Kingdom Living for the Family.Children

Kingdom Living for the Family

Pastor E. Keith Hassell

“Children”

Foundation Scripture:  Psalm 127:3-5

I.              Children are God’s idea

A.               God could have chosen to populate the earth all at once, but He didn’t. He chose to do it through children.

B.                There are no accidental children

C.               There may be accidental parents

D.               Every person is known by God before they are born (Psalm 139:16)

1.          Psalm 139:16 (NKJV) “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”

2.          Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

II.           Children are a heritage

A.               Children are God’s belief in the future

B.                Children preserve the family lineage

C.               Children preserve our family heritage

III.        Children are a reward

A.               Children are a privilege not a punishment

B.                Children are an enlargement not a restriction

C.               Children are a blessing not a burden

IV.       Children are a defense (arrows)

A.               Children must be fashioned

B.                Children must be fitted

C.               Children must be positioned

D.               Children must be directed

E.                Children must be released

F.                Matthew 11:18-19 (NKJV) “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

V.          Children are a stewardship

A.               Children belong to God

B.                Children are entrusted to our care

C.               Parents will give account

VI.       Children are a responsibility (for parents)

A.               Parents are responsible to bring up their child in the Lord

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

B.                Parents are responsible to form their child’s character

C.               Parents cannot shift responsibility to others (Schools, church, etc.)

VII.    Children are an investment

A.               Time & Energy

B.                Money & Possessions

C.               Teaching & Training

D.               Correction & Discipline

E.                Encouragement & Blessing

F.                Fun & Laughter

G.               Sorrow & Tears

H.               Love & Life

VIII. Children are our hope

A.               To redeem the past

B.                To impact the present

C.               To change the future

IX.       Children are for a moment

A.               Children pass quickly through our lives

B.                We can’t regain the moment when its gone

C.               We must not lose the moment

X.          Seize the moment

A.               Malachi 4:5-6 (NKJV) “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.”

B.                For the Lord’s sake

C.               For our sake

D.               For our children’s sake

E.                For our future’s sake