Douglas Wilson

Lessons for the Limelight (Joint Outdoor Worship Service Part #2)

Grace Sensing on July 21, 2024

INTRODUCTION

Even given the tumultuous time we have had over the last few years, and the attention that it has brought us, it would still be too much for us to say that “all eyes are on Moscow.” That is simply not true. But it would be accurate for us to say that more eyes are on us than used to be the case, and that more eyes are on us than we are accustomed to. On the assumption that you have taken to heart the exhortation you have heard from Pastor Toby today, which is that you need to be faithful within your radius, within your reach here locally, you are still going to be affected by what is going on nationally and even internationally. What should all of us be doing about that?

THE TEXT

“So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We can take note of three distinct things about this passage. The first is that a spirit of willingness to work had come upon the people. The “people had a mind to work” (v. 6). The second is that they were competent in their work. Their willingness did not result in the kind of haste that requires you to tear it up and start over. “If you don’t have time to do it right, how will you have time to do it over?” It says that they built the wall, and it shows that the wall was successfully joined together. This was competent work. And third, if you look at the preceding verses, they were working diligently and competently in the presence of hostile outsiders (vv. 1-3). This becomes very evident in the next verse also. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it” (Nehemiah 4:7–8).

MIND TO WORK

When Scripture speaks on certain principles, we need to remember that they apply as much to communities as they do to individuals. On this point, individuals can be lazy, but so can cultures be. For example, Paul chided the Cretans— “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” (Titus 1:12). When this takes root in a culture, the same kind of destructive consequences start to unfold as well.

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Proverbs 13:4).

“The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason” (Proverbs 26:16).

CREAM RISES

But hustle is not sufficient. There are people who work hard, and they are very confident, but their level of expertise and level of self-awareness are not even in the same room.

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men” (Proverbs 22:29, NKJV).

OPPOSITION IS A DETAIL BUT…

We are accustomed to the opposition, and know how to process it. We have gotten to the point where opposition is baked in. But what shall we do when the dam breaks and everybody wants to team up? What kind of help do we receive? What do we reject? What do we cooperate with cautiously?

Ezra and Nehemiah certainly received help from a pagan king.

“And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me” (Nehemiah 2:8).

At the same time, there was help that it would have been foolish to accept (Ezra 8:22).

“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 10–11).

ALL OF CHRIST FOR ALL OF LIFE

You are no doubt aware of the very visible place that various Moscow institutions have come to occupy—from Canon+ to Logos School, from Logos School to New St. Andrews College, and from NSA to our network of churches. There has been a torrent of books, documentaries, graduates, joint projects and more. In all of this, and for all of this, we must give glory to God. In addition to such things, you might also guess that this has opened some doors that are not so visible, and that there is significant influence that is not visible. If you guessed this, you would be correct.

Now a lot of this treasury of teaching and information was accumulated and stockpiled back when we were being ostracized. In fact, there were seasons when we would get beat like a rented mule. As it happens, this is starting to shift, for which we are most grateful. At the same time, we must remember that the devil has two major tactics that he uses on the church. The first is harassment and persecution, in which he tries to get the church to fail by failing. When that doesn’t work, and the church perseveres through those dangers intact, he moves on to his second strategy, which is to get the church to fail by succeeding.

“How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (John 5:44).

“But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; Then he forsook God which made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation” (Deuteronomy 32:15).

To which we must respond as Christians—Christians in the beginning, Christians in the middle, and Christians to the end.

Theophilus the High Priest (Acts of the Apostles #1)

Grace Sensing on July 14, 2024

INTRODUCTION

The longest book in the New Testament is the gospel of Luke. The second longest is volume 2 of this same set, the Acts of the Apostles, the book where we are now going to spend some time. These two books were written by the same man and were dedicated to the same man—Theophilus. While we are beginning to work through the Acts, it is important to remember to keep this book connected in your minds and hearts with what Luke recorded about the Lord’s ministry earlier. This first message is going to focus on that.

THE TEXT

“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach . . .” (Acts 1:1).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins the book of Acts by making explicit reference to the gospel of Luke. It is clear that as the author he sees them as a matching set. He is addressing this treatise (logos) to Theophilus, the same man who was addressed in the account given in the gospel of Luke. He then says that the first account was concerning all that Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that this book of Acts will be an account of what Jesus will continue to do and teach.

