DIRECTION, DESIRE, AND DISCIPLINE: Household Salvation

Read Acts 16:22-34.

This week we have been looking at parental responsibility to lead their children to Christ, by giving them direction from God’s Word, fueling a desire for Christ, and disciplining them toward repentance. God can save an entire household!  In our text today, we see an example.

The way of salvation was made clear.  In answer to the question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and YOUR HOUSEHOLD” [emphasis added]. God has children, but no grandchildren—father, mother, sons, daughters—each one must personally receive Christ by faith.  It is not a matter of biology, but theology. Yet, the parent is seen to be the key to bringing Christ to the whole family.

The word of salvation was proclaimed. “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and TO ALL WHO WERE IN HIS HOUSE” [emphasis added]. Since faith in Christ alone can save us, where can faith be generated in our household?  Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Think of the Gospel as seed being sown in the soil of our children. As we direct them with the Word to know who Jesus is, hear and see in us joy in Jesus feeding a desire in their hearts for him, and through discipline show them their sinful state and need for repentance, we cultivate their hearts as fertile soil to bear fruit to eternal life.

Their faith was professed through baptism. “And immediately he and ALL HIS FAMILY were baptized” [emphasis added]. What a worship celebration they had in that home that night!  We read, “he rejoiced, having believed in God WITH ALL HIS HOUSEHOLD” [emphasis added]. Daddy was used to direct his entire family to Christ.  That can happen to your family as well!

DIRECTION, DESIRE, AND DISCIPLINE: The Promise to Our Children

Read Acts 2:38-41.

The promise of salvation is offered to all who repent and receive God’s Word.  As Peter proclaimed at Pentecost, “the promise is to you and to your children,” and so our great task as Christian parents is to lead our children to Christ.

We evangelize and disciple them by directing them with truth.  This is why we share the Gospel with them.  Those who were converted at Pentecost are those of whom it is said, “gladly received his word.”

As we give them this direction toward Christ, we pray they will develop a desire for Christ. If you read the entirety of Peter’s sermon that day, you see that it focuses on Jesus.  He is the only Savior. This is how God calls us, and draws our children to Himself through the activity of the Spirit.

The discipline we administer has both a positive and negative dimension to reinforce this truth—a blessing in following Christ and warning of the curse of disobedience. Our children will not be saved until they understand they are sinners who cannot save themselves. They must repent if they would have their sins remitted. Thus, the Holy Spirit will convict them.  Where is the Spirit? He is in the life of the Christian father and mother, and He speaks through them and is seen in their own repentance.

As Peter did, we testify and exhort them, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”  Our prayer is that they will receive the word and as a testimony be baptized and added to the church.

DIRECTION, DESIRE, AND DISCIPLINE: Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

“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.” (Genesis‬ ‭18:19‬)

An old Gospel song poses the question, “Will the circle be unbroken?”  It calls us to reflect on a family circled around a room at some joyous celebration, but also to lament the gathering of a family for a funeral as a loved one has been separated from the living by death.  Ultimately, one hopes for the entire family to be together again in the sweet by and by.

Christian parents who bring children into the world want to see those children with them in the next world. Although we cannot assume responsibility for any individual soul—each person must make their own decision—we can accept accountability for directing them, helping fuel a desire in them, and discipline them toward a relationship with Christ.

We see this in what God says about Abraham.  God knew this man and his heart of faith—that he would point his children heavenward.  Because that love for God would be evident in him, he would stir by example and teaching a desire in his offspring for God. Abraham would discipline his descendants in righteousness and justice so as to minimize the effects of a pagan culture and maximize the opportunity of obedience to God’s will and ways.

Will the circle be unbroken?  Let us seek that for our family with all that is in us!

HUMAN CLAY: Generation to Generation

Read 2 Timothy 1:3-5.

Paul was Timothy’s spiritual “father,” in that he took the young man under his wing, and helped shaped him into the pastor he would become. Yet, that was only possible because the lad had been won to faith through the influence of his mother and grandmother. Paul speaks of, “the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (v.5).

