Introduction and Context
[01:42]
[02:01] Once again, a very good morning to all of you. Thank you for joining us in our sermon series through the Book of Deuteronomy and we continue with chapter six, verses six to 25 as we have read.

A young preacher just graduated from seminary and he was going to preach his very first sermon, and he entitled his sermon “The 10 Commandments on Parenting”. A few years later, he got married and have his first kid, and he was preaching the same sermon again but now he entitles it “10 Suggestions on Parenting”. Then when he had his second kid, he would call that sermon “The 10 Hints on Parenting”. When he has his third child, he calls them or calls the sermon “The 10 Prayers for Parenting”. And when the children are now teenagers, his sermon is now simply called “Help me Jesus”.

Parenting is very difficult. I have been a parent for 17 years now and it is not an easy journey. It's filled with delights and satisfaction but it is also one that is very challenging. I checked out this website called “Dollars and Cents”. It's a personal finance website and it seeks to answer this question, “How much does it cost to raise a child in Singapore till they are 18?”. And according to the website, they have done some elaborate calculations, expect to spend more than $276,000 for each child.

Now besides that I also asked chat GPT, “How difficult is it to raise a kid in Singapore?”. Chat GPT says, financially, difficulty level very high, all right, because of the cost of care, house and education. But besides this you also have time and work life challenges. In Singapore, people generally work very long, very hard and so you have very little time and flexibility left to care for your kids. Also, academic challenges are high, the level, the standard here in Singapore is formidable and there are lots of pressures in schools for our children to do well. And then emotionally, it's also difficult because as parents, there can be a lot of guilt and fatigue, and unmet expectations there.

The Importance of Christian Parenting

And on top of all that for Christian parents, there is more because as Christian parents, we don't just want to provide for our kids, physically, socially, emotionally and so on. We also want to provide for them spiritually. Someone said this very well, “When it comes to my children, my ultimate aim [goal] for them is heaven, and not Harvard”. Unfortunately, many parents turn that around. She goes on to say, “If they go to the latter on their way to heaven, that's great. But if I reverse that equation, I’ve failed them”. Now as parents this is our main responsibility, isn't it? To show them who God is in the Scriptures, to show them and point to them the way of salvation and life. We can't guarantee nor force them upon this way but we certainly need to show them the way.

The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
Now the Book of Deuteronomy is like a living funeral message from Moses. He's going to teach and remind the people of Israel to obey God even as they prepare to enter the promised land. And so, we came to the Shema last week. The Shema… you say, Shén Me Shì [什么是 ] Shema? Shema is the centrepiece prayer of the Jewish people. This is what they would remember and memorize, and say the moment they are able to speak. It consists of a fundamental doctrine that “…The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” [Deuteronomy 6:4]. The word “LORD” there, L, O, R, D in upper case is the tetragrammaton, Y, H, W, H which is the name of God. We probably should pronounce it best as Yahweh. So, this God of the Bible his name is Yahweh and this God, Yahweh, is one. There is no other God besides Him. So, the Bible speaks of a fundamental monotheistic faith; one God. It's very unique in a culture and context where everyone worships many gods; polytheistic. So, there's a fundamental doctrine of monotheism and there's a fundamental duty to love the LORD, Yahweh, “…your God with all your heart [and] with all your soul and with all your might.” [Deuteronomy 6:5].

Shema For Our Children

Now this is what Israel needs to know but this is not just for the adults, because the verse we read this morning is a follow up which says “[And] these words…”, the Shema “…that I command you today shall be on your heart and you shall teach them diligently to your children” [Deuteronomy 6:6-7]. So, make sure the Shema, the knowledge of God, the love for God, is something you do and something your children will do, and something your children's children will also do. So, the text we are looking at today, I believe is about the Shema for your children. How do we raise children who would know God and love Him? That's the task given to Israel even as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Now, in order to understand Christian parenting, all right, I know this is not Christian parenting as such in the days of Moses but we learn principles on parenting that I think we can apply to you and I in the New Testament age. How do we teach our children the way of salvation and life?

