These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

-Deuteronomy 6:1-9

  

“Direction, not intention, determines destination.”

  

What is the goal of parenting?

  

Evolutionary World View:

To produce an offspring that can survive.

Tribal World View:

Produce offspring that will successfully transmit cultural or tribal values.

Secular Humanist World View:

Produce offspring that will perpetuate humanity and the material world.

Christian World View:

“Raising Faith.” Produce offspring who follow Jesus.

• Who love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.
• Who love their neighbor as themselves.
• Who live as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Your goal should be that your children have an active personal faith that matures as they mature.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

-Revelation 3:20

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

-Matthew 11:28-29

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

-Psalm 73:23-26

  

We as Parents are God’s Proxies to accomplish his purposes in the world.

  

How to raise our children in the Faith:

  

One: Teach them about God as early as possible.

A Parent’s Job?

• Explain the character and nature of God as well as the working and doings of God as revealed in scripture.
• Demonstrate what you say you believe at home.
• As it relates to the endurance of your child’s faith, what happens at home is far more catalytic than what happens at church.

  

  

Your kids are more likely to mimic how you live over and above what you say.

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn away from it.

-Proverbs 22:6

Seek first the kingdom of God… and these things will be added unto you.

-Matthew 6:33

  

Two: Teach them to listen to the voice of God.

God is speaking to your child long before they become Christ-followers.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

-Acts 16:6-10

  

One of the most important questions you should teach your children to ask at an early age: “Lord, show me what you want me to do with my life.”

  

Three: Teach them to guard their hearts.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

-Proverbs 4:23

A major part of parenthood is to train a child to understand that their emotions and feelings do not always represent reality and to take those emotions and feelings and drag them to what is objectively true!

Unless we train our emotions they will lead us around by the nose, and we will be captives to every passing impulse or reaction. But once faith is trained to control the emotions and knows how to lean resolutely against weakness of character, another entryway of doubt is sealed shut forever. Much of our distress as Christians comes not because of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature.

-Oswald Chambers

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

-Deuteronomy 6:6-9

God does not separate the heart from the mind. We do.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

-2 Timothy 1:7

Whoever has Tefflin on his head and arm, tsitsi on his garment, and mezuzah on his door may be presumed not to sin; for he has many reminders, and these are the ‘angels’ that save him from sinning, as it is said, ‘The angel of the Lord camps around those who revere Him and rescues them.’

-Ancient Sages

  

Why is it so important that they never forget God’s precepts?

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

-Deuteronomy 6:3

“The condition of our children’s hearts is above all things because their emotional health determines their relational health and, ultimately, their behavior and performance.”

  

If you google: What determines a child’s emotional health? It is all situational.

  

Scriptures to memorize:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

-Philippians 4:13

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:19

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,’ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’

-Jeremiah 29:11-13

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

-Romans 8:28

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

-Deuteronomy 31:8-9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

-Proverbs 3:5-6

  

Talk to children about their feelings.

• Why are you angry?
• Should you really be angry?
• Why are you sad?
• How should you respond to your sadness?
• Why are you so jealous?
• Why are you afraid?

So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

-Deuteronomy 6:10-12

Don’t allow abundance to make you forget your God and turn to other gods….

Disney’s agenda may or may not come as a shock to us, but it should come as a timely reminder that we cannot relegate the work of teaching our children to Disney or Pixar, to Dora or Sesame Street. We can no more blindly sit them in front of television to watch cartoons. This world is not our home, and this culture is not our ally, and our level of vigilance should reflect that.

-Jasmine Holmes, “Do you trust Disney with you kids?”

  

Four: Teach them to pray.

Teach them the Lord’s Prayer!

This, then, is how you should pray:‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

-Matthew 6:9-13

  

Five: Keep them engaged in church.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

-Hebrews 10:24-25

Please do not reduce church to listening to a podcast.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

-Acts 2:42-43

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

-Acts 2:46-47

  

Six: Teach them the Cross.

  

Are you ruled by your emotions or by the Word of God?

Is there any Bible reading in your life?

Is there a life of prayer and relationship in your life?

Have you given God all of your sin so that He can give you all of His forgiveness?

  

  

  

  

  

What are your main takeaways from this sermon?

Make a Decision