Proverbs 12:1 (Strong Children Pt. 2)

The Importance of Covenant Children for the Church’s Future

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon. We pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.

May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you. We're.

In some respects we're a church with some quirky folk in it. I'm one of those quirky people.

People.

Can often be surprised by some of the things that are that are my quirks that are among my quirks. One of them in particular is I can be a stickler for words so one of the things that I Tend to insist on I'm not my record isn't perfect on it.

But I typically will insist on personally and in our home is that we never call our our children kids. And when I say never again, we do our best to do this. We're not perfect in it, but because words matter right the word kids is Reference to a baby goat right and in the Bible we see you know God.

You know Jesus he's has this dichotomy between the obviously the people of God and the people of the serpent the enemy. They have people the people who hate who hate God worldly people. And he calls the people of God sheep and the world Goats and so I'm like I don't have kids.

I have children and so I want to I'm a little bit of a stickler for it because I believe that my children are Part of the visible people of God. Certainly they're part of the church. And I believe and I want to speak over them.

That they are numbered among God's people. They are among God's sheep. I don't want them to to think that I view them as a baby goat. Just growing up in this world to be to remain a worldly goat for their entire lives so again, it's I can be a bit of a stickler about it within my home because I Can be it's one of my quirks anyways?

I'm not saying that everyone here must start calling your children Children and not kids that's that's not what I'm gonna say this morning. But I share that at the outset here to say that the things that we believe Should impact the way that we live our lives right the things I have that standard we have that Lena and I have that kind of rule or best practice in our home because we believe something and.

So whenever we believe something and really believe it it should have an impact on the way we live our lives. Last week we looked at the importance of our children. And the work that God is doing to fulfill his promises to Abraham and to Abraham seed the Lord Jesus Christ.

We looked specifically last week at Genesis chapter 18 and verse 19 where God says to Abraham. For I have chosen him meaning Abraham so 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 upon Abraham what he has spoken about him. Essentially the Lord is teaching us that he intends to bring about the promised blessing of all the earth through Abraham and and his seed he's gonna do that through Abraham's teaching of his children and Household after him to keep the way of the Lord and it and that is the purpose even for why God has chosen Abraham the reason why God knows him is so that he would teach his household so that he would bring about his promises and This same thing is true for us.

God intends to bring about the world-swallowing kingdom of Jesus Christ, which will bless all the families of the earth Through the work of his people the church Specifically and normatively not only but normatively in their commanding of their children and households to keep the way of the Lord and to Continue the work until it is completed again, we talked last week about you know, some other important things that Happen in the life of the church missions and evangelism.

These are important things. These are good things when done rightly but normatively God would have us to grow his kingdom through the baptizing and teaching of our young people in the ways of the Lord as he Patiently builds his kingdom and saves his elect.

As we talked about last week we see through history. You know with groups like the the shakers that an utter reliance on evangelism. An adult conversion is a recipe for ultimate disaster. It's the point now for the shakers.

You can hardly call them a group at all because only two of them one more if they lose one more person. They're not even a group anymore. They're just a person. There's a shaker over there. And what is a shaker if there's only one if you only have one salt shaker.

You need a salt and a pepper shaker. Anyways, I digress that's not in my notes, but I couldn't help myself so the principle Namely the importance of our children to God and Therefore to what is important to this community, right?

This is important to God and so we want this to be important to this community here very specifically. That as we look to be built up for the works that God has prepared for us to walk in Not only today but in the future and generations to come.

We want to remember this principle that this is how God would have us to work primarily want this to be a fuel That drives our behavior and so today we're gonna look to gain more direction from God's Word on How we are to live with this end in view if that's the end if that's the if in principle, that's where we're going.

That's what God is doing. How do we live today in order to to move the needle as it were in that direction? So we're gonna start in Proverbs 12 Verse 1 is gonna be kind of our base text just for the just to kind of be a springboard.

We're gonna be kind of all over the scripture today but Proverbs 12 1 Says whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid if we desire to honestly say that we love the end that we look forward to that we love the truths of how God intends For us to live if we are gonna be people who dares to say that we love the doctrines.

We love post-millennial ism. Then that knowledge of doctrine Better lead to a disciplined life of obedience unto God through the power of his spirit. We can't just say that we love that. I thought it's a great.

That's a great theological doctrine. I love it so much I love that knowledge if you love that knowledge You will love the discipline that comes with it. That's what Proverbs 12 1 is teaching us and so we're gonna really dig into the disciplines That God would have us to learn and to live in In light of our love for the knowledge that he will build this kingdom through the work of his church.

