Passing Down God's Truth: Generational Discipleship

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the critical issue of generational discipleship, emphasizing the importance of passing down God's truth to the next generation. We began by acknowledging the alarming trend of young people disaffiliating from Christianity, a challenge that mirrors the situation faced by the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses, in his farewell speech, emphasized the need for the Israelites to love God with all their heart, soul, and might, and to teach this love to their children. This timeless mandate remains relevant today as we strive to instill a deep, genuine love for God in our children.

The heart of the message is the call to teach God's truth virtuously, vigilantly, verbally, and visually. Virtuously, we must embody the love and commandments of God in our own lives, as children learn more from what they see than what they hear. Vigilantly, we are to engrave God's Word into the hearts of our children, consistently and persistently, making our homes a place of spiritual education. Verbally, we are encouraged to have regular spiritual conversations with our children, discussing God's Word and its implications in our daily lives. Finally, visually, we are to create an environment that constantly reminds us of God's presence and truth, using scripture and symbols in our homes.

The message challenges us to move beyond cultural Christianity, which can inoculate our children against the real, transformative power of faith. Instead, we are called to demonstrate a vibrant, living faith that prioritizes God above all else. This involves not only teaching our children about God but also showing them through our actions and lifestyle that Jesus is the center of our lives. The ultimate goal is to point our children to the perfect God, ensuring that they understand the depth of His love and the importance of a personal relationship with Him.

Key Takeaways:

1. Recognizing and Defining Problems: Before solving any problem, we must first recognize its existence, define it clearly, and understand its seriousness. This applies to the spiritual crisis of young people leaving the faith, which requires urgent attention and action. [33:02]

2. Generational Discipleship: Every generation is tasked with passing down God's truth to the next. This involves teaching children to love God with all their heart, soul, and might, as emphasized in Deuteronomy 6. [34:33]

3. Virtuous Living: Our children learn more from our actions than our words. We must embody God's commandments in our lives, demonstrating a genuine love for God that influences our behavior and interactions. [41:55]

4. Vigilant Teaching: Teaching God's truth requires consistency and persistence. We must engrave His Word into our children's hearts, making our homes a place of continuous spiritual education. [47:32]

5. Verbal and Visual Instruction: Regular spiritual conversations and visual reminders of God's truth are essential. We must intentionally incorporate discussions about God into our daily lives and create an environment that reflects His presence. [55:48]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [33:02] - Recognizing and Defining Problems
- [34:33] - Generational Discipleship
- [35:39] - Israel's Pivotal Moment
- [38:12] - Reading of Deuteronomy 6
- [39:54] - Teaching God's Truth Virtuously
- [41:55] - Heart Knowledge vs. Head Knowledge
- [42:52] - The Importance of Love
- [44:31] - Cultural Christianity
- [45:58] - Teaching God's Truth Vigilantly
- [47:32] - The Role of Parents
- [48:35] - Sacrifices for Education
- [54:18] - Teaching God's Truth Verbally
- [55:48] - Visual Reminders of God's Truth
- [56:49] - The Power of Scripture in the Home
- [58:34] - A Parent's Letter to Their Children
- [01:00:30] - Invitation to Faith
- [01:06:50] - Fellowship of Christian Athletes Update

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Generational Discipleship

Bible Reading:
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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Observation Questions:

1. What specific instructions does Moses give to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 about teaching the next generation? How are these instructions meant to be implemented in daily life?

