My family gets to see it

gonna do this year and already do it.

It's phenomenal everywhere we go.

I'm telling you, there's I sense an awakening on its way.

Thank you.

I really do.

I've never had that.

You you sure that's water, right?

Amen.

But I know Rosemary's giving me that look.

Well it's not the water I normally drink, but it's fizzy.

But I want you to turn with me this morning to Deuteronomy chapter six.

It's been a great great week.

Listen, I know we run out of little handouts.

Does anybody that does not have a handout?

Anyone we got some more we got a few more if you need a handout outline please raise your hand.

We'd love to give you one because I'm telling you this message I was working on it for the last six, seven days.

Normally what I do right after Sunday on Sunday afternoon I start again because I've already known where I'm going at least for the series I've reviewed some of the scriptures but when I start digging in Deuteronomy chapter six today is just too full of truths for one message.

And we've been looking at God's going to do it again and Satan can't stop it.

We've been looking at God's going to do it again and you and I get up to be a part of it and we talked about we don't have problems we have what?

Oh that's good but y'all can do better than that.

I don't know about you but everywhere every situation that we had a problem like we had a commode problem.

Okay?

And I thought to myself man we got a problem and then I said whoa boy with this commode I've got an opportunity I don't understand it but I got one so you and I have an opportunity to watch and let me tell you you're gonna see how that last week's message fits into these next two messages because until you allow God the opportunity to work completely through your life and in your problems which become opportunities to watch God show up and do miraculous things, miracles then you have the opportunity to teach your children and allow your children to be a part of that.

Can I get an amen and you're gonna see how this fits it's awesome.

It really is so today we're gonna look at God's going to do it again and your family gets to be a part of it.

And let me say right now I just believe that for you that have been faithful to this church I think about Deedra and David six years ago renewed their marital vows right before we added this on and uh people that have been here from the very beginning with us and I think about Bob McKay back there and the Wilson family, our family Sonia and they've moved back to Mississippi back home.

Some have come and gone and gone back home.

But but to watch what God's done it's been miraculous and for the let me just go ahead and tell you I've God's allowed me to be in some unbelievable miraculous things and I'm gonna use a few of those as examples today as I'm preaching.

But I'm telling you my children had the privilege to grow up in a church like CCW, Open Door Baptist Church, where we marched around the land seven times, claimed it and God miraculously gave it to us a land worth a million dollars for$300,000 and we had$300,000 and one dollar in the bank God never leaves you broke.

Unbelievable and then I go to liberty God moves me to liberty and I happen to be back when it looked like liberty was about to go under and then for the next 12 and a half years I was able to watch God do unbelievable miraculous things at Open Door Baptist Church my son Eric who's now involved in a great uh Street Angels started it the president of it in San Diego, California he was a part of all those miracles and miraculous things that happened at Open Door Baptist Church.

Then he was at Liberty the praise and worship leader there for almost six, seven, eight years and saw the miraculous things we watched there together and as we traveled all over the country preaching and doing youth camps and revivals watching God just provide when they hey there was no other way up in that and they got to see that they got to be a part of that.

And I'm here to tell you folks that makes a huge difference and you're gonna see biblically why today and next Sunday you don't want to miss in fact I was do I did my uh five minutes sometimes that ends up somewhere eight minutes a little devotion on Saturday mornings.

Unbelievable it was I had this morning one door had over 500 that already viewed it unbelievable and I was talking about this message I was telling them everyone you can't miss these next two messages next week part two will be parroting by the book parroting by the book but what I'm trying to tell you is folks that we have an obligation this morning and the obligation is found right here in unbelievably in Deuteronomy chapter 6 let me give you the context Moses was about to lead the people out of Egypt they had been in bondage for years and you remember the story Moses went to Pharaoh and said let my people go and so now they're leaving they're getting ready to go into the promised land and God gives Moses a charge to tell the people the nation Israel and that charge is found in verses one through nine and one of the things that I love to do when I'm studying is I always read the paragraph or the chapter or whatever part of scripture I'm preaching I read it always I because I memorize I've got thousands of verses memorized in the King James so I always read first and still memorizing King James.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

I've tried other it's just I'm kind of simple minded so once it goes there it stays there and um verses now I may not remember your name tomorrow it's unreal how I can remember a verse and then can't remember my daughter's names but uh anyway but then I always read other translations.

