Catechism for the Youth

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth, Michael Lee Abendroth. I'm the older brother of Patrick James Abendroth. I'm all Bible Church in the pectum. I'm also Luke Abendroth's father.

Let's see, if he's 26 and I'm 62, almost 63, could he be my grandson? We waited late. And of course, I'm a husband to Kim and a father to Haley and to Maddie and to Gracie and a father-in-law to Marty and a grandpa to Amos.

I went to Israel and we swung by a place called Tekoa and Tekoa was the birthplace of Amos the prophet. So I needed to see where little Amos was born, the little Amos the prophet. So that has been a good memory looking back at the trip.

So sick. I don't know what it is. I guess if I get sick now post my major COVID problems, it just takes a long time to get better and the breathing and everything else. And maybe you can hear a little labor breathing right now, but at least I can talk.

A week ago before the steroids, I couldn't really talk. That's why I didn't do a lot of shows. Israel was pretty hard. I just forced myself to go. It wasn't that fun in terms of, you know, it was gray and bleak and not feeling well.

That's my mind and the mental attitude I had and physical feelings. But I preached last Sunday. So I'm thankful for that. I think the fog is slowly fading and onward and upward, the upward call, the prize, Philippians chapter three, I'm preaching Philippians three this weekend.

Bible Conference on the Doctrine of God

Don't forget this show. I think it's, you don't have to forget this part, but this show is being played on February 20. What's the date of this show is going to be played on the 22nd probably. And that means in two days, we're going to have the Bible conference at Bethlehem Bible church.

We've had lots of conferences here over the years. Haven't had one since I think Scott Clark was here a couple of years ago, or maybe that was pre COVID. But today, the 22nd, the show airs on NOCO radio.

And then the 24th, we have Steve Meister here. His wife's going to be here as well. Just hanging out. They're staying at our house, a conference on the doctrine of God. And you're invited. If you're here in central mass, you can go to the website, bbcchurch .org, and you can sign up or you can come and sign up.

And it's 15 a person for BBC members, 20 for a family, 20 a person if you're just a guest or 30 for a family. We, you know, and I don't even really want to charge except Meister charges a big honorarium.

So not true. But if you pay for something, then you go. So that's just the way it goes. If it's free, you're like, ah, I don't need to really go. I think for new England, if I, if we have 75 people show, that'll be all right.

I mean, I would hope 200 show, except we've got men's retreat this weekend. Uh, technically now in NOCO time last weekend, we've got the preach-a-thon. All my guys are going to be preaching April 1st.

We took the class, 30 minute sermons. So there's a lot going on. But anyway, we have a Bible conference on the doctrine of God. If it was on marriage or end times, there'd be 200 people. So why is it that people don't want to go to a conference on the doctrine of God when could there be any more important doctrine?

Catechizing Children with the PCA Children's Catechism

Well, today on No Compromise Radio, I'm going to try something and see if I like it. If I don't like it, hey, this is free. I think we only have 11 Patreon supporters anyway. So if you're not one of the 11, you have no say.

We used to have 25, I think, supporters when we were a discernment ministry. When I was a child, I spoke like a child. Now, when I had children, I tried to catechize them. I didn't do a great job. Looking back, I could have done a better job, but it's not like I didn't do it.

I did try to teach the Bible on a regular basis to children. We didn't have family worship every day, but a lot of days we did and we would do a variety of things. As the kids got older, we would talk about the Bible and current events and what about homosexuality or gender or whatever.

What does the Bible teach about this, that, or the other? When they were younger, it was like data. If you think of the trivium where it's grammar and logic and rhetoric, grammar's the data, logic, how that data goes together, and rhetoric, how that data that goes together is presented as we speak or write.

So I try to do a lot of Bible teaching. Sometimes we just go chapter by chapter through Exodus. Sometimes I would do gospel accounts. Sometimes maybe I was studying for a Sunday and it was just in my mind.

Sometimes I'd let the kids pick and we would study the Bible together. We would sing hymns. I would have the children sometimes read scriptures. Sometimes they'd have to stand up and do their memory verses, stand up and sing a stanza by themselves just so they would not be afraid of public speaking like I was.

And so we did a lot of things. Well, and one of the things we did is we did the catechism and we did the children's catechism. It's called Catechism for Young Children and it's put out by the PCA, Presbyterian Church in America, Christian Education and Publications in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tiny little thing, 145 questions, and there are no references for the Bible verses or anything like that. It's just simple and little tiny kids can do it. And we would practice. I remember Haley was five and we were practicing in the waiting room when Luke was born.

He needed some assistance and had to go to NICU for 10 days and we were not all allowed in the room at the same time. And so I'd wait outside with Haley and we would work on our catechism. And so I'm going to restart reading some of this catechism.

