An Unbroken Chain

Grammar is poor food for the soul. If it is not labor grace of God around the fireside fathers you should repeat not only the Bible stories but the deeds of the martyr and the reformers tell your own Walkure test responsibility of an educational system to teach your child. Grammar, but it is your responsibility to teach your child raise all generations. Psalm 78 summarize those goals in three simple statements know God think biblically and live wisely. In a study that together today here on wisdom for the heart and Psalm 78. Asaph lays out Israel's long wandering history in a single chapter.

He begins the same as Genesis 1 and ends the same as Revelation 22 ends with God as the hero.

These are truths that Christians are to teach their children. So let's join Stephen as he opens God's word with this lesson called an unbroken chain already.

The Ephesian believers wasn't any easier command to love his wife as his body was in any easier for a woman to respect her husband's leadership was in any easier for children to obey their parents.

All of that spelled out a course of Ephesians chapters 5 and in six it wasn't any easier to follow God then than it is now back this just is possible to please God and follow him.

Now as it was then simply because some things never change. The truth of Scripture doesn't change the pattern and design for the family had changed. The goal of parenting have changed the need for biblical law. Discipline hasn't changed, and by the way that the property of the human heart hasn't changed either as a and the need for the gospel in this amazing grace we have. We have been born with a rather incredible capacity to sin and and something has to be done and we know that God's spirit must do it in the hearts and lives of children and moms and dads. We never needed a fresh look at the priority of parenting express today and moms and dads ever needed encouragement, and prayer and fellowship and and wise counsel in a family of believers dedicated to helping them along the way today so I want to do anything that is that we have here is just dust off an ancient inspired pole it's it's number 78 in your Hebrew hymnal Psalm 78 it was written to be so in every generation so that every generation would be reminded of what the ultimate priorities are in life. Notice Psalm 78. Again, there's so notation underneath it says steel Asaph mother where my skill and be understood to mean instruction for the purpose of meditation. In other words, Asaph wants us to think long and hard about these lyrics to cover the contents of this poem. It's a long: it would take us three years to get through it. But what I will tell you is this what ASAP does his or hers.

Israel's history starts from the Exodus where they apart from Egypt and it goes all the way to David's reign in Jerusalem and what ASAP does is present in poetic form in order to be so that block history it. Israel's experience and it is to say, by the way, and this is important to understand whatever you read historical narrative. You're not only to learn from history. Not only can you learn from history, you should learn from history we need to learn from his song opens in verse one listener my people to my instruction.

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old which we've heard and known in our fathers told us we will not conceal them from their children, but tell the generation to come raises of the Lord and his strength and his wondrous works that he is done. I do know that Trego young man is going to sing that song we will remember the works of the Lord. But I'm thinking this is song 78. This is the exhortation. Listen, you could literally render that pay attention, pay attention to the history, which includes the mighty works of God. Now a diverse 540 establish the testimony of Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers is the command that they should teach them to their children that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children.

There's no such thing as a generation gap in the mind of God like an unbroken chain, the truth about God, the truth… Works the truth about God's word. The truth about God's will is to be passed down from generation to generation, like an unbroken chain when I want to do is point out that in this unbroken chain. There are at least three priorities that godly parents need to communicate. It is the mission of our church priority number one is to know God.

This is the direction were pointing. This is who we want them to see in fact notice for six again that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born.

They may arise and tell them to their children that they should notice this they should put their confidence in God.

You cannot put your confidence in the God you know nothing so they need to be produced to this living God.

So Asaph is singing. Take your children through the history of Israel so that they might end up knowing why they can place their utter absolute confidence in this living God, teach it to your children have him teach it to their children and have been teaching to the next generation. So what God wants the home to be a lie is a it is a is a spiritual chain reaction by the way the church picks up on that doesn't find that same strategic priority, where Paul writes to Timothy and he says find some faithful men teach them the word and then have them teach others also generation following us get it from us that God is worthy of every kind is convicting because it it it back for us to ask ourselves the question, do I live in such a way that my children or people watching my life might get the sense that I believe they could put their confidence in God. Like I teach them to know God priority number two. Teach them to think biblically or seven that they should put their confidence in God and not yet works got Emily coming to know about God becoming to know about what God has tell them first to parables or stories with spiritual meaning.