Children as Part of the Visible People of God

So let's pray as we begin this morning. And ask God for his help Father we do. Thank you this morning that as we do come before you as we've stated we can come Knowing that we are welcomed here in your presence that we are welcomed not because of ourselves not because of our ability to To do the things that we've talked about in the reading of the law to do the things that we'll look at today.

We're not welcomed because of our ability or rather We are welcomed because of the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord help us this morning to cling to him to be driven into your arms Lord that your spirit would Would comfort us would build us up for the works that you've given that you are preparing us for.

That ultimately they would glorify you Lord and even They would be we'd be able to look back in eternity To the ways that you've you that you used what seems like really small day-to-day mundane things to build your Kingdom that covers the entire earth Lord help us to to be excited about the prospects That come from from looking at what you'd have us to do.

And within the knowledge that you would give to us Lord to know what we have to do or help us then to take that knowledge and to build it into our lives or may your spirit help us to really Embrace the work that you'd have for us help this morning God by your spirit.

We do pray in Jesus name Amen. So as we said last week our embrace of children comes with the end in mind right in many ways. It's about the future. But this embrace can't only be forward-looking we see very clearly rather in the scriptures that God Demonstrates his love for children.

He demonstrates a great use for children and he demonstrates a great desire that children would even know him as Children that he doesn't love children because they might someday know him. God loves children.

He desires that they know him as Children so not merely for their utility to him does God love the children we see in Matthew 19 14 Jesus says let the little children alone and do not hinder them from coming to me for the kingdom of heaven.

Belongs to such as these. It's not just because God thinks that they could be they could be useful and the works that he has that is certainly true. But God wants them he desires and he loves the children.

Further God has promised to bring about his kingdom not only through the covenantal succession of children. Which is the principle that we're kind of talking about here being raised up in the way of the Lord, right?

That's he's not Only through that showing his use for them. But he's even said that he would use children as children. Psalm 8 2 says from the mouth of infants and nursing babes. You God have established strength because of your adversaries to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

One of the ways God displays and exercises his strength is actually through the mouth of babes as it were. Because they're assigned to the enemy and to the revengeful of their sure Destruction. God uses children as children as a sign to his enemies that he will accomplish what he said he will accomplish.

And finally God again is a great desire to know. All of us, right, but a lot of us are past the earliest days of our lives. And so God but God does have a desire to know the children here in our midst early in their lives he's not Kind of waiting them out for when they get to their teenage years or graduate from college.

God desires to know. To know all of us in the early years. Ecclesiastes 12 1. Remember also your creator in the days of your youth. Before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say I have no delight in them.

Too often young people even young adults will act indifferent to the things of God because why bother now, you know I don't need to do that now. They think that you know, they'll so much time left, right?

There's no need to do that thing that that church thing yet. Meaning no need what they actually mean is that no need to obey God the Creator at this point. But Solomon here in Ecclesiastes 12 is exhorting young people to remember God not someday, but today.

Don't waste your youngest years when you have the most energy the most potential the most opportunity. That's in the earliest part of your life. Don't use that time to serve your sin and to serve the devil.

Again, too many young people think they can serve the devil in their best years and then give God the leftovers at the end of their life. God wants your best. We see this throughout the scripture. God wants the firstfruits.

He wants the best in our youth is the firstfruits. God wants that and so he we owe that to him and so to young people give that to him today. Particularly the young children give God your youth. And so again.

These things these points I'm making here kind of at the outset are meant to just reinforce what we learned last week. That God has great purposes for the world. He's building a kingdom that's going to cover and bless the entire earth.

He said and he has said that the principal way he's going to do that the way he's going to build that kingdom. You know Abraham this time into Israel. This is how I'm gonna do it church. This is how I'm going to do it.

He's going to do that through the raising of your children and your household After you to follow the way of the Lord. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna give you fulfill this promise. I made to you through you teaching and commanding your households and Furthermore God's interest in children is not merely about the best way again.

It's not that he's doing this just because this is the way that he that just because it's the best way to do it. But it's because he loves the children. He wants to use the children in fact does use the children as children.

To smite his enemies and he desires the children to know him from their youngest years. That they may offer up their whole lives as a living sacrifice to him and so now. Kind of with that I guess summary and recap.

Faith, Discipline, and Fruit in the Christian Life

How we want to how we then respond right? How do we live? Right. We believe these things now. How do we live in light of them? Well as apostle as the Apostle Peter tells us in 2nd Peter 1 5 through 8 for this very reason also.

