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We have a few more man laws. We need to take care of. Just had a good suggestion because I don't think it's on the list, but I think I read it somewhere else on a man law list. Maybe we can make it up.
This is maybe man. Law 7b while standing at the urinal eyes straight ahead. No talking. Actually, I think I read it. It's okay to talk provided you keep your eyes straight ahead, but I don't know can modify it in New England if you need to.
As long as you're not standing next to Clinton. All right. Number 12 according to the International Council of Man Laws limited the girl who replies To the question. What do you want for Christmas with if you loved me?
You'd know what I want. Gets an Xbox End-of-story. And number 13 there is no reason for guys to watch ice skating or men's gymnastics ever. I Think it's mainly the ice skating anyway. Crazy. All right listen carefully to what I'm about to say parents.
Do not provoke your children to anger. But bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. What is wrong with what I just read? Anybody catch it. Parents right some of you did it actually says in the Bible Fathers it doesn't say parents.
That's Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 it says fathers. Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Isn't it strange? That that sounds wrong when I read it wrongly.
But when it comes to our practice Reading it wrongly is a better reflection. We act as if the command is parents. But the command is actually fathers. That means we need to be reminded and reminded and maybe re-reminded that Jesus Christ the Lord of the church our Redeemer has called fathers to lead in parenting.
It is your responsibility men if you are a parent to take the lead in leading. Interestingly enough even in Proverbs where it addresses men and women fathers and mothers working together. It never only addresses The woman it is both of them together.
Proverbs 1 8 says hear my son your father's instruction and forsake not your mother's teaching. Proverbs 6 20 my son keep your father's commandment and forsake not your mother's teaching. Proverbs 23 22 listen to your father who gave you life and do not despise your Mother when she is old and so make no quick make no mistake about it.
They are together and there's complement Dear ality to make up a word. But fathers are leading in this. Fathers are leading in this. Fathers are leading in this. This is why when we have elder qualifications in 1st Timothy chapter 3 or Deacon qualifications in 1st Timothy chapter 3 he must manage his own household well with all dignity keeping his children submissive.
It's it rests on the father to be the leader there or 312 let deacons each be the husband of one wife managing their children in their own households. Well It starts and stops if you will with the man with the father and Remember elders and deacons are to be models for the rest of us.
They're not uber super duper Christians. They're just doing the basics. Well, and so we can say I want to be like that guy. He's doing the basics. Well. So we need to keep that in mind if we're gonna be manning up and parenting.
Got to take the lead. We've got to take the lead and we've got to initiate leadership even with our wives in this matter. So to do this in this session I'll offer ten teaching priorities for fathers who are going to act like men and lead ten Teaching priorities for fathers.
We're gonna act like men and lead. Maybe you're not a Father you can certainly pray for the rest of us. You might be one one day. Maybe you can even help your dad in his fathering if you know these things.
Maybe you're a grandfather and you can help your children and grandchildren in these things. But these are the things we need to focus on and work on and they won't be devoid of the gospel. I promise you that and again just so I don't assume it from the front end.
When we get to Ephesians 6 just like Ephesians 5 it's in light of Ephesians 1 2 3 And 4 for that matter. It's because of Christ because of the gospel because of what he has done. Now having been saved by his grace.
We want to worship him and one of the things we do in worship out of appreciation is We want to handle the stewardship appropriately not to earn salvation not just to have another to-do list. But I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much having done for me what he has done.
I want to respond in faithful obedience to him. I Want to be a good dad because I want to be a good dad. Yes but ultimately I want to be a good dad because it's a way of Glorifying Christ because he tells me to do this and I can show appreciation for salvation that way.
Number one first teaching priority for fathers who are going to act like men and lead is training. Training look at it there in your text in Ephesians 6 for fathers. And we'll jump to the end first Ephesians 6 for let's go right to the end fathers.
Give you a moment to find that if you haven't Ephesians 6 forces fathers. Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So we need to bring them up. We need to train them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and that is a command and it's a present tense command.
Bring them up. Interesting it's a word that's used for nourishing you're gonna feed them. It's bigger than that, but you're gonna bring them up in that sense. You're gonna nourish them and then it says in the discipline of the Lord.
