Households

It's on my heart today to commence the conference with households, and on my heart now for quite a while, households, and I've just selected three to be as brief as possible to commence. So the first household here is the household of David. 2 Samuel 23 verse 1, Now these be the last words of David, David the son of Jesse said, The man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel said, The Spirit of the Lord speak by me, and his word was in my tongue, the God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel speak to me.

Here's what he said, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 3 Hello my house, my household, be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for this is all my salvation, and all my desire.

Genesis chapter 35 for the next household, please. Genesis chapter 35. And now we move to Jacob.

Just a few brief readings here. Household number 2, verse 1, Genesis 35, And one God said unto Jacob, Arise, go to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Underline verse 2, Then Jacob said unto his household, and all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments, and let us arise, and go up to Bethel.

I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. Now you all know the passage. Notice a little further, verse 14, They have arrived.

Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

Now you all know the rest of the passage, so I won't read more. Maybe I should just read verse 7, And he built there an altar, and called the place Bethel, because God appeared unto him. One more in 2 Samuel, please.

2 Samuel, again, chapter 6. 2 Samuel 6, please. I will just break in the reading here. David is attempting to bring up the ark to the place prepared in the city in Jerusalem.

Notice, for example, at verse number 8. So 2 Samuel 6 and 8, David was displeased because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah. Verse 9, David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David. But David carried it aside into the house, the household of Obed-edom, the Gittite.

And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his household. There it is. Notice, please, verse 12, when it was told King David, saying, The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God.

So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And so the Lord will bless what we have read. Now we're delighted to see you everyone here this morning at this new facility.

You know, our assemblies are made up of households, families. Lovely to see the older friends, the middle-aged, those that are raising families, and little ones around our feet. We certainly appreciate all who are here today.

Now, as our brother has mentioned in prayer, I know two households. One household away out west. There's a very sad funeral there today of a young man, 17 years of age, that passed suddenly into eternity.

There's another household I know, where the breadwinner, an honored servant of Christ, that has made a tremendous contribution to the work of God in other lands. I have shared with him in other parts, and he too will be buried today. So I'm interested in households, and I've just selected three.

And to be very brief and to the point, and trust that the Lord will bless everyone who has come. I want you to think of a household divided. That's David.

We'll see in a minute, 2 Samuel 23. And then I want to think of a household defiled. That's Jacob.

Now, I didn't read in Genesis 34, a sad reading. And then I want to think about a household devoted. The household of Obed-Edom, 2 Samuel 6. Now, we can't go into the background to build a background.

There's not time for that. And I just want to give a very simple word to start the day, to this conference. I read an article recently in this country of the U.S., and of course Canada is the same, and the statisticians tell us that there are more single parents that are seeking to bring up families in 2010 than any other generation that has been known in the world.

Now, if that is right, that means that our families, our households are under attack, and the old devil wants to ruin the family unit, and introduce all kinds of other things. So it's our burden today to give something for the household. Lovely to see you here, little ones, sitting with your father and mother.

That's the environment that I grew up. I remember sitting in Venezuela as a little fellow around four years of age, and listening to my dad preaching the gospel, and ministering the Word. That's the environment that I grew up in.

Let me just tell you this, as we pass by, there's no guarantee to your father and mother that when you do everything you can to see your family raised for God, that they'll follow in your footsteps. Sadly, I didn't do that, but the grace of God intervened, and here we are today. So I want to tell you that in a day when our conferences are getting smaller, it's important to bring our children and our teenagers right here to hear the Word.

Right. David is 70 years of age, or thereabouts. He's coming to the end of life.

The early chapters of 1st Kings shows us that he was gathered to his father's when Solomon was beside him, and he went into eternity. I want to point out that in this divided house, David is really burdened and concerned. The man's real now.

He's facing eternity. He recognizes he hasn't long to go. Now I want you to notice very quickly and summary some of the ideas that were in his mind, and I won't take them in the order that we read, but I'll start off with salvation.

He had a spiritual relationship with the God of eternity, and as he faces reality, he recognizes there's nothing else will do. All other things will recede. This is the most important thing.

He has made an everlasting covenant with me, said David. This is all my salvation. Listen to some of his writings.

Psalm 32. Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven, whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. The man was happy.

He's going to eternity, but on his heart is his divided family. You read the record, and you'll find out that the Bible says he had 19 sons and one girl. He might have had others that are not mentioned, but he had at least 19, so I want to tell you that he had a little experience of life, and as he's leaving for eternity, it's on his heart.

My house is divided. Some are saved, and some are lost. My wife and I sat beside a beloved brother just a few weeks ago in Vancouver, and he was on his deathbed.

An honored brother in the assembly for a lifetime, a shepherd among us, and one of the things he said, Stan, it pains my heart. I have three boys. They're all men in their own right, and I'm not sure that they're saved.

