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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.
Heritage of Holiness
Series Pastor's Fellowship Conference
| Sermon ID | 318101754454 |
| Duration | 47:19 |
| Date | |
| Category | Special Meeting |
| Bible Text | Jeremiah 35 |
| Language | English |
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