Passing it on

Good morning.

Have you ever wondered why families tend to put their pictures like their family photos on the refrigerator?

Well, I heard it's because they want some cool family photos.

Okay, bad joke to start, uh, just to get everybody thinking this morning.

That's an intelligent humor, I think.

Maybe not.

Maybe it's the opposite.

No, we're glad you're here.

We're glad you brought your family.

A good chance to get some cool family photos this morning, uh, as everybody is gathered here together.

We are blessed as a family here at Chisholm Hills to have so many families that are represented here, so many young people.

And it was great to see all our young people on the front row singing songs together and praising the Lord and getting that message from John.

What a what a blessing uh that is to all be gathered here this morning.

And as I think about uh family photos, there's one in particular that stands out here recently.

Uh as this happened, it's been a little over a year ago or so.

Um, but there's some pictures that are cool, and then there's some that actually tell a story.

And this is one of those photos I thought was really neat uh when I received it a while back.

Uh and if you if you don't recognize who you're looking at, they're standing in the middle and the the top is Sam Marks, and to Sam's right is his son Philip, and then sitting in the chair is Philip's son Jonathan, and then sitting in Jonathan's lap is Sam.

And if you can't tell what they're doing is they're all at the barber shop.

Uh they all went to the same barber shop, and it's uh one that's been passed down among generations.

Uh the barber there has cut everybody's hair.

And I know what you may be thinking, he didn't spend quite as much time on Phillips' hair as the rest of them, but uh he got to cut all of their hair at some point.

Um, from the jet black days of Sam looking like Conway Twitty walking in there uh to the days now where he gets to cut Sam and Jonathan's hair as well.

But there's something special about that story.

That story that tells the photo, it shows us what it's all about by looking at that generations represented there in the barber shop.

And I but as neat as that picture is, it's not the thing that impressed me most about looking at this photo, because the most important thing about these four generations, what they have in common is not just a barber, but what they have in common is faith.

And not only do we see them all together going to the same barber shop, they show up at the same place every Sunday morning to worship the Lord together.

What a blessing that is to have all four generations represented here at Chisholm Hills this morning.

So they worship together, they worship the same God, they sing the same songs, they open the same Bibles and they share the same faith.

And what we look at this picture and we see haircuts are a neat family tradition, but our faith represents a family legacy for generations sitting together in this church building today.

And I think that is really what I want us to talk about for the next few minutes.

And I say few minutes because we had the thing at the beginning and we're gonna have a prayer at the end, and so you're getting a short message from me today.

And I don't want to hear any amens on that.

I'm gonna go a little shorter than usual.

Uh so um, we'll be going through it quickly.

Um, but that's what this entire day is about.

It's about growth.

As we talk about this whole year, we've been focused on growth, and especially this quarter, we're talking about growing in favor with the Lord, and I think the family is such an important part of that.

Oh, you know, as many years ago when I was studying youth ministry, uh, one of the things that I learned as we talked about the kids and the young people as they're growing up, you can predict their faith by looking at their parents nine times out of ten.

Because a lot of the habits that they learn along the way, they get some from showing up to youth group and going to church, but more times than not, they follow the pattern that's been modeled for them.

And what they see in their parents is what they tend to follow.

And I think that's a great responsibility for each and every one of us to recognize what that means for the legacy of faith in our own lives.

And maybe you're the one that broke that tradition.

Maybe you're the one that said, I'm gonna do something different from my parents, and I'm gonna make a faith my priority.

And I say amen to that.

And make that your legacy that you now pass your faith on to the next generation.

And so that's what we're doing here this morning.

We're celebrating family, we're celebrating faith, we're celebrating our young people and what it means to grow together.

We've had our children up here this morning.

We're celebrating young people as they step into new Bible classes.

Some of our young people are getting ready to head off to college and start these new chapters of their lives.

And at the conclusion of our worship service, our elders are gonna come forward together and say prayers for our youngest members of our congregation, some of the babies that have been born in the last year or two.

And so I think we're seeing the full spectrum this morning.

Our babies, our children, our teenagers, our young people.

We're seeing parents and grandparents and even great-grandparents.

And I think that's a responsibility that connects all of us is because we don't just inherit faith, but we intentionally pass faith on to the next generation.

So our text this morning is Psalm 78.

If you want to open up there, we're gonna read from that together, Psalm 78.

And if you're using your outlines this morning, the first blank you'll find is there faith must be remembered.

And so as we dive into Psalm 78, it starts telling this story.

It starts telling the story about faith that's handed down, a faith that's passed on.

So we'll read in the first few verses there, verses 1 through 4.

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching.

Include incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known that our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children, but tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done.

I don't know about you, but when I read through that, I mean I just love that language.

Things that we have heard and known that our fathers have told us.

In other words, we know these stories because someone shared them with us.

We know about this truth because someone passed it down along the way.

And the psalmist responds to that and says, We are going to tell them to.

We're not gonna let that die with us.

We're gonna pass it on and tell those stories because they need to be remembered.

