Built On Bedrock (S1)
Notes
Transcript
(S1)
Ask parents—all that has been done for children would fill this room. How well did we teach them what it means to put their trust in God and follow Jesus? I could have done more
Making disciples in the church — Discipleing children — Is it solely the churches responsibility?
SERIES—It STARTS at HOME—The family unit gives the greatest opportunity to teach children to fall in love with and follow Jesus.
Ater receiving the 10 Commandants Moses was instructed by God to make clear to the Israelites…That raising children to love God, would bring them great blessing.
Deuteronomy 6:2 “so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.”
God created the family to be the primary place where faith and character are formed — Faith-building starts best at home!
While we have done many things right in raising our kids in the faith, I wish I would have done more than just bring my kids to church!
Series relevant for all of us...PRAY
(S2) —
How many lessons on child-rearing did you take before having kids? Trial & error—Grand parenting—get it right the second time
A variety of home dynamics—Increase of single parent homes—grandparents/guardians raising children
Disclaimer
We didn’t all come from great beginnings
Our past doesn’t have to be a reflection of our present potential as parents
You will not always get it right—Throw enough mud and some will stick.
If we don’t teach children to follow Jesus, the world will teach them not to!
The truth is, many parents today, feel ill-equipped to nurture faith in their children.
(S3) — Have you ever felt this way?
The good news is the goal isn’t to be a perfect parents, but you will leave a legacy; the question is, will it be one built on faith?
Teaching children to love God and follow Jesus are the essentials of Christian parenting
(S4)
From the mouth of God
“Talk about me with your children, where ever you are; sitting at home or walking in the street; from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. So that everything I have taught you will be Inside of them!
We can’t teach what we don’t know—
You must first, get the word of God inside of you
6 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts.
Start where we are—We must admit, it becomes easy to leave the responsibility of nurturing kids in the faith to the church, youth leader, Sunday school teacher— better than nothing, but it’s not ideal. The unfortunate and more likely scenario is no faith at all
Don’t just leave it to God’s grace alone—God’s plan for nurturing faith in children starts at home. Jesus affirms and expands this teaching in his words from his sermon on the mount...
(S4)
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (faith). 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Faith in Christ is the foundation—Kids may not know it if we don’t teach it.
Luke 9:48 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Home is the place where the beginnings of faith and character are to be formed. The question then is where do we begin?
Starting where you are means assessing/evaluating where you speak faith into the life your children well and where you fall short—Do they see you reading your Bible? Know why you read it? Have you told them your story? Why you trust in Jesus?
Building a legacy of faith as a firm foundation is even more important today?
The winds of cultural influence—acceptance of norms contrary to biblical truth
The flood of outside information our kids are exposed to today—Indoctrination
The storms of uncertainty that will arise, that will attempt to beat against the foundation of our homes
(S5)
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Two places where Satan does his best work: The church; where believers are the most vulnerable to attack—The home: to destroy the core of God’s original and best design for relationships—family
Why is building a legacy of faith even more important today? Over half of young people today, will walk away from the church
The father says, to his young son, "you better get ready. The bus will be here in a minute to pick you up and take you to Sunday School." The Boy asked, “did you go to Sunday School when you were a boy?" The father replied, "Yes I did." The boy said as he was getting dressed, "It probably won’t do me any good either!"
As a parent...you must first, get the word of God inside of you. Getting Jesus in us sets the foundation. By being hearers and doers of his word— A parent building a Christian home, is one who digs down deep, and lays a foundation of bedrock on the word of God.
What is Bedrock?
It’s the supporting foundation of a building—below the surface
In geology: It is unbroken solid rock—In its form, it is immovable
Brick-paver patio Base
In faith it is, the fundamental principles, of teaching, sound scriptural doctrine, given to us in the word of God. For the Christian parent, the most important step in faith-building at home is laying this foundation built on Christ. We do this in two ways...
(S6) —By Digging the Trench of YOUR own Faith
Luke 6:48 the one doing this properly is like a parent building a home, who digs down deep and lays a foundation of rock.
What do I mean by digging the trench of our own faith?
Knowing what we believe about God
Who Jesus is and what he did for us
Why a relationship with Jesus is necessary for salvation
Seeking opportunities where we can thrive in our relationship with Jesus and others, so were producing lasting fruit
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last
We can’t teach our children to be sound in the faith if we do not have a solid footing ourselves. This means getting close—Jesus in us
Deuteronomy, gives us the foundation for digging the trench of faithfulness so we can better teach it at home.
(S7)
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and You shall love the Lord your God with all your might. 6 You shall Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
Christ in us, so we can teach Christ in our children
Notice the emphasis is on “you” — It begin as home; father, mother, step or not, grandparent… and it begins with you-
This means, digging deep inside and looking at our own spiritual condition—our strengths and weaknesses; places we need to grow.
Maybe for you it means spending more time alone with God yourself, in prayer and in the word—spending more time with other’s who love Jesus—making Godly living a way of life; worship, serving and showing love to others—asking do my actions reflect my faith?— Loving god with all, your heart-soul and might!
