WORSHIPING WITH YOUR KIDS: A Father's Perspective

I was struck by the power of this story from a great musician, Dave Hunt. It tells us the importance of worshiping with our kids and teaching them the greatness of God and His redemption of us in Christ. Check out the story here.

Do Your Duty: Family Government by RM M'Cheyne

From The Sermons of Robert Murray M'Cheyne, Banner of Truth Trust 2000 reprint, pages 27ff.

For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." (Genesis 18:19)

"... Abraham used parental authority in governing his family. He did not think it enough to pray for them, or to teach them, but he used the authority which God had given him-- he commanded them."

"Worship God in your family. If you do not worship God in your family, you are living in positive sin; you may be quite sure you do not care for the souls of your family. If you neglected to spread a meal for your children to eat, would it not be said that you did not care for their bodies? And if you do not lead your children and servants to the green pastures of God's Word, and to seek the living water, how plain is it that you do not care for their souls! Do it regularly, morning and evening. It is more needful than your daily food-- more needful than your work. How vain and silly all your excused will appear, when you look back from hell!
Command--use parental authority. It is not enough to pray for your children, and to pray with them, and to warn them; but you must restrain them. Restrain them with the cords of love. From wicked books, from wicked companions, from wicked amusements, from untimely hours, restrain them."
Learn more about Robert Murray M'Cheyne here.

APPLYING THE MOTHER'S DAY MESSAGE: None of Us Get Off the Hook

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Proverbs 29:15)
This week I will reiterate the many applications to our family and church life from the Mother's Day Sermon, "Do You Want to Be Ashamed of Your Kids?" If you don't think a Mother's Day sermon would apply to you, I promise not to let you off the hook. You are responsible.
Today, I simply want to give you the resources that I mentioned during the sermon. These have been helpful in my life and in parenting and I know you will find fruit in them.
1. Pulpit Magazine Online has some great posts concerning parenting, evangelism, and baptism. Check them out here.
2. The insert in the bulletin titles Proverbs and Parenting can be found here.
3. Shepherding a Child's Heart will be offered on Wednesday nights this fall starting September 10. I encourage all parents to attend.
4. The books mentioned were: (All links take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase them)
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Big Truths for Little Kids: Teaching Your Kids to Live for God by Susan and Richie Hunt
The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm (Not Mentioned, but GREAT)
I Believe in Jesus: Leading Your Child to Christ by John MacArthur
The Lightlings by RC Sproul
The King Without a Shadow by RC Sproul
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (This is the modern English version... thought I'd go easy)
Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by Carolyn Mahaney, et al

Please don't hesitate to ask for resources to fulfill your duty to God and your kids. It is NEVER too late to start proclaiming the Gospel and the great truths of Christ to your kids. Jo Anny and I are in the same boat as you. Our kids are sinners, lost, needing Christ. Will you commit with us to be a church family that encourages and equips all families to live for Christ? Start at home.

A COMMITMENT TO SPIRITUAL CHURCH GROWTH AND KINGDOM GROWTH: Valuing Christ by Valuing His Church

What is the chief demonstration we have of what type of value we see in Christ? The answer... What type of value do we see in His church...
Something is typically seen as valuable when value is PLACED ON it. Diamonds and gold are only valuable because we place value on them. It may be because of rarity, or beauty, or like a misprinted baseball card, because of mistakes. But there are only two entities I can think of that are valuable in themselves. They don't need value to be placed on them in order to be valuable. Their price tags are not determined by what we think of them. What are these entities?
1. Our God... in all of His glory... displayed in the person of Jesus Christ, the God-man, our Lord and Savior. He is valuable because HE IS. When we possess Him as our own, as He has given Himself to us, then, and only then, will we see His true value. But He is valuable nonetheless. And when we value Christ as He deserves... then we will value what Christ sees as valuable.
2. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, (Ephesians 5:29)...
According to what Christ values, the Church He purchased with His blood IS VALUABLE. The question for us is... if we say we value Christ, how can that be if we don't value the church?
How can you demonstrate the value of Christ by valuing the Church? Here are two ways...
1. Faithful Participation... It should not be a weekly decision between other activities and church... BE HERE. Be involved. Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings, outreach, giving, praying... whatever it takes to show what and WHO you value. If you attend 3 out of 4 Sundays, do you only value the Church ( and therefore Christ) at 75%? Christ doesn't run 25% off sales on commitment. COUNT THE COST. There are plenty of people you pass by every Lord's Day who don't value Christ. When you aren't in His house, what does it demonstrate that you value?
2. Faithful Parenting... Teach your kids to value what is really valuable. Simply put... Strap them in the car and bring them to church. It is not the church's job to make your kids WANT to be here. It IS YOUR JOB to MAKE them be here and display WHY they should WANT to be here. When your kids are sinners, rebelling against God, it is any surprise that they don't want to be at church?
Together, let's demonstrate the value Christ and His Church really have. Will you do this with me?

A COMMITMENT TO FAMILY SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Raising Confident Kids

Do we want the next generation to be confident or timid and uncertain? Do you want your kids to grow in confidence or grow in aimlessness and uncertainty? Here are a few hints to raise confident kids. Let's pray for one another in this endeavor.
1. Identify the type of confidence you want your kids to have. Do we want self-confident kids, or Christ-confident kids? The obvious answer is that we do not want our kids to be self-confident but instead to find their confidence and adequacy in Christ. This will happen when we take step two.
2. Instill in our kids, by teaching and example, a valuing of Christ that far surpasses the value we place on anything else. Teach them the immense glories of Christ and the unfathomable value of our Lord and Savior. Then live like He is valuable. When our kids value Christ they will find confidence in Christ.
3. Assure your kids that are in Christ as believers that Christ will never leave them or forsake them. There is no greater confidence to be found than in that which you can have the ultimate trust.
4. Teach them to tell others of the immense value of Christ. Train your kids to be witnesses for Christ NOW so that evangelism is a natural part of their Christ-honoring lives in the future.

Let's commit to raising a generation of Christ-honoring, Christ-satisfied, and Christ-confident kids.