Parent night
Notes
Transcript
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
Turn your bibles to 1 Kings 2:1-4
Thank you parents for being here tonight to partly experience what your student experiences each Wednesday night, and then also to give you some information about middle school .
We will be in 1 Kings tonight. David is giving advice to Solomon just before he dies. David is wanting to pass on the best information and encouragement so Solomon will continue in God’s path.
In middle school our goal is to come alongside you in your journey as you are the main influencer in your child’s life. The fact you are here our goals are similar.
We want each student to have a relationship with Christ
To build a solid foundation on God’s word
To help cultivate a desire for the word of God
These are hopefully your goals, you get one opportunity to raise your child. Make it count for the Lord.
Parents, just want to let you know some of the things that we’ll be talking about tonight you will get a handout at the end of the night that will have all this information plus other tools to help you .
Please Stand as we read from 1 Kings: 2:1-4
Let’s pray
• David’s advice for his son – 1 Kings 2:1-4
• To walk in His ways:
Walking in his ways is following his word
Live out the word we are taught.
We can hear God’s word, we can read God’s word but we have to apply it to our lives.
In our homes if the word of God is being taught hopefully students you’re seeing parents live out the word because we all are going to follow examples of those around us.
Rhonda will remind me of how much I do things like my dad
I remember one time Rhonda telling me goes the way you sit in the chairs just like your dad period now my dad never taught me how to sit in a chair but I’ve always watched him I guess and I just do the same thing
There are times I’ve caught myself doing something like Oh my dad did that but it’s because what I’ve seen over the years.
Parents you have a big influence in your kids life we need to teach them to walk in God’s way . Deuteronomy 6:5-9 talks about taking advantage of those teachable moments throughout the day where are those teachable moments to walk in his ways
• To keep His statutes
Keeping God's statutes means both knowing and doing what God has specifically asked, out of reverence and faithfulness
In the Old Testament these laws were to give an outline of how people should live .
David is instructing Solomon to live faithfully to demonstrate godly character by following everything God has instructed
Your kids will get to know your character
Do you blow up when things do not go right
Do you confess to your kids when you did wrong
They are watching you, how you responds makes a difference
• To keep His commandments
Thinking of the 10 Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 . the first commandment You shall have no other gods before me
Then he gives a list of the other 9 but if we obey the first one the other everything else should fall into place .
It’s when we put things of this world before God
There’s a whole list of things that you could put there and it’s different for different people
The one that usually comes up first is sports but then there’s education there’s music there’s video games there’s a cell phone
It is everything that’s out there that’s man made, think about this just about everything that is an idol it is what man created
Psalm 115 talks about idols
It was interesting I read this yesterday and it talks about the idols are silver and gold the work of men’s hands so that’s anything that we have created
If you read that Psalm, it one of the verses it talks about:
They have mouths but they do not speak
They have eyes they do not see
These idols are not able to interact with us in a way that God wants us to interact with him
When idols get in a way of of putting God first and that’s where the relationship is then strained and our priorities are in the wrong place
That is why going back to that first commandment thou shall have no other gods before me, getting to the basics.
• To keep what is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and what’s interesting is again it gives us our foundation the laws things about relationships daily living .
Moses was training up Joshua another example and as he was doing that he was giving Joshua the foundation for what he needed to do to be able to lead the people and then what’s after that when Moses dies Joshua is given a charge by God and that’s in Joshua 1:8
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
And And God is giving him the same command:
Do not let the book of the law depart out of thy mouth which is meditating on it day day and night
This applies to us.
We need to be in God’s word everyday
We encourage our students to bring their Bible
Every Wednesday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night
I know some people will say well my Bible is on this - the phone
It is easier to carry, just put it in my pocket
I have it right here
I can pull up different translations, I use a Bible app to study my Bible
There is so much truth to that, because yes I can pull up my Bible I can pull up different translations but there is something to be said when our posture changes
When we have the word of God before us because here it’s just this and it’s doing the same thing that we’re doing when we’re scrolling our phones our posture hasn’t changed but when we have the word of God we’re opening the word of God and flipping pages it’s a whole different posture
Please encourage students to bring their Bible, I hope at your home that you are breaking out the word of God for this for your kids to see the difference .
• To walk before Me in truth with all their heart and all their soul.
You know we all need help in making the right decisions we all need help in having someone help us along in our walk with Christ because we are all growing in Christ . now making the right decisions can be a good thing or a bad thing
My bags of goodies
Psalm 1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”
Parents are here to help you not to get involved in things that are wicked
Students take note: This is where parents have the right to help you students:
They have the right to be able to search your room
They have the right to know who your friends are
Parents I want to encourage you to to ask questions and not ask yes or no questions but ask open-ended questions.
