When Paul wrote to Timothy, he mentions Timothy’s Grandmother. Look at 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.”
The genuine faith that Paul found in Timothy, can be traced all the way back to his grandmother Lois.
Not only can a lot of the good qualities that we find in children be traced back to their grandparents, so can a lot of bad qualities be traced back to them.
Look at our text verse again, we read, “…And there arose another generation after them, which KNEW NOT THE LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD”
The conditions of our society today are the result of the way past generations of parents and grandparents raised their children. During their lifetime some sowed bad seeds, and during our lifetime we are reaping the evil harvest. This is what happened in the days of Israel, and this is what is happening in our day also.
We really cannot do much about these people today, except pray for them and witness to them.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE FUTURE GENERATION?
Our children will soon be filling our places.
Illus: We all have heard that old saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world.” That is true, and we had better never forget that!
When we fail to teach our children that the Lord should be first in their lives, we can quickly loose a whole generation, morally and spiritually.
The reason that America is as wicked as it is today, is because parents of the past have taught their children that:
• Sports is everything
• Popularity is everything
• Materialism is everything
• Pleasure is everything
And we now are reaping a society of people who believe this.
When some grandparents came out of the great depression after having a difficult time surviving, they decided that their children and grandchildren would not have to suffer like that, and they made life easy for them. They wanted to give them a life of material things, pleasures, entertainment, and luxury. They spoiled their children rotten. They had time for everything but God, and now we are reaping the fruit of that generation.
One result of trying to make life easier for the coming generations was that the work ethic was removed. People today not only do not want to work hard for a living, but they don’t want to work at all!
Illus: Most young people today would think that Manual Labor is the name of a Mexican man.
It is sad that the present generation is making the same mistakes that past generations have made. To keep this from happening, look at the instructions God gave to parents and grandparents.
Look at Deuteronomy 6:6-7. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Look at the word “diligently,” this is the Greek word “Shanan”, (Shaw-nan) which means to point, to pierce.
The biggest thing some parents have ever done for their child is to potty train them, because ever since then, the child has been pretty much on his own. But the fact is, as parents and grandparents, we have to continue TO POINT them in the right direction on a daily basis.
Notice that the word of God is to be taught all the time.
• “when thou sittest in thine house”
• “when thou liest down”
• “when thou risest up”
Some parents may say, “Preacher, I think kids today are smarter than kids used to be in my day.” Are you kidding?
• Some of these young men are having a hard time figuring out how to keep their pants up.
• Some of these young ladies don’t have enough sense to know that you wear an earring in your ear, not in your eyelid, nose, or tongue.
• Some kids don’t know that their hair is not supposed to be orange or green or purple.
• Many of today’s kids don’t have any concept of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
When we, as parents and as grandparents, fail to train our children, they will grow up ignorant concerning the things of God, and of proper conduct in this society.
As parents and grandparents, we still have the obligation of Ephesians 6:4, “…Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Look at that word “nurture”. This is the Greek word “paideia”, (pahee-di'-ah) which means tutoring, disciplinary correction, chastisement, instruction. This is the same thing a mother does for her child. She nurtures her child by feeding the child the physical nutrition it needs to cause the child to grow to maturity.
As parents and grandparents, we are to love our children and “nurture” them with the good spiritual nutrition they need to help them to attain spiritual maturity. As parents and grandparents, this is exactly what we are going to have to stand before God and give account for. HAVE WE NURTURED THEM?
Let me show you some things about GRANDPARENTS on this special day we call Grandparent’s Sunday. First, let us look at-
I. THE EXCITEMENT OF GRANDPARENTS
For most people, it is an exciting thing to be a grandparent!
Illus: One thing churches could do on GRANDPARENT’S DAY is line up all of our grandfathers, and see who is the fastest in reaching for their wallet to show you the pictures of their grandchildren. I am sure that there are some that are faster on the draw than John Wayne was.
We Grandparents love to talk about our grandchildren.
Illus: For two solid hours, a lady sitting next to a man on an airplane talked about all eight of her grandchildren. She had pulled out the traditional folder that many grandparents carry around, and shown him all eight of them.
After talking for two hours about them, she finally realized that she had dominated the conversation. She said, “Oh, I’ve done all the talking, and I am so sorry. I don’t want to do all the talking. Is there any thing you’d like to ask me about my grandchildren?”
Illus: One grandparent said, “Have I told you about my grandchildren?” The man was quick to reply. “No, and I really appreciate it!”
In fact, some grandparents will tell you that they were more excited when their grandchildren were born than when their own children were born.
Illus: One grandmother said, “If I had it to do all over again, I’d just skip having children and have grandchildren!”
One reason we enjoy being a grandparent, is because most of us had our children while we were young ourselves. We were all wrapped up in our marriage and in trying to establish a home. We were not mature enough to understand how blessed we were when our children were born.
When our grandchildren came along, we were much more mature and settled down in life, and we could appreciate them a lot more. Someone said, “The great thing about being a grandparent is that it is like having a second chance at being a parent.”
There is another reason we enjoy being grandparents. We grandparents can spoil the grandchildren rotten, and then send them home to their parents!
Oh, THE EXCITEMENT OF BEING A GRANDPARENT, but let’s also look at-
II. THE EXAMPLE OF GRANDPARENTS
Grandparents hold a very unique position. They are parents by title only; they have only limited authority. In many areas of their grandchildren’s lives they have no authority. The parents have sole authority in these areas.