Obviously we know physical discipline, but it's even a word that's used in a broader sense. It's a word that's used for training. That's a big picture. Charles Hodge said it includes the whole process of instruction and discipline.
You're your sons and your daughters personal trainer. The Olympics just got done and we saw that you know Shawn white and snowboarding didn't do it on his own. He had trainers all around him helping him every one of those Olympic athletes.
I guarantee you had a trainer if not multiple trainers to get them to be able to succeed at their event. Think in those terms athletic imagery is helpful. In fact, it's used in the Bible quite frequently.
You are your sons and your daughters trainers. You're going to nourish them. You're going to help them. You're going to guide them. Pointing them to Christ pointing them to Christ by teaching them his word this means you've got to be able to go there and you have to have knowledge of the quote-unquote sport yourself and.
If you need to learn and relearn and learn more which you do in order to be able to train them then go for it. And do it. My son is a competitive wakeboarder. And so we're all about wakeboarding and traveling traveling all around the country wakeboarding and now he's gotten to the place where he's better than his 41 year old old man and.
So I'm reading articles and so I'm paying for extra lessons bringing people into his life. And I'm paying for trampoline time so he can learn things that he didn't know before and I'm reading articles on plyometrics and I'm reading articles on different kinds of training because if I'm gonna be his trainer in one sense I've got to know more than he does and that's just an illustration.
You've got to train your boys and train your girls. You've got to be able to to guide them toward if you will victory. Sure, you can't save them and and I'm not suggesting that but nevertheless it says Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord you wouldn't are to be your child's trainer.
Think about this. If you were a professional trainer for some sport. Think how much time that would take. Think if you did it on the side because you have a full-time job and you have a family. But you have this knowledge because of something perhaps in your past think how much extra effort that would take.
It would take extra effort. Being a dad is gonna take extra effort. If you're gonna train your kids. Just how it's gonna be and by the grace of God. That's what we want to do. That great great American theologian Abraham Lincoln once said I'm just kidding.
There is only one way to bring up a child in the way. He should go and that is to travel there yourself. Well, he wasn't a great theologian, but that's a lot of good common sense. You got a lead you got to go there.
And that complements a lot of the other things we already talked about. Number two a second teaching priority for fathers who want to act. Like men and lead teaching thoughtfully. Teaching thoughtfully.
Look at verse 4 again fathers. Do not provoke your children to anger another imperative another command in the present tense this Characterizes your life as you're training as you're bringing them up in the discipline instruction of the Lord.
You don't want to provoke them to anger. This is to be a constant you don't you don't want to go there. What does it mean to not provoke them to anger? Well, here are some other words that might help you needlessly making them angry or Frustrating them needlessly or exasperating them.
I think the NIV says. It's not implying you never make them mad. Discipline your children as you'll make them mad. So it's not talking about that. But don't provoke them to anger. Present tense imperative.
That's not what you're you're you're bent on doing. It's not your pattern. It's not your habit needlessly. How about pushing them to such a degree that they just want to snap? This is what AT Robertson called the common sin of fathers.
I'm gonna leave. I'm gonna train. I'm gonna be the man and I'm gonna teach you how to be a man. I'm gonna have high expectations because you know what? I'm your trainer pastor said. Present tense. Have this be your disposition.
Don't be that guy that pushes pushes pushes pushes pushes pushes and Exasperates that boy or that girl don't be that guy. Colossians 321 says fathers do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged that helps me.
I Don't want to push so hard that I just drive them toward discouragement. All right, fine. I quit. And again, the coach analogy is a pretty good one. How can you push in such a way that that encourages and helps them go to the next level?
But at the same time you don't push so Stinking hard that they say I quit and they never walk back on a field again. How do you do that? This is something that's gonna be requiring prayer. Learning wisdom.
Patience. I once did a whole series on how not to do this and on the series list were things like legalism. Making up rules and regulations that the Bible doesn't have and calling them Bible. You might have rules and regulations.
