SO SIMPLE A CHILD COULD UNDERSTAND IT
Jack and Jill Poem
The job of any public speaker is four-fold…
1. Have something worth saying
2. Say it in a way that gets their attention
3. Say it in a way that helps them remember it
4. Keep it simple
I believe this sermon meets all of those requisites
Instead of using scripture as my skeleton.... what I will follow and hang my points on is a children’s poem.
One with which you are very familiar… JACKAND JILL
Disclaimer: I know some people get upset if the pastor does not begin with scripture. If anyone of you doubts, for one minute, that what I say today is not scriptural, I’ll be glad to furnish you with a printed list of scriptures to go with each point.
((Pastors using this message may choose to include a scriptural reference with each point))
Just to be sure we are all together, let’s say the poem together…
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after
Now, don’t get all upset thinking this is going to be silly or irreverent... it is neither.
The truth is, for some strange reason, I find a great message in this poem.
Let’s look at it, tear it apart, and see what nuggets of gold we can mine.
1. "Jack and Jill went up the hill"
Jack represents the Husband/Father
Jill represents the Wife/Mother
Together they represent the FAMILY
The poem does not say Jack went up the hill alone or Jill went up the hill alone.
Jack AND Jill that is the Plan, God’s plan.
In Genesis 2:18 God says, IT IS NOT GOOD FOR MAN TO BE ALONE…”
This does not mean that there is some deficiency in the male of the species that causes him to require help.... as opposed to the female who could have existed alone.
Many feminists seem to feel that if God had been smarter (or if God was a woman) He/she would have made Eve first and then there would have been no need for the male.
Of course for the feminists... the problem is that God is a male.
Generally, God was saying "It is not good for humans to be alone."
Specifically, God was saying, "IT IS NOT GOOD FOR PARENTS TO BE DOING THE JOB ALONE!!!!
IT IS NOT GOOD
1. It is not good for the kids I know there are many single moms here who would get offended and say, “I raised my kids as a single mom and they turned out pretty good.”
Then I commend you for the good job you do but I will still say these things…
A. It was not God’s will (divorce or pregnancy)
I’m not saying God is angry and going to punish you.
I’m saying God had a beautiful plan for you (family) and you missed out on that beautiful plan.
B. It would have been better for the kids and you if they had a godly father to be there for you and them.
C. If they turned out well, they are the exception and not the rule
Statistics are overwhelming, it is not good for the kids.
2. It is not good for the schools
more truancy
lower grades
more trouble in class
3. It is not good for the communities
more crime
more tax money to support them
weaker workplace
weaker communities
It is not good for workplace
government
church
IT IS NOT GOOD FOR ANYBODY….period!!!
((Play video clip “Single Mother” from Bluefishtv.com))
I don’t care what the Wynona Judds and the Murphy Browns or Hillary Clintons of this world tell you.... Raising children into healthy, stable, well-rounded adults TAKES A FAMILY !!!
God said, "It is not good for man to be alone, I will give him a helper"
God said it was needed.... necessary.
God does not say Jack or Jill (single parent) can go up the hill.
God says Jack AND Jill.
Not only does the poem not say Jack or Jill went up the hill…
It also does not say Jack and Jack or Jill and Jill went up the hill.
God defines the family as a man and a woman.
God’s plan is Jack and Jill… one man and one woman… period.
“WENT UP THE HILL”
Now if I had written this poem I would have said they, “went DOWN the hill”
Why? Because I always think of water flowing downhill, and I imagine rivers and lakes being down in the valley.
I’m glad the poet did not say, “went down the hill.”
Why?
Because UP THE HILL is so much truer of being a family.
Marriage, child-rearing, and family… they are HILLS MOUNTAINS is more like it!!!!!
They are filled with all kinds of problems and concerns.
And they take a family.
The marriage and child-rearing are HARD....UPHILL.
God gave us things to help make it easier....FAMILY just like wheels on a trailer.
Why do we continue to pull when the wheels are off?
WHY DON’T WE PUT THEM BACK?????
The family is broken, the wheels have fallen off, and now we are dragging this loaded wagon, doing terrible damage to the wagon and the environment.... and we let others tell us that it is natural to drag a trailer without wheels and that it makes us a better person... that it won’t affect the trailer and it won’t affect the environment.
God said, "IT IS NOT GOOD."
Look at society since the 50’s, since society has told us we don’t need the wheels, since feminists have decided women don’t need men anyone, since the courts have decided kids don’t need two parents and have made divorces commonplace, since government has decided it would step in and take the place of the parents, since public education has decided it knows best how to socialize our kids.
Look at where we are since the wheels have come off...
and tell me we are better off
tell me that it has not affected the trailer (kids)
tell me that it has not affected the world (society, mores, justice)
WHY DO WE HAVE GUNS AT SCHOOL
WHY DO KIDS KILL THEIR PARENTS
WHY DO WE HAVE THE DRUG PROBLEMS
WHY DO WE HAVE THE HOMOSEXUAL PLAGUE
BECAUSE WE HAVE REMOVED THE WHEELS
THE FAMILY IS THE WHEELS!!!!!
2. "to fetch a pail of water"
water = essentials
There are certain essentials in family life
training the kids what is right
disciplining kids
maintaining the "home"
sustaining the marriage
modeling proper behavior
Jack and Jill had a mission… fetch a pail of water.
The family has a mission too… to mold and prepare children to become mature, productive members of society.
Jack and Jill could not fetch that water alone. It was too heavy for one of them. Together they could do the job.