This will be accomplished because the Spirit of Christ will be poured out at the very beginning of this book, and so He will continue His teaching and deeds through His appointed (and anointed) servants (v. 1). Christ indwells believers, and this means that believers are His hands and feet out in the world. Jesus continues His ministry through His body. Christ, the hope of glory, is in us (Col. 1:27). Christ is being formed in us (Gal. 4:19), and this in turn has an impact on the world.

WHO WAS LUKE?

The author of the third gospel—and of our only inspired account of the early church—is a bit of a mysterious figure to us. We are introduced to him (obliquely) in Acts 16. In Acts 16:8, the account says they came to Troas. Then Paul was given a vision in the night.

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9).

And in the next verse, v. 10, it says that immediately we endeavored to go to Macedonia. This is the place where Luke teamed up with Paul, and so it seems related to the vision somehow. If Luke is the man in the vision, this lends support to the long tradition that Luke was a Gentile—he would be a man of Macedonia, northern Greece. In support of this, the Greek of these two books is the most polished and sophisticated of all the New Testament, written by an educated man who knew Greek well.

We know that he was a medical doctor because of a passing remark that Paul makes in Colossians. “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you” (Colossians 4:14). Not only was Luke a faithful member of Paul’s entourage, he remained so until the end of Paul’s life. “Only Luke is with me . . .” (2 Timothy 4:11a). He is mentioned only one other time, at the conclusion of Philemon (v. 24).

Nevertheless he has had a pronounced impact on the character of the church. His gospel pays close attention to Gentiles, as well as to those who were suffering in various ways, or oppressed. His urbanity, careful scholarship, and compassion have helped to set the tone for countless numbers of believers over the history of the church.

WHO WAS THEOPHILUS?

Different suggestions have been made regarding the identity of this Theophilus. Was he an unbelieving seeker that Luke was wanting to evangelize? Was he the patron who financially backed Luke’s research?

In my view, the most likely candidate is Theophilus ben Ananus, who was the High Priest from 37 A.D. to 41 A.D. This would make him the son of Annas (Luke 3:2), and brother-in-law of Caiaphas (Matt. 26:3). This identification does not make Theophilus a friendly, as though the son of the corrupt Annas was about to become a Christian. But it does make him a player, and so it makes sense that such a dedication would be attached to these two great apologetic works. Think of it like John Calvin dedicating the Institutes to King Francis I, a Catholic monarch who was decidedly unsympathetic to the Reformation.

How would someone write an account for a hostile authority? The two great questions are: who was this Jesus? Who are these Christians?

INVITED BY LUKE

These books were no composed slapdash. We are invited by Luke to read two-volume set side-by-side, both of them together. Consider these parallels, gathered by a scholar named Mark Powell.

Address to Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4), address to Theophilus (Acts 1:1-5). The Spirit descends on Jesus while He is praying (Luke 3:21-22), the Spirit descends on disciples as they were praying (Acts 2:1-13). A sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Luke 4:16-27), a sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Acts 2:14-40). Jesus heals a cripple (Luke 5:17-26), Peter heals a cripple (Acts 3:1-10). Religious authorities attack Jesus (Luke 5:29-6:11), religious authorities attack apostles (Acts 4:1-8:3). A centurion invites Jesus to his house (Luke 7:1-10), a centurion invites Peter to his house (Acts 10:1-23). Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17), Peter raises a widow from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). A missionary trip to Gentiles (Luke 10:1-12), a missionary trip to Gentiles (Acts 13:1-19:20). Jesus goes to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:28), Paul goes to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-21:17). Jesus received favorably (Luke 19:37), Paul received favorably (Acts 21:17-20). Jesus was devoted to the Temple (Luke 19:45-48), Paul was devoted to the Temple (Acts 21:26). Sadducees oppose Jesus and scribes support Him (Luke 20:27-39), Sadducees oppose Paul and Pharisees support him (Acts 23:6-9). Jesus breaks bread, giving thanks (Luke 22:19), Paul breaks bread, giving thanks (Acts 27:35). Jesus seized by a mob (Luke 22:54), Paul seized by a mob (Acts 21:30). Jesus slapped by high priest’s aides (Luke 22:63-64), Paul slapped by order of the high priest (Acts 23:2). Jesus is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Luke 22:66-23:13), Paul is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Acts 23:1-26:32). Jesus is rejected by the Jews (Luke 23:18), Paul is rejected by the Jews (Acts 21:36). Jesus regarded favorably by a centurion (Luke 23:47), Paul regarded favorably by a centurion (Acts 27:43). Final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Luke 24:45-47), final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Acts 28:23-28).

