Baby Dedication 2023
Notes
Transcript
Yesterday our church took a stand for life because we believe that life is a miracle.
Today, in just a few moments we are going to dedicate two young children to God, with the blessing of their parents, and in the presence of these many witnesses. Church I want you to understand that this is not something to take lightly, this is important, and above all, it is biblical.
In the book of 1 Samuel we read of a young lady named Hannah. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, but Hannah was not able to bear him children. According to the custom of the day he was allowed to take an additional wife in order to produce an heir. His second wife, Peninnah, was able to give birth to several children. This would have pleased Elkanah, but it devastated Hannah.
Elkanah loved Hannah, but not amount of love could quiet her sorrow. Year by year they would travel to Shiloh to worship God (before the rule of David and the overthrow of Jerusalem the Tabernacle moved around, in Hannah’s day it rested in Shiloh). Each year Elkanah would give to Peninnah and her children a portion of the sacrifice and to Hannah the Bible says he gave a “worthy portion”, literally a “double portion”. Still she was not satisfied.
Broken hearted, tormented by her “adversary”, she ran from the feast to the one place she could go: into the presence of the LORD. There she prayed, and there she promised God, 1 Sam. 1:11
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.
From this mother’s prayer of promise to God we have our tradition of baby dedication. My challenge to you is not to let this tradition become some empty ceremony, rather I want to challenge you to have the same heart for your child today as Hannah and Elkanah had for their child.
I want to issue three challenges this morning to the parents who are about to dedicate their children to the LORD. I challenge you first to be...
Dedicated v. 3
Dedicated v. 3
Before you can truly dedicate your child to the Lord, you yourself must first be dedicated to Him. I want to point out the dedication of Samuel’s father, Elkanah:
He was a man of:
Worship v.3
The word worship in this verse has the express meaning of worshiping God
The Bible tells us that Elkanah was a man dedicated to the worship of God
Let me say this today for the record: the children of this generation need fathers that will openly and unashamedly worship God
My challenge to fathers today, specifically Craig and Michael, is that you be the type of father your child needs.
Not only was he a man of worship, but we see he was a man of...
Faithfulness v. 3
Yearly, we’re told he went to worship
The word in this context I am told could also mean “daily”
Probably he wasn’t going to the tabernacle for sacrifice daily
However, it is clear, he went often!
I’m speaking mainly to the fathers today, but how greatly you men need to be faithful
Faithful to be in church
Faithful in praying for your family
Faithful in serving
Faithful in everything
Not only was Elkanah a man of worship and faithfulness, but he was a man of
Devotion v. 5, 23 (two things your kids can not get enough of)
To God - as exhibited in his faithfulness and worship -
To Hannah - he loved her and showed this by giving her a double portion each time he made a sacrifice. Dad make sure your children know you are devoted to your wife.
Challenge one: Be dedicated. Challenge two: be...
Determined v. 4-6; 9-10
Determined v. 4-6; 9-10
Life is hard. It is harder with children. No longer do your decisions simply affect the two of you, they affect your entire family. When life turns upside down, and it will, it is important that each of you exhibit the character trait of “determination” as Hannah did. She learned determination by her circumstances. Here are three important life lessons Hannah learned:
Problems were Everywhere
To be barren in her society was equated with being cursed by God
Indeed we read in verse 5 that it was God that had closed her womb
Fortunately for us, we have the privilege of having the big picture, seeing the end and understanding the purpose
But how many times have we found ourselves in Hannah’s shoes?
Not knowing
Not understanding
She learned through her circumstances that her problems, were not problems for God
People were Unpleasant
The Bible calls Peninnah Hannah’s adversary
The word means “rival”
Perhaps Peninnah was threatened by her husband’s love for Hannah and wanted to constantly remind her that she was able to have children while Hannah was not
The truth is there are unpleasant people in this world
There will be people in your life that will try to steal your joy, you must be determined that you will not find your peace in their estimation of you.
It is important that you teach your children the best way to deal with unpleasant people and unpleasant circumstances…take them to God! We see this in last life lesson Hannah learned...
Prayer is Unstoppable v. 10-11
Hannah, like so many today , was faced with the most unpleasant situation...
She didn’t understand why God had closed her womb
She did not understand why God allowed her to be tormented so
Hannah learned, however, what so many of us need to learn today: When diffiuclty arises, take it to God and to God alone!
Consider this:
Had she given birth to Samuel without this trial, she most likely would not have prayed her prayer of dedication
Had she given birth to Samuel without the trial, she would most likely not have had the faith she needed to bring up such a godly man
Do not waste your trials, they serve to teach you, to strengthen you.
You must be determined that no matter what difficulty comes your way, you are going to draw near to God, for the sake of your child. Mom, dad, before you dedicate your baby, you MUST first be dedicated to God yourself, next you MUST be determined to trust God in every storm. Lastly, before you dedicate your baby, you MUST be..
Deliberate v. 19-28
Deliberate v. 19-28
To be deliberate means that you do everything consciously and intentionally.
This couple had faced difficulty. They did not understand why God had closed her womb, but they understood that they did not have to understand. Somethings are for God alone.
Here is what we learn from Hannah’s deliberate lifestyle, she consciously and intentionally trusted in God’s plan. Read 1 Sam. 1:11
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.
She lived a life of devotion to God, and even though she did not understand all her circumstances, she understood God had a plan.
One of the greatest verses in this passage is found at the end, and it is this verse from which we get our tradition of baby dedications, read them with me: 1 Sam. 1:27-28
27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.
You understand that Samuel was probably about 13 years old when he came into the service of the Lord at the Tabernacle, but he would have been alive had it not been for the prayers of his mother. Notice the response of Samuel in verse 28… “he worshiped him there” the love and devotion he had for serving God came from his godly upbringing.
Craig and Laura, Michael and Lindsay, you cannot put a price on bringing up your children in a godly home. One in which both mom and dad are:
Dedicated to God and to one another.
Determined to weather any storm and to seek and rely on God daily.
Deliberate in their decisions weighing each one against the Word and the will of God to ensure your child(ren) are brought up in a godly home.
Conclusion:
Maybe today there is someone here who lacks this close relationship with God. While this message is not geared toward the gospel, we always have the gospel in mind here. Today, if you are burdened, if the Spirit of God has spoken to you I want to invite you to speak with me after the service.
Now I will ask the Wilson and the Angels to make their way forward, and to face me.
Craig and Laura, on this day as you dedicate your little Copper Rose, do you promise before God and all these witnesses that you will live lives of dedication to serving God, lives of determination in trusting God, and lives of deliberate choices in bringing up your daughter for the glory of God?
Michael and Lindsay, on this day as you dedicate your little Samuel James, do you promise before God and all these witnesses that you will live lives of dedication to serving God, lives of determination in trusting God, and lives of deliberate choices in bringing up your son for the glory of God?
As a token of your baby’s dedication service, we ask you to accept the gift of God’s Word for each of your children. Teach them to read the Word, love the Word, and above all to live the Word. On behalf of every member of Parks Crossroads Christian Church, we present these gifts to you today.