In this case, we see the powerful work of the Gospel from generation to generation as it is transmitted down. There was certainly a role played by the preacher in Timothy’s godly service, but the role of a parent in Timothy’s genuine salvation is the matter celebrated here. The truth is, that what happens in the home sets the stage for what happens in the church, and how the message in the church building is reinforced by what is taught in the house is crucial if it is to have enduring impact. It is unlikely that the few hours our ministry has the children under roof at the church house will be sufficient for a child’s spiritual development.  In the best case scenario, there is a partnership between pastors and parents as the church encourages and equips parents in discipling their children.

Even in a single parent home, God can work. The challenges are even greater in that scenario, than when both father and mother are active and engaged.  Some families have both parents present, yet one—often the father—is disengaged from spiritual influence, and may not even be a Christian. Apparently, Timothy was in a single parent home, as the father is not mentioned. There is hope to be found for children in that environment as we note here.

We should also see that a grandparent has a role. Once your children are raised, your work is not done. Likely your children, will have children, and you can continue to reinforce and resource your extended family.

Every Christian—married or not, parent or childless—is to help transmit the Gospel from generation to generation. It is time to embrace our responsibility!

HUMAN CLAY: Nurture and Admonition

Read Ephesians 6:1-4.

Every child is born with self-centeredness and rebellion in their heart. There has only been one virgin to conceive and bear a sinless Child, and thus, we have a job on our hands as parents, grandparents, and mature Christians to help shape that little lump of human clay.

We train children in obedience. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (v.1‬). Some have a personality that makes them more readily compliant, yet all to some degree or another manifest disobedience.  It is woven into the fabric of our being.

The training must go beyond actions to attitudes. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:” (v.2‬). If adults are to be honored, they must demonstrate they are honorable. Kids can sniff out a phony a mile away.

We must show them not only what to do, but why. “‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’” (v.3‬). If all children hear is, “No!” without being taught the positive benefits and protection from evil consequences of obedience to God, it will be counterproductive.

The direction of children toward God and salvation in Christ by discipleship requires both negatives to avoid and positives to apply. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (v.4‬). Two extremes must be avoided: being loose where we set few boundaries and fail to enforce those we set, or being legalistic and demand our preferences rather than God’s principles. Both are frustrating to a child and end in anger and bitterness. Positive training and corrective confrontation in the Word to lead them to the Lord must be our persistent effort.  We reward good actions and attitudes while disciplining bad ones to open the child’s heart to God.

HUMAN CLAY: Dedication, Direction, and Discipline

Read Proverbs 22:6.

When I worked with clay on the potter’s wheel, there were basic skills used to shape each vessel.  Yet, the clay was not totally identical, and the results likewise differed somewhat. The vessels were not mass-produced as on an assembly line, but were unique creations. Sometimes, the clay contained grit that caused the potential to be marred, and it had to be broken down and begun again.

Similarly, Proverbs 22:6 speaks to the dedication, direction, and discipline required in molding the human clay of our children.

There is dedication.  When Solomon says to “Train up,” the word means to dedicate. This is why we practice a ceremony in our church life called “baby dedication.”  It is a public act of dedicating parents to the task of training their children in God’s ways, and committing those children into God’s hands.

There is direction. It is “a child,” that we are directing. We are pointing them in God’s way and pouring into them God’s truth, if we are helping shape them for His purposes. As pottery clay is best shaped before long exposure to the atmosphere begins to render it rigid, so the word “a child,” points to the strategic time before puberty, when a youngster is most pliable. There is a window of time—all too brief and adults must seize the day!

There is discipline. This requires persistence “in the way he should go.”  Unlike actual clay, human clay is more resistant. It can bow up in our hands and even get up off the potter’s wheel!  Yet, we must discipline ourselves in persistence and discipline the child to overcome resistance. The right amount of pressure is needed to make a useful vessel. Too much or too little and the clay is misshapen.  Part of this discipline is understanding, “the way he should go,” as the Hebrew means, “in his own way,” that each child is a unique creation and requires nuances of difference in training.  A cookie cutter approach won’t work.  We had five kids and I assure you that each was different and responded uniquely to our efforts to train them.

