A GIFT FROM GOD Text: Psalm 127:3-5 Key Word: Gift Key Thought: Our Children are Gifts that God has Entrusted us With During the famous restoration between Esau and Jacob, the Bible says, Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. Who are these with you? he asked. Jacob answered, They are the children God has graciously given your servant. 8. When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, Who are these? 9. They are the sons God has given me here, Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, Bring them to me so I may bless them. Genesis 33:5 Genesis 48:8,9 What Kind of Gifts Has God Entrusted into Our Care? I. A Gift of Heritage (Psalm 127:3) I. A Gift of Heritage (Psalm 127:3) II. A Gift of Trust (Psalm 127:4) III. A Gift of Joy (Psalm 127:5a) One unfortunate result of our Canadian emphasis on multi culturalism is that we have become a melting pot for the nations of the world. In doing so, there continues to be a concern over the loss of culture. We have mistakenly tried to adopt all religious beliefs because it is so ingrained in the culture of those immigrating into our country. Although we need to continue to accept people from all races and cultures, we need to be careful not to lay aside our Christian Heritage. Yet even more important is the fact that we are losing another important heritage. That is the heritage that is ingrained into the very life of our children. Sons are a heritage from LORD, children are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3 Page 1 of 8
I. A Gift of Heritage (Psalm 127:3) (Contd.) I wonder how many people in this congregation today consider their children as a heritage from Lord? We are given the awesome responsibility of passing on the things that we cherish the most in such a way that our children also embrace the same way of life. Our heritage goes much beyond the details found within our Last Will and Testament. We have been entrusted with the incredible task of teaching our children how to live a life that is pleasing before God. ** A young mother paid a visit to a doctor friend and his wife and made no attempt to restrain her five-year-old son, who was ransacking an adjoining room. But, finally, an extra loud chatter of bottles did prompt her to say: I hope, Doctor, you don t mind Johnny playing in there. No, said the doctor calmly. He ll be quiet when he gets to the poisons. ** Bob Phillips The Last of the Good Clean Joke Books Harvest House Publishers, 1981 p. 7 A wholesome heritage is like a treasure box in a family that you can open at any time and find plenty of rewarding memories. There is nothing in it that will harm you. Some families seem to be so busy that this wonderful chest goes unnoticed and seldom opened except upon special occasions. It s like that chest that is left in the attic under lock and key. Instead it should be displayed proudly for all guests to see. I believe it should set the atmosphere of our homes. I m not simply talking about our national heritage but more importantly our spiritual heritage. We need to adorn our walls with biblical truth. Pictures of meaning and verses of scripture should find their place among the everyday plaques. These are wonderful gifts of heritage but there are other wonderful gifts that should be displayed. They are the wonderful memories embedded into our minds because of the lives of our children. Our basement used to have a showcase that was filled with trophies and plaques that are children received. We have passed on most of them now that they are starting their own families. Family pictures adorn our living room as an expression of their lives. Yet our children not only give us a Gift of Heritage. They also give us a Gift of Trust. Page 2 of 8
II. A Gift of Trust (Psalm 127:4) Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one s youth. Psalm 127:4 His Father s Eyes *** A teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed the game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father not only continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn t want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but nevertheless he remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a walk on. Everyone was sure he would never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always put his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father share his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he told his coach, My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today? The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, Take the rest of the week off, son. And don t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday. (Contd.) Page 3 of 8
II. A Gift of Trust (Psalm 127:4) (Contd.) Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third-quarter, when the team was 10 points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. Coach, please let me play. I ve just got to play today, said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. All right, he said. You can go in. The coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans cheered. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you ve never heard before! Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, Kid, I can t believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it? He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, Well, you knew my dad died, but you did not know that my dad was blind. The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it! *** Http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Classroom/5450/letter.html This son felt he was entrusted to be faithful even though his father could not see his results well he was alive. God also trusted this father to instill within his son the values of life that would carry with him well beyond the football field. Both were faithful to the wonderful Gift of Trust placed within their lives. Page 4 of 8
