In his sermon 'Family Worship', Mike Davenport addresses the decline in spiritual knowledge and morality after Joshua's generation, emphasizing the failure to educate families in godly ways. He stresses the importance of family worship as a means to prevent such decline, outlining scriptural principles that support it, such as God's design of the family and the duty to glorify God together. Davenport highlights the advantages given to families by God, like the headship structure, which can be used to lead family worship. He also discusses righteous motives for family worship, such as fulfilling church membership commitments, living in the fear of God, and strengthening the church. Family worship is presented as an evangelistic tool and a source of joy. Davenport identifies obstacles like misplaced priorities, feelings of inadequacy, distractions, and sin, offering strategies to overcome them. He concludes by urging families to embrace their role in leading worship at home, which will enhance the church's collective worship.

Well, as we see the days of Joshua coming to a close, we see in the Scriptures people committing themselves and dedicating themselves to Jehovah. But then we turn a few pages over in our Bibles and we come to the book of Judges and we come face to face with the words, in those days, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. What happened? What happened? Well, Judges 2, 7 through 10 tells us that a generation arose that did not know God and did not know what he had done for their fathers.

There was failure on the part of Joshua's generation to teach and instruct their families. All of the idolatry, the immorality, the bloodshed, and other wickedness of which we read throughout the book of Judges can be attributed to this fact. These people had not received instruction and teaching. They were ignorant of God and His ways. Well, dear ones, what can we do to keep this from happening to the generation after us?

Yes, we do need to see to it that our families are found here in church on the Lord's Day Sabbath every week. Yes, we do need to correct our children and bring them up in the Word of God and bring the Word of God to bear upon their consciences when they sin. Yes, we need to give them through our own lives A godly example of Christian piety that they can imitate. But our duty does not stop there. I submit to you that it is our duty to lead our families in the worship of God right in our own homes right in our own homes to have regular even daily time when the family is gathered together for the sole purpose of worshiping God So consider with me in the minutes before us the necessity of family worship the necessity of Family worship and I must say from the outset that with regard to many of my points I'm greatly indebted to two pastors who I'd listened to in my late teens and early 20s so it's been over 25 years ago and these things have just stayed with me throughout that time.

So consider with me first scriptural principles that support family worship scriptural principles that support family worship. The first scriptural principle is this God instituted the family. God instituted the family. It was God that created man. It was God that created woman and brought her to the man.

It was God that the two ordained that the two should cleave to one another. It was God that ordained that they procreate and have children And it was also God that ordained the dwelling together of families. For Genesis 2, 24 infers that children will dwell with their father and mother until such time as they mature and then leave father and mother and cleave to their appointed spouse thus establishing their own family and starting the cycle over again and having children that will dwell with them. That was all the doing of our God from the foundation of the world. This is what he established.

Secondly, God is the ultimate end or goal of all things. God is the ultimate end or goal of all things. What's the very first question that the catechism asks us? What is the chief end of man? What is that chief end?

Well Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. If man's chief end is to glorify God and that very God placed every individual in a family, then it can be argued that the chief in of the family a unit made up of Individuals whose chief purpose is to glorify God Then that family joined together their chief goal is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Third, God has granted families a stewardship of advantages for which he will hold them accountable. God himself has granted families a stewardship of advantages for which he will hold them accountable. We read in Malachi 2.15 that God has established the institution of marriage because for this reason that he seeks a godly offspring.

He seeks a godly offspring. God never calls an individual to a duty that he cannot or will not give him or her the ability to fulfill. He doesn't do that. If God wants godly offspring, He will provide you or has provided you everything you will need to do that. The family has received from God advantages that enable them to worship God on a daily basis.

No other society among men has been given such advantages. Let's look at some of the advantages. First, The head of the family has been given God-ordained headship. Okay? The head of the family has been given God-ordained headship.

In Genesis 18-19, God expressed his expectation for Abraham to command, to command his family to worship and serve Jehovah. Note also the language that Joshua uses in Joshua 24 15 I was just mentioning that at the beginning of how all the people dedicated themselves to Jehovah what did Joshua say that urged them to do this well He said as for me and my house we will we will serve the Lord Joshua didn't go around and take a poll and ask okay. What do you think should we serve the Lord? What do you think? I mean, there's a lot of idols out there.