1. Internalisation

Number one, we must understand the principle of internalisation. Now, what do you mean by that? If you get on a flight and you hear the flight safety announcement. It will tell you to put on the oxygen mask for yourself first then you can put on the oxygen mask for your children. And the principle is true to Christian parenting; you've got to know what it means to love God first then you can teach them to your children. The principle of internalization, verse six, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart”. It's got to start with you. You can't teach your children what it means to love God if you don't know what it means nor do you live out what it means. To have God's Word in our hearts or on our hearts is I think, not just to know it or to understand it or to memorize it, I think it's also to live it. Just as the psalmist would say, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” [Psalms 119:11]. I think it governs his thoughts and also governs his life. So as Christian parents, God's Word must be laid upon our hearts.

I used to study medicine and one of the common conditions we see is this bump that happens on wrist. Any one of you has this? Don't dare to say… Oh, you have, yeah, I see your hand there. Yup…so what this is called is a ganglion. What in the world is a ganglion? Is it cancer? No, it is simply if you look at it cross sectionally, it is simply a balloon, a bubble with fluid inside. It's actually the joints, you know your joints, they are…they are…fluid filled bubbles to lubricate so sometimes it just kind of pops out in between the bones and its surfaces out there. It's called a ganglion, a cyst. Now, in today's day and age, it's very easily dealt with just go and see a surgeon. He will clear it up for you. But if you lived 1000 or 2000 years ago, there is no surgeon, so what do people do? It is a bum, unsightly thing. So, what they do is that they take a big old, heavy Bible and they whack it. That is what I was told in medicine, people use the Bible to whack that, I mean, how many books do you have in those days? People value the Bible so they have a thick book, whack it and that's how you solve the ganglion problem. But I suggest to you that your Bible is not meant to lie on a shelf neither is it used to bang your hand. The Bible is meant to be on your heart, all right. Parents, you've got to be people who study the Bible. You've got to be students of God's Word and you've got to be doers of God's Word. If you are to teach your children, it's got to begin with you, the principle of internalization, all right, that's verse six.

2. Impartation

Verse seven teaches us the principle of impartation. Now that you get it in your life make sure you pass it on. A boy came to his parents one day, or mum one day and said, Mum, you know that expensive vase we have? Ah yes, the one that great grandpa gave to grandpa and grandpa gave to Papa, and Papa gave to me, and I'm going to give it to you. Yes, that vase. Mum, [11:57] it's supposed to be passed on from generations to generation, right? Yes. Well… Mum, this generation just dropped it.

We are not supposed to drop the passing of a precious commodity called God's Word. The Bible tells us, “You shall teach them diligently to your children” so the parents have a responsibility to pass spiritual truths on to the next generation. The word “teach them diligently”, you see that's not a word, that's three words. No but in a Hebrew, it's one word. The word “teach diligently” is an interesting word that means to pierce or to point or to prick or to sharpen, and often with the idea of repetition. So, you sharpen something, you do it repeatedly. So, you are supposed to pierce those truths into the minds of your children, into the hearts of your children by repetition, you're supposed to teach them, that's why it's translated diligently, repeatedly, tirelessly.

And this job is not given to priests or to Levites, the religious leaders of Israel but is given to you and for your children. So, this is a responsibility clearly given directed to parents. In today's day and age, many of us, we think that teaching children the Bible is the responsibility of the Sunday school or our Children Ministry but the Bible makes it very clear, who is responsible? You… father… In the New Testament, the same thing fathers bring up your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. It's given to the parents. Now the Puritans certainly got this. Who are the Puritans? They are Christians living in the 16th and 17th century and they are a people who are very concerned with purity, with doctrinal truths, and they actually believe that “Every home should be a little church”, that the father should be a little pastor and that each home is supposed to produce Bible scholars. Seminary, there is supposed to be a seminary. They took it so seriously that if the father doesn't teach the children, he might be disciplined by the church elders and disbarred from the Lord's Supper or the Holy Communion. They really took it seriously. But the point, I think is very clear, we have to impart God's Word diligently to our children repeatedly, many times, over and over, in various ways and this is the responsibility of the parents.

