Matt 19:13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
God instructs us to train our children.
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Here is, A great duty enjoined, particularly to those that are the parents and instructors of children, in order to the propagating of wisdom, that it may not die with them: Train up children in that age of vanity, to keep them from the sins and snares of it, in that learning age, to prepare them for what they are designed for; initiate them; keep them under discipline. Train them as soldiers, who are taught to handle their arms, keep rank, and observe the word of command. Train them up, not in the way they would go (the bias of their corrupt hearts would draw them aside), but in the way they should go, the way in which, if you love them, you would have them go.
Deut 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
A good reason for it, taken from the great advantage of this care and pains with children: When they grow up, when they grow old, it is to be hoped, they will not depart from it. Good impressions made upon them then will abide upon them all their days. Ordinarily the vessel retains the savor with which it was first seasoned. Many indeed have departed from the good way in which they were trained up; Solomon himself did so. But early training may be a means of their recovering themselves, as it is supposed Solomon did. At least the parents will have the comfort of having done their duty and used the means.
This proverb is a probability that if we do what God commands us to do that our children will have a greater chance of knowing and having a revelation of the person of Jesus Christ. That when the time comes when God calls their name that they will know who it is that calls them and that they will recognize His voice and know that it is Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.
We see this when God calls Samuel at a young age.
1 Sam 3:2 one night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
6 Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ’Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
In the text scripture Matt 19:13 the bible says that they brought the children to Jesus. But the disciples rebuked them! They stopped the children from going to Jesus. They must have thought that Jesus was way to busy and important to pray for the children. What business do children have with God? Their just little children and this is adult stuff here and we don’t want them in the middle of whatever’s going on here. This might have been some of their reasoning for stopping and rebuking them.
My point here is that we as adults, parents, teachers, disciples can forbid the children from every seeing Jesus. Yes ultimately it’s their responsibility
To develop their own personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior.
There are a few ways that came to mind.
1. By not being in a right relationship with God ourselves
2. By not enforcing the teaching of the bible in our homes
3. By not praying for them. Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
4. By not equipping them with materials
Parents will buy them all kinds of stuff, magazines, movies, and games, none of it having to do with God.
5. By not being involved in a local church.
6. By not teaching them how to repent of their sins.
7. By not challenging bad attitudes and bad behavior. 1 Sam 15:23 for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
8. By not challenging them to a personal relationship with Jesus
You would be surprised how many children have never been asked if they have ever given their lives to Jesus and repented of their sins and asked him into their hearts.
I’m sure there are many more you could add on to these.
Jesus said Let the children come to me! In other words the disciples were hindering the children from coming to Jesus. I believe that we have the ability to keep children from coming to God! Does this sound harsh, yes but it is true.
To do nothing is to do something. If you don’t raise your children in the Lord as God has commanded us to do… is doing something!
If you want to kill a rose bush all you have to do is nothing. Don’t water it and see what happens. It will die!
Don’t teach, preach, Jesus and you also will be guilty of stopping your children from seeing Jesus.
Mark 9:42 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
Studies have shown that parents who have knowing allowed their children to do things they should not be doing, suffer greatly from guilt. And I believe that God allows us the sting of that sin, and allows us to feel the sting of guilt so that we can be warned! It’s an early warning device called guilt that gives us a warning to change the way were raising our children. To know to do what is right and not do it is Sin! And teaching our children and raising them in the lord is right and not to do it is sin!
The hope here is in the story of Samuel in verse 10: Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Samuel was trained in the way of the Lord and when the time came when God called him, at first he didn’t respond, but eventually when He understood and God showed himself to him he did respond with “your servant is listening.
This is my prayer, that when God calls my children’s name they will respond with “Your servant is listening.”