But say these are the rules of the house and it has nothing to do with the Bible other than the fact that I'm in charge. Just make sure you're clear about that kind of stuff. Perhaps it's number one on my list for a reason you watch exasperated children because parents Lie to their kids and say things are biblical when they're not biblical and we have a tendency to do this kind of thing.
Make sure you distinguish between the two because your kids gonna grow up one day and read the Bible better than you do. Maybe and they're gonna see you're just a legalist. Rules and regulations. Mysticism is another one.
We see happening in our church when people come and God speaks to them and God tells them this and God tells them that which Is a form of mysticism? Well, if you if you're God is talking to you on a regular basis and that's how you deal with your kids.
Well, God told me God told me God told me well that just changes with every new blowing wind. Whereas the Bible is sure-footed and is not going to change would love to talk more about that. Constantly questioning your children's salvation will exasperate them.
Never questioning your children's salvation might also exasperate them. Think about that guys. You're always on him. If you were a Christian, you wouldn't do that. If you were a Christian, you wouldn't talk that way.
If you're a Christian, you wouldn't you wouldn't you wouldn't. How would you like to have somebody doing that to you? Because you're not perfect. Other extreme. Your children are not doing the right thing not doing the right thing not doing the right thing not doing the right thing and it's Just the the rut and pattern and you just keep affirming them of their salvation.
That could be exasperating to how about you know, what maybe you're not a Christian it's really hard to live the Christian life if you're not a Christian and They can have success because they by the grace of God might have the Spirit of God through conversion.
Or through the new birth. I should say Favoritism makes the list. Working hard trying to treat the kids fairly hypocrisy. Maybe I should say unacknowledged hypocrisy because we're all hypocrites to one degree or another.
Perfectionism. Bad theology. Trying to live vicariously through them the life that you never lived or never could live and the list could go on and on. Maybe you need your own list. God helped me to see how I might Exasperate my children.
I don't want to be that guy. But I do want to be a coach a trainer. God give me wisdom. So that I might do this in a way that would honor you and by used be used by you for your glory and honor. This is a tough one.
This is a tough one. Number three a third way to a third teaching priority is teaching the Bible in sound doctrine. Ephesians 6 for teaching the Bible in sound doctrine again. It says at the very end bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
That's priority number one. I want to teach them about Christ and what Christ has done in The promises that he's made and what it means to be a Christian. That's priority number one. I want to be teaching my kids that look at even if you listen to a second Timothy 315 It says and how from childhood Timothy you have been acquainted with the scriptures.
Which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So what I want to do. Teach my kids the Bible. Teach my kids the Bible. Teach my kids the Bible. Teach my kids the Bible just like Timothy's grandmother and mother did.
Because by the grace of God God may see fit to use that for their salvation. So I'm gonna teach them train them in the ways of the Lord the instruction of the Lord. Turn the thing if you were to Deuteronomy chapter 6 good Old Testament passage just to see the priority of the people of God.
Or maybe the priority of God to the people of God here in the Old Testament when it comes to training when it comes to instructing kids and they were to be Passionate and radical about it, and I don't think we would want to be less committed than they were in Deuteronomy 6.
We know more we with the pictures more filled out for us. I actually know something far greater than they even knew back then why would I want to lessen my? Passion to teach my kids. Deuteronomy 6 1 says now.
This is the commandment the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. That you may do them in the land to which you are going over to possess to possess it that you may fear the Lord your God in you and your son and your son's son by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you all the days of your life and That your days may be long verse 3 here.
Therefore Oh Israel and be careful to do them that it may go well with you and that you may multiply Greatly as the Lord the God of your fathers has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey.
And then here's the great Shema or Shema however you'd like to pronounce it the great creedal statement of Israel. Here Oh Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And if I may just keep your finger there just to interrupt for a second because I can't help myself. Priority number one for you Israel is to remember this truth. And it's so important that you teach it to your kids into your kids kids into your kids kids kids kids as kids.
This is the idea never ever ever ever forget this. There's nothing more important in life than this and that is the Lord your God. The Lord is one. There's only one God. And then practically speaking you see what happens if there was more than one God.
