Christian Home

FOR THE
CHILDREN:

"I apologize for the numbering. This happens in conversion" (R. Wolfe)

The Christian Home
By Pastor Ronnie Wolfe B Series Beginning January, 2006

Ge 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

THE HOME IN THE NATURAL REALM - (1/1/2006) AM

The very word HOME brings with it a sense of fondness, a feeling of love and assurance. The name touches our very souls and brings a memory and a feeling that we can never forget. Nothing but death can break the spell of home.
But what is home? It is more than a mere collection of human beings dwelling in the same house. It is more than a village or town. It is more than surface feelings and fancies. We look for the meaning of home within the confines of our human realities, not in our dreams or imaginations.
The home is more than a lion= s den or an eagle= s nest. The home is more than the caring for children and the making of money and the gathering together at night for bed.
The home is a Christian institution. It is coeval and congenital with man. We speak of animals having homes, but they do not in the true sense of the word home. The word home is found 50 times in the Bible, and it always speaks of human beings and not animals. Home is not only human; it is also Christian. It is based upon the teachings of Moses and the word of God. The thoughts of the Bible ring loud upon the many passages that have to do with parents, children, love, caring, household, etc.
The basis of the home is identified in two realms: the physical and the moral. It is only in the realm of the moral that we can experience the true value and meaning of the home. These two realms, the moral and the physical, are intertwined together whereas one complements the other.
In the physical realm of the family we refer not only the total of the individual sum of members in the family but also the unity of that sum of individual members which gives the home its life, its character, its persuasion and influence in the world.
In the moral realm of the family we refer to the union of the moral lives and interests of each member of the family. This makes up the true family, despite what the Socialists, the Mormons and the Woman= s Lib folks may say.
1. In the moral realm of the family, love is at its base. Without the moral character of true family love, a family is just so many people living together in one dwelling, and they may as well be of no blood relation, because this true, sincere, instinctive love for family is a part of nature which God has put in our hearts. It brings us the true meaning of family. Without this we have no real family.
2. This love is first experienced from the mother, who gently caresses her small baby and nurtures her child with tender, loving care. This love is extended from mother to father and then to siblings. It is a bond that is stronger than death; it is superior to adversity and can stand steadfast in the face of a selfish world.
3. This love guards the sick bed, challenges misfortune, and brings hunger and famine to its knees, for it is stronger than any of these. When our world of friends have turned their backs, or when we have left them behind for change of location, or graduation or some other circumstance, we will always turn back to home. It is the strongest bond known to man on a physical level.
4. Even in a wicked home, children turn back to that home for their lasting security. They will mimic father or mother even in their wickedness, because that familial love is so grounded in our being that we have a natural tendency to turn back to that institution of God, the family.
But the family has as its basis more than just love. Each has strong ties together to other members of the family. The bondings occur as we grow together in the family so that, when mother or father dies, or brother goes off to war, or sister marries and moves on to her own life, this bond remains as a stronghold to the human mind and heart.
1. As the soldier lies in the field of battle, he turns back to home for his fond memories and his confidence, because he knows that his family is thinking about him.
2. As a sibling (a brother or sister) goes off to a new married life, he or she will depend upon the family bond to support him or her in the new venture in life.
3. When father dies, the rest of the family draw close by his bedside and promise to stay together and love one another and be faithful to the family ties.
So with strong love and strong ties, the family is the stalwart of our existence, and this physical family is extremely necessary to the character and strength of a nation. Someone has said, A I stand here to say that if you settle Christianity right in the home, it settles all questions everywhere. National life never rises above the home life and never sinks below it.@
Neither can church life rise above our home life. The kinds of homes we have determines what kind of church we have. Joshua said it well when he said, Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
"O, not the smile of other lands,
Though far and wide our feet may roam,
Can e= er untie the genial bands
That knit our hearts to home!"
Our nature demands home. It is woven into our very existence. The feelings of home never wane or fade or disappear. The want of home and desire to at least go back and visit the house where we used to live, where father and mother were there with children all around, this haunts our very being as we grow older. Truly, there is no place like home.
And this natural tendency toward home is innate to us as we are born in the image of God. From the very being, Adam desired a mate. This is the feeling of home. When the Lord made him a woman, he was complemented and made complete.
The whole social fabric of life depends upon a good home life at its base. Without it this or any nation will fall. Everyone knows that a child who does not have the proper family structure tends to have social problems as he grows into adulthood. He has no reference point for his life without a proper home, without that strong and irrevokable love that comes from a true and sincere home, without that moral fiber for his character building and his attitude toward people at large.
But with a proper home background we can travel far distances from the location of our home and still have that assurance and confidence that is necessary for a structured and prosperous social life.
So, this is the physical realm of our home life. It is built into our nature to long for familial love and memories of home. This love can satisfy us when nothing else can. All the riches and luxuries in the world will pass fleetingly away, but the love of our family will continue to bind itself to our hearts until death takes us away from it.
Oh, today, if our American leaders would know and understand the importance of the Christian home, a home that is based upon the precepts of God= s holy word! Oh, that our educators could see the importance of the home, not a village or a town together working for the common good, but a blood-bond family brought together with a man and woman married having children to love, discipline, and teach the things of God!
If our homes in America fall apart, so will our nation. Let= s pray that God will teach us anew of the preciousness and the necessity of a good home life. Let= s also pray that God will renew in our homes the feeling of that deep-rooted love and need to have the same attitude that God had about Abraham. Let= s read it again.
Ge 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
1. Parents, don= t forget that your children are watching you and mimicking you.
2. If you lie, they will lie; if you steal, they will steal; if you are dishonest in business, they will be dishonest in business.
Illustrations
1. A man said that, while he was in his study, he heard the whole family laughing. He came out of his study to see his young son coming down the stairs with his father= s clothes on. The vest dragged the floor as did his coat. The hat came down on the little boy= s eyes, and the boy= s feet got lost in the number 9 shoes of his father. The father said, A This is not a funny thing to me. It is a very serious thing to me, because I realize that this boy wants to be just like his father.@ Our sons want to be like us. Our daughters usually want to be like their mother, and most of the time they will take many traits of their mothers.
2. A preacher once said about a little boy he met on visitation that he had a very messed up head of hair. The mother explained that he got the scissors and cut his hair. When asked why he did it, he said he wanted to be like his dad. His dad was bald. Don= t take for granted that your children will not be like you; they will be.
3. A boy watched his father all through his young years as he lived a holy and righteous life. But when his father was on his deathbed, the son had a question that had been bothering him for some time. So he went to his father= s bedside and said to his father, A Father, I have a question for you that I could not ask you before.@ Here is the question he asked his father, A I have seen you live a life of honesty and integrity before all of your sons and daughters. Now that you are at death= s door, do you believe that it was worth living such a righteous life?@ His father answered as he brought a huge smile to his face, A Son, I have been happy all my life in living a righteous life. Now I am even happier now, because A I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.@ From that day the boy had not a shadow of a doubt about his father= s faith nor about his own. After being elected to congress, this young man was sent some books by the infidel Robert Ingersoll. When the boy saw what his congratulation gift was, he simply picked up the books, carried them to the fireplace and put them in the fire, and he watched them burn. This is the kind of influence home has on our children and on our society. I am sure that some homes today need to be repaired. Our home life is more important than our business life. If our children are not led and taught by us, they will choose someone else to be their teacher. Sometimes those other teachers are not the honorable people that we may think. They just may lead our children away from the things of the Lord. Keep in touch with your children. Always be an example of the believer, and remember that our children are always watching us, even when they become adults and leave our houses, they are still watching. Don= t let it be said that your son or daughter went astray because of a poor example on your part. Be the example that your children need both in physical, moral and spiritual things.
4. One more illustration before we close: A man took his two sons to the river to swim. They got into the water and were swimming across the river. The father decided that he should turn around and go back; but when they turned around, they found that the current was strong against them, and the boys were not strong enough to swim back against the current. The father swam back, unable to help his sons, and they both perished. He cried, A I took my boys out too far, and I couldn= t bring them back.@ Don= t take your sons out too far. Keep them close to home. Teach them and be an example of the believer. You won= t be sorry. You may need today to repent for taking your sons and daughters out too far, leading them in the world and not in the Lord.

