Thank God for Children

Three through five this morning. 127 verses three through five. Amen. We just dismissed children's church if the younger one would like to go. So, Psalm one twenty seven and verses three through five.

Low children are in heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them and they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. We'll read that again just a second. 127 again, three through five.

Low children are in heritage of the Lord. They are a gift from who? They're a gift from God and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them, they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. Thank you Lord for your word, encouragement. We find therein today. We pray Lord that we would indeed be encouraged and challenged and Lord that we would be thankful.

Thankful Lord for your blessings. We sometimes forget the greatest blessings that you have given to us. We get distracted by the other cares of life that we forget to thank you and be grateful. For the many blessings that are ours. Lord, one of those are our children and our families.

Lord, may we see them as the beautiful and wonderful gift that they are. And may Lord, we make them a vital and important part of our life. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Low children are in heritage, a gift of the Lord.

Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them. Quiver is is where the bowman would put his his arrows, archer would put his arrows, and you didn't want to have your your quiver with just an arrow or two in it because you run out really quick. So, you want to have a quiver full of arrows so you wouldn't run out and so, that's the metaphor that the David or the writer here is using. That happy is the man who hath many children. Indeed, we as we come up to Thanksgiving, Remember, if you have children or grandchildren to thank God for them.

They are indeed a great blessing. Of the Lord Children and grandchildren enrich our lives. They give our lives greater meaning on this work, on this Earth, in ways that nothing else can. Let me read that again. Children and grandchildren enrich our lives and give our lives greater meaning on this Earth in ways that nothing else can.

The greatest treasure God gives to men besides salvation and life itself are children. How many men have searched their whole life for riches, fame, and success, treasure to make their life meaningful and worthwhile. And in so doing ignored or forfeited, a treasure greater than any amount of money or fame. Their children. They are a greater inheritance than any amount of money that you can inherit.

To some, the Lord may have given great power and wealth but to others, he gives a more priceless gift. Children grandchildren the fruit of the womb, his reward, his blessing A blessing of far greater value than anything else you can possess. In this world. I want to look beginning this morning first at Abraham. Let's consider Abraham.

Abraham did not follow Lord from his homeland in search of great wealth. Is that what God promised him? Abraham, you follow me and I will make you the wealthiest person alive. Is that what God says to Abraham? No, he says, follow me and I will make of you a great what?

A great nation. He said, Abraham, follow me and I will make of you a great nation, not give you great wealth but make of you a great nation. It was the promise of a multitude of descendants that particularly appealed to a man who currently had pretty much everything except for what? Except for children. He had wealth.

He had honor. He had other things What he didn't have was a child. And at the time God called him, he was I think 70 years old. And did not have a child. Why did Abraham leave and follow the Lord?

Well, because he trusted in the Lord but also because the Lord promised to give him something that he did not have. A child, descendants, to make of him a great nation. Yes, the fruit of the womb is God's reward and ultimately, his prerogative to withhold or provide. I don't know how many testimonies I have heard from people whose doc, the doctor said, I'm sorry, it just isn't going to work out. You're not going to have a child and then a year later, what was happening?

They were having a child. God has something to do with that, don't you think? Ultimately, it is his prerogative to withhold or provide. Not only is demonstrating the life of Abraham and Sarah who did have a son together when she was 90 and he was 100. But also their son, Isaac, who was also advanced in years before God gave him, Esau and Jacob or how about Hannah who was barren for years before God answered her prayers and gave her Samuel and what a gift he was, not just to Hannah and El Cana but to all of Israel.

As he led the nation in a great and lasting revival. Children are a treasure, a heritage, a gift from the Lord. Sadly, man's priorities have become so twisted by selfishness and sin that both marriage and children, family, to many has become something to be avoided. Rather than prized. Something that gets in the way of their priorities and goals.

Rather than something to aspire to. Something Satan is striving desperately to destroy. The family is a testimony to who? To God. The relationship between husband and wife.

Similar to the relationship between Christ and his wife and his church. It is they are a testimony to the Lord who made the man and the woman and brought them together that they might be the first family. Satan is seeking to destroy that today You ask, why is abortion so important to so many? That it stay legal, that it be accessible. I don't think it's because of women's equal rights as much as it is for this reason that they just don't want to be saddled with a lot.

They just don't want to be saddled with a child. That might get in the way of other priorities. What is life about now to many? Well, it's about climbing the ladder. The, you know, business ladder.

