Preschool Luncheon Sunday

Them to help reach more children in this community. So more of them can know you at a young age. We pray this all on your most holy name. Amen.

So Cheryl, are you wanting to get up and give a speech now or not?

She's gotten better over the years that controlling the tears though. But yeah when she gets up here but still couldn't talk her into doing the main main message part of it. I just wanted to give a short message today based on the kids because they are so precious to all of us who know the main first. For our preschool has always been Psalm 127 verse 3 sons are a Heritage from the Lord children a reward from him. Yes. Just one of the many verses that reminds us that children are intended to be a blessing part of our heritage. They're not supposed to be a burden.

You know, it's a great privilege but also a great responsibility as a parent to try to raise children who are going to make a difference in this world for Christ. Because the challenge to it is that there is no set formula for accomplishing that. If you've had children for any amount of time, you know, that each and every kid is different. They all take a different approach, they all learn differently, you know something, I'm sure that Cheryl and Amy have been very well aware of as they teach preschool. And you know, just because I'm talking about these things that hit doesn't mean I have it all figured out as a parent, you can just ask my kids sitting back there, they will tell you, I don't I'm sure my wife would affirm that as well. However, I do believe that is parents, we can all work towards being gospel-centered parents. You know, using scripture as our guide for how we lead and educate our children. And I also believe that God wants us as parents to try to synchronize our efforts to raise our children in the right way. With the church, not necessarily just this church but the church the bigger Church worldwide of you know as parents we need to see that the church is there to help us that it's there to be a resource. It's there to reinforce what we are already trying to teach our children. You know, that's what it's going to take to be able to make disciples in this next Generation. If we want our children to have a strong biblical background, we have to do everything we can to build their faith, from an early age on. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, we have a great example of how and why parents must pass along their faith to their children. Why? It is so important and I'll just set the scene for you really quick to give you a little bit of context. In Deuteronomy 6 by this time the people of God have been wandering around the desert for 40 years. You know, they're supposed to get to the promised land, but if you ever look at the map, the course that they take wines throughout the desert and it takes them 40 years to get to where they're trying to go. Can you imagine a 40-year car trip with your children to somewhere? That's how I like to put that in context and notice as we look at a few of the verses that Moses doesn't give the people of God instructions on farming or construction or even battle plans, you know, how to defend themselves. He doesn't talk about any of those things as they're getting ready to enter the promised land instead, he talks to them about parenting. So that is a pretty good clue. Has that. It's not only on his mind, but it obviously was on God's mind that God motivated him to share that with these people. So I'm going to hit five quick points on. You know, the tasks that were given his parents and grandparents to help. Raise our children pass our faith along. The first task recalled to is to learn God's word for ourselves. You can't teach it to Children if you don't know it yourself, Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 1 and 2 says, these are the commands to creason laws. The Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess so that you your children and their children. After them may fear the lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you and so that you may enjoy long life, you know, Moses knew that he needed to teach them God's word because they wouldn't be able to teach it to the next generation and the generation after that, if they didn't know it for themselves.

You know, it's important for us to learn God's word so that we can pass it on because we can't pass on our faith. If we aren't working to grow our own relationship with God. If we aren't growing in our own faith, we don't have anything to pass on. So it's important first that we know God's work. And then that leads us to the second one, which is, you know, it's not just enough to learn God's word. We must actually live it out. You know, as we raise our children and our grandchildren, we need them to see it in our lives. You know, the things that they hear about and Bible or the Bible stories are the songs, like, Jesus Loves Me That You sing to them, they need to see that lived out in your life each and every day. Because if you truly want to pass your faith on, they need to see evidence of that Faith. That's what will Intrigue them. And then moving on to verse 5, in Deuteronomy 6, Universe, 5 continues to challenge to love God with everything. We've got Deuteronomy, 6:5 says, love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, You know, our primary call isn't just to be good parents. Our primary call is to model of vibrant, loving relationship with God. That's what they really need to see because if you do that, be good, parent thing will just be a part of that.

Universe 6, if we go on it, kind of reminds us that God's word is not just to be in our head, but also in our hearts, Deuteronomy 6:6 reads these Commandments that I give you today, are to be on your hearts. You know, God's word is far different than any other book will ever read. Because it's not just a book that's meant to be read. It's not just information or knowledge that were meant to possess. It's meant to transform us. It's meant to change the way that we live. It's meant to influence each and every day of Our Lives.

And, you know, if that is, truly what's happened. If we truly experience that transformation then as parents, that's going to come out in the way that we interact with other people, the way we interact with our children, the way that we love our children They must be able to see evidence from our everyday life that our faith is all important to us. That Jesus is the most important relationship in our life. They need to see that.

So then after we do our learning, we do our living it out. And we do our Loving In The Name of Christ were right in the spot where we need to be, to be able to lead our children to their own faith in Jesus Christ.

and, you know, one of the primary ways that we do that is we teach truth intentionally by talking about truth relationally,

Deuteronomy 6:7 says it this way. It says impress them on your children, talk about them. When you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up, I want you to notice hat. This is more important than this is a lot more than just. The simple idea that you're going to get your kids up early on a Sunday morning to get them to church. You know what this is talking about is making your face a part of everyday life making God's word a part of everyday life. That these are the things you sit around and discuss in your house. It's what you discuss when you're riding in your car to go someplace. It's what you discuss all the time, you know, maybe you're out for a picnic and you're discussing the beauty of God's creation. It's times like those that you can have an impact on the kids. The basic idea is that you don't preach God's word at them or to them. You love them as God would love them. You talk to them about how God has done all these things so that they would know who he is.

You know, we have to show our kids who got is in other settings rather than just a formal Church setting. They need to know that he is everywhere that he is always with them that he is always with you. We have to look for those teachable moments when we can really make an impression about what God means to us, and what he should mean to them.

Mean be open and honest with your kids, tell them how God helps you with the little things in life. How he helps you with the big things? How God helps you on the good days and how he helps on the bad days? And all this is so that they can learn to live the life that God has called them to live.

And you know if we've done our job well on the first four then it means we're going to get to a fifth stage which is probably the hardest for us to his parents. And that is launching them into the world. That's the scary part, isn't it when they get to that part where they don't need you as much anymore where they can function without you. Cuz really when were launching them into the world? we should be excited about that because what we're launching them into is to live the life that God created them for but they're not going to know that if they haven't seen that throughout their years growing up that we're trying to live the life that God created us for. But if we've done all these things, if we tried to keep scripture at the center of our parenting Then we're going to be okay. We're going to survive, this fifth stage. We're going to see our kids. Be able to launch out into the world that doesn't believe in God. That opposes. A lot of the things we believe is Christians, and they'll be okay, because they'll know that Jesus is with them, they'll know that God is guiding them. And we as parents will then know that we have succeeded in our job. Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the awesome privilege of being parents and Lord. We pray that you will just guide us and lead us Lord. Help us to not be filled with fear as parents but Lord to trust in you. And Lord help us to do our best and passing our faith to the Next Generation. And pray this all in your most holy name. Amen.