Tell Your Children Why

Deuteronomy 6:20-25
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Pastor Colin looks at the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” and demonstrates its meaning by referencing Deuteronomy 6:5, which calls for loving God with all one’s heart, soul, and strength. This love for God should encompass one’s affections, energy, abilities, and possessions.

Continuing the sermon, Pastor Colin discusses the importance of aligning one’s life and family around a single passion for the Lord. He warns against the error of past generations who put their children before the Lord, resulting in 40 years of wandering in the desert. Instead, he encourages putting God first, which results in blessings for the family.

He addresses the practical implications for families, asserting that fathers and mothers should demonstrate their love for God in their daily lives and conversations. By doing so, their children will be drawn into this consuming passion for the Lord, benefiting from this alignment.

Pastor Colin shares personal testimonies, illustrating how the passion for the Lord in his own family profoundly influenced his life and how it can do the same for others. He emphasises that children are not harmed but blessed by exposure to parents who passionately serve the Lord.

Finally, he urges believers to let the cross explain the passion of their lives to their children, reminding them of God’s redeeming grace and the promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This foundational understanding transforms and aligns the whole family towards living for the Lord, pointing them towards the promised land.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,560 We’re learning as we work our way through this marvelous 2 00:00:02,560 –> 00:00:04,980 part of the scripture that it is distinctively 3 00:00:04,980 –> 00:00:09,160 a part of the Bible that is addressed to God’s people. 4 00:00:09,160 –> 00:00:12,320 We saw last time that God is speaking here 5 00:00:12,320 –> 00:00:15,380 to those he has chosen, those he has redeemed, 6 00:00:15,380 –> 00:00:17,360 those he has made a covenant with. 7 00:00:17,360 –> 00:00:19,940 And that is very important, especially when 8 00:00:19,940 –> 00:00:22,020 we come to the commandments. 9 00:00:22,020 –> 00:00:24,700 See, the 10 commandments, unlike what many people 10 00:00:24,700 –> 00:00:27,959 have in their mind, the 10 commandments were never 11 00:00:28,660 –> 00:00:31,820 a kind of ladder for unsaved people to work 12 00:00:31,820 –> 00:00:34,259 their way somehow nearer to God. 13 00:00:35,180 –> 00:00:39,099 The 10 commandments are rather the way of life 14 00:00:39,099 –> 00:00:40,779 for those who have been redeemed, 15 00:00:40,779 –> 00:00:45,180 those who are in our new testament terms, in Christ. 16 00:00:45,180 –> 00:00:47,220 Those who are in the covenant. 17 00:00:47,220 –> 00:00:51,919 God is speaking to his own people. 18 00:00:51,919 –> 00:00:54,700 And we saw last time that the whole book of Deuteronomy 19 00:00:54,900 –> 00:00:58,320 really is an explanation and an application 20 00:00:58,320 –> 00:01:00,380 of the 10 commandments. 21 00:01:00,380 –> 00:01:02,500 You remember that the first commandment says 22 00:01:02,500 –> 00:01:05,580 just back in Deuteronomy chapter five there, 23 00:01:05,580 –> 00:01:06,500 the first commandment, 24 00:01:06,500 –> 00:01:10,059 “‘You shall have no other gods before me.’” 25 00:01:10,059 –> 00:01:11,820 That’s the first commandment. 26 00:01:11,820 –> 00:01:14,279 Now the question is, what does that mean? 27 00:01:14,279 –> 00:01:18,820 What does it mean to have no other gods before the Lord? 28 00:01:18,820 –> 00:01:20,160 Well, the chapters that we’re in 29 00:01:20,160 –> 00:01:22,779 in Deuteronomy right now are an explanation 30 00:01:22,779 –> 00:01:23,900 of what that means. 31 00:01:23,959 –> 00:01:26,139 And we began to look at this last week 32 00:01:26,139 –> 00:01:28,900 in Deuteronomy chapter six in verse five, 33 00:01:28,900 –> 00:01:30,260 where we find out what it means 34 00:01:30,260 –> 00:01:32,620 to have no other gods before the Lord. 35 00:01:32,620 –> 00:01:35,440 It means this, that you love the Lord your God 36 00:01:35,440 –> 00:01:36,760 with all your heart 37 00:01:36,760 –> 00:01:41,760 and with all your soul and with all your strength. 38 00:01:41,919 –> 00:01:44,699 Deuteronomy 6.5, that verse is sometimes referred to 39 00:01:44,699 –> 00:01:49,699 as the shema and the shema states positively 40 00:01:49,959 –> 00:01:52,639 what the first commandment states negatively. 41 00:01:52,639 –> 00:01:54,120 They’re really saying the same thing, 42 00:01:54,120 –> 00:01:55,279 just the other way around. 43 00:01:55,279 –> 00:01:57,260 You shall have no other gods before me. 44 00:01:57,260 –> 00:01:58,160 What does that mean? 45 00:01:58,160 –> 00:02:00,779 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart 46 00:02:00,779 –> 00:02:03,919 and with all your soul and with all your strength. 47 00:02:03,919 –> 00:02:06,580 And so last week, as we made our way into this, 48 00:02:06,580 –> 00:02:08,919 we began to see what that means. 49 00:02:08,919 –> 00:02:10,559 Loving God with all your heart 50 00:02:10,559 –> 00:02:12,240 means loving Him with your affection, 51 00:02:12,240 –> 00:02:15,279 with your mind, with your desire or your will. 52 00:02:15,279 –> 00:02:16,759 Loving Him with all your soul 53 00:02:16,759 –> 00:02:18,300 means loving Him with your energy, 54 00:02:18,300 –> 00:02:20,320 your ability and your years. 55 00:02:20,320 –> 00:02:22,199 And loving God with all your strength 56 00:02:22,300 –> 00:02:25,360 we saw means loving Him out of your muchness. 57 00:02:25,360 –> 00:02:27,160 That’s the literal translation, 58 00:02:27,160 –> 00:02:31,320 out of your substance, out of your possession. 59 00:02:31,320 –> 00:02:34,119 So that’s where we got to last week. 60 00:02:34,119 –> 00:02:38,179 If you love the Lord with all your heart 61 00:02:38,179 –> 00:02:40,919 and with all your soul and with all your strength, 62 00:02:40,919 –> 00:02:42,360 and this is what the first commandment 63 00:02:42,360 –> 00:02:46,479 is calling us to as those who are in Christ, 64 00:02:46,479 –> 00:02:50,360 then he will have the highest place in your affections, 65 00:02:50,360 –> 00:02:52,960 the highest claim on your life, 66 00:02:52,960 –> 00:02:57,039 and indeed the highest priority over your checkbook. 67 00:02:57,039 –> 00:02:59,419 That is what this is saying. 68 00:02:59,419 –> 00:03:03,119 This is what it means to have no other gods before the Lord. 69 00:03:03,119 –> 00:03:05,960 This is what it means to love the Lord, your God, 70 00:03:05,960 –> 00:03:09,000 with all your heart and soul and strength. 71 00:03:10,160 –> 00:03:11,919 Now, that’s where we got to last weekend. 72 00:03:11,919 –> 00:03:15,940 Today we’re going to take the next step, 73 00:03:15,940 –> 00:03:19,559 and it’s simply this, the obvious question that will arise. 74 00:03:20,660 –> 00:03:25,660 If I love Christ like this, 75 00:03:26,020 –> 00:03:30,020 what impact will it have on my family? 