Parents have the God-given responsibility of passing on the faith to their children.

Transcription

1 Teach Your Children Well Deuteronomy 6:1-9 In Deuteronomy the Israelites are camped within sight of the long-awaited, promised land. It is at this point their leader, Moses, delivers a critical series of messages to God s people. Although there are many important things as the Israelites prepare to enter the land, Moses takes this final opportunity to once again remind the people of what matters most. Main Point of Sermon: Parents have the God-given responsibility of passing on the faith to their children. 1. Know the Faith (vv.4-5) Hear = Listen up! As Moses preaches the Word of God, he says, As you move into the promised land never forget one essential truth a truth that is the basis of everything else: Our God is God, the only true God alone.god is the foundation of all truth. If you do not start with God, you re not starting from the right spot. If you are not building on that sure foundation, what you are building will not stand.you must know this God the one true living God Yahweh. Yahweh is the sacred & personal name of God. He is a personal God who comes to us. He is the basis & source of the faith. We are to know this God and love Him will all of our mind, heart, soul, and strength. Know the faith.

2 2. Model the Faith (v.6) In verses 1-9, you or your is mentioned 36 times. The Christian life is not a do as I say, not as I do kind of faith. It is a faith that is to be lived & modeled. As parents (and grandparents), we are given the responsibility to model the faith to our family. How do we model our faith to our family? It begins by knowing & loving God having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Christian faith is about building a relationship of love & trust with our family. Are family rules & guidelines involved? Most definitely, but rules do not define family. Family is defined by relationship. We see this demonstrated by God in Exodus 20. Before He gives the Ten Commandments He says: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Notice that God frees His people by His grace before he calls them to obey the commandments. That is the gospel. God tells us who we are before He tells us what we are do. Our identity is found in Christ by which we can then live a new life in Him. Implication: Parents, as you model the faith to your family don t forget to give grace to your kids as you teach them obedience. 3. Teach the Faith (v.7) To teach diligently is more than just passing on information. It requires consistency & persistence. We are to teach until understood, embraced, and put into practice. Then we are to lovingly continue to encourage that behavior. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

3 When do we to teach our faith to our family? Moses points out 4 daily opportunities that we have to diligently teach the faith to our families. [Points A-D are adapted from Reggie Joiner s book, Think Orange.] A. Meal Time: when you sit in your house Type: Formal Discussion (focused discussion of life issues) Role: Teacher Goal: Establishing Values This where conversations of life issues collide with biblical truths. Teaching values and how the faith impacts various situations in life and the difference Christ makes in our everyday lives what we do & don t do, why we think the way we think (worldview). The dinner table is a great place for this discussion. B. Drive Time: when you walk by the way Type: Informal Dialogue Role: Friend Goal: Interpreting Life This is time to help your children interpret life. It is a dialogue, not monologue. Allow your kids to drive the agenda of conversation. Discuss the issues and challenges they are facing. This can be done as you driving to/from school,

4 sports practices, dance rehearsals, etc. Whenever you re in the vehicle together can be an opportunity to teach your faith. C. Bed Time: when you lie down Type: Intimate Conversation Role: Counselor Goal: Building Closeness This time to listen to the heart of your kids. Parents, take opportunities to be on your child s turf. Get in the habit of making regular visits to your child s room. They need to get used to it and you might learn a few things. The home is not an apartment complex where the child s room is off limits to neighbor parents who just share common areas like the living room & kitchen. Parents, be a part of your child s intimate life & conversations. D. Morning Time: when you rise Type: Motivating Words Role: Coach Goal: Encouraging Behavior The days of the Cleavers are gone. Most families no longer sit around a breakfast table. Nowadays it s Pop Tarts & Later, Love you as everyone stumbles & scatters different directions. Parents can still take advantage of this

5 time. It s another opportunity to teach our faith to our families. Take time to give a word of encouragement or prayer as your children head out for the day. Think of it like a coach giving one more pep talk before sending the team onto the field. 4. Keep the Faith (vv.8-9) Many Jews took the verses 8-9 literally and attached small boxes [phylacteries] to their forearms & foreheads. They also mounted boxes to their house doorposts. These boxes contained scriptures to instill faith in their family to keep it visible & in front of them. The point we should get from this is the importance of keeping God s Word before us and our children. Teach the faith by keeping the faith. Hold on to God s Word. Teach your children the Bible. Remember parents, it s never too late to start and it take effort to continue. Teach your children well.