Theology You Can Use (pt-1) - The Word of God

The Practical Value of Theology and the Plan for a New Series

All right we're going to start a new series tonight and it's entitled. Thanks to steve cooley's. Thanks to steve cooley and his idea. It's going to be called theology you can use. Meaning theology is very practical and theology can help us in our day-to-day life.

And what we're going to do is we're going to go through in a systematic fashion wayne grudem systematic theology. There are fifty seven chapters we'll try to go through the next fifty seven sunday nights.

Maybe i'll combine a couple here there but we want to go over each one of the chapters so we can understand theology uh... in a systematized way. But i want to make sure i preach it not at a classroom kind of level but at a level.

So you'll say i've learned this theology. How should that affect the way i live. When we learn something about god he requires that we respond in a certain way with certain kind of living holy living.

And so we're going to work our way through systematic theology. If you can get this and read ahead of time that would be great. If you can't do that because of time or money it will be fine because i'll have you up to speed as we go every sunday night.

And so this is twenty four dollars. I want to say it's probably forty in the stores. And i think this is our last one that we have. But how many people have wayne grudem systematic theology. Okay quite a few.

Do theology you can use. I'll probably ask a lot of questions tonight because the typical format will be i will teach through a passage of scripture verse by verse that fits within the framework of the chapter.

Then we'll discuss more what grudem says. And we'll interact tonight. That's not necessarily the case except maybe at the end. So i'm going to ask questions. And for those of you who are not regulars on sunday nights you can just raise your hand and then answer them out loud.

And that's we. It'll be a good interaction and good interchange. Theology you can use. What does the bible say about systematic theology. And tonight we'll answer these kind of questions. What is systematic theology.

Why should you study systematic theology. And is systematic theology even practical. Well we have to have some terms defined first. And there's lots of theology definitions. For instance natural theology.

Who knows what natural theology is. If someone said well that's natural theology. What is that. And why is that important natural theology. Theology revealed in nature would show us what? Lewis. Good.

That god is there that he's very powerful. Psalm 19 the heavens declare the glory of god. And you see all kinds of god's attributes just by looking at nature and the heavens matter of fact psalm 19 i believe in verse two it says day to day this kind of great creation of god.

What? Pours forth speech talking to us about who god is. Well that's natural theology. There's another kind of theology called special theology our special revelation. And what might that be. We have kind of general theology which is found in nature.

And we have something more specific. And that's found where? In the bible. So just to get us caught up on terms what do we find out about god found in scripture. We would call that specific theology or revealed theology.

How about hysterical theology. What would that be. Excuse me historical theology. What would historical theology teach us anyone? It's a great subject to study by the way church history. What is historical theology.

Good to see how god has orchestrated events of the past through different fallen creatures throughout time. Do we find historical theology in the bible. Or is it outside the bible. It's outside the bible.

Right. There is historical theology in a sense in the bible history there. But this is something when i think of historical theology i think of something kind of past the bible when the bible was written.

And how does god work out in history beyond that. And i think it could include the bible. But when you hear of historical theology i think of god working in times past through people through the early church through the reformation through the modern movement etc etc.

And then this one's a little trickier. What is biblical theology. If you're not thinking along theological lines you may get this one right. What's biblical theology. I would answer this. What did i just say.

Or you might get this one right. Because if you're not using your mind you might get it. Biblical theology gives special attention to what a particular writer of scripture says. For instance if you want to study biblical theology and you study john's writings you could look at how many books did john write in the new testament gospel of john.

First john second john third john. Revelation. So biblical theology would say let's study the writings of paul and see what his propensities were. See what he focused on biblical theology would look at john or peter or someone like that.

What Systematic Theology Is and How It Organizes the Whole Bible

Well let's now ask the question about systematic theology. Who can give me a definition of systematic theology. And then we're going to ask why would we even want to study it. Why would we devote fifty seven weeks to that.

By the way i'm holding the caveat that if it bombs the series bombs in about seven weeks then we'll just go someplace else zephaniah or someplace. What is systematic theology. If you don't know how to break down systematic theology.

Well then what's systematic. And what's theology. Maybe that will help us and ask a lot of questions. Because otherwise tonight we're going to be in trouble. I think i'm already in trouble. Yes. So do we believe in exposition or topical teaching around here.