76 00:03:30,020 –> 00:03:31,020 That’s the question. 77 00:03:32,559 –> 00:03:37,559 If I extend myself in serving the Lord, 78 00:03:39,259 –> 00:03:44,039 if I push the boundaries of investing myself in him 79 00:03:44,039 –> 00:03:46,800 and in his purpose in the world, 80 00:03:47,979 –> 00:03:49,940 will it hurt my children? 81 00:03:49,940 –> 00:03:50,940 That’s the question. 82 00:03:51,960 –> 00:03:54,740 Now, folks, if you didn’t know already, 83 00:03:54,740 –> 00:03:58,679 I assure you this is a critical question, 84 00:03:58,679 –> 00:04:01,059 especially for younger parents in our time. 85 00:04:02,759 –> 00:04:06,699 If I extend myself in serving Christ, 86 00:04:06,699 –> 00:04:10,539 will it hurt my children? 87 00:04:12,399 –> 00:04:14,360 And it is a very real question. 88 00:04:15,940 –> 00:04:19,459 You love the Lord and you want to serve him. 89 00:04:19,459 –> 00:04:20,899 You want your life to honor him, 90 00:04:20,899 –> 00:04:23,040 but you have children, you have a family. 91 00:04:23,920 –> 00:04:26,000 And you feel that there is a tension 92 00:04:26,000 –> 00:04:27,839 between these two things. 93 00:04:28,899 –> 00:04:30,440 You want to be a good mother, 94 00:04:30,440 –> 00:04:32,239 you want to be a good father, 95 00:04:32,239 –> 00:04:33,959 you love your children. 96 00:04:33,959 –> 00:04:37,380 What does it look like to love the Lord 97 00:04:37,380 –> 00:04:39,299 with all your heart, 98 00:04:40,160 –> 00:04:42,720 and with all your soul, 99 00:04:42,720 –> 00:04:45,320 and out of all your muchness 100 00:04:45,320 –> 00:04:47,720 when you have a wife 101 00:04:47,720 –> 00:04:51,720 and you have children? 102 00:04:51,720 –> 00:04:52,779 It’s very practical. 103 00:04:53,959 –> 00:04:56,619 Now, I want you to see with Deuteronomy chapter six 104 00:04:56,619 –> 00:04:59,559 open in front of you that it is very significant 105 00:04:59,559 –> 00:05:02,500 that when Moses says in chapter six and verse five, 106 00:05:02,500 –> 00:05:04,320 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 107 00:05:04,320 –> 00:05:06,839 he immediately goes on to describe 108 00:05:06,839 –> 00:05:10,040 the impact of this on your family. 109 00:05:10,040 –> 00:05:12,359 The connection’s right there. 110 00:05:12,359 –> 00:05:14,720 And I have good news for you today, 111 00:05:14,760 –> 00:05:18,220 far from destroying your family, 112 00:05:18,220 –> 00:05:21,500 I want you to see from the Scriptures today 113 00:05:21,500 –> 00:05:23,600 that if you choose to love the Lord 114 00:05:23,600 –> 00:05:25,559 with all your heart and with all your soul 115 00:05:25,559 –> 00:05:27,559 and with all your strength, 116 00:05:27,559 –> 00:05:31,399 your family will be blessed. 117 00:05:31,399 –> 00:05:34,420 Indeed, we’re going to see from the Bible today 118 00:05:34,420 –> 00:05:36,959 that the best way to serve your family, 119 00:05:36,959 –> 00:05:38,920 the best way to love your family 120 00:05:38,920 –> 00:05:40,880 is to live for the Lord. 121 00:05:40,880 –> 00:05:43,239 And indeed, any other choice, 122 00:05:43,239 –> 00:05:45,440 any other priority of life, 123 00:05:45,440 –> 00:05:48,640 will indeed be destructive in the long-term 124 00:05:48,640 –> 00:05:51,079 to the people who you love. 125 00:05:51,079 –> 00:05:52,440 So just to get the principle 126 00:05:52,440 –> 00:05:53,920 that we’re going to see in a few moments 127 00:05:53,920 –> 00:05:56,179 directly from the Bible in our minds, 128 00:05:56,179 –> 00:05:58,540 I framed it for you like this. 129 00:05:58,540 –> 00:06:03,299 Love the Lord first and your family will be blessed. 130 00:06:03,299 –> 00:06:06,720 Love the family first and the family will suffer. 131 00:06:06,720 –> 00:06:08,359 That’s the principle. 132 00:06:08,359 –> 00:06:10,200 Deuteronomy 6 in verse five, 133 00:06:10,260 –> 00:06:11,859 love the Lord your God with all your heart 134 00:06:11,859 –> 00:06:13,920 and all your soul and with all your strength 135 00:06:13,920 –> 00:06:15,619 and the application of that 136 00:06:15,619 –> 00:06:17,480 that Moses is giving to us in the verses 137 00:06:17,480 –> 00:06:18,799 that are before us now, 138 00:06:18,799 –> 00:06:21,619 your family will be blessed. 139 00:06:21,619 –> 00:06:23,260 But if you go the other route 140 00:06:23,260 –> 00:06:25,160 and you hold back from the Lord, 141 00:06:25,160 –> 00:06:26,940 you put your family first, 142 00:06:26,940 –> 00:06:30,619 then your family will suffer. 143 00:06:31,579 –> 00:06:34,019 Now I want you to see this directly from the scriptures, 144 00:06:34,019 –> 00:06:35,660 and so please turn with me for a moment 145 00:06:35,660 –> 00:06:39,859 back a couple of pages to Deuteronomy 1. 146 00:06:40,339 –> 00:06:42,799 Deuteronomy in chapter one. 147 00:06:42,799 –> 00:06:45,239 And remember that in Deuteronomy, 148 00:06:45,239 –> 00:06:49,660 Moses is speaking to a new generation of God’s people 149 00:06:49,660 –> 00:06:53,579 who have finally come to the verge of the promised land. 150 00:06:53,579 –> 00:06:55,640 Remember that 40 years earlier, 151 00:06:55,640 –> 00:06:57,760 the parents of this generation 152 00:06:57,760 –> 00:07:00,440 had also been on the verge of the promised land 153 00:07:00,440 –> 00:07:05,440 and God had called them to step forward and to enter in. 154 00:07:05,679 –> 00:07:09,299 But you remember the story, they sent out spies. 155 00:07:09,339 –> 00:07:10,940 And when the spies came back, 156 00:07:10,940 –> 00:07:14,059 they reported that the land was good. 157 00:07:14,059 –> 00:07:16,420 But then, they said, there are some problems. 158 00:07:16,420 –> 00:07:17,739 You see, the land is wonderful 159 00:07:17,739 –> 00:07:19,380 and it’s full of these marvelous grapes 160 00:07:19,380 –> 00:07:23,399 and all the rest of it, but there are giants in the land 161 00:07:23,399 –> 00:07:26,920 and the cities of the land are heavily fortified. 162 00:07:28,260 –> 00:07:31,040 And the spies brought back this report. 163 00:07:32,299 –> 00:07:33,739 And you remember what happened 164 00:07:33,739 –> 00:07:36,940 when the parents heard that report from the spies, 165 00:07:36,980 –> 00:07:39,500 the parents turned back. 166 00:07:39,500 –> 00:07:44,500 And so for the next 40 years, they wandered in the desert. 167 00:07:45,519 –> 00:07:46,779 Now, here’s the question. 168 00:07:48,059 –> 00:07:51,739 Why did they make that decision? 169 00:07:51,739 –> 00:07:54,579 Hearing the report from the spies, 170 00:07:54,579 –> 00:07:56,500 what was it that prompted them 171 00:07:56,500 –> 00:07:59,380 to make the choice to turn back 172 00:08:00,339 –> 00:08:03,160 from what God was calling them to do? 173 00:08:04,140 –> 00:08:06,579 Why was it that that earlier generation 174 00:08:06,600 –> 00:08:08,480 did not go up into Canaan? 175 00:08:08,480 –> 00:08:11,179 And what was it that precipitated them 176 00:08:11,179 –> 00:08:14,279 to lead their children for 40 years in the desert? 