our
39:20
children or
39:21
our children's
39:22
children are
39:23
involved with
39:24
that has
39:25
everything to
39:25
do with how
39:26
we interact
39:27
with Ephesians
39:28
chapter 6.
39:31
So we're
39:32
going to pray
39:32
right now and I
39:33
just want to
39:33
invite husbands
39:34
especially to be
39:37
leaders of
39:38
your home.
39:38
Step up to
39:39
the plate.
39:39
Wives, be
39:41
supportive of
39:42
your husband in
39:42
that role.
39:43
Help him where
39:43
he needs help.
39:44
Help teach the
39:45
children in the
39:46
home.
39:48
Children, quite
39:49
simply, obey
39:50
your parents.
39:52
Let's pray
39:53
together.
39:54
Heavenly Father,
39:54
we thank you so
39:55
much for giving
39:55
us this opportunity
39:57
to gather here as
39:58
a faith family in
40:00
this room.
40:02
We thank you,
40:02
Father, for your
40:03
word.
40:03
I pray, Father,
40:04
that it would
40:05
change our lives,
40:06
it would work in
40:06
our hearts to
40:07
transform us.
40:09
Lord, I pray for
40:10
fathers in here,
40:13
that they would be
40:14
willing to step up
40:15
to the plate.
40:17
They'd be willing
40:18
to begin to lead
40:19
their families in
40:20
spiritual formation.
40:21
They'd be willing
40:22
to read the word
40:23
in their home,
40:23
to have a verbal
40:25
commitment to your
40:26
word, to have a
40:26
visible commitment
40:27
to your word in
40:28
the home.
40:29
I pray for wives,
40:31
Father, that you
40:33
would guide them
40:34
and that you would
40:35
help them be a
40:35
support to their
40:36
husbands.
40:36
You would help
40:37
them in the
40:38
spiritual formation
40:39
of their children
40:39
as well.
40:41
And I pray that
40:42
the children would
40:43
read the benefits
40:44
of this endeavor
40:45
by these moms and
40:47
dads who are
40:48
attempting to be
40:50
the best they can
40:51
be as spiritual
40:52
leaders in their
40:52
homes.
40:54
These children
40:55
would be raised
40:55
indeed in the
40:56
admonition, the
40:57
encouragement, and
40:59
discipline of the
41:00
Lord.
41:01
And I pray,
41:02
Father, that this
41:03
church, these people
41:03
in this room this
41:05
morning, that we
41:07
would beat the
41:07
statistics, that we
41:11
wouldn't be bound
41:12
by statistics that
41:15
are overwhelmingly
41:16
true in our
41:17
country.
41:18
So, Father, help
41:19
us as we have
41:22
been challenged
41:23
this morning.
41:23
Help us to rise up
41:24
to that challenge,
41:25
to begin to see the
41:28
need to teach your
41:29
word in our homes.
41:30
we begin to see
41:31
the need to rally
41:34
around families who
41:36
need encouragement.
41:39
Most of all, Father,
41:40
I pray that you would
41:41
be honored and
41:41
glorified in our
41:42
lives as we do
41:43
these things.
41:45
I pray this all in
41:45
the name of your
41:46
Son, Jesus Christ.
41:47
Amen.