Chico Alliance Church
Godly Children
God Love’s Kids
Over and over again, God talks about His love for children.
He has stern warning to those who lead children astray.
Jesus and Children
One time some children wanted to see Jesus and the adults tried to shoo them away.
Jesus rebuked them and said,
“Permit the children to come to me.”
And He took them on his lap and blessed them.
The Bible also has many stories about kids with good and bad behavior.
Ungodly Kids
David’s Kid (Absolom) nearly destroyed the kingdom.
Eli’s Kids stole and cheated people and treated the things of God with disrespect.
Samuel’s Kids caused the people to want a different plan than God.
Adam’s kid (Cain) didn’t give his best and got angry when God wasn’t impressed.
His anger then turned to hate and murder.
Manoah’s Kid (Samson) could only think about himself.
Noah’s Kid (Ham) mistreated his father and his whole family suffered.
Godly Kids
Hannah’s kid (Samuel) served God from a child devoted his life to the work of the church
Jacob’s kid (Joseph) refused to hold a grudge when mistreated and saved a nation.
Adam’s kid (Abel) Gave his best to God and is honored to this day.
Eunice and Lois’ kid (Timothy) learned the Bible as a young man and became an effective pastor and servant of God.
Zacharias and Elizabeth’s kid (John the Baptist) earned praise from Jesus that there was no greater man born of a woman.
Mary and Joseph’s kid demonstrated perfect obedience (Jesus)
What does God say kids are to do?
The Bible is clear about the best way for kids to survive and even thrive in this world.
There are only two basic instructions to children.
One is found in both here in Colossians and the other is an addition to the passage in Eph.
When God had Paul write this letter to the Church which met in Colossae, he expected that children would be in the church listening to the letter being read.
It is good that you are all here today to hear what God says about your responsibility to your parents.
What am I to do?
Obey your parents
This word “obey” comes from a basic word to hear.
Children, stop and listen to your parents.
Hear and do what you are told by your parents.
“in the Lord”
“in everything”
God instructs children to respond to their parents the same way you might respond to hunger or a selfish impulse.
Responding to your parents should be as natural as fighting with your brother and sisters or wanting your own way about things.
Obeying has as much to do with doing as hearing.
You can hear your parents and not do anything about what you hear.
That is not Biblical obedience.
Slide
Why obey my parents?
1. It is the right thing to do
God says we are to obey our parents because it is “the right thing to do.”
It is the way God designed things to be.
God always has a reason for the way things are to be.
It is always harmful to treat things differently than designed.
ILLUS: Radio in the bath tub.
Obeying parents, listening to their teaching and instructions and wisdom and warnings is the right things to do.
2. It pleases God
You are responsible to obey.
Do you want to please God and put a smile on His face?
Obey your parents.
When children learn to obey their parents, they not only please God but learn to obey Him.
Listen to your parents. Don’t wait to be told twice. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
As long as you are under the roof and authority of your parents and they are not telling you to do things contrary to the Law of God, you are to listen and do as instructed by our parents.
The verses over in Ephesians add a second responsibility to children in the family.
2. Honor your parents
This responsibility of children carries no expiration date.
Children are to honor their parents.
To honor means to set a value on something.
ILLUS: you probably have some toys that you honor, you value.
To honor your parents is to value them, treat them with respect.
Even when they don’t always do what is right or what we like, we are to honor them, value them as important.
To speak well of them.
To treat them with respect.
Watch our mouth in how you speak to them.
Be careful how you talk about your parents to others people.
Ask for their wisdom and opinion and help.
To dishonor them is to devalue them.
Don’t’ talk about them in a disrespectful manner.
Don’t take them for granted.
Don’t be ungrateful for their care.
Don’t refuse to take their warnings to heart.
God says that if you obey and honor your parents, you will be blessed.
Blessing
1. It will go well with you
You want your life to go well?
Do you want God’s blessing on your life?
Do you want to enjoy life?
Then practice honoring your parents!
2. You may life long on the earth
Not only will it go well but you will have longer time to enjoy it.
Listen to some other advice from the Bible about your response to parents.
Proverbs for Kids
Proverbs 3:11-12
Kids, do not ignore when God tries to teach you, Or hate it when he corrects you, the LORD shows His love by correction, even as a earthly father corrects their sons because they want the best for them.
Proverbs 4:1-6
Kids, listen to the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,
For parents give you sound teaching; Do not abandon their my instruction.
"Follow their teaching from the heart; Keep their commandments and live;
Learn how to live God’s way! Learn why God’s way is best!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the teaching of your parents.
Proverbs 6:20
Children, obey the commandment of your father,
And do not turn your back on the teaching of your mother;
Proverbs 10:1
A son or daughter who follows the ways of God greatly pleases a father,
But a son or daughter who lives according to his own ways saddens his mother.
Proverbs 15:20
A son or daughter who lives according to God’s ways delights a father,
But a man or woman who lives foolishly shows he has no respect for his mother.
Proverbs 17:21
The parents of one who lives their own way have no joy, only sorrow.
Proverbs 17:25
A foolish child is a grief to their father, And a bad taste to their mother.
Proverbs 19:13
A foolish child causes destruction to the parents.
Proverbs 19:26
He who hurts his father and causes his mother to run away is a shameful and disgraceful son.
Proverbs 20:20
He who wishes evil things on his father or his mother, will find no help or answers in time of trouble.
Proverbs 23:22
Listen to your father, And do not despise or hate your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 23:24-25
The father of a child who does right will greatly rejoice,
And he who gives birth to a wise son will be glad in how he turns out.
Let your father and your mother be glad by living right according to God’s ways,
And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
Proverbs 28:7
He who keeps the law is a son who is able to know right from wrong,
But he who runs around with those who have no self-control humiliates his father.
Proverbs 28:24
He who steals from his father or his mother, And says, "there is nothing wrong with it," is no different than the one who destroys others.
Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who runs around with sensual women wastes his wealth.
Proverbs 29:15
The switch and verbal warnings of wrong doing give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
Proverbs 30:11
There is an evil kind of man who wishes evil upon his father,
And does not wish good things on his mother.
Proverbs 30:15-17
The eye that makes fun of a father, And shows no respect for a mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young vultures will eat it.
Consequences
To ignore God’s way of doing things always brings Consequences.
We may not even realize or feel the damage being done to our soul.
Every time we decide to something outside of God’s design for us, we will experience damage to the soul that accumulates like a slow poison to the system.
Eventually it will become evident and cause sever damage and even death.
If we take some opposites from this passage from the Bible.
Do not disobey your parents, for this is WRONG!
Do not dishonor you parents or it will.
1. Not go well with you.
Guilt
Inability to respond to God.
Soul Damage from rebellion.
Bitterness.
Fixation on negative.
Fear.
2. You will not live long.
Parents may end your life?
Natural consequences may destroy us sooner than we think.
Bitterness will eat us up.
Continual disobedience brings damage.
Failure to listen, obey and honor your parents makes you open to other sin.
This sin eventually surfaces in the character so that others can easily see.
The damage done to the soul in your early years often carries on through your whole life.
Consequences can be very damaging.
If you listen to your parents and obey and honor them you will find yourself less vulnerable to other sins.
Continued disobedience causes us to fall into other sin.
When you live under the umbrella of protection of you parents, you will escape uch.
Review
Obey your parents
It is right
It pleases God
Honor your parents
It will go well
You will live long
Clear you conscience by confession.
Think of a way you can show honor to your parents.
Write a letter.
Tell them.
Do a chore without being asked.
Obey the first time.