I love to do that.

First of all I look at the original language and then I go back and read several and to be honest with you today I want to use one of the versions I read because it kind of makes it because I knew the children were going to be here every fifth Sunday we kind of want the kids to be the from like third grade up so they can kind of get used to what big church is.

And uh but so I I chose a version that I think they'll understand it a little better.

And here we go.

It's called the C V E.

And here we go.

The Lord your God told me to give you all these commandments which you are to be in the land you will soon be entering where you will live the purpose of these laws is to cause you your sons and your grandsons that's important three generations to reverence the Lord your God by obeying all his instructions as long as you live if you do you will have a long life of prosperous years ahead of you that's awesome.

Therefore O Israel listen closely to each command and be careful listen parrots to each command listen CCW to each command and be careful to obey it so that all will go well with you and so that you will have many children.

If you obey these commands you will become a great nation and a glorious land flowing with milk and honey even as the God of your fathers promised you.

Oh Israel listen verse 4 Jehovah is our our God Jehovah alone verse 5 you must love him now here it is with all your heart soul and might and you must think constantly about these commands I am giving you today.

You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk at bedtime and the first thing in the morning tie them on your finger wear them on your forehead flag trees we see that when we were in Israel and write them on the doorpost of your house called masuza I have a little one I I didn't bring it but a little masusa that has has it's a glass case that you put on they would put on their doorpost and it had scripture a lot of times it had the scroll of the of the Torah the five books of Moses in it but it implies it it was a it was a reminder that the word of God should be on your heart and on your mind every day when you walk out the door when you walk in the door so today in your outline I want you to fill in that first little box here it is here's the whole proposition of the next two messages biblical truth it is the responsibility of parents to provide a dynamic spiritual heritage for their children.

That is the whole purpose God's gonna do it again hey and your family gets to see it you and I listen to me parents listen to me grandparents because I feel like now I'm in my my my uh uh third generation with my grandkids it's my third generation and that I'm to be responsible to still help my children train my grandchildren I really believe that strongly even though I know it's Mary's and Stephanie's responsibility with their husbands first but I come alongside them to reinforce everything that they they teach it's my responsibility and listen to me I believe this it is our responsibility to pass on a spiritual foundation for our families and you see these three chairs and some of you uh uh teachers are are what is it the melancholy no the one that's the beaver that's looking at what's those for what's those for well I want you to keep thinking but don't miss the preparation to get to the chair because today we're gonna look at two things two things today that you and I must do to pass on our spiritual heritage and our foundation to our family and by the way a church is very important with that happening very in fact it's a must it's a must and that's why you that are part of this church and people that are going to be coming and and and people that are going to be joining as we get into the new building and get more room and more park and and all that the next listen to me the next two to five years can be some of the most dynamic years for you and your family to be a part of this ministry so that they can see the miraculous happen which they've already have from from the land we were able to raise the money God provided money the dirt everything you see everything when we move in that building it's gonna be paid for your kids have got to understand that and see that and you've got to communicate you've got to talk it about it to them all the time let them be a part of it take them down there when they're playing soccer Dave remind them I every time and when we in that gym playing basketball and when we out there playing softball t ball and all that remind them hey God did this God gave us this field let me tell you how how it happened we raised this and this much and this people just gave and and businesses gave we had another business uh give us a check through uh Gary and Elizabeth today they were back out there where Pam had been uh what's the name of that place again Secret Garden I like Secret Garden go to Secret Garden He gave us another check for$2,000 to help our church and to help care in their ministry.

