As I Follow Christ | Me & My House

As I Follow Christ: (Part II)

ME AND MY HOUSE

Joshua 24:14-18 (ESV)

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

With less than a month before election, have you already decided who to vote for? 

Research is showing that this presidential election is attracting a high level of interest compared to previous presidential elections. According to survey, 83% of registered voters say that it “really matters who wins”, higher than in any prior presidential elections dating back to 2000. It is because people believe that whoever will win will have a major impact on the future of this nation. 

This morning, I won’t be talking about politics, but the background of our message is about a major decision in the life of the nation of Israel. Joshua being the leader who led them to the Promised Land after their deliverance from Egypt stood before the nation in order to challenge them to continually serve the Lord. He knew that his days were numbered and he recognized the possibility that once he was gone, the people can forsake the Lord and return to worshiping their former idols/gods. But what is really more significant with this event is that Joshua standing before the nation of Israel and making a decision not just for himself but also for his family.

If  you take the time reading the earlier verses of the chapter, verses 1-13, it is Joshua taking the position of being the father of the entire people of Israel and he reminding them with what God had miraculously done for them in the past. His final message was a straightforward invitation to make a decision for the Lord, challenging them to decide once and for all who they would serve and calling them to renew their commitment with God.

With our theme this month on discipleship, our emphasis this morning is about parents discipling their children. That’s the reason why the theme this morning is “Me and My House”. As Joshua took the position as a parent to the nation, we would see the same vital responsibility to our families. We need to nurture and guide our children and be more intentional in discipling them. Of course, this responsibility reinforced by a passage in Proverbs 22:6.

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

This means we need to be present in our children’s lives to support their spiritual growth and development, leading by our godly example. Children need to see that their parents sincerely love God and obey His commands. 

Today as we study together our main text, I would like to highlight three important steps on how we disciple our homes. 

I. CULTIVATE THE PROPER ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LORD (v.14) 

As we have seen in the earlier verses, before challenging the people, Joshua reminded them of the history of redemption. He told them about how God gave Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the hope of the Promised Land, until God sent Moses and Aaron to deliver His people from Egyptian slavery. He also reminded them about how God delivered His people through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, gave them victory over enemies, led them to cross the Jordan river until the time God gave the Promised Land to His people. Why do you think it was necessary to go back to the history? 

Obviously, it was the basis for Joshua’s challenge to the people. Verse14 begins with the conjunction “therefore” which links their history to the challenge. Listen again to these words in verse 14.

 14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord.

In this passage, Joshua challenged the people to properly respond to God’s goodness and faithfulness by taking three action steps. I see the same action steps as the right attitudes that we can teach our children as we disciple them. What are they? 

A. Fear the Lord.

What does it mean to "fear" the Lord? 

“Fear the Lord” means to have a deep respect and reverence for God's power and authority. A person who truly fears God surrenders his life to serve Him and to obey His commands. If we translate this to some practical steps, to fear the Lord could lead us to loving Him and others, putting Him first in our lives or being constantly aware that we are in the presence of a holy God. Recognizing He will be the one who will judge our attitudes and actions.

In the Bible, God has a plan for us to learn to fear Him and then pass it to our children. The fear of the Lord must start with us parents for us to be able to pass it to our children.

In Deuteronomy 4:10 

10 how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ 

If you ask me, how can our children benefit when they learn to fear God? Let me give you some insights from the Bible.

• Gives them Wisdom:  In Proverbs 9:10, it says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  This is the reason why we need to teach our children about fearing God while they are still young. Their perception of God will determine the way they relate with Him. In the end it instills God’s wisdom into their lives.

• Helps Overcome sin: The fear of the Lord plays a big role in resisting sin. It helps us mature spiritually and compels us to hate sin. Proverbs 16:6  By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.  In the bible, sin brings destruction and that’s the reason why we want our children to hate sin.

• Can prolong life:  Proverbs 22:4 says, “The fear of the Lord prolongs life,but the years of the wicked will be short.”  Do you want your children to live a long life?

• Provides Protection: Proverbs 14:27 says, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”

Can you imagine the advantages the “Fear of God” can bring our children?