He wouldn't say what he says next. The ramifications are huge if there's only one God. That's why he says verse 5 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all Your might.
It makes sense that there's only one God you give him all of your devotion and all of your praise and all of your passion. That's not changed for us verse 6 and these words That I commend you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house. And when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise verse 8. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Never ever ever ever ever forget this and. The practical ramifications are huge to the point where you act as though this is a religion or something.
Right. It's all about God because there's only one God and he's the one true God and he's our God and so we are fanatical religious fanatics about talking about this God. Yahweh. He's our God. We want to do that.
We want to point our kids toward this God. We want to teach the Bible to them. We want to teach sound doctrine to them. We want to teach monotheism. How about that and the implications and ramifications of monotheism.
No, there's more involved than that. But your kids know about monotheism. That's what this text calls for. And do they understand even just the basic kindergarten level of what it means to only have one God.
It changes everything. We need to teach our boys and girls sound doctrine and it starts with that and how many of us do that. Well, I hope it motivates us to do that. Maybe as a footnote, but it's an important one here.
For me this translates into and I'm not saying this is how it needs to translate for you. But for me this translates into dinnertime. We have a devotional Bible and My kids fight over who gets to go get it and I love it.
There are other ways we try to do this and supplement this but for me in a practical way. How can I be sure that on a regular basis? I'm teaching about this one true God. How can I be on a regular basis teaching the scriptures that may make them wise into salvation?
Well for us in the Eben drop house Bible time at dinner. There are other times but for us it's Bible time at dinner and I've been doing with the kids since they were little tiny. I wasn't raising a Christian home never saw this happen in my life till I was an adult and married and my wife and I had Dinner at somebody's house and they did Bible time at dinner and they discipled us and they didn't even know it.
And they had a Bible that was on top of the fridge and they'd been using it for years for that reason. They got it down and the dad who is not a good communicator and not a teacher by any stretch of the imagination.
Opened up the Bible as he had done for 18 years and he just started reading and every one of those kids Grade school middle school and high school paid attention to their dad talking. And my wife and I left and the first thing we did when we got in our cars.
We just looked at each other. And agreed that we would do that and that would be a practical way that we could do Ephesians we could do 2nd Timothy 3 15. You got to do something. Something teaching your kids on a regular basis about this great God training them in these things.
For me to on this personal testimony confession time. Maybe that might encourage some of you men some of you guys are doing this and you could write a book about it. No doubt. But for me and my family, I hadn't taught the Bible all my life.
I didn't even know the Bible very well. My wife is a teacher by trade. So she did for years of her life. It was to the point where my wife would need to leave the room go to the other room during Bible time at my request.
So I could feel comfortable enough to fumble my way around to reading the Bible to my kids. To build some confidence I mentioned it just to say do whatever it takes do whatever it takes to play the man and Lead in your home, even if it means having your wife go to the other room while you get comfortable with your ability to lead and Then work at being a good teacher.
Even if you're not a good teacher, you can get better at being a good teacher. You can start somewhere. Pick mark or pick axe with a lot of action in it. My kids love playing Ananias and Sapphira. We're dramatizing the whole thing.
I want to be them. I want to be them boom, you know slain in the spirit true kind not the Benny Hinn kind. You know, I who knows how many times the salt shaker has represented a Syria, you know. And this is Israel and you just do whatever you can possibly do to read the Bible and you know.
Don't work hard at making it boring. Use Proverbs, it's the training book instruction. We'll talk more about that but I guess if there's one thing during this session, I would just Want to communicate to you guys is find some way to do this to lead your family in the book and pointing them to Christ and There are helpful other books to use my there are other other books.
You can you can supplement? I like the actual Bible using that as the staple. But you know right now we're reading a biography David Livingston biography because I'm going to South Africa and I want to learn about David Livingston.
So we're taking a break and it's no big deal. The big picture story Bible is a good one. I use it with my little boys the big picture story Bible is a great book to have when it comes to this stuff. The Jesus storybook Bible is another one.
It's a little bit tough for my two-year-old my three-year-old kind of hangs in there and obviously my older kids don't you know? They like to read it to the kids, too. So there's different stages and different phases in all of these things.
