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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 7, 2024
Marriage: The Role of Parents
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
It is good to be back with you this morning. I am grateful to Jim Zieger and Mark Artis for preaching in my stead while I was away. We were glad to spend some time with David, Natasha and Jackie Lee the first weekend and see what God is doing at their church in Maryville, TN. We were surprised when Danielle gave birth early to our new granddaughter, Anna Elizabeth, so she flew back here to be with them on Sunday instead of attending the IFCA International conference in Springdale, Arkansas which started the next day. I enjoyed expressing to Diane’s many friends at the conference her disappointment at not being there with them, then explaining the reason why by showing a picture of Anna. Everyone was very happy for her. David went with me in order to promote Truth Script, and that made both the trip there and back and the conference even better for me. I spent last Sunday with Chuck & Linda Walter at their little country church plant. God is doing a marvelous work there. There is much, much more I can say in praise to the Lord about what He is doing from all the stories told at the Conference, but that will have to wait for another time. I was able to spend some time with Chaplain Lance Schrader and his wife, Karla, so I will give you an update on them next week. But now it is time to turn our focus to the topic of my sermon today.
I have been preaching on the topic of marriage since May and will continue in that series today though focused specifically on a consequence of marriage since one of God’s purposes is for the husband and wife to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” What is the role that God has given to parents?
◘The Foundation
The foundation for the proper purpose and practice in parenting also goes back to what I have been emphasizing throughout this series from Genesis. Let me quickly review those main points.
◘ First, God created man according to His own will for His own purposes, so your first quest is to know God and find out His will for your life. That begins with the fact that because God made man in His own image, humans are to be a reflection of God in personhood and moral attributes (Genesis 1:26-27). The primary purpose of man’s existence is to bring glory to God, our Creator (1 Cor. 10:31). (See: The Creation of Man)
◘ The first responsibility God gave Adam was to be God’s regent on earth by subduing it and having dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26-30). Adam could not do this alone so ◘God fashioned Eve from Adam’s rib and established marriage with complimentary roles for both husband and wife and multiple purposes. ◘The statement in Genesis 2:25 that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed is a description of the couple living in perfect harmony though completely exposed physically, mentally and emotionally. That unity of complementarian companionship enabled them to fulfill God’s mandates and purposes. ◘Sin destroyed that harmony for it brought in pride, selfishness and evil desires which are contrary to true love, so marriage took on additional purposes. Marriage would provide the only proper place for physical intimacy and thus prevent or at least curtail the immorality of fornication and adultery. Marriage would be a training ground in and the expression of love. Christian marriage would also include a mutual pursuit of holiness as the Holy Spirit changes both husband and wife to be more like Jesus and reflect the relationship of Christ and the church as stated in Ephesians 5:32. (See: God Established Marriage)
◘ One of God’s foundational purposes for marriage was for man to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,” for unless that happened, man could not subdue the earth and have dominion over the animals. Having children and parenting are part of God’s original purpose and design for marriage. ◘That means that proper parenting requires pursuing God’s purposes in it and following His design as delineated in His many commands concerning raising children. Anything less than that is failure, and humanity has found all sorts of ways to fail in parenting. ◘If you want to raise children successfully, then you need to know God your Creator, and you need to know His word and strive to obey it. The vast majority of parents fail because they do not know God and / or they do not know what He wants them to do as parents. They do not know the purpose of their parenting.
◘ Even selfish parents want their children to succeed if for no other reason than to be able to brag about them. But what constitutes success? If that is determined by any worldly standard, then the parent will raise the child to be a worldly adult. If success is according to the parents own will and desires, the child will become a stunted adult unable to properly function independently. If success is enduring the children until they are 18 and out of the house, these young adults will either be without direction in life or have that direction set by an outside influence. That is why so many college students become radicalized by their professors. Dad and mom let other people such as the schools, clubs, peers and social media raise their children.