What do you think? What do you think what what should we do as a family? He didn't poll to find out to see what the family what his children thought He stated as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. He's speaking for his whole family. He's pledging to exercise his headship in seeing that his family worships God as a family.

He wasn't content just to speak for himself and leave the rest with them. We will serve the Lord. Secondly, the head of the family has earned the love and natural affection of those within the family. The head of the family has earned that that love and that natural affection from those within the family. And this blessed advantage ought to be used by the head of the Family to bring each family member to at least a willing compliance to his desire to have God worshiped by his family Mom and dad your children love you They love you And your children will often grow up to have affections for the things that you have affections for.

That's what Scott was talking about this morning, about our love for the church. If we as parents don't love the church, Do you think your children are going to do that? Not naturally. God can do a work in them, but by and large our children will show affection and be interested in things that we show affection to and are interested in and while they are young during that time when when they just they just they just want to do anything to please you and to make you happy show them show them what would bring you the most joy is for them to obey and to love the Lord to obey and to love the Lord the Apostle John gets to that third letter and he said, I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth. That's what brought him joy and he wanted his spiritual children to know that.

Do your children know that that's joy to you? To see them walking in truth, knowing the Lord. Well, family worship should demonstrate what brings you the most delight. Third, the head of the family provides for the welfare of his household. That's what happens, right?

The head of the household provides. He provides for the family. His children are dependent upon him. This dependency can be used by the head of the household in a loving and prudent way To promote and advance the worship of God within his home. Can we convert our children?

We can't that's the work of God but we can bring them up in the admonition of the Lord, which is our duty. It's our duty. First Timothy 5, 8 declares that if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. If this is true in the realm of physical provision, How much more is it so in terms of spiritual provision? How much more?

What is worth the soul? Fourth, families, this will be shocking, families dwell together under the same roof. They dwell in the same house. Unlike any other personal relationship on earth, families know the blessings of dwelling together, of having contact with one another on a daily basis. Not even the local church knows such an arrangement.

God requires us to take advantage of such providential Arrangements this is what going back to that point we said earlier God designed it this way For them to spend that much time under your roof in front of you Fourth or fifth rather the head of the family knows his family well. The head of the family knows his family well. He knows each one's struggles, each one's burdens, each one's needs, And so family worship can be constructed in such a way that such areas of life can be addressed and dealt with. No pastor has this liberty of knowledge in such large measures, not like the heads of families. So these are all advantages, brothers and sisters, and of these advantages, God expects heads of families to be good stewards, to be good stewards.

These are advantages for which God will hold heads of families accountable. Well, those are scriptural principles that support family worship. Consider secondly with me righteous motives that promote family worship righteous motives that promote family worship the first I would mention is this If you're a member of this church, you have committed yourself to this duty of family worship. I hope it doesn't shock you. Our church membership covenant has the following language and we just we just had it we just said these words those of us who are members and that language it presupposes the scriptural principles just mentioned it says this we will also maintain family and private devotions to educate our children in the Christian faith and demonstrate the love of Christ in all of our household relationships.

So if we were to stop here with this one righteous motive, we would have reason enough, motive enough to have family worship. We have committed ourselves to this duty and we just dealt last week with bearing false witness. Are we bearing false witness in our lives by failing to live out what we've said we would do. And that's not just in light of this one thing, but it's in light of everything that we've said that we would do. But let us go on.

Number two, family worship establishes the principle of living in the fear of God. Family worship establishes the principle of living in the fear of God. Family worship establishes the principle of living in the fear of God. So I ask you, what kind of impact is your example making upon your children, dads? What kind of impact is your example making upon your children, dads?

What kind of impact is your example having upon your children? What are your priorities conveying to your wife? The head of the home is under obligation to teach The family the principle of living in the fear of God You remember the well-known words Deuteronomy 4 9 through 10 Only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself lest you forget the things your eyes have seen unless they depart from your heart all the days of your life and and teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, gather the people to me and I will let them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and that they may teach their children. You see, God was demonstrating the very thing he was going to ask him to do. Gather them, gather them, gather my sons and my daughters before me.

