Sermon Tone Analysis

One of the more vivid memories I have is when Sara Frances and I brought Hollis our first child home from the hospital.

I was carrying him in his car seat as we walked through the door around the kitchen counter and then I put him down in the car seat on top of the dining room table.

I looked at him.

And thought, I have no idea what I am supposed to do right now.

Can I just leave him here?

Should I wake him up, let him sleep?

I remember thinking wow I can’t believe the hospital just lets me take him home, don’t I have to pass some kind of test or get a licence or something so I know the rules.

Parenting is rewarding, fun and hard.

You can be the most competent person in the world, People might line up listen to you and do what you say.

You know you can be the most competent person in the world, run a fortune 500 company, be a commander of thousands.

You could be a wise sage, or philosopher.

Or a rough and ready do it your self kind of person that can fix anything.

People listen to you do what you say.

Yet for all the competence you might have a 3 year old girl who does not want to wear her pants, can bring you to your knees.

You can try to reason with, but all your superior knowledge does not matter to her, you can try to bribe her, you can even threaten, you can even try and do it yourself, but it only makes things worse.

A 3 year old girl can get the best of anyone.

Yet for all the competence you might have a 3 year old girl who does not want to wear her pants, can bring you to your knees.

Parenting has its joys and challenges.

FCF: One of the greatest challenges in raising children is this, how to require obedience without nagging or belittling your children.

You know how do you set good boundaries for them without crushing them.

How do you encourage them and challenge them to grow.

And then sometimes parenting is just terrifying.

The pressure of helping form a human being can bring fear into our lives.

FCF:

It is hard to insist on obeidence because we don’t want to be too harsh , and it is hard not to provke and it is hard with all the pressure to parent

In our passage this morning we are looking at specific instructions about parenting, about raising children.

And what we will find in our passage is that

It is hard to insist on obeidence because we don’t want to be too harsh , and it is hard not to provke and it is hard with all the pressure to parent

Because God is the father of his new humanity we should raise our children up in him

Specifically we see that we should raise them up through obedience, through encouragement, and raise them without fear.

Now I want to say a word before we dive in.

Some of you hear don’t have children of your own, or if you do they might be grown well that is a whole set of other issues.

What I am about to cover might not seem like it applies to you directly, but it does and I don’t want you to check out.

First raising children is not something that the small nuclear family does alone.

Households in the Bible included a whole lot more than just mom dad and kids.

And in the church we all have a stake in our children.

In fact at our baptisms everyone makes a promise to God that we will do all in our power to support them in their life in Christ.

We also have Godparents at baptisms and sponsors at Confirmations to help us keep these vows.

And secondly, parents know this and you may remember this.

There comes a point in the life of many teenagers that they are convinced their parents know nothing, and the words of a teacher or mentor or coach will carry a special weight in their life.

They will be able to hear words from you that would be much harder to hear from their parents.

So first, because God is the father of his new humanity we should

Raise our children up through obedience

Look with me at verse 20

Should Parents should require their children to obey them?

God’s anwser to this question is yes.

Children are to obey in everything, that is children should do what their parents say so long as it is not outside God’s will or word.

The family is the fundamental sphere for human development, for becoming the person God created us to be.

In

And by requiring obedience parents set the parameters to provide the space for the child grow and flourish into the people that God made them to be.

It pleases God to see his children flourish.

So parents require children to stop, look and listen so that don’t get severily hurt, so they can flourish as people.

So parents require children to stop, look and listen so that don’t get severily hurt, so they can flourish as people.

So for example are they required to finish their homework before they can go to a friends house?

It depends on how much parents value finishing homework.

People who care about preserving life so we require them stop, look and listen.

People who can persevere even when it is hard so parents require a child to finish their homework or do the yard work before they can go over to their friends house.

encourage their children to become the people that God made them to be.

People who care about preserving life so we require them stop, look and listen.

People who can persevere even when it is hard so parents require a child to finish their homework or do the yard work before they can go over to their friends house.

Why is it pleasing to God?

require a child to finish their homework or do the yard work before they can go over to their friends house.

on People who can persevere even when it is hard so parents require a child to finish their homework or do the yard work before they can go over to their friends house.

Requiring obedience sets the parameters for them to flourish, we have to learn what our limits are as human beings so that we can flourish.

Parents give their children a worldview, by requiring obedience they communicate what matters, what does not matter as much.

So for example are they required to finish their homework before they can go to a friends house?

Requiring obedience in this area passes on values of the importance of education, of discipline and priorities.

Illustration:

When I turned 15 I got my learners permit.

That I got a licence to drive a car so long as an adult was in the car with me, I passed the test.

And while many parents take their kids to a parking lot for their first time to drive a car or ease them into it, that was not the case with me.

We walked out of the DMV and my mom handed me the keys to our white Astro conversion van and said take us home.

So I get behind the wheel and drive on one of the busiest streets.

My palms are sweating glued to the steering wheel at 10 and 2. At first learning to drive was exhausting trying to remember all sorts of new things, can I turn left at a stoplight if it is green, use your blinker, do I have enough gas, can I merge.

Now

Learning to drive well required me to learn the parameters.

Obeying the rules of driving allowed me to flourish as a driver.

Application:

Parents require children to obey for the same reason.

So that they can learn to live, to flourish.

So take homework for example.

You can’t force a child finish their math homework.

They have to choose to do it.

But what you can do is set creational limits for them that reflect the real world.

So just like if you don’t do your work you don’t get to fun things until your work is finished they are welcome to go to their friends house, or watch tv, or do whatever as soon as they finish their homework.

So for example parents require children to persevere when things get hard by setting limits for our children.

So parents can say yes you can go over to your friends house as soon as you finish your homework.

So parents can say yes you can go over to your friends house as soon as you finish your homework.

Because one day they will have a job and one day they will not want to work, but you will have instilled in them a habit of persevering in your work before you rest.

Because one day they will have a job and one day they will not want to work, but you will have instilled in them a habit of persevering in your work before you rest.

And learning to obey means that they will make mistakes and children making mistakes and having to learn obedience is a good thing.

So when your child yells at you and tells you that your stupid or I hate you.

You are not failing as a parent.

It is just one more opportunity for your child to learn that there are consequences if you don’t honor those God has placed in authority over them.

Why is it hard to require obedience

And those of you

Love is not unconditional affirmation

Parents require obedience by setting limits for children, by setting the parameters so that they can learn to become a flourishing human being.

Allow them to make mistakes

We are also to