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.