Applying all diligence in your faith supply moral excellence and in your moral excellence knowledge and in your knowledge self-control and in your self-control Perseverance and in your perseverance godliness and in your godliness brotherly kindness and in your brotherly kindness love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, there are many knowledgeable men and women and children here or even in Reformed Christian circles more broadly.

You know not exclusively the case, but in my experience with very knowledgeable Families people who are very well thought out in their beliefs. They understand biblical concepts are able to think through the Bible's teaching.

Very logically even again, even children are able to do this. Well and a lot of Good Reformed churches, you'll see families who are raising up their children under the teaching of the Westminster standards.

My children are brought up under that we go through the Westminster Shorter Catechism at home. We also do that here as a church every week, right? So you can meet children and families who are quite knowledgeable about the Christian faith early on who they and they understand the Bible's teaching on Various topics, but at the same time if we're not diligent we can also fall into this trap.

Where we start to equate our knowledge with our godliness, but that is not the case biblically, right? You could know it all. Paul says you could have all knowledge, right? But we could be lacking in the qualities.

That would lead us to bear fruit in this text in 2nd Peter is reminding us that our knowledge is not the final evidence. That's in there. That's in his sort of progression of godliness that confirms that our calling an election is sure.

But that is not the final evidence of our faith rather in Christ. We bear fruit that demonstrates as Peter says in verse 8. Demonstrates our true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ if we are to be able to say that we truly know the Lord.

Then it is going to bear fruit that is in keeping with repentance. Because as James says in his letter faith without works is dead. And so we have to learn to apply these things to our lives and this is really important for children.

So again children, they're really good at learning facts, right? They pick things up really quickly. When it comes to head knowledge less so when it comes to Physical knowledge and discipline it can be a little bit more tricky with children.

But it's still something that is critical for them to learn until to help them to see their theology come out of their fingertips. They can believe these things and then how do we live? I love that quote Doug this from Pastor Doug Wilson your theology should come out of your fingertips, right?

You should be living the things that you say that you believe and so it's critical that we learn how to do this. Well, particularly for children again, they're sponges. They soak it all in. So, how do we help them to live out the things that we're teaching them?

It's more than just teaching them head knowledge. It is teaching them a way of life a way to live the way of the Lord.

How Children Should Believe, Obey, Honor, and Grow in Discipline

So.

With all that.

We're gonna kind of jump in now to a lot of application as I mentioned last week. That was really kind of setting the the principle. This is what God has for us. This is really that's foundational without that.

We the rest of this is a little bit less Critical, but we understand this is how God is going to do the work that he's going to do. And so then how do we kind of live that out on the day to day? And I'm gonna start I'm gonna work this morning and try to apply that to all of us here.

Not exhaustively kind of higher level. But at least things for us to think about things to things for us to dig deeper into. How they might come to bear in our own homes, but I'm gonna work on applying that.

By.

First to the children. Speaking directly to them and then to parents and then to us more broadly as a community. Again, this is not exhaustive. Only meant to be kind of high-level introductory view of how we're to obey God in this area.

Particularly, I guess even to say how our children should aim to obey God and the way that they live their lives. As we've discussed as I mentioned, you know children are too often ignored in and worse yet in many cases dismissed from the Christian Church by their own parents.

I think it's a terrible tragedy that this happens. That many Christian parents are quite okay. Even desirous will will not even go to a church. That does not allow for them to dismiss their own children from their presence.

I don't mean to say it so forcefully but it can be it's a sad thing many churches functionally Will treat children as pagans to be evangelized someday just not today because they're not able to Stay seated in a way that we would like them to.

But they'll wait to treat them. They'll treat them as pagans until they get older and then they can choose it for themselves. Because I mean we also wouldn't want to impose anything on our own children.

That would be that would be terrible. That would be terrible. But nature abhors a vacuum. And so if you don't teach your children somebody else is going to teach your children that will happen that you can't ignore that.

And so this morning Speaking directly to the young people again. I Love for you to hear this the primary way in which you honor God. And live a life that it is being lived in light of the principle that God is going to Bring about his world-swallowing kingdom someday the primary way for you to honor God is to believe in him to trust his promises and you can do this even as a child.

This is not something that you are unable to do. Believe in God and trust his promises. Hebrews 3 12 through 19. Take care brethren that there not be in any one of you an evil unbelieving heart that falls away from the Living God.

