So we're glad everybody is here today.
Have you ever been told by someone that you favor somebody else?
Maybe you look like a parent or the way that you walk or even the way that you talk.
Maybe even the jokes that you tell.
You find yourself telling the same jokes that your parents told at some point in your life.
I know at different times in my life, either people will look at pictures or I'll be together,
my brother and I, and people will say, wow, you guys really look alike.
And most of the time I'll just say thank you, you know, after we banter about who's better
looking or whatever that might be.
But sometimes I'll say thank you, but we're both adopted, so we're not really blood related
at all.
Sometimes I'll get into that.
Other times I'll just say thank you.
But sometimes you meet a couple that has been married a long time and people say that over
the years they begin to favor each other.
They begin to look alike.
And then maybe even sometimes you'll see a picture with a pet and a pet owner and sometimes
we'll say that they will begin to favor each other, whether it's the hair color or the
expressions or whatever it might be.
But sometimes we can recognize that people begin to look alike and something is passed
on from one person to another, that something is passed on from one generation to another.
And sometimes when we're talking about a family situation, we've got to be clear about some
things because we recognize that families come in many, many different varieties in
our day and age today.
We recognize that there's single families, single parent families.
We recognize that there's families where people have passed away.
We recognize that there's blended families, that there's multiple generations living in
the same household.
And we acknowledge that all of those are families.
And in fact, as it says in Psalm 68 verse 6, turn there for a second if you would because
I want to look at the context around that.
Whenever we're talking about a sermon or a message that has to do with relationships
or families, it's sometimes easy for some people to tune that out and say, well, that
doesn't apply to me.
That doesn't apply to me anymore.
But in Psalm 68, it's talking about God and it says in verse 4, sing to God, sing praises
to His name.
And then in verse 5, it describes God a little bit.
And it says God will be a father of the fatherless.
Sometimes we in this world, we recognize that people have lost a parent or have never really
had a good parent.
And so they can't really acknowledge or express and understand talking about God as a father.
But God's going to be the father to those, the fatherless.
And it says He's going to be a defender of the widows.
So even those who their spouse, their loved one has passed away, God is the defender of
that.
And then in verse 6, it goes so far and it says that God sets the solitary, the single
into families.
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.
So even if someone thinks, if you think that you are all alone, you are not.
God sets the single into families.
And so even as we gather in a place like this, in a church, this is a family right here.
And so you can look around and you can acknowledge your brothers and sisters in Christ that are
here and we can look out for each other and recognize that we are a family.
And in fact, on our vision statement on the back of our bulletin, it says there's a mission
statement and a vision statement and the vision statement says the Ringgold Seventh-day Adventist
Church will be a biblical, spirit-led, faith-filled, family-focused and growing fellowship.
And so we acknowledge and recognize that families come in many different shapes and sizes and
we are glad that you are here today to worship with us, to be part of our church family.
So with that in mind, we do recognize that we have people who have taught us different
things in life.
Maybe a father or a father figure or a mother or a mother figure.
Sometimes we're taught how to play a game, how to catch a ball, or perhaps we're taught
how to ride a bike or maybe how to cook a particular item, cook some food.
And there's many things that those father figures, those mother figures, those parents,
those siblings pass on and teach somebody else, whether it's how to cook, how to fix
a car, how to fish, how to tie a tie, how to do algebra, whatever it is, there's something
that people are passing along to somebody else.
And then there's a verse that's in Proverbs 22, 6 and it says, train up a child in the
way they should go and when he or she, when they are old, they will not depart from it.
And I know that in this room and many people that I know, you're claiming this promise,
you're praying this prayer because you acknowledge and in your mind you have trained up the young
in the way they should go and you're still claiming that promise of the second part,
that when they are old they will not depart from it or they will return perhaps as the
prayer that you are praying and I would encourage you to keep praying for that.
And then we also acknowledge that not every family has a child involved but the fact is
that each one of us are teaching something.
Every moment of our day, every experience that we have, every interaction that we are
engaged in, we are teaching someone something else.
And families are a place where that teaching can go on and a church as we said is a place
where families can teach and where people can learn in every interaction that we have.
And so the question is what are you teaching in your life?
What have people looked at you over this past week and what have they learned from what
you have taught them?
Turn over to Exodus chapter 20.