I'm gonna teach them. I want them to hear from my own mouth. Gather them. What does God ask us to do? Having been having heard from the very voice of God himself and we have it right here this this is God speaking to us what should we do we should gather our children gather them gather them that they may hear and that they may fear the Lord all the days of their life Deuteronomy 6 6 through 9 and these words which I command you today, Moses says, shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children. He didn't say you shall bring them to church on Sunday so that the pastor can teach them. Don't skip that. But you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house When you walk by the way When you lie down and when you rise up You shall bind them as a sign on your hand. They shall be as frontlets between your eyes you shall write them where on the doorposts of your house and on your gates that's the home that's the home that's what it's speaking of here It's our duty before God to see that our family understands the importance of living each day as to the Lord.

Living with the realization that he is to be honored in every activity, both of our individual lives and our life together as a family. Family worship establishes such principles and understanding. It shows that we're serious about the things of the Lord, that we are serious about the fear of the Lord and we want our families to do the same. Third, family worship helps build the church. That was alluded to as well this morning.

Family worship helps build the church. The church will only be as strong as the families which fill its seats. Family worship is an ideal setting in which children every single day of the week, every single day of the week can be taught how to conduct themselves in the times of worship. You cannot expect them to learn how to conduct themselves when you gather here at church if they haven't had to do it for six days. It's going to take a long time to build a habit.

If you do something one day out of seven In family worship, they can learn how to control their bodies, control their tongues, and direct their thoughts and attention. In family worship, They can learn to look at you, Dad, as you speak and as you read God's Word. In family worship, they can learn how to sing in a manner pleasing unto God. In family worship, they can learn the reverence of bowing their head and closing their eyes as the family prays together. J.I.

Packer in his book entitled, A Quest for Godliness, the Puritan Vision of the Christian life, he writes the following quote, when the Puritans said family, they had in view not only parents and children, but also elderly relatives being looked after and sometimes other residents too. It was with reference to such human units that John Jury wrote in his 1646 tract the character of an old English Puritan or non-conformist and then quoting Jury he says his family he endeavored to make a church, both in regard of persons and exercises, admitting none into it, into that family, but such as feared God. That's not talking about children, okay? That's talking about bringing in other people from outside, making them as it were part of their household, admitting none that did not fear God and laboring that those that were born into it, there you have the children, might be born again to God. That was the labor.

To the Puritans, Packer goes on to say, family life was enormously important for a family is the seminary of church and state and if children be not well principled there all miscarrieth so keep up the government of God in your families holy families must be the chief preservers of the interest of religion in the world. It was the husband's responsibility to channel the family into religion, to take them to church on the Lord's Day and oversee the sanctifying of the entire day in the home to catechize the children and teach them the faith to examine the whole family after each sermon to see how much had been retained and understood and to fill any gaps in understanding that might remain to lead the family in worship daily, ideally twice a day, and to set an example of sober godliness at all times and in all matters." Needless to say, all matters." End quote. Needless to say in the very beginning of that book he talks about how, you know, why do we look at these men as giants while we ourselves remain pygmies and that's why he really goes through this entire book to say how did they pursue this godliness well this was one of the ways mentioned fourth family worship is a powerful evangelistic tool.

It is a powerful evangelistic tool. Are you praying for the salvation of the souls of your children? Are you? Well, will you pray for them and yet do little to bring the gospel of your Lord before them each and every day? Consider that Family worship, it might be the very means that God uses to bring your children to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It might be the very tool. Many of you have unsaved friends and neighbors that refuse your invitation to come to church. Maybe you have unconverted family members that they come and they visit but somehow they vanish. They go home before Sunday rolls around. Well, if they won't come to church, take the church to them.

When they're in your home, do what you regularly will do. Worship God as a family and just invite them, even just to be observers. We're not asking you to participate. This is just our habit. This is what we do.

I remember when our children were really young, sometimes we would have people in our home and it was always a delight for one of my kids to go over there and get the Bible and come set it before me at the dinner table. It's not like I was trying to conjure something up because we had somebody in the home and we're going to use this as an art. We're doing what we always do. Hey, this my son brought me my Bible because we use this time just to read a little bit and pray and it won't be long would you join us just for a few minutes just as an observer. It's a glorious way to get the gospel in front of unconverted neighbors or family.

It's a wonderful means of evangelism. And then fifthly, family worship brings joy. It brings joy. If family worship is entered into with the whole heart, If we give our entire being to it, heart, mind, and soul, then we will know seasons of refreshing and joy unspeakable. As we saw in the second motive, family worship is born out of a holy fear of God.

