2. v. 13: “He divided the sea…”
v. 11: “They forgot his works…”
v. 14: “he led them with a cloud…”
v. 17: “they sinned still more against him…”
v. 18: “They tested God in their heart…”
v. 24: “he rained down… manna to eat…”
v. 32: “In spite of this, they still sinned…”
v. 38: “he… atoned for their iniquity…”
v. 43: “he performed his signs in Egypt…”
v. 42: “They did not remember his power…”
v. 54: “he brought them to his holy land…”
v. 58: “they moved him to jealousy with their idols…”
v. 59: “he utterly rejected Israel…”
v. 72: he sent a king to shepherd them…

3. Soften your heart to the story of Scripture
Psalm 78:1-8  A Maskil of Asaph. Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  2  I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,  3  Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.  

4. Mat 13:10-13, 16  And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  11  Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.  12  "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.  13  "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand…. 16  "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.  

5. Mat 13:34-35  All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.  35  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD."

6. Mat 13:34-35  All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.  35  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD."
3  Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us

7. 2Sa 12:1-7 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David
2Sa 12:1-7  Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.  2  "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.  3  "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him.

8. 4  "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."  5  Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.  

9. 6  "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."  7  Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.

10. “If your heart is humble and ready to receive, you can be fully fed by a snack of a sermon, but if it’s hard and cold, you can literally starve to death at a feast.”

11. Psalm 78:1 A Maskil of Asaph
Psalm 78:1  A Maskil of Asaph. Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  2  I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,  3  Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.  

12. “I don’t remember 99% of the meals I’ve eaten, but they’ve kept me alive. God uses faithful, forgettable sermons to [nourish] his [people].” —Matt Smethurst

13. “No person or church will rise above their knowledge of God’s Word
“No person or church will rise above their knowledge of God’s Word. A church or person can know God’s Word without obeying it, but can’t obey God’s Word without knowing it.”

14. Commit your days to the duty of discipleship
4  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.  5  For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,  

15. Deu 4:9  "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.

16. The factory setting of every Christian is listen-obey-teach.

17. Fill your mouth with the mighty deeds of God
4  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.  5  For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,  6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,  

18. 6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,  7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  

19. 4  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.  

20. 1Co 10:6  Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

21. 1Co 10:6  Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
“Hiding the bad news of God’s wrath against sin and sinners makes the good news of his grace unnecessary, unintelligible, and unamazing.”

22. Christian author, Allen Ross writes that “the overall point of the psalm needs to be made clear: the people of God must remember his marvelous works on their behalf and tell them to their children. And that telling will necessarily include the rebellious acts of people, because God’s most marvelous works are his compassion, patience, and forgiveness of a sinful people.”

23. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

24. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

25. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

26. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

27. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

28. Five purposes in shaping this next generation:
6  That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7  That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,  8  And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

29. These eight verses span five generations.
“our fathers” (vv. 3, 5)
“us” (v. 3)
“their [grand]children” (v. 4)
“the children yet unborn” (v. 6)
“their children” (v. 6)

30. If you will:
Soften your heart to the story of Scripture
Commit your days to the duty of discipleship
Fill your mouth with the mighty deeds of God