We're going to finally settle down in Deuteronomy chapter 6 but Exodus 20 is perhaps best well
known because that's where we find the 10 commandments and probably some of you have
memorized those and could recite those but we're going to look at just the second commandment
for just a moment.
And in fact we're not even going to totally look at the commandment itself.
Exodus 20 verse 4 begins the second commandment, you shall not make for yourself a carved image
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that
is in the water under the earth.
So don't make an idol is basically what that's saying.
But then it says in verse 5, you shall not bow down to them nor serve them for I the
Lord your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.
Did you catch what that said?
God says I'm going to visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.
Now we recognize that the Bible does not say that if I have sinned that my children will
be punished for that.
We read that the soul who sins, the person who sins, they are the one that are guilty
of that sin.
So what does this mean?
What is this talking about?
I believe this is talking about something maybe we would use a phrase like generational
sin or generational curse.
Sometimes people would say and you've probably seen this that someone will just use a extreme
example a parent that is an alcoholic.
It is much more likely that their children will grow up to be alcoholics as well.
A parent that is abusive in some way, physically abusive, verbally abusive, it is much more
likely that their children will grow up and exhibit abusive characteristics in their family
as well.
So it's not that one is guilty because of something but just the way that we are, our
human nature, that abusive behavior, that alcoholic behavior is transferred through
the natural learning process.
That's what they are observing, that's what they are believing that a family is supposed
to be like, that that is passed down from one generation to the next generation.
And it's easy for people to say well that's just the way I am, that's how my daddy was
and so that's how I am.
But we believe in the power of God.
We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit that God can break into a situation and he
can break that generational sin, he can break that generational curse.
We think of the children of Israel in Egypt in bondage of slavery and yet the right arm
of God was able to break into that situation and deliver them from that bondage, deliver
them from that slavery.
And perhaps you or someone in your family may be caught up in some sort of thing that
you don't think you have a power over, well know that God is more powerful than whatever
addictive behavior you may have in your family or in your life and God can break in and break
that curse, break that sin from one generation to the next.
In fact let's look at one more passage.
Excuse me, Psalm, Psalm 78, the 78th Psalm.
We're going to go to the 78th Psalm here.
We're going to see this talked about again in Psalm 78.
It says in Psalm 78, 1, it's not on the screen but it says, give ear, oh my people, to my
law, incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
And then we're going to skip down to verse 4 and it says, we will not hide them from
our children telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength
and his wonderful works that he has done.
I want you to pay attention to how many levels it's talking about here.
Verse 5, for he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which
he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children.
And then it goes on in verse 6 and says that the generation to come might know them, the
children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children,
that they may set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments.
How many?
There's at least four generations that's talked about that the fathers are going to teach
it to their children so that they can teach it to their children and they can teach it
to the children who aren't even born yet.
It's passing along just like we sung that song, it only takes a spark to get a fire
going and soon all those around can warm up and it's glowing.
How many sung that at some point in your life at youth group or summer camp or something
like that?
And then it says that's how it is with God's love.
Once you've experienced it, you spread his love to everyone, you want to pass it on.
When we have experienced and acknowledged and seen God at work in our life, we want
to pass it on.
You want to experience it and you want to share it.
You want to pass it to the next group.
So with that in mind, let's turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 6.
So this is the fifth book of the Bible.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Now Deuteronomy, that word, it means second law.
Second law.
The no most part of that word, that has to do with law and then the Deutero, you know
you think of a duet, that's two people sing, so it's the second law.
So what's that all about?
Well way back in Exodus where we had just read, that was when the children of Israel
had been brought out of Egypt.
God met them on Mount Sinai and he gave them the Ten Commandments.
And then as we remember the story, the children of Israel disobeyed and became unfaithful.
And so they were in the wilderness for how long was it?
It was about 40 years.
They wandered in the wilderness.
And in fact all of the people of a certain age, they passed away in the wilderness.
And those who were younger grew up during that time.
And now in Deuteronomy they come to the borders of the promised land, the place that they
had been going.
And in Deuteronomy chapter 5, if you look back just one page, there's another recitation
of the Ten Commandments.
God gives the Ten Commandments again to remind them, hey, this is what I told them 40 years
before, they're still there.
Deuteronomy chapter 5 has those Ten Commandments.
But now they are on the border of the promised land.
And in Deuteronomy chapter 6 we see some instruction.
And perhaps it can still be some instruction for us as we look at our world and look at
our life and we can acknowledge perhaps that we are on the border of the eternal promised
land.
