Parent Commitment

Parent Commitment Sunday • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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Now, as we begin this morning, I just want to let you know from the outset, in some ways much of what I will do this morning is a conversation between me and Thomas & Rebecca. You’re sorta eavesdropping. But as you listen in on this conversation, I believe you will discover some important truths for each of you, whether your parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, part of the church family, well really for each one of us. Also, go ahead and turn in your copies of God’s Word to Deuteronomy 6, we will be looking at verses 4-9 this morning.

Todays Agenda

Purpose

What is Parent Commissioning?

Discussion

Practical Steps in the First Five Years

Preparation for Celebration Day

Purpose:

Pause- First, today should be a time to just PAUSE. We get so busy and so hurried that we don’t just take time to focus. I don’t want this to be something you’re just checking off the list. Maybe that’s why you came, because you had to, but that’s ok. Right now is a time to pause from your normal Sunday routine and think about the mission that God has given you.

Think-Second, while pausing to think about God’s mission in parenting, I want us to reflect on why God has us here on earth, what is our purpose for parenting?

Commit-Third, I want you as a parents to commit to raising your children in a way that is different from the rest of the world.

Learn-Last, I want to share with you a tiny bit about child development across the first years of life to help you think about appropriate spiritual teaching for Matthias

What is Parent Commitment?

It is NOT:

Baptism

Salvation

Just a tradition

It IS:

A public commitment before your church family to parent using a Gospel framework

Parent Commitment has its roots in Scripture.

First, we see in Scripture where parents committed their children to the Lord. We see this with Samuel presented to the Lord by Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:28 and when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple in Luke 2:21-22. God has made the sovereign choice to choose you to parent your child and to begin a multi-generational legacy.

Putting your relationship with the Lord first in your own life-

Put your relationship with the Lord first in your own life. I cannot stress to you how important it is that your kids understand that your relationship to God supersedes all other relationships. ,

Then your spouse, Pam and I made sure our kids always understood that we loved them deeply, but they also understood that we loved each other even more. When marriage breaks down, family breaks down. Work on your marriage. Pam and I talked with the 2 of you about this last Sunday, surveys have shown that one of the best things you can do for your children is to let them see that the relationship between the 2 of you is solid. One of the reasons for this is, your marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. We are to pattern for them the same type of love Christ has for the church.

After your relationship with the Lord, comes your relationship with your spouse, and then their is your relationship with your kids.

Modeling how to follow Jesus both in action and in conversation in your homes-Your kids are watching and learning. Model what it means to fight the good fight. Not competing against one another but modeling forgiveness and encouragement, being quick to apologize. Focused outward on expanding God’s kingdom.

Being intentional in parenting-being different! Raising your kids with an eternal perspective--using Biblical wisdom to make decisions. Thinking about how decisions affect your child’s spiritual development.

Does this help them to know Jesus?

Are we making Jesus known because of this decision?

Are we equipping our children to live in a culture that exalts self over others?

How are we using our home to glorify God?

How are you equipping your children to stand firm through life’s challenges?

How are you showing them how to be a Jesus Follower?

These are all important questions we should be asking each other consistently. But that brings up a very important question;

HOW DO WE DO THAT??

Parenting to bring God glory- Deut. 6:4-9

1. The calling. Deut. 6:4

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

We as followers of Jesus are called to live in sharp contrast to the world around us.

We cannot parent in the same way and expect different results.

2. A pursuit. Deut. 6:5

Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

We relate to God through a love relationship by pursuing God daily.

We love God by stewarding our children well, to glorify God, not ourselves.

That brings up an important question; How do we pursue God daily: Well it comes from a devotion to-

THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES. By the way, this devotion is so important for us as a church, that the first 2 or 3 months of 2025 we will take a brief break from our series on the Gospel of Mark to study the Spiritual disciplines together. Thomas & Rebecca, I encourage you to watch these services as well.

So, how do we do this.

-By pursuing God daily, our lives are changed from the inside out.

-Positioning ourselves so that our lives are lived as Jesus would live them if He were in our place.

Examples of stewarding our children well, or being an ambassador for God:

-praying God’s will for your child, not your own will

-helping your children seek God’s will for their lives

-treating children and their opinions/behaviors with respect, dignity, value, worth

-parenting from a place of grace, connecting conversations to faith in the Lord

-not creating a culture of fear

-making sure discipline includes instruction, not just consequences

-seeking heart transformation, not behavior management

Ok, # 3 in Parenting to bring God glory;

3. A Diligence. Deut. 6:7

Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)

You shall teach them diligently to your children….