What are you trying to say. So what is systematic theology. I thought that was excellent. When you think of the word systematic it means i actually looked up the word it means to stand together or to organize.

And so you take a topic of the scripture sin and you start at genesis and you work your way through all the way to revelation to see what the bible teaches in total about that particular subject. What can be known of god on that subject in all the bible.

It answers this question according to john frame what does the whole bible teach us today about any given topic. The second coming the trinity the deity of christ. Can you think of other topics. Sin grace heaven.

All kinds of topics from genesis to revelation. I can think of incarnation all kinds of things. How about this. If i read mark chapter fifteen verse twenty six. And the inscription over christ at calvary says the king of the jews.

Luke twenty three thirty eight says this is the king of the jews. Matthew twenty seven thirty seven says this is jesus king of the jews. And john nineteen nineteen states jesus of nazareth the king of the jews.

What was said on top of the inscription at the cross. Put them all together. Right. So we systematize. What is the bible teaches from genesis to revelation about a certain topic. Well what might some of those topics be.

Let me just back up for a second. If someone were to ask you this question what is the bible teach about jesus is soon return. What would you tell them. Well why don't you start in genesis one one and keep reading till you get there.

So it helps us to put some systems to this. If i think of some of the divisions of systematic theology i'm going to tell you an ology word and you tell me what it means. These are some of the ologies found in systematic theology.

Bibliology. Theology the study of the bible. Good. This one doesn't have an ology. It's the only one that doesn't. It has two words one with an ology. Theology proper. If you're going to study theology proper what does that mean.

I don't mean if you're going to study theology properly. But what is theology proper. What the bible says about god. Good christology. What the bible says about pneumatology. If you can't remember pneuma p-n-pneuma you can think of a drill that has some air coming out of it and that is called a what pneumatic drill.

Spirit harmartiology. What kind of study is that sin. Good anthropology. Lewis leakey etc. That's not that anthropology. There's anthropology that the archeologists do. And we study anthropology that basically this morning we had a study of anthropology.

What is the state of man in romans chapter one two and three eight. That would be anthropology. Good soteriology salvation. Good soter means to save or to rescue or to deliver. How about. This is a very difficult one.

So put your thinking caps on angelology. What might that be. Both good angels and bad angels. Study of satan angelology. It would be the study of the angel of the lord in the old testament. How about ecclesiology.

Church and ecclesia means. What to assemble. Right. Some people say called out ones. The assembled ones. Eschatology. Future things are end times. Good. So we have a lot of ologies to study. And one of the things that i'll probably encourage you to do especially if you're a new christian or you'd like to get your arms wrapped around all these thoughts is pick one ology per year and try to study that.

Pick bibliology this year and study the scriptures. Pick christology. Pick a different ology and say in nine years i'm gonna figure out all these ologies. Alright let's ask this question why study systematic theology.

Why is it even important. Why would i devote fifty seven weeks to it on sunday night. There has to be some reason to study just not looking for topics to preach. Why study systematic theology. Okay. To grow and learn.

Good. What else. Yes frank. To better equip the saints. Good. Did you know that systematic theology used to be called the queen of sciences. Anybody else. Why should we study systematic theology. Excellent.

It keeps you from from going overboard on one particular verse without seeing the rest of the counsel of god. Good. I keep hearing some kind of funny sound up here and i can't tell what it is. Yes dave.

Good. You know what systematic theology grudens says. It's like if you have all the scriptures in a large jigsaw puzzle and what systematic theology does is kind of makes the border around it. And then it shows you some of the larger objects.

And so then you have to just fill in the blanks around that. I thought that's exactly right. That's a good point. I have several reasons. One it helps you to be exposed to the full counsel of god. You don't want to miss something about god that's tucked away some place in lamentations.

And you say well everything i need to know is elsewhere. If you study the topic of every for instance sin i believe six old testament words for sin and six new testament words for sin. And you put together this whole idea of sin.

Sin is not only missing the mark sin is transgressing. Sin is not doing something that you should do. You put it all together. You think wow sin is bad. I also have another reason for systematic theology.

It gives you observation into god's progressive revelation. How does god give information out back in genesis. He gave just a little bit and then more and more and more how does god reveal himself. Thirdly it increases your knowledge of god.

Colossians chapter one says that we are to be increasing in the knowledge of god if we are to follow paul's pattern. And i think if we do the opposite of systematic theology we will be what grudem calls unsystematic theologians.