So, the general principle is, “when he is old he will not depart from it.”  I wish this was a promise, but it is a proverb—a wisdom principle. Generally speaking, the child so trained will never get away from what we have poured into them.  Even if there is a period of time when a child wanders, what we have put in them remains in them. The prodigal son left his father’s direction, but his father’s direction never left him. He knew the way back.

This is our duty.  Carpe diem—Latin for “seize the day!”

HUMAN CLAY: Parental Power

Read 1 Kings 22:51-53.

1 Kings ends with several verses that summarize the course of the kingdom of Israel. Did you realize that from its inception when the northern kingdom split from the southern kingdom of Judah, that spiritual decline was the constant course until its demise? The reign of each king was an unbroken chain of wickedness, until God judged them.  The southern kingdom of Judah was much the same, except that occasionally a king would break the pattern and a spiritual awakening would return the people briefly back to God.  Yet, final decline would follow and Judah would fall as well.

It is an illustration of parental power. Can you imagine having the notorious Ahab and Jezebel as your father and mother?  That was the home prince Ahaziah was raised in. No wonder he became a wicked king after Ahab and Jezebel’s deaths. “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.” (v.52-53‬).

The reality is that each of those wicked kings had occasion to repent.  They chose to rebel against God. Parental power is not a guarantor the children will become as their parents, yet it is such a strong influence. Physically, you can often see someone who walks like their dad—and I have observed this spiritually, as well. We dare not minimize the impact of what parents say to their children in their messages. Yet, we must maximize the influence from what parents show to their children in their model. They will often become what we are more than what we say.

We will not be perfect parents. Only God the Father is. Yet, His grace is available to empower us. His Word is accessible to equip us. Pray and seek to practice what you preach—including repentance when you fail. Our walk with God is the most important thing about our life this side of eternity, and it will be the greatest influence on our children and generations to come.

HUMAN CLAY: Shaping Children

Read Numbers 14:18.

When I studied art, I was given a lump of clay. It was placed on the potter’s wheel, water was used to moisten it, and then the proper pressure from my hands molded it, as the wheel turned. The beauty and usefulness of the vessel depended on my shaping of it.

In a sense, our children are human clay. Parents have a tremendous power to shape young lives while they are still pliable. Wait too long and the clay hardens and is resistant. Of course, the analogy breaks down, if pressed too far. Unlike a lump of clay on the wheel, our children have a mind of their own, and the sin within them can make them resist our influence. Still, that doesn’t alter that adults have great power in shaping young lives.

In the text, we see this declared. On the one hand, here are those generations that find forgiveness and God’s blessing which in large measure is because parents, grandparents, and other mature Christians have influenced them through their example and teaching to seek after God. On the other hand, there is the dire warning of one generation after another experiencing the judgment of God because they are rebels against His principles. If we fail in molding the next generation for good, then the cycle of failure is passed on.

It is a sobering responsibility. We need to fall on our faces before God, and ask Him for mercy and forgiveness for our own failings and plead for grace to enable us to shape the next generation for Christ.

FIGHTING FAMILIES: The Weapons of our Warfare

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

What Paul says of Christian warfare in general can be applied to the battle for our family in particular. That Satan and his forces are arrayed against Christian homes and especially preventing the transmission of truth to the next generation is indisputable. Yet, it is a conflict that we can and must win. God has given us weapons and the Apostle describes them here.

These are spiritual weapons. We often think of media, atheists, abortionists, homosexual activists, and so forth as being the enemy, when they are actually those enslaved by the enemy. It is the dark, demonic forces at work behind the material world that we war against.

Our weapons are superior weapons. Satan is stronger than we are, yet he is no match for God!  Not even close!

