God's Charge for Children

Understand what the word of the Lord says concerning our responsibility to our parents. The Bible says these words in Proverbs chapter 30, verse number 11.

There is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother. There is a kind of man. The king James says there is a generation that curses his father and does not bless. its mothers. The question comes, what is that generation? And Paul would tell Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, verse number 1, these words, but realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents. Paul would tell Timothy that in the last days, the last of these days, there would be people who are disobedient to parents.

There is a generation that does curse its father and does not bless its mother. And it's a generation of children that refuse to obey what God says in his word.

And so we need to realize that the Word of God spells out precise principles concerning the children's responsibility. to their parents. The Bible is very clear about that. The fact, the Bible is very clear concerning what happens to a child when he doesn't obey his parents. Several times throughout my ministry, I've had the opportunity to talk to students, children, about their relationship to their parents, specifically rebellious children. I'd like to read them this verse out of Proverbs chapter 30, verse number 17, that says this, The eye that mocks the father and scorns the mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.

Isn't that a great verse? That is just a great verse. Listen, if you're thinking about rebelling against your parents, if you're thinking about mocking your mother and father, having an eye that's very scornful toward them, the Bible says that the ravens are going to pluck it out.

The eagles are going to eat it. meaning that things are not going to go well for you, meaning that you need to shape up because God's serious about your responsibility to your parents. So tonight we want to look at seven principles that will help you understand what God's charge or God's challenge is to children.

This is what God wants you to know. This is what we as a church, Christ's community church, are about. This is what we want to see happen in the lives of our children. This is what the word of the Lord says. Number one, very first principle, God's charge to children.

Number one, acknowledge God's commands. That's number one. Acknowledge God's commands. Recognize what God says.

Recognize that he is the authority. Recognize that his claims are true and obey them. Acknowledge God's commands. Over next to the chapter 20, you know the verse. Verse number 12 says this, honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land, which the Lord your God gives you. So important. Why is that? It's important because it's all about your survival. Number of years ago, we did a series on the Ten Commandments called The Survival of the American Family. The only way the American family is ever going to survive is if it implements the law of God in their lives.

That's the only way. Acknowledge God's commands. God speaks and God expects us to listen, to obey what he says. If you disobey, then what happens to you as a child? All kinds of things that are bad creep into your life. We'll talk about them as we go on. Number two.

attend to your parents' counsel. Attend to your parents' counsel. If you have your Bible, Proverbs chapter 1 is where we're going to be. And we'll spend the bulk of our time, the remainder of our time, in the book of Proverbs, because it speaks so pointedly to our issue this evening. Proverbs chapter 1, verse number 8, hear my son your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck. Attend to your parents' counsel.

Pay attention to what they're going to tell you. That's important. I like what Shakespeare said. He said these words, The voice of our parents is the voice of gods, for to their children, they are heaven's lieutenants. That's pretty good. They're representing heaven to you. and they are giving you commands to obey and you are to listen to what they have to say. Proverbs 1-8 says, hear my son, your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Listen to your mother, listen to your father.

Not because they are infallible. No, they're very fallible. They're going to make lots of mistakes. And they're going to say some things wrong. And not everything they're going to say. is right, but happy is the man who listens to his parents, and doubly happy is the man who has Christian parents who teach him the Word of God, and he obeys that. Very important. You know, we need to teach our children to obey. We don't need to teach our children to disobey, do we? Anybody here ever taught their child to disobey because they are so obedient?

No. Children just naturally have a bet toward disobedience. they naturally don't want to do what you tell them to do. They want to do what they want to do. Our job is to get them to do what we want them to do and to like what we want them to do. And that's a major task. And most parents, they're not up for that task. But that's what God wants us to do. He wants us to instruct our children, to teach our children. And they, on the other hand, are to attend and pay very close attention to what is given to them.

Number one, acknowledge God's commands. Number two, attend to your parents' counsel. Number three, apply your parents' correction.

Apply your parents' correction. Proverbs chapter 13, verse number one, says this. A wise son accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. A wise son. son accepts his father's discipline. I debated whether or not I would share this because my son is in the room this evening, but I thought I would share it anyway. It wasn't too long ago I had to discipline my son. And my wife and I, after the discipline was over, my wife and I were talking and my son came into the room.