177 00:08:16,559 –> 00:08:18,179 Now, there must’ve been many factors, 178 00:08:18,179 –> 00:08:19,500 but I want to draw your attention 179 00:08:19,500 –> 00:08:21,779 to Deuteronomy 1 in verse 39 180 00:08:21,779 –> 00:08:24,179 where you see a very, very clear statement there 181 00:08:24,179 –> 00:08:26,739 that is of huge importance. 182 00:08:26,739 –> 00:08:29,739 The Lord is speaking here, and he says this. 183 00:08:30,940 –> 00:08:35,760 The little ones that you said 184 00:08:36,599 –> 00:08:41,020 would be taken captive, your children, 185 00:08:41,979 –> 00:08:45,780 they are the ones who will enter into the land. 186 00:08:45,780 –> 00:08:48,219 That is what God said to that earlier generation, 187 00:08:48,219 –> 00:08:50,099 the ones who turned back 188 00:08:50,099 –> 00:08:52,500 when they heard the report from the spies. 189 00:08:52,500 –> 00:08:56,479 God said, the little ones that you said 190 00:08:56,479 –> 00:08:57,780 would be taken captive, 191 00:08:57,780 –> 00:09:01,500 that’s what you said, your children. 192 00:09:01,500 –> 00:09:06,500 They are the ones who will enter into the land. 193 00:09:06,580 –> 00:09:07,739 Now you see what’s happening, 194 00:09:07,739 –> 00:09:10,080 and it’s very easy to picture this. 195 00:09:11,140 –> 00:09:14,140 The spies come back and they say, 196 00:09:14,140 –> 00:09:15,739 well, there are giants in the land 197 00:09:15,739 –> 00:09:16,960 and it’s a marvelous land, 198 00:09:16,960 –> 00:09:18,599 but the cities are fortified. 199 00:09:19,599 –> 00:09:20,979 And the parents say, well, no, 200 00:09:20,979 –> 00:09:23,260 this is far too great a risk. 201 00:09:24,500 –> 00:09:26,080 We have little children. 202 00:09:27,599 –> 00:09:30,719 Oh, we have to do what’s best for the kids. 203 00:09:30,719 –> 00:09:33,820 We can’t be going into a land where there are giants, 204 00:09:33,820 –> 00:09:35,880 our children could be taken captive. 205 00:09:35,940 –> 00:09:37,520 Did you see that there in verse 39? 206 00:09:37,520 –> 00:09:38,580 That is what they said. 207 00:09:38,580 –> 00:09:39,840 The risk is too great. 208 00:09:39,840 –> 00:09:41,880 We can’t do what God says. 209 00:09:41,880 –> 00:09:44,020 We have little children. 210 00:09:45,280 –> 00:09:46,460 That was the rationale. 211 00:09:48,099 –> 00:09:49,239 Now, that is what they said. 212 00:09:49,239 –> 00:09:50,359 And folks, when I read that, 213 00:09:50,359 –> 00:09:51,880 I say, I understand this. 214 00:09:51,880 –> 00:09:52,880 Don’t you? 215 00:09:52,880 –> 00:09:54,440 Can you see how they got there? 216 00:09:57,280 –> 00:09:59,239 They put the children first. 217 00:10:01,280 –> 00:10:02,960 And what was the result? 218 00:10:03,900 –> 00:10:07,919 The children they tried to protect 219 00:10:09,059 –> 00:10:11,679 spent the largest part of their lives 220 00:10:11,679 –> 00:10:13,020 wandering in the desert. 221 00:10:14,640 –> 00:10:15,979 Here is the great irony. 222 00:10:18,320 –> 00:10:22,299 If these parents had put the Lord before the children, 223 00:10:22,299 –> 00:10:24,719 the children would have been raised in the promised land, 224 00:10:24,719 –> 00:10:26,479 a land flowing with milk and honey. 225 00:10:28,119 –> 00:10:32,859 But because these parents put the children before the Lord 226 00:10:32,859 –> 00:10:35,219 Deuteronomy chapter one in verse 39, 227 00:10:35,219 –> 00:10:38,679 they led their children into an arid experience 228 00:10:38,679 –> 00:10:40,960 of 40 years wandering in a wilderness. 229 00:10:40,960 –> 00:10:42,539 Do you see the irony of that? 230 00:10:44,099 –> 00:10:46,140 The parents put the children first 231 00:10:46,140 –> 00:10:49,059 and it was devastating for the children. 232 00:10:49,059 –> 00:10:52,700 That’s Deuteronomy chapter one and verse 39. 233 00:10:54,500 –> 00:10:58,419 Oh, sure, if they had gone into the land, 234 00:10:58,419 –> 00:11:02,679 some parents would have lost their sons and their daughters. 235 00:11:02,739 –> 00:11:06,200 Obedience always has a cost. 236 00:11:07,320 –> 00:11:10,400 But can you see clearly with me today 237 00:11:10,400 –> 00:11:12,520 that by putting the children first, 238 00:11:12,520 –> 00:11:15,700 these parents did themselves and their children 239 00:11:15,700 –> 00:11:19,340 the greatest possible disservice. 240 00:11:20,820 –> 00:11:23,960 Now from that, I want to make this first statement 241 00:11:23,960 –> 00:11:26,479 and I deliberately put it provocatively 242 00:11:26,479 –> 00:11:27,840 because I want you to see it, 243 00:11:27,840 –> 00:11:29,640 I want you to struggle with it, 244 00:11:29,640 –> 00:11:31,020 I want you to chew on it, 245 00:11:31,020 –> 00:11:33,700 I want you to pray over it, I want you to grasp it. 246 00:11:34,940 –> 00:11:39,940 Don’t live for your spouse or for your family. 247 00:11:41,440 –> 00:11:46,380 Don’t live for your spouse and for your family. 248 00:11:46,380 –> 00:11:47,739 That is what the generation did 249 00:11:47,739 –> 00:11:50,940 that let the kids into the desert. 250 00:11:50,940 –> 00:11:52,599 They put the kids first. 251 00:11:55,340 –> 00:11:56,559 Putting the kids first, 252 00:11:56,559 –> 00:11:59,880 is the worst thing you can do for the children. 253 00:12:01,539 –> 00:12:03,460 The best way to serve your family 254 00:12:03,460 –> 00:12:05,640 is to love the Lord with all your heart 255 00:12:05,640 –> 00:12:08,280 and with all your soul and with all your strength. 256 00:12:10,020 –> 00:12:12,119 And the same is true of marriage. 257 00:12:12,119 –> 00:12:14,640 Now think about this, because it’s so different 258 00:12:14,640 –> 00:12:17,679 from the way that things are in our culture. 259 00:12:17,679 –> 00:12:22,520 Wives, don’t desire whatever you do. 260 00:12:22,520 –> 00:12:27,359 Don’t desire that you will be first in your husband’s life. 261 00:12:27,979 –> 00:12:32,979 Desire that Christ will be first in your husband’s life, 262 00:12:34,440 –> 00:12:38,219 because if he truly loves Christ with all his heart 263 00:12:38,219 –> 00:12:40,140 and with all his soul and with all his strength, 264 00:12:40,140 –> 00:12:43,479 he will love you well, and he will love you well 265 00:12:43,479 –> 00:12:45,440 even when you are less lovable. 266 00:12:47,400 –> 00:12:50,179 But if you are first in his life 267 00:12:50,179 –> 00:12:52,059 you have taken the place of God, 268 00:12:52,059 –> 00:12:54,359 and that is a burden you cannot bear. 269 00:12:54,359 –> 00:12:56,979 That is a work that you cannot sustain. 270 00:12:57,020 –> 00:12:59,059 That is something that you cannot carry. 271 00:12:59,059 –> 00:13:01,619 You will only fail that you can only disappoint 272 00:13:01,619 –> 00:13:02,539 if you’re there. 273 00:13:04,859 –> 00:13:06,419 I want you to think about this. 274 00:13:07,900 –> 00:13:12,059 Husbands, buy all means, 275 00:13:13,299 –> 00:13:18,299 buy a card for your wife that says, I love you. 276 00:13:21,239 –> 00:13:22,780 But when you go into the card shop, 277 00:13:22,780 –> 00:13:25,179 please don’t ever buy a card 278 00:13:25,219 –> 00:13:28,659 that says, I live for you. 279 00:13:30,179 –> 00:13:31,460 You’ll find many of them, 280 00:13:32,700 –> 00:13:34,739 but that is a statement of idolatry. 