Dear saints of God today, this is important. This is real. This is where the river meets the road.

Are you here today without the Lord Jesus? Right now, learn your need and trust the one whom David trusted, and that's a real thing. He learned another thing. He found out that over 70 years in life that leadership needs to be righteous.

We don't want to dwell on the negative. The dear man was a man after God's own heart. He was real, but he was human, but he learns on the closing part of his life as he looks back over it.

Leadership has to be righteous. Any realm of the world today, let's start off with family life. Dear Father, you're the head of the house.

Make absolutely sure that you're leading in righteousness. We often point out there's nobody knows you better than your children. They might never say anything, but they can pick up on the inconsistencies, and David is learning as he moves to eternity.

The only thing that will count is to be righteous in all our departments of life. Bring it to the realm of secular things, material things, whatever way you want to put it. Bring it to the assembly.

Righteous leadership. I'll just say this about it and pass on. Brethren, and I say this to myself first, every one of us, sometime or another around the root of life, we might fail in the blood test.

What does that mean? That means that I could have a law for my own children and a different one for somebody else's children. It has caused havoc in many places. God help us today, whatever realm we are, and at a divided household, that we'll rule righteously for the God of eternity.

Here's another thing. This man learned as he looked back over life. Now there's only one David in the Bible.

He had abilities and wisdom and skills and understanding that nobody else had. There was only one man could slay that giant. That's David.

When he came to the throne, he's 30 years of age, he had tremendous ability, and he had skills in the battlefield that others didn't have. But you know something? He learned this. I can't do it all myself.

And so 2 Samuel 23 is mighty man, and he recognizes the exploits and out of affection for him and all that they did. And he's now going to reward them. And those that stood with him, he really appreciated it.

Can we learn a simple thought as we leave it today? It doesn't matter how skillful we are, or what ability God has given us, or what intellect or intelligence or experience or whatever. Dear brethren, none of us. We can't do it all ourselves.

We need others. I just say this as I leave this passage. One of the big needs of 2010, you've heard me at it before, it's worth repeating, that we need to encourage younger men.

Older brethren, one by one, are passing on. This year we have buried quite a number of shepherds in this great country. And we ask ourselves, who is going to take the responsibility and fill the gaps? Older brethren have to encourage younger brethren.

And younger brethren need to have the ability and the desire, begotten of God, to help in whatever way we can. Dear brethren, we often point out that none of us would be here, I wouldn't be here today, only older men encouraged me. And you need to have a life to back it up.

Supper the word of exhortation. That's the message on its own. We'll leave that.

A divided house. I want to ask you today, is your household divided? Some are saved and some are not. Some have learned assembly principles and some haven't.

There's a divided thought. Oh God, help us in our households today to have a united front. And when the day is done, the circle will be unbroken and the sky by and by.

A defiled household. You see, at this particular point in Jacob's life, he had 11 sons and one girl, Dinah. She was defiled in chapter 34.

Dear fathers and mothers, could I just tell you this? That the world that we live in wants to ruin our young woman and our young men. And if they can do anything to do it and tempt them, they'll do it. That's what happened to Dinah.

And her brothers were so upset. You know the story. Levi and Simeon, instruments of cruelty and how they treated those men in Shechem was despicable.

And David or Jacob is really upset. He recognizes before his God, his family is defiled. God says to him, Jacob, up to Bethel.

I want you to go there. You have had dealings with me before. Jacob says to his family, I can see him.

I can hear him. He's gathering them around his feet. He's the breadwinner.

He's the man who has responsibility. And he said to them, listen folk, we're going to the house of God. We're going to Bethel, picture of the New Testament assembly.

And he said to them, family, if you're going to enjoy the presence of God there, you'll need to make some adjustments. And so the story goes this way. He says, no, you better adjust your affections.

But idols in the passage, you're going to enjoy the divine presence. We need to have our affections right on the person of Christ. He says, no, listen, your adornment will need to be right.

It's very, very delicate in 2010. We're coming down the road there today. I was saying to my brother, one of the big words that we need to think about from the holy Bible in 2010 is the words reasonableness.

Don't be going off on one side and on the other. We're not in mannequin parades, but we're not going to a picnic. We're in the presence of God.

We're in the holy assembly. He's to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. And the way I dress displays my character and who I am.

I might never speak a word. He says, no, you better change your attitude as well. You see that disobeyed in the previous chapter.

And there's all kinds of things. He says, no, I want you to display a nice attitude as we come to the assembly. I would like to ask you today, fellow believer, what's your attitude like in the assembly? Remember that arrogance, they won't, won't wash.

And the ultimate, it'll cause confusion. Oh, that God would help us today to be humble and submissive and our attitude, right? Under a factions, right? Under adornment, right? Under retire, right? To move forward. Now watch.