These weapons can pull down strongholds. Just like the walls around the stronghold of Jericho fell—not by military strategy, but God’s power—so God can free our children’s minds and hearts from satanic strongholds that the world erects.

Our weapons can cast down arguments. Truth is mightier than error.  The lies told to our children can be overcome.

Our weapons can bring down the arrogant deceptions that rail against God, deny His existence, and seek to undermine our children’s faith.  The smug secularist is not as smart as the simple saint who knows the Word of God.

Ultimately, we can capture the thoughts of our children, and lead them into obedience to Christ.  Call it, “brainwashing,” if you will—the reality is that one side or the other is going to win the battle for young minds.

Not only positive instruction, but corrective discipline is needed. Young people must be taught the benefits of obedience to God, but also the pain of disobedience. How we direct them and discipline them is of critical importance.

Take up those weapons.  This is war!  It is winnable. The souls of the next generation are at stake.

FIGHTING FAMILIES: The Field of Battle

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

The war we are in for the souls of our children is real. Just because we do not use bullets and bombs, but Bibles, makes it no less deadly.  In fact, more than physical peril, their eternal destination is at stake.

Do we feel overwhelmed by this assignment?  Good, because we are overmatched. That is why Paul tells us we must stand in God’s power, for ours is insufficient. Yet, with God all things are possible. If Noah could get all his family on the ark in an age worse than ours, then we can get our children to heaven.

Each day we must put our armor on. The Apostle describes that armor. Fathers and mothers, grandparents, and church members must prepare for battle. This is not a game.

The weapon for offense is the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God. We must turn to Scripture, devote ourselves to its study, and instruct our children. Keep the sword sharp!

The field of battle, once we are dressed, is in the place of prayer. That is where the real conflict occurs. This is, after all, a spiritual war. Bible teacher, A.W. Pink said, “[The] most important duty, respecting both the temporal and spiritual good of your children, is fervent supplication to God for them. Without this all the rest will be ineffectual. Means are unavailing unless the Lord blesses them. The Throne of Grace is to be earnestly implored that your efforts to bring up your children for God may be crowned with success.”

Now, get on your knees and fight!

FIGHTING FAMILIES: The Company We Keep

Read Proverbs 13:20. 

“A man is known by the company he keeps,” is the old saying. Another form of that is, “Birds of a feather flock together.”  The fact is that our close companions are so influential—and that is true to Scripture. 

Sadly, Solomon did not practice what he preached.  He told his son to surround himself with the wise and shun association with the foolish, but instead brought many heathen women into his home that turned his heart from God. His son, Rehoboam, therefore, did not heed this warning. When wise counselors sought to guide him, he chose to listen to his friends in their folly. The results were not only personal failure, but destructive to the nation he ruled. 

We are influenced by our environment for good or bad. While only heaven will bring absolute freedom from evil, we still need to minimize those influences which lead to wickedness and maximize the ones that lead to holiness. As parents, we need to model this and instruct our children accordingly.

What children take into their hearts and minds will make a big difference. Music, movies, media, books, magazines, websites, and their relationships with friends and those they date will be uplifting or destructive. Their “companions” need to be  godly influences.

These are discussions we must have. We cannot be with our children at all times, so we must guide them into discernment—helping them to identify and choose that which edifies rather than harms. Eventually, they will have more and more freedom, and young people must be taught who they should spend time with and those they must avoid. Giving them too much liberty, too soon, without direction is deadly. Sheltering them too long, and suddenly sending them into a hostile world without gradual freedom to choose can be harmful, as well.

As parents, grandparents, teachers, and other adults, left us recognize this powerful principle, making sure we choose proper influences and then help children and teens choose likewise. God, give us wisdom and perseverance in this evil age!

FIGHTING FAMILIES: Spiritual Casualties

Read 1 Kings 11:1-12:20.

What one generation permits in moderation, the next generation excuses in excess. Wars are not usually lost in a single battle, but in a series of setbacks. The story of David’s family is an illustration of this sad reality.  It is a story of spiritual casualties on the battlefield of life.

