10 Statements (every child should hear their parents say):

Title: Ten Statements every child should hear their parents say

Text: Ephesians 5.33-6.4; Colossians 3.21; Deuteronomy 6.4-6

Introduction: Turn to Eph 6.4; and Col 3.21

I first heard a similar message by Dr. David Walker nearly 30 years ago in a revival we were hosting in Cotulla. I didn’t take notes, but some years later, as a pastor myself, wanted to preach a similar sermon. I preached once in Worland, once in Tyler, and now, I’ll preach it here today. I honestly don’t know how close this is to Dr. Walker’s message, but it is my own.

Read Eph 6.4; Col 3.21

10 Phrases:

1.  “I love you, Lord”

exp.: more than anything your children knows about you, they need to know there is nothing, absolutely nothing in your life that is more important to you than your relationship w/ God.; they need to see you from the outside – looking into your time alone w/ God; to know that now is not a good time to bother daddy cause he’s praying. They need to have no doubt that you are saved and that you have a deep abiding relationship with the Father.

ill.: Michael Reagan received many gifts from his father, President Ronald Reagan. But at the 40th President’s sunset funeral, Michael described the greatest gift a child can receive:

I was so proud to have the Reagan name and to be Ronald Reagan’s son. What a great honor. He gave me a lot of gifts as a child—gave me a horse, gave me a car, gave me a lot of things. But there’s a gift he gave me that I think is wonderful for every father to give every son.

Last Saturday, when he opened his eyes for the last time…that’s when I realized the gift that he gave to me: that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had—back in 1988 on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Point Mugu—told me about his love of God, his love of Christ as his Savior. I didn’t know then what it all meant. But I certainly, certainly know now.

I can’t think of a better gift for a father to give a son. And I hope to honor my father by giving my son, Cameron, and my daughter, Ashley, that very same gift he gave to me.

Knowing where he is this very moment, this very day, that he is in heaven, I can only promise my father this: Dad, when I go, I will go to heaven, too. And you and I and my sister, Maureen, who went before us, we will dance with the heavenly host of angels before the presence of God. We will do it melanoma and Alzheimer’s free. Thank you for letting me share my father, Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Transition: There is no greater gift to give your child, than for your child to know that you belong to God. At the end of your life, when your body is lying lifeless and the services take place committing your body to the ground and your spirit to God. Nothing will mean more to your child than knowing where you are.

2. “I love you, Sweetheart”

exp.: your kids need to know you love their mom/dad. Let them see your demonstrations of love. Open the door for her. Pull out the seat for her. Grab her when she walks by and pull her down into your lap and give her the biggest sweetest hug and make her laugh as you kiss her neck! Reach out and hold his hand, or slip your hand under his arm

Dad, Teach them to Honor and Respect her. Get angry when they miss treat her. And never, ever mistreat her yourself. Mom, teach them to Honor and Respect him. Don’t ever say a negative remark about him. Always show respect to him. Parents, if you do, then your kids will, too.

Ill.:  Listen to this writer whose article appeared in the Arkansas Democrat: “Women are very touchy about certain gifts, as I discovered years ago after buying my girlfriend a catcher’s mitt for her birthday. It seemed to me to be a particularly thoughtful gift, especially since she claimed not to be getting enough physical exercise. But apparently, she didn’t see it that way. The minute she unwrapped it, she ran sobbing from the room.

“At first, I thought those were tears of joy streaming down her face. I figured she was overwhelmed at being the first in her crowd to have a catcher’s mitt—that sort of thing. Or I figured she was so excited she couldn’t wait to get outside and work on her throws to second base. But when she didn’t return after a few hours, I got the hint.

“Here I’d spent all that time running around from one sporting goods store to the next trying to find the perfect gift. I mean, we’re talking the Johnny Bench model here; top of the line. And she calls me insensitive. I mean, you’d think I’d given her a year’s subscription to Field and Stream or a box of shotgun shells, which everybody knows should be saved for Christmas stocking stuffers. Personally, I think she just had a lot of anger in her and took it out on me. Not that I’m trying to play amateur psychologist or anything.” 

