Livestream Service March 22, 2020

Corporate Worship in an Empty Room

Good morning Church. Well, it is the day that many of us hope wouldn't come and that is the day that we're not able to gather for worship this morning. Let me fix the screen here, excuse me. That's going to be probably one of several things that happens as I go along today and I just want to go ahead and sort of forewarn you, even though we're trying to do this service as best we can online, it's nothing like being here and being together.

As Dr. Albert Moeller has said, the computer is a poor replacement for the church and it's really no replacement at all. So I want to start by saying I miss you all and I wish that this room was filled with you and that you were here not only to hear the word preached but to fellowship together, to extend a hand to one another, to encourage one another and I'm truly saddened that we're not together this morning.

Now I want to kind of give you some thoughts about what we've tried to do that today to make today as best as we can. We're doing this as a modified worship service. Obviously it's not a genuine worship service because we're not all together but we're going to have the same elements that we would normally have in the service.

There's going to be some music, there's going to be a time for prayer, and then I'm going to bring a message from the word. Now here's where it's going to be very different is I'm going to encourage you to participate in a way that you probably never have before and that's via text message.

Some are saying they might not be getting the feed so I hope the feed is coming through but let me say this if the feed does not come through properly and you don't get the feed for whatever reason then this will be recorded and it will be posted online in just a little while.

So you may be an hour or so behind everyone else if you're not getting the feed and you probably won't hear my voice saying this but just so you know this is being recorded and it will be posted. I want to begin by reading from a message that one of my fellow ministers wrote.

He's a man by the name of Brian Borgman. I've mentioned his name several times. Many of you've heard me talk about him and I want to encourage you with something that he said. Let's not minimize what this mandate is asking us to do even if it is for a good reason.

The mandate is telling us to suspend the practice of our faith such as gathering together, singing together, praying together, hearing the word together, taking the Lord's Supper together and although we will livestream and make use of technology it is not the same thing.

One of the reasons why this doesn't impact us more as Christians is because of a poor ecclesiology, a poor doctrine of the church which has already discounted the gathered church. I think Brother Borgman is so right and I want to encourage you don't think for a second that this is in any way a replacement for the gathering of the body.

This is simply the best we can do at a difficult time in our nation. So I encourage you to participate today and here's how you can participate. Number one, in a few moments we're going to sing a song and if you don't know the words to this song I want to encourage you right now to go get the words.

I want to encourage you right now to go get the words to Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art. You can download them on your phone, have them ready. If you have a hymnal in your home go get the hymnal off the shelf and be ready to participate in the singing.

At the prayer time I'm actually going to be interacting with this phone and if you have a prayer request that you would like me to address you can text it to 904 -534 -0914. The number is on the screen.

You can text your prayer concern in and when it comes time for prayer I will address it in the prayer time. So as we begin we're going to begin with the reading of Scripture as we always do here at Sovereign Grace Family Church and if you're at home I encourage you to read along as we read the Scripture together.

We're going to be reading from Romans chapter 12 this morning and we're only going to be reading the first two verses. Now we have been making it our practice to read whole chapters in worship but because today is a modified service I wanted to do it not read the whole chapter but just really focus in on two important verses Romans chapter 12 verses 1 2.

I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This is the word of the Lord. Alright I want to encourage you now to sing along. I'm going to switch over to the guitar hopefully it will come through clearly with the audio and we're going to sing Amazing Grace.

We're going to sing the first two verses and then we're going to sing the last verse together. For a time for prayer and again I'm hoping that I'm coming through well I'm hoping that you're able to hear what I'm saying I hope that you're able to participate.

Now so far I haven't received any messages for prayer and that's okay I wasn't sure that this would work or if it wouldn't but it is available again if anyone would like to send a prayer request in the number is on the screen and it is by text message.

Now if you're sending things on Facebook know that I can't see that so if you'd like for us to pray for something you can send it in via a text message and while we're waiting on that I'm going to give just a few moments.

