Double duty again tonight. I Do think it is a conspiracy that Justin has against me that every time I am up here teaching especially on a Wednesday night He seems to take off. I Won't hold it against him. I enjoy Singing for you guys, but let's open up our time tonight in a word of prayer. We will Lord, we praise you and thank you for once again a time to fellowship, once again to fellowship in you, to unite our hearts together in praise of you, Lord, and also to continue to consider areas that we can improve in and strengthen our resolve in our parenting of our children, how we handle our household. Lord, I pray that our discipline and instruction indeed will be From you it will be in the lord. It will be firmly grounded On what your word has to say about how we are to parent how we are to conduct ourselves In our households lord, and I pray that your name will be glorified most of all I'm going to pray also that your people will be edified families will be lifted up to you. And this will be a wonderful aspect of our praise and worship of you, how we conduct ourselves within our house. So be glorified in everything that we say and do continue to keep us faithful to your word and everything that is talked about here tonight as well for your glory, for your honor. We love you, Lord. All praise and all honor and all glory go to you and to your name. And we pray all of this In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. All right. Last time I was here, I used kind of as a reference point, John A. James's book, A Help to Domestic Happiness. Traver mentioned in the announcements that I'm kind of continuing on in that study. Not necessarily. I'm not doing any kind of systematic thing. I think Ken may be kind of doing that a little bit in the book that he is going over. I'm not necessarily doing that. I'm just kind of picking points out of the book that I think would be helpful and applicable and not necessarily stepping on any toes. And in bringing this book up, I'm not necessarily saying that this is better than any book that Ken or Traver brings up. Matter of fact, I think that this book kind of falls in line with what J.C. Rawls' book is as well. His book on parenting that I believe Traver had mentioned last week. But this is just a book that I have found personally helpful. I reference it often in my own life so I thought it would be helpful to bring it to you guys and make some points from it. So again I will be using that book as a reference point for us this evening. Last time I talked we were talking about the qualities that parents should have when engaging their duties as parents, kind of laying groundwork, if you will, for what you need as a parent, the qualities that you would need to perform your duty as parents well, to perform the action of disciplining and instructing your children well. All right. So that was one part of that section of that book talking about duties of parents. Shortly after that, he jumps into the duties of parents informing their child's character, things like taking care of their health or teaching them to take care of their health, taking care of their education, tampering within them or tamping down within them the love of money or the love of worldly things or worldliness, teaching your children to be industrious, teaching them to be generous with the things that they have, teaching them to be prudent with the things that they have as well, and also teaching them to be punctual, being mindful of the time that they have also. And then the section that immediately follows that up, he is dealing with the duties that parents owe their children in reference to their religious character. Duties that parents owe their children in reference to their religious character. Things like instructing them, disciplining them, admonishing them, warning them, persuading them, and also praying for and with them. All of these things are things that we as parents need to do to develop within our children a good religious character. But within that section that he is talking about discipline and instruction, admonishment, he kind of plots something down in the middle of that section that I kind of found somewhat out of place. It's just kind of out of the blue. It's not that it's not relevant to what he's talking about, as we'll point out, but it just seemed out of the blue to me, instructing them, admonishing them, warning them, disciplining them, praying for them in the middle of all that. He pops out point number four in this section, which is entitled this example. is necessary to give power and influence to all other means. What is he talking about there? The means by which we discipline and instruct our children. Our example is necessary to give power and influence to our disciplining and instructing in the Lord. I just found that that kind of plopped in there almost out of place, but I see that it fits in order for our discipline and instruction to have power and influence all of the things that he has been talking about in this section. If you look at the book, it must, all of that must be accompanied by a godly example. And the language that he uses there cites its ultimate importance. It is necessary to give power and influence to all the means by which we discipline and instruct our Lord, or instruct our children rather, disciplining and instructing them in the Lord. It needs that godly example. This is not merely a thing for us to consider to have a good godly example. No, it is necessary to give power and influence to it. It cannot be overstated. That power and influence can not be overstated. He starts this section of the book off by quoting a proverb, not from the book of Proverbs, but a truism, a maxim, if you will, a pithy saying. And it says this, I think I may have tried to quote it from memory, botched it a little bit last time I was up here, but this is straight from the book. He