Building a Home (children)
Building a Home
UTAWALA BAPTIST CHURCH
29-07-2007
Psalm 127
Scripture Reading Psalm 127
OVERVIEW
There is no question that children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3)—but they are a challenge from the Lord as well. In America we have had several generations to witness the results of raising children the world’s way, and the evidence could not be clearer: We need to return to the wisdom of the Lord.
The books of Psalms and Proverbs have much to say about children and raising them.
Possibly the best known verse in Proverbs on discipline is
Proverbs 22:6
The Book of Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.
The wisdom literature represents principles and not promises!
The verse is telling us that if we pour ourselves into our children when they are young they will have what they need to be wise when they are older.
The time for disciplining a child is when they are young.
The Bible doesn’t promise that every child of Christian parents will be saved!
What it does tell us is that if we want them to have every advantage; we need to build into them those godly principles and values which will guide their steps when they leave our direct care.
PROVERBS 24:3-4
The reverse side of Proverbs teaching
Proverb’s teaching to young people and children is that they are never too old to break their parent’s hearts!
I would like to share a story of a parent that was concerned for his children.
A friend of mine told me about a friend of his who constantly worried about his kids—what they did, what they ate, how they dressed. That didn’t sound too unusual until he told me the father was in his 90’s and the kids were in their 70’s! Parents never stop trying to influence their children and children never stop being able to impact their parents’ hearts
PROVERBS 23:22
Young people must realize that parents are God’s tool in their lives for their good.
Parents aren’t perfect, nor do they know everything.
They are going to make mistakes.
But children need to choose to honor their parents regardless of mistakes made.
As a grandfather, I can look back now and see how parents play different roles in their children’s lives.
Fathers get to be proud when their children do well, and mothers get to experience broken hearts when their children fail.
It is also to their mothers that children go for consolation and healing, more than to their fathers.
So both roles are necessary, and children should honor them both, regardless of the degree of perfection their parents exhibited in raising them.
Parents are called to do two primary things in raising their children, both of which are part of the same concept: They are to disciple and discipline their children.
Protecting Your Heritage
Psalms 127 links the welfare of the family to the welfare of the city also connecting both of them to God.
God is the source of strength for home builders and city planners alike PSALM 127:1-2.
Those who build their homes and families according to God’s power and wisdom will have children who can ‘speak with their enemies in the gate’ or public forum PSALM 127:3-5
RUTH 4:1-11
One thing we see in this Psalm is that God’s people belong in the public sector!
The objective of raising godly children is to produce godly people who will be involved in public discourse and decisions!
There are vast differences between Solomon’s day and our culture today.
Believers today face tensions and challenges unheard of in biblical times.
Particularly when it comes to raising our children!
Often these pressures might make us want to withdraw and attempt to avoid these things.
But we need to remember that children are a heritage, not only our children but all children!
God’s people have a civic duty to be part of the public debate about social issues that affect out children and families.
There is no place for believers to withdraw from the world.
Scripture calls us to engage our ‘enemies (and presumably our friends) in the gate!
Rearing Children with Discipline
A popular belief today is that people are basically good.
Part of this belief is that children come into this world a morally pure and spotless creatures who are then turned into harmful hurtful patterns by parents and society.
Proverbs and the rest of the Bible present a very different picture.
Although children are seen as a blessing they tend towards evil when left to their own natures. PROVERBS 22:15
Because of that parents are urged to discipline their children.
NEGLECTING TO DO SO AMOUNTS TO CONDEMING A CHILD TO DEATH! PROVERBS 19:18
Opinions vary greatly as to the best way to discipline children.
But discussion of the means must never lose sight of the purpose.
To bring a child into adulthood with strong character able to make wise choices. PROVERBS 29:15
However we might define the word rod, Proverbs encourages us to use discipline in raising our children.
Proverbs 23:13.
God calls us as parents to demonstrate lives of wisdom, truth, and service to our children, knowing that they may or may not choose to follow in that path.
Ultimately, no parent can force a child to honor either them or God; that is a choice that each of us makes on our own.
We as parents are simply called to do our best and leave the results to God.
The Faith of our Children
Faith is always just one generation away from extinction. No matter how much people may love and serve God, they cannot believe for their children. Young people must develop their own walk with God.
Yet parents can help them take their first steps of faith.
That’s why Moses urged the Israelites to teach the words of the Law to their children (Deut. 6:7–9).
He offered a number of suggestions for teaching these statutes to young people.
The following principles are just as useful to believers today:
1. Know what you are talking about. Know the Word of God for yourself first before trying to pass it on. Moses wanted his people to be known as a “wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6).
2. Cultivate your own faith. Moses exhorted the people to develop personal contact with God (Deut. 6:1–9). He told them to fear the Lord all the days of their lives, to love the Lord with all their being. Parents cannot give to their children a faith that they do not have. It’s one thing to talk about religion; it’s another thing to speak to the issues of life out of a vibrant relationship with the living God.
3. Teach by example. Moses urged the Israelites to practice the Law so that their children see it in action, not just hear it recited
Deut. 10:12–13. He reminded them to live with the perspective that God owns everything, to maintain a commitment to integrity by refusing bribes, by ensuring justice for orphans and widows, to worship the Lord regularly, and to keep a singular focus on the Lord and avoid any other loyalties, especially to idols.
Children quickly see through empty religion. They know instinctively what their parents truly believe and where their loyalties lie. Thus parents today have the same need to model Christlikeness before their children if they want to see their children take any interest in the things of the Lord.
4. Be creative. Moses wrote a song to declare God’s ways to Israel (Deut. 32:1–47). It was a good lesson in the use of the arts to celebrate the Lord and encourage children to learn about the faith Deut. 31:9–13. Likewise, Moses urged the people to rehearse the law for the entire community, including children and aliens, every seventh year during the festival of booths, to develop music that would bring honor to the Lord and tell of His mighty works, and to teach the children music that praised God Deut. 32:46–47.
With so many creative resources now available, parents have an unprecedented opportunity to impact their youngsters for the Lord in a positive way.
The older we get, the more important it is that we tell what we have learned about God and about life to our children, to our grandchildren, and even to generations yet unborn. The elderly are one of the most valuable links there are to the past.
Joel urged the elders of Judah to tell their descendants the story of what God had done among them (Joel 1:3).
It is hard to say exactly what events the prophet had in mind, but apparently the elders would know: things more profound than anything that had happened in their days and the days of their fathers (Joel 1:2), important things that needed to be remembered.
Today, we as God’s people still need to pass on the story of what God has done in our lives and our societies.
That requires that we first understand His work, then that we communicate it memorably to future generations.
We must tell both the good and the bad, the pleasant and the unpleasant.
Doing so will help to equip younger generations not only to walk wisely with God, but also to be ready when it is their turn to instruct their children. Joel 2:28
The Friend of Children
In Jesus’ day it was common for mothers to ask famous rabbis to bless their children.
With Jesus, however, they sought more than a blessing; they wanted the touch of this Rabbi (Mark 10:13). No doubt the power of His touch had become well known.
Mark did not explain why the disciples tried to keep the children away.
Perhaps they viewed the little ones as ritually unclean, or, like most of society, unworthy of an important man’s attention.
But Jesus rebuked the disciples and invited the children into His arms (Mark 10:16).
The way that He spoke to them and embraced them must have shocked those who stood by. Such tenderness and respect were rarely given children in that society.
INDEED Jesus is a Friend of Children but even more importantly HE is a Friend of SINNERS!
MATTHEW 11:19
CLOSE!