Several years ago my family and I were visiting the French Quarter in New Orleans. We were taking in the sites and enjoying begnets and coffee. While we were there we stumbled accross two transvestites. These guys where painted in gold from head to toe and they were calling out for my son to come over.
You could tell by the look in their eyes that what they had in mind for my son wasn’t something that would be good for him. As a matter of fact, you could say that they wanted him to destroy him. I quickly rushed my son away while they laughed. I was filled with righteous indignation.
Then I began wondering, why is it that Satan always seems to want to destroy children. It seems sometimes as if he leaves alone adults who’ve been raised with the knowledge and love of Christ and instead he targets the most helpless among us, our kids. His evil desire is to ruin their lives. It’s becuase of that I’m going to share with you a message this morning entitled Warning: Children at wrisk.
Now this isn’t a typical cream puff Mother’s Day sermons where we thank all of the moms for the great job that they do. Not that I don’t appreciate the hard work of moms, but instead this is a call to arms to enlighten moms on the difficulty involved in raising children in this new generation.
I have two goals today. First, I hope to share a fresh understanding of what Godly parenting is and how to accomplish it. Second, I pray that parents will leave this morning with a renewed committment to the responsiblities that God has given them.
Read Text
This text describes a woman who took here responsiblity seriously. She received the greatest blessing in life when here children rose up and called her blessed. All parents can experience that same reward even in these difficult times.
There are a few things to consider.
I. Look at how far Satan’s attacks have come.
A quick look at current events and you realize that our children are in trouble. From Columbine high school to the new epedimic of dangerous difficult to control drugs are kids are caught in the cross fire of Satans battle to destroy. No where is there further proof of this than in a survey given to teachers asking them what the most difficult parts of their job was. I want you to take a moment and here how the answes have changed from the 1950’s to the 1990’s.
The number one problem facing teachers in the 50’s was "talking in class." The number one problem in the 90’s according to surveys is drug abuse. The number two problem in the 50’s was chewing gum. The number two problem in the 90’s was alchol abuse. The number three problem in the 50’s was making noise the number three problem in the 90’s was teen pregnancy. The number four problem 40 years ago was running in the hallways the number 4 problem today is suicide. Number 5 was cutting in line, today it’s rape. We’ve come along way baby! In just 40 years the world has changed and whether we like it or not this is the generation that our children live in and there is little we can do to remove them from it, our best bet is to prepare them for it. In order to do that we must:
II.Look at the war that is being waged.
A. The Bible calls what is happening to us warfare. In Eph. 6:12 we are reminded that we wrestle not against flesh and blood...
B. This war is an old war. Satan has always waged war against our children. Look at some examples:
-Cain and Able.
-Satan having all of the Hebrew children killed during the time of Moses.
-Satan killing all the babies at the time of Jesus.
The devil has demonstrated time and time again he hates kids. Maybe that’s is why today abortion rates are soaring, families are falling apart, and our kids are caugt in the cross fire.
C. It’s an agressive war. Satan’s war today is as agressive as it ever has been. You can see Satan’s agression in television. Once cartoons meant it was kid friendly, today watch out! Look at the violence, nudity, and vulgarity of entertainment, video games, and the like. Then couple that with the problems in the public schools and you’ll see that Satan is as agressive today as he ever was.
Now this is the bad news, there is good news.
D. It’s a winnable war. Proverbs 22:6 says train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Friends, this truth doesn’t change over the passage of time. God’s promise to us today is as real as when he first gave it.
III. Look at the work to be done.
A. Love your children without hesitation or reservation. Absentee parenting won’t work into this culture. We must be present both physically and emotionally for our kids.
B. Teach your kids the truth. The Bible teaches in Duet. 6 that it is the parents responsibility to give kids the truth training that they will need if they are to be successful in their life and in the relationship with God.
C.Teach your kids the difference between right and wrong. In a world full of gray we need to bring back white and black and instill in our children the absolute values that aren’t subject to change. We must instill in them the value of character and the worth of virtue. No one else, no one at school, no one in entertainment can or will do this for your children.
D. Teach your children the value of respect. Respect is a Godly thing. I want to raise kids who say "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" not because I’m Southern (Although I am) but because I want them to learn to respect things. If they can’t respect people then how can they respect themselves? If they can’t respect themselves then why not pierce every part of the body?
IV. Look at the victory you will win.
One day your child will rise up and call you blessed if you fight the good fight for you child. How can I be so sure?
A. Because of God’s promise. (Prov. 22:6)
B. Because of God’s power. (Romans 8)
C. Because of God’s presence.
God wants you to be successful with the children that He has blessed you with. By calling on Him and depending on Him you can reap the harvest of a child that will one day rise up and call you blessed.
Mom’s I realize it is difficult out there. I realize there are people calling your child to do all sorts of things that would hurt your child. I realize that the world has changed. But consider for a moment the example of Mose’s mother. She lived in dire times as well. Her solution was to place the baby Moses in a basket and trust God to take care of Him. Then God blessed her by giving her the ability to train him to do right in a household of wrong.
The same can happen for you today. If you will realize that there is a battle going on for your child and dedicate yourself to doing whatever is necessary to win that battle for your child through God’s power. Again, God wants you to be successful and you can be even in difficult days.
Warning: Children at wrisk.
Good News: God can save.
