Passing the Torch

Psalms 78:1-8
Introduction:
A kangaroo kept getting out of his enclosure at the zoo. Knowing that he could hop very high, the zoo officials put up a ten-foot fence.
But the kangaroo was out the next morning, just wandering around the zoo. A twenty-foot fence was put up. Again he got out.
When the fence was forty feet high, a camel in the next enclosure asked the kangaroo, "How high do you think they'll go?"
The kangaroo said, "Pretty high, unless somebody figures out to close the gate at night!"
We’ve got to close the gate as well. We don't want to lose the chance to reach people with the Gospel. We close the gate by teaching and reaching people when they are young. I know each year, we have a couple of expensive busy weeks like Vacation Bible School and Camp. We ask so much of you, and you are always faithful to step up! The church is transformed tonight to be Egypt. Some of you sacrifice so our children can come to VBS and go to camp each year. The whole point of that sacrifice is that we might see young people come to salvation and get on fire for God.
As we see in the Psalms, we have been given a responsibility to reach these young people.

I. DEBT-
Notice the words at the end of v. 3 “our fathers have told us”
For many of us, it may not have been our actual father who taught us the ways of God
But a previous generation was faithful to pass the torch to us
They gave us the information we needed to come to a saving faith in Christ
The previous generation providing us with that information created a responsibility on us
Now we have the obligation to pass the message of the Gospel forward
As the Psalmist mentioned in v5 God commanded that we teach our children
But we have a higher duty to present God’s Word reckoned out of a debt to Christ
After His Resurrection, Jesus gave the Great Commission to His Church
He charged them and, by extension you and I, to make disciples
We are to be His witnesses at home and abroad
Now, since God hasn’t called us to Albania or South America, our duty is here
We have the responsibility to our children and those of our church

II. DECLARATION-
We have the responsibility to exhibit the things of God, to demonstrate and declare them
This is something that is supposed to be lived and taught publicly
Our lives are to be the chalkboard or the powerpoint or ELMO
God’s praises deserve declaration. He is Almighty and His works are wonderful
Children need to see the evidence in our devotion to God
They are going to learn best from our example
If we fail at this task, our children will be like the ancient Israelites
Judges 2:10-11 says, "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:"
If we don’t teach them the ways of God, if we don’t provide them with the example, they won’t follow the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
The work we do is so the generation to come will know them and their children
6 We are working for perpetuity, for the generation who hasn’t been