2023 Laborers' Conference- Session 5 The Home

And we're live we are live.

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It says life, all right, so I was just Twitter. Twitters a dumpster fire. Anyway, we'll be all right. We are back with the laborers conference 2023. My name is Tyler and I'm with Dan self. We're we just came back from lunch coming into session.

What is this. Five five session five. That lunch was worth mentioning?

We.

We packed out a Japanese restaurant and I'll tell you what they were. Fantastic service great food. It was uh, it was worth the price of admission to our free conference.

The Home and the Christian Family

So in this next session is on the home. Yeah, that is an area that you were very passionate about Dan. Is it not? Yes, it is. It is.

I'd say most Christians are passionate. Most Christians should be passionate about the home anyway. Some a little differently passionate than others. But yeah. It's it's something that I feel strongly about that.

We should be raising up the next generation to take over the church not in any sense that it's really theirs but that we should be raising them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord that they should be knowing who Christ is from A young age and that we pray that God would I know there's we got a guest.

That we should be praying to the end that God would save them that he would regenerate their hearts take out the Little hearts of stone and put in little hearts of flesh. I mean even if that doesn't take place when they're young still we pray and work toward the end that our children and Families are Havens of the gospel someplace where they know that if you walk into my home It's not going to be too long before you recognize that this is a Christian household.

That's an important distinction, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. I Don't have experience in the realm of fatherhood. So I will definitely be interested in how this this conversation goes. With the session and the breakouts afterwards sure.

It's here's the thing though. It's not it's not just for fathers and heads of household that this doctrine this this topic is importance for everyone because if you're a part of a family, even if you're.

Even if you're your only family is a church family. You still have a family structure to deal with so you still need to order your home. In a way that is honoring to Christ if you live by yourself you order your home in a way that is honoring to Christ if you are.

The child.

You honor your father and mother if you're the wife you Submit in godly submission to your husband husband's rule how they should not heavy-handed But laying down their lives for their wives making sure that are washed in the word that their children are brought up knowing the Lord.

It's very important to order ourselves the way that Christ would have us order right. So.

Running out of things to say here. We'll talk about what we got coming up for a breakout sessions after this laughter after this with Jonathan and we've got breakouts on on the subject, so You'll be leading a breakout group on discipling the nation's beginning at home.

Oh.

I.

Believe so if I'm reading it, right? And that'll be here a vertical life right right right that'll be right here. And then over at first. Baptist Newton Robert can I and his wife Kelly are gonna be tackling the marriage side of the the home.

Right, I think we'll be speaking largely from their own experience and maybe sharing some stories on that.

I don't I don't know but I would venture to say with both of them. They're probably I'm gonna be focusing on Some practical discipleship things in in the home. What does discipleship look like? What is it?

What isn't it and Walking through what was family worship look like how can we disciple or our families? It changes from time to time thing to thing but.

Do believe we are ready to go in the main session, so let us Switch over to the laborers and we will catch all later.

Genesis 2 and 3: God's Design and the Fall

Oh Oh.

Obviously we would want our homes built on a firm foundation.

Amen.

That is our hope and our plea. That we can build our homes there the authority of Christ in the home the authority of Christ in the family. I will use those words interchangeable today because I see that as as interchangeable family.

Home that when you when you study this out in Scripture. There's there's two different ways to look when you use the term home. There's there's literally the location. This is not our Home, we're aliens passing through right?

We're sojourners. Going home, right? So home can be identified as a location. I don't think the intent is Necessarily talking about a specific location, right? So that's why when we're talking about the authority of Christ in the home.

We're talking about the authority of Christ in the family. God's ordination for family and his design for family. We have that laid out really plain in Genesis chapter 2 if you want to go to your Bibles there.

We're going to start there and just like every other guy we're going to be running through so my main text will be Genesis chapter 2 and Genesis the first part of Genesis chapter 3 and as we walk through that we see God's design for the home.

And then we see very quickly. There's this immediate interruption of God's design. So we need to pay attention there's nothing new under the Sun agreed and God gives us first of all the institution of the home and the installation of the family the Institution of the home of the family and the installation of the family then second of all There's the immediate attack on the family.

We find that right there in Genesis chapter 2 God does something that is good and he comes along there and then there's the immediate attack on the family and How do people handle attacks of Satan? Not too well most of the time, right?

By the way, in case you don't know they didn't handle it very well in Genesis chapter 3. For all of these for all of eternity. There's been a problem in Genesis chapter 3 now, there's an eternal problem created and Our heartaches and our headaches and the gout that's in my left foot.