We're waiting for that next step.
We're waiting to go in.
So, Deuteronomy 6 and verse 1, let's look there.
It says, now this is the commandment.
These are the statutes and judgment which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you
that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess.
You're about to cross the Jordan River.
You're about to go to the promised land.
So I'm telling you these things again.
And then in verse 2 it says that you may fear the Lord your God and keep all his statutes
and his commandments which I command you.
And notice again some generations, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of
your life that your days may be prolonged.
So as they are about to go into the promised land they are given this instruction not just
for themselves but to pass on, to share with somebody else.
And so we can look at verse 4.
This is one of the most famous verses in the Old Testament.
Those of the Jewish faith, this is a prayer that they acknowledge that they pray a couple
times a day.
It's part of their services.
And so it's called, this prayer is called the Shema or the Shema depending on how you
pronounce that.
And that word Shema means hear or listen.
And it's a phrase that that word Shema is repeated throughout the Old Testament.
And so it goes on and here's what is to be listened to at this point.
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And we would acknowledge from some other portions of scripture that it's one in three but that's
a sermon for another day.
And it goes on in verse 5 and says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your strength.
I think this is a prayer that is worth hearing.
Just like it says listen, it's worth being repeated.
It's worth acknowledging.
And so it says love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength.
This is basically saying totally, completely, all that you are you can acknowledge God.
In fact maybe you've heard this verse before because it's repeated in the New Testament.
When they come to Jesus and they ask him what's the greatest commandment?
Jesus said the greatest commandment is this, you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
And then he goes on and the second is like it.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
And so this is a personal command here that as individuals we can love God with all that
we are, with all of our essence, with all of our thoughts, with all of our actions.
And as a parent or as an individual we can pass that along to somebody else.
And I think we need to acknowledge here that this is not, because when Jesus says love
the Lord your God with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself, he says on these
two hang all the law and the prophets.
So all the law is based on this concept of love and the way that we act, the way that
we show our love to God, the way that we show our love to others.
And so I believe that the law is not just a checklist.
Okay here's ten things, check, check, check.
Okay good I'm done.
But as we see this, the law is about internalizing, placing within us so that we can love God
with all that we are, we can lift him up.
Because the fact is we can know right and wrong and we can still choose the wrong.
Even if we know the list, we can still make a choice that is inappropriate.
There was a couple years ago, my wife and I went on a trip, we ended up in Niagara Falls
is where we ended up on this road trip.
And on the way there we passed by somewhere so we stopped at a place in Kentucky that
I know some of you have been, and it's bigger than this building but it's the Ark.
Anybody been to the Ark encounter up in Kentucky?
Well we went to the Ark, it's a massive huge structure to go to to see the size of Noah's
Ark and so it was very neat in different ways.
But my wife's favorite part of this Ark encounter was the buffet.
They have a cafeteria there and her favorite part was the buffet.
And I have to be quick here to say it's not just because she likes to eat, I eat much
more than she does, but it was because of one particular item that was in this buffet.
And so we went through line, we came back and we sat down and she ate this item and
she said these are the best Brussels sprouts that I have ever ever had.
These are the best Brussels sprouts.
She's like you have got to try these Brussels sprouts.
Now I did not get the Brussels sprouts going through line the first time because I'm not
a fan of Brussels sprouts.
So even hearing the idea that these were the best Brussels sprouts, now I did go back in
line again because it's a buffet and you've got to get your money's worth.
And so when I went back through the buffet I did not get the Brussels sprouts but I did
get the soft serve ice cream because I greatly enjoy ice cream and soft serve ice cream.
So even though those were the best Brussels sprouts I knew that they were the more healthy
for me but I still chose to get the ice cream because I knew even though less healthy in
that moment it was going to taste a bit better.
And so sometimes we know what is best and we still choose the least, we still choose
the wrong thing.
Now I do have to make a disclaimer because my father-in-law Buzz went to the Ark a couple
months ago, a month or two ago and he said they still have Brussels sprouts but they're
different, it's a different recipe.
So don't go to the Ark just for the Brussels sprouts because I can't guarantee that they
will be the best ever as my wife claimed there.
So sometimes we know right from wrong and we still choose wrong.
So these commandments are not just about a checklist but it's about internalizing something,
loving God with all of our heart, with all of our soul and with all of our strength.
