Celebrating Worship Together
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DEEPLY ROOTED FAMILIES |
Celebrating Worship Together
Joshua 24:14-24 (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.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
In this series of deeply rooted families, we continue with this message of celebrating worship together focusing more in the context of our homes in family worship. Let me ask you church, How much does your family truly mean to you? Would you do anything for them? I’m sure they are the most important thing in your life after our Lord God of course.
Well if God and your family are the most important to you for your life, shouldn’t the priority for seeing them grow in the Lord and doing family worship regularly be made the highest? Here’s an example of someone who cared for his family in a beautiful way that I came across. The commander of the ‘03 Columbia shuttle, the one that tragically disintegrated upon re-entry, was so devoted to family that he recorded eighteen videos for each family member, one for each day that he was supposed to be gone. He encouraged them in their spiritual walks and daily quiet times with the Lord. I know with technologies like facetime and high-resolution videos this doesn’t seem like a big deal but it really is. How valuable do you think those videos are to his family even until today? What a legacy. What takes priority and value with your family today? Is it raising them to be God fearing and strong in the Lord?
I realize that family worship time may be a foreign concept to many and that some would not know how to begin. And that’s why we’re here. I’m blessed to be sharing this message that God has placed on my heart today. Let’s start by looking at the example of why we need to be engaging in family worship through the Bible.
I. The Duty of Family Worship
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.”
Joshua in his old age speaks to Israel nearing the end of his life with a challenge to serve and worship God exclusively and he says to them “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” How can Joshua be so sure of that? He enforces the service of God in his whole family by his own example. Joshua is going to die but he is so confident in his influence in his family that he says, “We will worship the Lord.” He says it is a future reality because of his example. If this is us today in being disciplined with having family worship, we create a “Holy Habit” for our families. Like the habit of brushing your teeth or waking up to do your routines, you don't have to think about it; you just do it. It’s a way of life and our day to day. That’s what family worship has to become. Joshua’s impact was more than just to his immediate family but to the whole nation. This was the greatest legacy of Joshua. His godly influence was effectively communicated to and through the whole nation.
Joshua 24:31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
We see from this verse that the nation of Israel followed his example for the next generation. Joshua’s example spreads throughout Israel for a whole generation. Don’t you want that for your family and your family’s future? Would all of us say today with conviction, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.
Let’s look at what we are to do as our duty in leading Family Worship:
A. Reading God’s Word: Reading daily from the Bible. We should instruct our families with the same devotion to Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.’”
Paul says to Timothy, reminding how he grew up reading God’s Word steadying him in the path of righteousness. However, we need to be applying and also living out God’s Word and not just reading for the sake of reading. We often get stuck here.
B. Instructing God’s Word: We should be teaching God’s Word and be grounded in it. Do this diligently, passionately, and powerfully! This is a daily thing!
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
“And these words that I command 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.”
Moses is saying we need to be diligently instructing and teaching our children the Word of God.
C. Praying Daily: Engage in prayer with our family. It doesn’t matter when but we must seek to bring our families into heavenly places and rain down heavenly benediction on them through prayer. Let’s see those that don’t pray to God.
Jeremiah 10:25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.
“A family without prayer is like a house without a roof, open and exposed to all the storms of heaven.” — Thomas Brooks
Prayer is fundamental in raising children. Kids have to see their parents on their knees and hear their father and mother’s voices crying out to the Lord for them. To have God-fearing parents that do this is just so amazing because it speaks volume of the importance of God in their lives. Even from the very beginning aren’t you praying that your children would know Jesus as their own Lord and Savior? We always hear that a family that prays together, stays together. Let’s make sure that’s true for our very own.
D. Praising Daily: Worship God by daily singing psalms and hymns in our homes. We should be singing to the praise of God.
Psalm 118:15
“Joyful songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous.”
Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Church, we have to teach our families and implement family worship in our homes. God requires it of us, especially fathers as the heads of our families. This isn’t just a private matter but is required to be done with our families! Dads you have a position of authority in your family not to stoop down and just be their buddy or friend but as their teacher, priest and pastor showing them the way to God. As a pastor I want to lovingly push you as heads of your household, to lead their families in worship. We owe it all to the Lord right? You have this duty to carry out this Family Worship. Please do not neglect it.