David was able to bring down a giant with a slingshot, but did not conquer lust that rose in his heart. He was a man after God’s own heart—a true champion—yet, as he aged he let his guard down, and his moral failure would have the gravest impact on his children.  One son, Amnon, would rape his sister, Tamar. Then, another son, Absalom, would kill Amnon. Absalom would eventually lead a rebellion against his father, which would end in the young man’s death in battle.

David’s son, Solomon would ascend to the throne. In many ways, Solomon’s reign was marked by success.  Yet, as his father, in the latter stages of his rule, he did not rule over his passions, married many pagan women, who influenced him to turn to idols (1 Kings 11:1-43).

David’s grandson, Rehoboam would be the next king. From the outset, he will demonstrate his folly (1 Kings 12:1-20). Rather than listen to the godly counsel of his elders, he heeds the foolishness of his peers. The result is that the kingdom is divided—civil war ensues—and the reign of Rehoboam brings further spiritual decline to the nation.

“Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.” (1 Kings‬ ‭14:22-24‬).

The outcome of a battle can turn on seemingly small decisions. In the fight for our family, we cannot let our guard down for a moment. Our children and grandchildren will be the spiritual casualties.

FIGHTING FAMILIES: The Battle for the Next Generation

Read Judges 2:7-12.

You need to be a fighting family. I’m not advocating that we fight with each other, but fight for one another. If we do not face the fact that we live in a world that is hostile to faith, then we will lose the war for our children’s souls. This is the battle for the next generation.

It is one that Israel lost. In our text today, we note how Joshua led the people of his day to live for God. “So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.” (v.7‬). They not only knew about God, but they had experienced Him.  Yet, they failed to lead the next generation into that same reality. “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.” (v.10‬)

Joshua’s generation had been fighters—they had warred against the pagan culture. The next generation practiced compromise and surrendered to the heathen environment. “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.” (v.11-12‬).

This is the great challenge of our day. Make a commitment to be a fighting family. The eternal destiny of your children is at stake!

A FRESH START: Turning the Hearts of Children to Jesus

Read John 1:19-34

John the Baptist bridged the gap between the close of the Old Covenant and the coming of the New Covenant—the last of the Old Testament prophets and the herald of a new day in Christ. In how he dressed, and the message he shared—some thought he was Elijah returned to earth. He denied it (John 1:21). Literally, he was not. Yet, figuratively, he was (Matt.11:7-15; John 1:23). The end of the Old Testament prophesies of John’s coming, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi‬ ‭4:5-6‬)

Note, especially the promise of how God would work through John to bring revival to the home. The survival of the nation is dependent on the revival of the church, and the revival of the church is dependent on the revival of the family. It is in the home where the greatest work of God needs to be done and can be done—foundational to the church and state.

John the Baptist provides two essentials for how parents can lead their children to God.

A visual—his life was different.  The people of his day had never seen anyone quite like John—a life that demanded an explanation (John 1:19-23).  We show our kids what the Christian life is like. If we are to turn the hearts of the children toward God, then we must display a heart for God ourselves.

A voice—his testimony was direct. Jesus was John’s magnificent obsession (John 1:24-34). We share with our kids who Christ is.  Parents are not charged to merely make little moral creatures who are well-behaved, but to point them to the need of a Savior because of their sinfulness and create in them a desire for Him in how we describe His glory and majesty. We give them a heart for Jesus as we share the Gospel.

Parents, grandparents, children’s workers—all of us—let us do likewise. We have been losing our children to the world; may God help us lead them to the Lord!  It’s time for a fresh start. John the Baptist shows us how.

A FRESH START: The Prodigal and the Prideful

Read Luke 15:11-32.

Here is a story of a bad son turned good and a good son who was truly bad. The former is more familiar, but the latter is also vital. It is a study in contrasts—the prodigal whose sin was overt and the prideful whose sin was covert.

This week we have discussed how important it is in bringing up children that we aim beyond the surface conduct to the sinful core—that the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. This story illustrates that reality.