By the way, I give the big picture story Bible to to to mom sometimes to a new believers because it's about the big picture. It's not perfect, but it gives you the big picture of what happens in the Bible.
I think most Christians should read the big Jim big picture story Bible and a friend of mine was at the church not too long ago an unbeliever and I Gave them the big picture story Bible to for their four-year-old and then I said actually just so you know, it's for you and Literally this person said I was thinking about that.
I was thinking maybe I needed a children's Bible so I could figure out the big picture. Find out a way to teach him find out a way to do this. It's a priority for us. I The most important impactful thing that I do in my whole life Is reading the Bible to my kids they'll remember for the rest of their life even if they're not converted.
Let's keep things moving now number for a fourth teaching priority for fathers who are going to act like men and lead teaching the gospel teaching the gospel first. Corinthians 15 3 says that the gospel is of anybody know.
Its first importance and by the way, it might be a verse you might want to know. Because if the gospel is of first importance if there's anything you need to know in the Bible is what's the most important thing in?
The whole Bible. Well, the Bible says what's the most important thing in the whole Bible? It's the gospel first Corinthians 15 3 and then it unpacks what the gospel is and so guys I'm gonna teach my kids the most important thing in the whole world no doubt I'm gonna teach them the gospel it spells it right out there for us.
This becomes a major issue in and of itself because if it's the most important thing why wouldn't I want to emphasize that? But it also is an important issue because we are. Because of the fall no doubt bent on being Anti-gospel we are bent on being Pelagians or Arminians or or something like that.
It's a default mode to the degree. Where we can be biblical I think. But not be distinctly Christian. Let me unpack that a little bit for you children's literature is filled with legalism that is biblical legalism.
Biblical in the sense it all comes from the Bible and It's divorced from the gospel. It's biblical legalism. Oh Boys and girls you know look at all of these principles. We can learn from the life of David.
Wouldn't you want to want to be like David too, and so the whole Bible time is all about being like David. Oh. You mean David the adulterer? You mean David the liar you mean David the murderer. Hello.
What are you thinking? The Apostle Paul had to deal with this issue tomorrow. I want to preach on Romans 4 in part because of this and Abraham he dealt with this issue. The Jews would want to say yeah, you're talking about imputed righteousness.
You're talking about justification, and how how you can only receive it by faith. Well well objection. What about David? He's a hero. David needed imputed righteousness. He was such a detestable read Romans 4.
So men when you're teaching your boys and girls the Bible don't you dare preach biblical legalism to them? You tell them about David, and if you want to tell them about things you can learn from David.
Yes, you can do that the Bible even does that to a degree. But if you're not pointing to the greater David, then you are despicable and You are not even acting Christianly read Romans. Don't be a biblical legalist.
It's the worst kind because it looks and feels and smells like the real thing. You can learn great hermeneutics, and you can learn languages and Exegesis and all of this stuff and exposition, and if you're assuming the gospel in your Bible teaching then.
You're blowing it. You're blowing it. So I want to point my kids to Christ and point them to the gospel again and again and again and again. Big picture story Bible. I told you needed to read it. A Recent sociological study had has been done.
In a book published by Oxford Press, I think. What is that book called? Soul-searching. The conclusion of the study is that most there are many conclusions. But in conclusion the study found is a legitimate study not Barna legitimate academic study.
Interviewing kids throughout the nation. High school kids even professing Christian kids they had to Come up with the name of a new religion for them because they actually don't profess or confess anything like Historic Christianity.
The majority of them. This would be your kids and my kids of Their study the majority of them that said they were Christians. Didn't articulate anything like historic Historic biblical Orthodox Christianity and.
So the writers of the study came up with a title for the new religion that most professing high school kids adhere to moral therapeutic deism. Moral therapeutic deism. Most professing high school Students not all of them.
Moral because you know what your good should outweigh your bad, and you should try to do the right thing. Therapeutic endgame ultimate goal is for your peace of mind and satisfaction. Deism we are talking about a god.