Our God is a family God. He is a triune God. That is the basis of family relationships. We ought to emulate him in family worship. Let’s make family worship a priority. Whatever the activities are that seem to crowd your lives to the point that take away your family worship time, find a way to navigate through them or stop them all together. All activities are subservient to this one. Family worship is the foundation of child rearing. The highest priority in a family’s life should be that of family prayer and studying God’s Word.
As family worship goes, so will the family go. Leading the family before God in worship so that they themselves lead their future families, lead their ministries, make known the name of Jesus because that is their foundation they’ve been taught, that is our duty. So practically, how do we do it and implement it?
II. The Development of Family Worship
Family worship does require some preparation. It requires some forethought. Choose a text to read, a set place to meet, a song or hymn to sing and be ready. Be organized. Expect the whole family to be there. Be consistent. Ten minutes to twenty minutes in the evening is enough for most families. Adjust if you have younger ones and then lengthen when they get older. Don’t overdo it. Don’t do forty-five minutes one day and skip it the next scheduled time. Or even try to rush it with one minute meetings. Be consistent. Don’t make excuses to avoid family worship. When you get home and you’re tired, don’t make excuses to skip it. Remember this is a Holy habit. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
If Jesus wasn’t too tired to die for you, you shouldn’t be too tired to live for Him. If you just got angry at your children, don’t skip family worship. I believe all the more reason to. Ask for forgiveness and work through it. Showing humbleness by admitting fault and working through that as a family follows the example of God’s Grace. Lead with a firm, fatherly hand and a soft patient heart. Encourage warmth and abiding love. Speak with reverence towards God, they’ll see how much awe you have for God.
A. Daily Instruction
WorshipNow for some more specifics. Regarding the reading of Scripture, have a plan and try to read the whole Bible before your children leave your house. Maybe read ten to twenty verses from the Old Testament in the morning and ten to twenty from the New Testament in the evenings. For younger children, go through parables and stories, and when they get old go deeper into the more difficult passages. Involve the whole family in the reading. And when each of you read, read out loud. Do not rush through reading the Word of God.
For biblical instruction and teaching, be simple and direct. Involve your children. Ask them how a text applies. Don’t ask the same question to each child, singling them out, they’ll begin to compete or feel insecure. Don’t ever make them feel belittled. And if you don’t know an answer, have a commentary or two beside you to reference. It’s alright to admit that you don’t know the answer.
Be relevant when giving the application. Explain how a text has affected you in your life or testimony. That will give your children the feeling that the Bible is a real book with real applications. Show them the way to fear, delight in and love the Lord. Our children need to feel that we love our children. Pray earnestly for their salvation out loud in front of them. Little children see you as a Godly figure and that is a profound responsibility. Embrace your children in the way God embraces sinners. Show them grace as God has shown you grace.
B. Daily Prayer
Don’t teach in your prayers. Be simple without being shallow. Be direct. plead your case before God. Ask your children what to pray for and bring all those things in prayer. When your children know that you want to know what their needs are and that you will pray for them, they will come to you with their needs for prayer. The power of that is when they get older and are tempted to sin, maybe the power of prayer and your example will hold them back, even if they are not saved yet. Be varied in your prayers as well, don’t keep repeating the same things every time. Teach your family to use the “A.C.T.S.” acronym: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Train your children how to pray. Children learn the most by copying and repeating. Start by having them repeating you.
C. Daily Singing
Sing doctrinally pure songs and don’t forget the psalms. The psalms were the original hymnbook. You’re celebrating, worshiping, honoring the Lord God! Give thanks and praise through song in this family worship time.
Psalm 100 KJV
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
D. Objections and Excuses
Here are some objections to family worship. “We don’t have time.” You may need to have two family worship times or you need to teach your family priorities. “Our family is too small.” Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
“Our kids are too different.” Try to make it different each week that is more one’s style.
