STUDY THEME: GOD’S PLAN FOR FAMILIES. 10-07-01

THE HOME: “THE CENTER OF BIBLICAL GUIDANCE.”

DEUTERONOMY 4: 9-10; 6: 1-3, 24-25, 4-7, 20-23.

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO DEUTERONOMY 4.

Last Sunday we completed a wonderful series on leadership based on the Book of Joshua. Today we begin a series of four lessons on the theme of “God’s Plan for Families.” The Baptist Faith and Message says. “God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption.” It is interesting to note the change in American culture of the concept of the family Sociologists are telling us that American culture is redefining who or what a family is.

Today families are under relentless attack. Complex problems confront them from every direction. We see single-parent families, blended families, grandparents-raising-grandchildren families. To make maters worse, the family unit’s foundation is being undermined by homosexuals and lesbians who want to be recognized legally as family units and to be permitted to adopt and to raise children. Abortion continues at an alarming rate and divorce is skyrocketing. Oklahoma is second in the nation in divorce rate at present.

Many people question biblical faith and morals. Christians need to base their beliefs and behaviors on the teachings of God’s Word. What does the Bible teach about God’s plan for families? This unit of four lessons will focus on four aspects of biblical teachings about the family. Our studies will explore Bible passages that uplift the family as the center of biblical guidance, the Bible as the basis of spiritual instruction, the church as a partner with the family in teaching and ministry, and the good news of Jesus Christ as the message families are to share with non-Christian individuals and families.

The Bible is very clear that the family has a special purpose in God’s plan for the world and for eternity. A happy family is but an earlier heaven. The family was ordained of God that children might be trained up for Himself; it was before the church or rather the first form of the church on earth The family is the basic unit for passing along a vital faith to the next generation.

The lesson this Sunday will seek to answer the question as to why a person should make his or her home the primary center of biblical instruction for the family. The suggested “Biblical Truth” is that God’s people are to teach their children His directives for living. The suggested “Life Impact” is to help us make our families a center of biblical instruction and guidance for the family members.

As Moses neared the end of his life span he knew that if the families are well instructed, and well governed, they are the springs from which go forth the streams of national greatness and prosperity—of civil order and public happiness. So while they were still camped on the plains of Moab, on the East side of the Jordan River, he sought to prepare the Israelites for life in Canaan.

No one could have been more qualified to recount the history of the Israelite people than Moses. He had been there and experienced it all. We would have overlooked his speech impediment. In Deut. 4:5 Moses said it was God who commanded him to teach the statutes and judgments. Israel’s obedience to God’s law would provide a testimony to the world that God was near to His people and that His laws were righteous. So Moses, inspired by God, urged the Hebrew people to take heed to themselves lest they forget the things which they knew and lest they depart from the truth which had been revealed to them by God; they were to teach them to their sons and to their descendants.

Moses was speaking mostly to second-generation Israelites. The only ones of this group who were alive at the time of the Exodus, other than Caleb and Joshua, were adults who were now over 40. They had been children or teenagers as the time of the Exodus. Yet the sense of continuity from one generation to another was so strong that it was as if they personally had been there. During the 40 years in the wilderness, the second generation who had no memories of the event had heard these things. Deuteronomy stresses the responsibility of the parents to pass on their experiences with God, and the knowledge they had gained from Him, to their children.

In Vs. 10 Moses reminded them that they were especially to teach the things they learned when they stood before the Lord God at Sinai, or Horeb, when the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. The responsibility for teaching was thus given to parents, especially to fathers. When a man’s children were growing up, he was to teach them; when his grandchildren were born, he shared with his grown son the responsibility for teaching the grandchildren. Today parents use various excuses for not teaching their children about God. Some say that religion was forced on them and they resolved not to force it on their children. Many say they would like to teach their children, but they are too busy to find time. Some just don't know what to teach.

Parents need to realize several facts. For one thing, all parents teach their children something about God. It may be that they are teaching that God is not important, since the parents live without God. For another thing, no child grows up in a neutral environment. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great English poet, was talking with a man who did not believe in giving children religious training. His argument was that the child should not be prejudiced either for or against religion.

