Good morning, everyone. It's a joy to be with you. I want to just mention just very quickly, because Paul normally, if he advertises heart cry, he thinks he's tooting his own horn, so since I am somewhat linked with heart cry, let me just take a moment to mention a few things to you back on the table there. Everything back there is free, so feel free to help yourself. Take as much of that as you'd like. This is a kind of a purpose statement for HeartCry, what we're all about, what the nature and objectives of the ministry is. So if you'll avail yourself to that, I think you'll gain some light as to what we are doing on the field of the world. Here's another book. This is just a brief compilation of statements. And of course, the very heart of George Mueller. That's back there. We've had some of these left over from previous conferences. Feel free to take one of those as well. Then I think we've got three different previous publications of our magazine back there on the table. And once again, Paul writes a featured article for this. And then, of course, you have a report of each part of the world from our coordinators. And then finally, we just put out our first calendar, 2010. We've got some of those left over as well. If you'd like to pick one of those up, it has different pictorials of our missionaries and what they're doing on the field there. And then just some various quotes and statements that are inspirational. So feel free to pick that up as you leave today. Well, it is a joy to be here at Grace Baptist Church. And I tell you, the feeling is mutual toward Brother Dean Olive. He and his people have been great friends to my family and I, and I'm just very indebted to them for how they've supported our ministry and family over these last few years since we've gotten to know each other. Thank you for being here today. Let's take the Word of God, if you would, turn with me to the prophecy of Jeremiah chapter 35. Jeremiah in chapter number 35. I know oftentimes when we come to a fellowship of this nature, you know, We're greatly edified through perhaps theological discourses that are shared by men that are well-groomed in the scripture, very immersed with the truth of God's word. And I benefit from that greatly. This afternoon, I'd like to just talk to you for a few moments on the subject of the home and particularly the subject of a heritage of holiness. a heritage of holiness. If you would, follow with me. I'm reading from the Old King James Bible here. I want to begin reading in verse number 1 of Jeremiah chapter 35. The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Go into the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Then I took Jehazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazaniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites. And I brought him into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanun, the son of Egdala, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princesses, which was above the chamber of Maseah, the son of Shalom, the keeper of the door." And I said before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons for ever. Neither shall ye build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any, But all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters, nor to build houses for us to dwell in. Neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed. But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians. So we dwell at Jerusalem. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go, and tell the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord. Now, if you would skip over with me to verse number 18. And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he hath commanded you. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me forever." Let's pray together. Now, Father, I recognize that this is an awesome privilege to stand here today and to share your truth. Thank you, Lord, for these brethren, for bringing us together today. Lord. We've not come merely for just another gathering, another fellowship. We have come to hear from you. And I pray, God, that you might unctionize your word now. May it not be received as the words of men, but as the word of God. And may it effectually work in each one that believes. Father, we thank you today that this is a more sure word of prophecy. And so therefore, may we give it our rapt attention. Speak to our hearts, Father. Do an exceeding great and abiding work in our hearts. And we'll give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen. I want to speak for the next few moments, brethren, on the subject of a heritage of holiness. And we want to underscore, during the course of this message, the importance of strong leadership. It is interesting here, you find in the life of Jonadab a man that I believe had a devoted heart to his children. It is sad today that there are many fathers that seem to be out of the picture when it comes to their own children. Even sadly, in sovereign grace or reform circles, there are those that are out of touch. And while many of those would never admit that their theology is affecting that, yet in the way they practice, the way they live out in their relationship with their children, sometimes they have a sort of que sera sera attitude, what will be, will be. God blesses and God has ordained the means as well as the ends. And I believe in my own home I have sought to pray and to believe and to practice as an Arminian, while at the same time I embrace tenaciously the doctrine of sovereign grace. God