Thursday, July 5, 2018

A Father's Awesome Privilege



(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen online now, click on the play button of the audio player shown here.)

This is a sermon given for Father's Day that emphasizes the privilege fathers (and all parents) have in teaching their children the ways that God has performed miracles and provided daily needs for His people, so that the children will grow up trusting in the Lord themselves.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 78:4 (NKJV) We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. 
Introduction:
I want to share some Father’s Day humor before I begin the message.
“Dad, are bugs good to eat?” asked the boy.
“Let’s not talk about such things at the dinner table, son,” his father replied.
After dinner the father inquired, “Now, son, what did you want to ask me?”
“Oh, nothing,” the boy said.  “There was a bug in your soup, but now it’s gone.”Submitted by Mark Y., Glendora, Calif.      (From boyslife.org)
A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates. When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: "Don't pay for me Daddy, I'm under five."  (http://www.loveyoufather.com/jokes/christian-fathers-day-jokes.html)

(Jokes on Reader’s Digest website)
World’s Most Technical Dad - Before I took the old family car to college, my father loaded the trunk with soft-drink bottles filled with oil, coolant, and transmission fluid. Sure enough, my car overheated. Scolding myself for not listening to my father’s instructions, I [raised the hood] looked at the engine and [discovered] how well he knew me. The oil cap was labeled “Dr. Pepper,” the transmission stick, “Coke,” and the coolant container, “Diet Pepsi.” I finished the trip safely. – Charlotte G. Alexander
World’s Safest Dad - No one is more cautious than a first-time parent. After our daughter was big enough to ride on the back of my bicycle, I bought a special carrier with a seat belt and got her a little helmet. The day of the first ride, I put her in the seat, double-checked all the equipment, wheeled the bike to the end of the driveway, carefully looked both ways, and swinging my leg up over the crossbar, I kicked her right in the chin. – Zachary Gibbs
Sometimes, even the best prepared and most conscientious dads can really blow it, can’t they?
Well, today I want to use the passage that was read for us a little earlier to point out dad’s greatest privilege. This psalm indicates that fathers have the wonderful privilege of passing on to their children and grandchildren the wonderful message of God’s redemption.
About a year ago I had this Psalm read in our worship service. I had chosen it then because of its review of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and I was making application to deliverance from the bondage of sin. Today, I want to focus on a different truth that is emphasized on the Psalm, which is written by Asaph – one of King David’s chief musicians. 
As we consider the awesome privilege that fathers have in passing the message of God’s redemption, we want to notice the source of the message, the content of the message and the purpose of the message.
I.      The Source of the Message
Ps. 78:3 (NKJV) Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 
The psalmist clearly indicates that the message has already been passed down by “our fathers.” This word probably does not literally refer to “fathers” as distinct from “mothers,” “aunts & uncles,” etc. It probably carries more of the idea of “forefathers” or ancestors.
God had given specific instructions to the Israelites that they were to diligently teach the knowledge of their history to their children. They were to teach the covenant and the miracles.
Ex. 10:1-2 (NKJV) Now the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." 
Ex. 12:26-27 (NKJV) And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' 27 that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
Deut. 6:20-22, 24-25 (NKJV) "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son: 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.  
24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.'
If the Israelites had diligently obeyed the instructions of the Lord through Moses, the nation would have done a much better job of staying true to God.
We too have received the instruction and the Word of God from our forefathers (or spiritual forefathers). I am extremely grateful for the faithful men of God who diligently and passionately passed on to me the knowledge of God and His will for my life.
II.    The Content of the Message
Psalm 78:4-5 (NKJV) We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD
When we talk about the content of the message, we find that the fathers were to pass on the praises of the Lord to the future generations. There are two specific things they were to praise the Lord for.
A.    His strength and works.
4b And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. 
Israel had a rich history of God displaying His strength in behalf of His people. In Israel’s history, God’s strength is intimately connected with His works. Looking down through the rest of this Psalm, the author is describing all of the great and wonderful works the Lord did in delivering His people from Egypt.
God is omnipotent. He is a miracle-working God. He demonstrated this over and over to the people of Israel, and it was the duty and privilege of fathers and parents to tell their children and succeeding generations about all the mighty works of God.
