This sermon was preached the Sunday before our Holiday Bible Club.
INTRODUCTION
The Church needs to recognise the importance of children’s ministry. The first sermon of the church era emphasized that the salvation message includes children – Acts 2:39 "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call".
Our text is 2 Timothy 3:15. Knowledge is the theme.
1. WHAT TIMOTHY KNEW
"The holy scriptures".
(a) Timothy knew something very pure.
"Holy". There are no mistakes in scripture. It is a very special book. We have no right to change it. As a church we disagree with modern versions of the Bible because they do just that.
(b) Timothy knew something very powerful.
"Which are able to make thee wise". We need wise children. Children are foolish by nature – Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him". Why are children so rebellious today? Why are there so few wise children? The answer is simple. They haven’t been taught the holy scriptures.
(c) Timothy knew something very precious.
"The". The Bible is precious because it is the only holy book. The Koran of Islam is a counterfeit, as are the Vedas of Hinduism, the Tripitaka of Buddhism, the Book of Mormon and the New World Translation. Martin Luther said on one occasion "If you take the Word away it is like taking the sun away from the earth".
Children need to know what Timothy knew - the holy scriptures. Deuteronomy 8:3 "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live".
2. WHEN TIMOTHY KNEW
"From a child".
(a) The possibility.
The word "child" means an infant i.e. a toddler. From his earliest days Timothy had been immersed in God’s holy word. Toddlers are capable of taking in much more than we give them credit for. The first seven years of a child’s life are the most important with regard to learning.
(b) The responsibility.
Parents are responsible for teaching scripture to their children. 2 Timothy 1:5 "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also".
John & Charles Wesley became acquainted with the Bible from an early age. Their mother Susanna organised all her children into pairs to read psalms andd other scriptures every morning and evening.
3. WHO TIMOTHY KNEW
"Christ Jesus".
Timothy came to know Christ at some point in his childhood. It is possibble for children to do the same today. Matthew Henry was saved at the age of 11, Jonathan Edwards at 8, Polycarp at 9, Charles Spurgeon at 12. The list goes on. 80% of people who become Christians do so by the age of 14.
Broaden my vision for children today,
Use every part of my life Lord I pray,
May I see through Your eyes those who are lost,
May I be faithful not counting the cost.
