What Do They Say?

Imagine you have been told that you are supposed to get married to a guy named Mark Smith. What would the name mean to you? Would it reveal anything about your future husband? Yes, of course, if you would have met Mark before you would be able to associate some of his character traits with his name. Depending on how good or bad of an impression he had left, you would either be thrilled or terrified to marry this man.

We put Mark aside for a moment, shall we, and talk about the man Jesus. Have you heard of Him before? What did people tell you about Him? Did you believe them? Have you ever met Him personally?

Let's travel back in time when Jesus was in the region of Caesarea Philippi, asking His disciples: "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Then, He wanted to know what His disciples are saying about Him:

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Matthew 16:15 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

Listen to what Peter replied:

Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:16 (NKJV)

What Do You Say?

Immediately before baptizing a person, my former pastor would ask: “Who is Jesus to you?”

Have you met Jesus before? What are you saying about Him? Who is He to you? If you have never thought about this question before, I urge you to do so this day. Look to the Cross and hear Jesus ask: “But who do you say that I am?” What's your answer?  

Lyrics are available at Graham Kendrick's Website at: The Servant King (From Heaven You Came) 

One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4)

We need to hear the Word of the LORD, what He tells us to do in Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

According to verse 7,

• Who is supposed to teach the children the words which God commanded?
• When are they to be taught?

Your husband and you decided to start family worship at home but you are unsure of how to do it? Don't worry. There is help out there to get you started.

Joel Beeke, writes in the second chapter of his booklet Family Worship* about Joshua 24. Later on he refers to Deuteronomy 11:18-19 which is a review of Deuteronomy 6:6-7. (Ever heard a preacher tell you that if it is repeated it is very important and that we need to pay special attention to the words?) Later on, in the same chapter, he tells us a little more about the how-to of family worship: Instruction in the Word of God, Prayer, and singing praise to God. He continues to give more practical tips on time and place of worship.

If you are not yet in the habit of doing family worship at home, I urge you to take the opportunity to download this 35-page booklet which will give you a great insight into the importance and will give you a good start of how to do it. At the end of the booklet he will get into Objections Against Family Worship and Motivations for Family Worship.
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RESOURCES
*Family Worship, by Joel Beeke: You can find, read and download it at NTS Library 
The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible: This Study Bible contains the complete KJV text, notes/comments on verses, and at the end of each chapter you will find Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship which digs deeper into the chapter and how it relates to other parts of the Bible and offers some questions/thoughts for (Bible study/family/worship) discussion. You can find the eBook there: The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible - EBOOK where you can also take a look at a samples that contains 64 pages.

One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4)

Some of us had been raised in Christian homes, while others had not been. Some of us had been brought up in the training and admonition of the Lord, others had not been. No matter what, after we are born again, we need to be very careful not to fall into the same trap that some of our fathers did.

In Judges we are told over and again how Israel turned away from the LORD. After a while they were in deep trouble. So, in their despair, they cried out to the LORD. He saved them. Then, for a period of time, they served the LORD. But later on, again, they turned from the LORD.

I regret just how often and how easily I have given into peer pressure in my 20s. And then I often wondered how different my life could have been, had I been growing up in a Christian home.

George Grant, author of In the Shadow of Plenty says that the bad influence the pagan nations had on Israel after they have come out of Egypt was not the problem. No, it was that the people of Israel did not want to rely on God alone. They made alliances with others, they did not what God had told them to do, they did not let go of things that God had warned them about. They did not trust that God would supply all their needs and that He would be their King.

I would say that my grandma was definitely a Christian. She read her Bible every morning, and she prayed with us children. She reminded my mom to keep on praying with us and to make sure we would learn the things of God. Well, my parents prayed with us until we were about ten years of age and they sent us to Sunday School and they made sure we had confirmation in the Lutheran Church. But that was about it. I often thought: What happened from one generation to the next? Have you ever asked this question? Maybe you have come to the same conclusion than I did: The next generation was rebellious and did not listen to their parents. So they went astray.

Well, that could have been one of the reasons but perhaps not the reason.

Listen to what Judges 2:10 says:

When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.

They did not know the LORD? They did not know the work which He had done for Israel? Why not? Surely not (only) because they did not want to listen later on in life. Surely also because their parents had not taught them. Their family might have told them bits and pieces but wanted to leave the decision (of whether to be a Christian or not) to their children. Or, their parents have left it to the Sunday School teacher to tell them about God. Yes, of course, a Christian home does not make you a true Christian. God tells us that we must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom. However, God has given these children to us so we will teach them His ways. 

More coming up on Monday: Family Worship Time - Part Two, which will include some practical tips and a booklet suggestion.