Now, the reason why it's got to be parents is also I think hinted in a text, when do you actually teach children? When they gather on Sunday mornings? No, you teach them every single available opportunity. It says here, you “…shall talk of them…”, the Word of God, “when you sit in your house, and when you walk [by the way], and when you lie down, and when you rise”. Now this you can see is in pairs, sit and walk, lie and rise. This is what the Jews would call merism. It's a literary device where you say two things but you don't just mean the two things on the extreme, but you mean the two things plus everything in between, such as life is filled with highs and lows. There are highs and lows in life but it also covers everything in between, night and day. So, when you sit and when you walk means everything in between. Some people like to teach their kids when they drive somehow driving works. Some people like to teach when they are lying down. Some people like to teach when they are awake in the morning when they rise. But it's from morning to night, night to morning, at all times be communicating God's truth to your children. That's the idea because that's maybe the only time they are available or they are teachable or open. These are teachable moments that you need to seize. Carpe Diem [Latin phrase meaning seize the day] - seize the day, and this is something that therefore only you can do. Your Sunday School teacher is not there when they are most teachable, isn't it?

I mean my son just lost his account, a games account. He got hacked and as parents we are sad but we are also glad, and we also would like to remind our children that nothing in this world stays forever. That moth and rust corrupts and thieves break through and steal that's what the Bible says. All the treasures you want in this world they will ultimately and eventually be taken away, sometimes slowly, sometimes suddenly but they all go surely. So, life is not about building up treasures here on Earth, it's foolish. It's living for what matters in all eternity. But the Sunday School teacher would never know that, no one else will know that, parents will know that because we are with them. How much time do you think our Children Ministry has with your kids every week? One hour plus and you expect your Sunday School teachers to teach your children all about God? You can farm out soccer, you can farm out piano, you can farm out mathematics but you cannot farm out theology. It's got to be done by the parents.

The Five Cs of Teaching

So, we've got to impart to our children… I got this five Cs from another preacher. You've got to impart to our children in these five ways.

Convincingly
You've got to do it convincingly. What do you mean by convincingly? It means that you do it in a way that is consistent with how you should live. So, you… you have God's Word on your heart. You live that out and when they see your life, they understand what it means to love God better. So, one of the best ways to teach is to model it. One of the best ways to stumble is to be a hypocrite. To say you love God but you never do. You don't make decisions for the glory of God. You don't live in a way that is consistent with Christian ethics. You don't teach them well because you're not teaching them convincingly. I'm not saying that you should be a perfect parent. There's no such thing as a perfect parent but that sincerity and that general trend of obeying God, I think is what your children are always watching all the time.

Consistently
Secondly, we also teach our children consistently. So, I guess that's seen in when you sit and when you walk, when you lie and when you rise at all times. You don't do it only once in a while but as often as you can.

Conversationally
You do it conversationally, I think that's important because I think many people who are serious about teaching the Bible, they kind of limit that teaching to a specific time slot and it's a preset formula, they read some things and then they say, “Job done”. But they are not able to understand the Scripture in such a way that they bring it into everyday life when you converse about life, when you talk about politics, when you talk about life, when you talk about education, when you talk about friends, when you talk about things that you read in social media. Can you kind of point them to the teachings of the Scripture conversationally? I think that's something that every parent should aim to do.

Creatively
And therefore, we also need to teach them creatively. It's not just one size fit all, one methodology, it's every day, every time, everywhere you go, as it's possible, we teach them.

Conspicuously
And finally, we also impart truth conspicuously. What do you mean by conspicuously? Well, that's found in the subsequent two verses, “You shall bind them…” that is the Shema, God's Word, “…as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” [Deuteronomy6:8]. Now this sounds very funny. How do you bind God's word between your eyes and on your hands? Furthermore, it goes on to say, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:9]. So, the Bible's verses got to be written on your house and what do you really mean? Well, the Jews took these two verses and interpreted it as such. They created what you will call the phylactery. The phylactery is a box where you write the Shema, Deuteronomy six, [verse] four and five on a parchment and you put it in this box, and you tie this box on your forehead and on your arm, you see that in the picture. This is what Jews have done even in the times of Jesus because Jesus made mention of you… of them having phylacteries in Matthew 23. Now is this still in practice today?

