A Family that Fears the Lord Part 2
A Family that Fears the Lord • Sermon • Submitted
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The Blessed Man
The Blessed Man
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind 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.
How many of you desire to be blessed of the Lord? How many desire for your children to be blessed of the Lord? What does that even mean or look like? What do you hope it looks like in the future?
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Two keys words here that we need to look at. The first is “holy”. The word “holy” is qadosh (קָדוֹשׁ) meaning to live pure, clean, undefiled, set apart, sacred or belonging to God, free from sin.
When Yeshua comes, He confronted all peoples in this matter. Those who knew the Torah or Law of God and those who had no clue were all called to the same standard of holy expectation of God. Some viewed themselves as having fully met this expectation by following ordinance and traditional details of the Law of Moses. Others viewed themselves having met this expectation by condemning the pious. Others just exempted themselves. Others felt they just could never meet the measure. While others just could care less.
Interesting that we have all of these same categories of people today. Regardless of which category you have chosen to place yourself in, God has not changed the standard. God still calls us, through the redeeming work of Christ, the infilling power of the Holy Spirit, and the transforming Word of God, to live a consecrated life undefiled by the culture around us, un-enslaved by the vices of our sinful appetites and attitudes, with a pure and selfless heart surrendered to Him. To live His way, holy.
Holy is not a better than anyone else attitude of self-righteous elevation. Holiness is a self-introspective, soul searching, life of humility. Thus Jesus’ words, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Thus Jesus’ words, “Your sins are forgiven. Now go and sin no more.” Thus the words of the Shema, “Love the Lord your God with all… and love your neighbor....and teach this to your children” (Deuteronomy 6).
The second word we must look at is “revere”. The word “revere” is yare (יָרֵא) which means “to fear”. It means to fear or stand in awe of. However, it also means to cause one to flee evil and live righteous. This is what Scripture means about correction.
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Now we need to ask what should be an obvious question in Leviticus 19:2-3. What does God, holiness, and Sabbath have to do with mom and dad? Let’s look at it again:
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Let’s read it with the definitions: Tell My people, I expect you to live undefiled and free from sinful entanglement with the culture around you as My people. I expect parents to teach their children to flee evil and children to grow to live righteous as their parents have instructed them in My ways. Honor Me every day trusting in My: I am the Lord your God.
No where does the Scripture justify the violent beating and abuse of a child, even while quoting Scripture. The discipline starts with the heart of the parent. When God says this, He is not talking to the infants and toddlers. He is talking to all those who know right from wrong, good from evil. Those who have a moral conscience and who make moral choices to either honor or dishonor God.
The children will grow only as holy as they fear the Lord. And they will only fear the Lord as much as Dad and Mom. The potential of them keeping the commands of God when they are adults is none, if we as parents and leaders of the church do not keep them before them every day.
This is not a responsibility you can delegate. Father’s must teach sons how to be Men of God and daughters how to know what a Man of God looks like. Mothers must teach daughters how to be Virtuous Women and sons to desire one. This begins with teaching them to fear the Lord with all their heart and soul.
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord. Are you that man? Are you that woman? Do you desire to be? Regardless of where you are in the parenting cycle of life, it is never to late. It may look quite different in terms of process and practical application for some of you. But God is always looking to redeem families. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.