Family does not take two… it takes three…
Jack- Jill- God
3. "Jack fell down"
The father fell down
fell into sin
fell away from the Lord
fell into worldliness
fell into success-ism
fell into selfishness
The MAN, of today’s society, has not so much FALLEN as he has LAID DOWN
ABANDONED his post,
his pedastool
THE FATHER HAS ABANDONED HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE AT THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY!!!!!!!!!
It is not the purpose of this sermon to defend God’s teaching that the man is the head of the family, that the wife should graciously submit to him, or that the kids should obey and honor him.
Those are sermons for other days.
I just make the point that the male influence is sorely lacking in our society because too many men have abandoned their responsibility.
THERE IS NO BETTER PLAN, NO BETTER WAY
A husband who loves his wife as he loves the Lord
A wife who submits to her husband as she would to God
Children who obey and honor their parents
Two parents working together to provide a stable, healthy home where the kids can grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
Yes, there are those homes where one parent is struggling to do it all out of necessity because the spouse died or walked away
Many are doing the best they can.... and some are doing pretty well.
And society is indebted to those faithful parents and should help those families.
And society can prosper with them AS LONG AS THEY ARE THE EXCEPTION
BUT NOT WHEN THEY ARE THE RULE!!!!
Ask those parents, even those doing well
It would be so much easier with two parents.
Where do we look for the reason for the broken families?
JACK!!!
Some of you recoil at that statement because you know broken families- divorces- and you know it was a two way street- Jack and Jill were both to blame… perhaps there were even cases where Jill was more to blame.
I am not speaking to any one case… I mean AS A RULE… Jack is more responsible.
Why? God says so. God says the man is the head of the family. As such God will hold the husband/man more responsible.
“To whom much is given, much is expected.”
The poem says JACK FELL DOWN--- it did not say why, it did not place blame… it just stated a fact… Jack fell down.
I will not try to place blame either. I just state a fact… Jack, the man, the father, the leader has fallen in our society.
4. And broke his crown
I never understood this part of the poem
What is his crown????
Is it his head???9 or the other end?9???
Was he a prince...
if so why was he fetching water???
if not why was he wearing a crown to do work
Maybe this cartoon was right
What is the crown of the father or the family??
What crown is broken when the man falls?
Is. 28:5 "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the faithful remnant of his people.”
The crown of the godly man is the Presence of God in him.
It is his godliness, his holiness.
When the man falls into sin, selfishness, worldliness, pleasure, etc.... THE CROWN IS BROKEN!!!!!
Too many families today have a father with no crown… no relationship to God at all.
And THE LEADERSHIP OF A GODLY MAN IS THE CROWN OF THE FAMILY
A family with a Godly man at the head is blessed, is rich, is strong
the father is the crown
When he falls the crown of the family is broken.... the family is robbed
Some of the greatest Christians I know are women, and some women have to be the leader in the family BY DEFAULT... and some are doing great.... they are the crown of their family.
But there is no more beautiful crown any family can wear than a Dad.
Family = Mom and kids, led by a man of God, a godly man, where he serves as the spiritual leader, the light house to show the way, and the rudder to steer the ship.
THAT IS THE CROWN that is broken by divorce, by alcohol, by adultery, by abdication.
5. and Jill came tumbling after.
Jill represents the wife and kids… the family
Really says, “And the family came tumbling after”
Where did the climb start JACK and Jill went up the hill
the climb started with Jack
Where did the tumble begin?
Jack fell down.... and Jill came tumbling after
The climb or the fall in the family begins with the man.
Why do we have so much black on black crime
such a high black percentage of criminals and prisoners
so much black school drop-out
so much black drug problems
such high black welfare percentage
Is it because they were slaves 150 years ago? NO!!!
Is it because they have been discriminated against? They have.... but that is not the problem.
IT IS THE ABSENTEE BLACK FATHER!!!!!!!
Don’t come to me with the “Bigot” stuff. Check out the statistics.
Why so much WHITE crime among teenagers?
so much WHITE drug problems
so much WHITE unwed pregnancy?
THE ABSENTEE WHITE FATHER!!!
DIVORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like it or lump it...I don’t care
You cannot tear the family up because you want to sow your wild oats
or because spouse is not supportive
or spouse is a total jerk
You cannot tear the family apart and think it won’t affect your kids and society!!!!!!!!!
GOD PUT THE FATHER AT THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY BECAUSE IT WAS BEST
GOD WILL HOLD THE FATHER RESPONSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OUR SOCIETY DOESN’T HOLD ANYONE RESPONSIBLE
GIVE THEM THEIR SPACE AND FREEDOM
AND WE HAVE CREATED A MONSTER THAT WILL DESTROY US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m not here to blast divorced people.
I’m here to emphasize to Dads the importance, the responsibility, the joy, the struggle and the absolute necessity of BEING A GODLY MAN AND FATHER.
BEING THERE WITH THEIR KIDS.
BEING WITH does not mean being in the same house, but in another room watching the same TV program
or riding in the same car but tuned out to them and into radio
Let’s recap…
Jack and Jill = one man AND one woman
went up the hill = IT IS HARD, and it takes two
to fetch a pail of water = The family has a mission
Jack fell down = The tumble starts with DAD, leader
and broke his crown = as goes the father so goes the family
and Jill came tumbling after = you will affect the whole thing
Invitation:
This sermon is my original creation and you are free to use it without credit to me. I have a powerpoint which I will gladly share with you. Contact me at rhpendleton57@gmail.com