CHRIST AND HIS BODY

As we reflect on what Jesus did during His earthly ministry, and as we study how He worked in the first century through those who had believed in Him, we are going to learn a great deal about how to read the narrative that is unfolding all around us now. What does it mean for fallen but forgiven sinners to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? What does it mean for Christ to work through His body? We have a template set out for us, enabling us to look to Christ effectively.

On Loving the Standard (Biblical Child Discipline in an Age of Therapeutic Goo #9)

Grace Sensing on July 7, 2024

INTRODUCTION

The chances are pretty good that over the years you have heard me say something like this. You task as parents is not to get your kids to conform to the standard, but rather to get them to love the standard. This may seem straightforward and simple, but there are actually layers to it. As we pursue this, we turn to the greatest commandment in the Bible, which is where we find the authority to say things like “love the standard.”

THE TEXT

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deuteronomy 6:1–9).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This passage is where we find the greatest commandment in all of Scripture. We know this on the authority of the Lord Jesus Himself (Matt. 27:36-40). Now God gave Israel all His laws and statutes, in order that they might live them out in the land (v. 1). Doing this, they would fear the Lord, keep His word, from grandfather to grandson, through lengthened days (v. 2). Hear and do, O Israel, that you might prosper (v. 3). Then we come to the great Shema, hear, O Israel. The Lord your God is one (v. 4). You shall love the Lord your God with all that you have and are (v. 5). These words must be taken into the heart (v. 6). From the heart, you are to teach them diligently to your kids—all the time (v. 7). Bind these commandments to yourself (v. 8), and post them on your house and gates (v. 9).

LOVE CAN BE TAUGHT

The first thing to take away from this passage is the understanding that love is a thing that can indeed be taught. But it cannot be taught by people who do not understand it themselves. Those who would teach this love to others must have it first themselves. Before you teach it to your children, you must be doing it yourself. Love the Lord your God with all your heart (v. 5). The words of His commandments must reside in your heart (v. 6). From the heart, it flows to the mouth, and from the mouth to the environment of the entire home.

Religious instruction of children must not be pro forma or perfunctory. You are not ticking boxes, but rather nurturing souls, starting with your own.

COMMANDED TO LOVE

The fact that we are commanded to love does not take away from the nature of God’s grace. In his Confessions, Augustine once said, “Give what you command, and then command whatever you will.” Our obedience to this kind of requirement is entirely dependent upon the sovereign grace of God.

“Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway” (Deuteronomy 11:1).

“In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it” (Deuteronomy 30:16).

The fruit of the Spirit, the working of His grace in our lives, maps very nicely onto the commands of God. What is the greatest command? Love (Dt. 6:4-9). What is the first fruit? Love (Gal. 5:22). It is the same thing all the way through—joy (Phil. 4:4; Gal. 5:22), peace (John 14:1; Gal. 5:22), longsuffering (Eph. 4:2; Gal. 5:22), gentleness (Tit. 3:2; Gal. 5:22), goodness (1 Tim. 6:18), faith (John 8:24; Gal. 5:22), meekness (1 Pet. 3:4; Gal. 5:23), and temperance (Tit. 2:2; Gal. 5:23). God gives us commands, and His Spirit grows obedience to those commands in us. Our responsibility is not to go obey Him on our own, and then bring that obedience back to Him, expecting some kind of a reward. No, we go in His grace, and we come back in His grace.

And we model for our children what this is like. As we walk along the road, we have them by the hand.

Children learn by imitation primarily. “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1).

GOOD AND GODLY TEACHING

What does it mean to teach? It means to love your God, and the subject you are handling, in the presence of a student, whom you also love. It means to love God and your neighbor, and then to work out the problem together.

This always brings us back to Jesus Christ. There is nothing worse, nothing more suffocating, than to be trapped in a Christless Christianity. Of course, this is not really Christianity at all, but there appears to be an abundant supply of this counterfeit nonetheless. A Christianity without Christ has no blood in it, no salt, no sap.

But when Christ is present . . .? How would it be possible not to love the standard? “Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165; cf. 97,113, 163).

Sexual Decorum in the Home (Biblical Child Discipline in an Age of Therapeutic Goo #8)

Grace Sensing on June 30, 2024

INTRODUCTION

In some ways, this message will be like a lesson in firearms safety—one of the basic rules of firearm safety is that you should always treat all guns as if they were always loaded. We are all of us sexual beings, men and women, boys and girls, and as Christian disciples, we need to learn how to conduct ourselves accordingly, with propriety and decorum.

