Faithful Grandparents-The key to faithful Greatgrandchildren
Tonight we are beginning our series on Family Relationships and I want to begin with Grandparents because I talked about Fathers, not too very long ago.
How many of you in here are grandparents? Do you think your life will have any influence on your grandchildren? How about your great grandchildren? Yes and absolutely yes!
In Genesis 5 , we get an account of a man named Enoch, the son of Jared and the Father of Methuselah. Methuselah the father of Lamech and Lamech the father of Noah. You better believe that Enoch walked close to God and because he did Noah’s father Lamech expressed that faith by the name he gave his son. Noah means rest and it was from this seed, the seed of Seth, that Noah came.
Noah was faithful and he preached the truth about God for 120 years, even though people were laughing and mocking God while he labored away, day by day. Even though after 120 years of preaching only 8 people were saved.
Grandparents do you think your faith will effect future generations? You better believe it will.
Grandparents are we living a life like Enoch’s?
Listen to what the writer of Hebrews has to say:
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Don’t you want your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to turn out like Noah?
Look at some of the fruit in his life:
1. He was a righteous man in a totally corrupt age (Gen 6:8-9, Ezek. 14:14)
2. He followed God’s instructions exactly (Gen. 6: 14-16)
3. He preached this righteousness and warned others of the consequences for not seeking God (2 Pet. 2:5)
4. He totally submitted to God, he built the ark, got I the ark, he had no twin Cat diesels, no sail, no rudder, no paddle, no compass, no GPS, no radar, no LORAN- all he had was a total and perfect trust in God. A man who had never seen rain before the flood.
Or how about Timothy’s grandmother Lois, maybe she is your model?
Paul says to his spiritual son Timothy I miss you, I long to see you so I may be filled with joy. 2 Tim 1:5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.
2 Tim 1:6 And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Are you influencing your grandchildren in such a way that they become a joy to their parents and other people? Are you influencing them to be faithful, obedient, respectful, responsible and fun to be with? Or are you just spoiling them rotten and sending them home?
An 8-year-old wrote, "A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own, so she likes other people’s boys and girls. Grandmas don’t have anything to do except be there. If they take us for walks, they slow down past pretty leaves and caterpillars. They never say ’Hurry up.’ Usually they are fat but not too fat to tie shoes. They wear glasses, and sometimes they can take their teeth out. They can answer questions like why dogs hate cats and why God isn’t married. They don’t talk like
visitors do which is hard to understand. When they read to us, they don’t skip words or mind if it is the same story again. Everybody should try to have a grandma, especially if you don’t have television, because grandmas are the only grownups who always have time.
Unknown.
Now there’s evidence based on interviews with children and grandparents that children need their grandparents and vice-versa. The study shows that the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is second in emotional power and influence only to the relationship between parents and children. Grandparents affect the lives of their grandchildren, for good or ill, simply because they exist. Unfortunately, a lot of grandparents ignore the fact, to the emotional deprivation of the young. Of the children studied, only five percent reported close, regular contact with at least one grandparent. The vast majority see their grandparents only infrequently, not because they live too far away, but because the grandparents have chose to remain emotionally distant. These children appear to be hurt, angry, and very perceptive about their grandparents. One of them said, "I’m just a charm on grandma’s bracelet."
THE HEART OF A CHILD
Whatever you write on the heart of a child,
no water can wash away.
The sands may be shifted when billows are wild
and the efforts of time may decay.
Some stories may perish, some songs be forgot,
but this engraved record, time changes it not.
Whatever you write in the heart of a child
a story of gladness or care---
that heaven has blessed or that earth has defiled,
will linger unbearably there.
Who writes it has sealed it forever and aye.
He must answer to God on that great judgment day.
Some things Grandparents can provide for their grandchildren
Teach them about God and spiritual things.
* Guide them towards good marriages by modeling a good one.
* Don’t curse and smoke, if you don’t want them too.
* Be consistent and follow through on things.
* Play with your them.
* Tell them that you love themften.
* Look for good things in grandkids and not just the bad.
* Don’t pressure them too much to excel.
* Believe them and believe in them.
* Share your life, the good and the bad that, they might learn from you.
Let them see how Christ has worked in your life and how He continues to work, even though you may have failed miserably as a younger person.
Point them towards heaven as your time on earth is most likely shorter than theirs, let them know how family can all live together forever.
Talk to them straight about sensitive subjects.
Some Things you should never do
Dishonor their parents- if you disrespect their parent they will disrespect their parent that is simply not scriptural. ( Because a house divided cannot stand).
Change the rules- you must enforce and honor the rules of the parents- if bedtime is 8:00 PM, then bedtime is 8:00PM at your house too.