◘ God’s purpose for parents is actually fairly simple, though it will take great effort to accomplish it. It begins with the mandates God gave to Adam and Eve back in Genesis. Each generation was to teach the next generation those mandates and how to fulfill them – walk with God, keep the Garden, subdue the earth, rule over the animals, leave father and mother and cleave to your wife, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. All of that became more complex when Adam & Eve sinned for it broke the relationship they had with God in the Garden and brought a curse that forced them to leave the Garden. They would no longer be able to walk and commune with God as they had previously and getting food would no longer be just picking fruit from the nearest tree. Man would have to toil and sweat to grow crops while battling weeds in order to have bread. That is a reality known well by ever farmer and gardener. The curse of sin also disrupted the harmony of relationship between the husband and wife adding an adversarial component in which her desire would be toward her husband and he would rule over her. It takes humility and hard work to develop a marriage that reflects God’s original design for it.
◘ The curse of sin made parenting difficult and compounded that by the fact that every child is a natural born sinner. Even so, the purpose remains the same. I will summarize that purpose as follows: ◘Parents are to raise their children to know and walk with God and become responsible adults that will be a blessing to others and be able to raise their own children the same way. That is a difficult task, but God has given us the needed direction in His word and empowers the believer by the Holy Spirit to be able to carry out His commands.
◘Moses on Parenting – Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 145:4 states, “One generation shall laud Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty deeds.” Many passages speak of the same responsibility of one generation to declare the Lord and what He has done to the next generation which in turn is to do the same to the next generation. The purpose of this is two-fold. The first is to simply glorify God by proclaiming Him and His deeds. The second is teach the next generation to know and walk with the Lord.
Moses faced a dilemma as he neared the end of his life. He needed to instruct the generation that was about to enter the promised land on how to have God’s blessings and how to have those blessings continue generation after generation. ◘In Deuteronomy 6, after having already given a brief recounting of the Exodus and God’s actions during their wanderings in wilderness for the last 39 years, Moses stresses the purpose of the law in the first three verses. 1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do it in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 “O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”
◘ The commandments of God have never been about earning God’s favor, they are about experiencing God’s blessings. God’s favor is granted by His grace to those who will believe Him. That was true in the Hebrew Scriptures as they looked forward to Messiah coming to save them from their sins, and it is true for us as we look back on Messiah coming and doing that. Jesus became a man, lived a sinless life and then died on the cross at Calvary to atone for our sins, then rose from the dead on the third day proving all of His claims and promises to be true. Forgiveness of sin is granted and righteousness imputed by God’s grace alone on the basis of faith alone in Christ alone. God’s blessings come as a consequence of living according to His will with His commandments expressing His will. Disobedience brings the natural consequences of sin in this life and God’s condemnation in eternity if there is no repentance to believe in the person and work of Jesus.
◘ In the next five verses Moses directs them on how to know God and experience His blessings generation after generation. 4 “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5 “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”
This is called the shema and Jesus said verse 5 is the great and foremost commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). It is what is inside the phylacteries worn by orthodox Jews and in the Mezuza on the door posts of a Jewish home as explained in verses 8-9. ◘You cannot teach your children to love God if you do not love Him yourself, so Godly parenting must begin there. Loving God and knowing and waking according to His word must be on your own heart. What is your own walk with the Lord like? Your example is teaching your children whether you like it or not. The same is also true for aunts, uncles and grandparents since you also can influence a child. If your walk with the Lord is not what you know it should be, or you do not know Jesus Christ, then this is the day to repent – change your mind about yourself, sin and the Savior to believe and walk with Him. (You can talk with any of our church leaders about this after the service).
◘ In verse 7 Moses points out the work that will be involved in teaching your children. First, you must be diligent to teach them. The root meaning of this word is to sharpen as when using a whet stone to sharpen a knife. You have to keep at it with each stroke slowly shaping the blade so that it is sharp and useful. Children have to be taught the same lessons over and over again. Dumping information on them and expecting that to change how they live is foolish though that is the way most schools in our nation operate. Regurgitating information on a test only means you know about it. The ancient Hebrew understanding of education is much better. ◘You do not actually know it until you can do it. Children have to be taught God’s commandments, their implications and how to apply them at every opportunity. That is expressed here as “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” That encompasses all activities inside and outside the house, active and passive, from the time you get up until you go to bed.
