Stranded: Train Your Children

Intro

Happy Father’s Day

Continuing our series Stranded

Started talking about giving, and how the way we handle money can often keep us off the islands of life

Last week, Darren talked about prayer, and how fancy prayers and lots of words won’t help when we are isolated and alone

To kick off our Father’s Day message, I will ask:

What is something your dad taught you growing up?

as I was preparing for this morning, the one thing that I remember my dad exemplifying the value of working hard day in and day out.

The other thing dad taught my brother and I is to keep family first. Even what dad was working lots, it was because he loved us and wanted the best for us

Jesus Teaches Us

As we continue in Matthew 6, Jesus has a couple lessons he wants to pass along about prayer. Last week, we looked at the proper way to practice prayer. Alone, not for show of others, and not long winded and fancy, but simple as the Father already knows what you need before you pray it

this is the practice, but what about the content? What are we supposed to pray about?

This is the first question a young believer always asks. “I want to pray, but I just don’t know what to say.”

So often we respond with something that is simple, trying to not make prayer something that is hard to reach for the young believer

But when someone asks, we should respond with this

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Word for word, or themes

as far as prayers go, this is pretty simple. In fact, if prayer has been something you have struggled with, start here.

but don’t rush through it like a task that needs to be accomplished; pause through each section and reflect or elaborate as you go through

The Lord’s Prayer starts with a heart of worship. Our Father, hallowed be your name. May your name be honored as holy above every other name.

This is one part of the prayer that we should almost get stuck on. There is no shortage of things to praise God for

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

We move from worship into a heart of submission; instead of building our own kingdom, we commit to advancing the kingdom of God, the better and everlasting kingdom

From submission, we move into provision; a recognition that every good thing in life comes from God. This line comes from the Psalms. David prayed, “God don’t give me so much that I forget about, don’t give me so little I hate you; give me my daily bread.”

from submission to repentance; everyday there are things that we need forgiveness for. Whether big or small, we come to the Father, acknowledge our shortcomings, and fall on the strength of God to help tomorrow to be better then today.

As we accept the Father’s forgiveness, we also let go of any bitterness or strife that we may be holding against someone who has wronged us.

From repentance to deliverance; we acknowledge that we are not strong enough to overcome the sins and temptations that come our way, so we ask the Holy Spirit to be our strength and wisdom, to flee from sin and overcome the schemes of the evil one.

Have you ever had the Lord’s Prayer broken down that way? What stands out to you?

one of the things that stands out to me is the repentance part. The Jesuits called it the Examen, and practiced it twice a day. The realization that we are fallen, our nature is sinful, and we need humbly come before the Father and repent of the thoughts and actions that are contrary to heart and teachings of the Father

Jesus teaches us, we teach our kids

what does this have to do with Father’s Day?

one of my mentors would teach that the men are not only the leaders of the home, but we are the priests of our families. That means that it is our responsibility to equip our children and our wife with the spiritual tools to excel in life

But not only excel in life, but to survive the islands of life. What happens to our family’s spiritual health when we’re not around? What happens to the wellbeing of our kids when they leave the home and pressures come?

It’s not just about prayer either

Deuteronomy 11:18–25 ESV

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

Train in the Word of God

Moses challenges us in the things we talk about as we go about our day

What are the topics that are important enough that we give them air time? Is God’s word important enough for us to talk about? Are our kids hearing us wrestle with the teachings we are encountering? Are we sharing the interesting things God’s word is impressing on us with our spouse?

Teaching our family isn’t having a formal class and handing out homeword assignments. Do our families see and hear us wrestle with the things of God?

Even the act of going to our prayer room, away from everyone; our kids see us going, and it doesn’t take long for them to figure out what we are doing

Fathers, today is your day, and I want to remind you of the weight that you must bare as the man of your family. Men, we must stop shying away from the responsbility of raising our kids up in the Lord. We must embrace it, because no one can do it like we can

Men, train yourselves up to face the islands of life head on, strengthen your prayer life; become more consistent in your reading. Talk about it more, discuss it with your kids, and along the way not only will you be strengthened, but you encourage spiritial strength in your family

Let’s Pray