Listen, unless your wife specifically asks for her own set of tools… my wife did. Outside of your relationship with God, there is no greater relationship on earth than that of your spouse. And your kids should know it.

Transition: the 3^rd phrase:

3. “I love you”

exp.: your child needs to know that you love him/her. Hug your kids, everyday. Do things with them. Build things with them. Read to them;

Ill.: I’ve told my children and it is being passed on to my grandchildren: there are three things I want you to know about me. Like, at my funeral someday, you’ll say, “These three things I know about my dad. First, He loved the Lord. 2^nd, he loved my mama. And 3^rd, he loved me.

Transition: Say, I love you with words, but also with your actions. And say I love you everyday. Everyday.

4. “I’m sorry, I was wrong; will you forgive me.”

exp.: read Col 3:21;

Eph 6:4                                                                           Col 3:21

Fathers,                                                                            Fathers,

Do not                                                                                 Do not

Provoke                                                                             provoke

Your children to anger                                             Your children

But, instead                                                                                lest

Nourish them, (not just food),

In the training and the instruction              they become discouraged

Of the Lord

1. It is an incredible moment when your child realizes you’re not perfect. Set the example on how to restore relationships. Show deep humility. Show honesty. Don’t arouse a deep-seated bitterness within them. Go to them and teach them what you did was wrong or how you handled the situation was wrong.

ill.: 15 years ago, The AP reported on a young man named, Jesse Jacobs, who made it possible to apologize without actually talking to the person you’ve wronged.

Jacobs created an apology hotline. People unable or unwilling to unburden their conscience in person call the hot line and leave a message of apology on an answering machine. Each week, 30-50 calls are logged, as people apologize for things from adultery to embezzlement.

“The hot line offers participants a chance to alleviate their guilt and, to some degree, to own up to their misdeeds,” said Jacobs. “I’m just hoping that these people will feel better themselves, just by getting whatever’s been bothering them off their chest.” One caller to the hot line remarked, “I hope this apology will cleanse me and basically purify my soul…God knows, I need it.”

Here’s the thing: you can now download the app! You can go to the app store and find the appropriate app to put on your phone. Then confess to your heart’s content.

app.: don’t confess your wrongs to an app or a hotline!

Here’s why: your marriage is a picture of the Gospel.

Transition: Go to your child and look them in the eyes and say, “I’m sorry.” 5^th:

5. “You’re doing a good job.”

Don’t discourage them; Encourage your kids; For some reason, this one is hard on parents. I don’t know why, but parents: everyday, find something good to say to encourage your child;  

ill.: Scott Larson, in his book, A place for Skeptics, writes:

I remember being approached by a 16-year-old boy named Ricky after I wrapped up my first speaking session at a weekend retreat for high schoolers. “I just hope you’re not heading down a path where at the end of the weekend you’re going to ask us to make some kind of commitment to follow God with our whole lives,” he said. “‘Cause if you are, I want to go home right now.”

Without pausing for breath, Ricky continued: “I’ve been coming here for a long time, and I’ve made these promises year after year, promises I can never keep, and ended up worse off than before I started, with God even more mad at me. ‘Cause now, not only am I sinning, but I’m breaking another promise I made to him. And so I just want to make sure that’s not where you’re headed this weekend. Is it?”

Feeling sad for Ricky and not knowing exactly how to respond to him, I took a shot in the dark and asked: “What can you tell me about your dad, Ricky?”

He proceeded to tell me a story from when he was in fifth grade. “Every day when my dad came home from work, the first thing he would always ask me was, ‘Have you done your homework yet?’ It was a pretty safe bet that I hadn’t. Then one day I decided to surprise him. When he got home, I met him at the door saying, ‘Guess what, Dad. I did all my homework!’ His response was, ‘Then why aren’t you working on tomorrow’s?'”

Suddenly it wasn’t so surprising that Ricky felt the way he did about himself and about God. He had learned that no matter how close he came, the mark of approval would always move a few notches higher. He would always come up short.

