A Parent’s Responsibility Deuteronomy 6:4-12

If you’re a young parent, you’re probably used to hearing “Why?” a lot! With that in mind, a new survey finds moms and dads field an average of 11 questions from their young children each day.

A new poll of 2,000 parents of kids under six finds that between being asked “What?” (37%), “When?” (22%), and “Why?” (11%), parents are always on call when their kids get curious.

Children most commonly ask questions to better understand the world around them, such as asking about animals, nature, current events, and home experiences. When asked about the most interesting question their child has ever asked, parents mentioned “Why is the sky so high?” and “Why can fish keep their eyes open in water?”

Children’s questions may be frequent, but they aren’t always easy, as parents admit they can confidently answer an average of only 42% of their child’s questions. 

-Christian parents are responsible for their children’s religious training

I. Obey God’s Commands vv. 4-6

In our passage this morning, Moses is delivering some final instructions to a new generation that will take possession of the Promised Land.

This is the generation that we talked about last week; as long as they lived they served the Lord

They knew God; they had seen all of His mighty acts for Israel

What instruction does Moses give them?

He begins with a theological point: God is One

There are not many gods in competition or in relationship

There is no competition here in heaven; the Lord is completely unique and He is the only God for us to worship and obey

Second, we must love God

Of all the things that the Lord could demand of us (service, obedience, worship, fear) He asks us for the greatest thing, our love

Love is not lesser, in any way; in fact, where love is present, the other patterns of faithfulness will follow

We must love Him singularly, with a whole-hearted devotion

Third, we must make this personal

The words of the Lord and His commandments must be on our hearts

We have to own these truths for ourselves and live them out in our own lives

Our passage this morning is going to talk about parenting and passing on the knowledge of God to the next generation, but I need to remind you that you cannot take your children to a place that you haven’t been yourself!

Every time that I fly, I get to hear the same safety spiel that you hear, about personal flotation devices and oxygen masks. It’s a good reminder that, in case of emergency, you must place your own mask on before you help anyone else. We can be so busy trying to insure that our children are walking with the Lord that we don’t realize that we are gasping for air and choking on ungodliness in our own lives.

II. Teach Your Children vv. 7-9

Next, we see that parents are given the primary responsibility of teaching these truths to their children

I am so incredibly grateful for the folks who have poured into me through the local church; I had some rock stars in my life, teaching me God’s Word, praying for me, and investing in me

However, the first responsibility for this belonged to my parents

Your church family has a responsibility towards your children, but you have the responsibility in this area.

How do we teach them?

Diligently- there must be an intentionality about this

Incarnationally- this teaching happens through the course of life, where God’s truth meets every day circumstances

Continually- this teaching must come in the form of consistent reminders and this truth must have primacy in your family’s life

The opposites of these are deadly-

If we are waiting for spiritual conversations to happen accidentally or incidentally, they will probably never happen

If we separate our spiritual lives from our daily lives, our children will find spiritual things irrelevant

If we are inconsistent in our spiritual lives, we teach them a mixed-value system where God is one priority on a tray of options

None of us can guarantee that our children will walk with God, but we can all insure that ignorance won’t be available as an excuse

If this all feels a little overwhelming, please remember that you are not alone in this:

Our Father in heaven loves your children better than you do yourself

He sent His Son to rescue them even as He was sent to rescue you

The goal of all of this is not to make little spiritual robots who don’t ever sin

The goal is that they know the One who died for their sins

He is working by His Spirit to pursue them and equip them to love and serve Him

Romans 8:26–27

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (ESV)

III. Remember God’s Goodness vv. 10-12

Finally, Moses offers an invitation to the children of Israel

Consider God’s Blessings

God is going to do some pretty amazing things for them

Victory after victory and possession after possession will be a gift from Him

There will be hardship and struggle along the way, but at the end of the day, every gift will have been from God

We do not earn or deserve them

We could not have accomplished them in our own strength

Be Careful to Remember the Lord

We are prone to forget; busyness and bitterness, apathy, anxiety, and anger all tend to forgetfulness

We must be aware of our ability and tendency to forget the Lord

We must not forget the Lord

We must celebrate His rescue in our lives

We must count our blessings with gratitude

We must face the challenges with hope in Him

I’m afraid that this is one of the biggest failures in my parenting; too frequently I do not figure the Lord into the calculations of my life. I forget!

On May 28, 1972, the Duke of Windsor, the uncrowned King Edward VIII, died in Paris. On the same evening, a television program recounted the main events of his life. Viewers watched film footage in which the duke answered questions about his upbringing, his brief reign, and his eventual abdication.

Recalling his boyhood as Prince of Wales, he said: "My father [King George V] was a strict disciplinarian. Sometimes when I had done something wrong, he would admonish me, saying, 'My dear boy, you must always remember who you are.' "

It is my conviction that our heavenly Father says the same to us every day: "My dear child, you must always remember whose child you are."

-What about you?

Do you love the Lord? Have you experienced His grace?

Are you teaching your children?

Are you living in light of His goodness with gratitude?