◘ Children are not going to learn to know and walk with God in the few hours they might spend in church service and ministries. Parents, this is your responsibility. The most the church can do is augment and encourage what you are already doing. Do you have family devotions? Do you talk with them about what you are reading in the Bible or God is teaching you? Do you talk about God’s perspective if discussing the news or after watching something for entertainment? Do you point out God’s handiwork in creation as you travel from place to place? Do you pray with them when you put them to bed? Do you praise God for a new day when you get up? Do you prepare your kids for the day’s activities by discussing what God would want them to do, how He would want them to do it and asking Him for wisdom? To teach children to know the Lord, His will and to walk with Him, it has to be both a practical reality in your own life and something in which you are engaging them at every opportunity throughout the day. (See: A Father’s Responsibility – Deuteronomy 6:1-9)
◘ A large part of this is also your example. Life lessons are more caught than taught. Your children are watching you all the time and learning from you whether you say anything or not. Does your life exhibit the characteristics of godliness such as those listed in Psalm 15, Proverbs 31, 1 Corinthians 13 or the many “one another” commands? Are you truthful or do you lie? Are you honest in business? Do you pay all of your taxes or do you cheat? Are you a diligent worker or lazy? Are you kind and gentle or harsh? Are you patient or hot tempered? Are you generous or greedy? Are you humble or proud? What are you like when you are driving? What are you like when playing a game? When you win? When you lose? What music do you listen to? What do you do for entertainment? What are you like when you are sick? Are you more characterized by holiness or worldliness? Are you a loyal friend or do you engage in gossip about them? Are you trustworthy to keep your promises even when difficult to do so? This list could go on, but you get the idea.
◘ Now please do not get discouraged if you see room for a lot of improvement. The Christian life is about direction, not perfection. Are you becoming more like Christ? Children are usually resilient. They will take notice if you are changing, and that itself is a good example. They are also usually quick to forgive if you will acknowledge when you have failed and ask for it, and that is also the proper example. Good parents are not and will not be perfect, but they will demonstrate an active pursuit of godliness in their own lives while seeking to instill the same in their children.
◘ Let me bring this back to its important tie to marriage. What is your example as a husband or wife? Your ability to properly raise your children is in direct relationship to your ability to be a godly spouse. You will never be a better parent than you are a wife or husband, for the starting point for both is submission to the Holy Spirit. If you are unwilling to submit to the Spirit in your role as a spouse, you will not do so in your role as a parent. You have already decided that you know better than God what is best for your life, and that same basic belief will carry over into your parenting too. You cannot be a better parent than you are a spouse.
◘ But, you say, your partner is not a believer or you are divorced and raising the kids by yourself. Again, submission to the Holy Spirit is primary. How do you treat your unsaved spouse or ex-spouse? Does your example toward them reflect godliness and the love of Jesus Christ? If it does, you will be a positive influence for Christ on your children. If it does not, you will fill your children with whatever is in your heart – whether that be resentment, pride, bitterness or anything else that is ungodly. Your example is teaching your children what they should be like when they are adults, become husbands and wives and have children of their own.
◘Paul on Parenting – Ephesians 6:1-4
Obedience: Turn to Ephesians 6:1-4 where Paul gives some very succinct and practical instruction on parenting. The first three verses are commands to children which have huge implications for the parents. 1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” Paul cites the fifth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. ◘This is what God requires of children and it is the first principle of active parenting. You are to require your children to obey you in the Lord for in doing so you are laying the foundation for them in learning to obey God. That is why it brings the blessing of a long life that is lived well. ◘If you do not require obedience from your children then you are teaching them to sin for which they will suffer the consequences. Your goal here is that your children learn to obey you the first time, right away, and with a happy face. Anything less than that falls short and is actually disobedience.
◘ Your child will obey you when you require it, so make it easy on your child and require it the first time the command is given instead of them having to guess when you are serious. Is that the third, fourth or fifth time you tell them or when you reach a level of agitation with your voice reaching a certain volume and pitch with the arteries in your neck standing out? If you do not require first time obedience you are teaching them they do not need to obey and can ignore you until they perceive you actually mean it. The threatening, repeating parent sins by teaching their child to sin.