And I don't know how many of the 145 I'm going to do, but I want you to see the depth of the theology that you can teach your children. And even if they're parenting things in the grammar stage, that's fine.

Let's put the data in there. And as the Lord sees fit sovereignly at his good pleasure to use that data to quicken, to make alive, et cetera. So we can't save our children, obviously, but we can teach them the Bible.

And this is a good way to systematize it with catechisms, with confessions, right? It's one thing to read the Bible. It's another thing to read the Bible rightly or hermeneutically well with the right interpretation.

And one thing that systematic theologies and confessions and creeds and catechisms will help you with is how this all goes together. 66 books. What's the theme? What's, you know, what are the undergirding covenants?

You know, there's a lot of things. And so I think it will help you. And even today, if your children are older, it's still just kind of neat to hear. This is the catechism for younger children from the PCA.

And I'm not going to give you every number. I'm just going to read some because it's really wonderful. Who made you? God. Okay. Let's just start right there. What else did God make? I mean, I could close my eyes and say, God made all things.

Why did God make you in all things? I can hear little Haley now say as a five-year-old for his own glory, for his own glory. How can you glorify God? By loving him and keeping his commands. So far, I'm just reading the question and I'm trying to remember for my own teaching.

Why ought you to glorify God? Because he made me and something like that, because he made me and takes care of me. There you go. Are there more gods than one? No, there is only one God. And how many persons does this one God exist?

In three persons. What are they? The father, the son, and the Holy ghost. What is God? God is a spirit and has not a body like men. Where is God? God is everywhere. Can you see God? I love this one. No, I cannot see God, but he always sees me.

Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God. And you can just hear a kind of parroting back and forth. The parent who wants the child to parrot. Did you get that? Of course you got that.

That had nothing to do with anything. Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God. Can God do all things? Yes. God can do all his holy will. And you see what's happening here. You're thinking about three in one.

You're thinking about language that just, you know, one of the things that happened when I was a Lutheran and grew up with Nicene Creed and Apostles Creed, I never said to myself, huh, Trinity, don't buy it.

Don't understand it fully. That's true. But I understand that the scriptures teach father, son, spirit, three persons, one God. They're not each other. What kind of relationship do they have? I mean, I didn't understand inseparable operations then and all that, but at least it's just there, the building blocks.

And now can God do all things? Yes, he can do all his holy will. So, we don't have to worry about, can God make a rock too big that he can't lift it or something, you know, something that's asinine. Where do you learn how to love and obey God?

In the Bible alone. Who wrote the Bible? Holy men who are taught by the Holy Spirit. Who were our first parents? Adam and Eve. Of what were our first parents made? God made the body of Adam out of the ground and formed Eve from the body of Adam.

I mean, just building blocks, basic, important truths. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? He gave them souls. I can hear my daughter now that can never die. Have you a soul as well as a body?

See how personal this is, engaging with the children. Do you have a soul as well as a body, you say to your daughter or son? Yes, I have a soul that can never die. How do you know that you have a soul?

Because the Bible tells me so. In what condition did God make Adam and Eve? He made them holy and happy. So, see, we're protecting from God makes, you know, crooked things and God makes sin and people are who they are because God made them that way compared to Ecclesiastes, God makes them upright.

All right, here we go. Are you ready? What is a covenant? An agreement between two or more persons. What covenant did God make with Adam? The covenant of works. What was Adam bound to do by the covenant of works?

To obey God perfectly, to obey God perfectly. What did God promise in the covenant of works? To reward Adam with life if he obeyed him. I mean, don't you love it? You're teaching your five-year-olds the covenant of works.

What did God threaten in the covenant of works? To punish Adam with death if he disobeyed. Did Adam keep the covenant of works? No, he sinned against God. What is sin? Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.

What is meant by want of conformity? Good question. Not being or doing what God requires. What is meant by transgression? Doing what God forbids. What was the sin of our first parents? Eating the forbidden fruit.

And so what you do is you start off with a few of them and you start adding, and then you go back and you repeat and repeat and repeat. And pretty soon they've got these things memorized. Who tempted them to this sin?

The devil tempted Eve and she gave the fruit to Adam. What befell our first parents when they had sinned? Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable. Did Adam act for himself alone in the covenant of works?

I mean, can you believe it? How great is this theology to even teach the little kids before they can even grasp maybe abstract thoughts like this? No, he represented all his posterity. Think Romans 5.

What effect had the sin of Adam on all mankind? All mankind are born in a state of sin and misery. What is that sinful nature which we inherit from Adam called? And you would answer original sin. What does every sin deserve?