If I asked you, “Which of these sons were wicked,” you might respond, “the younger son,” because his sinful actions are clearly seen. Yet, the elder brother was just as wicked—he merely masked it with self-righteousness.  That is not to say that conduct is not important. It is just to remind us that if the heart is reached then the conduct will follow. External compliance alone may not lead to the pigpen, but it will lead to hell.

The father in the story was not a “helicopter parent.”  You know the type—always hovering over the kids to rescue them from difficulty. There are lessons learned from mistakes that cannot be learned otherwise. It was the pain that turned the prodigal into the penitent. He was the son who experienced new life. Sadly, the other son did not want to come into the father’s house and missed out.

The father in the story represents God, of course. Despite being the only perfect Parent, his sons were rebels—though of a different sort. The reality is that no matter how we lovingly lead, there comes a time when children choose. Yet, a faithful parent never stops praying, hoping, and watching for that prodigal to come home. They also have an open invitation for the prideful to enter in as well!

A FRESH START: The Goal of Family Discipleship

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time!  What should be our goal in teaching children in the home and at the church house?  As parents and teachers, we are to shepherd a child’s heart.  The Jews were taught this in the Shema—this core text in Hebrew life—from Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

We disciple children by doing three things.

First, we are to speak A CONVINCING WORD ABOUT GOD. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (v.4-5‬). Our instruction is to lead children to know about God and based on what they know—to love Him.  Our aim is not just nice behavior (which is merely external), but genuine belief (which is internal). Rules alone will bring conformity that can quickly be discarded in adulthood, but teaching children to know and love God results in transformation that is abiding.  The bullseye of our target in teaching is not just conduct, but conversion.

Second, we are to show A CONSECRATED WALK WITH GOD.  “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” (v.6‬). As vital as the doctrine we speak is, it is only believable in the devotion we show. “Do what I say and not what I do,” is a formula for parental disaster. Our children should see a life committed to the study of God in His Word and a life consecrated to the love of God in our walk. Adults are meant to shine the light of God’s truth on children and be the salt that makes them thirsty for a personal love relationship with Him.

Third, we are to seek A CONSISTENT WITNESS FOR GOD. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (v.7-9‬). Children need more doctrine and devotion than a couple of hours on a Sunday morning at the church house. They need a consistent witness throughout the day, every day. From the moment they rise in the morning until they are tucked in at night, their heart needs to be shepherded. Obviously, the pastor cannot be around to do that.  It is the task of parents.

Are we trying to raise nice boys and girls for our family reputation or believing disciples for God’s glory?

A FRESH START: The Heart of the Matter

Read Genesis 8.

The flood waters had receded. The judgment of a wicked world was completed, and the earth had been washed clean of its wickedness by the flood. Or had it?

When Noah came from the ark with his family, there was still an issue. Noah had “found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” (Gen.6:8). That grace was extended to his family (and the representative animals) as he responded in faith. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith,” (Heb.11:7).  In other words, Noah was saved the only way anyone is ever saved—faith in Christ that responds to God’s grace communicated through the Word of God. The only difference is that Noah’s faith looked forward to a Savior to come while ours looks back on One who has come.

Since man first rebelled against God, the same problem has infected the entire race. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.  That was unchanged by the flood.  It was why Noah built an altar and offered some of those rare animals as a sacrifice (Gen.8:20). Doubtless, it was an act of worship—gratitude for what God had done in providing salvation in the ark, but more—it was an expression of grace for what God would need to do in providing ultimate salvation in our Ark of Refuge, Jesus Christ.

Sin was still the issue. God said, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen.8:21). As sure as the seasons change (Gen.8:22), so long as earth endures, there will be the problem of sin, God’s solution in Christ, and our need to respond in faith.  If you doubt that read Genesis 9.

This has tremendous implications for what parents must do in raising children.  If our children are grown, or we don’t have any, there are still essential lessons for how our church needs to reach the younger generation. That is what we will explore this week.