B.     His testimony and law.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children
At the beginning, in verse 1, the psalmist urges the people to listen to “my law.” In this context the word has a more generic meaning of instruction or teaching. However, here in verse 5, the words testimony and law carry a more narrow meaning. They refer to the Law God gave to them as a covenant between Himself and the people He has chosen.
(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised)Each generation must remember that the Lord revealed the divine oracles to Israel (cf. Ro 3:2) as an expression of the covenantal relationship that he had sovereignly and graciously established between himself and Israel. 
The psalmist is acknowledging the fact that each generation has the responsibility to carry on the message of God’s miraculous power and God’s eternal Word. They must not only tell what God can do and has done, but they also need to tell about the relationship God desires to have with His people. 
My fellow brothers, we need to feel a sense of urgency to pass on to our children and future generations a clear and definite testimony about God’s power and work; not only in the biblical history of Israel, but even in our own family history.
III.   The Purpose of the Message
There are several purposes given in these three verses for the message that was to be passed on to future generations.
A.    To give future generations knowledge.
Psalm 78:6-8 (NKJV) That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children
How will their children and grandchildren learn about God and His “track record” of miraculous deliverance? How will they know about God’s plan of salvation and redemption? The message was to be passed on so that “the generation to come might know them.” They in turn, once they grasp the knowledge given, will teach it to the next generation.
I don’t mean to sound judgmental, but it seems like in our society and culture today, we’re very diligent about teaching our children how to be politically correct, but how much are we teaching them about God’s law and God’s love? We’re diligent to teach them knowledge about a lot of different topics except the awesome Creator and His great love and redemption. 
B.     To help future generations obtain hope.
7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God,
Hope=trust  Hope and trust come from remembering the works of God. 
I’m sure there are numerous examples we could point to in scripture of what happens when people lose hope. We sure have enough evidence today in our society of people, especially young people, who have lost hope and have no knowledge of God or His works.
C.    To foster obedience in future generations.
7 (con’t) But keep His commandments;
In addition to giving hope, the message passed down was to inspire obedience to the Lord’s commands. God desired obedience from His covenant people. 
Sometimes disobedience is the result of faulty communication of the message from one generation to the next. However, sometimes the message is clear, but the rebellion in the hearts of the hearers puts them on a path of disobedience to the will of God.
D.    To help future generations avoid stubborn disobedience.
8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Finally, the purpose is clearly to help the future generations to avoid the mistakes of past generations. As indicated in the previous point, the purpose of spreading the message to the children is to generate and foster obedience to God’s commandments. Multiple descriptions are provided in this Psalm regarding the stiff-necked rebellion and resistance the Israelites exhibited toward God’s will.
There is untold suffering and pain described in the Bible for those who abandoned the covenant of God and stubbornly chose their own path. That pattern continues today. The devil often convinces people that following God will bring unhappiness and unfulfillment. But it is actually the opposite. Those who choose to disobey the Lord and His plans find themselves beset with many, many sorrows and troubles.
Conclusion:
I want to share a couple of short articles that I read, which emphasize what I’ve been trying to describe for you today.
(From: Illustrations Unlimited)
RIGHT BEHIND FATHER - A man and his young son were climbing a mountain. They came to a place where the climbing was difficult and even dangerous. The father stopped to consider which way he should go. He heard the boy behind him say, "Choose the good path, Dad; I'm coming right behind you!" Author unknown
What does a father teach?
He teaches kindness by being thoughtful and gracious even at home.
He teaches patience by being gentle and understanding over and over.
He teaches honesty by keeping his promises to his family even when it costs.
He teaches courage by living unafraid with faith, in all circumstances.
He teaches justice by being fair and dealing equally with everyone.
He teaches obedience to God’s Word by precept and example as he reads and prays daily with his family.
He teaches love for God and His Church as he takes his family regularly to all the services.
His steps are important   - Unknown
I pray that all of us, but especially fathers, will realize the importance of teaching our following generations to not only know the Lord and love the Lord, but to also be good “soldiers” for the Lord.

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