A Family that Fears the Lord

TITLE: A Family that Fears the Lord

TEXT: Deut 6, Eph 6.1-4, Ps 127, Ps 128.

Series Summary

In the last five weeks, we have been all across the Scriptures together in search of God’s Design for us. In His infinite wisdom, our God set certain things in place at creation for man and woman to honor. Then sin entered the world, which was no surprise to our all-knowing God!

Since that moment, He has been redeeming fallen mankind through repentance and faith in Christ alone. As new creations with the Spirit of God in us, we are called by the Word of God as men, women, kids, adults, married, unmarried to live in a way that glorifies His name.

Men and Women at Creation (Genesis 1-3)

Manhood Redeemed (1 Cor 16)

Womanhood Redeemed (Proverbs 31)

Marriage by God’s Design (Ephesians 5)

The Truth About Singleness (1 Corinthians 7)

Though we have seen many different truths for each, a common theme has been present for each: We exist to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This is why we were created.

And in general, the same is true of our topic today where we will be considering God’s Design for the Family.

What is a FAMILY?

We can likely define this in multiple different ways, but the Lexham Bible Dictionary defines the Hebrew word in this way

Family - members of a household who may or may not be related biologically. Responsible for the care of its members.

More specifically, parents you are responsible for the care of your children (physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally)

Psalm 127:3–5 ESV

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

INTRODUCTION:

What do you want your legacy to be?

Some of us may not think in this manner very often, but at some point we have considered what we would want to be remembered by.

ILLUSTRATION: When I was younger and living in my parents home, I would often hear the following phrase (or something similar) when leaving to go and do something with other people, especially my friend: "Hey...act like you've got some sense."

Now since that is very New-Market style language, I'll do my best to interpret for us this morning.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, you represent our family. From my parent's perspective, the things that I said and did reflected the Beaman family and in some way their effectiveness as parents.

Whether we are aware of it or not, we represent our family in everything we do. Unknowingly, we make ourselves known for something.

Followers of Christ

What spiritual legacy are we leaving? More specifically this morning, what legacy are we building in our families?

Again, I doubt we think in this manner often because we are usually so focused on the day instead of looking at the bigger picture. Said in another way, we often live continually in the temporal instead of taking time to consider what is eternal.

Are we spending far too much time seeking the world's approval of the perfect family we have created or are we focused on stewarding, caring for our families in a way that earns no earthly praise but makes disciples for the glory of God?

Main Idea: By God’s Design, the family is a primary place for advancing the kingdom of God by displaying the glory of God through the Word of God.

Outline:

1. God’s Greatest Commandment must be central in our family (v1-9)

2. God’s Name and His Word must be revered in our family (v10-19)

3. God’s Great Work of Salvation must be declared to our family (v20-25)

PRAYER

OPENING: Building Context

Before we draw out the principles of this text that apply to us today, we must understand the context of what is going on at this time in the people of Israel.

We must never forget the Scriptures were not written to us, but they were certainly written for us.

All Scripture from the Lord

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

2 Peter 1:19–21 ESV

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Our great God knew what He was doing when He gave this instruction to Israel thousands of years ago, for He was wise enough to make it fort their direct instruction and useful for our instruction as well.

CONTEXT of Deuteronomy

The events of Deuteronomy, meaning “second law”, occured in one location over the course of about 1-month when Israel was preparing to take possession of the Promised Land.

Put simply, it is a retelling by Moses (its author) of the teachings and events of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It includes a long-form review of the Ten commandments and Moses’ farewell address to the people prior to his death, for Moses was not permitted to enter the land.

Moses’ intent here is calling Israel to love and obey the one true God in accordance with the Law that was graciously given to them.

Within this passage, I pray we are able to see what principles are timeless instruction for the people of God today and their families.

Deuteronomy 6:1–9 ESV

1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

1. God’s greatest commandment must be central in our family (v1-9)

Moses opens chapter 6 by recounting what has happened previously. He tells them “this is the commandment…that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you..” (v.1)

In the previous chapter, Moses recounts the Ten Commandments for the people which all of them received back at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19.

The Giving of the 10 Commandments

Exodus 19:16–20 ESV

16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

God himself spoke to the assembly of Israel with a loud voice out of the midst of fire and thick darkness that had descended on the mountain and the earth shook at the sound of His voice.