281 00:13:36,539 –> 00:13:38,419 And if that is where you’re at, 282 00:13:39,380 –> 00:13:42,580 you have made yourself an idolater 283 00:13:42,580 –> 00:13:45,320 and you have put your spouse in a position 284 00:13:45,320 –> 00:13:48,260 that they cannot possibly sustain. 285 00:13:50,080 –> 00:13:51,539 That is not love, 286 00:13:52,539 –> 00:13:55,679 that is the way to destroy and to crush 287 00:13:57,559 –> 00:13:59,460 what God is seeking to build. 288 00:14:00,900 –> 00:14:03,419 Your wife will be the one that you laugh with, 289 00:14:03,419 –> 00:14:06,700 your wife will be the one that you dream with, 290 00:14:06,700 –> 00:14:10,080 your wife will be the one that you love, 291 00:14:10,080 –> 00:14:14,979 but she cannot be the one that you live for. 292 00:14:17,599 –> 00:14:19,520 Only God can be God to you. 293 00:14:20,520 –> 00:14:23,039 Your spouse does not have that capacity 294 00:14:23,979 –> 00:14:26,320 and to place that burden on them 295 00:14:27,460 –> 00:14:29,359 is the worst form of idolatry. 296 00:14:30,479 –> 00:14:32,359 Now, you see, as you begin to think about this, 297 00:14:32,359 –> 00:14:34,979 the same principle holds true for your children. 298 00:14:34,979 –> 00:14:37,440 What is the first commandment? 299 00:14:37,440 –> 00:14:38,880 The first commandment is, 300 00:14:38,880 –> 00:14:42,559 you shall have no other gods before me, 301 00:14:42,559 –> 00:14:45,159 and that includes the children. 302 00:14:46,359 –> 00:14:49,000 That is why, when you think about it, 303 00:14:49,000 –> 00:14:51,080 the Lord Jesus said on one occasion 304 00:14:51,080 –> 00:14:53,539 in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 37. 305 00:14:53,539 –> 00:14:56,320 Anyone who loves his son or his daughter 306 00:14:56,320 –> 00:14:58,880 more than me is not worthy of me. 307 00:14:58,880 –> 00:15:00,080 People read that and they think, 308 00:15:00,080 –> 00:15:02,580 well, how could Jesus possibly have said such a thing? 309 00:15:02,580 –> 00:15:05,400 He was simply applying the first commandment. 310 00:15:06,599 –> 00:15:08,140 No other gods before me. 311 00:15:09,359 –> 00:15:11,960 Learn to love the Lord your God with all your heart, 312 00:15:11,960 –> 00:15:14,799 with all your soul and with all your strength. 313 00:15:15,679 –> 00:15:20,059 So if you let the children take the first place 314 00:15:20,059 –> 00:15:22,619 in your heart and the first place in your life 315 00:15:22,619 –> 00:15:24,380 and have the first claim on your money, 316 00:15:24,380 –> 00:15:26,359 you have made them an idol. 317 00:15:27,320 –> 00:15:29,099 And if you make them an idol, 318 00:15:29,099 –> 00:15:30,700 if you put them in that position, 319 00:15:30,700 –> 00:15:32,619 what are you teaching them to do as they grow up? 320 00:15:32,619 –> 00:15:36,520 You will teach them to be worshipers of themselves. 321 00:15:38,260 –> 00:15:39,979 See, isn’t it fascinating? 322 00:15:39,979 –> 00:15:43,000 When Satan comes into the garden, 323 00:15:43,940 –> 00:15:45,859 he says to Adam and Eve, 324 00:15:45,859 –> 00:15:50,099 now you shall be as God and paradise is lost. 325 00:15:51,400 –> 00:15:54,219 But when the Lord comes down to Mount Sinai, 326 00:15:54,219 –> 00:15:55,580 he comes down to the mountain. 327 00:15:55,580 –> 00:15:59,099 He says, you shall have no other gods before me. 328 00:15:59,099 –> 00:16:01,020 And the generation that hears that 329 00:16:01,020 –> 00:16:04,880 and responds to it, enter into the promised land. 330 00:16:06,299 –> 00:16:11,299 Don’t live for your wife, your spouse or your family 331 00:16:13,979 –> 00:16:16,419 shall have no other gods before me. 332 00:16:16,419 –> 00:16:20,919 For me, to live is Christ 333 00:16:23,059 –> 00:16:27,119 and to die, therefore is gain.” 334 00:16:27,119 –> 00:16:27,960 Now, that’s the first thing. 335 00:16:27,960 –> 00:16:29,619 Here’s the second that follows from it. 336 00:16:29,619 –> 00:16:30,780 Let’s move to the positive. 337 00:16:30,780 –> 00:16:31,619 That’s the negative. 338 00:16:31,619 –> 00:16:32,820 Let’s move to the positive. 339 00:16:33,900 –> 00:16:38,900 Align your life, therefore around one consuming passion 340 00:16:40,219 –> 00:16:41,960 for the Lord. 341 00:16:41,979 –> 00:16:46,219 Align your life around one consuming passion 342 00:16:46,219 –> 00:16:48,940 for the Lord. 343 00:16:48,940 –> 00:16:52,419 Now, coming back to Deuteronomy and Chapter Six, 344 00:16:52,419 –> 00:16:54,820 40 years have now passed 345 00:16:54,820 –> 00:16:59,659 and these little ones whose parents tried to protect them 346 00:16:59,659 –> 00:17:02,020 by holding back from full obedience, 347 00:17:02,020 –> 00:17:03,460 the parents have now died 348 00:17:03,460 –> 00:17:06,020 and the little ones have become mature adults 349 00:17:06,020 –> 00:17:07,780 in their own right. 350 00:17:07,780 –> 00:17:09,420 Their parents had put them first 351 00:17:09,439 –> 00:17:12,219 and they suffered as a result. 352 00:17:12,219 –> 00:17:13,900 But now a generation on, 353 00:17:13,900 –> 00:17:16,319 Moses brings this new and younger generation 354 00:17:16,319 –> 00:17:19,180 again to the verge of the Promised Land. 355 00:17:19,180 –> 00:17:21,660 Now try and picture this in your mind. 356 00:17:21,660 –> 00:17:24,160 The little ones, these parents were so anxious to protect, 357 00:17:24,160 –> 00:17:28,780 they have now grown and they have children of their own. 358 00:17:28,780 –> 00:17:30,780 And they come to the verge of the Promised Land 359 00:17:30,780 –> 00:17:31,619 and guess what? 360 00:17:31,619 –> 00:17:34,199 There are still giants in the land 361 00:17:34,199 –> 00:17:37,479 and there are still cities that are fortified. 362 00:17:37,479 –> 00:17:39,280 And God is calling the new generation 363 00:17:39,280 –> 00:17:41,079 to enter into the Promised Land 364 00:17:41,079 –> 00:17:45,239 and the new generation knows that it will be costly. 365 00:17:45,739 –> 00:17:47,439 So what does Moses say to them 366 00:17:47,439 –> 00:17:49,719 in the second giving of the law? 367 00:17:49,719 –> 00:17:51,160 He gives them the 10 commandments 368 00:17:51,160 –> 00:17:53,260 and now speaking from the heart 369 00:17:53,260 –> 00:17:55,339 and out of all these years of experience, 370 00:17:55,339 –> 00:17:56,560 what does he say to them? 371 00:17:56,560 –> 00:17:59,199 Love the Lord your God, he says. 372 00:17:59,199 –> 00:18:01,839 With all your heart and with all your soul 373 00:18:01,839 –> 00:18:04,760 and with all your strength, listen, he’s saying, 374 00:18:04,760 –> 00:18:07,040 as we take the flow of the story. 375 00:18:07,040 –> 00:18:10,040 Your parents didn’t do that. 376 00:18:11,380 –> 00:18:14,020 They were folks with a faith, but never a mission. 377 00:18:15,739 –> 00:18:17,540 They put you first 378 00:18:17,540 –> 00:18:21,319 and for 40 years you have lived in a dryness 379 00:18:21,319 –> 00:18:24,280 and you’ve never known anything else. 380 00:18:24,280 –> 00:18:26,020 Look at what that did to them 381 00:18:26,020 –> 00:18:28,459 and look at what it’s already done to you. 382 00:18:28,459 –> 00:18:31,060 Now you’re standing right here on the same spot 383 00:18:31,060 –> 00:18:33,119 and your little children are around you. 384 00:18:33,119 –> 00:18:34,359 What are you going to do? 385 00:18:34,500 –> 00:18:37,079 You’re going to have to choose how you are going to live 386 00:18:37,079 –> 00:18:39,719 because you face the same challenges. 