We can go on in verse 6 and it says these words which I command you today shall be not
on a checklist but shall be in your heart.
And then it goes on in verse 7 and it says you shall teach them.
They're going to be in your heart but they're not supposed to just remain in your heart
but you're supposed to pass it along.
I think in our day and age when it seems as if families are under attack, morals are under
attack that this is something we need to be doing to pass something on.
And in fact it says you shall teach them diligently to your children.
The King James Version says you shall impress them upon your children.
You know you picture something pressing in and leaving its mark and what that word means
if you were to translate it means to sharpen something.
If you've ever sharpened a knife you know that it takes time as you rub that blade across
stone to get it to a sharper point there and it says you shall teach them diligently to
your children.
So I mentioned that the church is part of the family process but let me tell you that
church is not enough.
Two hours, two and a half hours if you come to Sabbath school and church that's not enough.
Please keep doing that but it's got to be more than that because look at what it says.
It says you shall teach them diligently to your children.
You shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you
lie down and when you rise up.
That's more than just two hours at church time.
That's more than just being here because how many hours are in a week?
I'm not sure but it's you know seven times 24.
There's a lot of hours in a week and two is not enough to overcome everything else and
so it says you can talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way.
There's a lot of families that you know we don't talk as much as we used to in the house
because our world is very busy.
We talked about it in Sabbath school this morning.
It seems like we're constantly running from place to place and we've got this project
and we're doing this thing and we're often just passing by and we don't take a lot of
time to sit and chat about things of God.
Is your family, don't raise your hand, is your family having family worship?
Are you spending some time in the morning or in the evening reading a verse or two from
the Bible, saying a prayer together and talking about the things of God?
And then it says when you walk by the way, we don't walk places in our day and age but
how do we get from place to place?
We usually drive and guess what you're doing when you're driving?
You're sitting, you're sitting together so could that be a place to have a conversation
as you're driving the kids to school, as you're driving from place to place as the day goes
by?
I know when my kids were small we came across some, one is a CD.
Kids may not know that's a CD, it's a disc that you would put in something and listen
to music and it was by Steve Green and it was called Hide Them in Your Heart and it
was just scripture songs and you listen to these scriptures, these Bible verses set to
music.
There was another one called Plant a Seed and it was a series of short little songs
that went along with the Sabbath school memory verse and it was just a way, simple way that
people could learn Bible verses.
If you've ever watched the Hope channel, the Hope Sabbath school, there's a scripture song
that is sung each week so find a way as you're eating together, as you're driving together,
as you're sitting together to find a way to uplift Jesus and to put him first.
And then it says in verse 8, you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall
be as frontlets between your eyes, you shall write them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates.
What in the world is this talking about?
Well some in the world have taken this very literally and have created, this was from
years ago but they're still around, created little boxes that have, they could write some
Bible verses in with some leather straps and they could tie them around their wrists.
They're called phylacteries or tie them around their head because they're reading this literally.
But I think that this is not necessarily talking about a fashion statement but it's talking
about an attitude that we have towards God and towards God's word.
It's not about what we wear but it's about the spiritual legacy that we leave.
You know in Revelation it talks about the mark of the beast, Revelation 13 and it says
the mark of the beast will be in the forehead and on the hand.
And we recognize that that's not again not talking about a fashion statement or a tattoo
or something like that but it's talking about the attitude.
How are we thinking towards God?
How are we acting?
What actions are our hands and our lives pouring forth?
And so it's more than just what we're wearing on the outside but it's about the interior
attitudes.
And in thought and in action your family can reflect Jesus and guess what?
If that happens people will notice.
And then it says you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
And again there are some who on the doorposts have placed a little mini Ten Commandments
and as they walk out they can rub that to acknowledge it or for good luck or whatever.
And I don't think it's talking about that.
I don't think it's talking about a sign in your yard.
Although I've got to give some props to Peavine Church because as I drive around Ringgold
and Rossville there's a lot of houses that say you know Peavine Church so they've got
some good marketing there.
But again I don't think it's about the sign that you have in your yard but it's about
the way that you live out your faith.
And as people see that they can acknowledge that this is a household of faith.
When I was in seminary it was up in Michigan at Barian Springs and that's a little colder
than here.
I know some are from up there.
But the first time that it snowed it seemed like every time it snowed it was always on
Friday night.
It snowed on Friday night.