I want to just kind of remind you of some things that we need to be praying for as a church. Certainly we need to be praying for our nation, our whole world. There's just so much confusion right now there's so much fear right now that's associated with the situation with this virus and not only with the virus but with the loss of freedom and the fear that people have with the loss of their livelihoods and as I've said many times as I've thought about it this week yes there are people who will lose their lives with this virus and that is terrible tragedy but there's also people who are going to lose their livelihoods, their ability to provide for their families, businesses will close and this is going to be a difficult time for all of us even if we're not touched physically by the virus itself.

So I want to encourage you as a church to pray with me today for our nation. Pray for a quick end to this situation. Pray that God would be glorified because we know that he will and he will glorify himself in everything but pray that the church would glorify him and our response that we would be the hands and feet of Christ within our church communities and within the larger community.

Pray that the elders of churches especially ours would be wise in our decision-making. Church pray for us as we look forward to the weeks ahead not knowing what each Sunday is going to bring. Pray for wisdom.

Pray for the the needs of the church as the the needs of the church don't stop just because of this epidemic and I pray that you would be encouraged to give to the church even though you're not meeting as the body the church still has needs and even though we're not gathering together I would encourage you to give you know that we can give online you can go to our website there's a place right there where you can give online you can also drop a check in the mail but I want to encourage you to give and not forget the needs of the church and not forgive forget our responsibilities as a church to give.

I want to remind you also to continue to pray for members in our church who are dealing with various illnesses and particularly those who are most susceptible during this virus to the dangers of it and you know who those people are you know them by name and so I would encourage you to pray for them as I'm going to lift up a prayer for them in just a moment.

I've received two requests and I want to I want to address these very quickly. I and I see one here this is from Patty my mom who works for LabCorp and for those of you who don't know LabCorp is slammed right now because they're having to concern themselves with all the tests regarding the the virus and she has to go and pick up those tests now thankfully she's protected and she takes very good care of herself but still we need to pray for Patty Hilliard for the whole Hilliard family.

I want to pray also for this I believe is Cindy she asked to pray for her brother Marvin that the Lord seems to be working in his heart so we want to pray for Cindy's brother Marvin and want to lift him up.

He's at set free and we want to continue to pray that God would would would work on his heart and guide him. Received a couple more here one just says pray for personal guidance and physical healing doesn't have a name on it and that's okay but I just want to say to whoever that person is we're going to pray for you in just a moment and lift you up.

If you want to text your name if I get it I'll mention it and then I got a message from the Fuller family. They're a family that we love very much. They used to be members of the church but Josh's job pulled them away to a different a different city.

They've asked for prayer. It says we asked for prayer for my uncle Vic Jones who was diagnosed with cancer. This is certainly a difficult time for anyone to be dealing with cancer and so we want to pray for the Fuller family.

Want to pray for Vic Jones. Want to pray this here it says for a friend whose father was exposed to the virus and that is certainly something that is very serious and a fear for for all of us and especially those who already have a compromised immune system.

Okay. Oh it's Jerry who's sending me this message brother I see you. Thank you. I'm using my wife's phone so I'm sorry your name didn't come up but but I appreciate you sending that in brother and I'm glad that you can hear my voice and just know that this is the very best way I could figure that we could all sort of be together was through the use of technology.

So I'm thankful that you guys have sent in your prayer requests. I'm going to now lead us in a time of prayer. I think all have come in and I'm going to pray for those people specifically who have asked for it.

I'm going to pray for all of you who are watching. I'm gonna pray that God blesses our time in the word as we prepare our hearts to hear from his word this morning. So let's go to the Lord in prayer our Father and our God.

We come to you in Jesus name for Lord. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. And at the name of the Lord Jesus Christ every knee should bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father and Lord we know that one day he will come and one day he will remove from this world all disease all destruction all death and all sin.

