RAISING GODLY CHILDREN Text: Proverbs 2:1-11

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Eileen Brown
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1 RAISING GODLY CHILDREN Text: Proverbs 2:1-11 Key Word: Children Key Thought: There Are Important Principles to Follow in Raising Godly Children Anyone who is a parent in this service today has already discovered the children are very curious. Their little brains are working overtime. They are being bombarded by all kinds of new sights, smells and sounds. Those who study the behaviour of children have concluded that you learn more in your first few years of life than you do in your entire life. They tell us that curiosity killed the cat. Children are not cats as you are well aware. They seem to strive by asking questions and experimenting. It is our duty as parents to guide their curiosity so they are not endangered by it. A few months ago I was sent an that contained a number of examples of what I m referring to this morning. I m sure you ll find humour in them as much as I did. 1. JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?' 2. MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.' 3. BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked 'How does it know it's me?' 4. SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.' 5. DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?' 6. JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?' 7. TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?' Page 1 of 8

2 I believe you have received my point. Children are very curious but we must teach them so that their curiosity does not lead them into trouble. You may ask how can I do that? I m so glad you asked because I believe I have some answers. In fact, I believe the Bible has some answers which are even more important. We must Offer Our Children... I. AN ARDENT PROTECTION I. AN ARDENT PROTECTION II. A BENEFICIAL PROVISION III. A CONSISTENT PUNISHMENT I should probably give you a definition for the word ardent. It was the first word that entered my mind as I was searching for the right one to use. The word means to be very enthusiastic and passionate. It finds its root in a Latin word arden which means to burn. As a parent, we need to have a burning desire to protect our children. Nothing and no one should be allowed to harm them or influence their thinking in a worldly sense. We need to protect our children like a mother bear does with her cubs. Let nothing come between your children and you. Solomon gave some wise instruction for the nation of Israel. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Proverbs 2:11 Parents need to know that it is their duty to teach their children discretion. Discretion is the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation. There is an old proverb that says that discretion is the better part of valour. In other words it s better to avoid a dangerous situation than it is to confront it. We need to teach our children this important truth because they have been born with an enemy who will try everything in his power to destroy them. Jesus said, My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Even King David once wrote a song that began with these words, John 17:15 Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence. Psalm 140:1 Page 2 of 8

3 I. AN ARDENT PROTECTION (Contd.) We must protect the impressionable minds and emotions of our children. If we don t do it who will? If we don t protect them who will harm them? One of the best ways that I know to protect them is to teach them to make wise decisions. Embed within them a deep discretion that is grounded upon the Word of God. We need to accept the fact that we cannot always protect them from the evil that is so prevalent in our world. This is why we need to teach our children how to place themselves under the protection of God. The best way for us to protect our children is to teach them to live a life that surrenders to the total will of God. By doing so, their lives will be placed in the palm of His hand. It seems like every week I receive an warning me against a potentially harmful virus. If there are people in this world who have nothing better to do with their time then make life miserable for others, it should be a warning about what some may be attempting to do to infiltrate the innocent minds of our children. Let s be enthusiastically passionate to protect them against such assaults. II. A BENEFICIAL PROVISION The second thing we need to offer our children is A Beneficial Provision. What do I mean by this? I want you to seriously consider what you believe is important to provide for your children. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. I Timothy 5:8 When I speak of provisions, I m sure 101 things under our mind. We are all warned on a continual basis to beware of the deceitfulness of riches. We don t always help our children by rescuing them from the financial mistakes that they make. The greatest help we can be to them is to teach them to place their trust in God and have Him help them to mature. Have you ever taught your children why they are blessed? Do they realize how special they are? The majority of people living on this earth will never experience the blessings that they have. Our children need to be taught how God is working in their lives to provide for their needs and sometimes even their wants. They need to be thankful for what they have and what they will receive. Page 3 of 8