• Do you realize how important your approval is to your kid? – that your approval sets them up for how they view their heavenly father? I know you want your child to always be pushed to be better. And you should, but don’t forget to affirm them, too.

ill.: Lisa B.: I love Jesus, but I don’t like God.

Transition: find ways to build up your child’s confidence and know how much they mean to you – how proud you are of them. Every day! They’re going to get beat down in so many ways, be a ray of sunshine for them. #6

6. “Let’s Pray”

1^st, public speaking; at dinner; at bedtime

In situations and circumstance other than at the dinner table. Some guys, not even then. You are the Father, it’s sweet to have your kids pray, too. Like when you get in the car and travel.

They need to hear you speak to the Lord on your knees beside their bed. In “your chair” in the midnight hour. But they should see you living life in relation to your Master.

ill.: a mother came to me once and shared her concern of her little children. They asked her in private: How come daddy won’t pray before dinner. Mama, how come daddy won’t pray out loud?

Transition: I didn’t know what to tell her, except to encourage her kids by respecting her husband. #7

7. “We’re going to church”

Why? – To be with people who love God, too.

Why? – obedience; you can’t tell your kids to obey you and live in disobedience to God. Heb 10.25; It’s not your wife’s responsibility to get to church.

ill.: One Sunday morning, two men are out in a boat, fishing. After several hours on the lake without catching a single fish, one of the men says to his friend, “You know, we probably should have stayed home and gone to church this morning.”

The other man says, “Well, I could have stayed home, but I couldn’t have gone to church.”

“Why’s that?” asks his friend.

“My wife is sick,” the fisherman answers.

App.: Funny the excuses we can come up with to miss church. Consider this: you only get together with all of God’s people once a week. If you miss a Sunday, that’s 14 days since last you got to be together. Miss two Sundays – that’s 21 days!

Transition:

8. “Yes, But God has a plan”

Things may look bad, but God is going to use this to glorify himself and accomplish his plan. My biggest failure as a dad has been not trusting God in the early years when I couldn’t understand why things were going bad.

He can be trusted in every situation Rom 8:18; ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us; 28 – ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Now, that doesn’t mean you have to understand it. But, even when bad things happen, faith can carry you through.

9. “If you were to die tonight, are you absolutely, positively sure that God would let you into his heaven?”

Daddy, have you ever led someone to the Lord? Do your kids know about it? Maybe they can’t be there, but around the dinner table when your talking, tell them about someone coming to know Christ or a witnessing opportunity where someone said, “No”. “Kids pray for them.”

Your kids need to know that you have a passion for God and a passion to see others come to know him.

Seriously, how much do you have to hate someone to not tell them how they can have the promise of heaven?

Ill.: C.H. Spurgeon. – “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

• Can I let you in on a secret? The greatest joy in a person’s spiritual walk is to get on his or her knees and pray with their children to accept Jesus as Lord and savior and teach them that God is worthy of our lives.

Transition: and that is the 10^th phrase:

10. “God is Worthy of your whole life”

It all starts and ends with God. Not only that, but He flows through all the others.

Conclusion:

I was considering this week about my job – as pastor. God has been so good to me to allow me to serve him this way. I don’t deserve it. What an honor! It is the highest calling vocationally. I truly do have the greatest job in the world. But, do you know what is even more satisfying? It’s being a dad.

Now, you all haven’t been called to do what I do – and I’m sure you’ll find great pleasure in doing whatever God has called you to do. But as a parent, that’s a really cool gig. Here’s the problem, it’s really only temporary. You get this short time to get it right. It may not feel like it when you’re in it, but listen to those of us who’ve gone before you: the time is short – so seize the day.

            Let your children hear you say and watch you do the things that are most important. Let them know you love the Lord and that you love their mom or dad. And let them know you love them. Everyday! When you do things wrong, and you will, ask them to forgive you. Encourage them – everyday! And teach them to walk with the Lord as you walk with him.

⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Let’s pray

The Promises of God

Title: The Promises of God

Text: Genesis 22

Introduction: It is usually best to not act when you don’t know the outcome. Usually!