says, during the minority of reason, imitation is the regent of the soul. Just a fancy way of saying that imitation governs the soul. When our children are in that minority of reason, their reasoning capabilities or faculties have not fully formed. When they are in that season of life, the thing that molds and shapes their mind, their wills, and their affections will be what they see. And they will imitate that. And that will govern their actions. It goes on to say, and they who are least swayed by argument, again, in that minority of reason, are most governed by example. Now we certainly see that with our children. Again, their reasoning skills are in the process of being developed. So what at that point in time, and really any point in time in our lives, what has power and influence, especially over our children? It is that example. It is a godly example. What they see others do and how they see others act is what they will imitate. And their primary influence in those years, in the minority of reason, is going to be from us as parents. Now, that's primary. The primary influence to that end will be that. I'm not neglecting other influences. Matter of fact, as parents, we have to be on top of the examples that they will encounter. Whether it be an overly doting grandparent or aunt or uncle that is not a good example to our child, we must govern how that example will influence our child, our children. If it is not a good godly example, if it is not something that your child needs to be around, we need to prevent them from being around it. other unwieldy children or other households that are completely out of order, we can't let our kids go stay over there. We can't let our kids be amongst examples that will corrupt them. Bad company corrupts good morals. Bad company corrupts good morals. Do not be deceived, as Paul puts it. It will happen. Don't think it won't happen to my kiddo. No, not mine. Yes, it definitely can happen to your kiddo. Be mindful of it. But what we're dealing with here in our study is that primary influence that flows from the parents. Now the Bible notes in many places, the power and influence of example, just in general. Even over those whose reasoning skills are somewhat trained. Even us older folks, if you're past the age of 25 and your frontal lobe is fully developed or whatever, example still is somewhat a regent to your soul. It still has influence over you. You will be governed by example to some degree. Now this passage is from the actual book of Proverbs. It's Proverbs 22 verses 24 and 25. The writer says, do not associate with a man given to anger. Don't be around him or go with a hot tempered man. Why? Why would you not associate with such people? Why would you not go with such a man who is ill-tempered or hot-tempered or given to anger? This is applicable to all of us, not just the kiddos. It's followed up in verse 25, or you will learn his ways. You will be taken in by that example, and it will have some effect upon you. You will learn his ways. Then it follows it up, and find a snare for yourself. That kind of hit me in reading that, first of all, because every time I read it, I just wanted to go to the start. It's a trap. Star Wars. OK. Woo, man. And find a snare for yourself it is a trap you will find a trap for yourself if you're hanging out or Associating with a man given to anger or going with a hot-tempered man. You will learn his ways and there will be a trap in it And I thought it's kind of reverse how we're Talking about this passage or addressing this passage Think about it as I am the hot-tempered man. I am the man given to anger. I, as a parent, display that. Give that as an example to my child. They will learn my ways. And then, finding a snare? Me, as daddy. As the hot-tempered man, as the angry man, I am setting the snare for my child. I am setting that trap. I am throwing them to danger. I am leading them to hell. My example, they will learn my ways and it will be a trap for them. Example gives power and influence to what we do. Paul notes many times the importance of his own example. Of course, I'm not going to exhaust all of that, but a few places where he notes it. 1 Corinthians 4, verses 15 and 16. He says this, for if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the gospel. What do you mean by that? You're my papa, you're my pope, you're my father in the gospel. I think what he's pointing to is the example that he exudes in the gospel. And he kind of points to that in the very next verse, verse 16. Therefore, since I am your father in the gospel, since I am the one who you are to look to as an example, therefore, I exhort you, be imitators of me. He noted the power of his own example and noted that it should be followed and he clarifies it a little bit later in 1st Corinthians 1st Corinthians 11 1 be imitators of me Just as I also am of Christ There's the example Christ I am imitating Christ and in as much as I am imitating Christ imitate me Boy, how we would love to say that to our children. I'm imitating Christ in as much as I'm imitating Christ. Let me be an example for you. Boy, that needs to be in our mind. I am displaying grace and mercy to you just as Christ has displayed it to me. I am displaying loving kindness to you just as Christ has displayed it to me. And then as much as you see that, imitate that. Be imitators of me just as I also am of Christ. Paul also shows himself to be an example of a disciplined life. to the Thessalonians. In 2 Thessalonians 3, 7 through 10, he says this, for you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. Again, highlighting, he has an example that he has set that people are to follow. There's power in example. Because, why should they follow his example? Because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you. Nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But with labor and