At the appropriate time, I can see Jacob and his behavior in the house of God. First Timothy 315. He raises that pillar.

He pours oil on it. He pours a drink offering first. And I can hear his family saying, so what's that for? But could I make a suggestion? Putting the scripture together, the drink offering speaks of joy, appreciation, satisfaction, rejoicing, happiness.

Jacob would say to them, I'm telling you, I am happy to be in the house of God. Are you? You ever asked yourself why some dear people are leaving? We don't want to be negative, but we want to be real. People tell me I'm not happy.

How come? I don't want to get into that sidebar. Here's another one. So what do you put in that oil and that pillar for? Now listen to this, brother.

You see, the pillar represents the pillar on ground of the truth. We display to a dying world the truth of God. That's what the assembly is all about and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to tell you this. Doctrine is cold. It's clinical.

But to have it warm is the energy of the Holy Spirit of God and the oil. It's the Spirit of God that brings us to this very point. And when the Spirit of God opens a passage to your understanding and you've seen it before, but you've never enjoyed it before, the divine energy comes and it opens up to your understanding.

And Jacob was happy to be there. He not only was interested in the place, but the person of the place, El Bethel, and so on. Now that's another line.

Let me spend a minute now before I sit down. A divided house. Is your family divided? A defiled house? Your family defiled? I have sat with brethren recently, brokenhearted.

Their young man and young woman are defiled. If there's anybody in the audience today in that category, let me draw beside you today. God is a holy God and these things have to be dealt with.

But there's always a way back. We have seen some over the years restored and happy in the assembly. Sadly, some get defiled and never return.

Since I was at this conference last, I could tell you some very sad families. And you know what? Their families, not only the children that are adults, but some of the parents have been morally defiled. Break your very heart.

Dear brethren, there's none of us at home yet. Oh, the importance of the household. Now here's the flip side of the ministry.

I want everyone to be assured today that the assembly, the house of God, is the right place. My preaching brethren, if you preach negative all the time, people are saying to me, if the assembly is so bad, then why do you want me to go to it? We're not saying that. We're being real today.

These are the real things that I'm talking about. But I want to go up the other side, and I want to show you today that there is devotion to the house of God. I like the household of Ubenedim.

They were absolutely devoted to the God of heaven. How do you know? Well, here's the context. 2 Samuel chapter 6. Amongst all the joy on the arrangements of the day to bring the ark of the covenant into the tent in the city of David, Jerusalem, there was a breach.

David was annoyed. Uzzah tried to steady the ark on the new cart. It didn't go.

Slain. Now, what happened to the ark? Well, David was intelligent enough to go no further, and it went down to the household of Ubedim. And it says that God blessed the household of Ubedim.

They were devoted. Why? Well, the ark of the covenant, the very presence of the Lord Jesus was in the home for three months. They give him first place, and it would seem others didn't want the ark of the covenant, but this household did it.

And here's my point. There was blessing when the Lord was put first, when priorities came into play, and spiritual things were number one, and material things were second. Let me give you a wee test today.

We have to face the same thing. You see, in your household, if there was an anniversary, or a birthday party, and it's the same day as a conference, or it's the Lord's Day, or a ministry meeting, now which one would you put first? I asked myself that. This is where we are in 2010.

The household of Ubedim, they were absolutely devoted to the Lord Jesus, and they gave him first place. Now here's what happened. The word got out.

There's a household in the nation of Israel that God has blessed, and it came right to the throne of Israel. And they told David, David, here's a household blessed. Now in fairness to David, he said, right, the blessing of that household, I want to raise it nationally.

And it came when the Kohathites were brought, and under due order, the covenant, the Ark of the Covenant was taken on the shoulders of the Kohathites, and moved into its proper place. Ah brethren, devotion to the Lord, you see it's infectious. And the word gets out.

And that's what we want today at the conference, that I'll be stirred, and I'll have a word from God, whoever I would be, a sister, a brother, a grandfather, a teenager, whoever, and by the grace of God, put into practice what we know. Right, my 30 minutes are up. How about your household? Dear brethren, the most important investment that we can make in life is to preserve our families.

That's what makes up our assemblies. That's what makes up our nations. And so as younger people grow a little older, and they marry and have children of their own, it's very, very important to have the household as number one, to be useful in the service of God, to maintain things until the last step is taken.

Very simple this morning, isn't it? A household divided, I ask myself, is mine divided? It's yours. A household defiled, is mine defiled? It's yours. A household devoted, it's like Stephanus, the household of Stephanus in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 16.

They addicted themselves to the ministry, they labor to exhaustion, devotion. All kinds of other things could be said, I've said enough. The Lord bless you today for coming.

And the Lord help us by the grace of God to preserve our families and preserve our households, that our assemblies will be for the glory of Christ. Thank you very much.