THE HOME IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM - (1/1/2006) PM

What Is A Christian Home?
1. Only in the arena of Christianity can a real home be experienced.
2. Home to the humanist and to the savage is but a herding of people in a particular way and near to bondage and slavery.
3. Even among the Jews many homes were not much better than the Mahommedan harem.
4. Plato, the philosopher, did not learn from his enlightenment of a true home, because he believed in polygamy (a man having many wives).
5. Other philosophers followed with their polygamy, which is to smack at the true and religious aspects of marriage and relegate it to a simple engagement of lustful partnerships.
6. Even today with Mormonism and Socialism, we have the same proposition of marriage with polygamy, which ignores or denies Bible truth.
7. A Christian marriage is one is one in which a divine union is preserved in honor, held sacred, and the woman is brought to her true high position in society.
The Home Brought To A Spiritual Level
1. To the world, marriage is only a union of natural affection and temporal, or even lustful, interests.
2. In a Christian home, the union of man and woman is brought together in a spiritual level, with a supernatural faith, and it becomes a prefiguring or a type of our heavenly home.
3. The Christian home is also a spiritual type of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
  1. The love of the family is unselfish and is self-denying just as Jesus gave himself for his people and for his church.
  2. Children are an heritage of the Lord - Ps 127:3 Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.
  3. Someone has said that A the Christian family is the vestibule of the church.@ This is not too far from the truth, because what you are in your family you will bring to the church, and the ministry of the church will reflect the nature and character of the families who are members of the church.
4. The Christian home is a partnership of the spiritual as well as the natural life. The Christian home benefits no only from the union of too good and moral people, but it also benefits from those spiritual concerns that are a part of a true Christian home through salvation and through a desire to please God in life.
5. God has joined the Christian family together by his grace and leads both the saved husband and wife by his Spirit. Therefore, with spiritual mindedness and full hope immortality, both husband and wife will go along their lives with a union of spirit that is guided by the very Spirit of God and will be a strong influence on their children.
6. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. This union is vital and spiritual and right in God= s eyes. God has sanctioned it, and it is good for both spouses and for children who grow up under that influence. Many abuse the idea of marriage and family when they deny the spiritual significance in marriage and think of it only on the level of the carnal and natural affections of individuals.
7. The Christian family comes to its fullest fruition in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is where the family blossoms; it is where the family has its roots and its security. The church is where the family continues to learn of God= s word and practices the things that they believe.
  1. Church attendance is necessary for a pure Christian home. Every service should be attended. Many families do not learn spiritual discipline, because they attend church on Sunday morning alone. Families do their children a disservice when they stay home on Sunday and Wednesday nights. They teach their children that their church is not so important after all.
  2. Baptism is important to every member of a family who has been born again by God= s grace. This should be encouraged, since Jesus was baptized for our example of righteousness.
  3. The whole family should be involved in some way in the church. Many things need to be done in church, and there are few volunteers for the work. Until individuals in the church get involved in working in the church, they will not see the need of church and its vital importance in their own lives as well as to the structure of the family.
  4. Through the church our young men are called to the ministry, our missionaries are called to the mission fields, men grow up to love the Lord and to be stalwarts in the churches of the Lord. Women become part of the strong foundation of people in the church, which keeps the church going for many years to come.
  5. In our day, public education has become more important than the church. Education is needed and is good, but it cannot and will not bring spiritual growth to our children. They must learn the value of their church and the value of the fellowship of believers in the church.
8. The Christian family is a religious institution
  1. The family is the oldest institution in the world.
  2. Before Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, before Israel was delivered from Egypt and built a tabernacle of witness, before Israel went into the promised land and built a temple in which to worship their God, Adam had already been the priest of his home and was already offering sacrifices unto the Lord.
  3. There was an altar in the family before there was an altar in the outer court of the tabernacle.
  4. There was a offering to Jehovah in the family before there was an offering on the altar in the temple.
  5. So, the family is a religious institution. It must, then, involve Christian beliefs and Christian behaviors and Christ attitudes. It must be a part of the Lord= s institution, the church, before it can truly be called a Christian home.
9. The Christian home is for instruction
  1. Let= s look at Abraham= s home: Ge 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
  2. Let= s look at Joshua= s home: Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
  3. Let= s look at Job= s home: Job 1:5 And it was so, when the days of [their] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings [according] to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
  4. Let= s look at the home of Cornelius: Ac 10:2 [A] devout [man], and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
  5. These people strongly influenced and trained their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is a matter of discipline.
  6. Notice the promises of discipline in the home:
10. A home may experience and enjoy the deepest of the natural affections that anyone can offer. It may experience and enjoy the benefits of hard work, the tenderness of familial love, the fruit of industry and of common interest. But if a home does not tied together with spiritual interests and hopes, then that home has not experienced the deepest and holiest significance of their home.