must do the work. God must open the heart. God must cause the light to shine out of darkness. But once again, God honors the labors of those parents that are willing to be diligent in seeking to be devoted to their children and manifesting that devotedness in their relationship to them. Now, here we find a man that I believe epitomized strong leadership. This man was John Adab. And you notice what it says regarding his descendants in verse number 6 of Jeremiah 35. But they said, We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us. Commanded us. There's a few things I want to point out in passing about this leadership. First of all, he was a devoted leader. Now listen very carefully for a moment. You know, you can love your children, you can provide for your children, you can lay up an inheritance for your children, and yet not be devoted to them. We say we love them, we say that they have our hearts, but often times, once again, by our very approach and our spirits, In relation to our children, it reveals that we are not really devoted. When I begin to read this passage and meditate upon it, God began to convict my heart that I was no longer devoted to my two boys. They had left home years ago, of course they graduated from university, and then of course they moved out on their own, even though neither one of them were married at the time, yet they went out and they established their own residences. And I remember those days that I begged God's speed and I put my blessing upon them, but somehow in the back of my mind I thought, well now they're out from underneath my jurisdiction, out from underneath my care, and therefore somehow I don't have to be as devoted to them as I once was. It is interesting here, as you read this passage, you find that what surfaces is there is a clear endearment, a devotedness in the life of Jonadab toward his descendants. For example, verse number 8, it says, Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab. To me, the relationship there, it seems to denote, as you read that phrase, these verses, that this man is committed to his descendants, to his own children. In verse 16, because the sons of Jonadab, the son of Rechab. And then verse 19, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab. Because the Spirit is talking about this relationship between His Father and His sons, I believe that denotes that there is some type of a strong attachment there. He is devoted to His own children. I had a friend of mine up in Portland, Maine, who was a pastor of a church, and one day he was witnessing to a man just down the street from the church, and as they're talking to one another, He says to my friend Carly, he said, Carly, you see my home down the street there? And the pastor said, yes. He said, you know, recently my daughter left home. She went to college and said, Carly, I didn't even know my own daughter. I did not even know my own daughter. I never sought for consistent occasions to cultivate a relationship in really knowing the heart of my daughter. I was moved recently when I heard of how Doug Phillips, and you know perhaps you don't agree with everything that Doug Phillips is a proponent of, but Doug Phillips' father, who is a U.S. representative I believe, would send Doug a box of articles and would write him a personal letter every day after he moved away from home. He would write a letter and compile these articles every week and put them in a box and mail them to his son. And that devoted attachment had great impact upon Doug's life. Last summer, we had the opportunity of having Dr. Bruce Ware from Southern University over into Romania for ministry. And during the course of our interaction from place to place, he told us one day of how John Piper, how they had to discipline his son Abraham for three and a half years. And every day in those three and a half years, John Piper would write his son a lengthy email. And so, in preparation for this message, I emailed Dr. Ware and I said, I want to make sure that I've got this straight. Tell me, what exactly? Could you share with me the details that was involved in this commitment, this devotedness to Abraham Piper. And Dr. Ware confirmed this by saying this, he says, what I heard is exactly true. He says, giving just a word of encouragement, this is what John would do. He didn't just give just a little blurb, but often lengthy, thoughtful interchanges with his son with much theological and biblical content. What a faithful, diligent, loving father. Think about it. Every day for three and a half years. And God used it to break his boy, to change his heart. And now he's come back under the Lordship of Christ. And Abraham would tell you that he was not converted. But God used his dad's inner changes as a powerful tool to bring conviction and ultimate salvation to his heart. Are we devoted prophets? Dr. Frank Sells, who was a professor at Columbia Bible College, he told a friend of mine on one occasion when Glenn asked him, he said, Dr. Frank, tell me, were you ever enticed to run with that wild, worldly crowd? And Dr. Frank, at 86 years of age, looked at this friend of mine and said, Brother Glenn, I had so much fun with my daddy. I never was tempted to run with that crowd. I had so much fun with my daddy. Are you a devoted father? You see, Frank, you can do a lot of acts of benevolence. You can be kind and you can tell your children how much you love them, but I ask you, are you spending the time with them? Are you a devoted father? Even if they've moved away from home, it does not