4 II. A BENEFICIAL PROVISION (Contd.) There are just too many stories of people who have been able to have anything they wanted and yet lived a miserable life. The recent newscasts on the life of Michael Jackson should clearly show us what can happen when our riches own us. We ve all seen pictures of the deterioration of his physical body. There were many times when he walked around with a mask over his mouth to shield him from the fear of diseases. Yet at the same time he was injecting his body with dangerous amounts of drugs which we are told eventually took his life. He reminds of Solomon after he turned away from God set up idols in his home. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work and this was a reward for all my labor. 11. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25. for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11, 21, This is not what life is all about. Our children have been born for a purpose. God will provide for them as they walk according to His will. As they choose that pathway you can be assured that they will live a fulfilled life. They will not be saying when they come to their deathbed that life was meaningless. As a general rule, prosperity is what keeps us in debt. Prosperity is that wonderful time when we can always get enough credit to live beyond our means. E. C. McKenzie 14,000 quips and quotes Page 4 of 8

5 II. A BENEFICIAL PROVISION (Contd.) *** The veteran statesman and missionary Hudson Taylor wrote these words in his journal: our heavenly Father is a very experienced one. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning... He sustained three million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send three million missionaries to China: but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all... depend on it. God s work done in God s way will never lack God s supply. *** Our Daily Bread May 16, 1992 Perhaps we need to be reminded of the words of the apostle Paul. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. I Timothy 6:17 19 If we train them to allow Him to guide what they purchase, we will spare them a great deal of hardship. We can also encourage them to learn from those who have studied and practised the proper principles of Godly finances. III. A CONSISTENT PUNISHMENT We don t often like to hear the word punishment. It s seldom a pleasant experience because of the pain that it brings to us. Yet it is a fact of life. It was actually God who initiated it to encourage us to do what is right. I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the Lord. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you. Jeremiah 21:14 Page 5 of 8

6 III. A CONSISTENT PUNISHMENT Not only does God punish us but He teaches us to punish our children when they do wrong. Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. 14. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death. Proverbs 23:13, 14 I don t want you to get me wrong I m not suggesting that you beat the pulp out of your children when they do things that they shouldn t. I believe it should be withheld unless what they have done is very serious. We should always try positive reinforcement as our first choice. What are some things to stop very early in the behaviour of a child? I would state that on the top of my list is disrespect and dishonour. I ha a zero tolerance for that in our home and I do not regret it. I was very sensitive to not just words that were spoken but the tone in which those words were used. I would carefully monitor their nonverbal expressions (hand gestures; facial expressions). I also dealt with the stomping of the feet or any slamming of doors. We must remember that Jesus bore all of these sinful attitudes and actions upon His body when He hung on the cross. So we need to be careful not to take them lightly But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. My son, do not despise the Lords discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12. Because the Lord disciplines those he loves as a father the son he delights in. Isaiah 53:5 Proverbs 3:11, 12 God s punishment always has the purpose of sparing us future pain. His punishment is always initiated by His love toward us. It must also be the motivating factor when we deal with the wrongs of our children. God will hold us accountable if we choose not to stop our children from wrongdoing. It is a highly contested social and historical concept. We need to be guided by the Great Physician not by Dr. Spock. It s time to change our nation/families. Lets make our streets and homes safe once again by raising a generation that loves God. Page 6 of 8

7 C:\WPwin (11.0)\Sermons.2009\Special Days\Proverbs 2_1.11.wpd Date: September 13\09 Place: FCA Time: 10:30 a.m. The Dedication of Trayvon and Kyariah Croxen Song: Your Love oh Lord - G Page 7 of 8

8 RAISING GODLY CHILDREN Text: Proverbs 2:1-11 Key Word: Children Key Thought: There Are Important Principles to Follow in Raising Godly Children We must Offer Our Children... I. AN ARDENT PROTECTION - Proverbs 2:11; John 17:15; Psalm 140:1 II. A BENEFICIAL PROVISION - I Timothy 5:8; Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11, 21, 24 25; I Timothy 6:17 19 III. A CONSISTENT PUNISHMENT- Jeremiah 21:14; Proverbs 23:13, 14; Isaiah 53:5 Proverbs 3:11, 12

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