B. Serve the Lord

Joshua urged the people for a wholehearted commitment. They must serve God exclusively. As you all know, not all Israelites served in the tabernacle, but they were still called to serve God wherever they work. Did you know that this is the same principle you find in Colossians 3:23-24 which applies to all believers today? Here is what it says

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Looking at this verse, we must understand that God wants to be glorified in everything we do. Whether we are in full-time ministry or not, we are called to serve the Lord. Therefore, in whatever field of work God puts us in, we should do it with the goal of honoring Him.

In the same way, in order to teach our children to serve the Lord, we have to make sure they have the right motivation. And that is to serve out of love for God not for gaining attention.  Encourage them to serve in church and community by using their time and God-given talents. This truth is reinforced by Peter in:

 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Let me emphasize the words “each of you”. Again, every single one of us must use our God-given talents.

C. Put Away False Gods.

By the time Joshua made this farewell address to the people of Israel, it had been more than 20 years since he led Israel in the conquest of the promised land. Joshua wanted to address some of them who were engaged in idolatry and false worship so he challenged them to put away false gods. 

Bible scholars believe that over those years, people began to fellowship with their neighbors and participate in false worship. There were some of them who practiced idolatry in their private houses. But because God will not share His glory with another, He made this demand clear to His people especially when He gave the Ten Commandments and this was the very first command. Listen to

Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV).

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Even if it was already addressed when they were given the 10 commandments, this reference to worshiping false gods and idols suggests that previous warnings had failed, and so the people were strongly reminded again that the Lord God of Israel is the only one worthy of worship. 

Through generations, these exhortations would be needed. And even today, it is a warning that we constantly need as believers. 

Nowadays we don't really see people bowing to a golden calf. Today’s idols are not necessarily physical objects, but rather something that takes our attention and distract us from loving and serving God. Many of them appear to be good things but if we start to prioritize them over God then it becomes a false god. We may have more idols today and we may not even be aware of them. This is why we have to be very careful in examining ourselves if we are still engaging in false worship.

There's a long list of false gods that can affect our family. Let me give you some examples:

• Popularity – The desire to be famous. For example, many kids desire to be the most famous in school thinking it will give them happiness. Desire to be popular in social media is another false assumption that the more followers they have, the more satisfied they will be. How many of you are seeking popularity?

• Entertainment - When you are overly interested or obsessed with the life of a celebrity, athlete, or even social media influencer. Let me just say there is nothing wrong if we admire celebrities and athletes but if we become too preoccupied with them to the point that we sacrifice our time with God and our family then it becomes false worship. 

• Hobbies/Sports - When you are preoccupied with your hobby that you prioritize it over attending church. Is it possible that our hobby has become a false god? Parents, if you prefer going to your child’s sports and other activities on Sunday morning rather than going to church as a family, could you be conveying false priority to them?

• Achievement/Career - The desire to receive recognition for excellence at work is a good motivation. But we have to watch out if it becomes our sole purpose in life. Do you want to spend your whole life working for something that will only last in this world or would you rather serve God and make a difference forever?

• Consumerism/Materialism - This idolatrous idea is that consumption of goods purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person's well-being and happiness depends on obtaining material possessions. But, do you really believe and live on what Jesus said?

Luke 12:15 (ESV)  ”And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

And the list goes on: power, beauty, sex, money, etc. The point is if we turn to wrong things in the hope of satisfaction, then we are trusting in false gods that will never fully satisfy us.  

We need to recognize that anything that stands between us and God, or anything that hinders our full commitment to Him can be considered an idol. Let us be reminded that God is our only hope, and He is the only one worthy of worship. If we don’t put God as our first priority, life will become an endless search for things we think will give us satisfaction.

We must not only make sure our kids recognize these false gods but also, we must point them to God. This leads us to the next essential step.

II. CONFIRM YOUR PERSONAL COMMITMENT (v.15)

Joshua continued to say in verse 15,  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The last part of verse 15 is a popular one. I believe some of you have this verse displayed as a wall art hanging in your living room. “... as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. This is a great statement of faith by Joshua to serve the Lord. He made that statement because he had lived a life that continuously chose to serve God. And it didn’t matter what anyone else thought, he confirmed his personal commitment to the Lord. 