We're gonna tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.

Think about what that means.

We look at the way God has blessed us, we look at the way he moves and it's present in our lives, and we share that with those who are to come.

One of the things that strikes me about Psalm 78 is how intentional this is.

But how that's this is a choice to be made.

And I think the same is true for each and every one of us.

Look at the words in the Psalm tell.

It says, teach, remember, do not forget.

These are things that we are very intentional about or we should be intentional about.

These are choices that we make.

And here's the thing God never intended for every generation to have to rediscover faith for itself.

He intended it to be passed down.

And if you're a Christian today, chances are someone shared that story with you.

Maybe it was your mom or dad, maybe it was your grandparents, maybe it was someone who simply brought you to church, maybe it was a Bible teacher, a youth minister, or a preacher, maybe it was an elder.

But someone chose to share the story of Jesus with you.

And as a result, your faith blossomed.

As a result, you put your faith and trust in God.

Maybe it was someone who simply prayed for you when you didn't even know they were praying for you.

But the truth is, someone helped you get here this morning.

And I think sometimes we forget that.

Sometimes we forget that element, especially when we get so wrapped up in our lives and our schedules.

We forget the importance of handing it down, we forget the importance of the faith that must be remembered.

But there are people sitting in this room today because decades ago, someone decided I'm going to teach my children about Jesus.

Think about the impact of that statement.

Think about the impact of that truth.

Someone many generations ago said, I'm gonna teach my children about Jesus, and as a result, whatever the church lives, the church is strong.

Because of parents, because of grandparents, because of people who make intentional choices to share their faith.

And I think that responsibility comes to each and every one of us.

And then some children grew up, and those children said, I'm gonna teach my children about Jesus.

And then they did the same thing, and they did the same thing, and here we are this morning.

And that's what legacy truly looks like.

That's what a faith that's lived in, a faith that's true.

And I think it's important that we remember that and we live that out.

But the truth is, remembering isn't enough.

Number two, on your outlines, faith must be lived in.

Look at the next few verses, verses five through seven.

It says, He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, and the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

Notice the goal in all of that.

The goal is that they should set their hope in God.

I want you to see that's bigger.

Because I think there's a difference between just teaching our children about God and showing them what it looks like to trust him along the way.

That's a faith that must be modeled, that's a faith that must be carried out.

And I think that's where this can become challenging for those of us who are parents, those of us who are grandparents, because here's the truth your children are watching, your children are listening, and my guess is they've modeled some of your behavior along the way.

You all have those moments, those sweet moments where your kids want to wear a hat because daddy's wearing a hat.

They want to um go do this and put on this fancy dress because mom's wearing a fancy dress.

They want to model that behavior.

They want to be like their parents.

So that responsibility falls on each and every one of us because our children are listening.

They're listening to what we say, but they're also listening to how we live.

They notice how dad treats mom.

They watch how mom talks about other people.

They notice whether prayer is something we only do at church, or it's something that's actually a part of our lives.

They notice whether worship is a priority, or is it something we do when nothing else gets in the way?

They notice how we respond when life doesn't go the way we want it to go.

They notice whether we trust God even in those moments that we're scared, or we don't know what's coming our way.

They notice whether you forgive.

They notice whether we serve.

They notice whether the Jesus we talk about on Sunday actually makes a difference the other six days of the week.

Our kids are watching.

They're watching your example, how you talk, but more importantly, how you live.

So we get to help shape these lives.

You probably heard this saying before.

Faith is caught, it's not taught.

I think there's a lot of truth in that.

That doesn't mean teaching isn't important.

In fact, Psalm 78 says the opposite.

It explicitly commands that we teach.

But I think the most powerful teaching that happens happens when the truth we're teaching is also the truth we're living each and every day.

And that's why I love what we're doing today.

That's why I love this family Sunday.

We're celebrating babies, we're celebrating children, we're celebrating young people that are entering new seasons of life.

But the truth is, what we're really celebrating today is an opportunity to help shape lives.

What a blessing, what a great responsibility that is for every member of this family at Chisholm Hills.

Because this is a shared venture, and that's the responsibility that doesn't only belong to mom and dad.

That's one of the reasons I love that story of the picture we showed earlier.

Jonathan can look around this room this morning and see people who taught him in Bible class when he was a kid.

Same's true for a lot of you.

People that grew up in this congregation.

You can see those Sunday school teachers.

At the time, they were just getting another lesson ready for the next week.

But someone taught a little boy in Bible class years ago and probably didn't think much about it.

Today, that little boy is a grown man.

That little boy is serving this congregation.

He's raising three children of his own right here at Chisholm Hills, and that is a legacy of faith.

And that's a part that Chisholm Hills played.

Each and every person in this room.

One of those babies that will be prayed for by our elders a little later on will be one of his children.

That is faith passed on.

It's rarely one enormous moment, but it's thousands of little ones.

It's Sunday after Sunday, prayer after prayer, Bible class after Bible class.

It's conversation after conversation, example after example.