Traveling the world. That's kind of fun. I kind of like to travel the world. I did get to go to Israel. It was a great blessing.

But that's not my goal in life. Making a name for oneself. Cheering your team. Oh, man. If Washington will just win the Super Bowl this year.

It's a good thing my life don't depend on that. Seeing what debauchery you can get away with. That's what life is to some. Storing the most money in the bank, building the nicest home or homes, Most lot of people, they just live for the what? They just live for the weekend or long term, they're just living for retirement.

Life will be worthwhile. I just gotta get to what? I just gotta get to retirement and I'll be happy. No wonder so many people's lives are so empty today. They don't know what they're missing.

By not having children by not having their own family In Hebrew society, the two most celebrated celebrated events in life were weddings and the birth of children. Why? Well, because that's what life is really about. It's about weddings and it's about children. It's about families.

Fulfilling God's commands by uniting with another for life, by bearing and rearing children together, training them to grow up to honor who? To honor God. And then repeating the process. And continuing the family line. That was very important.

In Israel That's what life was all about. Turn if you would to Ruth chapter four. Ruth chapter four. Joshua judges Ruth. Ruth chapter four.

Now, you know the story of Ruth. She was a Moabite. Naomi and Elimelech left Israel because of a famine. They went across the Jordan and they went over into Moab where there was food. Their two sons married Moabite women and then their two sons both died before they had children along with Elimelech as well.

So, Naomi was left alone and after a time, she decided she was going to leave Moab and go back to Israel and Ruth, her daughter-in-law, was determined to go with her and finally, she she gave in and said, okay, come with me but I don't have anything to give you but if it is your desire, okay. So, Ruth went back with Naomi. While Ruth was there, she met Boaz, gleaning in his field. Boaz took a liking to Ruth right away and eventually, the two of them were married and they had a child to continue Naomi and Elimelech's line. We read about this wonderful occasion in Ruth chapter four and verse 13.

So, Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception and she bear a son and the women said to Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel and he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, a nourisher of thine old old age. For thy daughter-in-law which loveth thee which is better to thee than seven sons. Hath born him. In Israel in those days, you didn't have Social Security, okay? So, when you got up an older age, you couldn't take care of yourself.

That responsibility fell on who? It fell on your children. Yeah. So, another reason it was very important to have children. Verse 16, and Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom and became nurse unto it and the women, her neighbors gave it a name saying, this is this is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed.

He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. So, you asked this morning, Why was this important? Well, it was important for the well-being of Naomi. It was important also to fulfill God's command. It was important also to carry on the line because you see, do you know who Jesse and David are?

Well, when I was a kid, I used to think Jesse was on a TV show and he was an older fellow with a red hat and overalls that he wore. But that's not the Jesse we're talking about here. Jesse, Obed's son, had several sons of his own. The youngest of those was a shepherd boy named David. This is not just any David.

This is king David. For the shepherd boy became a king. Not only is David, the offspring of Naomi and Ruth and Boaz, but Jesus Christ and his humanity is an offspring of David. Is this line important? Very important to God's almighty plan.

You never know what our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren will do for our Lord or how important they are and indeed, they are a great blessing of the Lord. Secondly, God gave Adam and Eve to responsibilities here in the Garden Of Eden. Kind of hinted at this already. Let's let's read it. Genesis one twenty seven twenty eight on the screen here if you like.

So, God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them and God blessed them and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the face of the earth. Two responsibilities God gave to Adam and Eve. To multiply and fill the earth and to exercise dominion over to subdue the earth. That started with keeping the garden in the Garden Of Eden.

Two commands, two responsibilities here, fill the earth with human beings. Created in the image of who? In the image of God because you see, God made the earth not for rodents, not for monkeys, not for kitty cats, he made the Earth for people. He made the Earth for human beings. Created in God's image to replenish and to fill and so what was his command to Adam and Eve?

Replenish, fill, procreate, and fill the earth with human beings. Replenish the earth and then subdue it. For the glory of God and the good of who? The good of man. The good of human beings.

These commands God gave to the first family and these commands have not been lifted and as such children are a great reward and blessing for they provide us with the means to fulfill God's will for humanity To continue to replenish and populate the earth. They are a blessing, a gift, and a means. To obey God and fulfill his plan. God repeated the same command in Genesis nine one to Noah when he got off the ark. Why?