But he's not anything like the Christian God. I wonder. Are your kids? Part of the religion called moral therapeutic deism. Or are they at least learning the religion called Christianity where Christ is the hero.
Christ is the hero. The good news is that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. That Jesus Christ died a sinner's death even though He never sinned and that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. That is the gospel.
And he did that for all those who would ever believe because if you believe in him you will be credited with his perfect righteousness. That's the Christian gospel, and that's what I'm teaching my kids again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
I Like what Mike Horton says when he says we must not confuse the good news with good advice. Good advice even being biblical. Good advice even biblical commands. The good news has nothing to do with what you do little boys and girls.
Right it's outside of you, and if you could get saved by being a Daniel then there wouldn't need to be a Jesus. So yes, let's learn about Daniel, but let's ultimately what's Daniel about. Daniel's not about Daniel.
Daniel is about the sovereignty of God. Totally in charge of everything who could be trusted by Daniel, and he did the right thing trusting in this perfect God and ultimately he would need to trust in a perfect atonement, or he would go to hell forever.
Even though he dared to be like a Daniel. Remember Jesus Christ as Paul says remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Let's move on to number five fifth teaching priority for fathers who are going to act like men and lead.
Teaching wise living teaching wise living. This is Proverbs. We already talked about it a little bit. Listen to some of the things covered in Proverbs work and laziness. Well, that's irrelevant. This is 21st century.
Teach your kids Proverbs work and laziness. Proverbs sleep. Proverbs the goodness of sex and the devastating effects of immorality. How does it get more relevant than that truth-telling versus lying?
Drinking versus drunkenness. So you avoid licentiousness and you avoid legalism. Talks about both. Are you talking to your kids about that? Wealth and poverty. Friendships. The good kind and the bad kind and the list could go on.
These are just the basic things of life. Read Proverbs to your to your kids and sometimes it's awkward when they're little kids it can be pretty awkward. Who is the you know who is the the the? Wanton woman or whatever she's called in whatever translation.
Who is the adulterous woman with the wanton look? Well on a certain level, you know I say well that you know. That that's that that's when you know men and women sleep together even though they're not married.
Got to explain it to my you know two-year or three-year-olds. And then you have to start you have some more Splaining to do later when you're gonna go out of town and they think they can't sleep in mom's bed with her.
And you're like well actually it's not that we got to do some explaining here on a little bit higher level. And they get older and you've been talking to them about this for now a number of years. To the point where I'm gonna talk to one of my kids, and I need to talk to them about Sexual issues and guess what guys I've been doing it since they were one on a certain level and now that awkward conversation.
Isn't near as awkward as it would have been otherwise because we've been talking about this. For 12 years together now we can open the Bible and talk about it, and it's way easier to talk about it wise.
Skillful living and we're training them in these things from early days to older days because we want them to be Wise number six on the list teaching priority for fathers. Teaching love for God teaching love for God.
This is Matthew 22 the greatest commandment. Verses 35 to 38. Teacher what is the greatest commandment? He said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the great and first Commandment. We don't really need to spend a lot of time there because we already talked about it when we were in Deuteronomy chapter 6. And monotheism being fleshed out, but I do want my kids to see this.
I'll say more about this under worldview, but by the way just as a footnote I Want to teach my kids to love God with all their heart soul mind and strength absolutely. But what I don't want to do is confuse that Commandment with the gospel if I could just go back for a second I'm off on a tangent now, but I like to at Omaha Bible Church and the newcomers class.
I like to ask the true or false question. True or false the essence of Christianity is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Most people say true.
Well last time I checked it's a summary of the law. The essence of Christianity is that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life died a sinner's death and rose again from the dead for everyone who would? Ever believe.
Don't confuse law and gospel. But don't become someone who says you believe the gospel and then nothing matters. How about? Jesus loved his father perfectly 24 -7 always purely out of that he loved his neighbor as himself.
And he did that for me for my righteousness, so if I would believe in him. I would be credited with his righteousness it's called justification and Now that I am a Christian since he did that for me. I want to live a life of worship where I by the grace of God want to love the Lord my God with all my heart soul mind and strength and Love my neighbor as myself.