And he will take his enemies and he will cast them into the lake of fire and he will take his people and he will give them a new heaven and a new earth where we will live in perpetual and increasing joy to the glory of God forever and ever.

This is not Lord pie in the sky. This is not some pipe dream thought up by men but this is the very promise of God given to us by the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who who said to us let not your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God. Believe also in me. For in my father's house there are many rooms and if it were not so I would have told you and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and take you to myself that where I am you may be also and you know the way to where I'm going.

And Thomas said to him Lord we do not know where you're going. How can we know the way. And Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life. And no one comes to the father except through me. Therefore Lord this morning when we pray we pray on the promises of Jesus Christ.

For Lord because he was raised we know we too will be raised. And we have no fear and no need to fear death. We have no need to fear disease. We have no need to fear the end of this life. For Lord you have a life waiting for us that is much better than this.

And so father we thank you for that. We thank you that for those who love the Sun this life is as close to hell as we will ever get. But Lord we do shudder for those who love not the Sun. For Lord for those who love not the Sun this will be as close to heaven as they ever get.

So I pray this morning Lord for those who love not the Sun I pray that they would come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God that they would recognize their sins before God and that they would repent and that they would come to salvation.

Lord at the preaching of the Word of God that they would know that they are saved by having believed on the Sun. Your word tells us that he who believes in the Sun has life but he who does not believe does not have life but the wrath of God abides on him.

Lord we pray this morning. I pray for the sound of my voice that it would carry through the internet and that it would reach the ears of the people. Lord for the believer that they would be encouraged and for the unbeliever Lord that they would be convicted.

I pray Lord now as we think about our concerns and those who've lifted up concerns through these messages Lord. I want to pray first for Patti my mom. I want to ask that you protect her as she goes and collect specimens and as she's working at LabCorp I want to pray that you watch over her and protect her.

I want to pray Lord for for Marvin for Cindy's brother God that you will continue to sanctify him and that you would protect all the men they live in such close quarters there and set free Lord that you would protect them from disease especially this virus.

I pray Lord for Josh and his family for his uncle who's been diagnosed with cancer. I pray that you be merciful to him. I pray for Jerry Lord. I pray God that you would give him personal guidance Lord that you would grant physical healing to his friend's father who has been exposed to this disease.

And I pray father for all of those people who are gathered together in their homes with their families today Lord that you would buy your mercy and grace give them an extra measure of your spirit help them to truly be worshipping in their homes gathered with their families as in just a moment we're going to talk about Lord the value of family worship.

Father now as I turn my attention to the preaching of the word I pray as I always do every week weekend week out Lord keep me from error. Lord especially in a moment like this where the where the the preaching of the word needs to go out with clarity.

I pray that you would keep me from error. I pray that you would anoint the message. And Lord though I preach to an empty room Lord may it be that you fill me with the Spirit as if I were preaching to a thousand or ten thousand Lord that the Word of God would not return void for we know that it will not even if it goes out through the internet.

Lord in all these things we thank you and all these things we praise you and all these things we give you all the glory and honor. We ask you to be merciful God cleanse me. Prepare me for the preaching of the word forgive my many sins help me to love you more in Jesus name.

The Responsibility of Fathers to Teach the Next Generation

I want to invite you to take out your Bibles and turn with me to Psalm 78. This morning we're going to be looking at a few verses in Psalm 78 and then we're going to move to Deuteronomy chapter 6. So I would encourage you to have your Bibles open to Psalm 78 and then be prepared to move to Deuteronomy chapter 6.

The title of today's message is five things that make family worship better. Five things that make family worship better. On February the 1st 2003 the crew of the space shuttle Columbia perished when their aircraft broke apart during reentry over northern Texas.

This was a day of tremendous grief in our nation as many watched in horror at the unfolding events and moreover our hearts ached for the families that were left behind by fallen astronauts. The captain of the shuttle was named Rick husband and Rick was in fact a loving husband.

