Purposeful Parenting

Transcription

1 Purposeful Parenting Absolute importance, priority of our families. I don t mean our extended families. Parenting is not automatic. If not intentional. it will take the less possible place of resistance. Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage (gift) from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. I. Parenting is intentional in priority. This is the highest calling. Being a pastor or minister is not a higher calling than being a parent. Don t be like Aaron s sons in Lev. 10 who offered incense and strange fire or Eli s sons in I Sam 2 who did not know the Lord. Being a faithful parent is more important that being a priest or pastor.

2 II. Parenting is intentional in progress. bent - That is what Prov. 22:6 means. way they should go - the way they are bent. arrows - teach them survival skills by watching you. We need to teach them about suffering and pain and loss. How are you doing in the process of bringing them up in the way they should go and teaching them survival skills. III. Parenting is intentional in partnering. Who are you partnering with? You are...associations, education, spiritual IV. Parenting is intentional in parting. Leave father and mother be joined to his wife. Not everyone is to get married, gift of singleness. But if they do - they will have a successful marriage and start all over again. V. Parenting is intentional in the proclamation of the Gospel. Paul David Tripp says, The family is a theological community. This proclamation needs to be to our children.

3 We don t want to have orphans. The gospel is that we are not orphans, but children of the Most High God and Father. John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans, but I will come to you. Only two times this word orphans is used in NT. 1. We don t want spiritual orphans. Ephesians 6:4 And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. What does it matter if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? My heart is to see our children converted. 2. We don t want physical orphans. James 1:27 says pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one-self unspotted from the world. The word visit: to look upon or after, to inspect, examine with the eyes in order to see how he is, i.e. to visit, go to see one, the poor and afflicted, the sick, to look upon in order to help or to benefit, to provide for, look out for Exodus 22:22-24 You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child....if you do, and they cry out to me, I will hear them and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill

4 you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. Deut. 10: He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow... Isaiah 1:16-17 Put away evil...defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Jeremiah 7:5-7 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doing,...if you do not oppress the fatherless and the widow...or walk after other gods to your hurt... Psalm 10:14 You are the helper of the fatherless. 10:17-18 to do justice to the fatherless... 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows... I am not talking about doing a Brad Pitt, Madonna, or American Idol. What I am talking about it tied to the cross and the gospel. We were orphans, but Christ came to bring us in to His family. VI.Parenting is intentional in your personal example. Paul said Follow me, as I follow Christ. Our children are following us, where are we leading them? Dr. David Jeremiah said, Parents take too much blame and too much credit for how their children turn out. I agree. I am thankful to God that (To this point) all three of my children love God the way they do, AND that they have a level of spiritual discernment that I am thankful God has given them.

5 When it comes to parenting, I ve come to a few conclusions (from Dr. Jeremiah): Model the life you want your children to live the best you can. Use all of life to teach your children to love God and honor Him (Taking them to church on Sunday isn t enough). Talk with your children daily about Jesus, Biblical Truth, and Christian morality. Don t be a Pharisee (Legalist). Explain why certain behaviors honor God and others don t. Pray for your children regularly then trust God!