Showing Your Children How To Live!

Showing them how to Live!

Genesis 7:1, 7

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

On the sixth day humanity was created in the image of God, a little lower than the angels and our Creator said it was a “very good” (Genesis 1:27-31; Psalms 8:5)! If we fast-forward just ten generations, we are told that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart became evil, all the time” and God said He regretted that He ever made human beings (Genesis 6:1-8)! So, God sent a flood and destroyed all the inhabitants of the earth except Noah and his family (Genesis 6-9). I would like to say we learned from God’s discipline and now His righteousness is anchored and reigning supreme in our hearts but that is certainly not the case! With every 68 seconds an American being sexually assaulted, every year 1.6 million people losing their lives due to violence, global divorce rates close to 50%, and number of people living for Jesus dropping about one percent per year while atheism is growing by that same rate; one cant help but agree with the late Billy Graham, “if God does not soon bring judgement upon America, He’ll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!” While many people of this world are heinous in God’s sight because they are “gossips, slanders, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, with no love or mercy (Romans 1:30); they are equally heinous because they gladly revel and rejoice in the carnal pleasures of this world (1 John 2:15). While based on a worldly definition many of these people might be called atheists, and since God has given them over to their reprobate minds this is partially true (Romans 1:28), they are in many ways far from atheists for they worship more gods than any Roman every did … enslaved by one for each carnal pleasure that their depraved minds crave (Hebrews 12:1)! It is no wonder Apostle Paul wrote “there is no one righteous, not a single one” (Romans 3:9-20)!

A Profound Witness

This fallen world in which we live that is not our home (Hebrews 13:14) dads, is precisely where we are called to raise our children in the Lord’s ways! This is a daunting task for how does one compete with the 500 plus channel television set, interactive life of video games, the “worlds” of the internet, numerous sexual partnerships, and phones that make chatting and selfies a 24/7 reality … especially considering on average fathers get between 4 and 7 hours per week to spend with their children? Despite the ridicule that Noah likely took for about a century while building the ark he never stopped witnessing to the wicked generation of his time. Though his pleas mostly fell on the blind and deaf ears of his pleasure seeking, wicked generation, to his delight Noah’s wife, children and their wives chose to enter the ark (Genesis 7)! Dads it is possible for you to teach your children about God but like Noah it will require great sacrifice and faith! Your children will not come to God out of compulsion but are more likely to see your “minority” stand of refusing to join the pleasure seeking ways of this world to gladly submit to your Creator as a great light shining light in the utter darkness of the world in which they live! To truly let your light shine tell your children about the laws God has written upon your heart by being a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-9) that has unspeakable, unbreakable faith and joy in His grace, mercy and forgiveness, both in the good but bad times as well! Dad you also need divine help to effectively witness to your children! So, wear out your knees with intercessory prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) that the “mysterious power, quiet, silent, omnipotent” voice of the Holy Spirit might penetrate even into the darkest and stoniest parts of your children’s hearts and reveal to them the Treasure and Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46) that you found and worship as the one and only true God (Exodus 20:3)!

Voluntary Submission

For your children to truly see the Light of your living sacrifice, in all your ways voluntarily and joyfully acknowledge Christ’s right to rule over your heart! To keep your witness from becoming a hypocritical, pharisaic exercise of futility dad you must refuse to compromise and indulge in the ways of this fallen world. Noah was not forced into the ark but joyfully entered and gladly surrendered his future to the Creator who sustains all life (Colossians 1:16)! Despite likely harsh criticism and the constant temptation to participate in the pleasures of this world, Noah kept his feet firmly planted in God’s will and as a result had a profound witness to his children. Likewise dad to convince your children that God’s ways are greater and better than worldly pleasures of a self-seeking heart, you simply must show them your undying love and faith in the Lord who reached down and saved the worm and dust of the earth you are (Job 25:6; Genesis 2:7), not because God had to but because He loved too (John 3:16)! Show them what it is like to walk by the still waters, talk with and receive peace and assurance from one’s Creator. Whenever possible let them see you make major life decisions on your knees. In bad times especially let them see that your obedience to the Lord is not based on ease of life but faith that God only does good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28)! In your heart dad revere the Lord and always be ready through the power of the Holy spirit to give your children concrete examples of your love for the Lord (1 Peter 3:15). Remember dad, your children are unlikely to give up the carnal pleasures of this world until they see something infinitely better within you the living, unspeakable joy of your faithful obedience to your Lord, Savior and King!