Growing A Godly Family
Raising Godly Kids in an ungodly world
3 of 3
I. You’ve all heard of children fear unseen monsters in their room. (Under the bed, closet, etc.)
A. The monster the prowls in our homes isn’t just under the bed.
a. That monster is the devil and he wants to......
*Disable *Dismantle *Dismember *Disengage *Destroy
*And Devour your family.
b. He is good at what he does!
B. According to Dr. James Dobson, Today is the first time in HISTORY that divorce is actually higher in the church than it is in the secular world.
a. When he can get us to give up on or get largely away from God, the devil has his in.
b. That monster, the devil, wants you and your house!!!
II. Today’s message is entitled, Raising Godly kids in an ungodly world.
A. Duet. 6:6-7
[6] These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
[7] Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
a. Moses told the nation of Israel how God wanted them to be his witness to their kids. ETS
b. God wants parents to tell their children about the one who loves them even more than they do. ESS
B. I want parents to develop a plan to daily teach their child about God. OBJ.
a. What is your plan to teach your child about God? P.Q.
b. Let’s look at two directives that can help us develop a daily plan to share God with our Children. T.S.
I. The first direction is to "TALK IT".
1. God desired for parents to know who he was.
A. Moses wanted the parents to know God before they said one word about Him to their babies.
a. (vv:6) .....be upon your heart.
b. Before the parent in the ANE could tell their kids about Yehwah, they first had to know about him personally.
B. When we flew recently, I listened to the stewardess give instruction for in case of an emergency.
a. They told all of us w/ small children to put on our oxygen before we put the mask on our children. Why?
b. Before you can begin to truly share God’s love with your child, you must know God’s love yourself.
2. God desired for parents to talk to their kids about Him.
A. Moses told the parents to tell their babies about God.
a. (vv:7) "Impress them on your children." HOW?....TALK!!!!
b. This mirrors his command in chapter 4:9
DT 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
HOW? TELL THEM!!!
B. Look for moments to tell your kids about God.
a. Your kids will get more out of what you tell them about God on their way to school than 5 years worth of my sermons.
b. Share those stories of Adam/Eve, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Jonah, Job, Elijah, Peter, Paul.......and of course Jesus. Again, Again, and Again.
(Kids are big on repetition!)
*I’ve already heard the alphabet song and the Barney song at nauseam.
HE LOVES THEM!!!
*There’s coming a day when our babies won’t want to hear us.
*Make hay while the sun is shinning, because the rain is coming when all we’ll get is a one word response.
3. God has commanded us to share His commandments with our children.
A. In Malaysia, if the father is arrested for drunk driving, he’s not put in jail alone.
a. The officials also put mom/wife in jail with the drunk father. Why?
b. The Malaysian government see breaking the law as a family problem.
B. When we fail to share God verbally with our children..........were breaking God’s law.
a. Not just Daddies who will be held responsible. Mommies will be held in contempt as well.
b. God see’s breaking the law as a family problem.
Transitional Sentence:
Talking about God is instrumental in developing a plan to teach our kids about God but talking alone is an incomplete plan.
II. The second directive is to "WALK IT".
1. God must have thought that parents should have taken a critical role in evangelizing their kids.
A. "Talk.....when your sitting, walking along the way."
a. Everyday, all the time, every moment.....
b. As they lived every moment, they were to be showing, sharing an example of Godliness.
B. To show God you gotta spend time with your kids.
a. Harvard prof. Dr. Nicholi, revealed a study that showed American parents spend less time with their kids than almost any other country.
b. Spend time being Jesus to your kids in the car pool, supper table, bed time, t.v. time, Wal-Mart, etc......
2. God wanted the parents of Israel to be persistent.
A. "When you lie down and when you get up."
a. The Sabbath wasn’t the only day the parents were to take a stand for God.
b. A daily commitment to the walk was called for.
B. There is coming a time when our babies will wake up on a Sunday morning and say, "I don’t want to go to church today. Can I stay home." (How will you respond?)
a. Give in. (We’ll think that they’ll think, "Mom & Dad are cool. I want to go to church all the more now!")
*Kids don’t think like that. They’ll think, "Gee, that was easy. I’ll try again next week.)
b. This is what I suggest.........
"Look them firmly in the eye, with a matter-of-fact voice drenched in love tell them.....
*In this family we believe in Jesus Christ. We are all going to church. It’s something we do as a family. Were leaving in 10 minutes.
*Don’t threaten, don’t raise your voice. Just make going to church as a family be on par as the sun rising in the morning.
*Do this early...and when the pimples and prom comes, your position will be much stronger!
3. A young boy asked his Father, "Daddy, whats a Christian?"
A. The daddy replied...
a. "A Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends, his neighbors, and even his enemies. He’s kind and gentle and prays a lot. He looks forward to going to heaven and thinks that knowing God is better than anything on earth. That, son is a Christian.
b. The boy then asked, "Daddy, have I ever seen a Christian?"
B. Our babies don’t need a definition of a Christian...they need an example of one.
a. Before we can tell them about God, we’ve got know him ourselves.
b. They need us to model it in our own behavior, disciplines, attitudes...
Conclusion:
1. Raising Kids who love God is not an accident. God wants parents to tell their children about the one who loves them even more than they do.
A. We’ve looked at two directives that can help us develop a daily plan to share God with our children.
a. Talk It. (In the car pool, supper table, Grocery store, bath......)
b. Walk It. (Teaching our kids about the straight and narrow is easy...all we have to do is lead the way!!!!)
B. I want you to develop a plan to daily teach your children about God.
a. Right now, what’s your plan? (Sunday.....Church.)
*What will you be doing tomorrow? Thursday? Saturday?
b. You may (or may not) have Sunday whooped, but whats your plan for the rest of the week?
2. What is your plan to teach your child about God?
A. Immediately after WWII there was a housing shortage in Great Britain.
a. A woman saw a poor child tagging along his parents, who didn’t have a house to live in.
b. The woman approached the boy in sympathy and said, "I’m so sorry you don’t have a home."
c. The little boy replied, "We have a home, we just don’t have a house to put it in yet."
d. 60 years ago there was a housing shortage, today there is home shortage.
B. Tim Kimmel is a well known Christian author.(Does most of his work on a roll top desk)
a. On top his desk are three pictures....
*Jamison Mem. Hospt. (Far left) Hosp. he was born at.
*Graceland Cemetery (Far Right) Cemetery he’ll likely be buried at.
*Picture of his wife & Children (Middle) Reminds Tim of where life begins, ends and what really matters during the in between time.
b. Life is short so seize every moment with your family and make a difference.
c. How do you plan to do that?