alleviate your stewardship as a father. What are you doing to cultivate that devotedness? It's interesting, Otto Koenig, the pineapple man that served in Papua New Guinea, had lost one of his two sons to the world. And Otto left his ministry for a season. If it required the rest of his life, he was willing to make that sacrifice to go and win back the heart of his son. So he moved to Nashville, Tennessee and moved near his son and there joined a church that was seeking God. And Otto came under the authority of that church just so he could be there to reach out to his boy in the community. Arnold Koening left evangelism, yeah, left an itinerant ministry for a season to work a third shift job as a janitor so he could spend time with his boy and engage in hands-on fathering. God used it to ultimately turn the heart of that boy. I was reading this morning, I was sharing with the brothers that we came up with, John Taton gave this testimony regarding his own father. If everything else in religion were by some accident blotted out, my soul would go back to those days of reality. For 60 years, my father kept up the business of family prayer. No hurry for business, no market, no arrival of friends or guests, no trouble or sorrow, no joy or excitement ever prevented us from kneeling around the family altar while our high priest offered himself and his children to God. I just learned of a parent recently that every day they text their children a promise of God, a scripture. to encourage them. And the feedback has been remarkable. While two of those children are not really walking close to the Lord, God is using it in the lives of those kids. You see, this man, I believe, was a devoted father. There was a relationship that existed there. But if you would notice something else about his leadership, and that was he was decisive. He was decisive. Now, in verse number 6, it says, For Jonadab, the son of Reckon, our father, notice the word there, commanded or charged us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons, for ever. Now, brethren, you'll notice that word there, commandment. He gave him a directive. It's an aggressive word. It was not a consideration to be pondered. It was not a suggestion. But he commanded his children. Now, when you read that, you think, well, yeah, I'm justified in the way I reared my children. I'm justified in the way I treat them now. Because I do direct them. I do command them. It almost denotes A sense of abrasiveness. But that's not the idea here. You see, I believe in this commandment. In the context of this devotedness, it was couched in a spirit of love and compassion and kindness for his children. He was not trying to exercise authority in a brutal way, but rather he was commanding them out of conviction, couched in compassion. In Genesis 18, verse 19, God said, For I know him, referring to Abraham, that he will command his children after him. And they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. Notice, God says, I'm going to fulfill my promise to Abraham because I know that Abraham will command his children after him. It almost sounds a bit legalistic, doesn't it? A lot of people read that and they say, well, that sounds legal. Certainly, it doesn't mean command, charge in a direct way. But it's interesting, you look in the New Testament, in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 4, those aspiring to be leaders in the church, will not rule well his own house. The word rule there means, once again, to rule. A lot of people say, does it really mean that in the original language? It means to preside over, to direct, to charge or to command. It means the exact same thing in the Greek as it does in the English Bible. So what's the point here? Here is a man that did not leave decisions up to his children. He charged them. He was decisive. Back months ago, I was up in Maine for ministry, and I loved to hit the old bookstores. And it's like mining for gold. You know, you find a nugget every now and then, and sometimes you might hit a small vein of gold, you know, a number of books in a bookstore that is a great asset to your library. But I was looking at this bookstore, and the only book I found in there that day was The Life of William Cooper. And what made the book so valuable? Many people would pronounce it Calper, but the English pronounce it Cooper. But the thing that made it so valuable was that it not only had a rich biographical sketch of Cooper's life in the front of the book, and all of his poems and all of his hymns in the latter part of the book, but the author had gone and done intense research in coordinating things that happened in Cooper's life with the works that he wrote at that time. You realize that on the eve of his second great insanity, where he was committed to an insane asylum, he wrote the beloved hymn, God Moves in Mysterious Ways His Wonders to Perform. He plants his feet upon the sea and he rides upon the storm. That was on the eve of his second great insanity. The amazing thing to me, And if you want to be more psychological when it comes to this and say, well, it's because of things that happened in his life, that's your prerogative. But God makes no mistakes. There were a lot of things that contributed, I believe, to this despondent, depressing state in Cooper's life. I'm not sure all these things can be blamed. But it's interesting, in the early formative years, he was about 11 years of age. His father approached him one day, which his dad, was out of the picture. His mother died when he was