hardship, we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you." That was the example that he set. He didn't need to. He goes on to say in the next part, not because we do not have the right to do this, not because we don't have the right to come in and, and rest with you guys. And Hey, can y'all feed us a little bit? We're brothers and sisters in Christ. Come on here. Float me a little bit of grub here. No, he worked for the grub that he ate. He had the right to do it because he was, his work was in the gospel. We had the right to, but in order to offer ourselves as a model, as an example, as one to be imitated so that you would follow our example, they didn't do it. They didn't do it. They worked for what their food was. And then in the next verse, he says this for, even when we were with you, we used to give you this order. If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. Now, imagine Paul did come over there and kind of mooched off the people. He was sitting around, not really putting in a whole lot of labor, but he's telling these people, if you do not labor, if you do not work, if you are not willing to work, you do not eat. Think of the example that that would have been to the people that he's admonishing. You're sitting over there like a lump on a log, not doing anything. You're telling me that I need to be willing to work, but you're not willing to work. You're sitting around. What example would that have been to them? He didn't let that stand. He would not let that be the example. He gave a good example of a disciplined life to those Thessalonians. Paul also commends the example of the Thessalonians and first Thessalonians. Chapter 1 verses 6 through 8 He says you also became imitators of us and of the Lord Having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit That is what he's commending them for in much tribulation through a lot of hardship They received the word, even though there was a lot of hardship, they received it with joy. Joy of the Holy Spirit. So that you became, they did it so much so, that they became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you. Why? because of their example in receiving the word with joy. Not that they were having some intellectual intercourse with them that was convincing them of the things of the Lord. No, their example in receiving the word sounded forth the word of the Lord from them. Not only to Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth. not because they declared something verbally. He even says so, so that we have no need to say anything. Your example spoke volumes. It had power. It had influence over these other people in the faith. Power and influence of our example, Paul gives Timothy instruction to be mindful of his example. First Timothy four, 11 and 12 prescribe and teach these things. These are the the verbal things that he needs to announce or declare to his sheep. Let no one look down on you for your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Yes, Timothy, by the very nature of his office, he is to declare something. He is to speak something, prescribe and teach as he says. But also he is telling him, be mindful of your example to those who believe in your speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. There is power. and influence in our example. Titus 2, 6 and 8, he instructs Titus to make sure the young men are mindful of their example. Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible. In all things, show yourself to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine dignified, sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say. And finally, Jesus himself points to him being an example in order to teach the disciples. John 13, 12 through 16. It says, So when he had washed their feet and taken his garments and reclined at the table again, he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord and you are right for so I am. That is my station. I am master. I am Lord. I am teacher. I am schoolmaster. You know that you are right, so I am. If I then, the Lord, the master, the schoolmaster, the teacher, wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. What does this do? The master is showing the servants how to serve. He is giving them the example of service. And he follows that up with this, for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. And finally follows that up with again, highlighting his position. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor one who is sent greater than the one who sent me. But that verse 15. For I gave you an example that you also should do I did to you Will we Will we as parents? Be able to say to our children the same words that Christ did there My child you were leaving the nest I Gave you an example of that you also should do as I do. Can we say that to our children? Will we be able to say that to our children? Or will there be such an inconsistency between our profession and our conduct in reference to our family that we will instead have to say to them the famous saying, do as I say, Not as I do. The very opposite of what Christ tells to his disciples. Hopefully, when my children are leaving the nest, I can say to them, I gave you an example that you should also do as I do. Not only do as I say. But I gave you an example consistent with what I said. Follow that example. Do as I say, not as I do, doesn't work. It will not work with our children. Do as I say, not as I do. You can expect to a large degree that whatever example we provide to our children, that example is what they will be. They will be the example that we set forth for them. John A. James points that out in the very end of this section on example. He says this, without a godly example, everything else that we do is most lamentably deficient. As has been often said, It is only pointing them to way to heaven, but leading them in the way to hell. We point with our words about the sincerity