You see me limping around is a consequence of Genesis chapter 3 right and the family devastation that we see today. Husbands that have abandoned the role of husband and wives that have been in the role of wife and children that are disobedient to parents.

All stems back from Genesis. But aren't you glad that God still has a plan for the family? See, not only is Jesus's authority over the creation of the family for all things are created by him and for him and through him.

Not only is it Christ authority over the family. It's Christ authority over the fall of the family and it's Christ's authority is redeeming the family.

Amen.

But they're still the same old attack. Still the same old game that we see going on today and we'll point some of those things out specifically here. Just a few moments. So if you stand in honor of God's Word, I know you just sit down and back up Genesis chapter 2 then the Lord God said in verse 18 It is not good that man should be alone.

I will make him a helper fit for him now. Out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heaven and brought them to The man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature. That was his name.

The man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the heavens to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not Found a helper fit for him now. Give me give you just a moment context here while you're still standing.

This was a little bit revelatory for me. I have read this text multiple times.

God said.

It's not good that man be alone. I Never put put it in order. I skipped over the middle section. You know what the middle section was. God said it's not good for man to be alone. So then he creates all of these other animals and all these other things and continually is bringing them to Adam to give them names.

He doesn't say it's not good for man to be alone and then create these. There's a time period here and Then the recognition is None of these things Fit him then God said so it's important to recognize that the man gives names to all these.

But for Adam there was not a helper fit for him.

Right.

First 21 now. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man while he slept the corn of his ribs and Closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man. He made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Then the man said This at last. Can you hear a little bit of his frustration there? He's been looking for them. He's been giving names that he's been working and he's been tolling and he's been laboring at last.

This this at last is bone of my bones and flesh in my flesh. This is not declaration. This is this is a sigh of relief.

If there's finally a companion.

There's one.

Spirit for me.

That being hyper graphic Biologically Emotionally spiritually We are designed to fit.

Together.

Thank God designed beautiful. Amen. I know we have some younger audience here, but for you married couple and you adore.

Designed. Beautifully and wonderfully made. God is such a good God isn't. He has such a perfect design not dirty not ugly.

Adam says at last.

There's one made.

For me we fit together.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother. It's like this result at last. She shall be called woman. It's taken on a man and therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother. Hold fast to his wife and they shall be one flesh.

They fit together. The man and his wife are both naked. They weren't ashamed. Anybody ashamed of being naked. Got a lot of clothes on today, right.

Right.

Marcia and I've been married for how many years babe? 21 years. She still goes in the other room, but change clothes. We've been married for 21 years. I'm just kidding. You don't that one. We're fit together.

Amen. But the reason we laugh and be silly about that Is because there's a shame in this that came. Where did this shame come from. Because they weren't ashamed. They fit together perfectly. Where did the shame come in?

Where did it become awkward? Where did it become something to be joked about or or weird? Right here now the serpent Was more crafty than any other beast of the field that God had made. He said to the woman that God actually say you should not eat of the tree of the garden and the Woman said we may eat of the tree of the garden.

But God said you shall not eat of the fruit Of the tree that is in the midst of the garden. Neither shall you touch it lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman you will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God knowing good and evil so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and That it was a delight to the eyes and that the trees was to be desired to make one wise.

She took of it fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband. It was with her and he ate then the eyes of both were opened.

And they knew they were naked.

And they sowed fig leaves together made themselves loincloth all of a sudden. What was beautiful and wonderful? Has become shame to be covered up and he said you're gonna surely die in verse 21 Chapter 3.

Here's where our solution really comes in. I don't know. I'm skipping down just a little bit. What was God's response should and he had consequences? What was God's response. And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin.

First one to make a sacrifice the first one to kill an animal was God himself. Clothes that tells me God cares about the family. Father. We thank you for your word and we pray that in the next few moments that we will be.

Encouraged and affirmed.

Also convicted and challenged. May your words speak to us plainly in your intentions for family for the whole. Emboldened us to be courageous. Maybe see I've already gave you a little bit of insight there of the installation the creation and the installation and the Institution of the family now one thing that's beautiful to think about.

I Personally believe that God has created two clear institutions in Scripture. The book of Genesis He instituted the family we just read about and in the book of Acts Institute's what? The church and we have really plain two institutions in Scripture now.

There can be a lot of other things that spin out of that but really two primary Institutions and we can see in Scripture how clearly they parallel with each other, right? Paul gives us a very clear description in the Ephesians chapter 5 even how a husband is the love of his wife just like Christ Of the church and the church and the wife is to submit to the husband in every way just like the church does to Just to Christ, right?