Who has ever been sold out or all in for something?
Half Marathon
Being sold out for Jesus yourself means your all in for the long haul. Loving God and living for Jesus. Christ in us- so we will teach Christ in our children. By digging the trench in our own faith.
(S8)
Shoveling Bedrock through—Intentional—Consistent—God-talk
Shoveling Bedrock through—Intentional—Consistent—God-talk
—God-talk...
What are a few of the bedrock principles for laying a firm foundation in a family
Article by Leslie Schmucker — Three Essentials for Christian Parenting
(S9)
1. BeINTENTIONAL in teaching key principles of faith
1. BeINTENTIONAL in teaching key principles of faith
We do that by immersing ourselves in sound doctrine—Know what the scriptures say about what we believe as Christians
Salvation—Death—Grace—Forgiveness—Holy Living
Apostles Creed (Bible)
Who God — Who Jesus is — Why what he did for us matters—Unconditional Love—Identity (who they are meant to be in Christ)
Jesus love for me when I needed it most
“Before we parents and teachers teach truth, we’d better be sure we have it ourselves.” (1)
Paul’s letter to timothy about his grandmother
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)
Poll by Legoneer Ministers
Many self-professing evangelicals reject foundational evangelical beliefs (good news) . The survey results reveal that the biblical worldview of professing evangelicals is fragmenting. Though American evangelicalism arose in the twentieth century around strongly held theological convictions, many of today’s self-identified evangelicals no longer hold those beliefs.
In her book, Almost Christian, Kenda Creasy Dean challenged
“If teenagers lack an articulate faith, it may be because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation.” That stings, but the truth remains.
Help them to connect the dots between faith and life—Use Bible stories and real world examples—website
We shovel bedrock (build a foundation) by INTENTIONALLY teaching key principles of faith
(S10)
2. Make your JOY in Christ visible to them
2. Make your JOY in Christ visible to them
Be CONSISTENT by abiding in his Joy, no matter your circumstances
John 15:10-11“ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Show them God is Good...
“When my children were small, I made it a point to show them the dazzling creativity of God. From a magnificent sunset to a lovely vista to a fascinating animal at the zoo, or simply a towering tree or pretty flower in our yard”
Let JOY be the centerpiece at your table—So that no matter what life throws at them, there is always JOY in Jesus
Philippians 2:2 “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
Help them to discover what you know about God, by shoveling bedrock—making visible your joy in Christ
We shovel bedrock (build a foundation) by
(S11)
3. Present the GOSPEL every day and in different ways
3. Present the GOSPEL every day and in different ways
Children will not learn the gospel is good news without hearing it. Not just on Sundays, but every day. Help them understand it!
Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Speak God-talk to them
Dad your preaching again
Read the bible with them—let them ask questions—It’s ok not to know all the answers
“Don’t become complacent or succumb to the lie that your schedule is too tight to regularly share the gospel with your kids. When you’re driving them to soccer…tucking them into bed…walking through the store…waiting in line at Chick-fil…playing sports...
Present the Gospel everyday in different ways
Home Team (Kevin James) Sean Payton (Saints)—suspension —“Always teaching” whether its pro football or 6th graders—”Back to squeezing oranges and carrying water”
Be creative—Don’t need to be a Bible scholar
“We must never waver in our effort to teach our children that Christ is worth following, despite the lure and enticement of the world. It must begin and end with the gospel.”
We shovel bedrock (build a foundation) by INTENTIONALLY teaching key principles of faith, making our JOY in Christ visible to them in our lives, and presenting the GOSPEL everyday in different ways.
(S14)
Youth—Learning the Jesus Way of Life
Teach them that following Jesus is an...ALL-of-Life Way of Life
Teach them that following Jesus is an...ALL-of-Life Way of Life
Dinner, restaurant, with a friend— A child reading their Bible creates a habit for adult life—A child who finds Help them to love God with all their heart, soul and might—To fall in love with Jesus!
Jesus was clear if we don’t
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
It starts at home— by digging the trench, laying the bedrock—intentionally and consistently setting the table by speaking about Jesus...
God’s promise is the same today—it will be well with your soul and your life will be filled with abundant blessing—Wouldn’t the world be a better place?
(S15)
Application
Don’t beat yourself up—your past doesn’t have to be a reflection of our present potential as a parent
Be intentional in building foundation—Dig the trench- get Jesus in you—Shovel bedrock- teach Jesus in them
Set the table for faith-learning to take place
Make the most of every opportunity to talk about Jesus by connecting scripture to everyday life
Celebrate your victories together—Joy in a relationaship with Jesus
“If we don’t teach children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to”
For practical steps you can begin at home go to— http://www.itstartsathome.org/familynight/
Next week— I wanna be just like you—Our kids are not only watching the world but us too!
RESOURCES
Three Essentials for Christian Parenting | Desiring God