Children, God's Gift; Our Arrows Pastor Eddie Turner Sunday, March 5, 2017

Transcription

1 Children, God's Gift; Our Arrows Pastor Eddie Turner Sunday, March 5, 2017 Psalm 127:3-5 (Good News Translation) Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing. 4 The sons a man has when he is young are like arrows in a soldier's hand. 5 Happy is the man who has many such arrows. He will never be defeated when he meets his enemies in the place of judgment. Psalm 127:3-5(NLT)- Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. 4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior s hands. 5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. Giving up your stuff for someone else s kids! Jeremiah 33:3(NKJV)- Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know Isa. 65:24(NKJV)- It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear Luke 11:9(NKJV)- 9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Psalm 91:15(NKJV)- He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. God is not hindered or limited by the difficulty or our situation; He is only limited by our lack of willingness to believe Children- God s Gift

2 - Psalm 127:3-5 (Good News Translation) Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing. - A more accurate translation says children are gifts belonging to the Lord. - The KJV translation calls our children a heritage of the Lord. - Jewish Rabbis use to teach that a child has three parents; God, Father and Mother. -- As a parent and grandparent, we must always remember we have a spiritual responsibility to properly steward God s gift- our children. - Gen. 33:1-5(NLT)- Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So, he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. 2 He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. 4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept. 5 Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, Who are these people with you? These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant, Jacob replied. - A Man s Spiritual Insight is Tied to His Responsibility as a Parent Gen. 18:1-33(NKJV)- Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your

3 feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, since you have come to your servant. They said, Do as you have said. 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes. 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 9 Then they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? So, he said, Here, in the tent. 10 And He said, I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son. (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old? 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh! 16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. 20 And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know. 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also

4 destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 So the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 Then Abraham answered and said, Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five? So, He said, If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose there should be forty found there? So, He said, I will not do it for the sake of forty. 30 Then he said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there? So, He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there? So, He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. 32 Then he said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there? And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. --- Children- Arrows of a Mighty Man --- Psalm 127:3-4(NLT)- Psalm 127:3-5(NLT)- Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. 4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior s hands. -- An arrow is not effective on a shelf or in a container; and arrow s effectiveness is directly tied to the ability of the archer (parent/guardian) who releases the arrow (child). --- Archer s Authority Parents, grandparents and guardians- understand you have authority

5 in the spiritual realm concerning the children under your care. --- Mark 5:21-24(NKJV)- 21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live. 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him Mark 5:24(NKJV)- 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him Faith doesn t deny reality, faith believes God can change the present reality This father placed a demand on God. It wasn t a demand from a motivation of pride or rebellion. But a demand from a steward asking the master to confirm his authority over an enemy that was trying to steal His gift Mark 5:35-35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue s house who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be afraid; only believe As a parent fear is the greatest hindrance to our faith Mark 5:37-43(NKJV)-And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping. 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with

6 Him, and entered where the child was lying Our Children will never reach their destiny surrounded by the wrong people Mark 5:41-43(NKJV)- 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, Talitha, cumi, which is translated, Little girl, I say to you, arise. 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.