What the Bible has to Say about Children

Date: November 13^th, 2011
Text: Proverbs 22:6
Preached by: Pastor Van Morris

Main Idea: The Bible tells us important things about the nature of children.

Introduction

In our desire to see our children make a true confession of faith in Christ, we should consider certain facts about the nature of children as revealed in the Scriptures.

The Intellectual Immaturity of Children

1 Corinthians 13:11; 14:20

Paul is not saying anything insulting about children.  He is pointing out a fundamental difference between children and adults: namely, that a child is one whose thinking, speaking, and understanding of things is generally less mature than that of an adult.

The Changeableness of Children

Ephesians 4:14

Children are easily influenced and can be swayed from one idea to another quickly.  Encouraging a child to have faith in Christ should be balanced with patience in looking for evidence of true faith, especially when considering baptism.

Opportunities for Patient Cultivation

Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:1-2 Timothy 3:14-15

“To this end, parental instruction must be persevering and continuous.  The entrance of Divine truth into the mind and heart, the formation of habit and the training of character, are not formed by sudden and isolated efforts, but by regular and unceasing repetition.  This is the law of all growth in nature.”  (Andrew Murray)

Application Questions

1.     What are the prevailing beliefs about children based solely on the messages put out by modern culture?  Does the Bible support or contradict these beliefs?

2.     What are some of the characteristics of immature thinking?  Of mature thinking?

3.     Consider your own experience in coming to faith in Christ.  How old were you?  What were your thoughts at the time?  How has your faith changed or deepened as you’ve matured?

4.     The parents of a four year old child come to you and say, “Our son says he loves Jesus and we want him to be baptized.”  How would you answer them?

5.     What can parents do in the home to ensure that their efforts to teach their children about God are “persevering and continuous”?

Cultivating Your Child's Vision of God's Glory

Date: November 6^th, 2011
Text: Psalm 145:1-13
Preached by: Pastor Van Morris

Main Idea:  Parents are God’s agents, commissioned to point their children to the glory of God.

Introduction

We are born into this world with a distorted vision of God’s true glory.  Glory signifies importance, excellence, worth, significance, beauty or weight/heaviness. Compared to God, everything else in the universe has no weight.  We were created to be dazzled by God, but our vision is clouded by sin.

How Do Parents Cultivate a Vision for God’s Glory in Their Children?

God has purposefully created the world so that everything He made is a visible finger pointing to His glory (Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 1:19-20).  He has provided an accurate, reliable record of His glorious deeds to commend to the next generation (Psalm 145:1-13).  Parents need to cultivate their own vision of God’s glory so that they can pass it on to their children. There is an urgent need of a vision for God’s glory (Judges 2:10).

The Plot of God’s Glory

Children must be helped to see their place in God’s plot (Read Eph 1:1-18).

Application Questions

1.     Read Psalm 145:1-3.  How is this a reality in your own life?  What attitudes and/or actions need to change in your life for this to deepen?

2.     How would you explain the glory of God to a child?

3.     What messages of modern culture undermine the declaration of God’s glory in creation?  What would you do to counter those messages in your children?

4.     How would you use the Bible to demonstrate God’s glory to someone?

5.     Read Ephesians 1:1-18.  What truths do you see here about who you are in Christ?  How does this impact your vision of God’s glory?

The World Your Child Was Born Into

Date: October 30^th, 2011
Text: Genesis 3:1-7
Preached by: Pastor Van Morris

Main Idea:  Children are born into a world that is in rebellion against its Creator.

Introduction

In this text, the “world” is mankind organized in rebellion against God; a spiritual force that is the antithesis of the kingdom of God.  It is the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, riches, and pleasures which, although hollow and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God, and are obstacles to the cause of Christ.

Your child was born into a world that has been blinded through deception.

Genesis 3:1-7

Your child was born into a world that sin has invaded.

Romans 5:12

Your child was born into a world that goes contrary to the will of God.

Ephesians 2:1-3

Your child was born into a world that is passing away.

1 John 2:17

 Your child was born into a world that belongs to and is loved by God.

Psalm 24:1; John 3:16

By giving His Son to a deceived, broken world, God is saying that we were meant for Jesus, and that only in Jesus can all that has fallen apart be healed.

Application Questions

1.     Though you may not have children yet, what were your thoughts as the reality of the kind of world we live in was presented?

2.     What are some of the messages the world tries to deceive children with?  What are the gospel truths they should know to protect them?

3.     What life experiences have you had that have helped you understand the fact that the world is an impermanent place, already subject to passing away?

4.     How does knowing that the world belongs to and is loved by God help you when you are confronted with the world’s obvious brokenness?

5.     How would you offer the gospel to a child?  How might it be different from  presenting the gospel to an adult?