THE TEXT

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity” (1 Timothy 5:1–2).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The apostle Paul is instructing Timothy on how to behave in an appropriate and pastoral way in the congregation of the Lord. The standards that apply in a decent household are used by Paul as the template for his instruction. The way we ought to behave in our households provides a pattern for how we should behave in the household of God. When a young pastor has to deal with folly in an older parishioner, he should not rebuke him, but rather entreat him the way you would plead with an aging father (v. 1). Younger men should be treated as brothers (v. 1). Older women should be regarded as mothers in Israel (v. 2). And then Paul comes to the sisters, where he tells Timothy to treat them as sisters. And how should sisters be treated? With all purity, with all holiness, with all comeliness (v. 2). This is necessary because every gun is always loaded.

ARSONISTS AND FIREMEN

Given the times we find ourselves in, it is necessary for us to consider these things together. But in order for us to do so, I have to deal with a possible distraction first. As many of you know, over the history of our congregation, there have been various sexual scandals and pastoral snarls. And some of them have been kept in the public eye by our enemies for political purposes, over the course of decades. Because of this, some will want to say that we have no right to be talking about this subject at all. But if the protection of the church requires it, we have the obligation to address it.

As we do, just keep a few basic things in mind. Since this church was planted in 1975, the session of Christ Church has consistently acted in a biblical and honorable way with regard to the various situations that have arisen—not perfectly, but honorably. Second, an enormous number of lies have been told about us and it is often the case that the lies cannot be answered without betraying pastoral discretion and confidentiality. And we would rather be lied about than to expose any of you to the wolves. Third, it is clear that many of our critics have no idea what faithful pastors need to do. And last, some of our fiercest enemies are also carrying water for the pornification of America, the perverse grooming of drag queen story hours, and the pending legitimization of pedophiles—a.k.a “minor-attracted persons.” They are like arsonists critiquing the efficiency of fire fighters. While we are always willing to hear criticism, it would not be from the likes of them.

FATHER AND BROTHERS

One of the central obligations that the men of a family have is the protection of the household (Gen. 2:15), particularly of the more vulnerable members of that household (1 Pet. 3:7). Now if your first responsibility is the protection of your girls, then this begins with not being someone they need protection from. You are to protect them from snakes, and this begins with not being one.

Daughters and sisters grow up into women, a fact that is obvious to all with eyes in their head. The duty of the men in the house is to protect them by remaining warm, affectionate, and close—but not creepy close. As much as it is made fun of, there is a lot to be said for the Christian side-hug.

Third, you have a responsibility to behave like a gentleman (1 Pet. 3:7), treating the women in your house like ladies. There is a flippant and crass closeness that is also wildly inappropriate—innuendo or casual touching. Your home is not the locker room of your men’s rugby club.

MOTHERS AND SISTERS

The women have a genuine responsibility in all of this as well. But because of feminist propaganda, we have come to treat those who believe in a woman’s moral agency as people who automatically “blame the victim.” This is ludicrous. Two things can be true at the same time—that thief ought not to have gotten into your car and stolen your wallet, one, and secondly, you shouldn’t have left your wallet on the dashboard with twenty-dollar bills sticking out of it. The thief should be arrested and prosecuted, of course, and all your friends should still call you an idiot.

So there are two things that women should be prepared to do. One is that of comporting yourself in a chaste and modest fashion (Tit. 2:5). This begins with teaching little girls to “sit like a lady,” and it extends into the teen-age years, when their goal should be to adorn themselves in modesty (1 Tim. 2:9). The apostles of Christ do not call upon the young women to be cool, or fashionable, or “not dorky.” The goal is Christian modesty. The goal is NOT to be “not immodest.” Different things, different attitude altogether. You should not be asking yourself how short your shorts can be before you are definitely in sin, and then have your shorts be a millimeter longer than that.

The second thing that the girls of a household should be taught is the courage to be vocal about anything that makes you uncomfortable. The first level of this is preventative—getting people to back off. Tell your dad that you don’t like your brother coming into your bedroom like that. Tell your mom that you are too old to sit on dad’s lap. The second level is when pastors and/or legal authorities need to be informed and involved. This would be when anything of an explicit sexual nature has occurred. It is not your Christian duty to put up with that, or to make excuses for it, or to pretend that ignoring something is forgiveness. And incidentally, the same thing is true for boys. Do what you need to do, but do not enter into it lightly. You live in a time when false charges are too readily believed (Gen. 39:13-14), and so you should not play into that. But if it needs to be dealt with, then get the help you need to deal with it.