387 00:18:40,439 –> 00:18:44,959 So learn from what you have experienced yourself. 388 00:18:44,959 –> 00:18:48,000 You’ve seen that this half-hearted love for God 389 00:18:48,000 –> 00:18:50,199 is toxic to the children. 390 00:18:51,800 –> 00:18:53,959 Now you love the Lord, your God, 391 00:18:53,959 –> 00:18:56,000 with all your heart and with all your soul 392 00:18:56,000 –> 00:18:58,459 and with all your strength, 393 00:18:58,459 –> 00:19:02,359 do it so that it may go well with you 394 00:19:03,199 –> 00:19:06,400 and with your children. 395 00:19:06,400 –> 00:19:09,780 That’s chapter five and verse 29. 396 00:19:09,780 –> 00:19:13,359 Align your life around one 397 00:19:13,359 –> 00:19:15,239 consuming passion 398 00:19:16,699 –> 00:19:17,900 for the Lord. 399 00:19:20,060 –> 00:19:22,439 Now Moses is going to tell us how to do that 400 00:19:22,439 –> 00:19:23,359 in just a moment. 401 00:19:24,880 –> 00:19:27,699 But I want you just to notice before we get there 402 00:19:27,780 –> 00:19:29,140 that aligning 403 00:19:30,199 –> 00:19:32,640 is not the same as prioritizing. 404 00:19:33,739 –> 00:19:35,500 People sometimes say this, have you heard this? 405 00:19:35,500 –> 00:19:36,959 I’ve heard this so many times 406 00:19:36,959 –> 00:19:38,819 and I’ve never found it helpful. 407 00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:42,520 People say, well here’s how it’s got to be, 408 00:19:42,520 –> 00:19:46,060 God first, your family second, and ministry third. 409 00:19:46,060 –> 00:19:47,599 Have you, who’s heard that? 410 00:19:47,599 –> 00:19:48,680 All heard that, haven’t we? 411 00:19:48,680 –> 00:19:51,260 I have never found that helpful for this reason. 412 00:19:52,479 –> 00:19:55,699 How in all the world am I to separate loving God, 413 00:19:55,699 –> 00:19:57,380 number one, from serving God, 414 00:19:57,420 –> 00:19:58,260 number three? 415 00:20:00,119 –> 00:20:03,599 I am to love God, in obeying his commands, 416 00:20:03,599 –> 00:20:06,599 and in placing my life in its totality 417 00:20:06,599 –> 00:20:08,319 in the hands of Jesus Christ, 418 00:20:08,319 –> 00:20:09,719 who is Savior and Lord, 419 00:20:09,719 –> 00:20:12,560 and lays claim not to a part of my life 420 00:20:12,560 –> 00:20:13,920 but to the whole of it. 421 00:20:15,040 –> 00:20:17,680 So prioritizing doesn’t help me here. 422 00:20:17,680 –> 00:20:19,780 He lays claim to my family as much 423 00:20:19,780 –> 00:20:21,160 as he lays claim to me. 424 00:20:23,939 –> 00:20:27,239 And aligning is not the same as balancing, 425 00:20:27,239 –> 00:20:28,680 and that’s the other thing that’s so often 426 00:20:28,680 –> 00:20:30,760 gets said here, have you heard this one, 427 00:20:30,760 –> 00:20:31,959 you know when it comes to loving God 428 00:20:31,959 –> 00:20:34,160 and loving your family and all of the tensions 429 00:20:34,160 –> 00:20:37,040 that are experienced in all of our lives, 430 00:20:37,040 –> 00:20:39,040 and people all often say this, 431 00:20:39,040 –> 00:20:40,599 well now what you have to do is 432 00:20:40,599 –> 00:20:43,880 you have to keep a balance. 433 00:20:43,880 –> 00:20:45,160 You know, you should have time for ministry, 434 00:20:45,160 –> 00:20:46,260 you should have time for your family, 435 00:20:46,260 –> 00:20:47,099 and you should love the Lord, 436 00:20:47,099 –> 00:20:48,079 and you should love your family, 437 00:20:48,079 –> 00:20:50,180 keep a balance. 438 00:20:51,719 –> 00:20:54,199 Whenever people say, keep a balance, 439 00:20:54,199 –> 00:20:56,160 it always sounds good. 440 00:20:57,660 –> 00:20:59,239 But I have to tell you that in my life 441 00:20:59,239 –> 00:21:02,040 I have been amazed at how it is 442 00:21:02,040 –> 00:21:05,699 a surprisingly unhelpful concept. 443 00:21:07,800 –> 00:21:10,020 Here’s why it’s an unhelpful concept. 444 00:21:11,660 –> 00:21:13,359 If I’ve got to keep the balance 445 00:21:14,800 –> 00:21:17,640 between loving the Lord and loving my family, 446 00:21:18,560 –> 00:21:20,339 it means that the Lord and my family 447 00:21:20,339 –> 00:21:22,020 are evidently poles apart. 448 00:21:23,000 –> 00:21:25,160 They’re on opposite sides of the scale 449 00:21:25,160 –> 00:21:27,199 being weighed against each other. 450 00:21:27,199 –> 00:21:29,599 I don’t want my family being weighed 451 00:21:29,599 –> 00:21:31,520 against the Lord, I want my family 452 00:21:31,520 –> 00:21:34,099 being weighed for the Lord, don’t you? 453 00:21:35,819 –> 00:21:37,400 So balance doesn’t help me 454 00:21:38,880 –> 00:21:40,520 any more than prioritising. 455 00:21:40,520 –> 00:21:42,079 As if there were different things 456 00:21:42,079 –> 00:21:43,359 that I’m trying to do and I just must 457 00:21:43,359 –> 00:21:44,920 make sure that I do enough for the Lord here 458 00:21:44,920 –> 00:21:46,699 and it doesn’t help me. 459 00:21:48,719 –> 00:21:53,000 That’s why what I’m challenging us to today 460 00:21:53,000 –> 00:21:55,079 is to align 461 00:21:56,099 –> 00:22:00,500 your life and then as we’ll see, your family 462 00:22:01,760 –> 00:22:05,099 around one single passion 463 00:22:05,099 –> 00:22:08,640 which is serving the Lord. 464 00:22:08,640 –> 00:22:11,359 We are not looking to maintain a balance here. 465 00:22:11,359 –> 00:22:14,119 We are looking to achieve 466 00:22:15,280 –> 00:22:16,640 an alignment. 467 00:22:17,839 –> 00:22:19,699 And you say that sounds good, but how am I to do it? 468 00:22:19,699 –> 00:22:21,920 Well, Moses tells us exactly how we are 469 00:22:21,920 –> 00:22:24,880 to proceed with that in these verses. 470 00:22:25,359 –> 00:22:28,920 You have to begin with your own heart. 471 00:22:28,920 –> 00:22:31,520 Verse six, love the Lord your God 472 00:22:31,520 –> 00:22:33,439 with all your heart, with all your soul 473 00:22:33,439 –> 00:22:36,079 and with all your strength and then Moses says 474 00:22:36,079 –> 00:22:39,400 these commandments are to be on your heart. 475 00:22:39,400 –> 00:22:40,239 I’m not going to stop there 476 00:22:40,239 –> 00:22:42,140 because that was last week’s message. 477 00:22:43,079 –> 00:22:44,459 But it has to begin there. 478 00:22:45,959 –> 00:22:49,180 It has to begin with you growing into more and more 479 00:22:49,180 –> 00:22:52,479 of what it means for you internally 480 00:22:52,479 –> 00:22:54,800 to love the Lord with all your heart. 481 00:22:54,800 –> 00:22:57,859 We saw last week how that is learned over a lifetime 482 00:22:57,859 –> 00:23:00,459 at the foot of the cross. 483 00:23:01,520 –> 00:23:03,619 That’s where it begins. 484 00:23:03,619 –> 00:23:05,199 Otherwise it’s all hypocrisy. 485 00:23:06,339 –> 00:23:07,880 But it doesn’t end with your heart. 486 00:23:07,880 –> 00:23:11,239 It’s to flow from your heart into your conversation. 