THE PURPOSE OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME - (1/8/2006) AM

The Physical Well-being Of the Family
1. 1 Tim. 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
2. It is said in 2 Sam 6:20 that David returned to bless his house. We should not forget the physical needs of our families.
3. Everyone needs shelter, so a home should be provided for the family.
4. To not provide for the physical needs of the dependents in a family is to break the laws of nature and also the legal system of our country.
5. Children are in a state of helplessness to one degree or another as long as they are not on their own and providing for themselves. Infants are especially helpless and need much care as they grow. It is a crime and a sin to neglect these little ones.
6. Mr 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
7. Child abuse is worse today than it has ever been in our country.
8. The respect for life and for the care of our children is at an all-time low.
9. The Department of Health and Human Services released a survey estimating that child abuse and neglect in the United States nearly doubled during the seven years between 1986 and 1993.
The Intellectual Well-being Of the Family
1. Parents are to train their children in the ways of wisdom, helping them to become worthwhile citizens of the society, teaching them to be honest, respectful and truthful in business and in relationships with others.
2. Parents are to train their children in management, teaching them to handle their money with care and to manage their lives in an orderly fashion.
3. Otherwise, parents can and do become slaves to their children. The children will grow up expecting that parents will lie for them, pay their way out of trouble, and even pay others to help to break the law, or whatever it takes to get the child out of his predicament.
4. Parents should also train their children to read and write and to guide their minds toward good reading material and healthy exposure to all media.
5. Certain things should be kept out of the house. Certain TV programs should be forbidden; certain books should be forbidden; certain games should be forbidden; and activities other than video games and TV should be encouraged.
6. We should teach our children all that we can concerning character and attitude, to avoid anger and to get along with others. This can be done by our own example.1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
7. Ro 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
8. Teach your children all the math you know, all the grammar you know, all the speech you know, all the politics you know, all the knowledge you can. If you don= t, I guarantee there will be someone out there who will be more than happy to teach your children their philosophy and worldly wisdom that may eventually break your family apart.
9. Then, learn things along with your children. Learn together as a family. No one knows everything!
The Spiritual Well-being of the Family
1. The family is an emblem of the church and of heaven.
2. The Christian home is a spiritual nursery, and therefore should supply the spiritual needs and wants of every member.
3. First, preach the Gospel in the home.
  1. No home is a true and spiritual home unless the Gospel is preached much and often. No one should tire of hearing that precious story of the cross of Jesus Christ, where he died for our sins, paid our hell punishment, and arose from the dead victorious over the grave, hell, and everything the Devil may do against us.
  2. Lead your children to the Savior. Tell them often of his beauty, his righteousness, his perfect life, his caring for others, his willingness to die for us and shed his precious blood to save us.
  3. A Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above. Of Jesus and his glory, Of Jesus and his love; Tell me the story simply, As to a little child. For I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled.@
4. Second, teach them the doctrines of the Bible.
  1. Teach your children the doctrines of salvation, conversion, regeneration, holiness, sanctification, heaven, hell, demons, the Holy Spirit, of Jesus Christ, God the Father, the Trinity, the Second Coming, about the inspiration of the Bible, and about the assurance we have in our faith in Jesus Christ.
  2. These will strengthen the child, and the child will grow up to appreciate the doctrine in a practical way as he trusts in them for his security and for his course in life.
  3. Thus, we can make available to the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ young men and women who will be prepared to be teachers, preachers, missionaries, deacons, trustees, etc.
The Moral Well-being of the Family
1. Moral Definition
  1. This, of course, is taken up within the spiritual well-being of a family, but here we notice the moral aspect of that part of spiritual training.
  2. Spiritual well-being implies moral well-being.
  3. With morality a matter of flippant and subjective interpretation today, who knows any more what is moral and what is not?
  4. Our children are taught in many schools a situational ethics which teaches them that things are wrong or right depending on the situation, that there is no such thing as a pure right and a pure wrong. We must interpret the situation to know whether it is right or wrong.
  5. Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
  6. Ex 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee.
  7. De 13:18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do [that which is] right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
  8. What is right? That which is correct in the sight of the Lord.
  9. The Bible is right B its words are eternal; its message is flawless; God is its author. This should be our guidebook for life.
2. Moral Reproduction
  1. Moral definition is not enough. We must do more than tell our children to do right. We must do more than send our children to church. We must reproduce morality in our families to our children and grandchildren through practice.
  2. Gal. 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
  3. Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
  4. Just as iniquity passes from one generation to the next, so does morality. The morality of the fathers passes to the children, and their children for generations to come; and when iniquity interrupts that continual passing along of morality, society suffers.
  5. So, we must remember that what we do and how we conduct ourselves and the attitude we have will be passed on to our children and their children. This is a great responsibility for parents.
  6. We heathenize our homes by the absence of spiritual and moral character and practice.
The Qualification To Carry Out The Purpose of the Home
1. Be not unequally yoked together
  1. 2 Cor. 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
  2. 1 Pet. 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
  3. Mr 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
  4. If one parent pulls toward Heaven and the other toward Hell, there will be a halting between Baal and God.
  5. Read 2 Cor. 6:14-18
2. Do not spend so much time in society
  1. Parents today seem to think that they need much time alone exercising their right to be adults, going to events and visiting places and people without their children.
  2. Parents many times think it best to raise their children from infants until they are a few months old and then turn them over to nurses and nannies so that the mother and father can spend more time in social entertainment.
  3. Necessity is a different thing. If it is necessary, that is one thing; if it is not, that is quite another.
  4. We should all love the society of our home above all the social entertainments of the world. We should see and understand the responsibility that God has given us as parents to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This cannot be done in a day-care or a nursery.
  5. "The mother in her office, holds the key
    
    Of the soul; and she it is who stamps the coin
    
    Of character, and makes the being who would be a savage
    
    But for her cares, a Christian man!"
  6. Not only do we heathenize our children by giving them to others to raise, but we pay others to heathenize them.
  7. If we train our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and they are saved by his marvelous grace, then we will be consoled if they should leave us in death with the assurance that we will again see them in Heaven.

RELIGION IN THE HOME - (1/8/2006) PM

"Lo! where yon cottage whitens through the green,
The loveliest feature of a matchless scene;
Beneath its shading elm, with pious fear,
An aged mother draws her children near,
While from the Holy Word, with earnest air,
She teaches them the privilege of prayer.
Look! how their infant eyes with rapture speak;
Mark the flushed lily on the dimpled cheek;
Their hearts are filled with gratitude and love,
Their hopes are centered in a world above!"