The wrath and curse of God. Can anyone go to heaven with this sinful nature? No, our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven. What is a change of heart called? Regeneration. Who can change a sinner's heart?

The Holy Spirit alone. Can anyone be saved through the covenant of works? None can be saved through the covenant of works. Why can none be saved through the covenant of works? Because all have broken it and are condemned by it.

With whom did God the Father make the covenant of grace? With Christ, his eternal Son. Whom did Christ represent in the covenant of grace? His elect people. What did Christ undertake in the covenant of grace?

To keep the whole law for his people and to suffer the punishment due to their sins. I mean, we're teaching this to young children, and they've got the baseline now to understand all these concepts and see how it'll help them when they hear words from the pulpit, when they read words in the Bible, when they're trying to put systems together in terms of systematizing what's the Bible say about sin, what's the Bible say about this, that, or the other.

Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever commit the least sin? No, he was holy, harmless, and undefiled. How could the Son of God suffer? Christ, the Son of God, became man that he might obey and suffer in our nature.

I mean, this is, you know, when we talk about Trinitarian debates, this is just all helping our children. What is meant by the atonement? Christ satisfying divine justice by his sufferings and death in the place of sinners.

Christ satisfying divine justice by his sufferings and death in the place of sinners. What did God the Father undertake in the covenant of grace? To justify and sanctify those for whom Christ should die.

What is justification? It is God forgiving sinners and treating them as if they had never sinned. What is sanctification? Let's see if it's monergistic or synergistic. What do you think? It is God's making sinners holy in heart and conduct.

Ooh, monergism for the score. For whom did Christ obey and suffer? For those whom the Father had given him. What kind of life did Christ live on earth? A life of poverty and suffering. What kind of death did Christ die?

The painful and shameful death of the cross. Who will be saved? Only those who repent of sin, believe in Christ, and lead holy lives. Mike Ebenroth, today on No Compromise Radio, reading the PCA Catechism for Young Children with a few little comments of my own.

What is it to repent? To be sorry for sin and to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God. I want to talk a little bit more about his repentance, the fruit of faith. But I'm just reading it for what it is, okay?

You can amend things and explain things, yes, if you want. What is it to believe or have faith in Christ? To trust in Christ alone for salvation. Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power?

No. I can do nothing good without the help of God's Holy Spirit. How can you get the help of the Holy Spirit? God has told us that we must pray to him for the Holy Spirit. How long ago is it since Christ died?

More than 1 ,900 years. How were pious persons saved before the coming of Christ? That's a good question to ask children, by believing in a Savior to come. How did they show their faith? By offering sacrifices on God's altar, right?

That was the evidence of their faith. What do these sacrifices represent? Christ, the Lamb of God, was to die for sinners. What offices has Christ? Christ has three offices. What are they? The offices of prophet, and of priest, and of a king.

How is Christ a prophet? He teaches us the will of God. How is Christ a priest? Because he died for our sins and pleads with God for us. How is Christ a king? Because he rules over us and defends us. I love these next ones.

We're up to 69, by the way. Why do you need Christ as a prophet? Because I'm ignorant. Why do you need Christ as a priest? Because I am guilty. See, you're having the children say this, because it's true.

Why do you need Christ as a king? Because I'm weak and helpless. Very, very important truths. How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai? Ten commandments. What are the ten commandments sometimes called?

The Decalogue. What do the first four commandments teach? Our duty to God. What do the last six commandments teach? Our duty to our fellow man. What is the sum of the ten commandments? To love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself.

Who is your neighbor? Seeking to justify himself. No, just kidding. That's the Good Samaritan parable we did. Who is your neighbor? All my fellow men are my neighbors. Is God pleased with those who love and obey him?

Yes. He says, I love them that love me. Is God displeased with those who do not love and obey him? Yes. God is angry with the wicked every day. What is the first commandment? The first commandment is, I shall have no other gods before me.

What does the first commandment teach us? To worship God alone. What is the second commandment? The second commandment is, thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

What does the second commandment teach us? To worship God in proper manner and to avoid idolatry. What is the third commandment? The third commandment is, thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

What does the third commandment teach? To reverence God's name, word, and works. What is the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment is, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days thou shall labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.

In it thou shall not do any work, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is in within thy gates, nor that is, excuse me, that is within thy gates.

For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. What does the fourth commandment teach us?

To keep the Sabbath holy. Which day of the week is the Christian Sabbath? The first day of the week, called the Lord's day. Why is it called the Lord's day? Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.

How should the Sabbath be spent? In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God's word, and in doing good to our fellow men. What is the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment is, honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

What does the fifth commandment teach me? To love and obey our parents and teachers. What is the sixth commandment? Thou shall not kill. What does the sixth commandment teach us? To avoid angry passions.