What does God promise to those who fear him? Go read Psalm 128. It tells you what God brings about. The blessing that God gives, it comes dressed in joy and gladness. I say it reverently, family worship makes a house a home.

It really makes a house a home. The Bible here says that everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways will be blessed. And it talks about the wife being as a vine at the very center of the home. Your children like olive plants all around the table, not just in presence, but in joy and production and being part of that home like an olive plant. Do you know anything of this joy?

Well having considered scriptural principles and righteous motives for family worship, just consider with me thirdly and finally certain obstacles that may hinder this family worship. And I'll seek to be brief. First, misplaced or distorted priorities. Misplaced or distorted priorities. Do you remember the scene where Jesus enters the home of Mary and Martha?

Martha was busy, busy, busy, running here, running there, doing this, doing that. Where was Mary? She was at the feet of Christ. She had chosen the better thing. So we must not be so concerned with other, even good things, that we neglect the one thing that's needful sitting at the feet of our Lord, not just as individuals and private, but as family.

Second, feelings of inadequacy or unfitness, feelings of inadequacy or unfitness. One might say, oh, I could never speak in front of my family like that. I'd be so nervous. Another might say, who am I to lead others in the worship of God? It's just, God hasn't gifted me like that.

Another might say, I don't know the Bible well enough. Maybe someone says I just came to Christ recently. I just don't know what I would say. I'm afraid I'd say the wrong thing. Well, how quick we underestimate the grace of God to give us what we need.

May we not be like Moses. God came to Moses and said, I got a job for you. Oh, not me. No, not the way I speak. God became angry with him.

God became angry with Moses because Moses thought, God's calling me to something that I'm not equipped to do. If God calls you to do it, He will equip you. Trust in him. Just do what he says. The third is distractions.

Distractions are sure to come. They're sure to come. Whether it be our phones, our schedules, neighbors pop in, family shows up, distractions will come, but we must not let these things become the distraction. They're not distractions unless we allow them to be distractions. So put them out, Make sure you stick to what it is you're trying to do.

Fourth, sin. Sin. One way that sin keeps us from this duty is through the remaining sinfulness that still cleaves to our flesh. Our remaining sin strives to keep us from any of our spiritual duties. It calls us to self-indulgence and activities that might keep us from family worship.

Our flesh tells us that we're just too tired. Just, just skip it tonight. Just one night. Just, just, it reminds us that if we have family worship, We're going to miss out on that something that we really wanted to get done tonight. The second way that sin keeps us from our duty is through the guilt, the guilt that it brings, the guilt of past sin already dealt with or even of sin recently confessed.

Either one can cripple us in our desire to glorify God through family worship. Satan would desire to discourage us, to make us feel that our worship's not from the heart, to drive a wedge between us and our God by stirring up remembrance of our sins. We shouldn't get confused. Sometimes the Spirit's doing it so that we can get it out in the open so that we can then carry on with family worship with a clear conscience. But Satan works to bring up sins as well, especially if we've already dealt with them.

And then a third way that sin can do it is actual sin that we're committing or just committed. You see, it's hard to conduct family worship. Say after your meal is when you like to do it. It's hard to do it when harsh words have been spoken around the table. When we haven't honored Christ and then just to think ourselves, it's so mechanical just to go through the motions and our hearts are yelling out hypocrite the entire time.

So what do we do? Do we skip family worship? We confess our sins and that becomes part of our family worship that we serve a God that can wash our sins and has washed our sins in the blood of Christ, and we repent, and we show our children that we serve a God who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins if we but confess. And that's worship. That's worship.

And it's worshiping God for who he really is. If we're not making it up, he is a God who forgives sins. James 4, 17, 7 through 10, submit to God, Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts. Lament and mourn and weep. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Well may God give you grace to worship him as families not just for the blessing that it is for you as a family, but for the blessing that we as a church will have in families that are worshiping together throughout the week and we gather together as families who have been doing thus and it will increase our worship here. Let's pray.

Father, thank you for your word. We pray that you would help us in our duties, Lord, that you would be honored and glorified in all that we say and all that we do both as individuals and as families and as a church family that Christ might receive all the praise he is worthy of in his name we pray amen we are dismissed.