He was a father but more importantly Rick was a confessing Christian. He was a member of the Grace Community Church in Houston under pastor Steve Donahue and the pastor said that the only time Rick wasn't in church and about the business of church he was was when he was about NASA business.

Rick made it his mission not only to be a great pilot but also to be a godly parent. The Columbia mission would take him away from his children for 18 days. So prior to his departure Rick made a video for his family.

In fact he made a series of videos. He made 18 videos one for every day that he would be gone and in those videos that he left for his family he took the time every day to lead his family in family worship.

What is family worship. Family worship is when the family as a unit sets aside a time to worship God together and it's it's it looks different in every home. Some homes are very traditional and they try to make family worship a lot like church and that they they gather everyone around and they seat everyone as if they were seated in church.

The father stands up and as it were leads like the pastor does in a worship service. Other homes are much more informal and they gather around maybe sitting around the Bible on the couch or maybe sitting around on the floor or around the dinner table.

There is no one way to do family worship but the focus in the in the the reason for family worship is that it is a gathering together as a family around the word of God. Family worship is based on one simple truth the family is a microcosm of the church.

In fact Jonathan Edwards said that the family unit is like a little church. He said this in a sermon. He said every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church consecrated to Christ and wholly influenced and governed by his rules and family education and order are some of the chief means of grace.

If these fail all other means are likely to prove ineffectual. In quote that was Edwards saying that he was saying that every Christian family ought to be like a little church because this is one of the ways that God saves people.

This is one of the ways that God uses to to bring about gracious growth in our lives. And if we don't have the family worshiping then all of the other attempts will probably prove into fact ineffectual.

Richard Baxter a Puritan pastor said this in the 1600s. He says you're not likely to see any general Reformation until you procure family Reformation. Some little religion may be here and there but while it is confined to single persons that is not promoted in families it will not prosper nor promise much future increase.

So what's Baxter saying. He's saying he's saying yes it's good that individuals get saved but but to see genuine reform to see genuine change then then it must not be just with individuals but there must be change within the family.

And I will agree with him by saying this what happens in the home has a genuine and true effect on what happens in the church. If our families are taught that worship is valuable when we're away from the gathered assembly they will see much more value in coming together and gathering.

But if we neglect worship when we are away from the gathered assembly then we really don't understand and won't really understand the value of the one time a week that we come together for worship as I as I wrote here we have 167 hours where we're not gathered together.

And if we're not worshiping in that hundred and sixty seven hours then beloved we're not really going to understand the value of the one hour that we come together on the Lord's Day. In our text today we're going to see the psalmist talking about the value of parents teaching their children particularly the father in passing on the Word of God to the next generation.

What we're going to see is the psalmist here is actually hearkening back to an event in his Israel's history where prior to his death Moses in giving the what we call Deuteronomy or the second giving of the law to the next generation that was about to take the promised land Moses stands up and he gives them the command that parents ought to teach their children these things so they will not forget them.

So let us look now Psalm 78 verses 5 through 8 speaking of God it says this. He established the testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children that the next generation might know them the children yet unborn and arise and tell them to their children so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments and that they should not be like their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation.

A generation whose heart was not steadfast whose spirit was not faithful to God. This is the word of the Lord. Now Psalm 78 is known as a historical song. Often we think of David as the one who wrote the Psalms but David did not write all of the Psalms.

In fact this one particularly tells us who wrote it. It was not David but it was written as a parable of Asaph and it recounts Israel's history of God's preservation and his purging with events taken from the writings of Moses and Joshua even going through to the life of King David.

And the emphasis of Psalm 78 is the need of the people of Israel to embrace the covenant that God has given to them faithfully with every new generation. Because every new generation needs to be reminded of the covenant that God has made.

Every new generation needs to be reminded of the promises of God. Every new generation needs to not forget that which God has done. And that is the goal of this song to remind the people of God what God has done so that the fathers would teach their children what God has done now.