But encourage one another day after day as long as it is still called today. So that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

While it is said today if you hear his full his voice, this is reference to Psalm 95. Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me. For who provoked him when they had heard indeed did not all those who came out of Egypt.

Led by Moses and with whom was he angry for 40 years. Was it not with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? But to those who were disobedient.

So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Doesn't matter how many times you've been to church. Doesn't matter, you know for young people if you were baptized or even baptized on the eighth day.

That does not matter if you do not believe. If you've hardened your heart towards God, then you will not enter his rest. And so young people believe in God. He's called you to believe in him and and trust in him have faith in him.

And what's more? We're not Gnostics here. I mean, we don't believe that as long as you just say that you believe. That then all the way that you live doesn't really matter. You know you say that you believe and yet you live a very undisciplined life again speaking to children that that's Just because you're a child.

You can't have that excuse about I'm just a child. That's why I do these things. You say that you believe. The way that you live still matters as long as you know the right answers to the Catechism. You know, we can be tended to think that we've done our part.

But we're wrong in thinking that the way that you live matters and here in Hebrews. The author has belief in view when he talks about obedience. Right belief obedience is defined as faith verse 18 says.

And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? But to those who were disobedient in verse 19. So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief their unbelief was their disobedience.

Their disobedience proved their unbelief and so you must believe in God you must do so rightly yes, but further you must obey God. An application always. Application of this command to believe always goes beyond just knowing the facts just knowing just having the head knowledge has to come out of your fingertips because faith without works is dead and.

So children again believe in God trust in him. After that after belief again this has that has to be primary. If I didn't start with that I'd be beside myself. I think that's how the expression goes. I'd be crazy right you have to start with belief.

This is critical for all of us including our children, but after that the next most important way for you children to obey God Is to honor your father and mother? The fifth commandment we read earlier from Exodus 20 verse 12 Honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God Gives you and the Apostle Paul repeats the same command twice in the New Testament of Ephesians Chapter 6 verses 1 through 3 and in Colossians 3 verse 20, but Ephesians 6 1 through 3 He says children obey your parents, and he's writing this to children right he's writing to the church.

And he's speaking directly to the children children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with the promise so that it may be well with you and that you may Live long on the earth.

Children owe their parents obedience before God. All right, if we are to say that we honor God we love God. If a child is to say that they owe their parents obedience again. We are all imperfect here, so I want to be clear I'm not saying that any child that Disrespects or dishonors their parents once.

What have we done? That's not what I'm saying. Right we are all imperfect especially children there have weaker frames, but we and we need to acknowledge that and and Deal with them in that in light of that, but they still owe their parents obedience.

This is the command from God. You must obey your parents you must honor them for this is right and it's well pleasing to the Lord. Paul says in Colossians 3 20 and The beauty of this what I love about this command so much and Paul says it's the first command with the promise.

Because it he's saying that there is something there's a really promised result of this a blessing of this. It's your life. The beauty of this command I think is that we see the glory and the benefit for all involved right.

God is not stingy. He is so gracious and and generous to his people. So we notice here that first of all God is well pleased right when a child obeys their parents this pleases the Lord. He is well pleased by it.

Second parents are honored. Right so God is pleased parents are honored and children Receive a promised blessing it will be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. God is so generous to us that as he calls us to obey him He's actually promising blessing not only to the children, but to the parents.

It's to the entire society in general. It's an amazing picture to me. Just that one command of God's generosity to his people. God's not frivolous with his commands. He's not seeking something from us that he's lacking or that is only for his benefit.

He's not doing that just to make himself feel better. He doesn't need us for that, but God's law is good, and it is good for us to obey him and so again children believe God and honor your father and mother and Receive the blessings and that he promises and.

This is probably important to say that even in situations where parents are not great because a lot of parents aren't. All parents are imperfect. But there are some that are a lot worse than other parents, and that's important to acknowledge.

And yet children still owe their parents honor. Parental authority can be disrupted when it's ungodly, but it can never be eliminated. A child can never justify a total rebellion against their parents even in the case where a child becomes a Christian in an unbelieving home.

Right he still owes honor and respect to his father and his mother. It's good for him actually to do that. And so don't fall into temptation to stray from this command because You know we can go through the what-if exercise all day, but what if this or that?

Don't do that. Don't don't convince yourself that you don't have to obey God because there's some situation out there that seems like it wouldn't be necessary. Avoid sin in this regard and always honor your father and mother there be varying degrees again, but we honor our father and mother.

Proverbs 30 11 to 14 teaches us that there is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. There's a generation that is pure in its own eyes yet is not washed from its filthiness.