Everyone needs a personal and individual religion, a personal faith in Jesus Christ and a personal service to God.
But in the home there is a HOME religion, one that is indigenous to the home, not an exotic religion. It is a religion within the family itself, one that pervades the entire home with conviction and is practical to each member.
This religion was in the Garden of Eden, in the tent of Abraham, in the house of Moses, in the service of Joshua, and in the offerings of Job.
2 Tim. 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.
Read Deut. 6:4-7
By and large today, that which is called A the family altar@ has almost disappeared. Just as the great altar of God on Mt. Carmel once challenged the gods of Baal and is now demolished, so the family altar today is demolished from our society on a very large scale.
1. We must, first, have the inclination to have family devotions. We must be persuaded that it is our privilege and duty to teach our children the things of the Lord. We must be bent toward that tendency. We must have the proclivity and desire to see our children religiously trained in Christian principles.
2. Then, second, we must make the time to have family devotions. Whether that time is a regularly scheduled time, or whether that time is at random once a day, any amount of religious training is very profitable to the home.
3. De 4:9 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;
4. I can remember my mother, not every day but often, taking the Bible in her lap and calling us children around her. She would then read mainly from the book of Proverbs to instill wisdom in us. That left an indelible impression upon me, my mind and my heart.
Family Religion Includes
1. Bible reading and instruction
2. Family prayer
3. Religious education B We happened to be Baptist, and that is what I taught my children.
4. Government B Our responsibility to our civil government (Romans 13) and instruction on church government, since that is where much error is detected.
5. Discipline B To our parents, to government as our God-given rulers, to those in authority over us in society, and in church.
6. 1 Tim. 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
7. Example B 1 Tim. 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
We Can Teach These Things By Pictures / Objects
1. We can make learning about the Lord interesting and fun, if that is needed; but at the same time, we must be sure our children understand the seriousness of our religionB our Bible religion.
2. Coloring books
3. Object lessons
4. Chalk drawings
5. Acting out certain portions of scripture
6. Playing Bible games
7. Memorizing is fun to young children
8. Singing of songs is very instructive
There Should Also Be A Show of Charity
1. We know that this word Charity means A love.@
2. We must teach our children to tithe and give offerings.
3. I do not believe a child should necessarily give money to the church until he begins to earn money himself. But he must understand that a portion of what God allows him to earn belongs to God for the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ and teaching of the things of God in the churches.
Home Religion Should Be A Reproducing Religion
1. Family religion is for the home, but it must reach outside the borders of the home itself.
2. We must be benevolent to others.
  1. To the poor, sick and distressed B 1 Cor. 16:2 Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
  2. Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Family Religion Is A Matter of the Soul
1. Is it more important to teach a child to dance or to pray?
2. Is it more important to teach a child entertainment or godly service?
3. Is it more important to teach a child the excitement of a ball game or the wonder of worship in God= s house?
4. This is all done in the home.
5. And the religion of the home is an inclusive faith and action. It is shared by all, practiced by all, and influenced by all in the family.
  1. 1 Cor. 7:16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save [thy] husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save [thy] wife?
  2. One member of the family has a direct effect upon the other members of the family. They stimulate each other toward salvation or ruin.
Family Religion Should Begin While The Children Are Young
1. Too many times has a couple raised their children with no family religious education, and the children have grown up to be involved in destructive sin.
2. Then the parents attempt to correct their ignorance or their negligence by sending their child to Christian Camp or to a revival meeting or to a pastor for counseling to correct a problem in a few hours or days that took many years to develop.
3. God can and will sometimes intercede in these sinful lives and save that soul. Without salvation and the religious training of the home, the child will continue to go back into sin time and time again.
What If Someone Visited Your Home For a Week?
1. Would they say as Abraham said to Abimelech, A Surely the fear of God is not in this place@ ?
2. It is not too late to begin working on a Christian Home. Some here today are young and have a lot of time to develop that home with God= s help.
3. Others, whose children are grown, may have the same opportunities; but we can all begin to pray for our families, our children and grandchildren, and be an example to them and begin to speak to them about spiritual things.
4. We may not know what joy can come even at this late date when we turn the situation over to God and his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to bring happiness, confidence and joy of being a believer in Jesus Christ.
5. Perhaps you are here today and have never trusted the Lord as your Savior. Then, if you can and will trust him today with your whole heart, he will change you; and that will change your family. May it be so, and may God give us wonderful, Christian, Baptist families as a grand emblem of the home we are expecting when we leave this earth to go to Heaven.

THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE HOME (1/15/2006) AM - 1 Cor. 4:2

Introductory Thoughts
1. Just as Eliezer in Abraham= s house and Joseph in Potiphar= s house, every steward is expected to be faithful in the execution of his duties in regard to the rules and wishes of his master.
2. The home is a stewardship. The parents are stewards of God, and parents are expected by God to execute their stewardship with faithfulness.
3. The authority of a steward is delegated by his master. He has no other authority than that, and God is our Master in the home.
4. God has entrusted every home with the bodies and souls of children, and the only authority that the parents have over those in whom they are entrusted is the authority from God.
5. Therefore, the parents do not have the independent discretion to raise their children as they want but as God commands. Children are an heritage of the Lord (Psalm 127:3).
As stewards we are to be faithful in every aspect of that position. There must, first, be a personal and honorable relationship between the steward and his Master. Therefore, it is our duty as parents to keep ourselves in constant fellowship with God through prayer, Bible study and Christian duties.
1. As parents, we are to be constantly aware and work toward the better welfare of our children.
2. Every mother should count it a heavenly privilege to tenderly nurse the infant child and to care for that child for a number of years.
3. In so doing, the mother polishes, as it were, a precious gem to bring pleasure to herself, her husband and her Master.
4. So, it is not only a privilege to the mother and father to bring up this child correctly; it is also to the glory and honor of God, their Master.
5. Luke 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his lord= s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Secondly, there must be an assumption and a knowledge that the parent= s stewardship is a tributary of the glory of God.
1. We are in the business of bringing glory to God and of manifesting that glory in our lives, showing forth the wonderful grace of God to the world as a light.
2. We can do this, in part, through our children. They are ambassadors to the world of the kind of parents we are; their reputation follows our own and glorifies God only to the extent that we have been good stewards of our children and have raised them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
3. We cannot show God= s glory to the world as a witness if we build up for our children needless pleasures and luxuries. These are only fleeting fancies of the world and have no solidity or foundation for the spiritual good of the child.
4. Mr 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
5. Will you trade your child= s soul for money? fame? popularity? position?
6. Remember that the prodigal son A wasted his goods on riotous living,@ but he found no comfort in these things. His comfort was found only at home among the spiritual influence of his father.
7. We must allow the glory of God to shine through our families and let the world know that we love the Lord Jesus Christ and are willing to serve him with our whole heart and life.