Strong families are not built accidentally.

It's an intentional choice that's lived out.

And you have an opportunity to make that your priority.

But neither are strong churches.

Churches are built the same way, one choice at a time.

They're built one ordinary, faithful Sunday after another, which brings us to the responsibility that we find in Psalm 78.

Faith, if you're using your outlines, faith must be passed on.

Let's look at the picture one more time.

Yeah, I got it one more time in here for you this morning.

Four generations.

That didn't happen overnight.

Somewhere along the way, somebody made a decision.

I'm going to follow God, and I want my children to know him.

And eventually, one of those children grew up and made the same decision, and then another generation, and then another.

And that's exactly the picture that Psalm 78 gives us.

It says, that the next generation might know.

The children yet unborn and arise and tell them to their children.

Do you know how far ahead that God is thinking?

He says, Teach your children so that your children can teach their children who haven't even been thought of yet.

That's what faith looks like.

That's the legacy of faith.

And I think God is telling his people to think generationally.

Don't just ask, what does my family mean for me?

Ask, what will my family mean for people who aren't even here yet?

What does that legacy of faith translate to?

And that's where I want to make this bigger than one family.

Because the photo tells the story of that family, but I could tell that version all over this room this morning.

There are several generations represented here in many different families.

There's there's I yeah, I could start naming them, but I don't want to leave anybody out.

But we got we got whites and Owens, we got Durs, we got all kinds of these families that mean so much to this group.

And that faith that we can see that moves beyond just one generation, one to the next.

What a blessing that is here.

What a blessing it is to watch that play out among this family of believers.

So maybe the question we need to ask this morning is what are we passing on?

We think about leaving something for our children, our minds naturally go to our possessions.

What will they inherit?

What will they leave behind?

But someday the size of our bank account won't matter very much.

The trophies that we hold won't matter.

The house and the car, the number on the bank account, the titles that we wore, all those things won't matter.

Here's what matters: will our children know Jesus?

That becomes the ultimate question.

Will our grandchildren know Jesus?

Will they know that God is faithful?

Will they know how to pray?

Will they love his word?

Will they love his church?

When life falls apart, where are they gonna place their hope?

Because we know the storms will come.

Where do they find their foundation?

Psalm 78 tells us what we should want.

It says that they should set their hope in God.

And what I want you to see this morning is that is the legacy.

Not that our children would simply know our traditions, not merely that they would know where mom and dad sat in the church building, but that when their time is over, that their hope will still be in God.

And here's something important.

Eventually, we have to let them choose their own faith because you can't believe for your children.

You can't obey Jesus for them.

We cannot make their decisions for them, but we can absolutely model genuine faith so they know what that looks like.

We can surround them with people who love Jesus.

We can give them opportunities to know that God has been faithful to us and what that looks like.

And then we pray that they take what they've received and then they pass it on to the next generation.

And I think that's why today matters.

That's why family matters, and that's why legacy matters.

This morning we've, again, we've watched some of our youngest children down front.

We're gonna celebrate stepping into new Bible classes.

We're watching young people grow into adulthood, into the next season of life.

In just a few minutes, we're gonna bring some of the youngest members of the congregation forward.

Babies who don't understand any of this yet.

They don't know Psalm 78, they don't know what we're doing here this morning, but we're going to surround these families, and our elders are gonna pray for them.

You may ask why.

Well, because we're already thinking about the next generation.

We're already thinking about what that faith handed down looks like.

We want these children to know Jesus, and that's not just a commitment their parents are making, but it's a commitment we're all making together as a church family.

So parents teach them, grandparents encourage them, Bible class teachers invest in these kids.

Older Christians, your charge is to know their names.

Young adults, give them something to look up to, an example to follow.

Church, pray for them.

Show them what a lifetime of following Jesus looks like.

Because there will be a day when this generation isn't here anymore, and when that day comes, someone else will be standing here, someone else will be teaching those classes, someone else will be serving, someone else will be raising babies.

What story will we give them to tell?

I think one of the one of the things I've heard along the way, and I think it's well-intentioned, but it's wrong, when we look at our kids, even this morning, look at that, that's the future of the church.

I think that's that's a good sentiment, but the truth is that's not the future of the church, that is the church.

Every single person in this room is part of the family of God.

And that legacy is lived out among each and every one of us.

And that's why this matters.

Every bit of it.

That's why we bring our children here and they participate.

Because we want them to know who God is.

What story will we give them to tell?

I'm gonna end with Psalm 145 and verse 4.

One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.

This is who we want to be as a church family.

May that always be true of Chisholm Hills.

May there never be a generation here that has to learn about Jesus because we failed to tell them.

Long after we're gone, may another generation sit in these pews, open these same Bibles, worship this same God, and tell their children, let me show you what the Lord has done.

You need to make a change in your life this morning.

If you need to dedicate your life to Christ through baptism for the remission of your sins, we encourage you to do that.

If you need to rededicate your life to this morning, please come.

As together we stand and sing.