Because the only human beings left were Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their three wives. The Earth's population was now down to eight people. So, God said, okay, we're starting over. Now, do what? Replenish and fill the earth.

It is God's will to fill the earth with human beings who will hopefully give honor to their God while also responsibly maintaining and ruling over the earth, their home for the glory of God, and the benefit of generations to come. But what good is maintaining the earth for the good of our children if we do not more importantly and rightly train and teach them to know who. To know and to serve their creator. What good is it to maintain the Earth for humanity a humanity that doesn't know God. And doesn't serve God It is our responsibility to not only fill the earth with human beings.

But the kingdom of God Mark ten fourteen. When Jesus saw it, he was much displeased. What did he see? Well, the children were coming to Jesus and the adults were sitting around listening to Jesus teach and the children were noisy and they were aggravating and they were distracting and so, what did the disciples do? They told the children to hush up.

They pushed the children away because y'all be quiet. Jesus is what? Jesus is teaching who? Us. And so what did Jesus say?

He was much displeased and said unto them, suffer or allow the little children to come to me and for and forbid them not for such is the what? For such is the kingdom heaven. For such is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, let the little children here. Why?

Because they're the next generation that's not going to just populate the Earth. They're not going to just keep Israel going. They are the ones who by faith, Lord willing, will also enter into the kingdom. The family of God. For as many as received him, that's who?

Jesus. To them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Jesus said, let the little children come. Let them hear because they need to hear because they need to be saved because they are the ones who will not only fill Israel, they are the ones who need to fill my kingdom. To become my children also.

Through faith in me. Doesn't do a whole lot of good to maintain the earth if we're not reproducing ourselves in children who know who and children who know the Lord. And then look if you would in Proverbs 22 and verse six. I think I have that up here. Proverbs twenty two six.

There it says, train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. How do you show gratitude to God for what you've been given? How do you show gratitude? Okay, let's look at this way. Let's say God has provided you with a good job and plenty of income.

How are you going to show gratitude to God for the good job he has given you and plenty of income? How are you going to show gratitude to God? Well, you can do several things. Number one, you can use that income responsibly. Because he has entrusted it to you.

So that you can use it responsibly to take care for instance of your what? Of your family. You can use that money in order to help others who are in what? Who are in need or who lack. You can use that money and show gratitude for God by giving a portion of it back to him in tithes and offerings.

You show gratitude not only by what you say but we show gratitude by what we by what we do with what we've been entrusted. Now, us that have children and grandchildren, we've been entrusted with something precious. How do you show gratitude to God? By taking that responsibility seriously. By training them in the way that they should go.

To train means to raise or to direct. It's also a world that can speak of of pruning trees or or vines and helping to train them to go the way you want them to go. Sometimes, the you're trying to, we had great vines at at my house when I was growing up and you would have lines, wires that you would try to get the wines to the vines to wind around, to go the direction you want them to, and sometimes you wind it around, you walk away, come back a few minutes later, whoop, it would unwind itself, and you have to train it again, and sometimes you had to do that or sometimes you even had to take a little tie and kind of tie it down for now to get it to stay in place because he didn't want to stay there but after a while, if you trained it properly, it would sort of, you know, generally stay in place. That's what this word train means. Train up a child.

Direct them in the way they should go. A child meaning while they are young. It needs to be done while they're young. It's hard to direct them when they get older. You need to start while they're young.

In the way they should go, in the direction that is right, in God's way. To help guide them to be what God created them to be. Not always exactly maybe what you would prefer them to be but what God created them to be. We're all unique. God has different given us different talents and abilities and he has a different responsibility and mission for us.

So, train us out, direct them. While they're young, in the way that will bring honor to who? Bring honor to God. To delve a little bit more into what it means to train Just three thoughts here this morning. Dedicate.

Dedicate. Dedicate our children to who? To the Lord. Our children are only ours for a brief time. This life in itself is brief.

Our children are ours only for a more brief time than that. We, as stewards of the Lord, are given a sacred task of raising children. Who by the grace of God, will be his children too. What more precious a thing can be entrusted to us than our children? What other mission field more important than our own home?

I dare say I can't think of any mission field greater than that of your own home, children, grandchildren, can't think of a more precious thing. Than life itself that God could entrust to us. As entrusted this precious gift by God It only makes sense for us to dedicate that which we have been given, that which has been entrusted to us, to the Lord. Why? Well, God created them.

