While the language of this sermon is directed to parents, I want to give a word to the non-parents here. You might be an aunt or uncle or friend of someone younger who needs to see a questionable life. This sermon is for you. Children, perhaps you are here and your parents’ faith is lacking. This is not a critique or weapon to be used against them, rather it is a tool for you to evaluate your past in order to make informed decisions about a faithful future.
Children are not born with the knowledge of God. (Deuteronomy 31:12-13)
- I’m afraid that too often we think that children will just automatically gravitate to a vibrant faith if we take them to church. They won’t! If you add up all the hours the church has with your children, it’s less than a week. We can’t compete with you!
- Psalm 34:11, “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” They do not naturally fear God, they must be taught. True more is caught than taught, so we must be intentional about our actions.
- I know a man who’s daughter didn’t want to go to church. He was a leader in the congregation and often found “work” outside of service. I asked him, “When was the last time you sat in church?” He said, “It’s been awhile.” I asked, “Do you think you’re modeling a healthy spirituality for your children?” He said, “I’ve never thought about it like that before.”
- Jenny and I try our best to be in church when we have a week off, because I feel that it’s important my children know I want to be in church even when I’m not “paid” to be here.
- Deuteronomy 11:1-7, tells us the responsibility for faithfulness is with the adults who have seen the work of God. This is why we do not baptize children. Children do not know and are not held responsible for the weighty knowledge of God, yet as they grow they must be taught about God. We only have a limited time to train them before they are responsible.
- The church will not be a substitute for your spiritual guidance at home. We can supplement your teaching, provide another adult and role model, but if they’re not saying the same things you are then it doesn’t matter.
- Every week with our elementary students we are sending home sheets with the Bible stories, preschool students get refrigerator magnet cards, our junior and senior high students have online presences available through the church website.
We must be intentional in our example and teaching. (Deuteronomy 31:12-13)
- We need to seize these opportunities because it is our job to train our children. If you continue in Deuteronomy 11:18-21 we see that the responsibility doesn’t end with us, it passes on to our kids. We must prepare them! Our job is to teach faithfulness to our children who will then learn to obey God.
- The ways we do that is myriad, look at Deuteronomy 11:19-21. We teach them, we talk about God at home and along the way. We need to turn off the TVs in our vans and tune into each others’ lives!
- Festivals and feasts were created for this purpose. In the Old Testament Festival of Booths in Deuteronomy and the Passover in Exodus. Today we have feasts called Christmas and Easter. We need to find shared ways of celebrating faith.
- I don’t know why we as evangelical and conservative Christians have abandoned the observance of Pentecost. This is the day our ancient forefathers looked forward to, the day the very spirit of God would be poured out on his children. We have the Spirit of God in us! Why shouldn’t we celebrate this day!
- If Christmas is the fulfillment of the Father’s greatest promise and Easter the fulfillment of the Son’s greatest promise then Pentecost is fulfillment of the Spirits!
- Is the Spirit somehow less equal that we don’t observe his working? No, we should celebrate his work in our lives.
Suggestions for leading a questionable life.
- Start early (Genesis 17:12, Exodus 13:2)
- Boys in the Old Testament were circumcised; it was a mark on their body that lasted for life. We have baby dedications and give you a Bible to read with your children.
- If you didn’t start early then start now. Start with repentance and transparency, invite your children in to help create a family worship time.
- Make traditions (Exodus 12:25-26)
- Celebrate Biblical events and traditions: Passover, Pentecost, Christmas, etc.
- Reclaim old church traditions. I.e. Advent, Lent, Easter season, etc. Church seasons are so relevant to us today. Celebrate Lent, not because you have to but because stillness and self-denial are needed in our culture of over indulgence.
- Remember your faith journey (Exodus 12:27)
- Exodus 12:27, remember that you once were in slavery to sin. Don’t be afraid to tell your children you weren’t perfect, and be proud of your redemption. Salvation is not your work of holiness, it is God’s work of grace.
- Children are not impressed with unrealistic tales of faith, but honesty and growth.
- Be consistent and persistent. (Proverbs 22:6)
- Training a child in the right paths is an ongoing command. As you journey and grow so too must your children. If you try something and it doesn’t work, try something else. If it should work, stay with it and keep trying.
- If your children ask questions and say, “What’s going on?” Tell them and say, “I want to make sure that we as a family celebrate our faith and grow in it.”
This is the children’s Bible I mentioned, we use it for morning stories. I think this is a great devotional for our toddlers.
