Intro:
Text: Deut 6:4-9
(v. 2) Parents are charged with passing their faith on to their children & grandchildren. It takes putting God at three focal points in your life:
I. YOURSELF - Putting God at the Center of your own life (v.4-6)
A. God cannot be just a part of your life, he needs to be the foundation
B. Deuteronomy is a recap of much of the law in the form of a sermon
1. One of the running themes is the concept of "remembrance"
a. (v.10-12) - Be careful not to forget the Lord
b. Words like "remember how the Lord delivered you"
is used repeatedly
2. The Shema "Hear O Israel…" is one of the most basic texts
of Judaism
a. Along with it is instruction not only to apply it, but teach it
b. It begins with putting the words on your heart
3. This section begins with a movement from fathers to sons (v.1-2)
C. Bobby Lewis took his 2 little boys to play miniature golf
1. Asked how much is it to get in?
2. Man replied $3 for yo and $3 for any kid older than six
3. Bob replied The lawyer is 3 and the doctor is 7, so I
owe you $6.00
4. Man replied, "hey did you win the lottery or something, you
could have said your older boy was 6 and I never would
have known"
5. Bobby's reply: Yes, that's true, but the boys would have known.
D. If you are not faithful, your children will likely not be either
1. Ralph Waldo Emerson - "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't
hear what you are saying"
2. Children have a tendency to mimic their parents
3. You cannot pass on God's laws unless they are "on your heart"
II. YOUR FAMILY - By Putting God at the Center of your family (v.7-8)
A. God must be at the center, not just during the mealtime prayer or
on Sundays.
B. With Israel, God was to be at the center of every family activity and
discussion
1. Not only was the word to be on their hearts, they were to teach
a. When you sit in your house - Turn off the T.V and teach
b. When you walk by they way - On a trip, do you speak of
your faith?
c. When you lie down - Evening family prayer?
d. When you rise up - Begin the day at the breakfast table with
a reminder of whose children we are
e. CANNOT LET IT HAPPEN, YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT
HAPPEN (deliberate)
2. How well do you remember a persons words just before they die?
a. Last words are usually very significant
b. This is Moses' last days, and he speaks of passing on their
faith to their kids
c. Mentions it again in 11:18-21
d. Last words out of his mouth recorded: 32:45-52
-His last words (v.46) was to pass on their faith
3. This was back before the days of synagogues
a. Synagogues were educational institutions and a
house of worship
b. Nothing is said in scripture about synagogues (except that
they exist in the New Testament)
c. Did God give responsibility to the synagogue for education?
NO!
4. Eph 6:4-"bring them up in the discipline & instruction of the Lord"
a. Schools & Churches are not responsible, YOU ARE
b. God designed family for place of instruction
c. God will hold YOU FATHERS responsible
C. ILL: Dad comes home from work, his sons runs in as asks:
1. Dad how much do you make an hour?
2. "Son, don't bother me now, I'm tired", the boy persisted
3. Dad said, "Alright already, I make $10 an hour!"
4. The boy asked, "Dad, could I have $5 please?"
5. Dad yelled "So that's why you wanted to know how much
I make! Go to bed!"
6. Dad felt guilty, maybe his son wanted to buy something.
7. His Dad went upstairs and gave him the money.
8. Son replied: Good! Now I have $10. Dad, could you sell
me an hour of your time?
D. Maybe that story hits too close to home
1. If you do not spend quality time with your kids, you cannot
pass the baton of faith
a. Quality time also means QUANTITY
b. Playing games with your kids, they are learning, ball in
the back yard, go ride on your bikes together, go to the
park, buy a gift for mom together,
c. They are learning by watching you
2. If you don't have the time, they wont learn from you...
- If they don't learn from you, they will learn from someone else
3. Know your kids friends
a. Be involved in friendship decisions early
b. Don't tolerate the bad ones
c. If you are close to kids, your influence will win
III. YOUR HOUSE - By Putting God at the Center of your house (v. 9)
A. The minute you walk in your home, you should feel God
B. The Israelites had visual reminders everywhere about their God
1. They were bound as signs on their hands and foreheads
2. This is not unlike the W.W.J.D. bracelets today
3. They were also written on the door posts of their houses and gates
a. It was no secret who their God was
b. I love it when I go to a home and see the plaque from
Joshua 24:15 - "But as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord"
c. It shows there is strong spiritual leadership in this house
C. A persons house can tell a lot about a person
1. I remember when I was little, Rob, my friend loved a rock group
2. You knew without a doubt that he was a fan the minute you
walked in the door, there were posters everywhere
3. He awoke every morning staring them in the face
D. A good spiritual leader will put reminders about Jesus all over
his house
1. What does your house say about your faith to your children?
2. If they don't wake up to God every morning, they will not
when they leave home
Concl:
1. That's how you pass on your faith to your kids: 3 Focal Points
God in the center of 1) Yourself 2) Your Family 3) Your Home
2. THEY HAVE TO SEE THAT YOUR FAITH IS REAL IN YOU
a. Remember they have built in baloney detectors
b. I remember a guy named Tom growing up who said that the church
was no different than a social club
c. To my knowledge neither he nor his kids are really faithful today
3. ILL: We heard a rumor of a Family that did not have a house to live in
a. They were living in a barn
b. A group of us found them and went to build them a house
c. The mother had just about given up on God
d. We brought our kids out that day, they got to see Christianity in action
4. But remember they need to see it, and you need to teach it
a. Talk about why you built a house, why you made a meal for someone,
b. Involve your kids in these acts, take your faith out of the church and
out of the house and into the streets
5. Where will your kids be ten years from now, a lot depends on what you do
today