Unbelievable folks but what I'm saying is your kids got to know that they got to see that my kids had the opportunity to once God give us that land at the exact amount of money we had saved up and he saw people getting saved every week and every month and being baptized that became the norm to them and let me say something if you're in a dead church ah no don't don't if you're in a church that's not doing anything you need to reconsider I want to be where God's moving God's moving all over the world hey I want to see God move no no no no he's moving you just need to get in on it hello so here we go steps to pass on this spiritual foundation number one as a parent I must personally embrace and experience an intimate relationship with God a personal relationship remember what he said in verse five and six that's there it is there it is he said hey and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy might that's everything and then he says in verse six and these words which I commend thee this day shall be in your heart there's three i i it's just amazing to see what that means in fact we must not be I have parents all the time tell me they're worried about our children getting it I want my kids to really get it well I started thinking and I used to be guilty of saying that I used to tell my kids that but hey here it is but we must make sure first of all instead of us worried about them getting it first of all we must be sure we got it can I get an amen and what I mean by that it's real it's visible it's personal it's it's dynamic you live in it you're thinking it in fact there's three things in these verses we see and we'll look at that we teach what hey we teach what we know we reproduce what we are hello let me repeat that that went over some of your head we teach what we know we reproduce what we are you are a letter Paul said written in our hearts known and read by all men 2 Corinthians 3 2 and you know what I God gave me from that you're writing a letter a chapter each day by the deeds that you do and the words that you say men read what you write distorted or true what is the gospel according to you I hate you don't hear Jim Dobson anymore.

Dobster Dobson back hey focus on the family you some of us older folks you remember focus on the family listen to it every day at lunch listen to what Dr.

Dobson he was a uh a a psychologist a Christian psychologist and uh counselor license all of you all the degrees listen to what he said Jim Dobson said by the time our children are five years old they have bought into our spiritual value system or whatever system you have then notice what he said the next seven years will be the most important model they will ever have and basically what they see in us is what they will respond to and love and feel so what he's saying from five to twelve are some of the most important most informative most conformative years of their life wow wow that's powerful folks that's powerful young couples listen to me grandparents listen we've got to share that we gotta live that we teach what we know we reproduce what we are you know when we do baby dedication here it's not really me dedicating babies to the Lord you know what I'm doing I'm challenging hey I'm dedicating getting the parents to get dedicate themselves to the Lord that they'll teach their children they'll model Christianity they'll love God with all their heart soul and mind and they'll teach that and live that in front of their children that's what I'm teaching when I do baby dedication Psalms 127 that whole five verses except the Lord build a house of labor in vain they'll build it so it's so important so important.

Then secondly I must we must as parents take personal responsibility to pass on a spiritual foundation to our children we have to take that responsibility we can't let the school do it especially the public school system today can I say owe me now I know we got some godly teachers but but here's the problem the government they're tying their hands they're trying to kick God out of school they have tried really they have I grew up when I was in school every morning we had a Bible reading we said the pledge to the flag of the United States and the Christian flag that was in public school thank God for these schools the homeschoolers and I tell you what equality the equality law that this next ministration is about to sign into being you need to go online and read it.

Parents you better read it I did it's sickening I'm not bound down it's sickening and I tell you what I'm excited about you know there's some good Christian school homeschools and you know let me tell you God's God's so moving in this God gave us that 90 acres God gave us uh that all this for a reason evangelical is that the what's the homeschool evangelical help me evangel thank you thank you hey we're and God's we're fixing to build an unbelievable uh educational facility too I can see us becoming a hub uh umbrella for something like that here and so we can teach our godly children the word of God and character and hey and and and science and and history from the biblical standpoint and the historical standpoint can I get an amen I'm telling you buckle up it's coming I see it we're praying right now I'm gonna throw it out I'm just sharing my heart.

God, I want you to be praying if God's in it.

We're talking right now and possibly a starting Hispanic ministry here.

Church, there's so many Hispanics in this area.

We need to reach them with the gospel.

Can I get an amen?

Woo! I'm telling you, God's gonna do it again.

And it's gonna be a lot bigger than we ever even thought.

Hello.

Hello.

We must take that.

Even the babies, amen and amen.

And it's for that.

That's the folks, we gotta do something for our next gener the next two generations.

We can't throw them to the lions.

We gotta save them.

Can I get an amen?

We gotta stand up and fight for them.

If not, they will not grow up in an America that we grew up in.

God help us.

God, we need you.