Thirdly, The Accountability of our Stewardship
1. Read Matt. 25:14-30 B Parable of the Talents
  1. Verse 14-18 - The Talents Given
    1. The traveler going into a far country is symbolic of our Lord going back to heaven when he resurrected, leaving us behind with command to do A whatsoever I command you.@
    2. One man was given five talents, another two. These both invested their talents just as we should invest our children. We make our children better by investing their lives in the Lord= s work, encouraging them to be preachers, Sunday School teachers, evangelists, missionaries, honest with the dealings, cordial, hospitable, and zealous of good work.
    3. To one man was given only one talent. He took this talent and hid it so nothing would happen to it. Many parents do this with their children by hiding them in the world and darkening their lives with the things of the world so their light will not shine so that others may see and glorify the Father which is in heaven.
  2. Verse 19 - The Accountability
    1. This verse tells us that a time of accounting came to these stewards of the Lord= s goods. This time will be when Jesus returns, and he will not delay his coming.
    2. Many people do not understand that there will be a day of judgment, but the Bible is very clear about this.
    3. Mt 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
      1. There is an appointed day of judgment, so we must plan and prepare for that day.
      2. Ac 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Fourthly, The Responsibility of our Stewardship
1. The Amount of Responsibility
  1. Luke 12:48b - For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
  2. God will make us accountable of our achievements according to our own ability.
  3. Where God gives a command, he always gives the wisdom and power to obey that command.
2. The Kind of Responsibility
  1. Each family is responsible for the influence that it exerts upon each member of that family that God has given.
    1. Sometimes this influence is negative. The influence upon the family from the parents many times is the influence of evil. Parents live for mammon or for fleshly enjoyment. Thus, the children will go through life with this negative influence and will eventually have the same mind-set as the parents, that of worldliness and self-indulgence.
    2. Sometimes this influence is positive. When the parents influence upon the children their love for Jesus Christ, their interest in spiritual things and in the Bible, the children will remember this influence and will be better prepared to receive the Gospel when it is heard. At least there will be a recognition of the Gospel message, and it will not be a totally foreign message to them.
  2. Each family is responsible for the correction of the mistakes and sins that are committed by our children.
    1. Many times little wrongs are overlooked and winked at as our children grow to adulthood.
    2. Parents do not turn their children away from worldly enjoyments but allow them many times to be involved in many kinds of questionable activities.
    3. A great temptation is there to allow our children to enjoy worldly things, not realizing that later these worldly, even sinful practices may bring them to the brink of despair as they grow into more and more serious sins.
    4. We cannot wink at or condone the sins of our children. We must correct them and continually teach them, turning them away from the wrong way and leading them to the right path.
    5. Will the blood of our children be on our hands as parents if we neglect to raise them as we should? Will not God hold us personally responsible for those sins that our children commit because of our own influence as example or our negligence to correct that sin?
  3. But each child will be personally responsible ultimately for his sins.
    1. De 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
    2. Our sin will be that of neglect and influence, but the actual sins committed by our children are on their own shoulders.
    3. Ro 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
3. The Effects of our Responsibility Upon the Child
  1. 2 Co 2:16 To the one [we are] the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?
  2. Our dedication to be responsible to God as it relates to our children will have one of two effects:
    1. It will be a savour of death unto death
    2. It will be a savour of life unto life
4. Conclusion Upon These Remarks
  1. The day when the Lord will judge us all is nearer than we can even imagine.
  2. 1 Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
  3. If we are going to do anything for our children, we must do it now.
  4. Salvation by grace in the life of each and every member of a family will make that family one that is pleasing in the sight of the Lord and one that is a benefit to both parents and children.
  5. May God give us godly families, families that will honor his name and bring glory to the Lord in the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  6. Pray for our families. Pray for our parental influence upon our children.
  7. God is gracious who will perform what he says.
  8. 1Th 5:24 Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it].

THE BIBLE IN THE HOME - 1/15/2006 PM

The Position of the Bible in the Home
1. Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.
2. The Bible has been touted as the greatest book ever written, and certainly it is. It has been praised by politicians, deists, and poets, and even by infidels and scientists as the greatest literary work the world has ever know.
3. What priority, then, should this precious book have in the home? Should it not be the most used, the most read, the most quoted and the most loved of all the books that come into the home?
4. In many public schools it is not even allowed in the libraries of our Christian land. That is so sad. It cannot be quoted in school assignments in many places and is maligned and censored to the extent that many students have the Bible eliminated from their lives both in the schools and in their homes.
5. We need a revival of the old blessed book. We need to set aside a time every day to read it, and we need to believe it. It has more credibility than all of the miracles that will ever be performed. It has more trustworthy instruction than the best science books and the best literary books ever written.
6. The Bible should take first place in our reading every day. Before you read that novel, read the real book. Before you read your lessons for school, read the real book. Before you look at the newspaper, read the good book.
The Power of the Bible in the Home
1. The Bible is like a glue to the family. It will lead each member of the family to a unified belief in God and his word. It will bring them closer together in love and devotion. It will be a memory for all of the years of your life. You=ve heard that the family that prays together stays together, but it is also true that the family that reads together leads together.
2. A Bible-reading family will be leaders in the community. They will take their convictions into the community and shine a light of righteousness in the neighborhood; and if there are other families who read their Bibles, they will have the same convictions, and they will build a strong community with righteous goals and a moral base.
3. The true moral base of any community comes from the Bible. When the mores of a society are built upon God= s word, there will be less crime and more peace.
4. Pr 16:7 When a man= s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
5. The power in a Bible-reading home is a spiritual power, and that power will last for generations.
6. We all need this power in our homes whether we are young or whether we have already raised our children and are retired. This book will make the difference between a good and a bad day.
The Perversion of the Bible in the Home
1. Perversion In Neglect
  1. The Bible is the most purchased book in the world, and yet it is the most neglected of all books.
  2. It is "the most widely known book in the English-speaking world . . . No one in the English-speaking world can be considered literate without a basic knowledge of the Bible" (E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett and James Trefil, The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1988, p. 1.)
  3. In other countries, a basic understand of the Bible is needed for an understanding of the English language, because so many phrases and words are used in society that they need to know the background of the meaning. For example, one may mention the A wisdom of Solomon,@ or the conflict between A David and Goliath.@ These things are necessary for a basic understanding of English.
  4. We cannot neglect such a precious book. Even our founding fathers found a great help in the words of scripture for their writings. They used the word God many times in their writings as well as words like grace, love, justice, judgment of God, etc. So, to have a basic understanding of our own country= s makeup, one must know the scriptures.
  5. I learned years ago when I used to shop for used cameras that it is not good to buy a camera that had not been used regularly. I have had people to tell me that A there is not a scratch on it, because I have not used it much.@ This sounds good on the surface, but it is not good. If a camera is not used, the parts will begin to stick and will not work properly after sitting around for years without use. If a Bible is not used, it is of little value to the owner; and if someone buys the Bible from the owner, it does not take long to realize whether or not the book has been used a lot.
2. Perversion in Misquotes and Mishandling
  1. There are many people who think that the Bible says, A Every tub shall sit on its own bottom.@ Some think it says, A Cleanliness is next to godliness,@ and there are many more misquotes. When we quote the word of God, we should do our best to be as exact as possible, since it is the word of God and not just another book. To give a paraphrase is not good enough in many cases. It must be a word-for-word quote to be understood properly, lest we pervert the word of God.
  2. Then there are the people who use the Bible as an ornament on a table or on some display in the home. This may look pretty or may even give feelings of reminiscence and feelings of assurance that we have some connection with God and his word, but this is not enough. To have a Bible on the coffee table or beside the bed is not enough. We must open the book for its good and its blessing from God. We must read it intently and consistently.
  3. Some use the Bible only for a family tree. When someone asks if there is a family Bible, it is usually for genealogical use, for a list of family names. This is a good thing for those who study family trees, but this is not the only reason for the Bible. I am always encouraged when I see a Bible that has been well worn from handling, because that is an indication that people have actually been using the Bible.
3. Perversion in Versions of the Bible
  1. There are many English translations of the Bible, but the only one that is really reliable and can be trusted is the King James Version. You ask me why. Well, it is because this version of the Bible was translated from what is known as the common text or the received text of the Bible, the text that was used throughout generations to make the Greek texts and to translate into other languages.
  2. Most of the modern translations of the Bible are translated from a new line of texts called the Alexandrian texts. These were discovered in the 19^th century and were different and incomplete in many places from the received text; but scholars thought that, because they were old, they were the best texts.
  3. But these texts differ from the received texts in something under 3,000 places. Many verses and portions of scripture are completely omitted in the newly found texts. This can do nothing but cause skepticism in the minds of the readers.
  4. Not only so, but the King James Version, which has been revised for spelling and punctuation about five times, is still the same as the received text, and it has a lasting consistency in content and beauty.
  5. We have been using the KJV for almost 400 years from its original translation, and the 1749 edition which most of us have has been used since that date, and that is going on 300 years.
  6. Many, many people have been saved and brought into the churches of the Lord as a result of the preaching of the KJV. Since the introduction of the new versions of the Bible, doctrine has taken on a modern tint, and it allows for much skepticism as to the validity of the scriptures as well as the stories that the scriptures tell us.
  7. So, for these and other reasons, the KJV should be the one version that you use in your family. I would not purchase any other version of the Bible.
Conclusion
1. A drop of balm from this rich store

Hath healed the broken heart once more.

