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Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
It is our responsibility to train our children in the ways of the LORD as His ways are revealed to us through Holy Scriptures. When I say, "it is our responsibility,” I‘m speaking first and foremost of the parents.
Secondly, I’m speaking of the church body as a whole. We must strive to set the very best examples of Christ before the little hearts, little minds, and little eyes of our children. Our children will not be trained in the ways of the LORD at their local school; unless, of course, they are being taught in a Christian school. And even then, they will not be trained adequately in the ways of the LORD.
Our children will not be trained adequately in the ways of the LORD even in Sunday school, or in Church.
The only way that a child can be trained adequately in the ways of the LORD is in the home. Mom and Dad must first have a relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ before they will ever be able to pass on to their children the ways of the LORD!
Turn with me to the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 6. Here we find that God expected the Israelites to begin teaching their children, almost from day one, the truths of God’s Holy Word. Let’s look at the first seven verses of this chapter.
1: Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a God of law and order. God provided clear instructions for His people that, when followed, would allow their land to enjoy peace and prosperity. And I want you to know that He was absolutely faithful to His WORD! Our children need to know God’s Law and His Commandments! They need to know that God expects men and women, in their daily living, to be responsible and accountable human beings.
o Responsible and accountable to HIM!
o Responsible and accountable to one another!
There are many folks suggesting that God’s Word is not for today! They say that His Laws and His Commandments were for another age, and another people.
And so the world follows the philosophy of the Epicureans of Paul’s day. A philosophy with no absolutes; only endless possibilities to explore and to satisfy the hunger of the flesh... freedom of expression and experience! This philosophy is undisciplined, unaccountable, and irresponsible. The end result is a society in chaos, in turmoil, and in rebellion. In Genesis chapter 19, God destroyed a city because of their loose and immoral living; a whole city given over to homosexuality.
Dr. J Vernon McGee writes,
“Every nation goes down in this order, (1) religious apostasy; (2) moral awfulness (moral baseness and barbarity), and (3) political anarchy.
(1) Religious apostasy is very act of turning away from God. When we live in a society that no longer fears God, then that society takes the next step down;
(2) Moral decay, corruption, and sexual permissiveness. No longer following God’s moral law, society goes about establishing its own laws which lead to the final step toward complete destruction,
(3) Political anarchy. The state can no longer properly and fairly govern because no absolutes exist by which it holds itself or others accountable. The end result is confusion, frustration, corruption, and moral baseness.
When society no longer fears God, then society will surely run wild. If there is no fear of God, there will certainly be even less fear of man and his authority. But, if we teach our own children to “fear” the LORD, even in the midst of a Godless and rebellious society, God will provide them with peace, and hope, and comfort of heart. Our children may go through great trials and tribulations, but God will bring them through; He will never leave them nor forsake them.
And so, as the Children of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land, God reminds them of their need to be obedient to Him.
1: Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
God was driving out of the
God expects every Father and every mother to set a godly example before their children and to pass the knowledge and fear of the LORD on to them. The Bible doesn’t say this is the Pastor’s responsibility, or the Sunday school teacher’s responsibility, or even the responsibility of aunts and uncles, or grandmothers and grandfathers. God holds the parents responsible for the Christian upbringing of their children.
3: Hear therefore, O
God will meet our every need when He takes first
place in our hearts. The LORD Jesus
Christ said, “seek ye first the
God knows you have need of shelter. He knows that you have need of food and clothing. And He knows that the human heart needs to experience joy, happiness, and peace. All of these things will come when Christ becomes the center of your life.
4: Hear, O
GOD CONSIDERS THIS POINT TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT FOR YOU TO PASS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN. There are not many gods in this Universe! There is only one true God by nature, and yet He has revealed himself in three persons; Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the uniqueness of the Hebrew God; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God expects to be the only Captain of your ship.
“Hear, O
How many Gods do we need to follow in this Universe? The answer, ONE!
5: I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: ...
6: from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
The Bible teaches that there’s only one God in this Universe. Our children need to know this fact.
How many Saviors are there in this Universe? ONE!
10: Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11: I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Yet I am the LORD thy God...and...there is no saviour beside me.
The Old Testament tells us that there is only one God and one Savior.
The New Testament teaches us that that God and that Savior is none other than the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me...
Children like to have things made simple, and God has made it extremely simple for not only our children’s sake, but for our sake as well. His Word teaches us that there is only one God, one Savior, and one Way to eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ is that WAY!
Our children need to know that Jesus Christ is their LORD, and their Savior.
He loves us, and because He loves us we ought also to love him, and to love one another.
5: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Jesus said this is the greatest commandment of all. The Commandments of God, when completely tallied up, equal love for God, and love for one another. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
If we love God, and we love one another, herein we find the fulfillment of the whole law.
The Apostle Paul writing to young Timothy said, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned” (1 Timothy 1:5)
Your love for God shouldn’t be a pretense.
Your love for your fellow man shouldn’t be a charade.
Your love should be a truthful love extended out of a heart that is pure and sincere.
God hates counterfeit love; love that is phony and insincere.
Now listen Dad and Mom…
6: And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
IF GOD’S WORD IS FIXED IN YOUR HEART, THERE IS AN EXCELLENT CHANCE THAT GOD’S WORD WILL ALSO BE FIXED IN THE HEART OF YOUR CHILDREN. But we must teach them diligently about the LORD Jesus Christ.
7: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
WE MUST CONSTANTLY BE FEEDING OUR CHILDRENS’ EYES, EARS, AND HEARTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD... WHICH, IN THIS DAY AND TIME, IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT TO DO.
OUR CHILDREN LIVE IN A WORLD OF PAGANISM. THEY NEED TO HEAR ABOUT THE LORD, AND THEY NEED TO HEAR ABOUT THE LORD FROM YOU, MOM AND DAD! AND NOT JUST HEAR, THEY NEED TO SEE THE LORD WORKING IN YOUR LIFE AS WELL!
God expects us...
o To Train
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The actual Hebrew means: Initiate a child in accordance with his way. A good beginning point for this training is in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth upon him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
o To nurture and admonish,
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Let your judgment and your chastisement be without malice. Don’t take your frustrations out on your little children. “Nurture” means nourishment or feeding! “Admonition” means mild yet earnest reproof.
o To love our children,
... teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
THIS MORNING, DADS AND MOMS HAVE COME TO DEDICATE THEIR CHILDREN TO THE LORD. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBLITY NOW TO KEEP OUR COMMITMENT TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN IN THE NURTURE, ADMONITION, AND LOVE OF THE LORD.
When David, as a young shepherd boy, was about to go out and face Goliath, Saul questioned whether David was able to face such a great challenge.
33: And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34: And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36: Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37: David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
In a real sense, Mom and Dad, you are shepherds. And in this world there are lions and bears that belong to Satan. They desire to have your little lambs. You must be as faithful and courageous as little David in doing all that you can do to defend your little ones from the devil’s snare. David was courageous because he put his faith in the LORD, and the LORD delivered him every time. I encourage you to be faithful and to teach your children about the LORD Jesus Christ. Train them up in the way He would have them go. And as King Saul bid David, I also bid you… Go, and the LORD will be with thee.
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