six years of age, and then his father committed him to a boarding school. But this was a rare occasion when he was in the presence of his father, and his father gave him an article on self-murder, suicide. And he asked William to read it and give him his opinion. And so William Cooper read the article, and then he looked at his dad, And he gave them every reason he could think of as why it was morally wrong. It was a violation of moral conviction. And his dad's response was nothing. He never told him what he thought. And young William said, I concluded that my dad believed like this guy who had written the article. that he, too, agreed with the man who was a proponent of suicide because of his silence. You see, President, I'm finding there are a lot of kids these days, young people, and even young people away from the home, that they really don't know what their parents expect. They really don't know what their dad's expectations are. Their dad has never been decisive. It's kind of like, once again, whatever they feel, whatever works out, then that must be God's plan, His purpose for their life. Andrew Murray wrote a book entitled The Children for Christ. Now, perhaps Andrew Murray is not as Calvinistic as some people are. I believe he did have a high view of God. But in this 400 page treatise on parenting, it's powerful. When I began to read this thing, I said, this is so rich. I wonder how his own children turned out. It is interesting, friend, that of those children, you find that the ones that he gave birth to himself, 11 of them, 6 boys and 5 girls, 5 of the 6 boys were preachers, and four of the five girls married preachers. The next generation saw 13 grandsons become missionaries. Much like the legacy of Jonathan Edwards. Why? Because they took to heart the means, the responsibility of a father parenting his children. But Andrew Berry in that book there, just in passing, gives some excellent insight into righteously ruling your children. Listen to what he says. First of all, do not give too many commands at once. Begin with one command at a time. Number two, he says, do not command what you cannot enforce or what the child has not the power to obey. Thirdly, begin and prove your authority when it is easy to secure obedience. Fourthly, let the command be given in quiet, deliberate tones. For he says, with full control, because hasty, irregulated injunctions lead to exasperation and disobedience. And then he says this, number five. Self-rule is the secret of all rule. As you honor the law yourself in self-command, Others will want to follow your example. These are rules for ruling. Isn't it interesting in Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28, the scripture tells us, he that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down and without walls. So what am I saying? We've got to take the bull by the horns. We have to be decisive. Once again, not harsh in our decisiveness. But oftentimes we need to meet out the reckless with the intent of helping our children discern and walk in the will of God. It's an exasperating thing at times to listen to some of the brethren with the despondency in their voice when they talk about their children. Like, well, the die has been cast, preacher. There's nothing else I can do. How can I have an impact upon my children now that they've moved away from home? But once again, friend, just because they've moved away from your residence does not negate your responsibility to continue to father your children. A friend of mine who's a pastor in Arkansas was in a preacher's meeting one day, and there was a group of pastors who were sharing the burden that they had for certain youngsters in their family. Some had been victimized by drug abuse, some by sexual abuse, And they got very transparent with each other. And this friend of mine told me that it began to move into a prayer meeting. And some of these fathers were so gripped, they were wailing before the Lord as they let their petitions be known to God. And suddenly one of the brothers there in the group spoke up in this cold, cerebral petition. He said, Oh God, help us to accept the fact that maybe we've been given an Esau. And this preacher said it was like someone had taken a whole bucket of water and just dumped it on that prayer meeting. Oh, brethren, we must be decisive. We must be active. We cannot afford to be passive in this area. Thirdly, look at something else with me, if you would, in regard to his leadership. And that was he was discerning. He was discerning. In verse 7, It says, neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any. But all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. Now, you say, what's the point here when you say discerning? This father knew that perhaps danger could come on the horizon at any moment. If they set up permanent dwellings, if they established residences, it would be very difficult to move when they need to get out of harm's way. You see, it's interesting as you read the text here that Nebuchadnezzar is about to break on the scene and the Chaldeans and the Syrians are going to annihilate anything in their path. So here this man, this father is thinking, for my children, for my grandchildren, for future descendants, I don't want them setting up permanent residences. I don't want them establishing businesses where they sink their roots deep. I want them to be mobile. Because who knows when judgment may come or when the enemy may approach us. You see, as you read the text here, you find that when they heard that