There's there's a clear parallel and God is making these institutions according to his design and what is his what is his end goal? For that there. I think there's two goals one primary and one secondary.

So what was God's primary goal? So God can have friends in the earth, right?

God was really lonely.

What was God motive? Come on theologians. What's the what's the chief end of man? First and then the second part is. So there's your two. It's never changed. Number one. God created the heavens and the earth and Humans and animals and everything so that he can be glorified.

It speaks of his glory. All creation is speaking of his glory. You walk outside and see the Sun and hear the birds and see the trees and Look at our pretty faces and we see his glory. All creation is speaking of him so that every man is without excuse.

With me so far.

But what's the second part of the chief end of man to do what? Enjoy him forever. We get to flourish Under the glory of God that God's design that he's going to be glorified and then we're going to enjoy him.

There's going to be flourishing and.

Developing and growing and an enjoyment. I really believe that was God's motives. I believe scriptures pointing to those motives. And the gospel is the restoration of What was lost in Genesis? Genesis chapter 2.

For the gospel is the good news That brings glory to God. God is glorified in the salvation of his creation the redemption of his creation. God is glorified and Now by the gospel you and I.

Get to enjoy him forever.

Amen.

See it's not changed. He doesn't change praise the Lord. I Change not. So in the family We have this Institution right in the beginning God says I'm going to put myself on display with something really special.

I'm going to create man in my image. Right the only part of creation that bears his image. Now, what is that? There's a lot of theological debate about it. Okay, doesn't mean God has eyes and ears and nose and a mouth.

No, I don't think that's what it's talking about. If you want to know my opinion, okay, and again. This would be a good laborers question. What is the image of God in us? You know, I see God in you you tell these things, right?

I Think it's the eternity of these things. They were the only beings with eternal souls that when we were created. You're created for eternity and the only thing that's in that same image is eternity and they can go but it's God himself.

It's the only thing that's eternal so he gives a part of himself to us to be eternal, you know, you're gonna live forever, right?

Yeah.

Somewhere.

Somewhere there's eternal death and there's eternal life, but it's either way it's eternal.

You with me?

I think that's just a I'll take this down a rabbit hole. We will never get out of it. We keep digging in that one, right? At the end of the day though. You need to know the creation of mankind is Unique in all of God's creation because it's the only thing it says all is going to speak of his glory.

But it's the only thing that says it's gonna bear my image, but it's very.

Mankind.

Gripping and.

Then God.

Very in love with Adam and Adam in love with him. They're in this fellowship together. God says Adam. I'm gonna give you Responsibility. I'm gonna bring stuff to you. Don't notice this. It wasn't Adam leading stuff to God.

This is really wild if you think about he is allowing Adam to play a role in his creation. You with me? It's pretty wild when you think about that. God does not have to do that at all. Did he need Adam?

Not at all. But God said Adam, I'm gonna start bringing stuff to you and I want you to name I want you to put a name horse. This is what kind of looks like a horse, but it's got stripes. God, what do you think about the name Zebra got this?

I love it perfect. That one's got a long neck. What about a giraffe. I'm with you Adam. That's a great name and the way they went. God and Adam. God being creative whip something up. Bring it over to Adam.

Adam. Tell me what you think about this one. How long does this go on? I don't know but evidently there's a lot of animals in the world, right?

You with me.

So this wasn't like just a one-and-done like the creation is spoken. It's done. This is a relationship. This is a journeying together. This is Adam laboring with God. Was it labor for God? And I don't think there's anything labor for God.

Amen. But I can see Adam been a little tired. God. That's like that's like the 50 ,000 variation of an ant today. You think we could call a timeout. I need some sleep. God says, yep, I'll see you in the morning Adam.

I got more work to do. They are in this relationship together and then God begins to notice an Adam. Without being hyper cartoonish or whatever, but I think God can notice it. God notices an Adam. A weariness.

God notices. Even by this time, I'm sure. Horses producing horses.

You with me.

Birds producing birds and animals producing animals as they're going through this journey and There's none that fit him. He's seeing this all going on and and God's giving him direct insight to it letting me name these things.

He's like God, you know, what about me? There's nothing that fits here. And God's like, you know, it's not good that you're alone. Adam I got something really special in mind. I have something so special that you're going to fit together and and you're going to set the tone for thousands of years later.

With what I create for you. You're going to set the tone to be an image bearer and a foreshadowing of something so much bigger that you can't even comprehend. You're going to set the tone for the relationship of my son with his bride that fit.

