Father's - teach your children & grandchildren

Psalm 78
Teach them to Your Children
1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children,
6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
8 And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

God’s wisdom never fails us. In a day when 77-88% of Christian youth are leaving the faith by their first year in college, one has to wonder what it will take to keep the faith alive. In this weeks reading in Ps 78 we see part of God’s plan to pass on the faith to the next generation.

God’s plan to pass on the faith is dropped right in the lap of us fathers. Verse 5b states that, God ‘commanded…fathers that they should teach them to their children.’ God designed that Father’s should pass on the faith to the next generation. It is interesting that the saying, as goes the Father, so goes the family, is true. How many young children, especially boys, do not want to go to church because their fathers do not go.

The church today has a dirth of men and even a bigger dirth of men that take seriously their responsibility, their duty, to disciple their family. MEN, God is calling you to rise up and disciple your families. It is your responsibility – NOT the churches. Even the ‘best’ churches that America has to offer, is giving us children that do not have a Biblical Worldview, nor do they even remain in the faith. The reason why our children don’t remain in the faith is directly connected with the fact that they do not have a Christian worldview; and this is tied to their being truly disicipled.

Let us be honest, we all want our children to remain in the faith. HOWEVER, let us be even more honest; we do not think we have what it takes to disciple our children, and we think that we definitely do not have the time. You can begin discipling your family by simply reading God’s word for 5 minutes each day. Just getting your family under the word of God will begin to create a hunger for it, and will over time begin to transform their minds to the mind of Christ (i.e. give the a Biblical Worldview). It does not take a bible college degree, nor hours every day to disciple your family – it just takes 5-15 mintues each day.

I would encourage you to start by marking of 15 min. of each day for the Lord. In that 15 minute period simply read the bible for 5 minutes, sing a song, and pray. If you take 15 minutes each day over the years, you will begin to see God work in your own life and in the life of your family.

My question to you is the question of the Psalmist, are you v.4 “conceal(ing) them(God’s commands) from (your) children?

The only way that your children and my children will continue to follow the Lord is if you and me commit doing 4 things that the Psalmist points out:
1) Telling our children the praises of God
2) Talking about His strength
3) Telling of His wonderous works
4) Teaching His testimonies & Law

We must talk about God, talk about what He has done for us, lift up His name in their presence, and get them into God’s word. We need to do this with the sprinkly method. There is the Fire hose method and there is the sprinkle can method. The Fire hose is the occassional heavy unbearable dose of all 4 of these. The Sprinkle can method is the continuous, lite watering of; of praises, exaltation and time spent in the word. What is more healthy for a plant, a fire hose or a sprinkle can? It is better to keep the plants soil continuously moist, and thereby all it to prosper and bloom.

Verse 5 tells us that God established His testimony & His Law and we are to teach it to our children that 4 things might happen:

1) So our children will pass it on to our grandchildren,
2) That our children should put their confidence in God (not self, government,or ?),
3) That our children might keep His commands
4) That they might not rebel against God

The joy of discipling your family is waiting to be expereinced. Don’t give this opportunity and the pleasure of see your child’s eyes light up as they hear for the first time the story of David and Galiath, the walls of Jericho and all the other accounts, to someone else. God has called you to this task. Ask Him for the vision and the grace to begin the simple habit of walking and talking with your children about Him (Deu.6:7). Then watch the Lord raise up a godly seed that will bring Him glory.