TRAPS
“Parent Traps”
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
I don’t preach very often from the book of Deuteronomy. But Jesus did. Jesus quoted more from the book of Deuteronomy than any of the OT books. As I began to consider what I would say today I wanted to stay with our current series titled TRAPS. If you are a guest today this is our 3rd week in this series and we are looking at a variety of traps that we all fall into from time to time. Satan sets these traps for us on a daily basis. Some of them are larger than others; some are more obvious than others but they all share one thing in common…they are all dangerous…even deadly. And so I want to speak to you on a topic I have titled the parent trap. I think that there are several statements that every one of us would agree on today and here are a few. (1) Parenting has greatly changed. How we parent. What is expected. (2) Parenting is more difficult today than ever before. (3) All of us need help/wisdom. Can I get an amen? I realize that today I am not speaking to parents who are raising children but also to grandparents who are helping raise them.
In our ministry of over 35 years my wife and I have always tried to keep in touch with the youth and children in every church where we have served. We have always felt that is should be a priority in our ministry. My wife has worked with the teenagers in this church since we started 12 years ago. In fact she started the youth ministry here. The first thing we ever did together in the church was to work with children.
You probably would agree with me that today’s schools have changed. Many classes are overcrowded and I believe that the environment in our schools has gotten worse instead of better. The problems dealt with in today’s schools are not the same problems I dealt with when I was a student.
Years ago teachers in public schools identified these as the top problems in school: talking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise and running in the hall. In a more recent setting they were asked the same question but the top problems are now: drugs and alcohol, teenage pregnancy, suicide and rape.
Now as soon as we hear that it is our inclination to take all of these problems and lay them at the feet of our school system. It’s those teachers, it’s the school board, it’s the principal, it’s the PTA! I realize that our school system is not perfect and there are definitely changes I would like to see take place but it is still not right for us to take all of the problems children face today and lay them at the feet of our teachers and the school system. All 4 of our children were raised in public schools …a 4 are graduates of GHS. And the teachers they had through the years did a good job in a profession that has been heavily criticized. Let me say again it is a mistake for us to lay the problems of today’s youth at the feet of our school system.
For some there is a tendency to say that the problems of today’s youth belong to the government. We have stopped prayer in school. The Bible is no longer read in school. Kids cannot talk about their faith. I asked Heather Fiorentino, school superintendent several questions… (1) if a child/teenager wishes to bow their head and pray at the beginning of the day would they be still be allowed to do so? (2) if a child wanted to carry their Bible to school and even to class and when they are caught up with their studies could they read it in the classroom? (3) if a child wishes to speak openly about their faith with other students would they be allowed to do so? The answer was yes to all 3 questions. I like what one bumper sticker says as long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in schools. We cannot lay the problems of today’s youth at the feet of the government.
Others blame the church. Through the years I have had parents who were upset about the mistakes their kids were making; perhaps the child has gotten into trouble and they have come to the conclusion that if the church would do their job, their kids would be fine. If the church would train their children properly; if the church would try harder to meet the needs of the kids their kids would be fine.
All of these views; whether you throw the problems of kids today on the schools, the government or the church—all of these views share one thing in common-they are traps that Satan has placed in our path to keep us from being the parent God has called us to be. He sets these traps…if the school would just do what they are supposed to do, if the government would just put prayer back in schools… if the church would raise our kids properly…if, if, if . These are traps that we fall into today. I call them PARENT TRAPS. The trap we fall into of thinking that someone else is supposed to raise our children and that we somehow are not responsible. And that is a lie we have bought into and a trap that has consumed us.
3 things I was us to notice in this scripture today. First of all it is God’s plan that parents take responsibility for their children not hand it off to someone else. Now to do this he tells us here that we must teach our children the importance of respecting the law. Specifically God’s law. V.1 “observe these in the land where you live.” Now we all understand that our children must obey the law, our children may even understand that this as well, but few of us realize why. You say well I know obey the law and you won’t get into trouble. Obey the law and you will stay out of jail. We think of the negative things that will not happen if we do. But consider the positive things that will happen if we do. V. 2. Teach them to obey so that you, your children and their children keep these commands so that I give you long life and a good life. He says follow these laws and you can have both.
v. 3 be careful with you so that it will go well with you and that you will increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey. So this is what he is saying….teach your children to obey the laws…so that God can bless them. The law is there for their protection so that God can bless and protect our children. That is the purpose of the law.
2nd He mentions the priority in raising children….it is the priority of love. Vv. 4-6. In the NT the Pharisees brought out one of their experts in the law to test Jesus…this was the question they asked Him, “teacher which is the greatest commandment in the law? Now if you don’t know, in the backdrop of Deuteronomy 6 , in the previous chapter we find the 10 commandments. It is actually one of the two places they are found in the Bible.
They want to know of all the commandments which one is the greatest? Which one matters more than any other? Jesus replies with this…Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus takes all of the Levitical law, chapter after chapter and boils it down to this simple statement. They were trying to trap Him but it was hard to argue with His answer.
Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 13 of the importance of love---he says we may move mountains but without love, we are nothing. Love never fails. Never. In fact he says of all these things—faith, hope and love…the greatest of these is love.
The scripture says make it your priority and teach your children to make it their priority. Why? Because love solves a multitude of problems. Think about it. You take a husband and wife, you take children in your home, co-workers, classmates in school—churches…problems can develop in any of these areas and they do every day. People get into arguments but think about it , can you think of one problem that could not be solved if we would just love each other. It must be our priority.
3rd, we must impress these things on our children. That word impress in the original language can also be interpreted repeat. The key here is repetition. This is the way children learn. We memorize things by saying them over and over and over. Then they make an impression on us that we do not forget.
I will leave you with 3 things these verses tell every parent to do. V.7b. Let your children HEAR you talk about God and your relationship with Him. When? When you’re at home, when you’re not at home, when you’re standing up, when you’re sitting down, when you go to bed at night and when you get up. Don’t make it just a Sunday thing…live it every day…all the time.
v. 8 let you children FEEL your relationship with God. Does God want you to know His love or to feel His love? Yes. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Everything.
v. 9 let your children SEE your relationship with God. Put scriptures in places around your home. Books, magazines that lift up the name of Jesus. Let them see you reading God’s word. It will make a difference. Put these things into practice. They will make a difference.
Prayer.