Coleridge invited the man to look at his garden. When the man saw the garden he said, “Why this is not a garden! There are nothing but weeds here!” Coleridge replied, “Well, you see, I did no want to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way. I was giving the garden a chance to express itself and to choose its own production.”

Children do not grow up in a neutral environment. They are subject to all kinds of evil influences. They deserve to have an opportunity to know and serve God. This opportunity ought to take place in the home. That is a command of God.

PLEASE TURN TO DEUTERONOMY 6.

The Lord commanded Moses to teach the people, so Moses spelled out the commandments, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord commanded the people to teach when they went into the land of Canaan.

Every child deserves not only the gift of life but also the gift of a father and mother who love God, each other, and their children. Ps. 127:3 points out that Children are gifts and trusts from God; parents are stewards of how they raise the children God has entrusted to them. Every child has spiritual needs as well as physical ones. Parents are to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This involves consistent and loving discipline, formal and informal instruction, and an exemplary life example. From the beginning God used the family as the foremost object lesson, for teaching us about Himself and for challenging us to live holy lives. In Ps. 101:2 David said, “I will be careful to lead a blameless life, I will walk in,” or before, “my house with a blameless heart.” In Gen. 35:3 Jacob said to his household, and to all that were around him, “Let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress.”

You may ask, “But why should I make my home the primary center of biblical instruction for my family?” The answer, of course, is God commanded it.

Many years ago I read a statement made by a Roman Catholic priest: “If you let us have a child for his first seven years, after that you can do with him as you will. He will always be a Roman Catholic.” This is a rather strong statement. But it does emphasize he importance of the early training of a child. This is the time to lay the foundations for a right relationship with God and other persons.

God’s plan certainly includes that we love one another and that we share and help one another but also it includes the fact that spiritual instruction should occur within the family unit. Christian families cannot depend only upon a Sunday School class once a week, as important . and as helpful as that is! Sincere and intelligent Christians will understand that there needs to be biblical instruction going on during the week with family members sharing together. Bacon wrote, “If I might control the literature of the household, I would guarantee the well being of the church and state.” Of curse, he wrote this before TV. Unfortunately, far too many Christian families do not engage in any kind of intentional and coordinated Bible study together. Today every S.S. class at Immanuel is studying the same topic, hoping that this study will be continued in the homes. Our new literature has planned for that very thing to happen.

The purpose of knowing the commandments, statutes, and the judgments that Moses taught was that the people might fear the Lord God and also that their descendants would keep all His commandments all the days of their lives.

Prov. 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The promise that “when he is old, he will not depart from it” is not an absolute guarantee but an assurance born out of experience and observation. But these words are most assuring to devout, faithful parents. Parents can hold on to this assurance and pray for the child. Such a child may stray, but in most cases there will come a time and place when he/she will return to the Lord’s way. The prodigal son is a prime example of this. Billy Sunday had been properly trained, but he wandered away. One night while out with friends, he turned aside to attend a religious service. There he remembered the early training in the home and the prayers of his mother. He turned from his erring ways, and became the greatest evangelist of his era. Franklin Graham tells of his wayward days, but in due time he came back to the Lord.

Many have interpreted Prov. 22:6 to mean, “Train up a child in the way he ought to go, and he may wander away from it; but when he is old he will come back to it.” Now I know some parents who are asking, “Just how old does he have to become?” They have waited a long time.

In the New English Bible the promise is that if parents will train or start a child in the right way, the way in which he should go, it will become so much a part of his life that he will never depart from it.

In Vs. 3 Moses commanded the people to hear and to observe what they were hearing so that it might be well with them and that they might increase in number as God had promised them in the land that He was giving them.

3. PLEASE READ DEUTERONOMY 6: 24-25.

The Israelites outward obedience motivated by an inner fear and reverence for the Lord would cause them to always prosper and be kept alive after they entered the land. Future benefits would depend on future obedience. It was for the peoples’ good, that God might preserve them.

Another purpose for Moses’ teaching Israel to learn and to obey the law was what their obedience would do to their relationship with God. Moses called them to meet an important condition: be careful to obey all this law. No halfhearted obedience would do. No partial “pick-and-choose” obedience would do. Israel must put its whole being into obeying all of God’s law all the time. That practice would be their righteousness. True faith results in righteousness that brings God’s blessings.

