Family Communication

Celebrate the Family

Family Communication

Deut. 6:1-13

Theme: God shows us what and how to communicate in our homes.

Welcome to Celebrate the Family here at Mountain View Baptist Church. Thank you for choosing to be in church today. If you are a first-time guest, we would love to connect with you. Please stop by our welcome center and drop off your connection card.

This month we are celebrating the family and after the service we have some ice cream bars for everyone as we leave today. The messages and emphasis during the services have been on the family.

Probably the greatest breakdown in most homes is the area of communication. Either there is no communication or the communication is not clearly understood. God speaks of communication: “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” (George Bernard Shaw).

There are many ways to communicate: through words, through facial expressions, through actions, through decisions, through priorities, and through our energies given to a particular activity. Sometimes we communicate the wrong things without realizing it.

On Father’s Day at restaurant there was a dad with his son drinking beer and was being very loud. He was communicating to his son this is the way you celebrate fathers. This is the way you behave in public. Unfortunately, one day, he will regret what he communicated.

Our communications to our family can either draw them closer to the Lord and pull them away from the Lord.

Emily Clark said “Poor communication is the root of unnecessary complications.”

Proverbs addresses communication of words: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Here in this passage, God is instructing Moses on communication in the home. Children are very impressionable and soak up everything that is said and seen in the home. Parents are told here to give instructions to their families. This instruction is not just to learn about God but this instruction is to be ingrained into their very being. It is to be a major part of their history. God has established the home to be the place where children are to learn about life and how to live right.

Several years ago in Fairfield, we had a family in our Christian school. They were not members of our church but they were faithful members of their church in town. Their daughter graduated from our school and soon fell into sin. Naturally they were both very upset and came to my office. He pointed a finger at me and said, I blame you for how she turned out. We paid for her to be in the school and now she is in the world. After he cooled down a bit, I told him and his wife, look the responsibility of raising children is found in the home. Notice here God is placing the responsibility on the family to create a Christian culture within the family.

Some Christian families create the wrong kind of culture and problems occur when God is left out of the conversations. Christian families need to have a Christian world view which is what Moses is teaching here. This is communicated two ways which we will see in this passage that loving God is the only way to live.

There are four mandates found in vv. 2-3 we are to communicate to our children:

1. Fear the Lord-this means we totally honor and respect Him. He is to be admired, sought after, and first place. We teach the next generation to respect God’s Word, to respect God’s House, and respect God’s servants. If children learn to respect and honor God, they will respect others.

2. Keep all the commandments-we don’t just choose what we like and throw out the rest. We are to obey what God says. This is not just a suggestion but it is the very Word of God.

3. Days may be long-this means for Israel obedience brings long life. “Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15) God’s commandments are healthy ways to live and raise a family.

4. Well with thee v.3-means it is the good way of life. Living for God brings peace and contentment.

What are we to communicate?

In verses 4-6 show us what we are to communicate to our children. This communication is critical to a healthy home which honors God.

Teach them to love God supremely.

We don’t have to teach them to love themselves. Loving ourselves is natural. We must “learn” to love God.

This commandment means we love God before anything else. This is the reason for doing right. We don’t disobey God’s commandments because we fear we might get caught.

We obey because we love Him. He is our hope of true life. Knowing God means He is abundant life. This is what Jesus means when He says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Any life outside of Jesus is a miserable life. This is not God’s plan.

The Bible says, “. . . he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Perish means to die without having a relationship with Christ. Do you know Him today? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

Every parent should desire that their children know Jesus Christ as their Savior. This means we must make sure they are hearing the gospel. We should have Bible and prayer time in our home. It doesn’t have to be long; maybe it can be right after an evening meal or right before bedtime. Simply read the Bible and pray.

Every husband should want his wife to know Christ and every woman should desire that her husband know Christ. This is God’s intention for the home. If you are a single parent trying to raise your children properly, God will give you the wisdom as you seek Him.

To love God means we love Him daily not just on Sunday. This truth of loving God is not just going to church on Sunday, but we on purpose make sure we love God every day and always keep Him first place in our priorities. It is more than just going to church but it means we love Him wherever we are. Whether we are at work, or school, or at the ball park or the BBQ’s or vacation. We consult Him for all our decisions.

This was so important for Jewish families that the young boys were required to memorize it as soon as they are able to speak. All the nations around them were worshiping many gods and pagan gods as well. Jehovah God is the one and only God. Their spiritual DNA was centered around this command to love God.

Is it possible to command somebody to love? Love is a wonderful emotion that some believe is either there or not there. The Bible says otherwise. A believer in God soon learns it is an act of the will. This act of the will leads us to love God. To love Him is our greatest command and highest privilege. Our natural tendency is to wander away from God and away from His truth.

“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:11–18)

The earlier we teach them to love God, the greater the success.

How are we to communicate?

1. Teach them-this teaching is the emphasis to sharpen. We are to concentrate our time on giving them the right truth. Diligently means to be careful and conscientious the work with precision. It will not be ignored or past over but we on purpose choose to teach them to love and fear God.

2. Talk- we are conversational about God as loving God is the normal way of life. One man said this many years ago, “the tragedy of television family sitcoms is it shows a lifestyle without God.” When a question comes, we go directly to God for the answer. We find the answer in God’s Word.

3. Walk-this is the word used for behavior. Children will see what is modeled. If our children see reading the Bible is important, they will see us reading. If our children see us going to church faithfully, they will see how important it is. If our children see us going soul winning or telling others about Christ, they will see how important it is. If our children see us making decisions based on Biblical convictions and what the Bible says, they will see how important it is. Our communication will be seen by our children.

4. Remind-vv. 8-9-the mezuzahs by the door and the phylacteries on the forehead were constant and normal reminders of God’s truth. “Being a parent means committing to passing out snacks, looking for LEGO figures, and repeating yourself constantly for 18 plus years.” (unknown)

“When our children are ignorant of the past, they will have no hope for the future.” (Tom Constable

When we have communicated to our family these great truths: three actions will follow according to vv. 12-13: They will remember God, fear God, and serve God.

What are you communicating in your family? Are you communicating to love God? Are you faithful in bringing them to church or is it just when convenient? Do you pray in your home? Do you make all your decisions based on what God says in His Word or impresses on you in prayer?

You cannot undo the past and some of you are trying to get your family back on track. Keep in mind: build a home culture of loving God.

You may be here today and have not started a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Will you turn to Him today.?

Perhaps Christians families need to come to the altar and start establishing a Christian culture in your home of loving and honoring God. Let’s pray