2020 - 4/13 #10 - Passing on our Faith

is another one of Asaph’s Psalms. And it is both interesting and powerful.

The opening 4 verses set the stage.

What a good thing it is for each generation to make known what they've come to know and have learned by experience, about the goodness, power and wonder of God.

For parents to tell their children of their own conversion to Christ.

To tell them how God rescued them in trouble, provided for them, walked with them, comforted them, sustained them and blessed them.

It is a great reminder for parents - to not be silent about their walk with the Lord.

Give your children the heritage of your life in Christ.

Recount it.

Glory in it, joy in it, and tell them of it.

But he doesn’t stop there. In the following verses the writer makes the case for why this is so important. He lists 4 primary reasons: So they should

So they should

a. Set their hope in God themselves;

b. Not forget His works themselves;

c. Keep His commandments themselves;

d. Not be like their fathers in stubbornness, rebellion, and unfaithfulness.

Now what is so intriguing about the balance of the Psalm is how much is taken up recording Israel's sin and failure, but God's goodness, grace, mercy and forgiveness in it.

Our testimonies to others ought not to be about OUR goodness, but His, in the face of our rebellion.

This kind of honesty among Believers is often sorely lacking.

We want our kids, and others, to perceive us a certain way.

We want to cover our brokenness with a Christian veneer.

So part of that is to project an image that suggests we’ve had precious little failure in following Christ in our lives.

We hide the fact that we still struggle with temptations and sins of all kinds.

We make it look as though we’ve got this Christian walk thing so all-together that we only need God’s occasional help - if that.

That we need Him still theoretically, but not “really.” Not like we think we still have a lot of badness in us.

Not like confession of sin and repentance from it is still a daily occurrence - as, if we are honest with ourselves and our God - it MUST be.

It’s perhaps one reason we don’t admit our sins to them, even when our sins have been against them.

That somehow, our families; spouses, children and parents aren’t as deserving of our confession and repentance as others are. When in fact, they are more so.

We owe those closest to us the most honesty. The most obvious display of what it means to depend upon and walk with Christ in truth.

Now the text is aimed mostly at parents here - but don’t let that put you off if you do not have any yourself.

If you don't have children, find someone else to pass these things on to.

for the same reasons.

So that they might set their hope in God themselves. It is a tool for evangelism.

So that they might become acquainted with God’s mighty works themselves - especially His work of redemption in the cross-work of Christ.

c. Keep His commandments themselves;

d. Not be like their fathers in stubbornness, rebellion, and unfaithfulness.