“I’m not good at leading family worship.” Get a book on family worship, research/study online, Youtube is a great source and teach your family from there. Start small and build. You can do it. The problem is not ability but commitment to do it.
E. Motivations for Family
God may use it to save souls. My dad took the opportunity to lead me to salvation in a one on one prayer time he and I were having at six years old. My mom worked nights so these nights were crucial with my dad and I. Do you want your children to grow and be solid young men and women growing in the church? Then teach your family to engage in family worship. God uses family worship to draw people to himself. Remember that at every gathering of family worship, you are ushering your family into the presence of God.
The satisfaction of a good heart is another motivation. Teach and pray with your family so that when you are on your deathbed, you have a free conscience, knowing you have done your best to raise your children in the fear of the Lord. Family worship assists in child rearing. It makes a family able to speak more openly about anything. Talking with each other becomes normal. It helps you have more open communication. Time is short, you always hear that. Ask anyone who’s had a child move out. The time when your children are in your house will fly by. See everyday as a gift of God to bring the Word of God to your children. Start Today. The thought of children spending eternity in hell must be overwhelming to any God-fearing parent. Imagine also facing eternity confessing that we have not seriously labored for the souls of our children. It would be dreadful to confess: I read the Bible to my kids, but never talked to them about it; I prayed, but never really for their souls.
Will you make that decision to carry this out? Some of us might say, “What if I failed?” Begin today. Confess to your wife; confess to your children. If you have adult children, equip them to lead their families. Start leading your grandchildren in worship. Family worship will set the tone for your entire home.
Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.
III. The Decision for Family Worship
So why dedicate a whole point so much on the practicality of family worship? LifeWay Research did a study within the past 3 years that about 70% of young people that have grown up in church drop out when they reach adulthood, even as early as when they go off to college. If we aren’t choosing to discuss the difficult conversations and get to the deeper facets of living more and more Christlike with our children we are letting them pass by talking simple and the day to day mundane things of this earthly life. I truly believe this has been neglected in raising God-fearing families.
If we are to model Christian faith to the younger generation, then we need to be at the very least, struggling with living out God’s commands. If there is any apathy in your life towards God’s Word and it simply doesn’t matter to you, then your children will reflect your attitude. They will develop an apathy. They will develop laziness. They will settle for mediocrity. There’s danger in parents not taking responsibility for teaching the Bible to their children. There are too many in the church that think the youth pastor or Sunday school teacher is the answer for teaching God’s Word to their children. There are too many who drop their kids off at youth bible studies and mentally make a check on their list of parental goals. My child is learning/memorizing scripture – check. My child is involved with the youth group – check. I bring my child to church on Sundays – check. They serve with Pastor RJ- check. Please don’t misunderstand me - Ichthus, Sunday School, bible studies are all good things and I believe that a church is called to have these kinds of ministries. Please understand, it’s not a substitute for raising the family.
Now I’m not saying that as a parent or guardian you need to be going to seminary or be in full time ministry. What I am saying is that you should be growing in your knowledge of the Word and in your faith. Whatever knowledge you have, wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, you should be growing. Now I don’t know where you are at in family worship, but just as in private worship, we all fall short; in private prayer and reading, so in family prayer and reading.
My prayer is that those who are engaged in strong, regular family worship will grow. And those who struggle in it or have never engaged in family worship, celebrating worship and the Lord together would learn how to do that and be encouraged to start worshiping as a family regularly. How often are we even praying? Is it only before the meals we eat? Shouldn’t it be unceasing?
I really felt convicted that I should be leading my wife and my future children in worship. Family worship time should be the most important thing I do in the life of my family. It is a necessity.
As Christians, we need to be leading the way in family worship so that when people see our homes, they see what family worship is like. We must strive to have our families be mini-churches, which function as the backbone of the local church. I challenge you to commit to leading your spouse and children in family worship, and encourage you to train their children one day in leading their future families.
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
Church let’s keep striving day to day to be more deeply rooted in Christ as a family.
-Rev. Reuben J. Cabrera