And we're gonna, hey, God's gonna do his part.

We just gotta jump out of the boat.

God's doing it.

God's doing it, and I'm telling you.

And you want to be a part of this.

You want your kids to see what he's gonna do.

You want your kids a part of it.

I got kids, I got, I got students now following me on my blog.

Uh Jesus is what?

Because I used to say it to a thousand students in my class every Tuesday and Thursday.

Jesus is what?

They say awesome! And watching what God's doing in their life.

Some of them are doctors now, lawyers, Christians.

I mean, it's phenomenal.

And they were there in the time when God was doing miraculous miracles.

We watched God do it, and they believe it.

How to teach children to love God.

Well, first of all, verse 5 says we must love God with all our hearts.

Verse 6 says what we must think about God constantly.

And verse 7 says we must teach it.

Five things.

And I'm gonna give them to you.

I can't get into the practical side, but I will next week.

Parrots, you can't miss the practical message next week.

But this is kind of the overview.

Five things we gotta do.

Number one, we must model to our children a godly relationship.

Let me show you what that relationship needs to look like.

In Colossians chapter 3, he says, and the peace of God, verse 15.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

And watch this, and the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you're called.

We're called to do this in one body and be ye thankful.

And then he says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord.

And then verse 17, and whatsoever you do in word, what you say, indeed, what you do, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

In other words, we need to model our relationship personally with God.

They need to see us talking about God, listening to God, singing about God, family devotions, having them involved and praying with your children.

Just, I meant, hey, you can't get enough of Jesus.

And then secondly, wives, submit yourselves to your own husband as it is fit to the Lord.

Verse 19, husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them.

In other words, your relationship with your husband and wife.

Guys, let me tell you something, they don't need to see fussing and angry and bitter and couples and husbands and wives.

What?

Cutting each other down, throwing arrows at each other, acting like a bunch of idiots.

Hello.

I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that.

But that's true.

Amen.

Acting unchrist-like.

You can't do that and not expect it to affect your children.

Amen?

O me?

Come on, owe me.

I'm guilty.

We were guilty.

But it's so wrong.

And then look what else.

Verse 20, children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is pleasing unto the Lord.

And fathers provoke not your children.

Your relationship with your children.

Even correction.

Do I believe in discipline?

Absolutely.

But it ought to be lovingly, but it ought to be firmly.

But you, hey, and and children ought to respect you.

And let me tell you when they will respect you.

When you are consistent with your walk with the Lord, you're consistent with your discipline.

You're consistent, consistent, consistent in a Christ-like way.

They will get it.

And why they get it is not because you want them to get it, it's because you're living it.

They'll see it.

They'll see it.

They watch.

You'll never know how much they are watching.

And then lastly, look at what he says in relationship.

Verse 22, servants obey in all things, your masters.

And then look at verse 1 in chapter 4.

Masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal.

In other words, uh employee, employer relationship.

You ought to be the best employee that, hey, your employer has, or employer, you ought to be the best employer.

Hey, that your employees have ever had.

You ought to be Christ-like.

You ought to be a giver and a supporter and help one another.

We don't see that today, folks.

And our kids need to be brought up in that kind of nurture and admonition.

Can I get an amen church?

I know this is tough preaching.

It's right preaching, it's the truth preaching.

And then God said, I just read the scriptures.

See, God says your land, your home, your boss, your bosses, and your businesses.

And I see it.

I know it.

We see it here.

I'll be flowing with milk and honey.

Hello?

You either do it God's way or your way, and I got you for you.

You do it your way.

You're in trouble.

You okay out there?

Number two, it must be continual.

In other words, you gotta think constantly about the things of God.

The book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that's written.

Hey, then shall I make the way prosperous?

Did you hear it?

Then shall you have good success.

That's the only place in the Old Testament or in the Bible it says God promised you success if you do it his way.

I believe the reason eight and a half years that God's blessed this church, it's been the best ministry I've had, and I've had some great ministers.

You know why?

Because we haven't had people bite, back biting, and ying, ying, ying, ying, ying, ying, ying, ying.