And so the first time I was up there and it snowed it snowed four inches on Friday night.
So Sabbath morning I was working at a little church called Coloma.
I was assisting there and I called the pastor and I said pastor are we having church today?
He was like well it's Sabbath why wouldn't we have church?
And I'm like there's four inches of snow.
And he just kind of chuckled and said you have a lot to learn young man.
And so I got in the car and slipped, slided my way to church.
And just be aware if we have four inches you know it's 50-50 whether we have, there's
a probably better shot that we're not going to have church.
And so I had shoveled the driveway off and made my way to church that morning.
And then a few weeks later another Friday night another snowfall.
I didn't call this time.
I had learned my lesson.
So I got up early.
I was putting my boots on.
I was getting my snow shovel and suddenly I heard something.
I looked out and it was my neighbor and he had a riding lawn mower.
And up there in Michigan many of the riding lawn mowers they have an attachment that turns
it into a snow blower.
So he was out blowing the snow clearing a driveway.
Only he wasn't clearing his driveway.
He was clearing my driveway.
He wasn't going to church that morning but he had seen and recognized that I left early
on Saturday morning to go to church.
And so he said you know what I'm going to help out this young guy from Tennessee and
I'm going to clean off his driveway for him.
He saw what I was doing and he acknowledged that.
And to me that really showed Jesus to me as he was acknowledging what I did and serving
me in such a way.
We have an opportunity to leave a spiritual legacy in the life that we live and in the
area that we go.
I saw a while ago I saw something online and usually it's kind of my personal rule not
to read the comments online because it's never good when people are arguing about you never
solve anything.
You never, nobody's ever convinced.
But what this was was someone had taken an iron skillet and they had the comment online
was about how the seasoning had been ruined in their iron skillet because somebody either
them or somebody else had made like tomato soup or pasta or something and so the acid
from the tomatoes had messed up the seasoning is what they said and they were asking what's
the best way to re-season an iron skillet.
And so in the comments people were commenting you know rub it with oil, put it in the oven
for you know low temperature for two hours then rub some more oil, more heat, more oil,
what kind of oil, coconut oil, you know all the different solutions, all the different
ways to season your iron skillet.
And then way down in the comments someone said the best way to get your cast iron seasoned
perfectly is to inherit it that way.
And then somebody else made the comment that they said if you are seasoning cast iron you
are really doing it for the next generation because that's when it's going to be perfect.
After it's been seasoned for a long time and it continues to absorb those oils and everything
else and so that hit me that something as simple as cast iron is working for someone
else, working for someone to come.
In the same way as we acknowledge and recognize what Jesus has done in our life we have the
ability and we have the recognition that we can serve the next generation, serve the people
that we are communicating with, that we are connecting with, that we can make a difference
in somebody else's life.
So I want to say maybe how did you find out about Jesus?
Maybe it was you know sitting on your daddy's knee, maybe your mama read you stories before
bed and you learned about Jesus, if that's how you learned about Jesus and if you still
have the opportunity call up whoever that was and tell them thank you.
But then don't just keep it in but pass it along and share it with somebody else.
But maybe there's somebody here who's really new to this whole Christian thing and maybe
you've had awful horrible examples of someone trying to tell you about Jesus and it's almost
turned you completely off.
I would say don't give up, it's worth it because as it says there in Deuteronomy chapter 6
it says that we can hear oh Israel the Lord is one and then it says you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
that's what we can pass on to somebody else.
Have you acknowledged the love of Jesus in your life?
If you want to do it again I just invite you to raise your hand, say Jesus thank you so
much for loving me.
And then I want to give you another challenge here and I want you to lift up a prayer and
say God who can I pass that on to this week?
Is there a family member, a spouse, a child, a parent?
Is there somebody at work?
Is there somebody at Walmart that I might see that I can give just a little glimpse
of the love of Jesus that shines into my life and I can pass that to somebody else?
That's my challenge for you this week.
Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer.
Dear God what an incredible gift of grace, an incredible gift of love that you have poured
out into our heart and into our life.
Lord I pray for each one of us here that we will just daily accept that grace and if there's
somebody here who hasn't may they do that right now and just acknowledge you as Lord
and Savior.
And then Lord open up our eyes to who we can pass it on to, who we can experience your love
and then like a fire and a spark we can pass it to somebody else.
May we see a family member or a friend that we can share your love with this week.
In your name we pray, Amen.