There is one area where they have the authority to participate in the grandchildren’s lives. That is in the teaching of the Word of God to their grandchildren.
Deut. 4:8-9 “And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all THIS LAW, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but TEACH THEM THY SONS, AND THY SONS' SONS;”
When it comes to the Word of God, our work is not complete when we have taught our own children, but we are to have a part in teaching the Word of God to their children. God commands this.
God uses Grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren in another way.
GOD USES GRANDPARENTS TO TEACH HONOR
One of the best ways to teach a child is by example. You can tell them what you want with words, and they might not comprehend what you are trying to teach. But if you can show them by example, that is the best way to teach them.
The Bible tells a child to honor his parents.
Illus: What better way to teach a child to honor their mother and father, than by mothers and fathers showing honor to their own parents. When children grow up seeing how they honor their parents, then the child can easily understand what it means to honor his mother and father.
Illus: “I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather someone walk with me than merely tell the way.” - Edgar A. Guest
Our nation needs to learn that a great society cannot exist where the home fails. The building blocks of a nation are the families in that nation. The reason we see such little respect for school teachers, policemen, and pastors, etc. is because parents are not teaching their children respect at home.
The first authority figures a child has to be taught to respect and honor are their parents, and a wonderful way to teach children to honor parents, is for them to see mom and dad honoring their parents.
III. THE EXHORTATION OF GRANDPARENTS
Many of us who are grandparents can look back and see the mistakes we made as parents. Since we have come to know the Lord and matured through the years, we see things differently. If we could go back and do some things differently, we would, but….
• We can’t go back
• We can’t undo our actions
• We can’t take back our words
What we can do as mature Christians is recognize the mistakes we made, and try to encourage our children not to make the same mistakes.
WHAT KIND OF MISTAKES HAVE WE GRANDPARENTS MADE?
WE MADE SOME PRIORITY MISTAKES
Many of the mistakes we grandparents made were after we got married. We got so busy in trying to establish a family, and trying to make money to buy a home, that we put God on the back burner. We were not Atheists, we believed in God, but we lived our lives as if God was not all that important.
Some people got so caught up in making a living, in sports, in recreation, and spending time with their friends, that they put God on the back burner and never got around to teaching their children that one day they are going to spend eternity in heaven or hell.
What can we as Grandparents do about our failures in this area? We do not have the time we once had; our days are few. We can’t afford to waste any more of the precious days God gives us.
We can do two things:
(1) WE CAN PRAY FOR THEM. We know that God still hears and answers prayer.
(2) WE CAN EXHORT THEM. We need to encourage them not to make the same mistakes we made. Exhort them not to put God on the back burner.
Something every PARENT and GRANDPARENT needs to do is to see their children and grandchildren through the eyes of God. They need to realize that these children and grandchildren that they would die for, are one day going to spend eternity in HEAVEN or HELL. Christian PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS have a responsibility to point their children and grandchildren to the Lord!
We need to exhort our children to have strong spiritual families, where it is understood that the Lord is the silent listener in every conversation, and the unseen guest at every meal.
Illus: Several years ago, Judge Sam Davis Tatum of the Davidson County Tennessee Juvenile Court, said, "I have tried approximately 14,500 youngsters under the age of seventeen for violating the law in this jurisdiction. Of that great host of children, in only two instances (out of 14,500 youngsters) did the father and mother go to Sunday school and church regularly at the time they came into Juvenile Court.”
I think that tells us something. WE CAN SEE A CAUSE AND EFFECT IN THIS.
If we want children to have the FAITH and MORAL VALUES they used to have, we are going to have to start raising children the way they used to raise them: IN CHURCH UNDER THE PREACHING AND TEACHING OF GOD’S WORD!
If we fail to PRAY for our children and grandchildren, and fail to EXHORT THEM to know Christ and obey God’s Word, then our grandchildren and great grandchildren will continue to be the problem in this society, and one day they will die and go to a Christ-less eternity.
Conclusion:
Illus: Many years ago, a preacher startled his congregation. He rushed into church one Sunday morning with excitement in his voice, screaming, “We’re being invaded! Our country is being invaded!” He continued, “Already the invaders are moving into Washington D.C.. Within a short time they will be in control of radio, televison, newspapers, every major means of transportation, and even business and industry. Soon they will have taken over everything in our country. And what’s more, we are completely powerless to prevent it” Then he asked, “Who are these invaders?” After a dramatic paused he answered, “THEY ARE OUR CHILDREN.”
Look around us at society today, look at:
• All the ungodliness we hear about in our schools
• All the fifth that is on television
• All the killings we hear about
• All the raping we hear about
• All the stealing we hear about
• All the child molesting we hear about
• All the rebellion we hear about
• All the unwed mothers we hear about
• All the problems with drugs and alcohol we hear about
• All the problems with gambling and pornography we hear about
• All the evil politicians we read about
Many of these people today that are doing this wickedness, are the children of parents and grandparents who raised them this way.
God still has a job for you to do. If he were through with you in this life, He would have removed you. We love our CHILDREN and our GRANDCHILDREN, and with what few days we have left on earth, we need to be doing the things God has placed us here to do.
Thank God for Parents and Grandparents who love the Lord and are raising their children to love Him as well.
I. THE EXCITEMENT OF GRANDPARENTS
II. THE EXHORTATION OF GRANDPARENTS