God gave Moses His law and commanded him to teach the Israelites because He loved them. His commands were life to them. Teaching that leads to obedience also leads to divine blessings on those who hear and obey God’s Word. As John said in 1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” The greatest treasure derived from their obedience was their relationship with the Lord.

Many people think of God as the ultimate killjoy. That is, they think that the commandments of the Lord remove the joys of life. Such people often describe the life they seek as “the good life.” Faith and obedience to God is the last place they would expect to find the good life. They seek the good life in worldly things. Believers can bear witness to the biblical truth that the truly good life is found only in total obedience to the Lord.

Most parents want their children to have a good life. Too many of these parents define this good life in materialistic terms. However, along with the physical things needed to sustain life, children need moral and spiritual things. Parents are accountable for providing the spiritual things of the truly good life.

PLEASE TURN BACK TO DEUT. 6: 4-7

4. PLEASE READ DEUTERONOMY 6: 4-7.

These verses contain one of Judaism’s most important and most quoted Scriptures, often referred to as the “Shema.” The name is derived from the Hebrew verb in Vs.4 rendered “Hear.” This beloved text contains Israel’s foundational conviction about God and the basic duty of every Israelite. In His day, Jesus declared in Mark 12: 28-30, that this verse expresses the most important commandment in the law. No wonder the Lord wanted family leaders to memorize this text, obey it, and teach it to their children. In Jesus day on earth the orthodox Jews put this passage on tiny pieces of papyrus or parchment and put it on the door post of their homes and even in small boxes called phylacteries tied to their heads or hands with leather thongs.

The very first thing the Israelites must know and remember and teach is that the Lord their God was one God. Moses called Israel to hear a word from the Lord. Hearing entailed more than physical act of listening. It meant to listen and obey. To hear God’s Word without obeying it was like not hearing it at all. Moses’ call to hear and obey asserted individual responsibility by referring to the Lord as our God. The added declaration, “the Lord is one”, declares not only God’s uniqueness but also His unity of being. The NIV rendering of Vs. 4 is “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”

God is unique. Although the full revelation of God’s being has been manifested in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—nonetheless we confess with Israel, “The Lord is one.” Following the lead of Israel’s families, our families need to grip tightly to this foundational conviction. All gods are not equal. In truth, there is no God but the Lord. If we are not careful, in our endeavor to be politically correct we may equate the gods of other faiths with Jehovah God. He will not tolerate that.

In Vs. 5 God’s oneness and uniqueness elicited a total response from His covenant people. The people were to love God with the fullness of their being---with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Not only is fearing God a matter of obeying Him, but fearing and obeying God are ways we love Him. The only right way to love the one God is with every aspect of one’s being.

The depth of the people’s love for God called for heart, soul and strength. The breadth of their love demanded all of their heart, soul, and strength. This exhortation did not attempt to furnish an analysis of human psychology but to emphasize the totality of a person’s love and commitment to God. Yet, some general distinctions among the terms may be observed.

God’s people are to demonstrate their love and commitment to the Lord intellectually, spiritually, and physically. They were to love God at the very center of their being, in their very hearts. The people were to let God’s commandments lodge permanently in their minds. Moses spelled out several ways in which God’s covenant commands were to be in their daily thoughts. Moreover, Israelite parents and grandparents were to teach God’s commands to the next generation. Moses exhortation was clear: impress them on your children. The Hebrew word translated IMPRESS can also be rendered “teach diligently.” However, Moses went further by spelling out ways parents could achieve their task.

In Vs. 6-7, Moses used a series of opposites to emphasize that teaching and learning could occur anytime and anywhere. Sitting and walking represent the full spectrum of human activity. At home and along the road symbolize all the places families might find themselves. When you lie down and when you get up describe the totality of time. The point is clear: covenant teachings were so vital to Israel’s life and future that parents were to make certain they were central to family life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Can any biblical lesson be more relevant for families today? Hardly. If the home is to be the center of biblical instruction, today’s parents and grandparents should be guided by this instruction. Family life today is hectic in many ways. Finding any time to talk about God’s Word among family members is a challenge. On the other hand, the encouragement here is not to find time. But to use and make time for teaching and learning. Establishing a “Family Bible Time” each week—a time of family discussion of the Bible study lesson—is one way to put this lesson into practice.