[‘21:57] Proof… This is not AI generated. If you go to Jerusalem, you see Orthodox Jews with phylacteries and they also made broad their garments and all these things. So, they still have it today and if you go to Jewish communities, they would also have this thing called Mezuzah. Mezuzah is a casement which contains the writings of Deuteronomy six, verse four or verse five and also Deuteronomy chapter 11. Deuteronomy 11[:18-19] pretty much echoes what we have read in Deuteronomy six, where God's Word is supposed to be a sign on your hand and a frontlet between your eyes. Now that's what the Jews used to do, that's what the Jews do today is that however what Christians need to do? I don't see any one of you coming your…with a box, I mean that'll be quite interesting when you take the MRT train and when you go to school, teacher asks you, how come you have this box? Oh, it's a phylactery. I've not heard of a Christian doing that. I think we understand that though this is what the Jews have done, this is not quite what God means. After all, Jesus didn't have a phylactery as long as we… as far as we know. But I think the point flows from having God's Word in our heart and in our soul. It's a picture language to tell you God's Word should so guide all your thinking and God's Word should mark all your ways, what you do, I think that is the intent behind these two verses rather than an actual physical object that you tie. And these words that are supposed to so guide and saturate your life are the words you teach to your children.

So, impartation of truth would require the five Cs. Now I have spent maybe about 15-20 minutes on the first four verses. I think I have another 16 verses to go but don't scare, I know my time and I like to summarize the instructions of the 16 verses quite quickly.

Teaching the Shema

You see the instructions here are exactly what does God want Israel to teach their children or you could say, God wants Israel to teach their children, the Shema, we have already covered that. But the Shema is going to be further elaborated in verses 10 to 25, all right. So, six to nine we've covered, 10 to 25 is what we're going to look at now and 10 to 25 I think is a kind of elaboration of what you need to teach your kids now. I know you can't see, that's fine. I just want you to see the structure because right in the middle in verse 20 is this statement, “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules…?’” [Deuteronomy 6:20]. So, I think we are still in the subject of teaching your children. I need you to see this so that you know where we are, and why we look at this whole passage in verse six to 25 as instructional lessons for our kids. So, verse 20 gives me the hint we are still at the topic of teaching our children. So, what do we teach our children? We teach three things. I know there are 16 verses but they can be summarized into three things.

A. Favour of God

Number one, it's not that obvious but I think if you look closely, you will see something. Number one is the favour of the goodness of God. Help your children understand how great and good God is. For It says, “[And] when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, [to] Isaac, [and to] Jacob, to give you…” [Deuteronomy 6:10]. This land that you are about to inherit is not earned by you, it's not deserved by you, it's not worked for by you, it's given to you, as God had promised your ancestors. And that idea of giving and favour is accentuated with the subsequent words, “…with great and good cities that you did not build, [and] houses full of good things that you did not fill, [and] cisterns that you did not dig, [and] vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant…” [Deuteronomy 6:11]. You see this poetic writing that you did not build, that you did not fill, that you did not dig, that you did not plant, but all these good things are given to you so that you may eat and so that you may be full. Now when God gave you all these things make sure you don't forget God because He is the one who led you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. If not for God, you would still be slaves. And God did all that not because you were great but because He is good. So, remember the favour, the goodness of God.

Now we as Singaporeans would have a hard time saying, huh, how did we tell… how do we tell our children that God led us out of slavery, probably hard, although Singapore I'm sure you would say is a good country. But I think the ultimate favour we need to tell our children is how God sent His Son to die on the cross to pay for the sins of those who believe in Him. Tell your children how you today are forgiven of your sins because of Jesus and what he has accomplished on the cross. Tell your children how your life has been turned around because of the goodness of God, not because you are a good man, not because you deserve anything, but because of God's grace and how God can show His grace to them as well. So, teach our children to love God. Why? Because God is good and He has given His son. I think that's the first thing we need to grasp.