And they were fearful! Rightfully so.

How are We Still Alive?

Deuteronomy 5:24 ESV

24 And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.

They send Moses alone up the mountain to receive the whole commandment of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 5:27 “27 Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’”

The commandments of the Lord were for their good as they were preparing to enter the land initially promised to their father Abraham. Obedience to the One that had delivered them from Egypt and provided for them day after day until now was the expectation.

Command #1

Deuteronomy 6:2 “2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.”

Fear of the Lord was their starting point. As they entered the land promised to them, standing in awe of God and holding him in utmost reverence and respect was to be their posture.

How was this accomplished? By keeping all the statutes and commandments given to them. True fear of the Lord was to be exercised through obedience to His Word.

ILLUSTRATION: David Beaman

Growing up, we would often have friends over to the house to hangout, to swim, for a sleepover, or whatever else. And a handful of times, I actually heard the same report from different friends: Your dad scares me.

I love my father deeply and he has certainly softened some over the years since grandkids have come along, but I would always laugh at this because I just did not see it at times. Yes, my father was somewhat strict compared to other parents (which now I understand some of the reasons why), but I did not see the fearful part.

I think now I understand it. My father was not scary….. but he demanded respect in his home, which is no surprise because my late grandfather was the same way. What he or my mom said was the way things went. Obedience was expected, not optional. None of this was absent of love or care for us, but it was evident in our home.

Although he did this imperfectly like all sinners do, I see now that I did have a healthy fear of my father.

Police vs Dad? Its a toss up.

So it is with Moses’ instruction to Israel hear: Fear the Lord and obey Him by keeping his commands.

How is the family connected to all of this?

Deuteronomy 6:2 (ESV)

2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

Generational Commandment

The Lord’s commands here were not solely concerned with the generation of people that were to enter the land first, but more broadly He was concerned with the transfer of these commandments from one generation to the next.

From this faithfulness to the Lord’s commands would come blessing in the land. This is how the Lord structured and communicated the Mosaic Covenant

BLESSING would follow OBEDIENCE (Lev26.1-13)

CURSE would follow DISOBEDIENCE (Lev 26.14-39)

The Greatest Commandment (v.4-9)

These verses are known as The Shema, which is considered the most fundamental expression of the Jewish faith. So if we were to understand the whole of the Lord’s commands to Israel in a concise way, this would be it.

The Call to Listen

“Hear, O Israel…”

We should not so quickly run past this introduction because we often hear one another, we hear teaching of the Word, we hear many things, but we are not listening.

Moses is saying here: Don’t Miss This! Their lives in the land were dependent on them listening to the Lord’s instruction and then cultivating an active response to what was heard.

Remember…this is where all things started in the garden. A hearing but unwillingness to listen and do.

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

The Lord is One

This declaration has a two-fold meaning. Firstly, there is no other God but Yahweh, the God of Israel. All other gods among the nations then and now are creations from the minds of men, cheap imitations and distortions of the true God.

Isaiah 42:6–8 (ESV)

6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

a light for the nations,

7 to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8 I am the Lord; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to carved idols.

Secondly, this is a trinitarian statement, an affirmation that our God is One in being and yet three persons. The Trinity is not a new doctrine, but it finds its origin back at beginning where the One God in three persons were all active in Creation.

A Love That Pervades All Areas of Life

Love for God that overflows from our very core… that is our greatest commandment.

A Parent’s Primary Responsibility

Rounding out our Lord’s greatest commandment is the instruction to parents: Teach your children the commands and great works of the Lord.

Speak of the Lord when you rise…

Speak of the Lord when you sit…

Speak of the Lord when you walk…

Speak of the Lord when you lie down…

Make the Word of the Lord visible and a priority in your home…

Why?

Deuteronomy 4:9 “9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—”

We must be people the recount the Law of God, the covenants of God, the promises of God, the works of God, the grace of God and the salvation of God to ourselves and to our children because if we do not, who will?

APPLICATION:

This is why we have Family Worship provided each week, Discipleship materials available, Community Groups… so we will not drift away from the Truth!

More specifically, this is why we are memorizing Scripture as a church family. If we think this is only an exercise for our children at COTV, then shame on us as adults and parents leading these kids.

