Session 5 Sermon- Jonathan Foster

The Authority of Christ in the Home and Family

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 interchangeable family home.

When you study this out in scripture, there's two different ways to look when you use the term home. 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 two. 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 two and Genesis, the first part of Genesis chapter three.

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, agree?

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 two, 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 three. For all of eternity, there's been a problem in Genesis chapter three.

Now there's an internal problem created and our heartaches and our headaches and the gout that's in my left foot. You see me limping around as a consequence of Genesis chapter three, right? And the family devastation that we see today, husbands that have abandoned the role of husband and wives, that have abandoned the role of wives and children that are disobedient to parents, all stems back from Genesis chapter three.

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's authority over the family, it's Christ's authority over the fall of the family, and it's Christ's authority that is redeeming the family.

Amen? But they're still the same old attacks, still the same old games that we see going on today, and we'll point some of those things out specifically in just a few moments. So if you stand in honor of God's word, I know you just sit down, stand back up, Genesis chapter two.

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, let 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 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? Verse 21 now. So the Lord God calls a deep sleep to fall upon the man. And while he slept, the corn of his ribs 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 and he's been working and he's been tolling and he's been laboring. At last this, this at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This is not declaration. This is, this is a sigh of relief that there's finally a companion.

There's one fit 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 couples and you adore, designed beautifully and wonderfully made, God is such a good God.

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 It's like this result at last, she shall be called woman.

She's taking on a man and therefore man shall leave his father and his mother hold fast to his wife and they shall be one flesh. They fit together and man and his wife are both naked. They weren't ashamed.

Anybody ashamed of being naked? You got a lot of clothes on today, right? Marcia and I've been married for how many years, baby? 21 years. She still goes in the other room, but changed clothes. We've been married for 21 years.

I'm just kidding. You don't that much. We're fit together. Amen. But the reason we laugh and be silly about that is because there's a shame in this. 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 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, did 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 who 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 and made themselves loincloths. All of a sudden, what was beautiful and wonderful has become shame to be covered up.

And he said, you're going to surely die. In verse 21, chapter three, here's where our solution really comes in. And I know I'm skipping down just a little bit there. What was God's response? 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. Close to it tells me God cares about the family.

The Creation and Fall of the Family in Genesis

Father, we thank you for your word. And we pray that in the next few moments that we will be encouraged and affirmed and also convicted and challenged. May your words speak to us plainly in your intentions for family, for the whole and bold enough to be courageous.

Maybe 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 then the book of Acts institutes 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 Ephesians chapter five, even how a husband is to love his wife just like Christ loves the church.

And the church and the wife is to submit to the husband in every way, just like the church does to Christ, right? 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? 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's motive? Come on, theologians. What's the, what's the cheap 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's 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, and enjoyment. I really believe that was God's motives. I believe scripture's pointing to those motives and the gospel is the restoration of what was lost in Genesis, Genesis chapter three.

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 in that. 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 changed 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. Does it 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 can 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 then you can go, well, 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 going to 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 the, 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.

Cause it's the only thing that says all is going to speak of his glory, but it's the only thing that says is going to bear my image, but it's very, it's mankind. You with me? 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 going to give you responsibility. I'm going to bring stuff to you. Now notice this. It wasn't Adam leading stuff to God. This is really wild. If you think about it, 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 going to start bringing stuff to you and I want you to make, I want you to put a name on it.

Horse. This one kind of looks like a horse, but it's got stripes. God, what do you think about the name Zebra? God says, 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 away 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 laborsome for God. Amen. But I can see Adam being a little tired. God, that's like, that's like the 50 ,000th variation of an ant today. Uh, you think we can 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 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 fits 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, but 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 creates 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 fall, right?

Now it's something serious lost at the fall. So they had the beauty of the family and the fellowship. And 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, where now husband and wife are fit together and they being two flesh become one, the 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 is seeking whom he may heal, heal and destroy. And you need to know that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against things that we can't see principalities in 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're to be image bearers of Christ. You as husbands and wives are to be image bearers of the gospel, the story of reconciling and being one. You being two have now become one flesh. The church is supposed to be one with Christ.

I am his and he is mine and I am abiding in him and him abiding in me. And 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.

She'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. I, people, if you come pull the curtain back and come hang out with us, you're going to find them. That don't look a lot like Jesus. That doesn't look a lot like the church.

That doesn't look like a story of the gospel. That looks, looks a lot more like Genesis three and rebellion. Part of that is reality that we have an enemy and this enemy deceived Adam and Eve that 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 they're image bearers of death. They're 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, well, it didn't. 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.

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 God's plan.

And our culture today in our society today, would we think that the family is under attack? I didn't even try hard because it was just overwhelming and depressing. But I know growing up, I constantly heard the statistics that 50 of marriages that ended 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 shack 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 you. 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 stillness 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 grief. 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 is very good.

It'll get no better than that. You can't make it up. 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 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, but we have the truth to speak of God's design for humanity to flourish.

And it requires family. 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 created.

What is that solution? We could come up with all kinds of things. We have solutions that there's marriage counseling. Is marriage counseling good? It is at times. Sure. Biblical counselor, 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, right? Atta boy, Tyler, thank you. It is. It's normal to struggle in marriage. You're a people and you're fallen.

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. You with me? And there's not as nothing to be ashamed of in there. There's nothing undefiled in the marriage.

There's nothing gross about that. That's a beautiful and wonderful thing. And it's absolutely normal. I can remember, and I'm gonna embarrass my wife a little bit, but she gets over it, right? Without being weird, I got two kids.

So, you know, it's definitely twice, right? And then my kids were like, Dad, I praise the Lord. The Bible tells us very plainly not to withhold this. Except for like intentional fasting and prayer, don't withhold this from one another.