And it's been a family because we, at my age now in the fourth quarter, been there, done that, the accolades, been there, got all that.

I'm not interested in one thing, and our leadership in this church is interested in one thing, and that, and by the way, you're part of the leadership because I I tell you everything.

I just told you what I'm thinking about the ministry.

I just told you everything I'm thinking.

God's laid on my heart.

So you can be praying with us in the leadership so that that's what God wants us to do.

We'll be obedient to do it.

Can I get an amen?

If not, he'll he we won't have peace to do it.

But folks, listen to me.

God is also, God wants to do so much more than you think.

Amen.

You got to think about it continually.

Number three, it's got to be planned.

It's got to be planned.

Verse 7 again.

It's got to be planned.

You've got to teach it, you've got to plan it.

Study to show thyself, to prove unto God a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Oh, the Berean Christians were more noble than those at Thessalonica.

They received the word of God daily and searched, hey, with joy and then search the scriptures daily.

It's got to be planned.

That's exciting, folks.

And then look what else.

Parents, you have to plan to make sure your kids are involved in the right things.

Can I get an amen?

You have to work at it because the world's pulling so hard, the opposite direction.

You got to make sure they're in church.

You got to make sure they're in Iwana.

Where's Matt and Jen?

They do fabulous.

They get the word of God in our kids.

Let me tell you, that's, you've got to get them involved.

Get them involved in this ministry and upward soccer, upward basketball, upward T-ball, and all the stuff in softball.

Get them involved in a Christian environment so they can see God do the miraculous.

Keep God first.

Number four, that's the next thing.

Look at verse 8 and 9.

It's got to be visual.

They got to see it.

The kids must see it, they must be a part of it.

Let me tell you something.

You probably get tired of my little jars.

My grandparents taught me how to tithe.

God's jar, savings jar, and then now Susan's made me put the other one up there, and I don't like it.

The government's jar.

Taxes.

Anyway, I'm not going to worry about it.

Let's stick with the first two.

God's jar.

When you bring, they bring their little tithe to the children's church or to the church.

You're able to sit there after, and you're set an example and you say, look what our tithes did.

It helped us build this building debt free.

It helped us build the soccer field debt free.

It helped us, it did, you had a part in this.

Ian's little boy had a part in this.

Amen.

It's exciting.

You let him see it.

Let them see it.

It's got to be visual.

And then number five, it must be testimonial.

Verses 20 through 25.

I want you to read this with me.

This is good.

Hang on now.

Hang on.

I know what you're saying.

Is he ever going to get to the chairs?

We're headed that way.

All right?

You can't miss a bit of this.

Now notice what Moses said as we drop down to verse 20.

Again, I'm going back, gonna use the CEV Bible for the kids that they understand a little better.

In the years to come, Moses says, when your son, hey, when your sons ask you, what is the purpose of these laws, which the Lord our God has given us?

Dad, mom, why do we tithe to the church?

Why do we do this?

Why do we have to do this?

Why do we do this?

Or I mean, you've got to you gotta give them answers.

And notice what he says in verse 21.

You must tell him, we were Pharaoh's slave in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power and mighty miracles, with terrible blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.

Now, underline, and even in the King James, you can, or New King James, which I use, we saw it.

Here it is, with our own eyes.

He brought us up out of Egypt so that he could give us this land he had promised to our ancestors, and he has commanded us to obey all of these laws and to reverence him so that he can preserve us alive as he has until now.

For it now, watch, for it always goes well with us when we obey all the laws of the Lord of our God.

Why?

Watch.

If you really want to pass the torch on, you've got to experience God's miracles and power and see it with your own eyes.

They gotta see it.

They do.

And that's what he meant when he said uh in Psalms 145, 4:1 generation shall praise the works to another and shall declare the mighty acts.

That's exactly what he meant.

Now, write this down somewhere.

Because we're gonna see it in verses 10 through 12 in a minute.

There's a tendency to forget and take God for granted.

There's a tendency to forget and take for granted God's blessings.

Now, what happens then?

The children suffer.

Look at verses 10, 11, and 12.