◘ Related to this is that obedience is to be right away. We taught our sons to say, “yes sir,” “yes ma’am,” or “yes mommy,” “yes daddy” when we gave a command so that we knew they heard us. That was often joined with them coming to us so that instructions given would be clear. It would be unfair to require obedience to a command they did not know had been given. But what if Junior answers “yes sir” but continues to do whatever he was doing instead of stopping and following your command? The child is taking the position of being judge of what is and what is not important. That right does not belong to them, it belongs to the parent. Allowing that is training them to disobey. Your children need to obey you the first time and right away. Now in saying that parents must also consider what the child is doing and give commands accordingly. You have to set up a system where the child can respectfully appeal your commands otherwise you can really frustrate them. I will talk about that more in a few minutes.
◘ We also required our children to obey with what I will refer to as a “happy face.” A child that is grumbling, complaining or whining may be conforming their outward behavior to your commands, but they are not being obedient from the heart. I cannot stress enough that it is the heart that you are trying to train, not just behavior. Behavior is easy. Grumbling, complaining or whining demonstrate rebellion in their hearts, and it was that expression of internal rebellion for which God chastised the children of Israel with plagues of various types and forty years of wandering the wilderness until that generation died off. Grumbling, complaining or whining are forms of rebellion and improper for the Christian (Phil. 2:14), so do not tolerate them. Instead, correct their improper attitudes while teaching them how to humbly express their desires. Teaching them how to properly appeal a command can help a lot.
◘ Children can be forced to give behavioral obedience, but you have go beyond that. Remember, obedience is the school master that gives the child the skills to pursue both Godliness and success. You also want to instill within them the principles of God’s Word and train their hearts so that they will be internally guided rather than outwardly conformed. ◘Your goal should be that by the time they are 12 or 13 their obedience to you has turned into submission – i.e. a willingness and desire to follow your guidance – and that such submission is actually secondary to their submission to the Lord. This will not be accomplished without hard work and the help of the Holy Spirit. It is only through submission to the Holy Spirit that children will be able to honor their parents as God demands.
◘ Parental Responsibility: Ephesians 6:4 is Paul’s instruction to the parents on the basic principles for parenting. “And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (See: The Role of Parents, Part 1)
◘ The specific commands here are addressed to “fathers,” but that does not mean that only dad is responsible for raising the kids. The immediate context is children obeying their “parents” – plural. The father is emphasized here because he is the head of the home as stated in Ephesians 5 and therefore the one responsible to set the tenor and direction of the home including how the children are raised. Mom is the “helpmeet” of the dad and children are to obey her and not forsake her instruction (Prov. 1:7).
◘ The first command is a negative to avoid, “do not provoke your children to anger.” Paul is referring to parenting practices that regularly, consistently provoke & prod the children toward an angry response whether open or hidden. The child is still responsible for his own anger and response, but if the parenting practices are improper and provoking it, then the parent is also guilty. Due to time restraints I will only briefly mention a few examples of such improper practices, but I include more much in my sermon on Ephesians 6:4. (See: The Role of Parents, Part 2)
◘ 1) Your Example. Proverbs 22:24-25 states, “Do not associate with a man [given] to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man, 25 Lest you learn his ways, And find a snare for yourself.” Anger is not an ethnic heritage passed down by blood lines. It is a learned response of pride and selfishness. If you are an angry individual, your children will learn from your example, so you better learn how to get that under control. Make an appointment with me and lets sit down together and learn how to deal with anger.
◘ 2) Abuse: Physical and verbal. Prov. 30:33 warns, “For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose brings forth blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.” Prov. 15:1 adds, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Abuse occurs when a child is physically or verbally assaulted in anger. That is never proper for the Christian parent for “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20) and it is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) which includes patience, gentleness and self-control. The child may not show anger because they fear you, but it will burn internally as resentment.
◘ 3) Inconsistency. If what you require of a child changes according to your whim, then you will provoke your child to some form of anger because what is expected remains uncertain. From the child’s perspective, why do I get spanked today for what was cute yesterday? Train your child to first time obedience. It is easier on both of you.
◘ 4) Parental Selfishness is illustrated by the pop song “Cats in the Cradle.” Children are extraneous or an intrusion into the parent’s world. Though more common with dads it also occurs with moms.