Like angels round a dying bed,

Its truths its heavenly radiance shed.

And hovering on celestial wings

Breathe music from unnumbered strings. (Copied)

INFANTS IN THE HOME Isaiah 49:15 (Jan 22, 2006 AM)

Precious and Changing the Home Forever

Isa 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

When a couple is first married, there are only the two of them. They live together, just the two, for a while. Then the A little surprise@ comes along, and their lives change forever. There are no long two but three in the home.

These little infants, the first time they look into our faces with their complete trust and dependence on us is one of the gentlest and most memorable events of our lives.

At once we realize that someone depends upon us completely, and we should feel that strong responsibility of training this child, loving this child, and giving to this child our time, our money, our lives, as it were, at least for a time.

These little ones are not so much garbage to be dealt with. They are not decisions; they are real people. We do not have a choice as to whether they should live or die. They are little humans (fetuses) that are just as much a viable person as you or I.

We must take this responsibility very seriously as Christians. We must realize that God will help us through this wonderful journey of raising our children.

Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

And don= t we feel that we have trouble when that little helpless thing comes into our homes!

They are precious, and they change our lives forever. This is for the good, because the Lord tells us in Hebrews 13:4 that A marriage is honorable in all.@

Ps 127:3 Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.

Infants Bring Out The Best and Worst In Us

When we are enjoying our children, they can bring out our best character and nature; but when they are disobedient or upset, they can challenge our Christianity to say the least.

In these times, we do not put a very high value on our children. When we are upset with them or tired of them, we lower our expectations of them and tend to push them off to the side.

ILLUSTRATION: A missionary was traveling down the river, and he saw a little child come down to the river and the child was eaten by an alligator. He was not close enough to save the child, but he went to the bank of the river, got out of the boat, and went up the hill to a little hut where there was a woman and many children. He told the woman that there was a little child that came down to the river, and an alligator ate him. The woman did not seem to be too upset but said, A I knew something was going with those children.@

Sometimes we have little value on our children, and that is when we get in trouble.

Since the 1920's there has been a philosophy that children are not viable human beings until they are at least six months old and that they could be A aborted@ during that time. This has revived in our own generation and may one day be a law.

When children are not loved, cherished and cared for, they become like so much garbage, and this brings out the worst in us.

Abortion, whether it is in the womb or during this six months of birth, is murder; and it should be treated as such. We have lost several generations of children by way of abortion, and God hates it. To kill a baby is no different from killing an adult. It is murder.

I understand that in the state of Washington this week the state government passed a law that anyone over 18 years of age who is expected to die within six months can purchase pills to kill himself legally. Before it is over, the elitists of our day may be able to rid this country of any person that they think are not worthy to live. What a world we live in!

If our children grow up to be famous or rich or, for the Christian, becomes a preacher, a missionary, or a deacon, we thank God for it, and we are proud of this, which we should be.

But if our children become a burden to us either through sickness or in some other way, we lessen their value many times. But one is just as valuable as another in God= s eyes. They are ALL a heritage of the Lord.

We See In Our Infants What We Want In Ourselves

We see innocence.

This is the innocence that we all want in our own lives. We all want to be innocent of sin; we want to be perfect before God. We want God to see us as A not guilty@ before the court of Heaven. We cannot see this in ourselves, but we can come near it in our infant children.

We see beauty

Look at those little hands B how beautiful! Look at those perfectly formed feetB how beautiful.

When our first son was born, the only thing I noticed (besides that he was pretty ugly) was that he had all of his fingers and toes. I was so thankful for that.

This beauty is enhanced by the fact that the child is made up of both mother and father, and you begin to look for the maternal and paternal likenesses. This is beautiful in itself.

To see these little ones grow day after day and learn little things along as they get older is another kind of beauty. Their first step, their first word, their first expression of surprise or joy or laughter are beautiful.

"As the dewy morning is more beautiful than the perfect day; as the opening bud is more lovely than the full blown flower, so is the joyous dawn of infant life more interesting than the calm monotony of riper years."

We see helplessness

These little ones depend on us for every little thing. We must feed them and dress them and bathe them and talk to them and teach them everything. Their little ears eyes are looking for and listening for every syllable, for every movement, every wink of the eye, every twitch of the nose.

Hopefully we can see our own helplessness before the Lord of Heaven when we see these little ones depending on us for literally everything.

Much care must be given to these little ones, just as we as God= s children need much care. Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

We see faith

Mt 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Our little infant sons and daughters know no better than to trust in us and in their Creator, God.

They believe in everything we do, and they believe every word that we say. Therefore, we should be aware of this and be careful not to teach them the wrong way.

We see salvation

When we look at our infants, we know from scripture that we do not need to baptize them into the Kingdom of God. We need not christen them or have them specially blessed in order for them to be safe.

We know that these little ones are safe in the arms of Jesus; and although I do not understand everything about how God works this out, I do know that none of our little children will go to Hell.

Mr 10:14 But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Mt 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This faith in our children is not a saving faith as we need as adults, but it is a dependent faith, a faith without knowledge, and yet a faith that secures their eternal destiny through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Mentally our children are blind; therefore, they have no sin to their charge. When they are old enough to see, or to be knowledgeable of what they do, then they become guilty before God.

Isn= t it a wonderful consolation to know that our infants are safe from the destruction of God= s judgment? But we must teach them the ways of the Lord, because one day they become guilty before God; they understand that they are sinners. It is then that they must have saving faith in Jesus Christ.

We See In Our Children The Hope of Tomorrow

It is to the next generation that we will leave the hope or despair of this present generation.

Our children are our deposit into the savings account of the future. They will, if we have trained them aright, accrue interest well deserved and will give to the next generation the hopes and dreams that resided in our forefathers as they laid down the principles of our government and in our individual lives.

Our children will make or break our future. They are our investment in the coming years if our Lord delays his coming.

Someone said, A It is the man in a state of involution. It is the undeveloped man. Infancy is the twilight of life,C C the first morning of an endless being, the age of germ and of mere sense. As the first dawn of spring is the season of the undeveloped harvest, so childhood is manhood in possibility.

