Faith That Lasts
Notes
Transcript
Have you noticed how fast time flies? One minute you’re buckling your kids into a car seat, and the next you’re nervously riding in the passenger seat while they drive you! Seasons change, kids grow up, and before we know it, what we leave behind isn’t just our house, our car, or that collection of mismatched Tupperware—it’s our faith.
It reminds me of a family recipe. You can write it down on a card, but the real flavor is caught in the kitchen—watching grandma add “just a pinch” of this, or dad tasting the sauce three times before it’s “just right.” Recipes are more than instructions—they’re experiences. And faith works the same way. It’s not just in the lessons we teach; it’s in the lives we live.
That’s why in Deuteronomy 6, as Israel was preparing to enter the Promised Land, God told them: “Keep My words close, teach them diligently to your children, and weave them into the rhythms of everyday life.” God knew that faith had to be caught more than taught.
If you have your Bibles with you, go with me to the fifth book of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy. We will be reading from chapter 6 beginning at verse 1.
In Deuteronomy 6, Moses is speaking to a new generation of Israelites standing on the edge of the Promised Land. After forty years in the wilderness, he reminds them that their future depends on keeping God at the center of their lives. This passage, known as the Shema, became Israel’s daily confession of faith, calling families to love God wholeheartedly and to pass that love on to the next generation. With that in mind, let’s look together at Deuteronomy 6:1–9.
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,
2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
This morning I want to give you three keys to building a strong family with a faith that lasts. It is important that you make these keys a part of your family life.
1. Parents are the Primary Spiritual Leaders
1. Parents are the Primary Spiritual Leaders
If you don’t teach your kids, then they will get faith somewhere else. You must be the spiritual leader of your home.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
This is the words of Moses speaking to the people. The first people that he is telling this to is the parents. When faith is transmitted to your kids, it begins at home. If you are teaching your kids what you believe, they will get it somewhere else.
I’ve seen it too many times where families will outsource spiritual training to the church. The church is great place, but God designed parents as the front-line disciplers of children.
I love watching the NBA. Go Thunder! I love hearing stories about athletes. When you think about sports, a coach is an important part of the sport and the athlete. A coach can encourage, guide, and give great instruction—but if the athlete never practices at home, they won’t grow.
One of the best examples of this is NBA legend Kobe Bryant. People talk all the time about how intense his practices were. His coach could draw up the plays and explain the drills, but what made Kobe different was what he did when nobody was watching. He was famous for being the first one in the gym at 4 a.m. and the last one to leave. He didn’t just listen to his coach—he lived it out every day.
The same is true with our faith. Church is like the coach—we can encourage, guide, and teach—but the real growth happens at home, in the everyday routines of life. If faith is only practiced on Sundays, it won’t last. But when families take what they hear at church and live it out at home, that’s when faith grows strong and lasting.
Parents, you must let your children see you pray. It is so important that they see you read God’s Word. In all the decisions that you make, your children need to see you live your faith. Your children will copy what they see.
2. Create a Rhythm of Discipleship
2. Create a Rhythm of Discipleship
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
What is Moses saying in this verse? He is talking about a routine.
All of us have a routine that we go through every day. We get up, eat breakfast, let the dogs out, get ready for work, take the kids to school and so on.
Moses tells us that when we are going through our routine, make sure that we are talking about our faith. Find those teachable moments to minister to your kids.
When Moses says, “impress them on your children,” he is not making a casual suggestion. This is an active, deliberate task. Moses is calling parents to take responsibility for transmitting faith. Your children will absorb the lessons from observations and conversations, not just instruction. Every interaction that you have with your child is a teachable moment.
Think about a heartbeat. It’s constant, steady, and life-sustaining. If it skipped every now and then, our bodies wouldn’t function properly. Our spiritual lives work the same way. When discipleship at home is irregular—maybe a devotional here or there, a prayer now and then—faith can start to feel optional, like something we only do when we “have time.” But when families create a consistent rhythm—praying together at night, reading Scripture at the table, talking about God’s Word in everyday moments—faith becomes essential, not optional. Just like a heartbeat keeps our bodies alive, a consistent rhythm of discipleship keeps faith alive in the home.
Be intentional!
Think of a time during your week that you can insert Bible or prayer time into your weekly routine.