487 00:23:11,239 –> 00:23:16,239 Verse seven, talk about them when you sit at home. 488 00:23:18,060 –> 00:23:22,380 So now we’re into the realm of family conversation 489 00:23:23,300 –> 00:23:26,520 and Moses is saying, now don’t let the love 490 00:23:26,520 –> 00:23:30,060 that you have for the Lord in your heart simply stay there. 491 00:23:31,099 –> 00:23:34,099 Don’t let the work that you’re doing for the Lord 492 00:23:34,099 –> 00:23:37,540 remain private to you, don’t let the giving 493 00:23:37,540 –> 00:23:39,800 that you are giving to the Lord remain 494 00:23:39,800 –> 00:23:42,780 in a purely secret sphere as far 495 00:23:42,780 –> 00:23:44,739 as your family are concerned. 496 00:23:45,839 –> 00:23:49,119 No, bring this into your conversation. 497 00:23:49,160 –> 00:23:53,040 Open to them what is the great passion of your heart 498 00:23:53,040 –> 00:23:56,420 and let them, as they grow and in an appropriate way, 499 00:23:56,420 –> 00:23:59,979 begin to see the passion that drives you. 500 00:24:02,000 –> 00:24:05,119 Now, important question, what exactly is 501 00:24:05,119 –> 00:24:07,640 or are the commandments that Moses is speaking 502 00:24:07,640 –> 00:24:09,660 about here in verse five? 503 00:24:12,020 –> 00:24:13,439 Luther makes this comment 504 00:24:13,439 –> 00:24:15,020 and I think this is very helpful. 505 00:24:15,020 –> 00:24:17,280 He says when Moses talks about these commandments 506 00:24:17,280 –> 00:24:18,400 that you’re to talk about 507 00:24:18,540 –> 00:24:22,280 and are to be pressed into the core of family life. 508 00:24:22,280 –> 00:24:24,900 He says, he is not talking about 509 00:24:24,900 –> 00:24:27,839 the 10 commandments in general, 510 00:24:27,839 –> 00:24:32,800 but he is talking about the First Commandment in particular. 511 00:24:32,800 –> 00:24:34,040 That’s the whole point, as we’ve said, 512 00:24:34,040 –> 00:24:37,280 chapter six in verse five is a positive statement 513 00:24:37,280 –> 00:24:38,439 of the First Commandment, 514 00:24:38,439 –> 00:24:41,260 what it means to have no other gods before you. 515 00:24:41,260 –> 00:24:43,520 In other words, he’s not saying, 516 00:24:43,520 –> 00:24:44,920 look, when you sit around the table, 517 00:24:44,920 –> 00:24:47,280 you need really regularly to have discussions 518 00:24:47,280 –> 00:24:50,819 about why we as a family don’t do murder. 519 00:24:50,819 –> 00:24:52,040 But there might be a few occasions 520 00:24:52,040 –> 00:24:54,359 where maybe you should talk about that, 521 00:24:54,359 –> 00:24:57,560 but he’s not saying that that’s to be pervasive 522 00:24:57,560 –> 00:24:58,380 of family life. 523 00:24:58,380 –> 00:24:59,500 He’s not saying that you’ve got to be 524 00:24:59,500 –> 00:25:00,939 talking every second day about 525 00:25:00,939 –> 00:25:03,260 why is a family we don’t do stealing. 526 00:25:04,199 –> 00:25:06,420 What he’s particularly saying here 527 00:25:06,420 –> 00:25:10,959 is that what is to be pervasive in family life 528 00:25:12,119 –> 00:25:14,560 is why it is that we love the Lord 529 00:25:15,800 –> 00:25:16,939 with all our heart. 530 00:25:18,199 –> 00:25:19,859 And with all our soul, 531 00:25:21,119 –> 00:25:24,560 with all of our resource, 532 00:25:24,560 –> 00:25:27,520 why it is that we’re living this way. 533 00:25:28,640 –> 00:25:32,160 And why it is that the Lord himself 534 00:25:32,160 –> 00:25:34,400 has become the driving passion 535 00:25:34,400 –> 00:25:37,400 of your life as a father and as a mother. 536 00:25:38,640 –> 00:25:40,880 You’re bringing that into your conversation. 537 00:25:42,479 –> 00:25:43,819 It begins in your heart, 538 00:25:43,819 –> 00:25:45,939 it extends in your conversation. 539 00:25:47,760 –> 00:25:51,160 Thirdly, it will be seen in your example. 540 00:25:51,160 –> 00:25:54,540 Tie them, verse eight, as symbols to your hands 541 00:25:54,540 –> 00:25:57,160 that is still the love of the Lord 542 00:25:57,160 –> 00:26:00,979 with all heart and soul and mind and strength here. 543 00:26:00,979 –> 00:26:02,079 The point is simply 544 00:26:02,079 –> 00:26:04,400 that the hands are the means of action. 545 00:26:05,359 –> 00:26:08,140 And so he’s saying let this love 546 00:26:08,140 –> 00:26:10,680 that you have for the Lord that begins in your heart 547 00:26:10,680 –> 00:26:13,000 and that is now permeating you conversation 548 00:26:13,000 –> 00:26:14,339 with your family, 549 00:26:14,400 –> 00:26:18,619 it must also be seen to be put into practice by your family 550 00:26:18,619 –> 00:26:21,000 and that will happen through your commitments 551 00:26:21,000 –> 00:26:24,439 and through your choices and through your ministry. 552 00:26:25,819 –> 00:26:27,900 If you want to align your family 553 00:26:27,900 –> 00:26:30,180 around a single passion for the Lord, 554 00:26:30,180 –> 0:26:33,380 you have to step out and lead by example. 555 00:26:33,380 –> 00:26:35,520 Real tangible, observable things. 556 00:26:35,520 –> 00:26:38,880 Don’t just talk about it, do it! 557 00:26:40,819 –> 00:26:44,219 And then fourthly, it’s permeates into the family itself 558 00:26:44,219 –> 00:26:46,099 and that’s the point of verse nine. 559 00:26:46,099 –> 00:26:50,359 Write them on the doorframes of your houses 560 00:26:51,260 –> 00:26:53,339 and on your gates. 561 00:26:53,339 –> 00:26:57,500 In other words, here, bring your children increasingly 562 00:26:57,500 –> 00:27:02,060 into the consuming passion of your life. 563 00:27:02,819 –> 00:27:06,020 Let them be part of it as they see it, 564 00:27:06,020 –> 00:27:09,500 let them participate in it. 565 00:27:09,500 –> 00:27:10,760 That’s the teaching here. 566 00:27:11,560 –> 00:27:15,239 Let me just give a word of personal testimony 567 00:27:15,239 –> 00:27:18,040 and a word of encouragement. 568 00:27:18,040 –> 00:27:23,040 Seeing a passionate love for Jesus Christ in my father 569 00:27:23,800 –> 00:27:28,099 and in my mother has, in God’s mercy, 570 00:27:28,099 –> 00:27:33,099 had a profound shaping influence on my own life. 571 00:27:34,880 –> 00:27:37,719 Profound, lifelong. 572 00:27:38,719 –> 00:27:41,280 My father worked two jobs when I was young 573 00:27:41,280 –> 00:27:43,920 in order to sustain the family. 574 00:27:47,020 –> 00:27:49,619 Some of you know what that’s like. 575 00:27:49,619 –> 00:27:52,020 You know how utterly exhausting it is. 576 00:27:54,719 –> 00:27:56,959 He was on the church board, they called it deacons, 577 00:27:56,959 –> 00:27:59,520 but that’s what it was, he was on the church board. 578 00:28:01,119 –> 00:28:03,119 I think of days when I was young, 579 00:28:03,119 –> 00:28:05,160 when he was working early shift 580 00:28:05,160 –> 00:28:07,900 and then went to a board meeting 581 00:28:07,900 –> 00:28:11,300 for the church at night that went past midnight, 582 00:28:11,300 –> 00:28:13,020 I promise you our board meetings 583 00:28:13,020 –> 00:28:17,900 never go past midnight, but in Scotland they did. 584 00:28:19,500 –> 00:28:21,099 He taught a Sunday school class 585 00:28:23,359 –> 00:28:26,859 and edited and produced the church’s monthly magazine. 