Moses advised Israelite families to post the Lord’s teachings in strategic places around their homes—on doorways and gates. On entering the house, family members (and others) would see visual reminders of their duty to obey and serve the Lord. Inscribing the Lord’s commandments on their gates would remind family members to take advantage of teaching opportunities that occurred “along the road.” Alexander Pope wrote, “Instructing in childhood is like carving in stone,” and “Just as the twig is bent the tree is inclined.”

Of course, God wasn’t looking for Israelite families merely to have multiple displays of His Word around their homes. That would be no different from families today who possess multiple Bibles, yet God’s Word is seldom the topic of their conversation. The Lord was wanting families to learn, teach, and live His Word every day and in every place.

5. PLEASE READ DEUTERONOMY 6: 20-23.

The people must be prepared to answer when their children would ask them in the future what meant all these testimonies and statutes and judgments of the Lord God. This is called a “teachable moment.” Moses urged parents to take advantage of these teachable moments. Eventually, children would want to know why the Lord had given Israel these stipulations, decrees, and laws. Some of the commandments were self-explanatory. Some might even have seemed unusual, especially when contrasted to the beliefs and practices of Israel’s pagan neighbors. In time, children would want to know the story behind their nation and its laws. Parents and grandparents would be in the best position to explain the truth to a youngster.,

To assist the parents Moses outlined Israel’s story in concise, dramatic words. “We were slaves…the Lord brought us out of Egypt…the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders…but He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that He promised on oath to our forefathers.” That is why we keep the Lord’s commandments,” a father might have answered his son, “because if not for the Lord we wouldn’t be a family of Israel living in this wonderful land.”

Imagine how a Christian parent or grandparent today might use a similar storytelling approach to answer children’s inquiries about family and faith. What stories of the Lord’s work in our lives might we tell in response to questions such as “Why do we go to church?” “Why don’t we got to church on Sunday night or Wednesday night?” “Where did Baptist begin.” What are some things Baptist believe?” “Why do we tithe?” From our explanations, young people can understand that God’s Word guides our families because God has brought us out of sin’s slavery and into a new life in Christ.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Bible is very clear that God’s people are to teach their children the ways and commandments of God.

I is a high and holy responsibility and privilege to teach another person the ways of God and parents must not shirk this responsibility.

To teach others means that we must first know the truths ourselves and therefore means that we need to be open students of God’s Word and also to understand how God has blessed us in our lives.

In the Bible to know the commandments of God implies that we will do and observe and obey the commandments of God.

Teaching the truths of God is not simply done to make us intellectually informed, although that is desirable, but is also to result in holy living.

As surely as sincere Jewish people seek to obey the “Shema,” so we Christians should be as diligent as possible in teaching our children to love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, and strength.

Of course, our teaching must always center around and be grounded in God’s great revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ.

NEXT SUNDAY’S TOPIC IS “THE BIBLE…THE FAMILY’S SOURCE OF INSTRUCTION.” SOMEONE HAS CALLED IT “GOD’S MANUAL FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING. A.V. DAUGHERTY 10-07-01.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE MOTHERS GONE? By Rev. Larry Sparks.

Where have all the mothers gone, who used to grace the home?

You will not find them there, nor reach them on the phone.

For some have left to take a job, or find their own career;

Feeling that what father makes, is not enough they fear.

So they work and leave the child to make it on his own

And he is given his own key, because there’s usually no one home.

Where have all the mothers gone, who used to cook the meal?

Some are at the aerobics classes, trying to regain appeal.

Some are gone to shop at malls, for clothes from spring to winter,

But they’ve the food prepared; a delicious TV dinner.

Where have all the mother’s gone, who used to make children mind?

Some are into self-help books, others just don’t have the time.

Some will let the kids decide, what’s good or what is bad,

Others will let the kids get into whatever seems to be the fad.

Who used to teach God’s Love, from the blessed holy book?

God gave us guidance from above.

The rebellious child of today, won’t listen to what we tell,

And thus the mother doesn’t know, she’s leading him to hell.

Where have all the mother’s gone? I’d really like to know.

For once she trained the child with promise, in the way he should go.

But now alas, the time has come to sing this unhappy song,

As many do the drugs and sex because the mother’s gone.

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