Perfectly together.

I'm going to institute something here. That's going to begin a story and Adam is going to be tough on you. It's going to be perfectly designed and it's going to be for my glory. It's going to be for your flourishing that you will be able to enjoy me forever.

So create these institutes the family.

Installs the family.

Gives them some instruction right? You can do whatever you want to be fruitful and multiply. We want you to be fruitful be multiplied. We want you you can eat of anything that you want. Just enjoy.

This.

Enjoy me. And in the cool of the evening God would come and hang out with Adam and Eve, right? What did that look like?

We don't know.

Because we've never experienced it. We never lived on that side of the farm, right? Something serious lost at the fog so they had. The beauty of the family and the fellowship. It wasn't long until the second point.

I want to bring out today then after the Installation the institution and the creation of family were now husband and wife that fit together and they being two flesh become one enemy hates them. We're going to get into some practical stuff in a minute.

But I want to make sure you understand and hear me say this very clearly. There is a real enemy That hates God. There is a real enemy that hates Christ. And there is a real enemy that hates you that hates you.

And There's a real enemy that hates that. Some of you are sitting here as husband and wife today. Or some of you are going back to your husband or to your wife for whatever reason they couldn't be here.

But you're going to go home and you're going to strive to have a godly marriage. The enemy hates that the enemy hates God's creation and like a lion it's seeking whom he may kill steal and destroy. And you need to know that We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against things that we can't see.

Principalities and very high places. And he hates the family. The institution of family that God created that God installed to be the foreshadowing of salvation and the and the Reconciling of lost people to his son the foreshadowing that the enemy you best believe hates that and wants to do.

Everything that he can in our modern age to destroy that for you to be image bearers of Christ. You and husbands and wives are to be image bearers of the gospel the story of Reconciling and being one.

You being through have now become one flesh. The church is supposed to be one with Christ. I am his and he is mine and I am a Biting in him and him abiding in me. If people are supposed to be able to see our marriages and say wow What a savior.

Convicting.

It's overwhelming. I know Marcy and I Been through a difficult season. He's had health issues. I've had health issues. We've had stress. It's definitely been times in the last four or five six months.

We're not bearing that image really well. Anybody else with me in that or am I just alone up here? Don't bear that image real well. People if you you come pull the curtain back and come hang out with us.

You're gonna find them. I don't look a lot like Jesus. It doesn't look a lot like the church. It doesn't look like a story of the gospel that looks looks a lot more like Genesis 3.

And.

Rebellion. Part of that is reality that we have an enemy and this enemy deceived Adam and Eve.

They created a fall.

That brought damage to God's creation and where God had a design for them to be image bearers of him. They got duped. So now their image bears of death their bearers of Condemnation. What do they deserve in that they deserve death.

John Luke and I were talking one night about this very thing as we've been reading Through scripture together and he says dad, you know, God said if they do this fruit that they'd surely die. He's like like why didn't they die?

And I'm like what Disney you better believe it. They're not alive today, right? God's intention I believe with all my heart in the beginning before sin was for man to never die. That's theoretical. He doesn't say that exactly in Scripture but death is not spoken of.

Until.

Then that's the enemy. That's the enemy this sin brought death into the world. God had a design to be in perfect fellowship for all of eternity. With this family and the enemy attacked the family destroyed.

In our culture today in our society today would we think that the family is under attack. I didn't even try. Or. Because it was just overwhelming and depressing. But I know growing up. I constantly heard the statistics that 50 of marriages now in the divorce.

It's a little higher. But you know, what's even scarier now. That 50 of people 25 years of age and younger never intend on getting married. Forget divorce. That's a serious matter. But that's old news compared to those that say I don't need family.

I don't need God's institution. I don't need to be married. I'll just have.

My life the way I want it.

I'll cohabitate Jack up. I'll do whatever I want. But God's design is not my way. There's been a new attack on the family. The enemy is deceiving Propaganda and things that we see of same-sex marriage and gender dysphoria and Transgender issues and all of those things.

It's a direct attack on God's design for the family. No male with another male or no female with another female. They don't fit together. It will produce nothing. This silliness of hearing Transgender men saying I hope I don't get pregnant.

You will never be pregnant. That is not God's design. I don't mean that in anger. Frustration and sorrow. It's great. It's it's it's Frustration of the deception that the enemy has brought into the world and the church has decided to be taboo about it.

No, we have a message about what causes.

Humanity to flourish. It's God's design for the family.

If people think I can do it better Satan deceived even that you can find something better. It doesn't get no better than what God says. It's very good. It'll get no better than that. You can't make it up.