B. Fear of God

Moses continues to say, not only should you know the favour of God, you should also know the fear of God. For he says, “It is the LORD your God you shall fear…” [Deuteronomy 6:13]. I think if you lived 100 or 200 years ago or even before that there is a conscious, humble fear of God in people in general. I think in modern society especially in the last 50 years, people are now beginning to mock God and to disrespect God, that's the sign of the times we live in last days. But teach your children to fear God because as I have prayed early on, He is your Creator, He is your Sustainer, He is your Judge and He is the only Savior. If God just takes off His hand over your life, you die immediately. It is God who holds our lives together and it is this same God we will have to answer for everything we have done, and everything we have said, and no one, no one will be able to stand on the Day of Judgment.

So, fear God, “…Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” [Deuteronomy 6:13], no other gods… “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the people who are around you - for the LORD your God is in your midst is a jealous God - lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you…” [Deuteronomy 6:14-15]. Sometimes, we really take God for granted, we trifle with His name, we mock Him. You wouldn't want to be on that day where He comes to you with justice and judgment. Fear of God is what Moses teaches.

C. Faith in God

And then finally, he also commands the people of Israel to have faith in God. Shema for God means I know God is good, His favour, I fear God and I have faith in Him, and I will obey Him, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, …” [Deuteronomy 6:16]. In other words, don't challenge God, don't doubt God. Just as Israel tested God at Massah, Massah is that story is found in Exodus 17 when they had no water and they complained against God. So don't doubt God. Don't challenge God. Trust Him and obey Him. “You shall diligently keep the commandments…” [Deuteronomy 6:17]. He repeats that again, “[And] you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD...” [Deuteronomy 6:1]. And you should “…thrust[ing] out all your enemies…” [Deuteronomy 6:19], trust Him to do so. And so, with the instructional [31:05] sentences, we see that Israel is supposed to teach their children the Shema and what it means to know His favour, His fear and faith in Him.

Deuteronomy 6:20-23
Now this is repeated again because now we come to verse 20. Verse 20, it says, when your son asks you in time to come, what is the meaning of these things? And Moses tells them how to answer and you will realize that the answer is the same three things we talked about, because the answer is again about the favour of God, the fear of God and the faith in God. Favour of God, we see in verse 21, then you shall say to your son, when he asks you, why do you keep these Laws? Tell them, why? Because we were slaves and God brought us out. He showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Pharaoh, Egypt, all his household, before our eyes. And He now has brought us out from there that He might bring us in and give us the land that He swore. Remember the favour of God. Remember God's goodness. Why then do you obey? Because God is good. That's how you answer your kid.

Deuteronomy 6:24-25
And number two, tell your kid to fear God. Tell your kid to fear Yahweh, our God, Him only shall you serve. And this attitude of fear should be expressed in the life of faith, of obedience, as he would say, commanded us to do all these statutes and be careful to do all this commandment. So, let's bring it all back, we have finished the 25 verses, not 25 ,6-25 will be 20 verses.

So, when you want to teach your children either in reading the Scriptures, pointing them to the Gospel or when you are conversing with them in everyday life. Well, I think this is the guiding principle in Deuteronomy [chapter] six, teach them the Shema. What is the Shema? The fundamental doctrine that God is one and there is no other God beside him. The fundamental duty to love Him, to obey Him, to serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. To teach them these words in Deuteronomy [chapter] six, verses four and five, and to teach them that Deuteronomy [chapter] six, [verses] four and five, the Shema can be expanded in verses 10 to 25 about the goodness of God, about what it means to fear Him, and about what it means to have faith in Him and to obey Him.

I hope that's your curriculum. I feel like a subject teacher telling you, your kids going ‘O’ Level this year, this is… this is what they have to cover. Well, this is what you have to cover for your whole life. Actually, Bible truth is way easier, we have no excuses, is it? It's way easier than algebra and calculus. Teach them to your children, the Shema and the three Fs; the favour, the fear and faith.

