Untitled Sermon (5)

THINGS WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IN CHURCH

SERMON 6

HOW TO MAKE A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN IN A WORLD THAT IS HOSTILE TOWARD CHRISTIANITY

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INTRODUCTION:

LET ME REMIND YOU OF WHAT BROUGHT ME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I NEED TO PREACH THIS MESSAGE AS PART OF THIS SERIES.

- FIRST, NO MATTER WHAT STAGE OF LIFE YOU MAY BE IN, YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

o WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE CHILDREN, YOU HAVE CHILDREN.

o GOD HAS UNIQUELY FASHIONED OUR CHURCH WITH THE ABILITY TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

- SECOND, SINCE WE’VE BEEN FOCUSING ON MILLENIALS AND GEN-Z’ER’S, WE NEED TO BE TAUGHT HOW WE CAN GENERATE THE MAXIMUM KINGDOM IMPACT IN THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN GOD ALLOWS US TO MINISTER TO…AND WE DON’T TALK ENOUGH ABOUT THIS IN CHURCH.

- SO THIS MORNING, I WANT TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED LAST WEEK.

o SO LET ME SHARE A FEW MORE THINGS WITH YOU, WHICH I BELIEVE CAN HELP YOU MAKE A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN A WORLD THAT IS HOSTILE TOWARD CHRISTIANITY.

- LAST WEEK, I SHARED TWO TRUTHS WITH YOU ABOUT MAKING A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, SO LET ME RECAP THOSE BEFORE WE CONTINUE.

o LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY AND TEACH THEM THAT GOD LOVES THEM UNCONDITIONALLY.

o TEACH THEM THAT GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THEIR LIVES, AND THAT HIS PLAN IS GREATER THAN THEIR PLAN…OR YOUR PLAN.

- HERE IS THE REST OF THE LIST:

1. TO MAKE A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, TEACH THEM TO LOVE JESUS.

a. THESE FIRST TWO POINTS I WANT TO MAKE THIS MORNING HAVE MORE TO DO WITH MODELING THAN THEY DO WITH INSTRUCTING.

b. SOME SCHOLARS VIEW PROVEBS 22:6, NOT AS A PROMISE TO PARENTS, BUT AS A WARNING.

i. SOME WOULD SAY THAT IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, IS TELLING PARENTS THAT IF YOU LEAVE A CHILD TO HIS OR HER OWN DEVICES, IT WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON THEM.

ii. I HAVE TO SAY THAT I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH THE TRUTH OF THAT STATEMENT, WHETHER THE PROVERB IS A PROMISE OR A WARNING.

c. SO WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

i. WE NEED TO MODEL THE LOVE OF JESUS BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN.

d. IN THE SAME VEIN, NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO TEACH CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO LOVE JESUS, BUT…

2. TO MAKE A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, WE NEED TO TEACH THEM TO SERVE JESUS.

a. BECAUSE CHILDREN TYPICALLY EMULATE THE BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS OF THOSE WHO HAVE INFLUENCE OVER THEM, IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT WE PROVIDE A TANGIBLE MODEL OF SERVICE FOR THEM TO FOLLOW.

b. THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US THE PRIVILEGE OF MINISTERING TO NEED TO SEE THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO SERVING HIM.

i. IT IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO INFLUENCE A CHILD TO BECOME SOMETHING YOU ARE UNWILLING TO BECOME.

ii. IN A 2009 ARTICLE ENTITLED, I SPY DADDY GIVING SOMEONE THE FINGER, ALAN KAZDIN AND CARLO ROTELLA SHARE SOME OF THE SCIENCE BEHIND LEARNED BEHAVIORS.

iii. TOWARD THE END OF THE ARTICLE, THIS IS WHAT THEY WRITE. AND I QUOTE…

1. “MODELING DOES NOT ALWAYS DICTATE A CHILD’S BEHAVIOR—YOUR KIDS WON’T INEVITABLY DO EVERYTHING YOU DO—BUT IT’S AN IMPORTANT AND UNDERAPPRECIATED WAY TO TRANSMIT INFORMATION, EXPERIENCES, SKILLS, BELIEFS, VALUES, AND LARGE SEGMENTS OF BEHAVIOR.”

iv. THEIR POINT IS THAT WE DO HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON THOSE WHO WITNESS OUR BEHAVIOR.

v. THEREFORE, WE NEED TO MODEL BEHAVIOR THAT TEACHES CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO LOVE JESUS, AND TO SERVE JESUS, BECAUSE THEY ARE WATCHING AND LEARNING.

3. FINALLY, TO MAKE A KINGDOM IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, SET BOUNDARIES FOR THEM.

a. DECIDE UPON WHAT THE BOUNDARIES ARE GOING TO BE, AND WORK HARD TO MAINTAIN THEM.

i. NOW THIS PRIMARILY APPLIES TO PARENTS, BUT IT DOES HAVE APPLICATION TO THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN AT HOME AS WELL.

ii. LET ME SPEAK TO PARENTS FIRST…

iii. THIS IS WHERE PARENTS HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO SET REASONABLE BOUNDARIES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE AGE, TEMPERAMENT, AND TENDENCIES OF THE CHILD, AND WHICH ARE ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH.