There is a generation. Oh, how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose fangs are like knives. To devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men.

We live in times like this. I'd say certainly I think probably many people would be able to say that throughout history though. You know which is not it's not wise to say oh miss the good old days that is not wise.

The scripture teaches that but I do think that we see a generation today. Zoomers, I think they call themselves. That you know they certainly they have a dis a disdain for their father and mother for those who have come before them.

They despise their elders. They despise authority. I think that they know everything right there wise in their own eyes. And so children don't be corrupted by that type of wicked company. Especially those of you who maybe have a lot of friends who are not Christians and that's not just to the children.

But to parents as well if your children are around a lot of other children who would be negative influences. Which we'll talk more about. In a little bit you have to be be aware of these things that these things can corrupt the minds of a child.

But children trust God learn from those he's placed over you and seek his kingdom. Trust him obey your parents don't be. Don't be working in league with the generation that that hates its father and does not bless its mother.

I think Proverbs 1 8 9 Encourages us children specifically well in this that here my son your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's your mother's teaching. Indeed they are a graceful wreath to your head and ornaments about your neck.

They are a blessing to you the blessings of God await those who honor their parents. And so you do well to start that at a young age. Don't wait until you're old enough to say. Oh, yeah, they my parents were pretty good.

I really gave him a hard time. Don't wait for that. Yeah, you don't need to you can start you can be a blessing to them today. And that is a good thing and it's good for you to do that as well.

Now.

It's important also children that you don't stop at only honoring your father and mother and the authorities around you. You have to believe you have to obey God you have to honor your parents. But you also must grow in your obedience to God over time.

And the most effective way that you can do this is not of yourselves obviously just like none of this is really of ourselves. This is the work of God's Spirit in us. But the most effective way to do this over time is to become is to be disciplined as we read earlier from Proverbs 12 1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

There are a few things as important for children as growing in discipline and self-control. And we can see this has been lacking for so long in our culture when you look at that utter lack of discipline really that's among again that zoomer generation laziness sexual immorality pornography Riots all that source of statues being toppled.

That's it's to the point where it's embarrassing even really to exist in this culture. Because the children are just so Destructive and dishonoring and they have an Undisciplined where things don't go their way they go crazy.

These are adults acting like children again. It's proof that To me of the fifth commandment where you have these cultures who are not honoring their Ancestors not honoring those who came before them and because of that they will not live long on the earth our culture society is Dying right it's fading away.

Because our children are not honoring their father and mother that's on the national level and within this church though. That's why we have to work against it. We have to be we have to be raising children that honor Their father and mother generations that honor those who came before them and the Lord promises blessing to us to this people when we do that.

But if we lose sight of that if we don't take care of the children and helping them to grow in Discipline and if you children don't heed that and actually grow in discipline over time. Then it will all fade away.

Just like our society around us is crumbling. Again, it's critical that you prepare yourself for the future in your childhood years. Paul says in 1st Corinthians.

When I was a child.

I used to speak like a child think like a child reason like a child. When I became a man I did away with childish things. One day that will be you you will be a man or a woman someday and you can't continue to think and act and Reason like a child you have to be able to do those things like an adult you have to learn how to do those things.

And you so you use your childhood years to develop those skills. I have too many skills particularly when it comes to marriage and parenting that I've learned as an adult. That I wish I would have learned as a child.

Don't so the children don't wait till you're an adult to learn some of these things the Lord has given you a great blessing in Your family and in the church. Learn those things while you're young so that you'll be ready when you are an adult.

So seek discipline now. Put away childish things. What as you grow older and if you are disciplined now if you seek those things now You'll actually be able to set them aside. You won't be controlled and owned by your sin.

So much because you have been working against it all of your life. Don't stop at knowledge, but seek true knowledge as Peter said. Which is a discipline that leads to godliness which glorifies God? Remember Proverbs 20 11.

It's not what you know what your parents do that sets you apart. It is proverbs 20 11 says it is by his deeds that a lad a young man a child Distinguishes himself if his conduct is pure and right. Right we'll have a lot of children who will profess to be Christians or maybe they won't even profess to be Christians.

But they'll just be here as part of the Christian community, and that's good and right we want them here to be clear. But a young person will distinguish themselves. They will they are setting themselves apart by how they act by their deeds among God's people.

It's not merely that we can say the right things it is that we honor God with our lives. We should we demonstrate that we believe in him and our theology comes out of our fingertips for our respect for our parents and authority and the growth and the godly Christian disciplined life and finally children.