2. According to the sermon, what alarming trend is the church facing today, and how does it compare to the situation faced by the Israelites? [34:33]

3. What are the four ways mentioned in the sermon that we are called to teach God's truth to the next generation? [39:54]

4. How does the sermon describe the difference between cultural Christianity and a vibrant, living faith? [44:31]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why is it important for parents to embody God's commandments in their own lives before teaching them to their children? How does this relate to the concept of virtuous living? [41:55]

2. What does it mean to teach God's truth vigilantly, and why is consistency emphasized in the sermon? How might this look in a modern family setting? [47:32]

3. How can visual reminders of God's truth, as described in Deuteronomy 6:8-9, be incorporated into a contemporary home environment? What impact might this have on children? [55:48]

4. The sermon mentions the importance of verbal instruction. How can families ensure that spiritual conversations are a regular part of their daily lives? [54:18]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own upbringing. How did your family pass down faith to you, and what practices can you adopt or adapt for your own family? [34:33]

2. Consider the concept of virtuous living. What specific actions can you take this week to demonstrate a genuine love for God in front of your children or those you influence? [41:55]

3. Identify one area in your home where you can create a visual reminder of God's presence. What scripture or symbol will you choose, and why? [55:48]

4. Think about the last spiritual conversation you had with your children or family. How can you make these discussions more frequent and meaningful? What topics might you explore together? [54:18]

5. The sermon challenges us to move beyond cultural Christianity. What steps can you take to ensure your faith is vibrant and living, rather than just a routine? [44:31]

6. How can you involve your children in learning and memorizing scripture? What creative methods might you use to make this engaging for them? [48:35]

7. Reflect on the idea that the goal of parenting is to point children to the perfect God. How can you prioritize this goal in your daily interactions and decisions? [58:34]

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing the Spiritual Crisis
In today's world, many young people are disaffiliating from Christianity, a trend that mirrors the challenges faced by the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Recognizing and defining this problem is the first step toward addressing it. The spiritual crisis of young people leaving the faith is serious and requires urgent attention and action. By acknowledging the issue, we can begin to understand its root causes and work towards solutions that will help guide the next generation back to a vibrant faith. [33:02]

Deuteronomy 31:12-13 (ESV): "Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to engage with a young person in your life about their spiritual journey and concerns?


Day 2: Passing Down God's Truth
Generational discipleship is a critical task for every generation, as emphasized in Deuteronomy 6. It involves teaching children to love God with all their heart, soul, and might. This is not just about imparting knowledge but about nurturing a deep, genuine love for God that will sustain them throughout their lives. By focusing on this task, we can ensure that God's truth is passed down to the next generation, equipping them to face the challenges of their time with faith and resilience. [34:33]

Psalm 78:5-7 (ESV): "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments."

Reflection: How can you incorporate a daily practice of sharing God's love and truth with the younger generation in your family or community?


Day 3: Living Out God's Commandments
Our children learn more from our actions than our words. To effectively pass down God's truth, we must embody His commandments in our lives, demonstrating a genuine love for God that influences our behavior and interactions. This virtuous living serves as a powerful example for our children, showing them what it means to live a life centered on God. By prioritizing virtuous living, we can inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps and develop their own relationship with God. [41:55]

James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Reflection: Reflect on your daily actions and interactions. How can you better align them with God's commandments to serve as a living example for others?


Day 4: Consistent and Persistent Teaching
Teaching God's truth requires consistency and persistence. We must engrave His Word into our children's hearts, making our homes a place of continuous spiritual education. This involves creating an environment where God's presence is felt and His truth is taught regularly. By being vigilant in our teaching, we can help our children develop a strong foundation of faith that will guide them throughout their lives. [47:32]

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV): "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Reflection: What are some practical ways you can make your home a place of continuous spiritual education for your family?


Day 5: Verbal and Visual Reminders of God's Truth
Regular spiritual conversations and visual reminders of God's truth are essential for nurturing a vibrant faith. By intentionally incorporating discussions about God into our daily lives and creating an environment that reflects His presence, we can help our children understand the depth of His love and the importance of a personal relationship with Him. This approach moves beyond cultural Christianity and demonstrates a living faith that prioritizes God above all else. [55:48]

Colossians 3:16 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Reflection: How can you incorporate more spiritual conversations and visual reminders of God's truth into your daily routine to strengthen your family's faith?