1. FOR EXAMPLE, ANDY STANLEY, PASTOR OF NORTH POINT CHURCH, SAYS THAT HE HAS ONLY TWO RULES FOR HIS CHILDREN.

a. HONOR YOUR MOTHER.

b. DO NOT LIE.

2. THESE RULES SERVE AS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE STANLEY HOME.

a. SO THE QUESTION IS, IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN YOUR HOME, WHAT ARE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR YOUR HOME?

iv. WE HAVE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED OUR CHILDREN TO BE WHO THEIR HEAVENLY FATHER WANTS THEM TO BE.

1. AND THAT’S THE SAME ENCOURAGEMENT KIMBERLEY AND I GIVE TO EVERY CHILD OR YOUTH WE INTERACT WITH.

2. BUT MANY PARENTS HAVE NEVER GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO WHAT IT IS THEY ARE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE OVER WHOM THEY HAVE INFLUENCE.

3. I MEAN REALLY GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT.

a. WRITE IT DOWN.

b. MEMORIZE IT

c. MAKE IT SOMETHING THAT SHAPES YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

b. SO PARENTS, PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN BY SETTING REASONABLE BOUNDARIES FOR THEM.

c. BUT THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE CHILDREN LIVING AT HOME WITH THEM NEED TO DECIDE UPON BOUNDARIES AS WELL.

i. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE WHO WORK WITH CHILDREN IN OUR VARIOUS MINISTRIES NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME DECIDING WHAT IS ALLOWED AND WHAT IS DISALLOWED IN THAT MINISTRY FORMAT.

1. WE HAVE RECENTLY HAD TO DISCIPLINE A FEW OF THE CHILDREN WHO ARE PART OF BETHEL KIDS, BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT ADHERE TO THE RULES.

2. WE DIDN’T ENJOY DISCIPLINING THEM, BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT CHILDREN NEED BOUNDARIES.

3. AS IS TRUE WITH SOME PARENTS, MANY PEOPLE HAVE NEVER GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO WHAT IT IS THEY ARE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE OVER WHOM THEY HAVE INFLUENCE.

4. AGAIN, REALLY GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT.

a. WRITE IT DOWN.

b. MEMORIZE IT

c. MAKE IT SOMETHING THAT SHAPES YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

CONCLUSION:

THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE PART OF OUR CHURCH TODAY ARE THE ONES WHO WILL BE LEADING OUR CHURCH IN THE NOT-SO-DISTANT FUTURE.

BECAUSE OF THIS WE HAVE A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY TO MINISTER TO THEM IN A WAY THAT LEADS THEM INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST, AND THEN ENCOURAGES THEM TO DISCOVER AND DEPLOY THEIR SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

AND THE ON;Y WAY THIS IS POSSIBLE IS IF WE ADULTS ACCEPT THIS REPSONSIBILITY, AND ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT WE CANNOT LEAD THEM IN OUR OWN STRENGTH.

WE MUST RELAY ON THE STRENGTH OF CHRIST TO LEAD US AS WE LEAD THEM.

AND THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BEGIN TO DO THIS IS TO KNOW CHRIST PERSONALLY.

MAYBE YOU ARE HERE THIS MORNING, AND YOU HAVE NEVER TRULY REPENTED OF YOUR SINS, AND RECEIVED CHRIST BY FAITH.

IF THIS IS TRUE FOR YOU, LET ME SHARE YOU A COUPLE TRUTHS WITH YOU…

- FIRST, YOU CANNOT OVERCOME YOUR SIN PROBLEM ON YOUR OWN.

o THE BIBLE SAYS IN THAT EVERYONE HAS SINNED, AND EVERYONE FALLS SHORT OF GOD’S STANDARD FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

- BUT SECOND, CHRIST DID ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY FOR YOU TO BE SAVED WHEN HE WILLINGLY DIED TO PAY FOR YOUR SINS.

o THE BIBLE CONTINUES IN BY INFORMING US THAT YOU CAN BE JUSTIFIED IN THE EYES OF GOD BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE CROSS…

o WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY GOD’S GRACE AS A GIFT, THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.

- SO GOD’S WORD TEACHES THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEND ETERNITY SEPARATED FROM GOD.

- GOD LOVES YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW HIM.

- AND IF YOU WILL AGREE WITH GOD THAT YOU ARE A SINNER, AND ASK JESUS CHRIST TO FORGIVE YOU AND SAVE YOU, HE PROMISES THAT HE WILL GIVE YOU EVERLASTING LIFE…

- MAYBE YOU ARE READY TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS…

- I’D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.