586 00:28:26,859 –> 00:28:28,859 It was a family business really. 587 00:28:30,060 –> 00:28:34,099 My mother typed it and then duplicating 588 00:28:34,199 –> 00:28:36,040 on the old Gastetner, who remembers 589 00:28:36,040 –> 00:28:38,300 the old Gastetner, oh yes. 590 00:28:39,640 –> 00:28:44,640 Friday nights collating, covers, inserts, 591 00:28:45,119 –> 00:28:48,819 stapling and then to church for Sunday morning. 592 00:28:51,260 –> 00:28:54,060 My folks lived a verse of scripture 593 00:28:54,060 –> 00:28:56,060 that oh that God would burn it 594 00:28:57,619 –> 00:28:59,900 into our hearts today. 595 00:29:00,739 –> 00:29:05,739 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 596 00:29:11,119 –> 00:29:14,920 And I knew, and I thank God for this, 597 00:29:14,920 –> 00:29:17,119 with all the immense pressures 598 00:29:17,119 –> 00:29:19,459 that I could not really have fully understood 599 00:29:19,459 –> 00:29:21,760 at that stage as a child, 600 00:29:23,479 –> 00:29:26,000 that my father and my mother loved me 601 00:29:26,000 –> 00:29:27,280 with all their heart. 602 00:29:28,280 –> 00:29:32,099 And that they wanted me to catch a glimpse 603 00:29:32,099 –> 00:29:37,099 of living with one single passion for the Lord. 604 00:29:39,400 –> 00:29:40,260 I saw it. 605 00:29:42,599 –> 00:29:43,420 I saw it. 606 00:29:46,640 –> 00:29:49,900 We’ve tried in a smaller and I think in a much lesser way 607 00:29:51,300 –> 00:29:52,920 to do this with our own children. 608 00:29:53,719 –> 00:29:55,800 When we came over here, 609 00:29:57,640 –> 00:29:59,920 what do you do getting to know a vast congregation 610 00:29:59,920 –> 00:30:01,459 like there is in the orchard? 611 00:30:01,459 –> 00:30:03,560 And it’s larger now. 612 00:30:03,560 –> 00:30:05,339 There were 800 members at that time. 613 00:30:05,339 –> 00:30:08,579 We decided we’d have all 800 members run to our home. 614 00:30:08,579 –> 00:30:09,719 Can you imagine it? 615 00:30:10,900 –> 00:30:13,219 It took a year of Sunday evenings to do it. 616 00:30:15,180 –> 00:30:17,319 I remember sitting around the table, 617 00:30:17,319 –> 00:30:19,160 the boys were 10 and eight, 618 00:30:19,199 –> 00:30:20,579 10 and eight, 619 00:30:22,599 –> 00:30:24,160 saying you know, 620 00:30:24,160 –> 00:30:29,160 here’s a way in which we can show our love for the Lord 621 00:30:29,520 –> 00:30:31,520 by showing that we love these people. 622 00:30:33,319 –> 00:30:37,000 And what do you guys think about us all pitching in 623 00:30:37,000 –> 00:30:37,859 and doing this together? 624 00:30:37,859 –> 00:30:39,959 It will be every Sunday night for a year. 625 00:30:40,979 –> 00:30:43,640 I talked to David about it just this week. 626 00:30:43,640 –> 00:30:45,180 I said, you remember doing that? 627 00:30:45,180 –> 00:30:46,020 Oh yeah. 628 00:30:46,680 –> 00:30:50,160 Opening the door, doing the name tags, 629 00:30:50,160 –> 00:30:51,560 taking the cookies round. 630 00:30:51,560 –> 00:30:54,199 People say to me often, 631 00:30:54,199 –> 00:30:58,640 how would you protect your children 632 00:30:58,640 –> 00:31:01,079 from the pressures of ministry? 633 00:31:01,079 –> 00:31:06,079 Folks, my children have been incalculably blessed 634 00:31:06,760 –> 00:31:08,439 by exposure to ministry, 635 00:31:08,439 –> 00:31:09,979 the people they have met, 636 00:31:09,979 –> 00:31:13,099 the experiences they have had, 637 00:31:14,040 –> 00:31:17,260 the life lessons and the sheer laughs 638 00:31:17,260 –> 00:31:19,260 that have been in the middle of it all. 639 00:31:20,300 –> 00:31:22,500 It’s the tapestry of a family 640 00:31:22,500 –> 00:31:26,040 that’s trying to live what it means to say 641 00:31:26,040 –> 00:31:29,699 as for me and for my house, 642 00:31:29,699 –> 00:31:32,060 we will serve the Lord. 643 00:31:34,739 –> 00:31:39,739 And so many of you are doing this in wonderful ways, 644 00:31:40,420 –> 00:31:43,540 ways that fill my mind and heart 645 00:31:43,540 –> 00:31:45,900 with admiration and sometimes awe. 646 00:31:47,880 –> 00:31:50,119 Opening your home, hospitality, 647 00:31:51,979 –> 00:31:55,260 worshipping together, serving together as a family, 648 00:31:56,939 –> 00:31:59,699 conversations in the home in which you’re saying, 649 00:31:59,699 –> 00:32:02,540 now, dad has been asked to do this 650 00:32:02,540 –> 00:32:04,219 and we think that this is right. 651 00:32:04,219 –> 00:32:06,739 Can we all get behind this as a family 652 00:32:06,739 –> 00:32:08,260 and support dad in this? 653 00:32:08,300 –> 00:32:11,040 Because this is a way in which all of us through him 654 00:32:11,040 –> 00:32:13,199 can contribute to the work of the Lord 655 00:32:13,199 –> 00:32:15,760 and the same for mum and here is something else now 656 00:32:15,760 –> 00:32:18,000 that we can all do in different ways. 657 00:32:19,020 –> 00:32:22,239 The creativity, the imagination of working out 658 00:32:22,239 –> 00:32:25,920 not how do we balance two things that are poles apart 659 00:32:25,920 –> 00:32:28,300 but how can we begin to live increasingly 660 00:32:28,300 –> 00:32:30,140 what it means for Joshua to say, 661 00:32:30,140 –> 00:32:34,319 as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 662 00:32:34,540 –> 00:32:38,119 Because that’s alignment and it’s a whole world 663 00:32:38,119 –> 00:32:42,520 different from prioritising and balance. 664 00:32:44,319 –> 00:32:45,479 Think of it, folks. 665 00:32:45,479 –> 00:32:49,479 Let this single thought run deep in your life 666 00:32:49,479 –> 00:32:52,160 and stay with you as you raise your family. 667 00:32:52,160 –> 00:32:55,719 The parents who said, we can’t enter the land 668 00:32:55,719 –> 00:32:57,739 because we’ve got little children 669 00:32:57,739 –> 00:33:00,239 led their children into the desert. 670 00:33:01,380 –> 00:33:04,040 And the parents who said, as for me and my house, 671 00:33:04,040 –> 00:33:05,380 we will serve the Lord. 672 00:33:05,380 –> 00:33:07,979 That was the generation that led their children 673 00:33:07,979 –> 00:33:09,640 into the promised land. 674 00:33:09,640 –> 00:33:10,640 Do you get it? 675 00:33:11,880 –> 00:33:15,040 Don’t live for your spouse or for your family. 676 00:33:16,500 –> 00:33:19,739 Align your life and therefore, your family. 677 00:33:19,739 –> 00:33:21,199 It has to be in that order, 678 00:33:22,479 –> 00:33:27,479 around one consuming passion for the Lord. 679 00:33:29,760 –> 00:33:33,060 And here’s the last thing in these last few minutes. 680 00:33:33,099 –> 00:33:37,500 Let the cross explain 681 00:33:38,420 –> 00:33:41,780 the consuming passion of your life. 682 00:33:41,780 –> 00:33:45,479 Let the cross explain 683 00:33:45,479 –> 00:33:47,739 the consuming passion 684 00:33:47,739 –> 00:33:50,699 of your life. 685 00:33:50,699 –> 00:33:53,339 Now you see in verse 20, that was read for us earlier. 686 00:33:54,380 –> 00:33:57,719 As you live with one consuming passion for the Lord, 687 00:33:57,719 –> 00:34:00,420 you’re beginning to live out what we’ve been speaking about 688 00:34:00,420 –> 00:34:02,660 in these earlier verses in the chapter. 