RDS PTF September 19, 2019
It is so good to be here today. It is exciting beyond words, seeing how God has worked in miraculous ways here at the Redeemer Day school in the past, seeing His work continuing now, and anticipating what God will be doing here at Redeemer Day School in the years to come.
God is working, but He also expects us to be working also.
We all have an important God-given assignment. And yes this includes homework.
God has given us, as teachers or parents, or both, the paramount responsibility of training children.
Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.
I want to talk about the assignment that God has given us.
I will start with four I’s
This is an important assignment.
It is an assignment of great significance. It is an assignment that will have a profound effect on the success, survival, or well-being of your children.
God uses us as a catalyst for life change. (God brings about life changes, we don’t.)
Intentional
We need to be intentional about carrying out this assignment.
Intriguing
We need to make this assignment intriguing to our children.
Integrated
This assignment needs to be integrated into our everyday lives.
We will take a look at our God-given assignment.
We will discuss three outcomes, listed in the Bible that we hope to achieve.
We will look at specific instructions in the scriptures that tell us how to carry out this assignment.
Let’s take a look at the RDS scripture verses.
Our school verses are Psalm 78:4-7,
The short version.
“We will … tell … the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done.” Verses 6 and 7 go on to say, “that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God.”
In context
Psalm 78:1-7 (NLT)
A psalm of Asaph.
1 O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
2 for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
3 stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
5 For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
6 so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
What is your most important role as a parent?
What is the most important role any of us have?
but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. Psalm 78:4
Tell how God is working through all of his creation.
Tell how God has worked throughout history.
Old and New Testament Bible stories. (The Jesus Storybook Bible)
World history, especially the history of America.
Tell how God is working in your life. (All of these need to be age-appropriate.)
Tell how God is working in their lives.
*We are The Redeemer Day School, we exist to share the story of Redemption.
*Explain redemption.
Teach your children that God loves them.
Teach the Christmas story.
Teach the Easter story.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Unearned – undeserved
1 Corinthians 7:23 (NLT)
God paid a high price for you, …
Romans 6:23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
5 For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
(This is different from verse 4)
God’s instructions on how to live our lives vs. telling the glorious deeds of the Lord.
God gave us the Bible.
The Bible is God’s instruction manual – how to live our lives.
Scripture clearly teaches how Christians are to live.
Basic principles that govern our personal lives and relationships.
God’s principles are permanent, unchanging, and universal in nature.
God provides principles for living in a way that protects from harmful thinking and behavior.
We need to use the Scriptures to teach Biblical principles to our children.
that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children Psalm 78:6
What do we hope to achieve?
3 outcomes are listed in this passage.
so that they should set their hope on God
Where else can we set our hope?
In our government?
In other people?
In technology?
In institutions?
In education?
In jobs?
In the economy?
In our local church?
and not forget His glorious miracles (the works of God),
Not forget the story of Redemption
Understand God’s plan of salvation.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 ESV)
and obey (keep) his commandments; Psalm 78:7
Help the next generation to understand that biblical principles really do work and are clearly for their benefit.
How do we do this important assignment?
Deuteronomy 6
5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Here’s the assignment:
7 Repeat them (biblical principles) again and again to your children.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, ESV
Spontaneous lessons are great,
but there also needs to be intentional instruction.
We need to be intentional about carrying out this assignment.
Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
This assignment needs to be integrated into our everyday lives.
Integrated – We do not live a spiritual life separate from our secular life.
Use repetition
Make use of the many opportunities you have throughout the day.
8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (NLT)
This assignment needs to be Intriguing to our children – arouse their curiosity or interest
Visual aids
How do we do this? This is a big assignment.
It starts with us.
We need the right relationship with God. We need to love God with every fiber of our being.
5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 6:5-6
We need to be learning from God.
Psalm 86:11 (NLT)
Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
We need to be spending time in the Word.
We need to be spending time in prayer.
Psalm 19:14 (NLT)
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
We need to model Christ-like behavior.
What an awesome responsibility.
Luke 6:40 (NLT)
Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.
A child is not above his parents, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his parents. (RL)
….will be like his parents….
….will be like you….
Four I’s
We have an important assignment.
We have an assignment of great significance. It is an assignment that will have a profound effect on the success, survival, or well-being of your children.
God uses us as a catalyst for life change. (God brings about life changes, we don’t.)
We need to be intentional about carrying out this assignment.
This assignment needs to be integrated into our everyday lives.
We need to make Biblical principles intriguing to our children.
A fifth “I”
Investment
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be, (Matt 6:19-21).