LIVING LETTERS

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.  (Ephesians 6:4)

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see” (John W. Whitehead).  That being true, the question is, “What kind of living letter are you writing?”  Too many dip their parental pen in poison and write a deadly message on their child’s heart.  These children will grow up to be turned loose on society to spread evil like a plague.  Even Christian parents often fail to write the Word of God upon their kids’ hearts.  Yet, we have the potential under God to turn this around and send out living letters of testimony to the grace and power of Christ to future generations.  Paul offers four requirements in Eph.6:1-4 for being effective parents.

There needs to be DEMONSTRATION, “you fathers…” (6:4a).  It is not that mothers do not play a significant role in the spiritual development of their children, for they certainly do.  Still, God has placed men as the leaders of their home.  Our children will not become what we say, but what they see!  They had rather see a sermon than hear one.  What do our children need to see in us?

If you want your children to honor you, then be an honorable parent—not a hypocritical one.  Prov.17:6 says, “Parents are the pride of their children.”  Little eyes are watching our every move.  A person’s image of the Heavenly Father is often patterned after the image they have of their human father.

Proper parenting demands DEVOTION, “bring them up…” (6:4b).  This requires a commitment to them—to making our sons and daughters a priority.  In the Old Testament a father would give a blessing to their kids.  The father would place his hands on them and speak to them words of blessing.  Have you given the blessing?

The blessing was communicated by proper touch.  Kids need our touch.  They need lots of hugs.  They grow up secure when they receive this affection and they know how to express love to others.  A survey of teens from Christian homes found 79% felt unloved!  God forbid!

We also bless with positive talk.  We communicate by the tone of our voice whether our children are special or a nuisance.  Critical, negative parents undermine their child’s potential and raise kids that either become perfectionists pursuing an elusive goal of pleasing their parents or we embitter them and they despair.

Loving parents exercise proper DISCIPLINE, “training…” (6:4b).  We must reward good behavior.  When they get it right we must let them know.  When you are rewarded on your job with a raise or promotion it inspires you to work harder.  That principle is just as valid with our kids.  There will also be correction that should be swift, direct, and proportionate.  Our Father in Heaven disciplines us in love and we are to follow His example.

Good parents give DIRECTION, “admonition…” (6:4b).  The most important thing you can teach them is, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.”  We don’t want to bring children into the world if we aren’t going to take them to heaven with us.  There is a power in the Word of God to direct them.  Nature abhors a vacuum.  The Word will fill their minds with Divine direction, or the world will with demonic deception.

Let every adult believer call upon God to help us impact this younger generation for Christ!  This is urgent and essential business!

HEAVEN IN YOUR HOME

His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.  (Psalm 112:2)

Our home may be the closest thing on earth to heaven—or the nearest thing to hell.  Choices we make—and the choices of other family members as well—establish that environment, because God has made a choice to bless the home that is blessable.  How a husband and wife relate to God and to each other has a dramatic effect on the children and their choices.  It does not guarantee that when they reach maturity physically that every family member will continue to walk in God’s ways, for each of us must make that decision, but it points them in the right direction and affords them with the best opportunity for experiencing the favor of God in their future family, also.

Heaven in your home requires the man of the house to be a man of God (Ps.112:1).  He has a profound reverence for the Lord.  His heart is in awe of the majesty of God and at the same time abased at the depravity of his own soul.  This leads him to amazement of God’s grace and mercy.  Such a spiritual leader in the home is known as, “a God-fearing man.”  Rather than a legalistic obligation exhibited toward God’s commands, he displays delight in following God’s will.  None of us would discount the significance of the mother in the home, but typically, if the father is a man of God, his wife will partner with him.  Being a spiritual leader isn’t about a man exerting authority, but embracing responsibility.  This is foundational to having heaven in your home.