How many people think unsystematic disorganized theology would be good. We don't think so grudem says you don't want to be a proponent of disorderly and random theology. I think one of the things that's helpful in systematic theology it helps us to define christianity.

What are the essentials. What are the fundamentals. What is christianity. It can help us defend christianity. What about a doctrinal controversy. And i think lastly if you'll turn your bibles to the pastoral epistles let me show you the tie-in between doctrine and godliness.

The tie-in between teaching and godliness. Turn to first timothy chapter six. We'll look up three verses. And i want you to see the tie-in between teaching and godliness doctrine and duty. Credenda and agenda position and practice.

Indicative and imperative are orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Did you get those first timothy chapter six verse three. If you notice they're tucked in the bible connects sound doctrine with maturity in christian living.

Paul talks about the teaching which accords with what godliness first timothy chapter six verse three. If you'd looked at first timothy chapter one verse ten it by contrast talks about disobedience and immorality that are contrary to what sound doctrine.

Doctrine and duty go together. So if you say to yourself i'm struggling with this particular sin i keep falling in this particular pattern up to this particular pattern of sin. And i need to be rescued from that.

One of the things that you should do is study what the bible says about the topic and what god expects and how god can empower you to obey. And you want to see what the bible says about that very topic.

The Danger of a Church Without Theology and the Danger of Mere Intellectualism

It's important. Let me ask you this question. I'd like feedback. What would happen to a church that gives up learning systematic theology for at least a generation. What would our children be like grace.

Church has something called generations of grace. What would we have at this church if we give up theology and studying theology for just a generation. Generation of disgrace. Very good for the pom pom lady in the front left.

Generations of disgrace. Steve. Excellent. You can just imagine the chaos. Sadly many churches today have no theological mooring. So that's why they'll buy into anything that comes down the pike. They don't care what it is.

If it works they'll buy into it. And i don't want us to do that. I want us to have a good theological system and structure. And that's why our statement of faith that the church is long or short. Well compared to the bible it's short.

But compared to other statements of faith it's very long. Because we don't want to have to have corrections every time something weird comes on the pike. We want to know where we stand now. Here's another question.

Can we go the other way. What would be the consequences of us as a church going overboard in the simple intellectual study of doctrine. Could we go too far on the other way. What would be our propensity here at the church to be to underdo doctrine and teaching and exposition.

Or to kind of say well it's all intellectual and we don't care about anything else. Really we just want to learn more. Wow. I learned today. Forget being you know loving my wife like christ love the church.

I'm just you know i just want to learn a new doctrine. Wow. Did you hear that great verse on the atonement today that was preached with such passion. Wow. Comments about what could happen if we overdid doctrine.

You become the church at ephesus. Excellent. Where they have left their first love. Gladman. So we wouldn't be doers of the word. We'd just be hearers only because we heard something really good. That by the way is my problem.

When i hear preaching i'm too easily captivated by hearing a new doctrine something taught a new way some new truth versus me saying that old truth that i heard. I need to be sitting underneath that word.

I need to be remembering again. So for instance this morning how many people learn anything new this morning. Some did. My goal was not to teach you something new. If i did teach you something new great.

But my goal was to remind you of the old other ones. Bruce. Lack of evangelism. Because we just get these huge heads. I don't know the technical term. Maybe someone does but my mother years ago i think i was probably about nine or ten years old.

She took us to a small town in nebraska where they had waterhead babies. I don't know the technical term. I don't remember anything about them except walking into this place to see these. And of course my memory now probably is tended towards exaggeration.

I would go to my mom's house and think it's a huge house and i go back and visit. It's a small little thing. So do you know the name hydrocephalic. I just remember seeing the baby's heads were so huge they couldn't lift their heads off the pillow.

And it was just one of those just so sad. I think ricketts does similar things where the head becomes huge and we don't want to do that. I know i'm in a bad spot at the church because as i teach you doctrine i know what our response will be.

And that response will be if we're not thinking right to accumulate data and not be more holy. But what are my options? Not to teach you sound doctrine? So we should know ahead of time we're going to hear doctrine all the time, bible all the time.

And if we're not careful we're going to have knowledge that will what? Puff us up and we have to be careful. That's why service is so good. Because there's one thing about ministry in a local church. You can walk around with a big head for a while.