◘ 5) Favoritism was the cause of anger and rivalry between Jacob and Esau. Jacob repeated the bad example and his obnoxious favoritism of Joseph resulted in his brothers selling him into slavery. Every child is different. Do not allow yourself to become doting on one and are not fair to the others. Your favoritism and own selfishness will be the cause of anger in the others.
◘ 6) Excessive Expectations & Discouragement often go together. This is demanding more than the child is capable of doing and then castigating him when he fails. Distinguish between childishness, which is the lack of the needed skills to do a task, and foolishness, which is defiant disobedience. Children develop at different rates and will vary in ability from birth both mentally and physically. Comparing your children to others who do better at something discourages them.
◘ 7) Using affection to manipulate is cruel though parents that refuse to physically chasten their children are prone to it. Conditional affection is destructive to children. Follow God’s example in Hebrews 12 so that even when disobedient and being chastened, your children should be confident that you love them.
◘ The second command is a positive to do, “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The root meaning of “bring them up” is to “to nourish” as in “to feed, provide” which is an ongoing action. You finish one meal and you start preparing the next. There are two aspects of bringing up a child: Nurture \ discipline & admonition \ instruction.
◘ Nurture \ Discipline (paideiva /paideia) refers to training. This is the education of the child in all aspects – morally and spiritually as well as about the world and society around him. It involves example, lecture, reading, observation and discovery. It sets up opportunity for practice, gives reminders and will correct back to the standard to reinforce a lesson. It is both formal and informal for it is to occur throughout the day in every circumstance as we saw earlier in Deuteronomy 6:7.
◘ Admonition \ Instruction (nouqesiva /nouthesia) places more stress on the mental aspect of teaching. It sets in the mind the truths of life – both spiritual and societal – of how to live with God and with man. ◘This is exemplified by the book of Proverbs which was written, 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion . . .” (Proverbs 1:2-4). But there is also a strong element of correction here which is why the word is translated as “admonition” as well as “instruction.” It is correction given without provoking or embittering the child.
◘ Finally, the discipline and instruction are to be given “of the Lord,” which means the parents’ primary task is really the same as what Moses gave to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy. Our children are to understand who the Lord is, what He has done for them and what it means to love Him. ◘Taken together raising a child will encompass all that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says the Word of God is to do for us – teaching, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. Teaching: This is the path of life. Reproof: You have gotten off the path. Correction: This is way to get back on the path. Instruction: This is how to stay on the path.
◘Conclusions
1) There is no responsibility or privilege you will ever have greater than raising your children.
◘ 2) The purpose of parenting is to raise the next generation to know and walk with God, become responsible adults that will be a blessing to others, and be able to raise their own children the same way.
◘ 3) Parenting will change you. No parent is perfect, so expect to learn and grow alongside your children. I often think that God’s design for parenting to last so long is so that we have adequate time to mature while we raise our kids. When you do fail or recognize a past failure, deal with the guilt by confessing to God to receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). If it affects your children, confess to them also, whether in or out of the home, and ask for their forgiveness. That is the proper and genuine expression of godliness to them. Pray for God’s mercy and grace that despite your failings, your children will stand on your shoulders and go beyond you.
If you have children that are rebellious against God, then pray for God’s mercy to keep them alive and for His grace to yet bring them under conviction of sin that they will repent and to draw them to Himself that they will believe and be saved. The greatest desire of any godly parent toward their children is that they will be in heaven together forever.
Additional Resources:
Sermons on Family, Marriage & Children
Sermon Notes – July 7, 2024
Marriage: The Role of Parents – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
The Foundation
God created man according to His own will for His own ___________- your quest is know Him & His will
Adam’s first responsibility was to be God’s __________on the earth
God fashioned Eve & established ___________to enable man to full the mandates given to him
Adam & Eve had a _______complementary relationship though “naked” mentally, emotionally & physically
Sin ___________the perfection that had been and gave marriage additional purposes in the battle against sin
A foundational purpose of marriage was to “be ___________and multiply and fill the earth.”
