Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Abraham Lincoln’s mother’s name was Nancy. And until the age of nine, Nancy Lincoln repeatedly and normally as part of the growing up of that young boy, did several things. And one of the main teachings that she gave to her son was the word of God. Lincoln remembers many times sitting down, hearing the word of God instructed by his mother. She was a saintly Christian. She was regularly to be found as a worshiper. She called herself a Christian. And when Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, he was called into a room where his mother was dying. And she spoke words to everyone. She called her son Abraham. And she said this. Abe, I am going to leave you now, and I shall not return. I want you to be kind to your father and live as I have taught you.

Love your heavenly father and keep his commandments. Those were her last words to her son. History, perhaps, has pictured Abraham Lincoln for us with certain catch thoughts. Honest Abe. We hear stories in a courtroom trial that Abraham Lincoln often would speak to the opposing lawyer to help him in the midst of the trial, to construct a more cogent argument, which brought him the reputation of honest Abe. But someone asked him, where did your honesty come from? Why do you have those qualities of living? I quote from a comment made by Lincoln. When I am tempted to do something wrong, I can still hear clearly in my mind the tones of my mother’s voice as she said, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage.

Thou shalt not steal, neither shalt thou bear false witness. Lincoln says that the qualities of his life, many of them, were traced to a godly mother who instructed him in the things of the Lord. It’s a topic that I don’t hear much about these days. And it’s the topic of the church that is in your home and in my home. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter eleven, verse 19, we read, you shall teach these words to your children. Speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. The context of that verse. The people have escaped from Egypt. They have been given their freedom. Moses has gone up on Mount Sinai. He has received the first tablets.

He then comes back down to find the people in great disarray, worshipping a golden calf. In the midst of his anger, those first tablets were cast down and broken apart. The Lord later instructed Moses again to bring two sets of tablets. And the Lord wrote a second time, the ten Commandments. They were placed on the tablet. And the Lord gave instruction that a special ark was to be built to house these tablets. So Moses returns, takes the tablets, and places them in the ark. Then we read a very unusual verse. Chapter eleven of the book of deuteronomy. Verse two. The Lord has given the second set of tablets. The people know what the Lord has done. And then he says, know today that I do not speak with your children.

Who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the Lord, your God. And what are some of the things that the Lord says? He is not going to speak to the children. The Lord says, I am not going to speak to them about the day when Pharaoh chased you out of Egypt. I, the Lord, am not going to tell them about the army that was destroyed in that flood. I, the Lord, am not going to tell them about the Red Sea. I, the Lord, am not going to tell them how the earth was opened up. And consumed. Those rebels out in the wilderness. And who does the Lord leave to the task of telling the children? After all of his thrust of reviewing again the things that the people have seen, he says in verse 19, you shall teach them.

You shall teach your children speaking to them. When you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. The instruction of scripture is that every house is to be a place. Where there is conversation about the things of the Lord. It is the responsibility of the parents in a home. To speak about the things of the Lord. The Lord has placed that responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the parents. It is not left to the Sunday school. It is not left to a meeting during the week. The responsibility for teaching the children rests squarely on the parents. And I would ask this morning, what type of heritage are you and I leaving our children in our homes? That your house is part of the church.

And in a very real way, it is the most important teaching aid of the church. The things that happen in your home. Just a quick review of the lives of some of the great leaders of the church. We find that very often there were godly parents who were behind their offspring. Matthew Henry, who in the last century was considered to be one of perhaps the greatest writers in giving commentary on the scripture. Says that any good in him. He traces directly to the home in which he was raised. And that he remembered very often the family altar in their home. A place where they would come together regularly, daily to pray, to study, God’s word to sing. And he remembers that as the legacy which his family gave to him. Andrew Murray has had a profound effect on the church.

Murray’s mother was a young Scott girl who committed her life to Christ. She said, I live the kind of life I wanted my children to live. Murray remembers the family altar in their home, in their house, the things that were instructed to them as young children, and claims that his life later as a pastor and a great writer, was directly related to the things that were taught him at home. We only need to go to scripture to find examples of the effects of a godly home on the offspring. Samuel, perhaps one of the greatest teachers from the Old Testament. Samuel. In chapter one of the book of Samuel, we’re told several things about him. One, that his family regularly brought him to the house of the Lord to worship. That was a regular part of their living.

We also learned that his family regularly prayed for him. That was part of the diet of that home. We learn also that the house of Samuel was used as the training ground for the things that later on were taught him in the temple. We find in the New Testament also words of acclamation that were given to the followers of Paul, as we remember the grandmother and the mothers who had carried on the gospel, the teaching of the living God, even to the generation in which Paul lived. And he commended Timothy for his godly legacy and the things that were taught to him at home.

There is a great power that can be brought into a home through family worship, and this has been shown statistically in California, where the divorce rate is one in two, they have found an unusual thing, and that is in those homes where there is regular attendance at church. And number two, a family altar in the home where the family gathers every day to pray to the Lord to read his word that in those homes, the divorce rate is one in a thousand. Now, there are a lot of people today who say, I will leave the training of my children to the Sunday school. And so they search for a church that has a good Sunday school program. The history of Sunday schools is only 150 years old. The Sunday school movement as we know it in America began in England.

And when it began, there was such opposition by christian families to the idea of a Sunday school. Why? Because the family believed that it was their responsibility to teach their children. It was not primarily the responsibility of a Sunday school. And in those early days, we find that the Sunday school was used as an evangelistic tool. Dwight L. Moody, who saw a tremendous ministry, built the YMCA, which was built on work with children. George Mueller, who worked in orphanages. All of those attempts at teaching children were used evangelistically. They were out in the street looking for children who were not instructed in the things of Christ. How far we have slipped in our understanding of Sunday school and how far we have slipped in our understanding of our own responsibility as fathers and mothers to our children.