Like while conducting maintenance in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea, the crew of the RCGS Resolute spotted a Venezuelan Coast Guard vessel on March 30. According to the crew of the Portuguese-flagged but German-owned cruise ship, the Venezuelan littoral patrol boat Naiguatá directed the cruise ship to follow it to a Venezuelan port. When the crew of the Resolute refused—citing their right to be in international waters—a crewman of the Venezuelan vessel used an automatic rifle to fire warning shots. When that didn’t turn the Resolute to port, the 262-foot Naiguatá attempted to ram the 409-foot Resolute. Designed for sailing through ice-covered waters, the Resolute took the blow well while the collision ruptured the hull of the Venezuelan patrol boat and sank it. Other coast guard boats rescued the crew of the Venezuelan vessel, while the Resolute sailed on to her next port. (World Mag, 5.9.20, Vol. 35, no. 9, pg 18)

Like I said, it usually is best not to act when you don’t know the outcome in whatever you’re attempting. But our story this morning teaches us to Trust God at his word – even when we’re not sure of the outcome, by faith, we know that God knows what He’s doing.

There are a group of us reading through the Bible together. We’re currently in Numbers, wandering around with the Israelites through the desert! With this in mind, I’ve decided to preach from somewhere within the last week’s readings – and so, today you’ll notice I’m in Genesis 22. Just one little story from the midst of the Big Story.

Which brings us back to acting on something when you have no idea about the outcome. Actually, that is exactly what Abraham does in Gen. 22. Here are our 4 points this morning:

1. The Plan
2. The Problem
3. The Provision
4. The Promise

In this story, there are two counter-actions at work: What one believes and what one experiences. Abraham obeys God because he knows that God will accomplish what he has said (He believes God). But, his actions will lead to that not being possible. How can these two opposites be true at the same time?

Let’s observe the action. 1^st, we see the Plan

I. Following The Plan (1-6)

exp.: There are two parts to the Plan, first, explained, and 2^nd, executed.

1. Explained (1-2); note: the grouping of 3’s: take, go to land, go to the mountain; there is something special about the threes; Gen 12:1-3 – in threes; Go, Go from, Go to; Go, Go to, Go offer; we even see it in the smaller parts of the text –
   1. Take your son
   2. Your only son
   3. Whom you love

From our text, this is all we know. Abraham is commanded to go offer His son. This must really create a struggle in Abraham. We don’t see it but consider it. Ishmael has been rejected as the heir. Isaac is the promised heir.

• Gen 12 – I’ll make you a nation.
• Gen 15 – Again, look at the stars, so shall your descendants be. God strikes a covenant w/ Abraham, his new name.
• Gen 17 – a 2^nd covenant – circumcision and a promise of Isaac; Abraham asks that the heir might be Ishmael, but God says no – you’ll have a son, rd.; 15-19

There is something Henry Blackaby calls a crisis of belief that each of us goes through when we walk with God. Circumstances and situations appear impossible, but God doesn’t call us to walk by sight. He calls us to walk by faith. And this is just what Abraham is going through at this moment.

Hebrews 11.17-19 let’s us in on what Abraham must have thought: ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ¹⁹ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

So, here’s the thing, God has promised and Abraham believes that God will do what he has promised. His circumstances don’t appear to be able to make that so. He could have said, “No, you promised!” But he doesn’t! He obeys with his life even when his mind is having trouble reconciling these two.

Transition: which is the 2^nd subpoint:

2. Executed (3-6); Abraham does what God told him to do: he goes, he takes, he offers. Rd v3-6;

t.s.: three days to think about it; three days to stop and turn around; three days to consider; added to this, he has an interesting conversation with his son… and this is our second section this morning:

II. The Problem (7-10)

exp.: rd v 7; We’ve got everything except; he must have helped his Dad before; I love the wisdom of Abraham; rd v 8; rd 9-10; Now, I wonder what all of this looks like; we don’t see Isaac fighting his dad; at least not in the text; I’ll be honest, I don’t think I could have trusted my dad like that. I feel Lisa would have trusted her dad.