III. A Gift of Joy (Psalm 127:5a) Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:5 The word blessed speaks of being happy or joyful. The Bible seems to carry the thought that the more the merrier when it comes to having children. ** When Joe was a little boy, he took fiddle lessons. One day while he was practicing, scraping dismally back-and-forth with his bow, his dog began to howl and wail. Finally Joan, who was trying to do her homework, stuck her head into the room where her brother was practicing. For goodness sake! She complained. Can t you play something the dog doesn t know? ** Bob Phillips More Good Clean Jokes Harvest House Publishers, 1974 p. 40 You can also have a good laugh by simply listening to children when they pray. Letters to God Dear God, My brother told me about being born but it doesn t sound right. They re just kidding, aren t they? Marsha Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy Joyce Dear God, Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before, you can look it up Bruce Dear God, If you watch me in church on Sunday, I ll show you my new shoes Mickey Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in the church. Is that okay? Neil Dear God, What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought you had everything? Jane Dear God, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? Lucy Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? Norma Page 5 of 8
III. A Gift of Joy (Psalm 127:5a) (Contd.) ** Sometimes memories with your children are absolutely hilarious. I think back to an incident around the Swindoll supper table. Before supper began, I suggested to Curtis (who was 6) that he would serve Charissa (who was 4) before he served himself. Naturally, he wondered why, since the platter of chicken sat directly in front of him... and he was hungry as a lion. I explained it is polite for fellows to serve girls before they serve themselves. The rule sounded weird, but he was willing... as long as she didn t take too long. Well, you d never guess what occurred. After prayer, he picked up the huge platter, held it for his sister, and asked which piece of chicken she wanted. She relished all the attention. Being quite young, however, she had no idea which piece to take. So, very seriously, she replied, I d like the foot. He glanced in my direction, for a moment as the hunger pains shot through his stomach, then looked at her and said, Uh... Charissa, mother doesn t cook the foot! To which she replied, Where it is it? With increased anxiety he answered (a bit louder), I don t know! The foot is somewhere else, not on this platter. Look, choose a piece. Hurry up. She studied the platter and said, OK, just give me the hand. By now their mother and father were biting their lips to refrain from laughing out loud. We wouldn t intervene, but decided to let them work it out alone. That s part of the training process. A chicken doesn t have a hand. It has a wing, Charissa. I hate the wings, Curtis... Oh, go ahead and give me the head. By then I was headed for the bathroom. I couldn t hold my laughter any longer. Curtis was totally beside himself. His sister was totally frustrated, not being able to get the piece she wanted. Realizing his irritation with her and the absence of a foot or hand or head, she finally said in exasperated tone, Oh, all right! I ll take the belly button! That did it. He reached in, grabbed apiece, and said, That s the best I can do! He gave her the breast, which was about as close to the belly button as he could get. Fun. Just plain, old nutty times when hearty laughs and silly remarks dull the edge of life s razor-sharp demands and intensity. Families and fun go together like whipped cream on a hot fudge sundae. ** Charles R. Swindoll The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart p. 75,76 Also in Come Before Winter We all need a mammoth dose of this kind of gift. In fact we need all of the three gifts I ve mentioned today. Do you see in your children these wonderful kinds of gifts? Page 6 of 8
What Kind of Gifts has God entrusted into Our Care? I. A Gift of Heritage (Psalm 127:3) II. A Gift of Trust (Psalm 127:4) III. A Gift of Joy (Psalm 127:5a) C:\Users\Documents\WPWin(13.0)\Sermons.2010\Special Days\Psalm 127_3.5.wpd Date: Sep 19/10 (Children s Dedication) Place: FCA Time: 10:30 Am Song: Bind Us Together - F Page 7 of 8
A GIFT FROM GOD Text: Psalm 127:3-5 Key Word: Gift Key Thought: Our Children are Gifts that God has Entrusted us With INTRODUCTION: Genesis 33:5; Genesis 48:8,9 What Kind of Gifts Has God Entrusted into Our Care? I. A Gift of Heritage (Psalm 127:3) Sons are a heritage from LORD, children are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3 II. A Gift of Trust (Psalm 127:4) Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one s youth. Psalm 127:4 III. A Gift of Joy (Psalm 127:5a) Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:5