And he thanked me. for the discipline he received. My wife and I were shocked. He just came in and said, thank you, Dad. I needed to be disciplined. And after I picked myself up off the floor, and my wife then was able to arouse herself from the dead, because she was about dead after what Drew said. It was something that really touched us both. And I was reminded of Proverbs 13.1, a wise son accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Over in Proverbs chapter 15, verse number five, it says this, a fool rejects his father's discipline, but he regards reproof his prudent.

Well, that's amazing. And that's the way it should be. because that's God's charge to children. If you're a child here today and you live in your parents' home, it would be my advice to you the next time you're disciplined to say thank you to your mother and father. Not with a smirk, not out of any other reason than to say, thank you. for I know that you love me and you care about me enough to discipline me. That's a great way to deal with your parents. I never thanked my father for disciplining me.

Never once. Maybe I should have. But what it realized to Lori and to me, what we realized was that, you know, if you discipline properly in the fear of the Lord and you ask God to do a work in the lives of your children, God will do that. And that's important. Number four, abide by your parents' commitments and concerns. Abide by your parents' commitments and concerns. Proverbs chapter 6. Verse number 20. My son observed the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck. In other words, be absorbed in them. Be committed to them. when you walk about they will guide you when you sleep they will watch over you and when you wake they will talk to you for the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light and reproofs for discipline are the way of life now the writer is taken for granted that the instruction your parents give you is is biblical counsel giving you the truth of god's word and therefore your responsibility is to abide by their commitments why because as you understand their commitment to the law of god and you abide by their commitment to the law of God, then your commitment becomes strong to the law of God.

And if it is, then what happens? Several things. Number one, you receive direction. You receive direction. When you walk, they're going to guide you. Everybody needs guidance, right? Everybody needs clear direction, and God's word promises to give you that. So your parents give you the instruction. They command you in terms of what the word of God says.

And so when you walk about, they're going to guide your footsteps. That's important. Why? Because they're like a lamp. They're like a light. They're unfailing. Always satisfying. They give direction. They also give protection. It says what? When you sleep, they'll watch over you. That's amazing, isn't it? You see, one of the ways you're able to sleep well at night is to understand that as you obey the commands and the commitments of your parents, that are based on the Word of God and you apply them to your life, you sleep securely because you have protection.

You worry about nothing because you're abiding under the shadow of the Almighty and it's his wings that protect you and guard you and watch over you at night. Never have to be afraid because you're protected by the commands of God. They give direction, protection. They also give you conversation. When you awake, they will talk with you. You see, this is where we should never be lonely people because there's always somebody to talk to. That's the spirit of God. You see, we open the Word of God and God speaks to us as we read His word.

That's God's message to us. His timeless message is the written Word of God. And so as we read the Word of God, he is speaking to us. And then we, in response to that, begin to pray and talk to Him. And then He in response begins to speak to us again through his word. So we literally have a conversation with God each and every day. And that conversation with God happens because he has given us the living, abiding word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword. And that gives us a conversational piece.

That gives us something to talk about. So we know what to talk to God about because God has already talked to us about what he wants to talk to us about through his word. That makes sense? So what happens is that we never have to worry about not having anybody talk to you, because God says, I'll talk to you.

Just open my word, I'll have a conversation with you. I'll tell you exactly what I want you to do. I'll tell you exactly what you need to know. And God's word gives direction, protection, conversation, and illumination. It says what? For the commandment is lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs for discipline are the way of life. He's going to illuminate your path. He's going to show you where to go. Psalm 119105, that God's word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. Psalm 43, 3, thy truth is light.

It leads me to thy holy hill, thy dwelling place. Psalm 198, the commandment of the Lord is pure, lightening the eyes. Proverbs chapter 1 talks to us about how God's lamp leads us away from evil. That's so good. God's word illuminates our lives. It shows us where to go. It guides us. It talks to us. And so our job as children is to abide by our parents' commitments and concerns, as outlined in the Word of God. Next. Number five. Avoid bad company. Avoid bad company. Proverbs 13, verse number 20. He says this.

He walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer hard. And that's good. You know, it's important to monitor who your children associate with. I know sometimes parents, we don't like to do that. We want them to feel their oats and kind of maybe have an impact on the people's lives, and that's good, and we want that to happen. But a companion of fools is not very wise. to walk with wise men. It's very important. So you want your children to associate with people who are wise.

You want your children to have companions who are not foolish in their actions because then they get caught up in that foolish behavior. It was an old English proverb that says we become like the company we keep. That's true. It's based on what the word of God says in first question is 1533.

Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. Don't be deceived. If you keep bad company, it's going to corrupt good morals. Ecclesiastes 918 says that one sinner destroys much good. Proverbs 23, verse number 19 says this, Do not fret because of evil doers or be envious of the wicked, for there will be no future for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the Lord and the king, do not associate with those who, who are given to change, for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?

That is, ruined from the king as well as ruin from the Lord. Don't associate with people giving to change. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Don't associate yourself with people who can't stay on track, who are always changing their mind. One way to this way, one day than this way. one day they're this way then next day they're that way they don't associate with those people they don't know they had no direction they don't know what they're doing and calamity's going to come upon them from both the king those in authority and the Lord himself Proverbs 24 verse number one do not be envious of evil men nor desire to be with them for their minds devised violence in the lips talk of trouble you know how many times do we say man I just you know they're just my friends man we just want to go out and have some fun together, but they're evil men.

They're evil women. They're bad people. And the book of Proverbs is so clear, don't be envious of them. Oh, they, those guys, they get to go where they want to go. They get to do what they want. Their parents don't even care about where they go. They can stand as ready as they want. We become envious. The Bible says, don't be envious.

Their minds devise violence in their lips talk of trouble. Don't be of them. So much so that there is no future. It says in Proverbs 24 verse 20 for the evil man. They have no future. Meaning if you want a future, don't associate with them. So important. Avoid bad company. How much clearer can it be? Number six. abstain from sinful conduct. Obstained from sinful conduct, Proverbs 10, verse number one, the Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son, makes the father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

Proverbs 3, verse number 7, states it this way. Do not be wise in your own eyes. fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Turn away from evil. Obstain. Of stain from sinful conduct. It'll be a grief to your parents. Parvb of 17, verse number 25, says this. A foolish son is a grief to his father in bitterness to. her who bore him. Stay away from the evil conduct in life. Over in the law of Moses, the book of Deuteronomy, it says this in the 21st chapter, the 18th verse, I wish that this was the law of our land.

Oh, how different things would be. Listen to Proverbs 21, verse number 18. If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother. And when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them. Then his father and mother shall seize him and bring him out to the elders of the city, the gateway of his hometown. And they shall say, to the elders of a city, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of a city shall stone him to death.

So you shall remove the evil from your midst and all Israel shall hear of it and fear. Can you imagine that? Some parent going to the city council of West Covina and saying, listen, my son is a rebellious son, he is a drunkard, he is an evil man. The elders in the city don't say, well, let's talk about it. Son, what do you think? Do you agree with your parents? No, that's not even a question. Parents say it, done deal. Pick up the stones, he's a dead man. It's over. Let me tell you something.

That would clean up society real quick. It would. Real quick. That's the law of God. That's how God would want it to be done because the fear of God would permeate the land of Israel. That's the fear of God would permeate the people of God if they obeyed the word of God. But if you abstain from sinful conduct, if you honor your mother and father, when they chastise you, you obey them, you would not have to fear of death, right? There'd be no fear of death because who's in Estonia? You obey your parents.

You obey the law of God. Avoid sinful conduct. Over in Proverbs 22, verse number three, it says this.

The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on and are punished for it. the wise man sees evil and he hides because he doesn't want evil to be a part of his life but the naive one the foolish one the scoffer no he sees the evil he goes on toward the evil and will ultimately be punished for it lastly and most importantly God's charged children is that you acknowledge his commands attend to your parents' counsel. Apply your parents' correction. Abide by your parents' commitments and concerns.

Avoid bad company. abstain from sinful conduct. They accept Christ as Lord and Savior. That's the most important thing. You can't go to heaven because your mom and dad are going to heaven. You can't go to heaven because your grandparents are going to heaven. You can only go to heaven if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. And believe, but, you believe, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. You can't go to heaven because your parents are on their way. You have to make that choice.

And God's greatest charge of children is that they would receive him as Lord and Savior of their lives. So important. Over in Proverbs 24, verse number 13, it says this, My son, eat honey, for it is good. Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is thus for your soul. If you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. You find wisdom. You find the knowledge of God. You have a future. You have a hope. And your future won't be cut off. Because you know Christ, says Lord and Savior.

If you're here tonight and never giving your life to Christ, you need to do that. You can't go to heaven because your sisters are, your brothers are, your parents are, your grandparents are, your friends are. You can only go to heaven if you've turned from your sin and turn and embrace the Savior. Give your life to him. I think of people like Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, Samuel, David, John the Baptist, and what their mothers felt. as those men of God were used in a mighty way. And think about what your parents would feel today if you as their children would apply God's charge to you this evening.