What is family worship? (Click the arrow to the left)
As Christians, particularly Christian men, we are responsible to lead our households with strength and resolve in the ways of Christ. Leading our families in devotions and family worship is one way to lead our families, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Jesus Christ (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7; Ephesians 6:4).
In my house, we do morning and evenings. In the morning after we eat breakfast together, we all have our quiet times. We read our Bibles seperately and journal what we see. In the evenings before bed, we talk about what we saw in our morning Bible reading, I share my insight from my own devotional time, we ask questions from the New City Catechism, we sing a couple worship songs together, and then we pray as a family. Family worship doesn’t have to look like this. It may look different for every household, but I want to invite you to join me in leading our families well. Every weekday on this blog, I want to provide a guide for fathers to lead their families in some form of family worship. If your household doesn’t have a father, I believe the responsibility falls to the mother. Design a routine that works for your family, but be intentional about leading in the only way that matters instead of getting too caught up with the affairs of this world. Every Christian man is the pastor of his home. I believe the most important thing we can do for our children is (1) lead them in the home and (2) be faithful to the church as a family. As the family goes, so goes the nation. Our job as pastors to our family matters.
Isaiah 7:13-17
13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name bImmanuel.
15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
16 “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
17 “The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria.”
700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah predicted a child would be born of a virgin. This would happen sometime after the Assyrian conquest of the land. The birth of this child would be a sign of deliverance for Judah, but not deliverance from the conquering army King Ahaz feared. It would be deliverance from something coming after the Assyrian conquest. Isaiah predicted quite a few things that all came to pass. Aram did not take Jerusalem. Assyria did conquer. After the Assyrian conquest, a child was born of a virgin.
You’ve probably heard that “virgin” here simply refers to a young woman. If that were true, there would be nothing special about the event for it to be a sign. A sign is something out of the ordinary. While the word doesn’t explicitly refer to a woman who hasn’t been intimate, it does explicitly refer to a young woman who has never been married. It was unheard of in Hebrew culture for a young unmarried woman to have been intimate. Such an act was dishonorable and made a young woman unmarryable. So, this term cannot be used to refer to a young woman who is married or has been intimate. She is a virgin. Jesus was born of a virgin at the exact right time according to Isaiah 700 years earlier.
Isaiah also foretold this child would be called Immanuel—God with us, and Jesus was God with us. He still is.
Today’s question from the New City Catechism:
Q- Since we are redeemed by grace alone through faith alone, where does this faith come from?
A- From the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:4-6 says,
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Have a question about today’s devotional?
Alex Southern Baptist Chapel 
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