The Power of Generational Impartation
080330 The Power of Generational Impartation
Tim Franklin
Prov. 4:1-13
Introduction:
- Coming soon, April 24-26 is our second annual Making Room for Generations—Children’s Equipping Conference. I want to begin preaching into this conference so that we can maximize our effectiveness in receiving what God has planned for us.
- Please do not think that this conference is just for children. It is designed to equip children but at the same time equip parents and grandparents in the art of equipping your heritage.
- It is a conference for the whole church. Singles should be there—because you will be exposed to information and activations that could determine your children’s future. It also will better prepare you to serve at FCC regarding our children.
- It is a conference for the whole family from Grandfather to grandsons/daughters.
- I want to share with you today the power of imparting to your children the truths that help prepare us for life.
- Impart—Gr. – metadidomi-to give, to share. To make know or disclose. To transmit to another.
- Rom 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established NKJV
- 1 Thess 2:8 we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. NKJV
- I want to talk to you about imparting to your children and grandchildren. I believe this to be one of the most powerful tools we have as adults and yet one of least used when it comes to our faith.
- Prov 1:1-6 These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David's son, Israel's king — 2 Written down so we'll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it's going; 3 A manual for living, for learning what's right and just and fair; 4 To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. 5 There's something here also for seasoned men and women, 6 still a thing or two for the experienced to learn — Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. (from THE MESSAGE.)
- Proverbs 4:1-13
- The Importance of Teaching Proverbs
- Proverbs—Hebrew—Masal- "to become like, to be comparable to." /In the Old Testament, however, the word may be synonymous with an extended parable. /"Look, observe, and see your own life under my judgment, In each of these instances there is an object lesson painted. (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
i. Proverbs are much more than little sayings. They literally become parables when you unfold them.
ii. They are truths that come from powerfully painted word pictures.
iii. The pictures are so powerful and so simple that a person can set their life beside the proverb and examine the accuracy of their living. They are so powerfully simple that even the very young can perceive and understand them.
- Why Proverbs?
i. Proverbs are easy sayings therefore they are easy to learn.
ii. Proverbs are wise sayings and are to be embraced and lived out in expression.
iii. Proverbs are foundational sayings that create a solid platform under our feet in this life we live.
- Proverbs are very applicable.
i. They are life in motion. If you teach the Bible stories without the truth of the story you make the Bible to be just fictional. But if you are able to take the story extract the truth and make it applicable that is where change and transformation take place.
ii. They are very adaptable to today’s culture.
iii. You can easily live them before your children. Ie. Model what you are teaching.
- The Recounting (remembering) of Proverbs
- A father remembers. Prov 4:3-4 3 When I was my father's son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. NKJV
- A Generational connection—David, Solomon, Solomon’s sons.
i. Solomon recounts/remembers when David imparted proverbs to Solomon.
1. “Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother.” Solomon had to be very young as he remembers David imparting spiritual truth to him. Please hear these words—tender and the only one in the sight of my mother. It is never to early to begin imparting spiritual truth to your children! Learn to impart truth and not just stories. You impart truth by practical application! Ie. Unfinished book called Grandpa’s parables. Truths that my grandfather handed down to me.
2. He taught me…Let your heart retain my words.
a. There is a big difference between a heart that retains your words and a head that retains them. If the truth is in the heart it will be followed and carried out in life. If it remains only in the head there is a 50/50 chance of it being lived out.
b. The command of living. Keep my commands and live. This is where life is found and increased. To many parents are suggesting to their children. You are negotiating obedience. If you can teach children to heed your commands because they understand the life that comes from them it will be much easier for them to follow God.
c. Get Wisdom, Get understanding! David now shows Solomon the beauty of Wisdom. Part of our responsibility to the next generation is to make truth attractive. We have to live out and demonstrate the rewards of righteousness.
ii. Solomon is the bridge between two generations. He now imparts to his sons the truths he learned from David.
- A father imparts
i. Prov. 4:1 Hear my children the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding.”
ii. Children do not come with instruction books and unfortunately they come to immature parents. One way to accelerate the maturity of new parents is to impart to them at a young age the truth of God’s word.
1. Parents of parents need to speak into their children’s lives too. You grow in wisdom as you get older. Your perspective changes, hopefully to be more kingdom minded. We need wisdom—not nagging. We need correction – not condemnation. We need understanding – not opinions.
2. Note also the importance of the fathers role in this passage.
3. David is much older now when Solomon is born and he is seeking to do it ‘right this time’ as he sees where he has grown and what he has learned through the years as father.
4. 2 Tim 3:14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, NKJV
iii. Hear the love in this passage—not the hammering of an angry voice seeking to straighten out his child.
1. I was my father’s son. David had many sons but Solomon feels the personal intimacy of his father’s love. David named his son Solomon, but behind that name was the word of the Lord to David. 2 Sam 12:24-25 Now the LORD loved him, 25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. NKJV
2. He was prophesied over from birth to be Jedidiah—loved of God. When we seek to impart truth we want to do it with love. To often we do it to get the right behavior that we seek and our motivation is wrong. The child discerns that.
- The Imparting of Proverbs
- The fact of the matter is: We are going to impart something—good or bad. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What ever is in there is going to come out. So we must purpose to fill ourselves with good things so that we are imparting things of righteousness.
- Things that hinder impartation
i. When we choose not to impart or correct. Adonijah 1 Kings 1:6 (And his father, David, had not rebuked him at any time by saying, "Why have you done so?" He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) NKJV
ii. When our life is different than our instruction. Hypocritical living. It creates mistrust for all instruction that you give. You correct this by talking about it. Confessing it as sin, asking forgiveness and living to change ungodly patterns.
iii. When we do not purpose to diligently teach them. Dt. 6:7. Diligence is the key word. You are looking for every possible way to instruct/teach/ impart the truth. Children see if we are diligently going after God. When we do that without neglecting them our lives become a powerful teaching tool.
- Things the assist impartation.
i. Smother with love.
ii. Must receive the word vs. 10. Teach so that the truth can be received. This implies that we ourselves are students of the word.
iii. Must retain the words vs. 4. We all are in need of continual reminding.
iv. Must govern his life with the words vs 4. Hold them accountable to the truth—from a young age.
v. Wisdom is the main thing to get. Vs 7. He recommends to him wisdom and understanding as the end to be aimed at (from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
1. It brings long life. Vs.10
2. It brings unhindered steps vs.12
3. It brings quick movement without stumbling vs.12
4. It brings promotion. Vs. 8
vi. Show the advantages of a life lived for God. It creates a holy envy.
Conclusion:
- Impartation begins with getting our lives right with God.
- Invitation to seekers
- Invitation to those who want to be better imparters.
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