When the Lord your God has brought you into the land, he promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And when he has given you great cities full of good things, cities you didn't build, wells you didn't dig, and vineyards and olive trees you didn't plant, and when you have eaten until you can hold no more, then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt and the land of slavery.

Verse 13, watch.

When you are full, don't forget to be reverent to Him and to serve Him and to use His name alone to endorse your promises.

Wow! What is He saying right here?

First of all, he's saying God is going to do great things that you and I can't get credit for.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

Hey, we haven't done any of this.

God's done it.

God's done it.

I mean, what's makes this whole thing so miraculous?

I've been a part of mega churches, co-pastored one, preached of thousands, and we I've watched God in this church of really a strong 300 people.

Listen to me.

Do as much or more as with a thousand or more.

It's been unbelievable.

It's been unbelievable, folks.

I've seen it.

I've seen it.

Unbelievable.

Now here's what Moses is telling us right here in these three verses.

That we can lose our spiritual heritage for our kids and grandkids.

We can lose it.

Hey, say this, hey, tell your neighbor.

We can lose it.

We can lose what's going on right here.

Ready?

Here it is.

Spiritual heritage can be lost if two things.

Number one, as parents, we become satisfied and take God's blessings for granted.

1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing.

In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Don't ever take it for granted.

I promise you, every morning I get up, I say thank you for what you're doing in our church.

Lord, it's not us, it's you.

It's not our church, it's your church.

And God, your will be done.

And with me and our whole church.

Not my will, but thy will be done.

And then the second thing, and we see that in verses 12, 13 in Deuteronomy 6, too.

The second thing, not only as parents, if we become satisfied and take God's blessings for granted, hey, we can lose a spiritual heritage.

But number two, our children either have not heard or seen the miracles of God.

They've not heard it, they've not seen it.

Now, turn with me in your Bibles.

We're going to the chairs.

Are you ready?

You didn't think I was gonna get there, did you?

Turn in your Bibles, go over a few chapters to Judges chapter 2.

Judges 2 · chapter mention

Now watch this.

I don't know what that fizz does.

What was that commercial?

Fizz, fizz, whatnot?

Alcalsear, fizz, pop, pop, fizz, fizz, something like that.

Anyway, all right.

Oh, Pastor Danny, you're crazy.

Yes, yes, yes.

Been crazy 67 years.

I was crazy in my mother's womb.

Deed are one got that, but all right, here we go.

This is 60 years later.

Okay?

Let me bring the context to you.

60 years later, and they're on the ground, and notice what Moses and saying to the people.

Well, really, about the people.

And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua.

Now, watch, that's important.

And all the days of the elders, there you are, leadership of the church, who survived Joshua, who had seen, there it is, underline it, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which had been done for Israel.

Put a little one there.

Put a little one after after verse 7.

Okay?

Guess what?

See this chair that says commitment.

They were committed.

Pick up verse 8.

In fact, chair one, they knew the Lord.

Hey, right here.

They knew the Lord and were committed, hey, to his works.

They knew the Lord and they saw the works of God.

Right here.

Verse 8.

Then Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110.

And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timahaeas, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gash.

Alright?

And then verse 10, that was 8, 9, and now look at the first part of verse 10.

And all the generation also were gathered to their fathers.

Put a little two.

Verses 8, 9, and the first part of verse 10 is the second chair.

A group that compromised.

They knew the Lord, they knew about his works, but they never saw the works.

And then, go back to the second part of verse 10.

And there rose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which he had done for Israel.

Put a three right there.

And then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.

They knew not, number the third group, they knew not the Lord and knew not his works at all.

Right here.

Chair number three.

Confused.

And I got to thinking about that.

Are chairs important?

Very much so.

You remember chairs in grade school?

Remember when we got to, well, first of all, chairs at a dinner table.

I know a lot of us don't, you know, when we were, when I was younger, we had a table in our first house we owned.

I sat at the head table, Susan sat at the right to me, and then the girls both sat next to us.

It was one, Mary, Stephanie.

The chairs were pretty important for several reasons.

One, we could take care of the kids while they were eating.

And then I go to a, I remember second, first second grade and third grade.

You know what?