Our goal today is not to do an exhaustive study of Psalm 78. We certainly couldn't with the time that we have. But what I want us to see in Psalm 78 verses 5 to 8 is the family's responsibility in teaching the things of God.

And then I want us to go back to Deuteronomy 6 and see that what the psalmist Asaph here is doing is he is actually reminding something that the people of Israel already knew all the way back from Deuteronomy where Moses had spoken almost these exact same words to the people of Israel.

The psalmist tells us that God had a gracious intention in giving his law. God wants his people to hope in him. That's what it says right here in verse 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works he has done.

That is the intention of God and giving the law. That's the intention of God and having his his history written down. If you read through the Bible if you read through the history of the Old Testament it's not as if it were a history textbook with dates and figures and times and places.

No it's written as redemptive narrative. It's telling us about what God has done and the reason why he gave us the law. The reason why he gives us this history is because he wants to us to remember what he has done so that we do not forget it.

But notice here in this verse verses 5 to 8. Notice who he tasks with teaching. Notice who he tasks with the passing on of this information. Notice he does not mention the clergy. Notice that he does not mention the priests.

Instead the responsibility of perpetuating the knowledge of God is laid at the feet of the fathers. Look again at verse 5. He established a testimony in Jacob. He appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers to teach their children that the next generation might know them the children yet unborn and arise and tell them to their children so that they should set their hope in God so that as one father teaches his son as his son grows up he will teach his son.

And it's as if the first father had taught the one that was yet unborn the third generation that's not yet born. This father is responsible for his son and the next father is responsible for his son. And on down the line the godly line is responsible within the family to teach the Word of God from generation to generation.

And the responsibility falls in this text to the father. Now I want to say for a moment every family is different. Every family is in a unique situation. I do think that there's a sense in which both parents have an important role in doing this for their children.

I know that in my home my wife's teaching of our children is absolutely indispensable. It is absolutely so valuable. And I think back to what Paul wrote to Timothy because Timothy had an unbelieving father at least from all that we can tell.

But he had a believing mother and he had believing grandmother. And they taught him from his youth the Word of God. Now Psalm 78 as I said earlier I believe is reminding us of another moment in Israel's history.

So for a moment I want us to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6 because I believe this is what it's pointing back to when he says here in Psalm 78 that he commanded our fathers to teach their children. When did that happen.

When did God command the children. It was all the way back in Deuteronomy chapter 6. And go with me now to verse 4. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 through 9 it begins with something called the shema which is the prayer of Israel.

This was the prayer of faith here O Israel the Lord thy God. The Lord is one that was a prayer of faith among the people. And then it goes on to say you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your might.

That is a codification of the commandments that we are to love God. And then he says in verse 6. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.

You shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise you shall bind them as signs on your hand. And you shall they shall be as front lets between your eyes.

And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. This is the command of God that the people of God would love the Word of God so much that it would be a part of their daily life so much to it so much so that it would be a part of their daily life that they would teach the words of God diligently to their children.

Notice what it says. It says teach them diligently the them there. It's not referring to the children. The them is referring to the words of God. Teach them diligently to your children is what the text says the it's just saying teach the words that God has given to you to your children.

You shall talk of them when you sit and when you walk when you lie and when you rise. What he's saying there simply is you shall do that everywhere whether you're sitting or whether you're walking whether you're lying or whether you're rising.

And you shall bind them and put them on your forehead and on your hand. And somebody says I don't understand that. Well this is a different time. People in the time that Moses is writing weren't able to have the Bible with them all the time.

So they would take important scriptures. They would write them down and they would keep them in something called a phylactery which was something they would actually wear on their head. And it would remind them of the importance of the Word of God.

This was an this was an important thing in their life because it reminded them of the centrality of where the Word of God should stand. But basically what he's saying when he says write them on the doorposts write them and put them and bind them as frontlets between your eyes.