Likewise, as parents, we are the leader of our family. Study shows that parents are by far the most influential people in their children’s lives. We should be responsible to help our children in their spiritual growth and show them the faith that God has placed in our hearts. We have to be conscious of our actions and set a good example. Let the God-fearing attitude start with us. 

Here at BCI we are blessed to have ministry for kids, youth, and even for college students, but we cannot leave that responsibility to the church alone. We can partner with our church but as parents we should primarily be responsible in taking the active role in helping our children grow spiritually. It is very important as parents to leave a spiritual legacy to our children. We can do that by showing them our personal commitment to God. 

Let me offer at least four important ways to show our commitment to God to our children.

1. Demonstrate Our Faith: Live out the spiritual legacy that we want our children to emulate. Integrate our faith into our everyday life.  Show our children our walk with God and include Him in all that we do. Remember that actions speak louder than words.

The example we set at home in front of our children is the most powerful thing we can do to help them learn the importance of committing to God. 

2. Worship as Family: Attend church together. Engage in family devotions. Don’t let family worship be a once a week activity. Family worship methods can be different in every home but we have to make sure we spend time for family worship.

3. Serve in the Ministry: Be involved in church ministry. Show our children the right attitude in serving God. That we must serve Him out of love, not out of duty. When we get involved in the ministry it will also encourage them to join ministry.  

4. Talk to Children about God: Invest time for meaningful discussion with kids. Sharing biblical truths is an effective way of passing faith from one generation to next. 

Friends, what I have shared so far would become more meaningful if we seek to fulfill the third major step in discipling our home.

III. CALL FOR THEIR COMMITMENT (vv.16-18)

Joshua made it very clear to the people of Israel that they have to make a decision. When he said "choose this day", there is urgency and no neutrality - either you will serve the false gods or the Lord. Serving God is a matter of choice. If a person does not make the decision to choose God, then he is choosing to reject Him.  

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)  - 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[a]

When you go back to our text, what is amazing is that the people of Israel responded to Joshua and made a strong commitment to the Lord. They declared that they would never turn away from Him. As we read verses 16-18 of our main text, we see a more reasonable response from the people.

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Let me impress to you that we cannot make the commitment for our children.  We can instill the proper attitudes and show our wholehearted commitment to God, but eventually we want to also see our children make their own decisions in life. Whether they will follow Christ or not. 

In order to lead them to make the right choice, we can show them what God has done for us.

A. He has saved us.
Like the Lord who led Israel “out of the slavery of Egypt,” God also led our family from the slavery or curses of sin. Although we know that salvation is a personal experience, yet we can thank God when our whole family have experienced salvation in the Lord.

B. He has guided us.
Think about your life now and look back where you came from. Do you see how God “preserved” you and your family and how He provided for you “all the way” where you are today? I believe God has been faithful in guiding our families.

C. He has protected us.
Think of all the plans of the enemies of God to steal, kill, and destroy His people. And yet, God never failed to protect our families from them. We may have suffered some consequences of our wrong decisions and deeds in the past, but God is still gracious in keeping us from all of them.

D. He has given us victory.
Indeed, through Christ we have been victorious! Besides our victory over sin and death I’m sure we have experienced multiple victories in life because of Jesus Christ. 

As Joshua led the nation of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land, he emphasized the significance of passing the faith to the next generation. As parents understood and obeyed God’s commands, they were able to pass along their faith from their generation to the next. 

Discipling our family is important to fulfill the Great Commission. But it is a big challenge for us as Christian parents to disciple and raise God-fearing children. With so many strong influences today from peers, television, social media, kids can easily get swayed and live without recognizing the role of God in their lives. That is why we should take every opportunity to disciple our children or ensure that our children are being discipled. With the amount of time we spend with our children, we should be able to engage them in discussions about our faith whether we are at home, on vacation or traveling. We really should be committed in investing time for their spiritual growth in our daily life. 

I hope and pray that today we will make the same commitment to ensure that we will help our children to know God and serve Him wholeheartedly. And just like Joshua I pray that for all the parents who are here today and those who would be parents, we all can say but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Would you make this commitment today “but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord?”

-Bro. Oliver Conti