Tell them the dark sayings you could translate that secrets all is the Hebrew word that is the mysterious working of God's purpose teach them verse five teach them the testimony and the law of God, tell them the commandments of God is people up again in verse four conceal them. Tell them. In other words, bring before the eyes of your children these stories and parables and principles and ordinances and laws and commands and the variance of biblical history to show them what they can follow through life. Teach them your effectively teaching them the works of God through the word of God Charles Spurgeon pastoring in the 1880s late 1800s wrote in his commentary on this text.

The best education is education and the best things good best education.

Education and the best thing your children might very well be receiving an education. Good thing, and necessary things, but it may never touch on the best things and frankly the school is given the primary mandate to teach them the best thing Spurgeon wrote the very first lesson. The child should learn from his mother's concerning his mother's God, because on the right. Grammar is poor food for the soul. If it is not flavored with the grace of God around the fireside fathers you should repeat not only the Bible stories but the deeds of the martyrs and the reformers and moreover the dealings of the Lord, with themselves, both in his providence and grace. And tell your own Walkure test responsibility of an educational system to teach your child. Grammar, but it is your responsibility to teach your child about the grace of God and show them the grace of God through his show them the grace of God through Scripture show them the grace providence of God through your own testimony and your own life.

Spurgeon in that same paragraph writes every satchel and every bag contain should contain Bible numbers every child should grow learning that the most important things to learn more about the creator and his divinely inspired communication to us through his work because everything else may be temporary, but he is eternal.

And before we will one day stand without without this he might grow up to become an extremely educated man, but we are surrounded by extremely educated individuals.

The word of God call pools because they have said in their hearts. There is no God to matter how many degrees or after someone's name. We are surrounded by individuals who are intelligent but empty the fear of the Lord is the placing of your confidence in the reality of God and in his word, Sullivan wrote that is the beginning point of knowledge, Proverbs 172, the priority of parenting is to provide the best education by giving your children and education of the best primary means you're going to have to answer a lot of the hard questions on the planet because when it comes to spiritual things your kids have a lot of questions don't hand them off on cigarettes and mother or or or you know, your father did for yourself. Find the answer it and finding the answer, you will model for them that you don't know everything about the Bible but want to know what the Bible has to say about what they II emailed late this past week.

My middle school pastor and my children's pastor. I know they have a little box somewhere in the middle school and there's a box of more colonial corners, kids can put their questions and that in these boxes and then they spent time in answering them, and I asked him pay any questions you can send me over just the last couple of months or so and they sent me lists longer than I'm going to read to you but I I'm going to review some of them. Here are some questions from six through eighth graders for pastor Paul six through eighth graders how I deal with death in a family that I'm close to how should I treat her friend was changed their gender person I married one day abuses me. Can I get a divorce. God actually gives certain disabilities, the people for certain reasons why does he do that if people live far away. I can't hear about Jesus do they go to heaven. How are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The same God how to help bullies and flirts Gillette has a positive answer all the questions from third through fifth grade 3rd through fifth grade pastor Mike why does God let Austin what's not lettuce sin got Satan was going to sit and why did he create where's the garden of Eden on today's map GPS on Google Earth policy. What is the Holy Spirit exactly like many kids, married each other what your favorite hairstyle, exactly, the Bible, but they wanted what Mike said do angels have free will.

Are there girl angels easy. Yes, I married one of you men married one as well. You will how wonderful is his kids are saying I wouldn't know what the Bible said I want to know how it relates to my life. I want to know how it relates to my friends. I wouldn't know what it says about my world there effectively inviting us to help them think biblically don't hand that all what a joy it is when you're kids come to understand and by God's grace, believe the gospel is that what were after.

What a joy it is to hear them telling other kids about because they get it in the middle of studying this song.

I got a phone call I was out in the got a phone call from a young mother in her church and the she called me up and she said Stephen my my eight-year-old daughter Lauren came home from school today with some pretty exciting news and after she told me I asked her well but you want to call and tell thinking she say her grandparents and she said I want to call yesterday. She's on the phone here.

Would you like to talk with. I said absolutely eight-year-old Lauren got on the phone and told me out on the playground that day.

Told her best friend the gospel Jesus died for her and was buried, and rose again by accepting the gospel friend could go to heaven and she said in and it was so exciting is my my friend prayed right there on the playground with me to accept Jesus Christ from life are.