Not you, not me. We're not their creator. We didn't give them life. God gave them life. We passed that life on but that life comes from who?

That life comes from God. That that mission in life, how that comes from God. That purpose in being, that that comes from God. That eternity somewhere, that hopefully in heaven, that comes from who? That comes from God.

It only makes sense for us to dedicate our children. Sometimes, when we have a little baby born in the church, we'll have a dedication service. Now, we don't dunk em or or or drop water on their head because we don't want that to be confused with baptism. Baptism is something different. That happens after you trust Christ and are saved.

But several times, I've had the opportunity to stand up here with a new mom and dad and pray for them and this new little one that God has given them that they brought into the world. To dedicate them. Unto the Lord. To his service Hannah realized this when she asked the Lord for a son and dedicated him to the Lord's service even before his birth. She couldn't go wrong dedicating her son to God who could never do him wrong.

Does a no lose situation for Hannah? Lord, if you give me a son, I'll give him what? I'll give him back to you. She couldn't lose. Why?

Because she could trust in who? She could trust in the Lord and we can trust in the Lord. Dedicate our children, our families to God. Because he is not going to steer them wrong. He is not going to fail them.

Not only is it right for us to do so, it is good for our children and grandchildren and our families to do so. Dedicate your children to Lord. Initiate. Initiate. The direction in which they will go.

Steer them in the right direction informative years while the clay is still very soft and impressionable. For in time, the impression will harden and take on its own shape resisting outside pressure. Initiate. Don't just stand back and say, okay, you know, we have we have this in society today a lot with children. I go knock on somebody's door, say, you go to church, no, but they have children.

Say, we we have, we drive a van by here to pick up kids on Wednesday night for children's ministry. They say, okay. And then they look over at their three year old or four year old or five year old or six year old and they say, would you like to go to church? Now, does the four year old know what church is if they haven't been going? No, the turmoil.

Is a four year old able to really, you know, compare things, say, oh yeah, I think maybe I should, no. What should a parent do? Initiate. Say, Johnny, you know, you really need to go to church. A matter of fact, a parent should say, you know something, I'm going to go to church and take Johnny with me to church.

Initiate. We live in a world today where children being able to being told they they can make decisions about whether they're boys or girls in contrast contrary to their biology at five years old. That's crazy. God gave children parents. Why?

Because we're able to understand things that they are not. Initiate, lead them, guide them. In Deuteronomy six four through nine, the Lord told the Israelites to teach their children his commands early and consistently so that when they were older, they would not forget who. They would not forget God or his commands or what he had done for them. What you teach them and exemplify for them while they are young will to varying degrees stay with them through the rest of their life.

If we sit down to a meal in my house, and we get the food out, and I go to put a fork in my food to put it up to my mouth before it can get to my mouth, my son is saying, dad, we haven't what? We haven't prayed yet. Now, why is that? Why is that important to him? Well, we've been training him to thank God for the food and to acknowledge his God in prayer Since the time he was he was born.

And so, he it's ingrained in him. Hopefully, it will continue to be. Hopefully, he will pass that onto his children and to their children like it was passed on to us by our parents, from our grandparents. Teach them while they're young. So, they don't forget the Lord when they get older.

Dedicate, initiate, nurture. This means to provide for them. Children need many things in order to grow, to mature, and to loving Christian adults. And you fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Not only is God commanded that we fill the earth and subdue it for his glory and man's good.

Not only has he commanded that we preach the gospel and we make converts first at home but also that we nurture our children, that we bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In other words, as parents, you represent to a degree who in your home. You represent God in your home to your children. You are God's representative to nurture them as who would nurture them. As God would nurture them.

Now, that's a big order. That's a tall order, is it not? To nurture our children, our grandchildren, in the way that God would. Well, what does that mean? Well, first of all, physical provision.

There are things that you must provide for children. That they cannot provide for themselves. Until they're old enough to do so on their own. If any man provide not for his own, especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. The Paul, the words of Paul to Timothy, You gotta provide for your own family.

But is that all children need? Just food and clothes and a house and or do they need more? They need more. They need teaching and instruction. It is a parent's responsibility to see their children are trained properly.

According to who? According to God. Not the school board, not the government, not the church even, but who? Parents. No children are not, No children are not the responsibility of the village.

