Parental Responsibilites (Pt 2 Of 2)

Series: FAMILY MATTERS

Sermon: “Parental Responsibilities” (part 2)

Passage: Deut 6:6-9

- We have been talking about FAMILY and how it MATTERS

- Today…parenting…at times I have failed miserably…but I also have done some things right

- Toughest job on earth…parent

- Look at Deut 6:6-9 / Pray

CHILDREN BELONG TO GOD

- Children are entrusted to us as parents to raise…they do not belong to us

- They are a gift given to us by God

1. Educate/Teach Them

- What to teach?

- Deut 6:6,7 says we are to teach God’s commandments

- Teach them to live life IAW God’s principles found in His word

2. Train Them

- Prov 22:6 is a promise given from God

- Just as in this passage TRAIN THEM IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO

- If you are going to train your children, it is going to take time and effort

3. Discipline Them (Restrain and Control them)

- Remember in 1 Sam 3 Eli did not restrain his sons

- Children must be retrained, controlled, and then when out of control, disciplined

- Spank them lovingly…not in anger (I have failed at that some times)

TRANS: Let’s continue this morning as we see that a fourth parental responsibility is to…

4. Love Them

- No matter what else is going on in your child’s life, they need to know you love them

- A. Tell them often – they need to hear it

- B. Show them often – love is an action word

- Spend time with them (builds great memories)

- Germany stuff we did – horsie, t-ball, wrestle, softball, read

- Times you will be tired (turn to II Cor 12:14-15)

- C. Touch them often

- Mark 10:13-16 says about children “They brought them to Jesus that he should touch them…in vs. 16…and He took them into His arms…”

- Hugs, kissed, sit on lap, hold them, rub them, play with them

- Let’s them know you are approachable

- D. Listen/Talk to them

- Let’s them know they are important

- I get tickled at hearing them explain things (words, stories)

- Remember, children don’t want things from your love, they just want your love

TRANS: Another vital parental responsibility is we must…

5. Pray for Them

- Matt 18:18, “bind on earth/heaven…loose on earth/heaven”

- A. Pray at Bedtime (dreams, thoughts, images)

- Turn to II Cor 10:3-6

- Phil 4:8, “whatever is pure, lovely, just, good, praiseworthy…think on these things”

- B. Pray for salvation, Wisdom, full of spirit, right decisions, character, etc…

TRANS: Lastly, one of the most important aspects of parental responsibilities is we must…

6. Be the Right Example

- Cannot NOT be an example

- More things are caught than taught (values are not taught to children but caught)

- They learn more by what you do than what you say (Dad or Mom smoking/drinking/cussing)

- Old cliché, “do as I say not as I do” won’t work

- I learn some but what you say, more but what you do, but most by WHO YOU ARE!!!

- Let them see God in your life…”Fingerprints of God” (favorite songs)

- I want so bad to be my children’s hero…in every aspect of my life

- Read Poem “I’d rather see a sermon”

CONCLUSION

- Parents children are a gift from God…they belong to Him

- But He expects us to be good stewards and raise up children in His ways

- We are responsible and will be held accountable in

1. Teaching/educating them

2. Training them up to go the right way

3. Disciplining them when they go astray

4. Love Them

5. Pray for Them

6. Be the Right Example

- The family is still in, it is still the moral fabric of our society

- We need parents to quit shirking their parental responsibilities and start being the right kind of parents again

- Pray