ill.: Let’s make this personal. But what about you, when God calls you to offer yourself a living sacrifice to him, do you trust your Heavenly father? When he commands you to bind yourself and crawl upon the altar, do you loosely bind the cords, so that if things don’t go the way you want or expect, you can quickly remove them and jump off the altar?

app.: How long can you remain in the crisis of belief, before you give up? Abraham stays strong, trusting God;

t.s.: And God comes through;

III. The Provision (11-14)

exp.: to this point, Abraham has done as he was told; it is proper to assume this is God’s plan, since it is the last bit of instruction God gave; hint: keep doing what you were told to do, until God tells you to do something else;

app.: Abraham is stopped; Now this is why it is so good to be faithful to ‘all’ that God commands. I’ve wondered if Abraham would have gone to a different Mountain than God had shown, would he have sent the lamb over there? Listen, the point of the ram, caught in the thicket, is that God was providing for Abraham, even before he knew he would need it.

ill.: follow with me; in your mind’s eye, close your eyes and imagine Abraham walking along with his son as they’re headed toward the mountain; can you see it? Now pull up and away. Watch as Abraham and Isaac, the fire and the donkey carrying the wood get smaller and smaller. You’re far enough up that you can actually see the top of the mountain, and even to the other side of the mountain. Now, zoom in to the other side of the mountain. There is something making its way up the mountain there. What is that? Zoom in closer, as the brush moves, you know it’s there. Zoom in closer and then you see it. A Ram.

app.: at the same time, though unbeknownst to Abraham, there is a Ram making his way up the mountain to that same spot.

t.s.: in conclusion, I would add point # 4 – The Promise is remembered and recounted. You see that in 15-19;

IV. The Promise (15-19)

exp.: rd 15-19; listen, God is faithful; he will continue to use us, until he has no purpose for us; Our purpose is to Glorify Him; that’s why we exist here; We can be sure, that as long as we continue in our obedience and faithfulness, God will use us to bring glory to himself; Consider the promise to Abraham: he would never see it with his own eyes. Think about that – the promise was so much bigger than Abraham.

So, what do I want you to take home today?

Conclusion:

1. God has a plan and he is working that plan and we get to be a part of it. We may not see how it all works out in our lifetimes, but God is working his plan nonetheless!

That is one of the reasons I’ve wanted to read through the Bible with you so quickly. I’m hoping to show you His Story, so that you can see how God is at work. You might ask, “How will we get to be a part of this plan?” Answer, “That, I don’t know!” But here is where faith abides.

2. I want you to know that whatever problem, situation or circumstance you find yourself, you can trust that God is at work. Take a moment to pull away from it’s nearness. See if you can imagine what God might be doing on the other side of your mountain. At the very least, you know he’s up to something.
3. I’m reminded of Abraham’s answer to Isaac: God, himself, will provide the sacrifice. As with Isaac, God provided a substitute. Isaac, though he didn’t know it, had been sentenced to death. The truth is that you and I are very much like Isaac, we’ve been sentenced to an eternal death because of our sin. But, God, in his mercy toward us, has provided a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin. Rom 6.23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God has provided for us!
4. I’d like to have a time of commitment this morning. Let’s talk – I’ve got my mask, and I’ll use it.
   1. Come to Christ.
      1. Salvation
      1. Recommitment
5. Church Membership
   1. Salvation experience
   1. Baptism
6.  Call to ministry.

Passing on the Faith

Title: Passing On the Faith

Text: Psalm 78

Introduction:

Psalm 78 is a song about discipleship: passing on God’s mercy to our children. In times of duress and stress, it is so important that our Children know of God’s goodness.

There are times in our lives that we’re just like the people in the Bible: we walk away from what we know is best. We fail, we fall, we sin, we rebel. In those moments of disobedience, God will not bless us in our sin. I think that’s a hard and fast principle we could write down. God will not bless us in our sin and rebellion.

But we look at it differently, for some reason it seems God has abandoned us. And that just isn’t the case. There are numerous passages in the Psalms we could choose from to learn these principles. They’re often called Wisdom Psalms (1; 14; 37; 49; 53; 73; 78; 112; 119). Of these, we’ll be in Psalm 78 today.