Our infant children are our future fellows or fiends. They will mature to be saints or lost sinners. They will be our weal or woe. They will give us prosperity or decline, hope or despair. What we put in their gun chamber they will shoot out the barrel. Whichever way we aim their arrow, they will shoot it and either hit or miss the target. They are the rise or the fall of our country and our world.

When we teach them the things of the Lord, we are investing in the promotion of a good America and a good world, a moral world, a respectful world, a loving world, a world in which we can live at peace with our enemies.

The Responsibility of the Parents

First to the body

The mother is the first to impress the child. A She is the ministering angel of infancy, and the priestess of the nursery of home. She sets the first seal, makes the first stamp, gives the first direction, supplies the first want, and soothes the first sorrow.@

The mother has the first influence upon the new-born baby. Therefore, she is strongly responsible for the tender molding of the child.

There is no other voice like the mother= s voice. There is no other touch like the mother= s touch. There is no sweeter smile than the mother= s smile.

And in infancy the child needs this tenderness and loving care.

The child is an A exponent of your character.@ If you are mild and loving with your children, they will multiply that in their own lives and in their children. If you are wicked and hateful, they will also multiply that many times over in their own lives and in their children. Each generation will get exponentially better or worse.

Then the soul

We may cherish the body of our infant and even the mind of our infant, but most times even Christian parents give little consideration to the soul of the child.

We cannot neglect our children= s spiritual needs. Remember, they believe what we teach them. They need a keen understanding of the scriptures and through the learning process learn to lean upon the Lord Jesus.

Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Mt 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Don= t allow the beauty of the body and mind of your child blind you to the special beauty of his soul. If God has perfected praise from their mouths, so shall we train them in the direction of praise to their Creator and teach them the way of the Lord so that they can consciously give him praise when they grow into adulthood. Then they can teach their children the same thing.

"Little children, flowers from heaven,

Strewn on earth by God' s own hand,

Earnest emblems to us given,

From, the fields of angel-land!"

DISCIPLINE IN THE HOME (Jan 22, 2006 PM)

Law In The Home
1. There must always be law in the home. Ro 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression.
2. If the home has no rules, then none can be broken, so then discipline becomes confusing.
3. This law involves reciprocity. On the one hand, the parents must be the authority in these laws. On the other hand, the child must be obedient to these laws.
4. God has imposed upon children that they should obey their parents.
  1. Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
  2. Col 3:20 Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
  3. Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Repeated in Deut. 5:16.
  4. Mt 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
  5. Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
5. God has invested in the parents the authority to execute discipline in regard to the laws or rules of the home.
  1. Pr 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
  2. Pr 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
6. Before you play a game, you always read the rules. Before you enter competition, you always read the rules. Committees make rules of engagement to give them guidelines.
7. But many couples get married and have children without first sitting down and making rules for the home.
8. These cannot be taken for granted. Rules must be set. They must be specific, and they must be honored in the home.
Keeping And Breaking The Law In The Home
1. Law implies penalty.
2. The proper character and execution of law and penalty are necessary to the true object of the government of the home or even of the state.
3. Two things are involved in the execution of law and penalty.
  1. First is fear
    1. There must be a reverential fear of the law. Even in the state we must fear with reverence those who wield the sword not in vain.
    2. With fear a child looks up to his parents, knowing that it is their law that he must keep.
    3. If the parents execute the laws or rules in their home, the child will respect those laws and will keep them partly because of a reverential fear of his parents.
  2. Then there is love
The Penalty For Breaking The Laws
1. If there are laws, then there must of necessity be punishment for breaking the laws. This is God= s design even in our spiritual lives.
2. A Plants raised with tenderness are seldom strong;
  
  Man= s coltish disposition asks the thong;
  
  And without discipline, the favorite child,
  
  Like a neglected forester, runs wild." (Copied)
3. Pr 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
4. A child must be restrained, corrected and educated under law.
Two Extremes of Discipline In The Home
1. Despotism - law without love
  1. This is the worst kind of legalism. It attempts to make children perfect according to the dictates of our own laws with no exceptions.
  2. This hardens a child, gives him a roughness of nature, and makes him angry.
  3. These despotic parents read Pr 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes, and interpret the rod to be that like the whipping rod for a horse or for cattle.
  4. But God= s rod is not a beating rod that is made for the destruction of his children. David said, A thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.@
  5. The despotic parent beats the children because he delights in revenge or in seeing the children suffer. This is not the rod spoken of in scripture.
  6. We seem to have a lot of parents who are despotic in our day. They do not understand the scriptures. They claim to be Christian, but they sometimes act like savages toward their children.
  7. Under this kind of discipline, a child becomes brutish and rebellious.
  8. This kind of discipline gives our children little respect for the laws of the land, so they become rebels and hoodlums and lead a life of terror and are susceptible to every kind of disobedience.
  9. This kind of discipline extinguishes natural affection so that the child grows up with confusion in how to deal with other in daily life and especially in marriage and family life. Col 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children [to anger], lest they be discouraged.
2. Liberalism - Love without law
  1. This means to simply give liberty to your child to do pretty well what the child wants to do without any constraint, objection or punishment.
  2. In this kind of home, threats come often, and restraints are threatened, but there is no execution of the arbitrary laws that are laid down day by day, today= s being different from yesterdays rules.
  3. When children disobey, the parents scream. They whine and complain about their children= s disobedience. These homes become unruly, because the law is never enforced. There is always threatening, but no execution.
  4. In 1 Samuel chapters two and three we find the story of Eli and his sons. His sons were evil, because their father did not discipline them. He had love without law, and this came back to haunt his home and his own life.
  5. David did not discipline Absalom, and when he died, David said, A O Absalom, my son, my son, would to God I had died for thee.@
  6. Pr 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left [to himself] bringeth his mother to shame.
  7. Would you allow your child to die from disease because you did not want to hurt the child with injections? Would you refrain medicine from your child because it tastes bad? But by being so liberal with our disciplining of our children, we are loving them to death.
  8. So, we find two extremes in home discipline. On the one hand, we see sympathy without authority. On the other hand, we see authority without sympathy.
What Is The Proper Discipline In The Home?
1. Proper discipline must be a mixture of sympathy and authority.
  1. True and right discipline in the home involves a middle ground between complete sympathy and complete authority. There must be a mixing of the two and a strong request from our Heavenly Father for wisdom on how to do this.
  2. Home discipline is not simple corporeal punishment. It is a righteous restraint upon the child so that he will learn the guidelines of morals and manners that will guide him throughout his life.
  3. Someone said, A Christian correction is the interposition of love acting according to law in restraining the child.@
  4. Abraham= s house was ruled by discipline tempered by love. Remember our verse in Ge 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
  5. With just the right amount of love, instruction, and discipline mixed, the child will learn proper fear mingled with a deep love for his parents and will develop a good and right natural affection for others and will bring to his own home as a parent the prospect of another Christian home that will develop another generation of fearful, loving and obedient children.
2. Proper discipline must begin early
  1. If parents wait too late to correct their child, the child will already have a calloused spirit that will not bend easily but rebel quickly.
  2. As soon as the child can understand the reason for his discipline, he should be taught to respect and obey his parents.
3. Proper discipline should be done steadily, uniformly, consistently, and reasonably. The reason for discipline should always be explained to the child. If a child does not know the reason for his discipline, then the discipline is of no value to him or to the parent.
4. Proper discipline should not put unnecessary impossibilities or uncertainties on the child. We should not expect our children to do things they cannot do.
5. Proper discipline must be done with consent of both parents. It should not be one-sided. This causes confusion in the child and forces the child to choose between mother or father.
6. Proper discipline must be done without partiality. No child should be favored over another.
7. Proper discipline requires the reins and a whip. If the reins are used properly, there will be little need of a whip. If we will guide the child along and scold him for his errors or correct him lightly with the voice often, then there will be little need to whip him later for his disobedience. When the whip is used much, it is usually because the reigns have not been used consistently.
8. Proper discipline may very well negate corporeal punishment. If a child is truly repentant and sorrowful for his mistake, then corporeal punishment may not be necessary at all. If it can be avoided, it should be, I think.
9. Proper discipline must take the time to examine the offense. If it is a mistake, it may be overlooked or discussed and perhaps reprimanded. If it is purposeful, then it may need further examination or even punishment.
10. Proper discipline should not be done in anger. A A mild rebuke in the season of calmness, is better than a rod in the heat of passion.@
We are not tyrants. We are not weak-kneed servants of our children. We are the children of God, and we should take God= s advice in the discipline in our homes. We need strong homes in our country. May God give us wisdom to do as we should as parents, and may he give us children with tender hearts and malleable minds that we may patiently and honorable discipline to God= s honor and glory.