According to the Psalmist, the Word of the Lord is righteous (Ps119.7), it protects us from sin (Ps119.11), it brings delight (Ps119.16, 24), it gives life (Ps119.37), it is good (Ps119.39), it gives comfort (Ps119. 50), and a million more.

How can we teach these things to our kids and not value them ourselves? How can we hold them to a standard of memorizing the Word of God and yet not hold ourselves to the same standard? It begs the question - Do we actually value the Word of God like we are commanded to in Deut 6?

And in all of this… we know this instruction in Deut 6 was not just for Israel or Judaism.

Jesus Instructs the Pharisees

Matthew 22:34–40 “34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

Jesus Opens Their Eyes to Christology

Luke 24:25–27 “25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

So……when fulfilling the Old Covenant and ushering in the New Covenant, Jesus repeats this central instruction given to Israel thousands of years previously.

APPLICATION: What parts of this apply to us?

Timeless Truth: Parents are the primary disciplers of their kids.

This must be our number one priority from week-to-week, teaching our kids to stand in awe of our great God, for there is no other like Him, and we diligently raise them up in the instruction of the Lord.

As much as I love serving as your pastor and your children’s pastor here at COTV, if they are only receiving biblical instruction from Joe or myself each week… then we are missing the mark as parents. They need to hear it from you.

More than their schooling, more than their extracurricular activities, more than the hobbies either we enjoy or they enjoy, more than our careers, more than anything… Our children at COTV need to see from their parents that our first priority is loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and might.

Deuteronomy 6:10–19 ESV

10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. 16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

2. God’s name alone must be worshipped in our family (v10-19)

Again, let’s briefly address the parts of this passage that were specifically for ethnics Israel, and then we will highlight some timeless truths for the church today.

Moses tells Israel here that the Lord will be faithful to His promises, for He will bring them into the land promised to them via their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. AND… the Lord will provide for them.

In the promised land, the Lord would provide resources, homes, abundant food, all things they would need. Israel would be receiving instant prosperity, a land flowing with milk and honey.

The 1st Warning

When receiving the blessings of the Lord in the promised land, Moses warns them to “take care” or watch/guard themselves lest you forget who brought you here.

More simply: Do not be blinded by the blessings received and forget from whom they came.

ILLUSTRATION: Mission Drift

This is a great book that I have read in the past year that discusses how careful organizations must be in order not to drift away from from their founding mission. It details multiple organizations, the purposes by which they were founded, and explains how their missions slowly drifted from their origins to either extinction or where they are today.

QUICK GAME: Who am I?

This organization was founded in 1636 and an early publication detailed its founding purpose: “Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, Joh. 17. 3. and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedom, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him Prov 2, 3”.

HARVARD

Similarly, if we are not careful…we as a family will forget that all things in our lives are a gracious gift from His hand.

And…we see that fighting off forgetfulness of His Word and His works will sustain a fear and reverence for our God in ourselves and in our family, leading us to worship Him like he deserves.

Value for the provision of God leads us to the worship of God.

The 2nd Warning

Fear the Lord, serve Him only, and DO NOT seek after the gods of other nations. In doing so, they will bring judgement on themselves.

Jesus’ quotes from here when being tempted by Satan

Why? Because God is jealous for the worship of His holy name from His people. When we think of jealousy, it is almost always in a negative sense. But God is not like us! His jealousy for the worship He is due is altogether righteous, not flawed in any way.

Isaiah 42:8 ESV

8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Isaiah 48:10–11 ESV

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

The 3rd Warning

Do not put the Lord to the test (Ex 17). Again it is here that our Lord quotes from during His temptation in Matthew 4 and Lk 4.

Summary: Israel…Take care and do not forget what the Lord God has provided for you in the land, for He is jealous for and deserving of your worship. When in the land, doing what is good and right for your families is for your good and His glory.

APPLICATION:

Our God is immutable, unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever for His years will have no end.

Therefore, God is still jealous for the worship of His people, according to His great name, and we must be leading our families (with our without kids in the home) to worship the Lord according to His great name.

Kids…specifically those of you who profess Christ alone for your salvation….you are also included in this responsibility to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord.

You honor the Lord by following your parents leadership and seeking to grow in Christlikeness regardless of your age.

Ephesians 6:1–4 ESV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Fearing the Lord and revering His Word (theology) should always lead to praise and worship of our great God (doxology)

Knowledge of God without praise and worship for His holy name is just cold, dead religion.