If Johnny cannot have chocolate than he cannot eat at grandma’s either.
Grandparents sometimes have a problem, taking the authority they had over their own children and extending that authority over both their children and grandchildren. God has placed the parents of the child in authority over the child, not the grandparents. And oh by the way Grandparents you do not have authority over your adult children.
Understand God’s accountability lies on the heads of the parents and grandparents must not divide God’s chain of command.
Never correct the parent in front of the child.
If there is a dispute, a separation or divorce in the family-do not take sides, but teach the child to honor and respect both of his parents.
To a child if you speak badly about either of his parents- you are speaking badly about him.
The Role you play as Grandparent will be significant for future generations in this life and for the next.
An investigation into the famed 18th
century revival preacher Jonathan Edwards (1703-58) showed that, of the 1,394
known descendants of Jonathan Edwards, 100 became preachers and missionaries,
100 lawyers, 80 public officials, 75 army and navy officers, 65 college
professors, 60 physicians, 60 prominent authors, 30 judges, 13 college
presidents, 3 United States senators, and one a vice-president of the United
States.
Another man of that era, Max Jukes, a petty thief had 310 descendants who died as paupers,
150 criminals, 100 were drunkards, 7 were murderers, and more than half of
the women were prostitutes.
Godly Grandparents can turn America’s youth around:
I heard Caroline Tutt at the funeral of her grandmother Talk about how Grandma had shown her how to love her children and her husband, how to be modest, how to be Godly, how to deal with her dad.
In America every 24 hours:
3,000 children see their parents divorced.
1,629 children are put in adult jail.
3,228 children run away from home.
1,512 children drop out of school.
7,742 teens become sexually active
I want to close with one more story:
Pappy was a pleasant fellow. His face was quite drawn from age, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to smile with him. Pappy owned a pawnshop. Everyone who knew him respected and adored him. There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with his own precious items. He referred to the back room as "Memory Hall." In it were pocket watches, clocks, and electric trains. Pappy enjoyed spending time in Memory Hall. Sometimes, he would close his eyes to relive a sweet, simple childhood memory.
One day, Pappy was reassembling an old railroad lantern. As he polished his lantern, he heard the bell on the shop door. The bell had been in Pappy’s family for over a hundred years. He cherished it dearly. Pappy left Memory Hall to greet his customer. At first, he didn’t see anyone. His customer was shorter than the counter. Pappy said, "How can I help you?" The little girl looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, then slowly scanned the room in search of something special. She said, "I’d like to buy a present for my grandpa. But I don’t know what to get."
Pappy began to make suggestions. "How about a pocket watch? It’s in good condition. I fixed it myself," he said. The little girl didn’t answer. Finally, she walked to the door. She wiggled the door gently to ring the bell. The little girl smiled with excitement. "This is just right," the little girl bubbled. "Momma says grandpa loves music." Just then, Pappy knew what she wanted, his bell. He didn’t want to break the little girl’s heart. "I’m sorry, but that’s not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like a radio." The little girl looked at the radio and sighed, "No, I don’t think so."
In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her the story of how the bell had been in his family for many years and that was why he didn’t want to sell it. The little girl said, "I guess I understand. Thank you, anyway." Suddenly, Pappy thought of how the rest of the family was gone—that was, except for his estranged daughter whom he had not seen in a decade. Pappy thought, why not pass the bell on to someone who would share it with a loved one. He said, "I’ve decided to sell the bell." The little girl, said, "Oh, thank you. Grandpa will be so happy." Pappy felt good about helping the child even though he knew he would miss the bell.
Later that evening, Pappy prepared to close up shop. He found himself thinking about the bell. He thought about the child and wondered if her grandpa liked the gift. He knew that any grandfather would cherish anything from such a precious grandchild. Just then, as he turned off the lights in Memory Hall, Pappy thought he heard his bell. But, he knew that was ridiculous, he had sold his bell. In a minute, he heard the bell again. He turned toward the door and there stood the little girl. She was ringing the bell and smiling. Pappy was puzzled, "What’s this? Have you changed your mind?" "No," she grinned. "Momma says it’s for you." Before Pappy had time to say another word, the child’s mother stepped into the doorway. Choking back her tears, she said, "Hello, Dad."
Grandparents, Great grandparents future grandparents, the bell is ringing for us too.
The greatest thing we have to give is our lives, we need to be people who are safe to come home to-no matter what our children or grandchildren have done.
Each of us will leave a legacy and the life we choose to live will have an impact on those who come behind us that is far greater than what we can imagine. We need to show our grandchildren how to live and lead a Godly life, show them how to love, show them how to forgive, show them how to give and most of how show them how to live forever with you and the God who created us.
Closing prayer
