Truth Archive

I would like to read this morning the 5th Chapter of Eph. Verse 22. I would like to talk about the home- life of God’s children. We were just singing in that hymn; “In the home-life His approval makes poor cot a palace fair.” I must say, as I said last week at Wilmington it takes all the courage I have to speak on this subject. I feel that we as God’s servants have been neglecting to encourage God’s people in the home-life. This morning I read the 12th Chapter of Ex. and as I read that, I turned to Luke’s gospel chapter 22, which speaks of the Passover Feast. Now, across the land of Australia God’s people are meeting together in little homes today, and in those few little homes in Korea, Japan, Philippine, Island, Thailand etc. Some are not very much more than shacks and shanties but in every case they are worthy homes. In this chapter in Ex. they stood out as that to me – there was a home, a household. In Luke 22 where Jesus established the breaking of bread, I noticed again it was a home and I’m sure it was a worthy home. Oh! If there’s anything God needs its worthy homes. It should be the ambition of every one of God’s people to have a worthy home, worthy of the meeting place of God’s people. In the 12th Ex. you saw that kind of home. You saw a worthy home where the lamb without blemish was sacrificed. This little lamb was separated from the flock, held for 14 days – a right order. They were to eat that lamb with their shoes on their feet, ready to walk, ready to live and carry out what they were speaking about. While that is speaking of Christ, it is speaking of what God wants every one of us to be. It was to remind them that Jesus was one day coming to give His life and shed His blood, and when the Passover was eaten and they broke bread in Jerusalem, it was to remind us He had come. In the N.T. two basic truths stand out like a beacon in the darkness. One is the preacher without a home and the other a church in the home. Oh! I hope we will never depart from this simple teaching. If ever we depart from these two basic truths we are heading for confusion of the worst kind. It is just as possible for me to settle down in a home in the work as out of the work. I say to my fellow-workers, keep going, keep moving, a preacher without a home. What we want to talk about is a worthy home – that home in Jerusalem kind of home. Now, what we read are such simple wonderful truths. You say what do I know about the home life, an old bachelor like me? Well, the apostle Paul was a bachelor too and he helped God’s children in their homes. Now, I spent 21 years in a home and for 30 or more years I have been in and out of many homes and talked with a good many about their problems. The Bible is not silent as to what our home should be. When I began to think of this; one and a half years ago in my country, I was met with the awful news that my best friend were getting a divorce. Their home was in shattered ruins. They had two lovely little girls under 12 years whom I loved very much. Now they had no father when they needed him so much. I just wondered if I had helped these people as much as I should. I wondered if I had been thinking enough about these verses here. “Husbands loves your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” “Wives submit yourselves to your husbands.” Etc. Many circumstances had arisen and caused this trouble, and they had departed from the basic truths. A little girl said to her mother one day; “Mother, what is marriage?” That mother said; “Well, marriage is when Daddy and Mummy promised to love and honour another as long as they live.” The little girl said; “Well, sometimes you and Daddy are not married.” What do your little children say? I wonder what it’s like in your home? Little children see things. The greatest thing of all is to go out and preach the Gospel. I say to you young people, think about it. If I did not do that I would surely have a home. Sometimes young people think fine homes and fine furniture is so important, but that’s a house, not a home. Oh! How often we see young people go into terrible debt, it is not fine curtains etc. that make your home. There is times it may be necessary, but the young man comes home to a cold house and no tea ready as the little wife goes out to work, and together they put something together for tea – tired and weary they go to bed. Pretty soon love can fly out the window, we’ve seen it happen. A home is more than just a fine house and furniture. It is a place where a wife loves her husband and is submissive to him and where the husband loves his little wife and is giving of himself every day to that home. I have been in some wonderful homes, even though some may be little shacks, I call them palaces of Zion. I have been in homes like that in Korea, Japan etc. Homes where God reigns. Oh! I hope you young people are more concerned about making godly homes, than building fine homes and fine furniture. The home life has never been more important than today. When the home life deteriorates, the strength of the country deteriorates, and then if homes deteriorates the kingdom weakens. The home life of God’s people has never been more important than today. It is more important with every passing year. A home stands out like a light in the darkness. God’s servants give out thousands of invitations and no one comes. Little homes scattered about and friends bring people to meetings. Do you see what great privilege a worthy home has? If yours is not a worthy home see what damage it can do, so be careful. What kind of home have you got? If nothing else is gained from this conv. Let us go out and have a worthy home. You may be very submissive here, what are you like in the 4 walls of your home? You husbands peel the potatoes here, but how much do you help at home, how much do you love her there? The test of Christianity is not at conv. But in the home when we are there living together in the confines of that home. Ps. 48 says, “Walk about Zion, go round about her etc. ….. that ye may tell it to the generations to come.” Now let us take a little walk about Zion and we will visit some places in Zion. I take a walk and think of some little palaces in Zion, some are not more than a shack. Let us have a walk to one, it is a little palace down there in the plains of Mamre. When we go we get a little surprise -we’d heard of a man rich in cattle, we’d heard he was prosperous – what do we see? Only a tent. I’m not surprised, do you know why? He realized this world was not his home and he was not wasting his time and strength making a home; a heaven on earth. You see souls spending so much on their home, and you would think it was their heaven on earth. Have you a home like that? Very soon it will be all ashes and dust. We walk up to this little home and we see an old man 100 years old, and he has been sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day – we wonder why. There was a tree there and he could have been sitting there, but he was sitting in the tent door, why? Because he as a father was realising how important it was to protect the sanctity of that home. What are you doing as a parent? One of the most important things is to keep the awful influences out. Sometimes we are saddened as we see fathers and mothers allowing some of these awful influences in and they contaminate and defile that home. 12th Ex. Every home was marked by the blood of the lamb. Sometimes you’ll see a home marked with television and by other things and marked by the world. I hope we are sitting in the door of the home, keeping the world out and the children in. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom and his children were running the streets of the city. When the angles came and told them of the destruction coming, Lot spoke to his sons in law, but his voice seemed as one that mocked. My friends don’t speak to your children too late. When I was a young man, there were times that I wanted to bring in different things and times I wanted to go out. When my father said; “No”, I didn’t like it. My young friends I know how you feel. I used to think my father didn’t understand the youthful heart, but as I look back I can see he understood all too well. He was doing his duty, sitting there guarding that home. He knew the evil I did not know about. Oh! If there is anything I’m grateful for it is that my father sat in his tent door on guard, keeping wrong influences out and us in. Six out of Seven children are inside that family of God and two are in the work. Great credit goes to my mother and father. Do all you can to make yours a worthy home. Isaac was not born then, but this is a kind of home Isaac came from. Happy is the boy or girl who comes into a home like that. You little boys and girls don’t feel bad, your parents realise the awful importance of keeping you in and the world out. We see inside that tent a beautiful lady adorned with beautiful ornaments, the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit – a lovely picture. Sarah had a lot to do in making that worthy home. He did a great part. Wives love your husbands. Paul says that first, because Paul knew that little wife had so much to do in making a worthy home. You woman don’t realize how important your place is, you have more to do than anyone else in making it what it should be. You children and fathers make it worthy of meeting place. Do all you can to make it what it ought to be. Sarah, Oh! She’s a princess, we admire that meek and quiet spirit. She was not always like that. She was called Sarai first, that means contentious. There was great change because God had begun to work – that contentious little soul made beautiful and adorned. Oh! I say that was a wonderful home. Now we see something else, we see a little water to refresh the weary. We go in weary with the toils of life and it’s not long and we feel refreshed. Paul said to Philemon, “We have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed; by thee brother. “My heart is warmed and thrilled when I see homes like that. I see a little water and food for the hungry, comfort for the comfortless. Oh! We go away from that little home at Mamre feeling refreshed. Abraham was the friend of God, but he was not always “faithful Abraham”. He almost lost that little wife of his at one time. We see him separated from his country down in Gerar, there came a crisis in his life. We see him standing, on the right the house of God and on the left a heap of ruins. What did he do? He stood and did exactly like a lot of us would do, he didn’t have the courage to make a choice, he continued towards the south – Bethal on the one hand and Ai, a heap of ruins on the other. I told you about the world gripping my heart for 6 months, I was trying to stand on neutral ground but every step I took was taking me further towards the south. Maybe you young people have tried to be neutral, tried to evade the issue, but you are getting further and further away. Abraham almost lost his wife, his home was almost broken. When he reached that place he went back and saw what was happening, he went back to the beginning and started all over again. Out of the shame of my bitter retreat give me spirit made whole. Oh! It took a brave man to start all over again. Don’t be afraid to admit you made a mistake. Go back to the beginning. A righteous man falls 7 times but rises again. Now is the time to make everything right. Rise up again. This is what made “Abraham the friend of God. If you feel you can start all over again. I hope this is your prayer today. You have prayed and yes you have failed 7 times, but rise again, make every wrong right as you rise again. I see little Isaac born into this home; Abraham’s only son. Do you know what God did one day? He asked Abraham for that son. He asked him to take him up to Mount Moriah. He was asking for his life. This little story teaches us about that sacrifice on Calvary. Abraham trod the same earth, breathed the same air, had the same passions as us. Maybe God will ask you for your son or daughter and you realise all your hold will be gone. Abraham saw the place of sacrifice afar off. He had plenty of time to change his mind. My little mother decided when I was only 3 months of age. She loved life and all the pleasure, she was only 20. These meetings gripped her heart, she stood to her feet with me in her arms. She said to a lady one day, “I wish I had heard this before I was married and I would have given my life in the work, but I have a home and husband and I will try to raise this little fellow so that he can take my place.” For 20 years she never lost sight of that, she tried to put the best before me. She never pushed me, I could count on my fingers of one hand the times she mentioned the work. I knew by her life that it would give her the greatest joy. I hope today young mothers put the best before your children, there was never a time when the need was greater. When my brother went in the work I saw my mother shake his hand and kiss his lips, when he was gone she went into her room and closed the door, she never came out for 2 hours and when she did I knew she had been weeping. Oh! The awful cost – she knew he was going to be despised and hated by man. She knew he would be going to bed in somebody else’s home and to sleep on somebody else’s pillow. Oh! It would make any mother weep, but she smiled into his face when he left her. So Abraham and Isaac went on the journey and talked together as they walked. This little boy walking with his father, the two walking and talking together. I hope you mothers and fathers are walking and talking with your children. My father often sat with me and talked about the things of God. Some of the sweetest times of my life are when I walked and talked with my father. Little Isaac said; “Here is the wood and the fire, but where is the lamb?” The little lad knew all about it – how did he know? He had often been at the place of sacrifice with his father. Do you take your children to the place of sacrifice, or do you shield them? I have seen parents who did not do it and they have lived to regret the day. You see little girls and boys playing meeting, singing hymns etc. They know all about it. Oh! My friend you have a great responsibility. I see this little boy growing up to have his own rights. I see him becoming rich and increased with goods, but he built an altar and sacrificed, he pitched his tent and dug a well. God was first in his home. I was going to take you to some other homes, but there’s no time today. Perhaps we could sing hymn 236, last verse.