Parents have the right to look at your phone if you have a phone, to see what you’re doing on a Chromebook to see what you’re what you’re reading what you’re looking at .
One thing I want to encourage you parents is to look at some of the handouts
Cell phone info from a Middle School principal
There is info about A.I.
Both of the articles are from a worldly perspective but shows that danger of the digital world. How much more as Christians do we need to be proactive to protect our kids.
There are some tools to help you navigate through this time, Satan wants to get their attention media and digital world is one way that he tries.
We can try to protect them all we can what software , boundaries has in time limits even having the phones plugged in in the kitchen at night but when it comes down to is a heart change .
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Just like for us as adults our heart has to change in for something for us to continue doing that path of that heart change which path are we going to go just like for students they need a heart change they need they need to change say yeah this is what I am not going to do this .
To make this a great year in the middle school // Students
• Go to bathroom before services
• Do not pick on someone without expecting it back (Keep your hands to
yourself)
• Do not pick your nose and eat it
• Bring Bibles to church
• Being respectful
• Be modest in what you wear
Practical Steps for Everyday Life
Listen to Wise Advice: Pay attention to trusted adults like parents, teachers, or pastors who give Godly advice—just like Solomon listened to David.
Obey God’s Word: Read the Bible regularly; pick a short passage to read each day. Ask God to help with decisions and challenges.
Be in God’s word everyday
Parents set the example
Psalm a day
Ask for Wisdom: Like Solomon did, pray for wisdom to know what’s right especially when faced with choices or temptations.
James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Stay True and Faithful: Even when others go their own way, remain committed to following God and trusting His promises.
Parenting requires a nonstop, deep in the trench’s commitment.
• Family Bible/Prayer Time – do not neglect this time.
• Not always a set time.
Praying with your children, teach them how to pray
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Parents are we teaching them to pray?
Are we being that example
I have learned from experience that as a parent, things are out of our control
This is why we teach them to take it to the Lord in prayer
Pray for your children, be on your knees for your children
Also take time to pray with your children in the morning on your way out the door or in the car before you leave.
In the afternoon find out how their day went
Pray in the evening before bed, give them the opportunity to pray
Taking the time to pray with them, shows then and teaches them that one we might not be in control of our day, but we take it to the Lord in prayer
This is also teaching them about our relationship with the heavenly father and He wants us to talk to Him.
My kids are older now, growing up we would pray with them in the car when we would leave we would pray with them at night but even when we’re together now we pray it’s such a sweet time
Dad praying with your children is so important, I grew up at home I was not saved I didn’t know Jesus, my dad didn’t know Jesus. Over the years I prayed with my dad two times and what sparred part of this message today was the other day during invitation I noticed the dad come up to his son took him to the altar and prayed with him, it broke my heart because I didn’t have that relationship with my dad I wish I did, parents you have that opportunity to have that relationship with your children now.
As we get ready to have this time of invitation we’re going to have a response time the chairs up here we can come up here and pray with your child, you can spread out if you want, right their in your seats.
Maybe you do not know Jesus as your Lord and saviour, come and we can show you from God’s word that you can be saved.
What ever the need is this altar is open for you. one do you know Jesus as your Lord and savior parents do you know Jesus do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ students do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ that’s the most important thing the second thing is if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ is there something in your life that you need to confess that you need to hand over to him and third I would encourage you parents take this time to pray with your student find your student if you’re not sitting with them if you want to come up here and pray if you want to pray in your seats or pray with them a
So at the end of invitation here
I want to point out all the leaders that are here we have some great leaders want to introduce them to you they would all stand up and they’re going to get ready to service some root beer floats so looking forward to that but as we’re waiting for them to get ready couple things I just want to share with you is :
Our main way of communicating is through Realm “Middle School Parent Page”
If you are not on Realm - get with Lisa when we are done
We have opportunities for students to be involved
Sunday morning for life groups 9:45 and 11:00
Only come to one hour of life group, the other go to service
Wednesday night:
We have opportunities for them to serve in the middle school band
The opportunity for youth choir // there’s going to be an information meeting on Sunday night after church in the reach area please come please get your kids involved in youth choir
The puppet ministry if you’re interested in the puppet ministry see myself or my wife
The greeting // ambassadors -
On the sheets that you pick up over there, there is also a list of our activities
The next big activity coming up as a father // son night Oct 17th
Thank you for being here tonight I’m excited to see what God has for us this year and at any time if you have any questions see myself // Josh // Rhonda // Noelle or our leaders .
Girls we’re going to go out the store here and have we have root beer floats for you so girls and your parents you can go first and then and then guys will follow so thank you again for being here tonight .