But when you serve in a local church there's all kinds of porcupines on other christians that poke you like hot air balloons and you become deflated. The other thing that's very helpful especially for you single men if you struggle with pride i have a good resolution for you.

And that is called marriage. Where you realize that you're not all what you are. You're not cracked up to what you are. Somebody's clapping in the back. You're not everything that you're cracked up to be.

And i can't believe. Actually kim expects me to. Can you believe this in a woman? She actually believes, she thinks that i should live out everything that i teach from this pulpit. I'm appalled by that when we come to systematic theology we do have to recognize that we should come in humility that we want to learn so that we can do.

We have to come saying to ourselves i have a finite mind trying to wrap myself, my arms around things that are infinite and i can't get it all. Combine that with the fact that i have sin and i can't see scriptures.

Right. If there's sin. And so we have a herculean task. It's very very difficult. Should we use any other book than the bible for systematic theology? Is my last question before we get into a text. Any other book?

If you didn't know what a bible word was a biblical dictionary would be excellent. Well, that is chapter one of systematic theology in Grudem. That was pretty fast, wasn't it? It was very fast. Chapter two talks about how God speaks when i say the word of God what do you think about?

The different forms of the word of God. I can think of two forms of the word of God. Which ones do you think of? Christ and the written word. I think what we're going to do is we're just going to bypass that chapter and we're going to go straight into psalm one because i can tell again when i'm losing a crowd and we've got the big glazed over eyes right now.

And so let's just go to psalm chapter one and see this great book that i want our systematic theology to cause us to revel in and meditate in and look at. So let's just go to psalm chapter one and just do some exposition of this great chapter.

Steve loves to preach psalm one and i'm not going to do a thorough job, Steve. So when you get one of those i'm sick in the middle of the night and you have to preach. You preach psalm one. There's plenty left for everyone.

By the way, as you're turning there it gives a good opportunity to tell the story. When i was in preaching class at seminary for my master's degree i picked the topic in passage Habakkuk 3 17 to 19 and we have a small group of about six guys and you just get up and you pour your heart out and there's no messing around.

Professor Montoya was our professor and he expects excellence and action and he will accept no excuse. I remember my eye. The ophthalmology guy the ophthalmologist cut my eye by accident and i had this you know, one little cut in your eye, what does that do?

I mean, it seems like it's just this huge throbbing thing. You know, i felt like i was some kind of you know, cyclops or something. I could barely close my eye. You know, it was so bad. And you're supposed to make copies of your message to bring them into your preaching class.

And so i got up and i realized that preaching class was at 7 .30. There was a copy mat open at 7 i drive down to the copy mat like this trying to get there to preach and of course with a name like Abendroth.

Guess which order i end up. Usually try to make copies and it says new hours, 7 .30 so i thought there's a copy machine at the seminary so i get down there. There's actually two down in the old library and i got down there.

It said open up at 7 .20. I'm waiting, i'm waiting pacing back and forth. I can't believe i have to preach. I've spent $25 ,000 on seminary and now i'm going to stand up there preach in such a horrible way and the guy's going to tell me you just need to quit and we're going to put you out of your ministry and it was worth $25 ,000 less and you're fired.

I thought, oh, what am i going to do. 7 .20, the thing opens up. I quick get in there and buffalo my way in. Both copiers were broken. I walk into professor Montoya's preaching class where all the other students analyze you and so does the professor and he's just hardcore.

Steve had to do it too and i walked in and i said professor Montoya the eye thing. Copy mat 7 .30 library 7 .20. Two of them all broken. I don't have copies of my stuff. I'm really not prepared i can't even see.

And professor Montoya has the gift of mercy and he just looked at me and he said you're up. I had to walk up to go ahead and preach. I had to preach Genesis chapter 6. Later on i had to preach Habakkuk chapter 3 and i got up to get ready to preach.

But the guy went ahead of me and he preached Habakkuk chapter 3 17 through 19. Right before i did i thought, what am i going to do? What am i going to do? I think he did a better job than i could and so now i have to do it as well.

But you know the word of God through personality that's what preaching is truth through personality. He focused on some things that i didn't and vice versa and everything else. And then the story gets even worse because i fly to India this year and i was given a preaching time several off site and then one main one to all the sessions a plenary session in front of everyone and so i was going to teach 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 and following that's the passage you teach to pastors preach the word in season and out of season.