Praise and worship of God that is not rooted in what is true of God (what is revealed in the Scriptures) is idolatry.

The God of the Bible alone must be the source of worship in our families. Let the Word of God inform your praise of God, and teach your family to do the same.

Let us lead our families well to the foot of the cross, not letting them stray towards the altars of other gods around us in this world.

Deuteronomy 6:20–25 ESV

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

3. God’s Great Work of Salvation must be declared to our family (v20-25)

Moses rounds out this chapter by speaking directly to the parents, pointing their eyes to a moment that is sure to come, when their children ask: What is the meaning of all these things? Why has the Lord commanded all these statutes and the rules?

From the beginning of time until now, kids have always had questions for everything.

ILLUSTRATION: Zach asking why?

When I got older, I heard about this one time when my brother was riding in the car with my Dad, and he asked my Dad some question about either something he saw outside or something he had heard. Upon hearing our Dad’s answer, Zach asked: “But why?” Sound familiar parents?

For a little while, my dad answered each time my brother continued to respond with the same question “Why?”, but this quickly became frustrating and out of frustration he finally answered “Because its Saturday.” For some reason, this satisfied Zach and the blessing of silence was ushered back into the car.

The children of Israel would naturally want an explanation from their parents at some point regarding the teachings, the rituals, the offerings, the sacrifices.… all these things that shaped the life of Israel.

APPLICATION:

The same questions will come from our children. They will come a different times, different situations, at different ages, but they will certainly come.

Why do we go to church?

Why do we worship the God of the Bible?

Why do we do family worship?

Why do we pray?

Parents, as the primary disciplers of our children, we need to be prepared to answer these questions. These are crucial moments in the lives of our kids and in our sanctification when they need to hear biblical truth from us. It does not have to be complicated, and we certainly need to answer at their level of understanding, but we do need to be prepared, for these are God-ordained moments where we are blessed with the opportunity to sow the seeds of Gospel truth in their hearts and minds.

How should Israel answer?

Well...in God’s great wisdom, He did not leave Israel or us without instruction here. Let’s look at the specific answer for Israel and then we will highlight the general principle for us.

Moses said: Take them back to our captivity in Egypt and magnify the great works of the Lord in delivering us from Pharaoh’s hand of slavery. Do not miss Moses’s use of language here that only points to the work of God. The Lord brought us out.… The Lord showed signs and wonders… He brought us out…

What did Israel do? In God’s grace, they were witnesses of His great work and received His mercy.

God alone provided what was needed to bring them out of slavery. He gave them the Law and now He was fulfilling his promise of the land: a symbol of blessing, rest, and peace for the people of God.

APPLICATION: How should we answer?

In a very similar way, we used to be slaves… though not to Egypt but to our sin. We were dead in our trespasses and sins in which we once walked. We had exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and we stood before Him in rebellion because of our sin.

BUT… God has made us alive!

Romans 6:10–11 ESV

10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

How do we respond to our kids? We tell our kids how far from the Lord we used to be, and we display His majesty and glory by showing them how the Gospel has delivered us from slavery to sin to a new life, a new creation, adopted son or daughter of the Great High King.

What about the land?

This is a common question in the church: How do we make sense of the promised land to Israel today? The answer is actually more simple than you may think.

Hebrews 4 Context

Hebrews is a masterpiece, written to the Hebrew community for one person: To magnify Jesus Christ by showing how He is better in all things.

In Hebrews 3, the author is talking about Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness that led to them not entering the promised land, but wandering for 40 years. Because of their rebellion and unbelief, the could not enter His promised rest (aka… the Land)

Hebrews 3:15–4:2 ESV

15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. 1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Is this telling 1st-century Jewish Christians (and us for that matter) that rest is still found for them in the land? Certainly not. That would not make any sense.

The true promised rest and peace is found in the One who came and fulfilled the Law, delivering us from its burden and giving us rest forever in Him.

Matthew 11:27–30 ESV

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We declare to our kids the Salvation belongs to our God, and His works throughout history deserve our praise each and every day.

Psalm 145:1–13 ESV

1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, 12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

Main Idea: By God’s Design, the family is a primary place for advancing the kingdom of God by displaying the glory of God through the Word of God.