of our religion. But meanwhile, in our actions, in the example that we are leaving for them, we are leading them in the way to hell. if there is not a godly example behind that religious instruction. In order for the discipline and instruction of the Lord to be effective, in order for it to have its power and influence, it must be backed up with a godly example. How is it leading them to hell? How is it only pointing them to heaven? He explains this in the preceding paragraph. He says, children, and you can feel this. You can feel this, especially probably some of you that have older children. You probably feel this more because they're kind of wiser to things. And they might point out your inconsistencies. He says, children have their eyes always upon their parents. they should. You're the formative one in their life. Their eyes are always upon their parents and they are quick to discern any violations of consistency. Yeah, they sure are. He goes on to say, if notwithstanding our profession of religion, They see us as worldly minded, as grasping and anxious after riches, being more mindful of the things of the world, chasing after the things of the world. Meanwhile, we're telling them we are strangers and pilgrims in this land that riches have their place, but they are not our God. But that's all you do. That's all you focus on is your riches. chasing after worldly goods, grasping and anxious after riches, as he says, that violation of consistency will be noticed by our children. If they see the righteous rarely at our table, we hype up the fellowship of the saints, fellowshipping with the righteous. But if they don't see us actually fellowshipping with the saints, we just talk up a good game about it. We like fellowshipping with saints, but we're only going to spend a couple hours on Sunday, maybe a couple hours on Wednesday and that's it. That will be a violation of consistency with the profession of religion that we present to our children. if they see us deceitful or implacable or malicious implacable that they're unable to be placated. They are aggressive in going after people, not showing grace and mercy to others. If they are not able to be placated, implacable or malicious. If they know us to be cruel or neglectful to our wives. Now that's directly addressing husbands being cruel and neglectful to our wives. But wives being disrespectful or undermining of husbands. It's the same thing. We profess a religion. We profess that we should be loving our wives as Christ loved the church. We profess that we should be submitting to our husbands, but we don't show it. Those violations of consistencies will be picked up by our children. Unkind and oppressive to our servants. We don't really have servants anymore. We have service out there. How do you react if McDonald's puts ketchup on that burger when you ask for no ketchup? You really give them the what for about it? How do you respond in those situations when things are not going your way with people within the service industry? Your children will pick up on that. Are you showing grace and mercy to others? Are you showing a meekness about you? That we bear the burdens? Or are we tyrannical towards them? We jump all over them. I'm going to show them the what for. Get my order right next time. I said no ketchup. Cold and tyrannical to them. Cold and tyrannical to our children. That's who he's referring to. He has this to say on that. I'm kind of breaking away from my quote here. But he says this on that being cold and tyrannical to our children really kind of hits hard. It says it is truly revolting. It is a truly revolting sight to see a father employing the iron rod of oppressor to beat and bruise and crush the minds of his own offspring into the most abject submission. He may succeed. And if his rod of iron, this rod of tyranny. Is delivered, yes, he may succeed, but as he says, let him not wonder if at the same time that he has suppressed rebellion. He has extinguished affection. That example will speak to our children. If we are telling them, be imitators of me just as I am of Christ, it is his loving kindness that leads us to repentance. Everything that he did displayed grace and mercy to us. It didn't display the tyranny of the law. The law points us to Christ, but we are to be Christ to our children. If they witness us back to my original quote, if they witness us in constant in our attendance upon private family or public, uh, private family or public worship, what can they conclude? But that our religion is a mere sham. Think about your child thinking that. because of our actions. And what I doing, is it telling my child that my religion is a mere sham? It is talking a good game, but it is not living it out. In such a case of how little service is our attempt to impress upon their minds those claims which we ourselves practically deny. We say we are raising you in the discipline and the instruction of the Lord, but my life practically denies it. The way that I treat you practically denies it. The way that I chase after the world practically denies it. The way that I treat my husband or wife practically denies it. The way that I treat others practically denies it. No matter how much lip service we give to our child about religion, if we practically deny it, its power and influence will be null and void. He goes on to say, it were far better for some parents to say nothing to their children about religion. For until they can alter their own conduct, their admonitions can produce no other effect than to excite intolerable disgust. Are my actions instilling within my child an intolerable disgust for the things of God. What a sobering thing to consider with regards to the example that we have over our children. I'm going to conclude with a story that he recites in this section as well. It's something that I try to kind of keep in mind in dealing with my own family. And