And so i had it all ready and we get there the first night and they have the special video feed all the way from Southern California at 6 o 'clock in the morning there it's 9 at night here in India and John MacArthur gets up there to preach and he said i'm going to preach to you men tonight and my passage is 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 and following.

I can't believe John didn't call me. Everybody else had to send in their emails early with their passages. No, but John doesn't have to. So everybody, all my friends were looking over and saying are you still going to preach that passage.

And so i got up and introduced the sermon by saying even though John MacArthur arguably the best expositor in the last 50 years has preached this passage the word of God is so rich and so deep and so full of God's truths that he could even take a guy like me and preach you 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 again and so don't let Steve walk up to the pulpit saying Mike just got done doing Psalm 1 and that's the one I've kind of got in my chamber now and I'm ready to shoot it.

Don't let him do that Psalm chapter 1 to encourage you in kind of a jet tour fashion as we're used to this morning for you to meditate in the word of God. If you want blessings you will stick your nose in the Bible.

You can try every other way and you're not going to get the blessings that are found in the word of God. And this is like what John Donne said is like manna which tasted to every man like that he loved best.

It just tastes good. It's just so good to see these 2 different kinds of people in the world. Alexander White, the famous Scottish professor said to his students oh, I envy you young men with your ministry before you and especially that you have a lifetime of explaining the Psalms to your people the Psalms, you get to preach the Psalms to someone.

And here we have amazingly the first book of all the Psalms and it almost acts like an usher to all the other Psalms as an introduction, a blessing to the Psalms right from the very beginning. 2 ways open for mankind.

The way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Let's look at Psalm 1 verse 1. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

There is blessing to that kind of man. There's blessings for you as you want to study. What does the Bible say about this topic from Genesis to Revelation. That's one thing systematic theology will do.

It will force you to study the text because your theology has to come actually from the text. And here he says how blessed this is from God's perspective. Not oh, he's a pretty good guy, one man to another.

But from God's perspective this kind of person is blessed. One way to translate the word blessed is he's envied Jansen said as an expression of envious desire and renders it to be envied is the man. And so you have this ashar word where you say this person is so envied.

Look at how God approves him and blesses him and sets his favor upon him. And as the Aaronic blessing says to make God's face shine upon him. To what kind of person does that blessing. Come. The person who's going to be in the word that we'll see in just a minute because look, it's a conditional blessing.

There are conditions to this blessing. This is not a universal blessing. How blessed is the man who does do this and doesn't do that. What else does this word tell me. How blessed is that a singular word or a plural word.

Does it even matter. It's plural. Oh the blessedness. Oh how great. In plural the multiplicity of blessings. As one man says oh the blessings of this man. The blessednesses. And it's even with an exclamation point.

I just write a little exclamation point right there on your Bible next to how blessed. How blessed. Interjection. Oh it's intense. It's plural. The multiplicity of blessednesses. What kind of man gets this blessednesses.

Well if you look at a football stadium I kind of just don't even pay attention much to football. A little bit. But I don't really watch the games and pro games college games. Those gods let me down too often.

So I don't like to worship gods with clay feet anymore. I like it when my teams lose early in the season. Because then it just helps me in that. But just imagine football stadium. What's the largest football stadium in the country.

Michigan's is the largest. Maybe the Rose Bowl. Not quite as big. Something like 101 ,000 in Michigan Stadium. Pardon me 106. Thank you Steve. I'm trying to think of a little retort back for that kind of knowledge.

106 ,000 people. And let's just say they all were wearing wolverine colors. Which would be what I think Josh has wolverine colors on. Don't you blue and maize. Are those the correct colors. Close enough blue and yellow.

But one person had crimson on. So you have all this yellow. And one person with red. The way the psalmist is writing this is well blessed is that particular man. Not all these other men. Not all the 105 ,999.

But this particular man. That one right there. And this word zeros in to say there's only one kind of blessing for this person. It comes from God. And it's this particular man the particular man that doesn't do this in verse 1.

And that does do this in verse 2. This kind of person and no other kind of person. No escape clauses no short circuits no side roads no shortcut. This man and only this kind of man receives the blessings from God.

As my dad used to say this kind of blessing is not by osmosis. He would come into my room and he'd say son clean up your room. I'd just be kind of laying there on the bed you know. And he'd say son your room doesn't get cleaned by osmosis.