And I do want to teach my kids that but I want to teach them that from a Christian perspective. Not from a legalistic perspective. But I do want to teach them that there's only one God and I want to worship him.
Number seven teaching love for others. That's you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I want to teach my kids to love other people after all. It's number two on the list of the greatest Commandments.
So I want to teach them that through what I say by what I do. And this has been hard for me and my family might be hard for you. You know based on what Jesus taught your neighbors anybody who has a need not just your next-door neighbor although they would qualify.
Too many of my years as a Christian. You know we've lived in our and the Abendroth holy huddle. Acting as if the only verse in the entire Bible is bad company corrupts good morals. The end of first Corinthians.
Somehow don't you think guys? Somehow in the infinite wisdom of God it's possible. To have bad company corrupts good morals. Be true and love your neighbor as yourself be true. What do you think? I think maybe they could both be true, or do we need to redact and maybe take one of the other out?
They're both true exactly how they complement each other. I don't know but too many times we go to one extreme and especially in conservative circles like we're in it's all about the holy huddle. We don't even know unbelievers.
Because you know somehow they might corrupt us. Well, you're teaching your kids to be very very out of balance, and I've done that. I'm a success. And so by the grace of God we're working hard. At bringing it into balance and modeling it for the kids to meet unbelievers.
Spend time with unbelievers. Have friendships with unbelievers. Loving them and I could give examples and talk about that just to see the grace of God in them lives and opportunities it provides. But for the sake of time we'll move on to number eight teaching appropriate appropriate masculinity and femininity.
Well, you're gonna do that by reading the Bible to them basically. But there's a huge need for this like never before my kids schools are not my schools. Just like my school was not my mom and dad school.
There are all kinds of huge challenges, and I've got to teach my kids what it means to be a man. And what it means to be a woman and so I'm working hard on that you need to be working hard on that. And it's teaching the Bible modeling the Bible for them if you don't think it's a big problem.
How about the fact that according to one source? 33 of the Girl Scouts staff is lesbian. Want to buy a cookie? 33 I read it in a James Dobson book. So maybe he doesn't have his facts right huh? It's not your grandfather Chevrolet.
It's a different world. It's a different world. We have our work cut out for us. Teaching my kids when I'm teaching them the Bible the effeminate will not inherit the kingdom of God dad. What is effeminate mean?
It's when men try to act like women. Talk like women act like women even though they're not and trying to explain that. It's a funny day when my son heard someone singing in falsetto a man. He's like oh dad's feminine.
I'm at least glad he's thinking. And I had to say overcorrection. That's called falsetto son, and it's actually okay, but I'm glad you're thinking about it. Oh and by the way when you go to Gymnastics boys and girls.
That teacher over there is one. We're not gonna have there's an example of effeminate. Okay, dad. It's real life. Real life. I want to treat my wife Molly as if she's a woman because she is. And I want her to treat me as if I'm a man because I am and have a good relationship there to model that for Them.
Murrow in his book writes when people think of Christ they think of his feminine side. How does that happen. The feminization of Jesus begins in Sunday school? Think of the images of Christ you saw as a child.
Didn't they suggest a gently meek Savior. A well-groomed and tidy man wearing a shiny white dress. In these paintings he taps gently at the door. Plays with children or stares lovingly into the eyes of a lamb nestled in his arm.
Although these images are comforting they do little to suggest masculine strength and resolve. Bruce Barton attacked these holy pictures quote they have shown us a frail man under-muscled with a soft face a woman's face covered by a beard and a benign but baffled look.
And you just want to go and say how true? But if you read the Bible to your kids. It's gonna shatter that icon. Because that's not the Jesus you're gonna find in the Bible. He's a lion. Both are right and biblical number nine.
A ninth teaching priority teaching a biblical worldview. Teaching a biblical worldview is a major major major priority for me with my kids. Back to that survey that was done in soul-searching. Six of two hundred and fifty of the professing Christians interviewed.
Mentioned anything close to the glory of God being the ultimate purpose for life. Six of two hundred and fifty of those who said they're Christians mentioned anything even close in the same zip code of.