When he's saying this basically what he's saying is he's saying make the Word of God a part of your everyday life. It should be with you wherever you go. And not only should it be with you in your iPhone not only should it be with you in your your your church Bible that you carry around with you but it should be with you in your life because it should not only be written but it should be written on your heart.

You should learn the Word of God love the Word of God know the Word of God that the Word of God be part of your everyday life. Moses commands that Israel be diligent in teaching the next generation the Word of God ASAP many centuries later would reiterate this in Psalm 78.

Teach your children. Fathers teach your children the Word of God. So how does this apply to us today. How do we go back hundreds and thousands of years to when these texts were written and apply them to us right now in this moment as we as a church aren't even gathered together.

How can this apply to us. Well these passages stand as a reminder of what our priorities should be in our home. The Word of God must take center stage not just on Sunday not just on the Lord's Day not just for one hour a week when we gather together in this place.

But the Word of God should have priority in our life every single day. But what does that look like. Well as I said every home is different and every family unit is structured a little differently. As I look out and I think about our church our church is different.

We have families of all different kinds. We have some of you that live. You're essentially you live alone. You're single and you might be thinking well what's this sermon got to do with me. Well not only is it encouraging you to to worship on your own which you which you should be but also to find ways to gather with others.

I know right now that's very difficult to do but worship worship and community and worship outside of the gathered worship when you gather together with other believers is a precious thing and something that we should not give up and something that we should not forget.

So today I want to talk about family worship based on everything that I've said so far because I do believe that the way that we live this principle out is in family worship. I believe the way that we live this principle out is by applying it to what we do in the home.

And again whether you're a single person or whether you are maybe just a couple maybe your children are grown and you're living it's just you and your spouse. Or maybe you have a lot of you have a church in your house.

You've got you've got a lot of children no matter the situation all of these things can be applied to make your family worship better. And that's and that's really what I've said. These are five things that can help make your family worship better.

Because if you're already doing family worship which I pray and hope that you are I just want to help you make it better. But if you're not then these are five things that might can help you get started toward a direction of family worship.

So let's let's look now at the five things and I'll try to do these briefly. The five things are. Number one I believe family worship is best when number one it is worship now you say okay that's not very insightful.

You call it family worship. But now you're just saying the same thing. You're being redundant. Well I'm not being redundant because I want you to understand that family worship is worshiping God. It is not just some dry religious exercise.

It's not just some rigorous discipleship program. It's an opportunity for you to meet with the triune God in your home with your family. It's an opportunity to worship. You know what I hear people say all the time.

I don't need to go to church to worship God. Well let me let me just address that real quick. We are called to assemble as believers. So if anyone says you don't need to go to church to worship God that that could be true.

But but but we we do need to gather as believers. So if what they mean by that is we don't need to gather that's not true. We do need to gather. The Bible says forsake not the gathering of yourselves together.

So it's not true that we don't need to gather. But I will say this a lot of people who say I can worship God anywhere don't. They don't worship God at all. So let me say this about family worship first and foremost it should be worship.

It should be a time where you are setting aside the things of the world. You are setting aside the things everything else. And you are going before your God to the throne of grace and you are bringing to him true and genuine worship.

Now what is worship. Worship means to ascribe worth to something. It means to give it all of its value. And that's what you're doing. You are proclaiming the worthiness of God when you come together for worship.

That's what we do when we come here on Sunday morning. That's what you should be doing in your homes worshiping as a family again you are proclaiming the worthiness of God. Worship is about adoration of God.

It's taking the time to say I love you God and I want to give this time to you specially. Yes I can worship you all day long. But this is a special time where my family and I are going to worship you.

So number one it's best when it's worship. It's not just a devotional. It's not just a Bible study. This is your family's worship. Number two family worship is best when it's planned. Some people say all the best worship is spontaneous worship.