As I end can I tell you an irony? What's ironical about all this, is that whilst this is what we have to live out, that we ourselves are to love God, to know His favour, to fear Him, to have faith in Him, this is what we need to do and this is what we need to teach our kids. The irony is that none of us can ever do this. None of our children can ever do this because there is no one who can love God with all our heart and soul and might. None, none of us really, really know how much God loves us and is good to us. No one here really, really fears God with all his being. No one here obeys God in perfect faith. Well, how do you know you don't do that? I give you two verses which we have just read, “Him you shall serve and by his name, you shall swear” [Deuteronomy 6:13]. Do you serve God and God alone your entire life? Or how about [Deuteronomy] six verse 16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test”? You shall not challenge nor doubt him. Have you not complained or grumbled against Him? There is no one who keeps Deuteronomy [chapter] six, verse 16 nor 13 perfectly.

The Role of Jesus in Fulfilling the Shema

Until one day, 2000 years ago, this became clear because there was a man who fasted for 40 days and 40 nights till he was emaciated. I think he must be famished, he must be desperate, he must be super-duper hungry. I mean, most of us can't even fast for four hours. He fasted for 40 days and when he is at his weakest point, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. At this weakest point, the devil came along and tempted him with three things, two of which I will mention here. The devil said to Jesus, the perfect God Man, challenging him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down…” [Matthew 4:6]. Prove that you are the Son of God, I mean, look at your state today, you're miserable. Are you really sure you're the Son of God? Show yourself. And Satan even quoted the Bible to say; God's angels will protect you. How did Jesus respond? Interestingly, He said to him, “…it is written, ‘You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.’” You know where this is from?  Where is this written? Deuteronomy 6:16, the exact text we went through this morning. In other words, Jesus is saying, I'm holding on to the Shema. I'm holding on to what I need to do. I'm holding on to God's Word because I love God the Father more than anything. I love Him with all my heart and soul, and might even if I am desperately hungry.

Then the devil did not quit but then brought him again high up into the mountain, actually mountain not… pinnacle of the temple, “And [he] said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’” [Matthew 4:9]. He showed Jesus all the glories of the world and said, if you only bow down and worship me, I will give you everything. How did Jesus respond? Jesus said, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ...” where is this written? “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Deuteronomy 6:13, you know what Jesus is showing here. Jesus is showing that the Jews have never been able and no man has ever been able to obey the Shema, but even at his weakest point, he fulfilled all the Law. And this same perfect man who loved God perfectly, completely, who fulfilled all the Law would go to the cross and die. Why? Is he guilty of death? No, he is the only one who kept God's Law. He is the only one who deserves all the blessings God has promised from eternity. But he will die on the cross because there on the cross, he is not dying for his sins but he is dying for your sins. There on the cross, he is paying your sin debt so that his perfect righteousness may now be given to you, and all the blessings that God has promised in the Bible will now be given to those who would believe. The Shema is about loving God with all our heart and soul and might, and the cross is the perfect demonstration of God's love for you. Why would we love God? Because God sent His son to die for you. We love Him because He first loved us. And as we look at the Law today, may it lead us to the Lord of our salvation, Jesus Christ. Teach your children the Shema and teach them Jesus is the only one who fulfilled it all, and would give you all the blessings that comes along with it.

Closing Prayer

Let's bow for a word of prayer. Father, we thank You today. We learn about parenting but I really think it's far more than parenting. It's about how you are the great Heavenly Father who sent His son to die and to pay for our sins. Thank you that when man is totally impotent to fulfil any of these things, Jesus actually did it. [40:58] He did it in the worst of circumstances, not just in the wilderness, but throughout his life and then he gave himself up on the cross for us. How amazing is this gift of salvation? How amazing is this gift of love? So dear God, I pray for my brethren, my brothers and sisters in Christ that we would know your love. We will lay these things on our hearts. We will lay Your Word on our hearts and we will love You more. Please help us be better followers of Jesus. Help us to be better parents. But Lord, I also want to pray for all who are not yet Christians, their hearts are cold. They cannot be bothered. They are far from you but Lord, so was I and you had mercy on me. I pray you have mercy on many today that as they seriously think about life, they would think about their sin, about your holiness, and also about Your love in giving Jesus to die and to pay for our sins. Please, dear God, save souls. Lord, please bless our homes. We thank You and we ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.