What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, thou shall not commit adultery. What does the seventh commandment teach us? To be pure in heart, language, and conduct. What is the eighth commandment?

The eighth commandment is, thou shall not steal. What does the eighth commandment teach us? To be honest and industrious. What is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is, thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does the ninth commandment teach us? To tell the truth. What is the 10th commandment? The 10th commandment is, thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

What does the 10th commandment teach us? To be content with our lot. Can any man keep these 10 commandments perfectly? Now, that's a good question. No mere man since the fall of Adam ever did or can keep the 10 commandments perfectly.

Of what use are the 10 commandments to us? To teach us our duty and show our need of the Savior. Third use, first use. What is prayer? Prayer is asking God for things which he promised to give. Isn't that wonderful?

What's prayer? Prayer is asking God for things which he promised to give. And whose name should we pray? Only in the name of Christ. What has Christ given us to teach us how to pray? The Lord's Prayer.

Repeat the Lord's Prayer. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. How many petitions are there in the Lord's Prayer? Six. What is the first petition?

Hallowed be thy name. What do we pray for in the first petition? That God's name may be honored by us and all men. What is the second petition? Thy kingdom come. What do we pray for in the second petition?

That the gospel may be preached in all the world and believed and obeyed by us and all men. You obey the gospel by believing, by the way. John 6. What is the third petition? Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What do we pray for in the third petition? That men on earth may serve God as the angels do in heaven. That's wonderful. What is the fourth petition? Give us this day our daily bread. What do we pray for in the fourth petition?

That God would give us all things needful for our bodies and souls. What is the fifth petition? Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake and enable us to forgive those who have injured us.

What is the sixth petition? And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. What do we pray for in the sixth petition? That God would keep us from sin. How many sacraments are there? Two. What are they?

Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Who appointed these sacraments? The Lord Jesus Christ. Why did Christ appoint these sacraments? To distinguish His disciples from the world and to comfort and strengthen them.

What sign is used in baptism? The washing with water. What does this signify? That we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ. In whose name are we baptized? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Who are to be baptized? Presbyterian Church of America, catechism for young children, believers and their children. Why should infants be baptized? Because they have a sinful nature and need a Savior.

Does Christ care for little children? Yes, He says, suffer the little children to come to me. Forbid them not for such is the kingdom of God. To what does your baptism bind you? To be a true follower of Christ.

Now, obviously, I'm a Baptist who lots of times thinks like a Presbyterian, but not particularly in this case. Am I afraid of this language? Am I frightened? Am I thinking, if you study the Reformed faith, you know, this, that, and the other, and, you know, what's going on?

And, you know, Catholics baptize infants. And, you know, what about believers' baptisms for spring cleaning? You know, there's all these kind of debates about this. If you want to listen to Chad Vegas's messages on how he became convinced that infant baptism was correct versus, you know, Baptist version of baptism, you can do all that.

I'm just telling you, this is the Presbyterian thing. You can get a Baptist version if you want. You can change things if you're a Baptist. I just am trying to have authorial intent and read this without causing it a big deal.

The Lord's Supper, Christ's Resurrection, and Final Judgment

We're almost done. What is the Lord's Supper? Eating of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ. What does the bread represent? The body of Christ broken for our sins.

What does the wine represent? The blood of Christ shed for our salvation. Who should partake of the Lord's Supper? Only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation, and love their fellow men.

Did Christ remain in the tomb after his crucifixion? Duh. After his crucifixion. No, he rose from the tomb on the third day after his death. Where is Christ now? Great question. 138, interceding for sinners in heaven.

Will he come again? Yes, at the last day, Christ will come to judge the world. What becomes of men at death? The body returns to dust and the soul goes into the world of spirits. Will the bodies of the dead be raised to life again?

Yes, the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised. What will become of the wicked in the day of judgment? They shall be cast into hell. What is hell? A place of dreadful and endless torment. What will become of the righteous?

They should be taken to heaven. And lastly, number 145, catechism for young children, PCA, original edition. What is heaven? A glorious and happy place where the righteous shall be forever with the Lord.

Isn't that good? Mike Abenroth, No Compromise Radio today talking about catechism for young children. Dear dads, would you open your Bible and teach your children the Bible with your wife sitting there?

I think they're going to be encouraged. It's not too late. If they're 15, if they're 16, if they're 25, still at home, if they're four years old, if they're two, open up the Bible, teach them the scriptures, have some great little helps like the catechism for young children and go back and forth and you parents also will be encouraged.

Mike Abenroth, NoCompromiseRadio .com.