I’ve chosen the 78^th Psalm because it had an impact on my purpose statement.

When I was in Seminary, from 90-94, I had a professor who challenged us to write out a purpose statement for our lives. He said that it might change some through the years, but that it would probably stay pretty consistent. I worked hard on the project and came up with the following:

I will strive with skillful hands to build and equip leaders

To accomplish the Great Commission

By being an example of service,

An effective communicator of God’s Word

And a faithful and loving husband and father

As I work daily to conform to the character of Christ.

That first part of the first line was inspired, I guess I should say, by Psalm 78.72. I read it in the NIV, which was my choice of Bible Versions in those years. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Two parts: the heart and the hand. Now, there is a lot information in Scripture on these two parts the person. Let me ask you from Psalm 24:

  ³    Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?  Answer:

⁴    He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

⁵    He will receive blessing from the Lord

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

The idea I think is two-fold: it’s who you are on the inside and what you do on the outside. This was David – a man after God’s own heart.

And now you see where I was going in this Psalm. In reviewing this recently, I was reminded of the purpose of the whole Psalm. So, what is the make-up of this whole Psalm? It ends with this statement about David and this two-fold dedication to the Lord and the Lord’s people. How did we get here? Remember: Context is King.

The Psalm is broken up into three main sections:

• God’s Call to Instruction and it’s purpose.    
• Israel’s Cycle of Rebellion.
• God’s Choosing: Rejection & Election

But there is one that expresses the need for discipleship and the goodness of God, in spite of our failures; Ps 78; look there with me…

I. God’s Call to Instruction (1-11)

exp.: I mentioned earlier that this is what is referred to as a Wisdom Psalm. Some scholars call it an Instructional Psalm. I think both terms work well because Wisdom is what you do with the instruction you’ve been given.

ill.: I was working on the hub that houses my breaks on a Subaru some decades ago. I called Grandaddy long distance to ask him about what I was doing. He asked where I was in the process and what I’d done. I told him and he told me to stop. If I did one more thing, the housing would fall out onto the ground in 78 different little pieces. Then, I’d never get it all back together without the help of a mechanic. Had he not stopped me, I’m sure I would have destroyed that housing unit and it would have cost me a fortune to get it all fixed.

Now, it’s one thing to act in ignorance, but another to act with knowledge. I would say I acted wisely and left that housing unit alone! Wisdom is what you do with the knowledge you have.

exp.: if you think about it, foolishness is the same equation: What if I told Granddaddy to take a hike and then proceeded to destroy the housing? That would have been foolish. It all comes down to what you do with the instruction – the knowledge.

app.: That’s what this Psalm is all about. Acting wisely with the information you receive.

Exp.: rd v 1; this is the call to wisdom and instruction; rd v 2-4; Let us teach our children of God’s goodness and grace in order that they might trust him and walk with him, too. So, there is the call, then there is the purpose behind the call. That’s clarified even further in v 5-8; rd 5-8; v 7 – so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; Derek Kidner calls this a “three chord strand of faith”:

1. The Heart – A deep abiding personal Trust in God.
2. The Mind – never forgetting the works of God; Informed thinking.
3. The Will – An exercised and obedient will – lived out before others.

AND, this is what the Israelites did not do! A three-chord strand of faithlessness: stubborn and rebellious actions (failure to obey), a heart not steadfast (forgetful) and a spirit not faithful to God (and faithless).

Truth: This life that is lived out is what is taught to the younger generation. I think what has hurt us – those of us 55 and older – this is why for many of us, our children don’t want to have anything to do with church or God. What has hurt us is that our teaching hasn’t matched the experience of the younger generation. This younger generation – millennials, they don’t want to hear it, they want to see it. And what they hear doesn’t match what they see.

Personal Question: Do my children and my grandchildren know about God’s Call on my life? Where I was, what he brought me out of? Do they know of His miraculous provision in times of struggle – how he answered prayer in time of need? The time we prayed for a car or money to buy one because we needed it? At Nahalem where God provided miraculously for our mission.

t.s.: Indeed, this is what happened with Israel; and from verse 9 down through v66, the Psalm teaches about the foolishness of the Israelites who rejected God’s Word (9-11) and their forgetfulness, failing remember God’s Works.