The ultimate purpose of life and everything is the glory of God. That tells us that our boys and girls don't have a biblical worldview first Corinthians 1031. Whether you eat drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God.
Or For God to make men and women in his own image reflecting him. For for all of this that is done by God ultimately to point to him and his greatness. To get back to that important question. What is the chief end of man?
The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Or more along the lines of Jonathan Edwards, what is the chief end of God. The chief end of God is to Glorify himself and enjoy himself and his creation forever.
I'm gonna teach my kids about the sovereignty of God. That he's in charge. He's in control. Ultimately, it's all about him because if it's not ultimately about him then God is an idolater. It's ultimately about God.
I can teach you with kindness and gentleness and he cares about his creation. He loves us. But make no mistake about it. He is transcendent. Yes imminent. But transcendent too. I want to teach my kids this how about this guys?
Real practical worldview stuff. Do your kids know why bad things happen if your kids from a Christian worldview perspective? Don't know why bad things happen. Their college professors are gonna eat them for lunch.
It is the hottest question that I know of on a college campus. If I were an unbelieving professor teaching English or physics or anything in between. It is what I would use to get your kids because most kids don't have a clue.
About answering that question and if you can't answer that question, then the Bible doesn't make sense and Christianity doesn't make sense. Please guys Know Yourself why bad things happen in this world so you can teach your kids because if they don't know they're smoked.
Not to mention the fact they're not glorifying God. The Bible clearly teaches that sin is why we have bad things happening. And Complimenting that not knowing exactly how they work together, but they do the sovereignty of God is why they happen.
Read in the early chapters of Acts, why did Jesus go to the cross? According to the predetermined plan of God he went to the cross. Read Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11. I believe it is that God works all things after the counsel of his will.
All things if a calamity occurs in a city has not The Lord done it. You got to think through that stuff. You got to work on that stuff. You got to be able to talk to your kids about that stuff and then talk about human responsibility.
Worldview. Don Carson's book how long Oh Lord. There's your homework. It's not the easiest read in the world. But if you want to be able to answer the question how long Oh Lord by DA Carson is gonna give you a great biblically balanced answer to that question.
And you can teach it to old kids and you can teach it to young kids and you can teach it to yourself. Number ten teaching local church. Prioritization. Teaching local church Prioritization, why would I want to teach my kids that the local church is to be a priority in their life?
Because. That's what the Bible teaches because that's what Jesus Christ obviously thinks. Because he gave to his church. Gifted individuals for the equipping of the Saints for the work of service for the building up of the body of Christ.
Look at the spiritual gift passages dads. You don't have every spiritual gift get over it. Well, I'm the priest of my family. Fine, but guess what read the New Testament. You need to have other gifted individuals in your life for you to be mature in Christ.
Obviously that means your kids need to have other gifted individuals in their life to be mature in Christ. I want to teach my kids that I want to model that for my kids. Local church is a definite priority in our life.
Fidelity to Christ calls for it. As one smart-mouthed person said how can you love Jesus and hate his wife? I don't think you can. My show love and priority there if we had time just to list it on here.
I added it later. I would put a number 11 on there. I'll just say it teach them to sing. Teach them to sing and the reason I would say that is because a lot of kids think it's not cool to sing especially boys think it's not cool to sing and Christians Sing read Ephesians chapter 5 verse 19.
It is what we do. It's one of the things we do and so I want to sing so my boys can see me singing and I want to teach Them that Christians sing because it's one of the ways that we worship God and I want them to see that.
Alright, let's pray and be done with this session father. Thank you for the time and time together talking about these important things. God I acknowledge and I hope everyone sees that there there are a lot of to do's on the list and There are a lot of in one sense laws on the list and at the same time God I would ask that that none of these men would view this as just more to do's and more things and more tasks.
But that they would see that this is opportunity Opportunity to worship as a result of what Christ has done. That we would be the kind of men you would want us to be in our homes with our wives with our kids ultimately in the church because we are so amazingly thankful and our Hearts are are welling up with gratitude and appreciation that we want to worship Christ.
With everything that we are. Grant grace and enablement for us to be able to do these things for the glory of Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.