"The Influence of Parents' Faith" (Psalm 78:2-4)

Our text says, "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done" (Psalm 78:2-4). In this teaching, I'd like to share the wisdom of God with Christ followers who are parents! A very significant way that faith in the Lord is handed down is through parents teaching their children about the awesome faithfulness of God! We know that Bible faith must have an object and that object is God. Since that's the case, we must have intimate knowledge concerning the character, nature, and deeds of the One in Whom we place our faith. Christian parents are to diligently instruct their children in "the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done." In Hebrews chapter eleven there are some parents listed not only for their faith in the Lord, but also because they passed it on to their children! In Hebrews 11:23 we read of the Lord's commendation of Moses' parents! It reads, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict" (Hebrews 11:23). The Exodus account informs us that Moses was born during a brutal and perilous time when Pharaoh "commanded all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive" (Exodus 1:22). This was the king's edict that Moses' parents defied! The writer of Hebrews said they stood against this ungodly law "By faith!" They are commended by God for their faith in Him! By faith, Moses' mother, in spite of the dire circumstances, trusted the Lord to do the impossible and save her son! God not only saved Moses but gave him back to his mother, secured royal protection for him, and saw that she was paid to nurse her own child! What a mighty God we serve! Moses' mother was allowed to keep him until at least six years of age (the average weaning time in those days)! This allowed her to hand down her faith in God to Moses! This example of her faith encourages us that we can never lose when our faith is in the Lord, especially with our children! Your move. Be encouraged!