Did we just don't make it up as we go? God instituted it. He installed it. Satan attacked it and brought deception to the family. I'm pleading with us today that we don't fall prey to these attacks. Whatever that attack is and it's easy to fall prey.

I Know you may not be deceived and in the manner that I'm talking about in these bigger worldly issues but a lot of the church is a Lot of the church has become just nonchalant about this. We have The truth to speak of God's design for humanity to flourish.

Search and it requires.

Families.

It requires.

God's authority over so.

Now we have the creation the installation the institution. And we've got the attack and now there's got to be a solution. God has to come up with a solution to restore his family to restore what he had created.

What is that solution. We could come up with all kinds of things?

We have.

Solutions. That that that there's marriage counseling. Is marriage counseling. Good it is at times sure. Biblical counts. Go to a biblical counselor, by the way. If you go to counselor go to a Bible counselor somebody that knows the Word of God and will teach you the Word of God.

We can put a real fancy tag on it. Call it discipleship, right? Supposed to laugh at that one just a little bit.

I.

Had a boy. Tyler thing it is. It's normal to struggle in marriage. Your people and you're falling. Don't think it's strange. Don't think there's some kind of strange thing that's come against you that in your relationship.

You're struggling. That's normal. Unfortunately normal, right?

But it's normal.

So what do you do. You run to Christ and you run to the other brothers and sisters in Christ. You throw a hand up And say I need some help.

And.

Those that have been doing this a long time will come right alongside of you. They ought to those of you that are older ought to be training the younger spending time with one another. It should not be a strange thing To talk with one another very plainly.

Yes about sex and marriage. Yes about loving one another in marriage. Yes about intimate matters in marriage. Be very plain and you that are older don't be one Moment ashamed to make these young folks blush.

Not for a second causing God's design and I want to throw this in for free today. God's design for sex is in the boundaries of marriage. With me. There's not as nothing to be ashamed of it. There's nothing undefiled in the marriage.

There's there's nothing gross about that. It's a beautiful and wonderful thing and it's absolutely normal. I Without being weird, I got two kids, so, you know, it's definitely twice, right and in my kids like dad praise the Lord.

The Bible tells us very plainly not to withhold it. You can set for like Intentional fasting and prayer don't withhold this from one another. This is God Design. Go back you're fit together.

Normal.

Embarrassing I.

Remember what I was gonna embarrass my wife about was the day we got married. We were both virgins and we had this little horse carriage thing that was going to take us over to our car and we're going out to get in.

The horse buggy and her dad is standing right there and.

He's looking at me with tears and I thought.

He knows exactly what we're fixing to do. I've already told my daughter how I feel about that. One day I will give her away and she had better make a man very happy but until then she's mine. Right, you with me.

Now, why is it funny? Why is it funny. Because it's become a normal to talk about God's design even among the church.

It's weird and it's awkward and it's funny and it's silly.

We should laugh a little bit. We should also probably cry. Because you want to know who's teaching our young people about sex. You want to know who's teaching our young people about sexuality? You wonder why they're so confused.

Because Christian parents have lost the reality of how to teach your children the reality.

Of God's design.

He asked me a second ago, how do I feel about this with my daughter now. Look don't counsel the way I counsel all the time. But I told my daughter the other day. We had a very serious conversation and she would crawl under the pubes.

You know, I was talking about it. So nobody say nothing to it, right? About it. He got the kids, but I told her I said, baby. So there's these few boys that's been liking her and this kind of stuff. I said, I want you to know there's nothing that I wouldn't do to protect you.

Nothing, that's pretty serious statement, but I'm in it. There's no link that I wouldn't go to protect her.

I.

Said there will come a day That you will be married and you will have sex and I use those exact words and I said and I hope you have lots of sex and wonderful sex. And you're like, oh my gosh pastor. You said that yes.

Because I was raised up in a generation that this is a no-no. This is shameful. This is not oh, no, no, no. And then you get married and then within a 10 minute hour Session you're supposed to be like rock stars within the next night.

How do you. I mean we had purity rings we had all this kind of stuff and it was no no, no. No, no, no, never never never never never. Listen to me young people God's design is for you to flourish in this but you will only flourish if you do it his way.

Nothing shameful about it. We should be very plain about it that this is right inside the family.

You with me?

This is right.

Biblical and the enemy has attacked the family through sexuality. To making it weird. Making it uncomfortable. I Don't care how uncomfortable it is. I'm gonna talk to my kids about it. And now John Luke don't even care no more, right?