There’s always someone who knows more, but God has appointed YOU to be the chief teacher in your children’s lives. To be quite honest with you, it is not the church’s job to teach your children the things of God. God has given the 2 of you that responsibility. We as the church are to come alongside you, but it is first and foremost your call by God. Teach;

Who God is

What God is like

What is looks like to follow Jesus

Your personal faith story/journey- we will talk more about this shortly.

-Talk constantly

-Instill routines: bed-time, silence/solitude, thankfulness jar, conversations at the dinner table, read the Bible together; memorize Scripture; prioritize church

-Capture moments: Some of the most important parenting moments happen when you least expect it-car, couch, bedtime, discipline…

# 4 in Parenting to bring God glory;

4. A Conversation. Deut. 6:7b

Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)

You shall… talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Jesus expects you to be committed to using all God has given you to share the Gospel through your personal story of following Jesus—wherever He has positioned you, including your own home. In fact I would say, especially in your own home!

Your kids should know your story. They should know your testimony of how you came to be a Jesus Follower, but they should also know how being a Jesus Follower influences your life on a daily basis.

# 5 in Parenting to bring God glory;

5. A Mission. Deut. 6:8-9

Deuteronomy 6:8 (ESV)

5. A Mission.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.

Kids need a purpose to pursue, an identity to embrace, and a battle to fight. In order to give them that, equip them spiritually starting when they’re young.

Don’t skip church or church functions (AWANA, children’s church, youth group-and don’t use not attending these functions as a part of discipline!)

Fight the temptation to center your lives around your kids. They do not need to be the center of your universe. They need to know that the Lord has authority of their schedules. We are to submit to Him and part of that submission is committing to a local body of believers.

Let me close out this morning with 10 Practical steps you need to take.

10 Practical Steps

1.Understand that spiritual development is a PROCESS, not just an event.

It is DIFFERENT for EACH child. Every child you parent will be different.

2.Remember the basics: Parents need to be PRESENT.

#2: Love can often be spelled T-I-M-E.

3.Understand child development.

Characteristics

How young children learn

During the first 5 years of life, a person experiences more rapid growth than any other 5-year period of their lifetime.

The first five years are so important for basic character formation, personality formation, and intellectual/emotional development. DON’T WASTE IT!

Nurture your child, don’t rush your child. Encourage your child.

General characteristics of young kids: creative, sensitive, don’t understand sarcasm, they’re very literal, limited attention span, very self-centered, curious, like to explore limits and they crave routine and boundaries (share classroom example)

Kids learn through example, what you model, they learn through experience and doing, using all the senses, learn through play, repetition, learn through positive relationships.

4. Regularly read the Bible with your child.

LIVE Bible reading in front for your kids. Show them how to read the Bible. Model. Establish a bedtime routine and read the Bible before you go to bed. Bedtime is a great time of warmth with your kids. Help kids fall in love with the Word of God. Do whatever it takes to get in the word with your kids. This is the number one influence on spiritual health.

5. Regularly spend time in prayer with your child.

and teach him/her how to pray.

Teach your children how to pray. Don’t make it a crisis only response. Build regular prayer time into your routine. But show kids how to have conversational prayer. Ask them how you can be praying for them.

6. Regularly serve in church.

Implicit in this is that you’re committed to BEING at church. Don’t make church just a choice on a menu of options. Make it a priority, central to all your routines, your priority. A non-negotiable. But not just attendance, serving. Model how to serve the church body for your kids and when they are ready, help them serve as well. Center your schedule around the worship of God.

7. Participate in mission trips and service

projects.

Not just serve the church, but serve the community. Make your home a mission command center. You are where you are because God wants you to reach your neighbors and your community. Let your kids see other cultures, show them how to serve. Cultivate a life of gratitude because of what Jesus has done for us.

8. Live in community with other like-minded

believers.

Along the same lines as serving in the church, but get to know others that are like-minded that can have a positive influence on your kids.

9. Point out Biblical principles in everyday

life.

Again, this points to Deuteronomy 6. When you have conversations with your child, point them to the cross. Help them see the world through a Biblical lens. So that when they get older and we’re not with them, they respond with the Gospel central in their lives. They are ready for battle. (story of Brittany and Jessi-Walk for Jessi)

10. Ask forgiveness.

Challenge.

Write out your story of following Jesus

Think of a way to tell your story in about 20 seconds

Think about some of the hard words and how to make them easier to understand

At dinner, share one thing you saw God do in your life that day

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