Nebuchadnezzar was coming, they moved back into the city, Jerusalem, that was fortified. Now, ultimately, many lost their lives there. But still, the Rechabites were preserved, I believe, their descendants and their lineage because of the wise move, the decisiveness, and the discerning ability of this Father. Matthew Henry said it like this. This was an instance of strictness and mortification beyond what the Nazarenes were obliged, indebted to do. Tents were mean or difficult dwellings, so that this would teach them to be humble. They were cold dwellings, so that this would teach them to endure and not to indulge their body. They were movable dwellings so that this would teach them not to think of settling or taking root anywhere in this world. They must dwell in tents all their days. They must, from the beginning, thus accustom themselves to endure hardness. And then it would be no difficulty to them, no, not under the decays of old age. You see, Mr. Henry continues to speak, and I think this is wonderful, as he closes his remarks. Why did Jonadab prescribe these rules of living to his prosperity? Was it not merely, or was it to show his authority and to exercise dominion over them by imposing upon them what he saw fit? No. He said it was to show his wisdom and the real concern he had for their welfare by recommending to them what he knew would be beneficial to them. Here is a loving, devoted father, but he was very discerning. He charges them not to set up permanent residences. Let me give you a second thing to consider, not only his leadership, but you'll notice in verse number eight, there is a lineage here to underscore. In verse 8 it says, Thus have we obeyed the very sons of Jonadab. We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father. Now watch, brethren. In all that he had charged us to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our fathers. Now, there's a few things here that we need to glean from this verse. You notice, first of all, they obeyed despite the commandment of Jeremiah. Put yourself in the shoes of these men for a moment. They are summoned by what arguably is the greatest, most colossal prophet of that day, Jeremiah, to the temple. They are brought into the temple And they are sent before them wine, no doubt probably the choicest wine of the day. And then the man of God, the prophet of God, Jeremiah, commands them to drink of this wine. And they say in the face of that prophet, we will drink no wine, for our Father hath commanded us. Is it possible, friend, to rear a seed, a group of young people? And I dare not defy the doctrine of sovereign grace. God must do the work in the heart. But is it possible to operate under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit as a father to rear a seed that would obey you in all that you command? This is what's happened here. In spite of Jeremiah, they're still going to obey God. And their obedience is thorough as they obey Him in all that He has commanded. Furthermore, in our text here, you see the impact that it has on his own family. For he says there, toward the end of the verse there, in verse 8, We, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters will drink no wine. Is it possible? Is this an impossible attainment? To rear a child or children or grandchildren that from generation to generation, their lives, their integrity impact future generations in your own lineage? Why would God give us this example in the Scripture? No, I'm not sovereign in determining the destiny of my children. But once again, God does use conduits in the context of a Christian home that's sold out to him. From the heart of a devoted father to see a righteous seed reared up for his glory. Look at one final thing, if you would, and that is the legacy of Jonadab. In Jeremiah 35 verse 19, that last verse of the chapter, it all seems to culminate in great, extraordinary blessing. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me forever." Now what does that mean? Shall not want a man to stand before me forever? Here's the idea of the picture. God says in generations to come, there will never be a generation that does not have what Eniot members of Jonadab's ancestry that's not a part of the redeemed race and that will worship and serve me. Is it possible? Matthew Henry said, this little phrase, he shall not want a man to stand before me to serve me, They are neither priests nor Levites, nor appear to have any post in the temple service, yet in a constant course of regular devotion, they stand before God to minister to Him, as only Matthew and Henry can. He shares some personal notes that lend themselves to practicality. Listen to what he says. The greatest blessing that can be entailed upon a family is to have the worship of God kept up in it from generation to generation. Furthermore, he says, temperance, self-denial, and mortification to the world do very much befriend the exercises of holiness and help to transmit the observance of them to our own children. The more dead we are to the delights of sin, the better we are disposed for the service of God. But nothing is more fatal to the entail of religion in a family than pride and luxury. So what are we to learn from this? Let me just make a few concluding statements here. The way of the practical element here, first of all, the chapter here is a perpetual memory of the commitment and devotedness of this man to his family. It's a perpetual memorial. He is not known as a great warrior. He is not known as a great king. He's not known as an industrious