when I say when I deal with my own family, Dealing with your family is a nonstop deal. It never really stops. Parenting never stops. Never stops. Even when you're away from the home, sometimes that is parenting as well. If you decide to stay away from the home for too long, that is parenting. There is no time blocking for parenting. It is not between the hours of six and 10 at night. or five and six or five and seven in the morning, there's no time blocking for parenting. It is always happening both in word and in deed. It is both happening in the verbal instruction that we give to our children and it is happening in the display that we present before our children in our lives, in the example that we bring forth. He says this, he's recounting a story that was told to him. He says, I remember once conversing with a man of great eminence, firstation, talent, and piety. So he was a well-to-do person and a very pious person as well. He said this to me, I owe everything under God to the eminent and consistent piety of my father. When I was a young man, though I was not vicious, I was worldly. So though he was not a hellion of a child, he was very worldly in his thinking, wanted to pursue the things of the world. He might have minded his parents, if you will, but he sought after things not of the Lord, but of the world. I was not vicious. I was worldly and In order to more effectually get rid of all interference with my pursuits from religion, I wished to think it all mere profession and hypocrisy. In order for me to feel good about my pressing after worldly things and not after religious things, I wanted to think of that as just mere profession and hypocrisy. He goes on to say, for this purpose, think about our children doing this to us. For this purpose, I narrowly watched the conduct of my father. I wanted to find if it was mere profession and hypocrisy. For this purpose, I nearly watched the conduct of my father, for such was the height on which he stood as a professor of religion. Not that he taught religion, but that he professed the faith. So high on which he stood as professor of religion that I very naturally concluded, if I could convict him of such inconsistency as amounted to a proof of hypocrisy and a little thing Would at all or at that time has sufficed for such a purpose just one little bit of inconsistency It would have sufficed To supplant religion in my mind do away with it. Let me see it as mere profession as mere hypocrisy One little slip-up dad and I've got you He said I would have gained my end and have concluded that all piety was but a name and delusion. Can you imagine your children looking at you in that way? I am ready to find any slip up in you, mom, dad, to salve my conscience in order to pursue worldliness. Oh, having that little nugget in the back of my mind, in parenting my child and living out life before my children. It's got to be extremely sobering. But he goes on to say, but so thoroughly consistent was he that I could find nothing in the smallest degree at variance with his character as a profession of religion. Wow. to the smallest degree. You never found any kind of inconsistency with the profession of faith that he made in the example that he lived out. There was no flaw. It's a perfect man. No, he'll go on to point out that he definitely was not a perfect man, but I guarantee you how he handled his imperfections, spoke volumes to his child. All right. He said, I could find nothing in the smallest degree at variance with his character as a professor of religion. This kept its hold upon me. I said to myself, there must be a reality here, and I must try to understand and feel it. For I have seen such meekness in a temper naturally irritable. naturally irritable. What does that say? His dad naturally had a irritability about him. There was probably some displays of that irritability within the household. But even after that, or in that in some way, his father displayed a meekness about it. probably in a posture of humble repentance for this natural irritability coming out. So even though he may have violated his profession of religion in an outburst of irritability, following that up properly displayed a consistency with his religion. and provided a wonderful example for his child, obviously. I've seen such meekness in a temper, naturally irritable, such comfort amid the greatest agonies, he displayed a hope in the midst of whatever agonies he's talking about in all this supported by uniform devotion. And this is something I would love to hear my child say about me. And all this supported by such uniform devotion that I must try to catch his spirit. To have a legacy left for my child that they say that about me would be absolutely amazing. But I would tell them, only try to catch my spirit in as much as I exhibit the spirit of Christ within me. That's the example that I need to be setting forth. That is the spirit that you must try to catch. And I pray that my example will do just that for them. Cause them to pursue Christ. even in the hypocrisies of irritabilities or whatever it is, even in the midst of that, coming back at it with a humble posture of repentance and displaying Christ in all of that, in a wonderful humility, Again, I pray that they see Christ in that and they try to catch that spirit. He says, this beautiful instance of the influence of parental example is perhaps not altogether unique, though in all its circumstances, perhaps rarely equaled. Even now, my oldest five years old, I can feel it. I can feel that I am not equating to whatever this dad did. There's so many inconsistencies in me. There's there's there's time even today. I heard JD and John Everett playing. And. In the way that JD talked to John Everett. It crushed me. Because it was so much me. And it was so awful that I dread that even that little instance, whatever he heard from me that influenced him to do that, am