Genesis 18:19
Introduction: Learning to fear God is a challenge to all of us. My goal, through this entire study, is that the people of Timberline Baptist Church become a God-fearing people. In our last time together, we learned the importance of fearing God by keeping His commandments. One cannot fear the Lord without obeying God's Word. Proverbs 28:9 says, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." God says here that He's not even interested in hearing you pray if you're not interested in obeying His Word.
One of the great failures of this past generation is their not teaching the next generation to fear God through obedience. Not only are we to fear God by keeping His commandments, but we must also teach the next generation to do the same. We are not just to teach them to obey but to obey in the fear of the Lord.
This truth is given to us in Deuteronomy 6:1-2, "Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged."
Not only were the fathers to be in obedience to the Lord, but the fathers were to also teach the next generation to obey in the fear of the Lord. This is an area where many have failed but an area where we cannot fail.
We are not following through with the pattern Moses set for us. Today, this generation of young people has gone wild and lives with no fear of God in their eyes. To fail in teaching a proper fear of God through obedience to the next generation has devastating results and consequences. Today's young people often flaunt their disobedience and lack of respect with no shame whatsoever. A recent survey, taken among young people which included many Christians, revealed some astonishing facts.
- 66% of those surveyed admitted to lying to their parents.
- 36% of those surveyed admitted to cheating on a test.
- 55% of those surveyed admitted to being promiscuous.
- 20% of those surveyed admitted to trying to hurt someone physically.
Though many of these young people claim to know Christ as their Saviour, they obviously are not obedient to God's law. There is obviously something very wrong with this.
All-too-often, the next generation goes without being taught. Notice again the admonition given in our opening text, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:19)
Why is it that the older generation has allowed the next generation to do as they please? Perhaps, they have become tired; perhaps, they have given up; perhaps, they don't care; perhaps, it is a combination of all of these. No matter what the reason, the responsibility of training the next generation to fear God through obedience is not negated. What should we do?
1. Teach through example. - 1 Timothy 4:12
"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
- Though this command is given to a young preacher by an old preacher, its truth is handed down to those of us responsible for those under us. This would include parents.
- The older generation has too often said, "Do as I say, not as I do." But the truth is, they will do as you do and ignore what you say.
- This is why what you do must speak as loud or louder than what you say. You are the best Christian someone knows.
- Your example to the next generation is either good or bad, but it cannot be neutral.
- Notice the areas where Timothy was admonished to be an example:
* In word.
* In conversation.
* In charity.
* In spirit.
* In faith.
* In purity.
- Children have plenty of examples to follow today. Sadly, many of them are poor examples.
- Young people will always gravitate to the influence closest to them; therefore, you should be the strongest and closest influence in their young, impressionable lives.
- Dr. Wendell Evans taught, "Your walk talks, and your talk talks; but your walk talks louder than your talk talks."
2. Teach by doing. - Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
- Notice the command here is to train up children in the way that they should go. This does not mean to train them up in the way they want to go or in the way they choose to go; rather, it means to train them up in the right way because the right way is the way they should go.
- The command to "train up" is just that, a command. Very little training goes on in our churches today. Thus, very little training goes on in our homes today.
- It would be a great day when the home and church both decided to train up the next generation.
- This is an active command. Training up a child involves a lot of hard work. Many, in the older generation, gave up in child rearing when the going got tough.
- It takes a great deal of diligence to train a child by doing. This can be done in a number of ways:
* Don't send young people to church; take them.
* Do what they need to learn rather than only telling them what they need to do.
* Train consistently, day-by-day, night-by-night, week-after-week, and year-after-year.
* Always back up, through personal obedience, what you learn at church. Never put down what you heard from the pulpit. Be thou an example!
- In Ephesians 6:4, Paul writes, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
- As we studied this before, we find now that this command to fathers is an active one. Fathers are to constantly be training the next generation.
- Have fathers failed? In many cases, yes. In many other cases, no. However, we are living in a day and age when fathers have left the training of children entirely up to the women folk.
- Of course, we should be training the next generation by the example we set, but we cannot leave out training the next generation "by doing."
Conclusion: The next generation will learn to fear God by example and proper training. Many children become bitter when told to do without an example to follow.
The challenge in this message is very simple. Are you, by the life you live and the example you set and the words you speak, rearing the next generation to fear God or not? Is your goal to be a God-fearing Christian? Is your goal to raise up a God-fearing generation?