Which I learned what osmosis was at an early age. You don't get this blessing by having a dad who's godly. You don't get this blessing by having it rub off because of your wife. You don't get this blessing by sacraments.

You don't get this blessing by the church. How do you get this blessing? I want to know God bless me a multitude of blessings. Intense blessings. Singular blessings just for me. I want these blessings.

Is it wrong by the way to be motivated by wanting to receive blessings from God? Is that narcissistic? Is that ungodly? I don't think it's bad at all. So let me show you three responsibilities here in the text for you to receive these great blessings from God.

The first responsibility is shunning worldliness. Shunning worldliness. You must shun worldliness. You see the text. The blessed man is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

He doesn't do that by the way what kind of genre is this? Is this narrative? Is this apocalyptic? Is this wisdom literature? What kind of literature is this? Poetry. And when you write poetry you try to say things like this blessed is the man who.

What's the best way I could describe it? Let's go from the negative. How many times have you heard this passage preached this way? If you start walking by the counsel of the wicked you might end up standing in the path of sinners.

And finally you'll sit in the seat of scoffers. That's how it's preached all the time. What he's trying to do is say three different things. Don't stand, don't sit, don't even go close to all. One point is what he's got stay away from these kind of people.

It's a parallelism for those in the hermeneutics class three groups. To avoid just avoid these kind of people. And by the way do you think he's trying to say just avoid those really rotten wicked people.

Do we have a place here in Worcester that lots of really bad people hang out? Do we? Huh? The jail over there in West Boylston. How did West Boylston allow that jail to be ever built? I don't know but that's another sermon.

Is it those kind of people you should stay away from? He's talking about those kind of people. Yes. But he's also talking about philosophical systems to run from all the isms. Materialism, activism, individualism, religionism all kinds of other things.

That people are pushing those agendas all the time. What you hear on talk radio and everything else. You just better be careful and filter through the Bible. Be careful of these wicked people. He's not just talking about murderers and dope pushers.

He's talking about ungodly people who say you know God I kind of believe you but I have no place in my life for you. And here's my theological construct for living. Be careful of those kind of people.

Saturating the Mind with Scripture and Meditating on the Law of the Lord

Well what else does he say? Not just to avoid worldly people. But here's what I'm after tonight with systematic theology. The second responsibility that we have if you want a life of blessings from God shunning worldliness.

And number two saturate your mind with scripture. You must super saturate your mind with scripture. But his delight. Rather, verse two is in the law of the Lord. And in his law he meditates day and night.

Kidner said whatever really shapes a man's thinking shapes his life. What you think about you will become notice the contrast there. But really it's a strong one. But rather do this. But rather think about not just the ten commandments.

That's not what he's thinking about the law. He's thinking about God's instruction. Of course he's thinking of the Old Testament back then he said. But the man who delights in the law of the Lord. And here's one of my problems if truth be known I've got this duty now to have my devotions required of God.

I know I shouldn't have this attitude but you know it's been, it's hard. And you know this book will keep you from sin but sin will keep you from this book. And I just don't have a good attitude. And I've got to study the Bible and I've got to preach it.

And actually you know I even have a good attitude now but my attitude is a little bit different. My attitude is I've got to preach on Sunday and I've got to come up with a message. There's all kinds of wrong ways I can think about it.

Look at this particular guy even for a man or a woman but his delight is in the law of the Lord. He's delighted. It's not burdensome Bible study. It's not some irksome kind of downer thing. You know I have to study the Bible.

By the way if you are men and you want to teach your children the Bible do yourself a favor and be excited about it even if you're not, fake it sometimes. I've done that you know. Alright kids it's time to study the Bible.

Sit down and shut up daddy's in charge Bible, Bible time. We're having our devotions because Abendroth's going to ask me did you give some devotions to your kids. And I'm going to tell him yes. Now just answer biblically.

I'm telling you people laugh when there's truth. What you do is you have your wife get the other kids and the wife's job is to keep the kids seated and quiet. And when you go overboard with your you know fervor your wife kind of goes lower the volume kind of thing.

That's her job not that Kim would ever do that or anything. No. And so the kids are a little bit bigger now but I try to say we get to study the Bible. It's a privilege a long time ago and I've told you the story this isn't the Bible.

I'll use this one. I take the systematic theology and I I take the Bible and I say and how do kids. How do you teach kids abstract things. So I would just go I kind of hand it around. What do you think the kids would do.