June 14, 2026 - 10:30 am
Morning Worship Service
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(Speaker's Notes: PW Protected)
(Speaker's Notes: PW Protected)
Washington Heights Baptist Church
Devil, You Can’t Have My Children!
Pre-Sermon Study Guide | 2 Kings 16:1-16
Use this quick guide before the sermon to prepare your heart, think through the condition of the family altar, and ask where God needs to be restored to the center.
Before the Sermon
What Altar Is at the Center?
2 Kings 16:3
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
Ahaz had access to the temple, the law, the priesthood, and the promises of God. Yet his heart moved away from the Lord, and his family felt the weight of that direction.
Key Thought: When God’s altar is moved from the center of our lives, another altar will take its place.
Reflect
- What seems to have the loudest voice in my home right now?
- Is God truly central, or has He been quietly moved to the side?
Point 1
When the Altar Gets Altered
2 Kings 16:10
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
Ahaz allowed fear, admiration, and preference to reshape worship. He did not simply decorate what God ordained. He displaced it.
Key Thought: Pressure reveals whether our confidence is resting in God or reaching for another savior.
Reflect
- Where has fear been making decisions for me?
- What am I admiring that God has already warned me about?
- Have my preferences moved anything God appointed?
Point 2
Children Follow Altars
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
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 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.
The sermon will remind us that children are shaped by what a home actually worships, not merely by what a home claims to believe.
Key Thought: The smoke from your altar will reach your children before your sermons do.
Reflect
- What patterns are my children or others learning from my life?
- What does my daily example teach about the value of God’s Word?
- What needs to change before the next generation follows my smoke?
Point 3
Restore the Family Altar
1 Kings 18:30
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Restoration begins when God is brought back to His rightful place through His Word, prayer, and renewed dedication.
Key Thought: Before revival touches a generation, the family altar must be restored.
Reflect
- What is one practical way I can restore God’s Word in my home?
- Where does prayer need to become the first response again?
- What would it look like to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”?
Gospel Focus
God Already Gave His Son
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Key Thought: The true God is calling us to dedicate our children, trust Him with our homes, and surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ.
Final Reflection
- Has the altar altered me?
- Have I altered the altar?
- What part of my life needs fresh surrender before the sermon is preached?
Prayer Prompt: Lord, restore Your rightful place in my heart and home. Help me hear Your Word with honesty, respond with obedience, and trust You with the next generation.
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