This is God's design. Go back. You're fit together. Normal. Isn't that embarrassing? I can remember what I was going to 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? I doubt it. So you 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 meant it. There's no link that I wouldn't go to protect her. And 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, 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 and we had all this kind of stuff and it was no, 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's 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, through making it weird, making it uncomfortable. I don't care how uncomfortable it is. I'm going to talk to my kids about it.

And now John Luke don't even care no more. Right? He don't even, he's still like dad, you know, I'm just kidding. But it's serious. We were sitting down in the, in the kitchen the other day and Kalen was telling us, you know, dad, I used to sneak down and try to get in the room, but the door was locked.

You better believe it was right. This is mom and dad time. It's not time for you to come in and sleep with us and snuggle with us. We had those nights, right, Dan? You're out in the middle of it, right?

But there's other times the kids is out the bed. It's mom and dad time. Door's locked. You sleep in your own bed or we'll unlock it later tonight, but this is mom and dad time. That's not gross. That's not perverted.

That's the family. We ought to be playing with them. And young people, I know it may be mortifying to hear your pastor talk about this, but the reality is this, one day you're going to have a husband or have a wife.

And, and sex and the things that God has created in his institution uses this illustration for, it's kind of like fire. Anybody like campfire? Yeah. I love a campfire in its right place. It's warm and it's welcoming and it has aroma and it has unity.

And it's just, it's just good to be in the midst of it, right? If you go build a campfire in the middle of your living room, out of its place and what will it do? It'll burn your house down and the enemy's goal is to kill, steal and destroy you.

God's design is to cause you to float. And the family is under attack because the enemy through sexuality, through gender dysphoria, through, through the perversion of pornography and all of these other things is destroying the family, destroying God's design.

And today really the challenge was not just for you to be a better wife and a better husband. It's to walk out God's design unashamed, unashamed of God's design, open and plain and let the world see how God's design causes you to flourish.

That's the thrust of it. That's the point of it. And in order for us to do that now, I'll get back to my final point. There had to be a solution because they had really messed up. And this is one of my favorite things to do.

And we do this in our laborers podcast all the time. Claude was doing a day beautifully through the book of Psalms and we all do it. We all want to find Christ in the story, right? That's why I couldn't leave out Genesis chapter three, verse 21.

I couldn't leave it out. You know why I couldn't leave it out? Because here's the gospel, baby. There had to be a solution. They were out there trying to sew up fig leaves. God said, leaves are going to dry up and die.

It ain't going to last. God said, I ought to kill you. But what I'm going to do is I'm going to take this animal over here and I'm going to kill him in your place. And I'm going to take the skin of that animal and I'm going to wrap it around you and close you in that.

So I'm not going to see your neck in it. So I'm going to see your shame in this, what you have now made a shame. I'm going to close you that I don't see that. Folks, listen, there was a season in our life where you and I were lost and undone.

And we were clinging at fig leaves, trying to cover ourselves up and trying to hide from God. And God comes walking to the cool of the day and says, Hey, where are you? And I'm hiding from him. God says, I don't want you to hide.

Come out of there. Come out of that hiding spot. And he sent his son to die on a cross for you and I, that's the animal that was slain and the righteousness of Christ. That's the clothing. That's the skin.

He took that righteousness of Christ and he closed us in his righteousness. He wrapped us in the robes of righteousness. So now there is no more sin to be seen. You're clean and redeemed. That's the gospel right here.

That's the restoration. That's the solution. Then what is the solution for your marriage? If you're struggling, it's the gospel. What's the solution? If you say, I don't know how to be a husband, we'll get deeper in the gospel.

If you're struggling, submitting as a wife and being a godly woman, what's the solution? Get deep in the gospel and recognize the goodness of God, that you ought to be under the condemnation, that you ought to be under this darkness and under the defilement of the world.

But God said, I'm going to clothe you in righteousness and I'm going to teach you how to do it my way that will cause you to flourish for you fit together perfectly in my design. See the gospel is the restoration back to what God had always designed.

You with me? What was lost in Genesis three is being restored. I believe that's where we're headed. Amen. Whatever eschatological point of view you have, there's going to be a new heaven and a new earth, new Jerusalem, right?

Can't help it that this female guy's got it better than the rest of y 'all. Just kidding. That's just a little side note. And my brothers know we love to sharpen each other's perspective. So there's beautiful perspectives in all of that, that you know why we can talk about those perspectives because we agree.

God is redeeming what was lost. And church, you are the foreshadowing and in the midst of the ultimate final redemption, whatever that looks like, right? But Christ returned. We agree on that. Don't we brother?

He's coming again. So you're redeemed now. You're the kingdom of heaven. Now you're the Eden on earth now until he comes, you get it? Live like shame, be a family, love one another, take care of one another.

But if anyone does not do this and provide for his relatives and especially for the members of his own household, he is denied the faith. Get that? First Timothy chapter five verse eight. So in other words, under the authority of Christ, this is good, but it's not negotiable either.

Because if you don't do this, it's the same as denying your faith, specifically to you men, to be providers and protectors of your home. You don't do that. You don't be an image bearer of Christ to your home.

Same as denying the faith. That's serious. Children, we want to train you. And Dan's going to talk about that. And the discipleship that begins at home, to train up a child in the way they should go. And when they're old, they're not depart from.

It has to be a submitting and deciding to do that. Husbands and wives submitting themselves one to another out of the fear of God, Ephesians 5 21. And then husband, love your wives and wives submit to your husband, right?

God's design. There has to be a decision to do that. And children obey your parents. This is right before God. This is God's design. There has to be a decision to do that so that the whole household. And this is one that I love.

The way I think we should preach and read more often, Joshua 24 15. And if it's evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve. Whether the gods of your father served the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in the land which you dwell.