We had a circle of chairs, and they were called reading chairs.

Remember when you used to get in a circle?

Well, some of you younger folks don't, but we we'd get in a circle and read read our readers.

We had reading chairs.

Okay, and you had a first chair, second tier, and a third chair.

Oh, okay.

Bluebirds, red birds.

Well, I was always the lowest bird.

But anyway, and then we get to junior high.

Music.

First chair, second chair, third chair.

Do you realize I played a saxophone for two years in junior high?

And I got all the way from actually there were four chairs, from fourth chair to second chair.

Oh, I've I could play that tennis saxophone, boy.

I wished I'd have kept playing it instead of playing all the football.

Or play both, really.

But back then they wouldn't let you do both.

You either play sports or were in the band.

It meant something.

And let me get back to third grade.

There was another chair that meant very, a very important chair, and it was sat right by the teacher.

Oh, was that a spiritual chair?

And boy, did I sit there a lot for talking too much.

Anybody else?

Oh, I love that chair.

In fact, I knew every every about once or twice a week, I knew I was gonna be in that chair.

And I'd just start smiling, walking up to the chair.

I'm here again.

How y'all doing?

And the teacher says, hush.

Okay.

I think I did it on purpose, really.

But anyway.

But I want you to see something.

The chairs meant a lot in Joshua's time.

You ready?

Israel, chair number one.

They were committed.

Listen to this.

They knew the Lord, they knew his works.

These are the people they, hey, that are faithful.

They're faithful to God.

They're faithful in their home.

They talk about Jesus all the time.

They give biblical principles all the time.

They're faithful to their church.

They don't miss church unless they have to or sick.

It's that important to them.

God comes first.

Then what's this?

Second chair, compromise.

They knew the Lord.

They knew of his works.

They might come to church on Sunday some, but it wasn't top priority.

Then chair three, the confused.

They knew not the Lord or knew not his works.

Now let me show you the families, two families.

This is good.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Abraham was a friend of God.

He lived right.

Isaac looks right.

Jacob, hey, he didn't know what was right.

In fact, he was always asking the questions.

What's right?

What's right?

For example, you ready for this?

Abraham built an altar, then dug a well.

Isaac dug a well.

I mean, excuse me.

Let me make sure I get there.

Built an altar, dug a well.

Yeah, Isaac dug a well first, then built an altar.

And then Jacob, he only built an altar when he got in trouble.

What about David?

What about David?

What about Solomon?

What about Rehoboam?

Watch this.

David lived right.

He was a man after God's own heart.

What about Solomon?

Really, when you study the book of Proverbs, you see at the end, and especially the book of Ecclesiastes, when he gets to the end, he says, all was vanity and vanity.

But it took most of his ministry.

So Solomon really lived for self more than God.

Now he got it right at the end and ended up writing a lot of Proverbs in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is one of the most powerful books in the Bible about living right and not compromising, because he had done everything.

He had lived for wine, women, world.

I mean, he had it all.

And he said it was all vanity of vanities.

And then Rehoboam, he didn't last two weeks.

He divided the kingdom and lost the kingdom in less than a month.

Committed, compromised, confused.

So you could say Abraham experienced knowing God.

You could say, hey, Solomon had an explanation and thought a lot about God.

And then you say, hey, Rehaboam, hey, exclusion.

He didn't have a clue who God was and what God was doing.

Didn't have a clue.

Okay, now let me tell you about the family, children, and grandchildren.

Here we go.

Wrap this up.

Give me about another three to five minutes.

This is powerful, children.

Here we go.

I wrote this to me.

Examine me, O Lord.

Prove me.

Try my reins and my motives and my heart.

Verse 3 Your love is before me, and I have walked in your truth.

God, this is what we want.

How do we do that?

Here we go.

To know which chair you sit in is to know where you are spiritually.

Hello?

To know which chair you sit in is to know where you sit spiritually.

And then secondly, to know which chair you sit in is to know where your children sit.

And then thirdly, you and your children can sit in chair one.

Now, watch this.

How we do that.

Two things in a this will be the you can't miss the ending of this.

You gotta make a commitment, number one, to be a part.