They're the responsibility of the parents. Parents should not expect others to do their job for them Neither should government, local, or federal usurp the authority of parents to raise their kids. Yes, there are exceptions. There are those who abuse their children. Sad to say.

But those are the rare exceptions. As parents responsibility to raise their kids. It is our responsibility to raise our kids. To teach them and to instruct them in the way of who? In the way that is right in the way of the Lord.

That involves warnings and discipline or what it calls here admonition. I'll just read these verses quickly for you. These are out of Proverbs. He that spareth his rod, hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him be times. Chasten thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Now, the rod is not only talking about a physical rod or paddle or something. The rod also symbolizes proper discipline. Discipline which children desperately need. In their formative years.

And is the responsibility of who? Parents to lovingly provide. Children need correction. If your child wants to run out into the street, you stop them. If they want and try to run out in the street again, you have to discipline them.

Why? Because the discipline is a lot less painful than getting run over by a car. Is it not? So, you discipline them. You correct them.

It is your responsibility as parents to admonish them to correct them from the wrong course and try to help bring them on the what? On the right course. It requires instruction and teaching. It also requires discipline. Also, children need protection not only from physical harm but from emotional and spiritual harm.

The devil wants to destroy your children while they're young. So, he can have them the rest of their life. So, he can destroy their future. Who stands up for those children? Who stands between them and Satan?

Their God given what? Their God given parents and one day, if they accept Christ, Jesus is their Lord who is even better than their parents. But when they're young, we are their protection. We are there to defend them. From the plots and plans of the evil one who would like to destroy their future.

We need to protect them. I remember twenty years ago, there's a fellow that lives in Atlanta. His name is Ted Turner. He at least owned the Atlanta Braves at the time. They they built a new stadium back then.

They've even they've built one since then. But the new stadium was called Turner Field. Why? Well, because of who? Ted Turner.

He also owned Turner Broadcasting System. You may have heard of that. He was at a conference one time and somebody said something about, you know, what about these because Ted Turner is an atheist, not a Christian and somebody said, well, what about these these churches and these things they're teaching the children? And this is what Ted Turner had to say. I wouldn't worry about that.

They may have the churches but we have the schools. Who has more time with children The churches or the schools? Be careful. Watch out. There are many.

Who are tools of Satan. Some in our schools. As Ted Turner realized. As Ted Turner celebrated, to turn their hearts away from who? Away from God.

Some of them are sports figures. Some of them are in the entertainment. Many of them. In the entertainment industry. It is our responsibility to try to protect them.

From harm. From whatever quarter it may come. We decided not all can. Praise the Lord we could. We decide to send our kids to Christian school.

That doesn't protect them from everything but maybe from some. Not only are you to dedicate, initiate to teach and instruct your children and protect them but also last of all this morning, something you can do for your kids when they're young, when they're old, for your grandchildren, for your great grandchildren, is pray for them. Pray for them. Because you cannot do it all yourself. You just can't.

You cannot reach their heart the way God can. You can't change them as they get older very easily but God can God can change their direction. God can spare them sorrow, mistakes. God can be there with your children to help them in raising your grandchildren in ways that you cannot because much of it is out of your control. But you can pray for them.

If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of who? God. So, as you count your blessings this Thanksgiving, don't forget to thank God for your what? For your family, your children, your grandchildren, for parents and aunts and uncles and cousins and spouses and in laws, how sad life would be without them. Why am I so excited when Thanksgiving rolls around?

Because I get to see my extended family. And how sad life would be without them. They mean much to me as do my own children. And ask God to help you to be the best son, daughter, mom, dad, wife, or husband, grandma, or granddad, you can be. This coming year.

Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord. For all of your many blessings. Thank you for our families. Thank you for our children, our grandchildren.

Lord, forgive us of our failures and Lord, we have all failed in some respects. The Lord, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your loving them. You love us. Thank you Lord for hearing and answering our prayers and then we come to you Lord.

When we feel helpless. Lord, we're not helpless in Christ. And you care more than we ever could. Lord, help us to be parents and grandparents that honor honor the Lord. Help us to be husbands and wives and sons and daughters.

That honor you as well. Lord, help us to be a light in a dark world that desperately needs to see. Families that honor you and would fulfill your commands. Lord, we pray if there's one here that is yet to enter your kingdom through faith in your son. We pray as we close with this hymn of invitation that they would come so that we could share with them today how they can become part of your family in Jesus Christ.

For it's in Jesus name we do pray. Amen.