BUT NEVER FORGET…

A topic like this is necessarily tawdry. But never forget that Christ came into a tawdry world, and He did it in order to suffer and die. And why?

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

Child Rearing and Checking Accounts (Biblical Child Discipline in an Age of Therapeutic Goo #7) 

Grace Sensing on June 23, 2024

INTRODUCTION

As with all checking accounts, it is important make deposits in the checking account of parental authority before attempting to write checks out of that account with an authoritative flourish in the signature. Like all checking accounts, there needs to be money in there. It is not reasonable to argue that you can’t be out of money because you still have some checks left.

THE TEXT

“Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

There is debate over whether this verse is given to us as a general proverb, or as hard-and-fast promise to parents that if children are brought up right they will never stray, or if the verse is talking about finding the right vocation for your child, and not talking about spiritual condition at all.

It is not my purpose to settle that question, at least when it comes to this passage. The truth I want us to take from this passage, whatever it is talking about, is the general truth that it is easier to bend the sapling than it is to bend the full-grown oak. And when you bend the sapling, the results of what you have done are lasting results.

Whatever the course you set for the child, that course will remain with him. Child discipline matters, in other words. What you do with your growing family is not a random roll of the dice.

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Allowing for various interpretations of Proverbs 22:6 does not mean that we are backing away from what we have previously taught about how Christian parents are invited to trust the Lord for the salvation of their kids. This is just a quick reminder—and for those who want to do a deep dive, there is the book Standing on the Promises. The first thing is that none of this is by works. We believe the promises of grace by faith alone, and this of course results in parental works. It is not driven by parental works. Christian parents are to teach their children to honor their parents (Eph. 6), and this is a command with a promise attached to it. Christian elders are supposed to imitated by the saints (Heb. 13:7, 17), and it is possible (and required) for Christian leaders to manage their homes in such a way as that their children are not lost or reprobate (1 Tim. 3:4-5; Tit. 1:6).

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES

A garden of yes: Remember the pattern that God established in the garden. He gave our first parents a world full of yes, and with one prohibited tree in the whole world. There was only one no in the garden of yes. Too many Christian parents function with a garden of no, and the occasional and very intermittent yes in the middle of all the negativity.

With this, you are establishing a place of joy, peace and fellowship. When the fellowship is broken (as it is by sin), children who are accustomed to the harmony of ordinary life are eager to get back into fellowship. But if ordinary time is a time of dull chronic pain, punctuated by the occasional dramatic “scene,” causing acute pain, then this is not what you want. Your highest parental priority should be your defense of a climate of fellowship—which is only possible in and through Christ.

Ascent to maturity: if you are applying the principle of our text, you bend the sapling when it is a sapling, and you don’t try to bend a trunk that is a foot in diameter. To change the illustration, you put training wheels on your child’s first bike. You don’t put training wheels on their mountain bike because “now they might really get hurt.”

Too many parents are indulgent when sin is little and sometimes even cute. But this is the time when you should be establishing your authority, storing that authority up when you will be needing to “write checks” on it. Do not indulge your little ones, and then panic when they move into secondary school with a decade of “little or no discipline” under their belt. Now they can wreck a car and kill somebody. Now they can get into dank porn. Now they can get pregnant, or get someone pregnant. Now they can seriously damage their prospects for life, and so the temptation is to rush in and put training wheels on their mountain bike.

Child Rearing by Grace: We are saved by grace through faith, and not of works lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8-9). But while we are not saved by good works, we are most certainly saved to good works. This is the meaning of the next verse. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Trusting God for your kids is not a matter of “pedaling harder.” Compare it to the promises of God concerning answered prayer. We are given a number of astonishing promises. But we know they are not vending machine promises, if for no other reason than the Lord’s prayer for deliverance in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39). At the same time, the promises must mean something. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22). “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). This is a place where we are invited to step into a place of trust, and when God enables us to do so, we can look to Him expectantly. It is same with your children.

CHRIST ALL THE WAY THROUGH

The very best thing you can do for your children in the Lord is to be an “all-in” Christian. How does He call us to live? And remember that everything He demands from us, He is willing to pour Himself out in order to provide us with it. He writes those promissory notes in His own blood, remember. The second best thing you can do for your children in the Lord is to be an “all-in” husband, or an “all-in” wife. These are the good works you are called to. These are the good works that invite you into the way of peace.