A Father’s Heart
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Purpose: To show what a godly father looks like.
Aim: I want the listener to focus on loving children by showing Christ to them.
INTRODUCTION: Revival is a subject that is constantly on my heart. I often say that I don’t really know what a real revival in the church will look like. But, the prophet Malachi does give us one tangible way to measure of what revival looks like.
The greatest revival of all time will happen when Christ comes back to earth. Malachi, the last book of the OT describes some of what that will look like. We learn that revival results in great joy from Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. (NAU)
Before the joy comes, though, there is a change of heart about children. Malachi 4:5-6 5 . . . before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (NAU)
➤When we view children as a curse rather than a blessing we are under God’s curse. One reason that is true, I believe, is that children reveal whether we have a servant’s heart or a selfish heart. A selfish heart is more concerned about getting away from children than giving time and effort to children.
Sadly, our culture today does not value children. They are often viewed as interferences to a career, or a financial drag that keeps us from getting the things in life we want. We are reaping the results today. Because parents have invested so little time and energy in teaching biblical values to their children most young people have very little regard for authority. Ask any policeman. I wish that more politicians understood that respect for authority comes from godliness; fear of human authority only comes from the threat of force.
Jesus Himself taught us what He thinks about children. Mark 10:13-16 13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. (NAU)
Notice that loving children is a manly thing. It’s the heart of FATHERS that are turned toward their children. The same Jesus who allowed children to sit in His lap also made whips to drive the money changers out of the Temple.
As we come to our text today, we need to keep in mind that:
“A new generation of Israel is gathered on the plains of Moab to hear Moses review the law in preparation for their entrance to the Promised Land. The previous generation had died in unbelief in the wilderness. Moses begins his instruction by telling the people of Israel what a home is all about.”
We are only one generation away from forgetting God.
So, let’s look at what a godly father like?
➤Vs.1-3 I. A Godly Father Focuses on God’s Word “that you might do them”
Vs.1-2a A. So that God is feared “you…might fear the LORD”
Psalm 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (NAU)
Some fathers are very good at getting their children to fear them, a godly father, on the other hand, wants his children to fear God, not him.
There are two strong emotions in this text: fear and love (vs.5). They MUST go together, they are not opposites. We LOVE God because of all that He has done for us and we FEAR God because we don’t want to do anything that will offend Him.
Children will not have the right kind of respect for authority until they have the right kind of respect (or fear) for God.
“Saint Augustine gave interesting advice when he said, “Love God, then do as you please.” If we love God sufficiently to want to do what is pleasing in His sight, then we need never worry about our conduct, because things which will not please God will not please us. If we lack love for God, all the rules in the world will not keep us true to Him. The law tells us what to do; love gives the power to do it.”
Vs.2b B. So that obedience is consistent “keep…all the days of your life”
The goal is to have obedience become part of our lifestyle; it shouldn’t be off and on.
Vs.2c C. So that opportunities will abound “days may be prolonged”
What is the sense in living long, if life is lived for self? Those who use their opportunities to serve Christ will often be given more opportunities.
Vs.3 D. So that life will be satisfying “may be well with you”
MAY BE WELL carries the idea of “make successful, make prosperous” or “have favorable circumstance and lack of trouble in life”
Sometimes we go through unneeded problems because we are not obeying Christ. When we need God to bless us, we should ask ourselves if we are living in a way that God could bless us. Sometimes we must go through God’s discipline so we can experience His blessing: Hebrews 12:10-11 10 . . .[God] disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (NAU)
There are great blessings for those who live close to Christ. 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (NAU)
Vs.4-6 II. A Godly Father Loves God
How does a father’s godliness show? There are at least two ways:
Vs.4-5 A. He has a heart for God “love the LORD”
Verse 4 is recited by every orthodox Jew every day and is called the Shema which comes from a Hebrew word that means “hear.” We must pay attention to the fact that God is unique. He is LORD or the “I am” so He is eternally self-existent. He is also the Elohim or God which is plural and He is perfect unity: “the LORD is one!”
Vs.6 B. He has a heart for learning about God “These words… shall be on your heart”
“I once read about seventy-eight-year-old Aleida Huissen of Rotterdam, who had been smoking for fifty years. For most of that time she had been trying to give up the habit, and at last she succeeded. The secret? Seventy-nine-year-old Leo Jansen proposed marriage but refused to go through with the wedding until Aleida gave up smoking. Aleida said, ‘Will power never was enough to get me off the habit. Love made me do it.’”
You can’t say you love God if you don’t want to learn more about Him. If you love God then you want to do what pleases Him.
Vs.7-9 III. A Godly Father Displays His Love for God
Vs.7 A. In his home life
1. He teaches the Word “teach them diligently”
Godly fathers never forget that their children are eternal souls they are responsible to guard.
Notice Deuteronomy 11:18-21 18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. (NAU)
There should be times of formal teaching. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (NAU)
2. He talks about the Word “when you sit…walk…lie down… rise up”
We display Christ by our lifestyle not just by our lessons.
This pictures informal teaching. If the love of God is really on your heart then you will naturally talk about it. When was the last time you said, “I love the Lord” to someone?
When we teach our children, formally or informally, what should we be teaching?
➤What Should Fathers Teach?
➤#1 The Word of God
The main question we should ask in every circumstance is, “What does God say about this?”
➤#2 The wonders of God
When we see the stars we could say, “Isn’t God great if He is able to make all of this?” or “Isn’t it amazing that such a powerful God would still bother to love us?”
➤#3 The works of God
If someone asked you, “What has God done for you?” what would you say?
God has given all of us material things we didn’t earn. Deuteronomy 6:10-11 10 “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land . . ., to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, (NAU)
God has delivered every believer from slavery to sin. Deuteronomy 6:21-23 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 ‘Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; 23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ (NAU)
Exodus 34:6-7 6 Then the Lord . . . proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; . . . (NAU)
Vs.8-9 B. In his public life “write them on the doorposts”
In later Judaism four sections from the law (Ex. 13:1–10; 13:11–16; Deut. 6:4–9; 11:13–21) were strapped to the left hand and the forehead. This was done as a part of their prayers. In addition, copies of Deut. 6:4, 5 and 11:13–20 were placed in metal or glass cases on the doorposts to be touched when going in and out. The great danger is to allow external signs such as these to replace the very thing they are to symbolize: a heart and life wholly surrendered to God (see Matthew 23:2-5 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. (NAU) Matt. 23:5–7).
A godly man is not afraid to let everyone know that he loves and follows God.
CONCLUSION: What happens, as a general rule, when children are trained the way Moses taught us today?
Life will be better: Isaiah 54:13 All your sons will be taught of the Lord; and the well-being of your sons will be great. (NAU)
Let’s promise to use every opportunity to teach children about Christ.
Success at the expense of faith and family is really failure.
Revival will NOT come until men step up and start teaching God’s Word to others—especially children.