The instruction that was given in deuteronomy was that the parents were to teach their children the things of the Lord. Where in their home. And if it is happening in the home, that is the most important place for it to happen. We are very concerned about the physical well being of our children and also of ourselves. When a child leaves in the morning and doesn’t brush his teeth, we quickly say, johnny, did you brush your teeth? No, I didn’t. Well, get back in there and brush your teeth. And we will stop him in his tracks to make sure that’s done. When was the last time that we stopped a child in their tracks and asked, have we prayed together as a family? Have we read God’s word together to begin this day in the teaching of the Lord?

And the reason that we don’t is because too often we have neglected our responsibility. And we give it to Sunday school teachers, and we give it to other people, and we say, here, take my child. Teach them. And then we become amazed later on when that child turns around and does not follow the things of the Lord. The instruction of scripture is the home is the primary place where the teaching about the Lord is to occur. James Dobson says that there is a period in the life of every child of imprinting. Imprinting is something that happens with all animals and with all people. Goslings, little geese. Within 48 hours after they are born, they imprint on whatever is the living, moving event in their life. Usually it’s a mother. And so they follow and they learn.

Within the first 48 hours, they found a very interesting thing that you can take a bladder of a football, and within the first 48 hours, you can drag it on a string in front of a gosling, and it will follow, and that will become the pattern of its living. And after that 48 hours period, anytime that little bladder is dragged in front of them, off go the Goslings, following their thinking, their mother. There is a period in our life where God has instructed us to teach our children. If we miss that time, it’s gone. And then we find great regret. If only I had taught the things of the Lord to my child. There’s a very worthwhile book called successful family devotions. Written by Mary White, and she studies this, has studied the question of the family altar.

Now, if you do not have children or if your children have grown, you still have the opportunity of having an altar in your home. Now, what is this family altar? Simply, it is a place within your home that you have set aside. Whether a couch, a chair, where you gather your family together at that place regularly to have time in the Lord. When should it occur? Well, we all eat three meals a day, and we never miss them, do we? And it would be a good idea to tie your family altar to one of those meals, often at the close of the meal, so that the child does not associate praying before the meal with a cold meal, but after they have enjoyed a good meal, then bring them to that family altar in your home. How often should it occur? Often. Every day.

And if it doesn’t happen every day, then as often as you’re able. And what should you do? Mary White suggests that there are always several elements to a family worship. The church in your house. One, the Bible, reading brief portions of God’s word. Two, prayer where your children pray with you and you with them, not only for themselves, but for others. Three, singing the singing of hymns and songs of the faith. How long should it be brief, five or ten minutes. And it is not overdone, but a time where you come together and pray, read God’s word, and sing to the Lord. How many of us can say that we ever heard our father or mother pray out loud? Wouldn’t it be terrible if your children were to say that about you as a follower of Christ?

So often we get caught up in the time requirements, and we think, I can’t do it today. I’m so caught up, and I’m very busy. Jim Croce, who was a great popular songwriter, wrote a song called Cats in the cradle. My child arrived just the other day. He came to the world in the usual way, but there were planes to catch and bills to pay. He learned to walk while I was away, and he was talking before I knew it. And as he grew, he’d say, I’m going to be like you, dad. You know I’m going to be like you. And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon little boy blue and the man in the moon. When you coming home, dad? Don’t know when, but we’ll have a good time then, son. You know we’ll have a good time then.

My son turned ten just the other day. He said, thanks for the ball, dad. Come on, let’s play. Can you teach me to throw. I said, not today. I got a lot to do. He said, that’s okay, and he walked away, but his smile never dimmed and said, I’m going to be like him. Yeah, you know I’m going to be like him. And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon little boy blue and the man in the moon when you coming home, dad? I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then, son. You know we’ll get together then. Well, he came home from college just the other day. So much like a man, I just had to say, son, I’m proud of you. Can’t you sit for a while?

He shook his head and said with a smile, what I’d really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later. Can I have them, please? And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon and the little boy blue and the man in the moon when you come in home, Dad, I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then. You know we’ll have a good time then. I’ve long since retired. My son’s moved away. I called him up just the other day. I said, I’d like to see you, if you don’t mind. He said, I’d love to, dad, if I had the time. You see, my new job’s a hassle and the kids have the flu. But it’s sure been nice talking to you, dad. It’s sure been nice talking to you.

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me he’d grown up just like me. My boy was just like me. And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon little boy blue and the man in the moon when you come in home, son, I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then. You know, we’ll have a good time then. And our lives are passing, and our children are being imprinted by the things of the world. And we say, we have no time. We say, let’s leave it to the Sunday school teacher. Let’s leave it to once or twice during the week. The fact is, God has instructed you and me not to find the time to make the time to teach our children to pray with our wives and our husbands.

To set aside a time every day where we pray to the Lord, where we read his word, where we ask for his direction. And we humble ourselves before the Lord that we not be caught in catching planes and all of the other things that we’re trapped in. The Lord never instructed us. I want you to make sure you catch that train, I want to make sure that you get that raise. I want you to be sure that you make that mark on society. The Lord has instructed you and me. Teach your children, pray, study my word in your home. That’s the place to begin. For we ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. That’s Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 8543. The Lord bless you, and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you. We would like to thank Rone’s web development company, me, for making this webcast possible. You can find their link at the bottom of our website, princetonministries.org.