Proper parenting requires pursuing God’s _________& design as delineated in His many commands about it
To raise children successfully, you need to ________God and His word and strive to obey it
Parents want their children to be successful, but success defined in any way other than God’s is __________
God’s purpose for _____: Walk with God, keep the garden, fulfill the mandates, leave & cleave, be fruitful
The curse of sin made parenting difficult & compounded it with every child being a natural born _________
Parents are to raise their children to know & _______with God, be responsible adults who repeat the process
Moses on Parenting – Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 145:4 & other scriptures – each generation is to ___________ the Lord to the next
Deut. 6:1-3 – the purpose of the Law in receiving God’s __________
God’s favor can only be received as a gift of His ________- His law explained how to live in His blessings
Deut. 6:5-9 – the Shema – how to know God and experience His __________generation after generation
You can only teach others to love God if you love Him __________
___________is required to teach children about the Lord and His commandments – it is a continual effort
God’s commandments, their implications & how to apply them must be taught at _________ opportunity
This responsibility belongs to the ________- the church can only augment & encourage what you do daily
Your _________is a major aspect of how you teach – does your life reflect godliness? (Ps 15, Prov. 31; etc.)
The Christian life is about ____________, not perfection. Are you becoming more like Christ?
What is your ___________as a husband or wife? You can’t be a better parent than you are a spouse
Submission to the Holy Spirit is ________- your example is teaching your children what they should be like
Paul on Parenting – Ephesians 6:1-4
Obedience: God requires children to ________their parents – that is the first principle of active parenting
If you do not require obedience from your children, you are teaching them to ________
Your child will obey you when you ___________ it – why then require it later than the first time?
Obedience is to be right away – ____________obedience is disobedience
Obedient behavior is easy, _______is more difficult but also required – no grumbling, complaining, whining
Obedience is the school master that gives the child the _________to pursue both Godliness and success
By 12 or 13, obedience should have turned into _____________and that as primarily to the Lord
Parental Responsibility: addressed to “fathers” as the ________of the home – mom is also to be obeyed
“do not provoke your children to anger” – a reference to ___________parenting practices that prod anger
1) Your example: Proverbs 22:24-25 – _________parents teach their children to be angry by their example
2) Abuse: Physical and verbal. Prov. 30:33; 15:1 – this is _________to the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
3) Inconsistency – children have to keep ____________at what is required
4) Parental Selfishness – Children are extraneous or an intrusion into the parent’s world – ________children
5) Favoritism – examples: ___________ with Jacob & Esau; Jacob with Joseph
6) Excessive Expectations & Discouragement – demanding more than the child is ______& then castigate
7) Using affection to manipulate – a cruel practice that leaves children ___________if they are loved
“bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” – an ___________action like feeding
Nurture \ Discipline (paideiva /paideia) refers to ____________- the education of a child in all aspects
Admonition \ Instruction (nouqesiva /nouthesia) – greater stress on the mental aspects of ___________truth
Exemplified by the book of Proverbs
“of the Lord,” the parents’ ___________task is the same as Moses to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy
Like the word of God (2 Tim. 3:17) parents are to teach, reprove, ___________& instruct in righteousness
Conclusions
There is no responsibility or privilege you will ever have ___________than raising your children
Parents are to raise children to know & walk with God, be ____________ adults, & repeat the process
Parenting changes you. No parent is perfect, so expect to learn & _________ alongside your children
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times “parent” is mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents about how you can make it easier for them to be good parents.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Outline the purpose for which God created man, the mandates He gave to man, the reason He fashioned Eve and purposes for marriage. How did the fall into sin affect those things? Define success. What would be success in God’s eyes? What is God’s primary purpose for parents? What was the purpose of the Mosaic Law? How does someone gain God’s favor? What blessing then does the Law bring? How is the knowledge of God and how to experience His blessings to be passed down from generation to generation? Whose responsibility is it to make that happen? How important is your example in teaching your children? What is your example like to others? What needs to change? When will those changes be made? Can you be a better parent than you are a spouse? Explain. What is the importance of children obeying their parents? What blessing does that bring? Why is it important that children obey the first time, right away with a happy face? What are some ways parents provoke their children to anger? How do you bring children up in the nurture / discipline and admonition / instruction of the Lord? How does parenting change a person?
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