businessman. He's showcased before God as a great father. Furthermore, God uses his testimony of obedience as a rebuke to his own people. Look at verse 16, if you like. He's going to use the example of Jonadab and his descendants to rub in the very face of his own people. Verse 16, Because the sons of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people, my own people, have not hearkened unto me. Another thing to note is God makes a promise that will be fulfilled in generations to come. Once again, verse 19, forever. God said he shall not want a man to stand before me forever. You realize, friend, that today, right now, in this time period, there are descendants of Jonadab. How many times in the scripture do you find where a family is cut off? But in this man's life, it will never be. So what do we learn? The first thing is, one righteous decision on your part will affect future generations. Just one. To make the commitment and to work out that commitment in daily routine. challenging, charging, exemplifying, grace before them could make a world or an eternity of difference. Have you ever thought about it? Perhaps the spiritual welfare of your own descendants may be contingent upon you. I mean, I thought of Eli. It's interesting, his sons lived a while longer after this statement was made. The iniquity of Eli's sons shall not be purged forever. They still lived. But they were marked for damnation. Explain it. Furthermore, God honors the obedience of a man that is not afraid to be decisive. I want to recommend a book to you. I've been reading. I was not real familiar with him. I'd heard about him. I'd heard him preach on occasion. But Votie Bauckham wrote a book entitled, What a Man Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter. Phenomenal. An extraordinary work. But you see, What Voting emphasizes in the book here is the importance of being diligent, proactive when it comes to being a devoted father. I mean, brother, you've got to get into their life. You've got to communicate heart to heart. And your children must sense that. And where God found me, I had to call my two oldest boys and ask their forgiveness because I had not been a devoted father. I told them that I loved them when I would see them or talk to them on the phone, but it was not a consistent love that really got me on words. And both of them responded and said, Dad, you know, you're always coming to us asking our forgiveness about something. I said, but this is very important to me. I said, please forgive me. I have not been a devoted dad. So now what I'm doing is, and channeling books to them, and CDs, and emails, and picking up the phone more often. What can I do? How can I show you that I care? I want you to know I love you. Do you need anything? I tell you, friend, if I have any wisdom at all, which is very little in regard to this parenting thing, it's come out of a lot of failure. A lot of failure. So I'm desperate for answers. But you know, as a result of that commitment just a few months ago, I'm saying, Lord, I've not been devoted. I repent and asking my voice to forgive me and committing myself to being devoted to them on a consistent basis. I'm seeing their hearts turn at 30 and 31 years of age. They're converted. And does a lot of good things, encouraging things I see in their life. But friend, there's a lot of things that God needs to knock off in regard to their character concerning mortification. And I said, Lord, I still want to believe that you're going to use me. Even though it's grace, grace upon grace upon grace that will change your life, Lord, I trust that you'll use me, Lord. Here am I. Use me as a devoted father. And then finally, Always remember, friend, that a man will reap what he sows. You know the laws of sowing and reaping, brethren. You reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow, and you'll reap it in a season that you least expect it. I want God to come by His grace and once again restore those times and those seasons that the locusts have consumed. Lord, I want to do my part. Lord, use me as a channel. What kind of decision would you have to make today? Would it be leaving the ministry for a season? To show your children just how devoted you are to them? Would it be dying to the amusements and toys of this world? And the ministerial arrogance? Leave those things for a season to really seek an inroads into the life of your child or children. What decision would you have to make? One righteous decision, friend, it ain't about you. It's going to affect future generations if Christ does not return. Let's pray together. Father, if it could be said of me instead of Jonadab, that Lord, perhaps there are another three generations before Christ returns, that there would be descendants of me, Lord, but would stand before you to minister to you as a part of the redeemed race and worship you and serve you. God, I would give you all the praise and glory. But God, I will praise you and glorify you regardless. But Lord, how happy, what a happy man it would make me to see my grandchildren, if I live that long, to rise up and call you blessed and serve you with a whole heart. Lord, this is given to us in this prophecy for a purpose. Lord, may we not miss what you're seeking to say to us and internalize in our life. We thank you, Father, for the example of Jonadab. And Lord, I pray that you give us grace, Lord, as we seek to emulate that example in our own walk with you and in our relationship with our children. We ask these things in the strong name of Christ. Amen.