If that is the foundation, then the framework built atop that spiritual commitment is seen in Ps.112:4-10.  Godly parents build with character, “upright…and righteous” (v.4).  Reputation is what we are in public and how others view us; character is what we are in private and what our family knows about us!  To character, we nail down conviction (v.6-8).  The parents are solid in their beliefs, not shaky about it.  They not only can tell the children what they need to do, they can tell them why—based on the authority of God’s Word.  Character and conviction must also be connected to compassion (v.4b-5a, 9).  We can articulate the truth without being angry about it.  Love marks the followers of Christ, and our children need to be taught to be compassionate and generous.  They will not accept the message unless we present the model.  The fourth pillar added to character, conviction, and compassion is this: correction (v.5b).  Discretion is the wisdom to guide our family in God’s course, and if we see a child straying to correct them.

This godly foundation and framework brings God’s favor to our family (Ps.112:2-4a; 113:1-9).  God’s favor includes a godly heritage on earth (Ps.112:2-4a; 113:7-9).  God wants to grow some spiritual champions from our offspring and we can cultivate the soil, weed the ground, and water the sprout.  Our children can be successful in life—and that isn’t about them claiming trophies, scoring touchdowns, passing tests, and accumulating treasure—it is about abundant life in Christ!  God’s favor is ultimately about a great honor in eternity (Ps.112:6, 9b; 113:7-8).  More than anything we have in this life, we want our children with us in heaven!  The greatest reward for godly parents will be to see their offspring with them in heaven’s glory.  Their home in heaven then begins with bringing some heaven to your home now.  God help us in this great task!

 

 

A MOTHER'S LOVE

 

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  (Matthew 20:20)

The love of a mother is special.  She carries us near her heart—nourishing us for nine months and with great pain brings us into the world.  Mother then sustains us with her milk, cradles us in her arms, sings us to sleep, kisses away the hurts, diapers us, dresses us—and in so many ways pours out her life for us.  I know there are some mothers who abandon or abuse their children.  That never ceases to shock us because we know it is against the natural order of things.  For a mother not to love her child is like expecting the sun not to shine.  As that fiery orb illuminates the sky, a mother’s love radiates warmth in this cold, brutal world.  When it is a Christian mother, then her love is not only a natural expression, but is supernaturally enhanced.  Her desires for her children are underpinned by spiritual values.  That is what we observe in the mother of James and John.

We see a mother’s love expressed in HER INVOLVEMENT WITH HER CHILDREN.  This is an additional insight Matthew furnishes us that is not included in Mark and Luke’s accounts of this episode.  They only mention James and John coming.  The accounts are not contradictory—they are complementary.  All three came—and while two of the Gospel writers focused on the petition of the brothers, Matthew preserves for us this detail concerning their mother coming with them.  It doesn’t surprise us when we read it though, does it?  This mother was getting older, but still involved in the life of her boys—that is how mothers are!  You spell a mother’s love like this: T-I-M-E!  The mother of James and John invested time and energy in her sons.

Also, we observe a mother’s love expressed in HER INTERCESSION FOR HER CHILDREN.  She comes to Jesus with a petition on behalf of her two boys.  Her pleas cannot replace theirs.  They came too.  The weight of her intercession, however, was added.  In the same way, a mother’s prayers cannot replace her child’s own need to come to Christ in a personal relationship.  Each of us is responsible to seek the Lord individually.  Still, we cannot minimize how a mother’s prayers can make a big difference.  There are few forces as strong in the world as when a godly mother cries out on behalf of her child, fervently, faithfully bringing them before the throne of grace!  Mother—don’t ever stop praying for that child!

Further, we note a mother’s love expressed in HER INTENTION FOR HER CHILDREN.  “And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’  She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’”  (Matt.20:21)  We are not surprised for a mother to be ambitious for her offspring.  This mother, however, was zealous for her sons concerning the Kingdom of God.  When a mother has a passion for spiritual values, it can motivate her child to do so, as well.  However else a son or daughter might excel, there is nothing more vital than to seek to be all that God wants us them to be. 

If you are a mother, father, or childless, let us model such a heart for the next generation!