BRINGING OUR CHILDREN TO THE LORD (Mk.10:13-16) (II) (1988)

1. BRINGING OUR CHILDREN TO THE LORD (Mk.10:13-16) (II) (1988)

2. INTRO: 1. Socrates: “Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift up my voice and proclaim, ‘Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all?’”

3. 2. Ps.11:3. We drive by a nice house w. a well-kept yard, clean windows, swept floors, etc., but the foundation is a hollow shell, eaten up w. termites. This is a picture of some people. Appl. –

4. a. Solomon pursued one dead-end street after another, but nothing fulfilled his needs until he discovered the foundation of life (Ec.12:13-14).

5. b. Gentiles worried c. all the wrong things (Mt.6:25-34), nothing satisfied the longings of their heart; they built on sand, not on the unshakeable kingdom of God and His righteousness (v.33)!

6. c. Some families build on the wrong foundation. Damon. Parents make sure their children get a good education, musical instruction, and play every sport in the book, but they lack the foundation that God alone can provide. • 1) Paul’s order: Ep.5:22-6:4, first the husband-wife, then the parent-child relationship. God – Christian – Family – Nation. • 2) Americans spend tens of thousands or even millions on luxurious houses, but the people inside are lonely, unhappy, and confused. They own so much but possess so little. • 3) “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next” (A. Lincoln). Also true of the church. This is why we first discussed the husband-wife relationship.

7. 3. Mk.10:13-16, they brought young children to Him. He is the foundation for the family.

8. a. Three writers record this event (Matthew, Mark, Luke). It must be important.

9. b. Two writers precede this event w. teaching on marriage and divorce (children are the fruit of marriage). One (Luke) precedes it w. a parable: Pharisee and publican. Unlike the Pharisee, children are humble.

10. CONTEXT: • 13a, young children (paidi/a) little boys and girls; Lk.8:15, infants (bre/fh). Start early! • Touch (Mt.19:13, put hands on). Cf. Jacob, Gn.48. • Pray (Mt.19:13). Q: Do your children hear you pray? (They learn by example.) • 13b-15, disciples rebuked them. Did the parents interrupt a discussion? Did the disciples consider children a waste of time? Did fatigue bring out their worst? (Sounds like modern excuses!) • Jesus was greatly displeased w. His disciples. He was never too busy for children. • “Let…do not forbid them…” Instead of shooing them away, the disciples need to study them! 15, instead of the children becoming like the disciples, the disciples must become like the children! • 16, Jesus takes each child in His arms, one by one, and blesses it. We cannot literally bring our children to the physical presence of Jesus; we can bring them to Him in a more important way – spiritually!

11. TERMITES THAT DESTROY OUR CHILDREN’S SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION: PARENTS WHO – • Simply avoid hindrances to their spiritual growth. Mk.10:13. Some parents have wrong priorities. • A few years ago, a poll of 2000 8th graders asked who they admire and want to be like; they were to name 30 heroes. Only entertainers and sports figures made the list (not one statesman, author, musician, astronaut, etc.). Sydney Harris lamented, “A nation that does not respect and reward accomplishments in the arts and sciences, in statesmanship and public service, is weakening its moral fiber and preparing for its own collapse.” Appl. – What does these priorities say c. the future of the church? “Mothers don’t let your babies grow up to be elders…”?

12. David Lipscomb wrote: “For a parent to require a child to wash his face and keep his body clean, and not require him to learn and obey the Bible, is to teach him that the body is worth more than the soul, and that cleanness is worth more than a pure heart and a clean and holy spirit. For a parent to require a child to learn spelling and reading and not require him to study the Bible is to teach him, by a forcible object lesson, that it is much more important to be qualified to live in this world than to be fitted to live in heaven. There is no evading this simple truth. The parent that so treats and impresses his child is the worst enemy that the child has. He will be made to feel this when he meets that child at the judgment of God. It is better to face the question honestly now.” • Neglect. Mk.10:13, the disciples did not think children worthy of the Master’s time. They were wrong! Today, all of society conspires to keep them away from Jesus (e.g.: school systems; worldly friends). • Pro.22:15a, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child… Foolishness is not just inexperience, but stubbornness. Ill.-The European field has a small window of opportunity (cf. Czech Republic then and now). Appl.-Children also have a small window of opportunity. • Pro.29:15b…a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Ill.-David and Adonijah, 1 K.1:6. David was a great king, but fell short as a father. Children spell love T I M E. TV and babysitters are no substitute!!

13. Set a bad example. Mk.9:42, any bad example is a potential stumbling-block. Ill.-Several years ago, a school girl was walking home from a country high school w. several others. As a car approached, the girl ran forward to take sth. fr someone’s hand, and tripped on a small stone lying by the roadside, falling into the path of the car. Her face was badly lacerated; she was disfigured for the rest of her life. There was no way for the driver to avoid hitting her. The problem was not the driver, but a stumbling-stone. Appl. – • 2 Chr.24:7. What else could you expect from Athaliah’s sons? • Jer.35:1-14, Jonadab, a son of Rechab, believed his family could more easily avoid sin by living as nomads outside the city… During the siege of Jerusalem (11), Jeremiah tested them to see if they would live up to their vows. The descendants had faithfully kept his commandments for 2½ centuries!! Jonadab must have lived what he taught! • Provoke them to wrath. • Ep.6:4a. parorgi/zw, to rouse to wrath, exasperate. “Goad to resentment” (NEB). • Describes a rigid, domineering, inconsiderate person; one who exerts authority for its own sake. Ill.-A judge will not let you talk… A father won’t listen; what the child says is unworthy of his consid-eration. (N.B.: This does not condone sassy remarks or a haughty, rebellious attitude.) • A parallel to Ep.5:22-24. • It is the wife’s duty to submit, but the husband’s duty to manifest such a loving disposition that is pleasant to submit. His wish is her command. • It is the child’s duty to obey a parent, but the parent’s duty to manifest such a loving disposition that the child wants to obey. This is the opposite of undue harshness, commanding things that are unfair or unreasonable, ridicule at their expense, or selfish disregard for their feelings. Ill.-Gn.31:14-15 (41). • Col.3:21. • Provoke, e)reqi/zw, irritate; embitter; rouse to anger. Harsh and ungenerous treatment, constant fault-finding, and nagging usually produce bitter fruits. They need approval and encouragement at least as much as reproof. • Ps.103:13: As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

14. Pro.3:12, For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. • Discouraged, a)qume/w, to become disheartened to the extent of losing motivation, become dispirited (cf. BDAG, 25). Ill.-Father finds nothing but fault w. his children… “What’s the use?”

15. CONCL: Inspection reveals the foundation of your house is eaten up w. termites. Can you fix it by washing the windows and cleaning the carpet? (Rearranging chairs on deck of Titanic!) To fix the foundation will cost a lot of time and money. Appl.