I was so thrilled since that's an unbroken chain how to know God. How to think biblically hard work, priority number three how to live wisely, but verse seven. One more time that they should put their confidence in God, that's knowing God, and not forget the works of God. Word got described the notice and keep his commandments and not be like their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation found me in, you find you not like their fathers rebellious and stubborn term here for fathers as a reference obviously to the disobedient forefathers of Israel disobeyed God rebelled against him and ended up wandering in the wilderness got discipline Israel over and over again.

Which by the way, this is implicit in parent implicit in growing up and said that disciplining the cycling come from the same for those of you who are in the throes children, you know, the weariness and the daily shore of this, my party had all four kids lined up ready with their daily spanking received two of my sons appear with their wives and their baby for everything, every child is different, though some are compliant more compliant than other summer why you watch them several out there one loud noise to get out the time to go to bed their lives up to speeds full throttle, no in between.

There are easy-going so our little attorneys and take you through every potential loophole with every command. Early on I want to see it.

I enjoy so much, especially grocery stores where some child abducted his poor mother demanding their way they do in church to love reading about that one kid discussing a church would sit still complain. Coloring book 5 Boston filing that had enough picked up the boy put them over her shoulder and started walking out right before he got backwards. The boy looked up and face the congregation and said for me.

There's a moment of growth and wisdom, and that little boy right about that. Maybe you can identify with one young mother juts with all included the story as a friend. It is actually in his book on family like the one family. He writes some parents have been extremely difficult challenge children tied to our specially obnoxious and take on their parents in public places. Maybe you have and it's a short about he he wrote this the best example I have 10-year-old boy name Robert was a patient of my good friend Dr. William Sloan Ecker slacker said his pediatric staff read in the days when Robert was scheduled for an office visit he would attack the clinic grab instruments files telephone passive mother did little more than shake her head in bewilderment. During one physical examination.

Dr. observe some severe cavities.

In Roberts T knew the boy must be referred to the local dentist who would be given the honor of referral like Robert mean the end of the professional French doctor eventually decided to send it over dentist who was known to understand children.

Robert arrived in the dental office prepared for battle get into the chair young man said the doctor. No chance sonically to climb onto that chair and that's what I intend for you to Robert stared his opponent for a moment and replied, if you make me get into that chair. I will take all all my clothes. The doctor calmly simple son going to take them off the boy was in and remove his shirt undershirt, shoes, socks, and looked up in defiance of finish on them. Along all right. He said which little boy responded now, the dentist said as he worked and drilled and filled.

He finally finished the boy stepped out of the chair, said that the dentist give me my close start by the dentist. Tell your mother that were going to keep your clothes overnight.

She could pick them up in the morning. Can you comprehend the shock Roberts mother was able to go to the waiting room open.

There stood her son as naked as the day he was born.

The room was filled with patient Robert walked past them into the hall into the elevator out of parking lot. The next day Roberts mother returned and asked to have a word dentist. She didn't come to protest. These were her sentiments. She said you don't know how much I appreciate what happened here yesterday. Robert has been blackmailing me about his clothing for years. Whenever were in a public place like a grocery store. He makes demands of me and if I don't immediately by what he what he threatens to take over all is you are the first person to call his bluff and she said the impact on Robert has been incredible looking getaway that day dentist, but try point is discipline is a part of shore challenge parenting but you need to understand that helping a child growing wisdom means you're helping them learn to obey. By the way, according to the Bible.

Wisdom is not the opposite of ignorance. Wisdom is the opposite of disobedient wisdom is not intelligent wisdom, disobedient, James right this way is a test letter.

Who among you is why an understanding who the one who shows like good behavior is these in the gentleness of his is one of the reasons why the culture is just totally upside down because every problem is fixed by education when you get more education.

We need to educate them.

We need to tell the more they need to learn more. Wisdom is the practical application where you take what you know about God and obey the exhortation is not so much to education as it is application of truth learn with wisdom is true, apply to life. Here are the ultimate priorities show tell next generation that God is worth knowing. His word is worth studying will is worth the end of the day got us to his work in the hearts of every child. Just as he must do his work in your reminder for today is in the daily grind of being a parent, grandparents or teacher. It's easy to get focused on the immediate issues and lose sight of the ultimate goals God has for the children in our lives, and he wants us as Christian adults to invest in children and be used by him to teach and train the next generation. You've been listening to wisdom for the heart with Steve and Dave, if today's lesson was a blessing to you. You can listen to it again on our website. Stephen also provides the written manuscript of each lesson and both of those resources are available free of charge on our website which is wisdom online.org will be back at the same time tomorrow.

So join us here on wisdom for your heart