Quotes

"Problem solving is integral to having a good life. But before you solve a problem, three things have to happen. First, you've got to recognize, one, that there is a problem. Two, you've got to recognize exactly what the problem is, because if you can't define the problem, you're not going to be able to dispel the problem. Third, you won't solve a problem then unless you realize that it's a serious enough problem that it needs to be solved." [00:33:02] (27 seconds)


"The church is facing a massive problem. The family is facing a massive problem. In fact, Christianity is facing a massive problem. Thirty-five million kids raised in Christian homes are projected to disaffiliate from Christianity by the year 2050. Now, that sounds like science fiction. That's 25 years from now. I remember back before Y2K thinking, well, the year 2000. Well, that was 25 years ago. Time goes by very quickly." [00:33:45] (28 seconds)


"Every generation has been given the same assignment from God since the very first generation, and that is to pass down the truth of God and the God of truth to that next generation. See, as a country, we're in a similar situation that the nation of Israel found themselves in about 4,000 years ago. They'd been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because they were disobedient to God, and now they're about to enter into the promised land, and Moses gives his farewell speech." [00:35:12] (27 seconds)


"Now, if you would have been a politician, you would have expected God to instruct Moses to tell the people to make sure they did things like avoid massive deficits, take care of the poor and the elderly, to put the right people in office to maintain a strong defense, but he does not start with policy. God starts with family. He wants Moses to make sure that the people understand one thing. He says, make sure your children and your grandchildren, your grandchildren, your grandchildren love God with all of their hearts." [00:36:00] (28 seconds)


"That's why we so desperately need his word, because there's a huge difference between a head knowledge of the commandments of God and a heart knowledge of the commandments of God. Because if you don't really hold these God's truth in your heart, you're never going to be able to teach it to your children. Because they're going to see right through you. Kids are smart. Amen. When I was a kid, I wasn't smart." [00:42:18] (24 seconds)


"Now, I didn't know at the time what they were doing, but what they were doing was they were injecting me with a very small amount of polio so that my body would develop an immunity to it so that if I was ever actually exposed to it, I wouldn't get it. Now, too many parents give their children a small dose of cultural Christianity, and what that does is it makes them immune to the real thing." [00:44:39] (24 seconds)


"Children will replicate what you show them rather than what you tell them. The do as I say, not as I do does not work with Jesus. I heard a story about a children's Bible teacher. He was talking to the children. He said, can anybody tell me why you love God? And he got all kinds of different answers, but finally he came to one little boy at the end of the line. He liked the best. The kid said, I don't know why I love God. I guess it just runs in my family." [00:45:58] (25 seconds)


"Every home is to be a Christian school. From which your kids do not graduate until they leave home. And if you don't hear anything else from me today, hear this. The primary responsibility for educating your kids about God does not lie with the school system, with the church, or with the university. It lies in the home with you. Children are to be the students. Parents are to be the professors." [00:47:32] (27 seconds)


"Now, remember, this was addressed to an ancient Jewish culture, and they had ways of visually showing the truth. Moses instructs them in verse eight, find them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. So if you go to a home in Israel today of an Orthodox Jewish home, you'll still see what Moses is talking about." [00:55:48] (24 seconds)


"See, what God is asking of us is to be virtuously, diligently, verbally, and visually pointing our kids to that perfect God. And for those of you whose kids are teenagers, maybe they're not here today, it would do you good to share this with them and to remember as you fulfill your duties as a parent. This is a letter that one parent wrote to their children. I gave you life." [00:57:36] (23 seconds)


"I can love you as a child, but I cannot place you in God's family. I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with Jesus. I can teach you about Christ, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord. I can teach you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life. All the above is your choice, end quote. Amen. It's your choice. The best thing that you can show your kids is that you chose Jesus and that Jesus chose you, that you choose to love him, that you choose to live for him, that you choose to make him the primary focus of your life." [00:59:00] (37 seconds)


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Transcript
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