Be simple, but practical. Maybe it would be a mealtime prayer or a bedtime scripture. It could be car-ride worship. The important thing is that you don’t overcomplicate it. Just make it regular!
And the third and final key to building a strong family and making faith last is…
3. Leave a Legacy
3. Leave a Legacy
Moses has been teaching Israel how to live out God’s Word in the rhythms of daily life, but now he goes a step further. He tells them not just to keep God’s commands in their hearts or to teach their children privately—but to make faith so visible and integrated that it becomes part of everything around them. In verses 8 and 9, God gives instructions that show how faith can leave a lasting mark on the home, on daily routines, and on future generations. Let’s read how He tells them to ‘tie these words as symbols’ and ‘write them on the doorframes of your houses.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
When you begin adding faith into your routine, you are not just making a lasting impact on your kids, but you are making a lasting impact on your kids kids.
God’s instructions wasn’t just for the current generation but for those to come. The way we live today is a blueprint for the faith of tomorrow.
When you leave a legacy, you are reflecting Christ in what you display, you are reflecting Christ in what you celebrate, and you are reflecting Christ in what you prioritize.
Imagine walking into your grandparents’ house and seeing a photo of them reading together, a well-worn Bible on the coffee table, or a handwritten recipe they always made for family gatherings. Those objects tell a story—not just about their possessions, but about their priorities and values. Just as those tangible items are carefully preserved and handed down, so too faith needs intentional passing from one generation to the next. Kids don’t automatically inherit what we believe; they inherit what we live. The spiritual “heirlooms” we leave behind—prayer habits, Scripture memorization, acts of service, and love for God—are far more valuable than anything money can buy, and they are what shape the next generation.
I want each of you to ask yourself a question. Ask yourself, “If my children, or grandchildren, only had my example, what kind of faith would they inherit?”
Family Challenge
Family Challenge
I have one more family challenge for you this week. I want you to start a weekly devotional night.
Gather your family once a week, maybe Sunday evening. Read a passage, discuss it briefly, and pray together.
Be sure to keep it short, simple, and consistent. Over time, it will form memories and habits that last a lifetime.
The goal isn’t perfection, but presence. Faith is built in the moments you show up.
Faith isn’t something we drop off at church and pick up again on Sunday—it’s lived, modeled, and passed down in the everyday moments of life. God has placed your family right where you are so you can be the primary spiritual influence in their lives. The question isn’t whether you talk about God at church—it’s whether your children see God in the way you live, hear His Word in the way you speak, and experience His love in the way your family functions.
So here’s the challenge: don’t leave faith to chance. Start the rhythms, model the life, and make God’s Word visible in your home. Choose today to leave a legacy that will outlast you—a faith that your children, grandchildren, and generations yet unborn can catch. Because one day, when you’re not around, your faith will either echo in your family or fade away. Which will it be?
Before you leave today, I want to ask you a question: When your children or grandchildren look back on your life, what faith will they see? Will they see someone who talked about God on Sundays but lived another way the rest of the week? Or will they see a parent, a grandparent, a family member whose faith was alive, visible, and contagious?
This is your moment to make a choice. Step forward and say, “I will not leave faith to chance. I will model it, teach it, and make it a rhythm in my home.” Step forward if you want to start that weekly family devotional, step forward if you want to rededicate your life to Christ, step forward if you want your faith to echo in the generations to come.
Don’t wait. Don’t assume your children will inherit your faith automatically. Step forward today and leave a spiritual legacy that will last long after you’re gone.
I’m handing each of you a commitment card. I want you to circle one, then take this card with you and place it where you will see it. I want you to remember that you made a commitment today to help make your family, Family Strong. You are making a commitment to build a faith that lasts.
Let me pray a prayer of commitment over each of you.
Prayer of Commitment:
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the gift of family and for the privilege of passing down faith from one generation to the next. Lord, we recognize that time is short and that what we leave behind is not just possessions, but a legacy of faith.
Today, we commit ourselves to be the spiritual leaders in our homes. Help us, Father, to model Your love, teach Your Word, and weave Your truth into the everyday rhythms of our lives. Give us the wisdom and discipline to start consistent family devotions, to pray with our children, and to make faith visible in all we do.
Lord, we surrender our lives to You. May our words, our actions, and our priorities reflect Christ, so that our children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come will catch the faith we live. Strengthen us to be faithful, intentional, and persistent in building a legacy that lasts.
We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus,
Amen.