You gotta be, hey, to be personally committed to God.

You gotta be, hey, say this with me, church.

All in.

That wasn't good enough.

All in.

You're either all in or you're not.

Jesus said, either you're for me or against me.

There's no straddling the fence.

You with me?

You've got to be all in, totally committed to God and your church.

And then secondly, you gotta let your children see the mighty miracles and working of God in your life and in the ministry.

They've got to see it, they've got to be a part of it.

And you've got that opportunity right here at CCW.

You remember some of our first ones that started and ended up being here the first two or three years, and I think Rick got here, what, five years ago?

So after we've been here about three years.

Here, you've seen it from the very beginning.

You gotta pass that on to your kids.

You gotta show them, tell them, let them be a part of it.

Amen.

Oh, for example, here it is.

If Danny and Susan sit in chair one, now watch this.

The odds of our children will sit in chair number two, and the odds are their kids, our grand, my grandkids, can sit in chair number three.

It's hard to keep everybody in chair one.

Can I get an amen?

It's hard.

But we have to work at it.

We've got to do it.

In fact, when you study church history, this breaks my heart.

Listen.

Very seldom, and I really see this.

Hey, number in chair three, Christianity and families very seldom last three generations.

Very seldom.

But it can.

So what must we do?

And by the way, can I tell you how I know it can?

When you go to 2 Timothy, watch this.

I had a Pentecostal spell this, probably, I think it was Wednesday, when God took me there and said, I said, I need a good example to close this message with.

In fact, let me read it to you.

I'm not, I could quote it, but I want to, I like, I want to read it out of the Bible.

Are you ready?

Remember Timothy?

Young Timothy?

When I called to re ooh, I'm about to, oh.

I know, but it's feeling good.

Listen to me.

Because I go back and I look at the almost 40 years Susan and I mean Mary and raised our children.

We did this consistently, not perfectly, but we did.

Listen to what it says.

And when I call to remembrance, and that's what I've been doing, thinking about my family, my kids, and where they are, when I call to remembrance, that unfeigned faith, that unwavering faith, that, hey, what?

That was in thee which dwelt first in their grandmother, Lois, in my papa, in my mama.

Hey, Lois, and then my mother, Eunice, and then me.

And then I, hey, and I am persuaded that is in you also, Timothy.

There it is.

The first and the second generation.

Timothy's grandmother was right here.

And she was determined that she wasn't gonna let Satan get her family.

And because of that, her daughter sat in chair one.

And then mom was determined that she wasn't gonna let Satan destroy her family.

And so that from a child, remember Dr.

Dobson at five, by the time they're five years old, they've adopted your spiritual foundation or they know what it is.

Now listen to what it says.

And that from a child that has known the holy scriptures, which are what?

Able to make you what?

Wise.

What?

To keep you committed.

Are you listening to me, church?

I can promise you, as the pastor and as pastors of this church, we're gonna do everything we can to help you stay committed and to help you teach your children to be committed.

And we're gonna provide the means, whether it's an umbrella Christian school, church, Sunday, strong Sunday school, strong Bible teaching.

We're gonna help you in every way we can till Jesus comes back.

I promise.

Because we want to stay in chair one.

Amen.

I want your children to stay in chair one.

I want your grandchildren to stay in chair one.

And to make that a reality, listen to me, church.

Please listen.

And I'm not trying to be ugly and mean.

I love you with all my heart.

It's gonna take us, as the next verse says, stir it up.

Stir it up.

That means fame.

Hey, fan the flame.

You can't you can't take a vacation for a year or two.

You gotta keep the kindles on the fire.

Amen.

You gotta stay faithful.

You gotta stay true.

And you gotta stay with a church.

And there's some great churches, not just us, but if you got to get in a church that God's moving and doing something so they can see it and be a part of it.

Can I get an Amen?

Was that not good truth this morning?

Was that not good truth?

Listen to me, young couples.

Listen to me, grandpa parents.

That is the greatest thing.

You if you can give them a spiritual foundation, a spiritual heritage, you have done the greatest thing you can do for your children and grandchildren.

Father, we pray.