THE EXAMPLE IN THE HOME (1/29/2006 AM)

Sowing And Reaping
1. Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
2. Ga 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
3. We cannot calculate the importance of spiritual example in the home, because it is a latent and normal action executed by way of the character of the parent. It is not practiced presumptuously but lies resting in the holy nature of the Christian parent.
4. As the child sees the holy living of the parent from day to day, this example of holiness will absorb in the mind and heart of the child, and the same practice of holiness will be settled in the child as he grows older and takes hold of his own life.
5. In the unholy home, then, we see a child either left to himself or given a poor example of holy living, and this child will mature with evil thoughts and practices due to negligence or purposeful examples of unholy living.
6. The law of sowing and reaping is so familiar to each one of us, and we should not forget that it applies to the example in the home.
7. Many have sown the wind and reaped a whirlwind (Hos.8:7). Then they wonder why the whirlwind has come, but they should know that the harvest is greater than the planting.
8. We plant two little kernels of corn in the ground, and we reap hundreds and hundreds of kernels of corn in the harvest. This is the law of sowing and reaping.
9. When this sowing and reaping goes on for several generations, there is no wonder that our social structure begins to break down.
Ambition strikes ambition with his brother.

Hate strikes hate from man to man,

Practicing the example in his hand.

Or from example will come the good

A man remembers his fathers piety

And practices holiness as his food

And that without anxiety. (Ronnie Wolfe)
Learning By Precept or Example
1. Some do not learn by example but must be taught by precept.
2. If a man is taught by precept, he will easily or eventually be changed by a more powerful or persuasive precept; but if a man is taught by example, he will not easily be moved or persuaded.
3. If taught by example, he will first consider and ponder the propositions of change and will change only when persuaded in his own mind that the change could be positive and beneficial.
4. The Apostle Paul is a good example of this. Before he met the Lord on the way to Damascus to kill Christians, Paul was against Christianity and was set upon destroying it. But when he met the Lord and saw that Christianity was the true religion by the power of God, then he was willing to make a complete change and begin to serve the Lord completely and wholly instead of trying to destroy the people of God.
5. By the grace of God, no matter what example has been set in the home, good or bad, a man can be saved from his own sin and become devoted to the work of God and Christ.
6. The precepts of God are precepts that are worth examination. Isa 28:10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:
7. Thus even that holiness which we do from example is changed into real holiness when we trust the Lord and his grace becomes real in our lives, his precepts become precious and his love overwhelms us by grace.
The Taint of Hypocrisy
1. If we say one thing to our children and do the opposite, then we become hypocrites in their eyes. If we speak harshly to our children and then try to teach them not to speak harshly, they will not understand and will do as we do and not as we say.
2. We say to our children sometimes, A Don= t do as I do; do as I say.@ This sounds good to some people, but it is not a good expression. Our children are smarter than that.
3. Our children will soon forget our precepts and lean back to our example. They will invariably do what we do and not just what we say. No one wants to be a hypocrite, but I am afraid that about 100% of parents are at times, perhaps not intentionally; so we must carefully consider what we do in the presents of our children.
4. If a Christian wants his children to live Christian lives and he never reads his Bible or prays or attends church regularly, then the children will see this; and this action will speak much louder than our words.
5. Mt 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. There is a reward of the honor of people when they say wonderful things about you and when they brag on your A Christianity.@ But your children know best. They know your real life. They see you at times when others don= t see you.
7. Thus, Paul could say in 1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.
Seeing And Hearing Religion
1. Our children need to both see and hear our religion.
2. If our religion is heard and not seen, then it will not be sufficient; but if it is both seen and heard, then it will have an indelible effect upon our children.
3. Better is a son who has seen an honest man than one who has heard of an honest man and cannot imagine that one actually exists.
4. Better is a daughter who has seen a modest and kind woman than one who has heard of a modest and kind woman and cannot imagine that one may actually exist.
5. Our example is our object lesson to our children.
6. They must see and hear about the right things so that they will know and understand both what right is and also how to perform that which is right.
7. As a bird each fond endearment tries
  
  To tempt her new-fledged offspring to the skies,
  
  They tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
  
  Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way!" (Copied)
8. So, we, in our daily routine of holiness and godly living will lead our children to brighter worlds by our example.
The Lasting Effect of Our Example
1. Long after our words have faded and the philosophy of our lives has been long forgotten, our children will lean upon our examples for their guide.
2. Our example will endure longer than our words; our practice is more impressive on our children than our philosophies.
3. If we do not take our children by their hearts and minds by example and lead them the way to heaven, then we philosophize and take them by the hand and lead them to hell.
4. The example we set for our children as Christians could very well be remembered in eternity as we all shall stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and are judged according to the deeds in this body.
5. Then, our example may have an eternal weight simply by setting a bad example and leading our own children to the depths of hell, and there they will suffer, if they do not trust Jesus Christ, the punishment of their actions set down by a bad example.
6. So, then, there is a great incumbency upon each and every believer to be a good example to our children.
Getting A Late Start In Life
1. You may say that you were once a bad example to your children, but now you are saved by God= s grace and are sorry for the bad example that you set before them when they were young.
2. Don= t give up! You can still be an example of the believers.
3. The very change in your life that salvation has brought is a strong message in the minds of your adult children that you have had a