I merely pointing them to heaven, but leading them to hell? I feel those inconsistencies. Maybe you do too. And the inconsistency in our example may have already done damage to our profession and thus done damage to your family or our families. But again, take heart. That position of humble repentance that is seen and heard in you will show that that profession of faith is real and it will speak volumes to your children, It will speak volumes to your spouse. And I guarantee it can be used by the Lord to make up for all the years that the locust of our inconsistencies have taken away. He can. Let him do it. Be mindful of the example that you lay out for your children. point them to heaven, lead them to heaven as well. Amen. Any questions, any comments, any points? I know we kind of opened that up for this here in this. Yeah, you said something about if your kids are, you know, interacting with kids in the back, what would be the answer or the best way the best way to go about it? Yeah, I guess that would be a decision from the parent themselves. How is that relative going to take it? How can you speak that in grace? You know, all those factors need to be taken into consideration. If it's going to be a blow-up fight, that's not going to be a good example for your children to see in that either. But if you can subtly pull them away and then at some point in time where passions are low, you can present that to the family member, you know, do it that way. But if your child is young, then you need to always be present. And that's all you need. You need to be there. So you hear, and you see, and you can set boundaries, and you can always get your child up in the mood though. When your child gets older, there's always that big opportunity where they do things and you haven't prepared to them. You don't approve of them. And that's where you need to be able to make definite boundaries. You don't need to call them out, but you do need to say, you know what? We love the Lord, so therefore, we're not going to hit your hip. Or we love the Lord, and it's wrong to blah, blah, blah. and they are able to understand that, you need to be able to parent, to make those distinctions so that in the next Christmas, when you're not there, you've grounded your child, you're able to distinguish, hmm, that's not a God. For instance, you know what, we don't lie. It's never a legalized mommy to lie, the child is very young. Why? Because somebody that wants to amuse them, that's gonna be the first thing they teach them that will be, they want to be okay with. So secrets, never, ever, under no circumstances. Why? Because God is light, and in Him, there's no darkness at all. You see, so I just wanted to give a little bit more description in that, Family would say, hey, I want to come over and cook out. Or, hey, can your kids spend the night? No. No. And you come here all day long. Well, we can't do it right away, but hey, why don't you let the kids come to our house right away? That kept us in the driver's seat. You're saying I have a cousin? Possibly. As as you live out and express You live out that godly example and you're expressing to them why Well, we're not going to hang out with with them because of X Y & Z even in that, that is increasing or diminishing their minority of reason, right? It is increasing their reasoning skills to a certain degree. And I think you'll probably get to a certain point where, as Ken likes to put it, you let that leash out a little bit. You've worked on them reasoning through these things, why we don't do certain things so that they own it. And your example given to them has been sufficient enough to where that leash can be let out, and they can put to use the example that you've given to them in their own lives. And I just wanted to say, it's okay to talk to the family and other adults. Maybe the adults in our house and Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And don't hear me saying that you're not talking about it. You do and can talk about it, but there needs to be some cootness about it. A soothing tongue is a tree of life and it can be in that situation. Season your words with with grace or let your speech be with grace as though seasoned with salt. so that you know how to present these things to others. If it's going to be that blow-up fight, you need to find some avenue or way to work around that. is never painful. Especially when you're pulling away from maybe your only support system. And it's like, you know, you want that to honor you. That's what we're trying to do. But you're not honoring our decisions as parents. So for that, It is worth it to raise your children to church today. You have one sleepover with a certain member of the family, and it's all up to them. It takes a week to get it back to normal. Just things that you don't want to say, you're a tempered player, and it's just like, how did this happen? And you feel like you should deal with it. Yeah. It's absolutely something you have to be mindful of. He states in the book somewhere else, it only takes one acquaintance, one acquaintance with your child to ruin your child. That's true. It could be family. All right, well, let's close out with prayer. We'll sing one last song and call it an evening. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you again for this evening. Thank you for the opportunity to fellowship with Emil, fellowship around your word as well. I pray that it was expounded correctly. It was brought to light correctly as well. I pray that it was edifying to your people. I pray that it strengthens us as parents to be the godly examples that we need to be to have that powerful influence over our children as we seek to discipline and instruct them in the Lord to the glory of your great name. We love you, Lord. All praise and all honor and all glory go to you and to your name. We pray this all again in Christ's name. Amen.