II. Israel’s Cycle of Rebellion (12-66)

exp.: In all of these verses – and we won’t read them all – we see God’s Faithfulness on display in spite of Israel’s Failures; This is much of what we see in Acts 8, where Stephen recites the failures of Israel and accuses the current Israelites of being no different. What happens now is the writer preaches a sermon from history (12-32).

• The Miracles from God are Forgotten: 12-16; note “He did”; mark down everything God did for them;
• Their Rebellion is expressed through Grumbling and Complaining: 17-20; note “they did”; that’s foolishness; these people just can’t be happy with what God has done for them.
• God’s Anger is poured out on their unbelief: 21-31; just as faith and trust are displayed through behavior, so is unbelief; ‘therefore’; his wrath was stirred, and “he commanded”, “he rained”, “he caused”
• Their repentance was meaningless and short-lived: 32-39; 40 is a transitional verse to the next section; like a good sermon, there are examples:
  •  

app.: Repetition of Ingratitude: a cycle continues of God’s blessings, how they forget God’s and his Work and choose to sin and rebel and grumble and complain.

• In the Wilderness
• In the Promised Land

t.s.: God’s Call to Instruction; Israel’s Cycle of Rebellion; God’s Choosing: Election & Rejection;

III. God’s Choosing: Rejection and Election (67-72)

exp.: He rejects Israel, the Northern Kingdom; He chooses Judah, the Southern Kingdom; He establishes the Sanctuary in Jerusalem; and, He chooses and establishes the throne of David; the last 3 verses are all about David; it is these last three verses that I’d like to spend the rest of our time on:

1. His Calling: rd 70; His calling is found in 1 Samuel 16; Samuel travels to Bethlehem to visit Jesse. He goes there to find a king – a new king to replace Saul. Jesse’s sons are paraded before Samuel. The first son appears, and Samuel is impressed.

Picking up in v5; And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

The rest of the boys are seen by Samuel, but God chooses none of them. It turned out that the youngest was out working with Sheep.

¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” ¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.

Our text in Psalm 78 reads: He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; ⁷¹from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.

2. His Experience: I love that God used his experience as a shepherd throughout his life to make him the leader he was.

ill.:  In the next chapter there in 1 Samuel, David faces Goliath. When Saul asks him about facing this giant, David takes Saul into his Game Room. Do you guys in the Hill Country know what a Game Room is? I’m talking about a man cave where a man has put all of his trophy deer and elk and whatnot!

David took Saul and showed him his stuffed lion. He also showed him his stuffed Bear. ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. ³⁶ Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

3. David took those skills and shepherded the people of Israel. He defended them. He led them. He loved them. He did so, it reads, with and upright heart and a skillful hand.

app.: he appears to be an example of the person God is calling his people to be. He is an example of who the Messiah would be.

t.s.: And that’s why instruction is so important – it gives us the foundation we need to trust our God in all things. It points others to Christ.

So, what are our take-a-ways this morning – Conclusion:

1. God has always been good! His mercy endures forever! This needs to be taught and passed on.
   1. As a church – that’s my job and what we’re doing here this morning.
   1. As individuals – Our failure begins when we forget the miracles of God! His Provision; His Care; His Tenderness; With this in mind, let me ask…
2. What has God done in your life that you’d testify to?
   1. As a church?
   1. As an individual?
   1. What prayers has he answered that communicate his goodness and grace? That needs to be taught and passed on to the next Generation.
   1. Can I ask, may I be so bold as to ask: Instead of a testimony of the glories of God, do we pass on Murmurs of Unrest? Do we grumble and complain?
3. Do you have any monuments to God in your home or yard or office? A rock, a chair, a memento from camp, a book? etc.
   1. These are great reminders for us. In those tough times, we remember when God brought us through. We must not forget the miracles of God!
   1. These are great testimonies to others.
   1. We must be careful not to make them idols…
4. The Lord’s Supper is a great example for us…