689 00:34:02,699 –> 00:34:06,540 Something is going to happen, questions will be provoked. 690 00:34:06,540 –> 00:34:09,459 This kind of a life will always need explaining. 691 00:34:09,459 –> 00:34:11,659 It will puzzle the children 692 00:34:11,659 –> 00:34:13,739 because it will be obvious to them 693 00:34:13,739 –> 00:34:16,219 that what’s happening in your home is different 694 00:34:16,219 –> 00:34:19,560 from what is happening in the home of their friends. 695 00:34:19,560 –> 00:34:22,719 And so what’s going on in your home will need explaining 696 00:34:22,719 –> 00:34:24,199 if you’re walking down this path. 697 00:34:24,199 –> 00:34:25,959 And so it says, verse 20, 698 00:34:25,959 –> 00:34:28,000 when you’re son asks you, not if, 699 00:34:28,000 –> 00:34:29,239 because if you’re on this path, 700 00:34:29,239 –> 00:34:31,600 the question will be provoked. 701 00:34:31,739 –> 00:34:33,199 When your son asks you, 702 00:34:33,199 –> 00:34:34,899 what is the meaning of the stipulations 703 00:34:34,899 –> 00:34:36,939 and decrees and the laws that the Lord your God 704 00:34:36,939 –> 00:34:38,199 has commanded you? 705 00:34:39,479 –> 00:34:40,479 If you love the Lord, 706 00:34:40,479 –> 00:34:43,080 that is the question that you are going to be asked. 707 00:34:44,239 –> 00:34:46,739 Dad, where are so many people coming to our home? 708 00:34:49,000 –> 00:34:50,120 Why are we giving all this 709 00:34:50,120 –> 00:34:52,159 when it could be used for other things? 710 00:34:53,800 –> 00:34:56,419 Dad, other families aren’t like this. 711 00:34:59,360 –> 00:35:00,360 Christopher Wright, 712 00:35:00,399 –> 00:35:01,959 he’s was a great commentary on Deuteronomy, 713 00:35:01,959 –> 00:35:04,719 has a marvelous comment on this. 714 00:35:04,719 –> 00:35:06,919 He says, and if you have your eye on the page here 715 00:35:06,919 –> 00:35:09,639 at chapter six, you’ll see his point. 716 00:35:09,639 –> 00:35:12,800 He says it would be very easy to jump 717 00:35:12,800 –> 00:35:15,659 from the question of verse 20 718 00:35:15,659 –> 00:35:18,379 to the answer in verse 24. 719 00:35:19,280 –> 00:35:21,600 See question, verse 20. 720 00:35:21,600 –> 00:35:24,159 Why do we keep these laws? 721 00:35:24,159 –> 00:35:26,699 Answer, verse 24, 722 00:35:26,699 –> 00:35:29,280 because the Lord commanded us. 723 00:35:29,280 –> 00:35:30,159 You see that? 724 00:35:30,540 –> 00:35:33,040 And Christopher Wright says, 725 00:35:33,040 –> 00:35:35,520 most parents will have felt the temptation 726 00:35:35,520 –> 00:35:38,560 to answer their children’s whys in similar fashion. 727 00:35:38,560 –> 00:35:39,639 Why are we living like this? 728 00:35:39,639 –> 00:35:41,159 Why is what the Lord says? 729 00:35:44,320 –> 00:35:46,860 But you see where he’s going here. 730 00:35:46,860 –> 00:35:51,300 Before we get to the Lord who commands in verse 24, 731 00:35:51,300 –> 00:35:54,840 we have the Lord who redeems in verse 21 through 23. 732 00:35:56,260 –> 00:36:00,000 See why are we living with this one consuming 733 00:36:00,020 –> 00:36:02,080 the passion for the Lord’s dad? 734 00:36:03,340 –> 00:36:07,520 Verse 21, tell them we were slaves in Egypt. 735 00:36:08,580 –> 00:36:10,919 But the Lord brought us out with a mighty hand. 736 00:36:12,179 –> 00:36:15,540 Son, if it wasn’t for the Lord and for his mercy, 737 00:36:15,540 –> 00:36:17,820 I’d be a slave today and so would you. 738 00:36:19,300 –> 00:36:21,780 Everything I have is what I’ve received 739 00:36:21,780 –> 00:36:23,379 from the hand of the Lord son. 740 00:36:25,320 –> 00:36:28,679 He’s the one whose grace has redeemed me from the past 741 00:36:28,719 –> 00:36:31,760 and he’s the one whose promise opens 742 00:36:31,760 –> 00:36:33,679 the promise land for the future. 743 00:36:36,100 –> 00:36:38,820 Christopher Wright has this beautiful comment. 744 00:36:39,959 –> 00:36:43,699 When the son asks a question about the law, 745 00:36:44,760 –> 00:36:46,600 the answer is the gospel. 746 00:36:48,080 –> 00:36:49,780 And to quote him directly, he says, 747 00:36:49,780 –> 00:36:52,620 the meaning of the law is to be found in the gospel. 748 00:36:52,620 –> 00:36:53,459 Do you see that? 749 00:36:53,459 –> 00:36:55,139 He’s asking a question about the law. 750 00:36:55,139 –> 00:36:57,020 Why are we living like this, dad? 751 00:36:58,820 –> 00:37:01,800 The answer is because of 752 00:37:01,800 –> 00:37:05,000 what the grace of God has done in my life, son, 753 00:37:05,000 –> 00:37:07,159 and in your mom’s life, son. 754 00:37:08,760 –> 00:37:09,659 Tell them that. 755 00:37:11,560 –> 00:37:13,060 And this is the Old Testament. 756 00:37:15,080 –> 00:37:16,399 Even in the Old Testament, 757 00:37:16,399 –> 00:37:18,120 God is calling parents to do more 758 00:37:18,120 –> 00:37:20,199 than teach their children to model code. 759 00:37:22,020 –> 00:37:24,239 It’s about loving the Lord, son, 760 00:37:24,239 –> 00:37:26,659 with all your heart and with all your soul 761 00:37:26,879 –> 00:37:29,219 and with all your strength. 762 00:37:29,219 –> 00:37:31,560 That’s far deeper than morality. 763 00:37:33,560 –> 00:37:35,080 And here are fathers and mothers 764 00:37:35,080 –> 00:37:37,699 living with such a deep passion for the Lord 765 00:37:37,699 –> 00:37:41,080 that their children are beginning to ask, 766 00:37:41,080 –> 00:37:42,080 Dad, how come. 767 00:37:43,179 –> 00:37:47,179 Dad, how is it that you sustained love in your marriage? 768 00:37:48,500 –> 00:37:51,659 How wonderful to have your son ask you a question like that. 769 00:37:51,860 –> 00:37:53,979 Mom says never, never. 770 00:37:53,979 –> 00:37:58,020 Dad, how is it that you endure through difficulty? 771 00:38:00,199 –> 00:38:02,760 Dad, why is there this contentment in you, 772 00:38:02,760 –> 00:38:06,080 it’s very different from what I see in some other dads. 773 00:38:08,280 –> 00:38:10,120 And when he asks you this question, 774 00:38:11,419 –> 00:38:13,399 tell him what the Lord has done for you. 775 00:38:14,520 –> 00:38:16,300 Tell him what the Lord means to you. 776 00:38:17,679 –> 00:38:21,360 Tell him the Son of God loved me as he loves you 777 00:38:21,399 –> 00:38:26,399 and gave himself for me, Son, as he gave himself for you. 778 00:38:30,679 –> 00:38:34,320 Live for your family and you will lead your family 779 00:38:34,320 –> 00:38:35,600 into the desert. 780 00:38:37,199 –> 00:38:42,199 Live for the Lord and you will point your family 781 00:38:43,360 –> 00:38:44,540 to the promised land. 782 00:38:45,699 –> 00:38:47,159 Let’s pray together, shall we? 783 00:38:47,959 –> 00:38:48,800 Amen. 784 00:38:50,199 –> 00:38:51,639 As for me 785 00:38:54,159 –> 00:38:55,840 and as for my household, 786 00:38:58,479 –> 00:39:00,399 we will serve the Lord, 787 00:39:03,199 –> 00:39:05,439 so help us, oh God, 788 00:39:06,919 –> 00:39:09,620 through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, 789 00:39:09,620 –> 00:39:11,780 and everyone said, amen.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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