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[0:00] Take your Bibles, if you would, and turn with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 1. Proverbs, chapter 1, if you would. And we are going to talk a little bit about raising children again.

[0:10] Proverbs, chapter 1, in verse 8. That song was written by Austin, who was singing it. And he is planning and praying about being a missionary to China.

[0:22] So Trent texted and reminded me of that and how fitting it is that somebody, they send one out, we'll send another one in. Amen. They sent two out the last time. We lined seven more up to go.

[0:34] And so if they send these out, we'll just send 14. Say amen. They're going to be busy getting them out. They may be a big country, but we've got a bigger God. What a message from Robert Canfield.

[0:45] Keep your eyes on our Lord. The Bible says in Psalm 127, verse 3, and you know that passage probably you're memorizing because you're getting tired of me saying it. The Bible says, Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord.

[0:57] The fruit of the womb is his reward. I never, every time I think about children, I think about this passage of Scripture, and I realize God gave us our children. Amen.

[1:08] God gave us our children. The fruit of the womb is his reward. The fact that God lets us have kids, God is doing that. Verse 4 follows hard on that, and I think often it's overlooked by many people.

[1:20] The Bible says in Psalm 127, verse 4, as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. So you know what God did?

[1:30] He gives us kids while we're young. Thank God he gives us kids while we're young, because at my age, I'm always happy when their parents have to take care of them, and that's all I'll say about that.

[1:41] But I love it when they come, and when they get too noisy, I say, don't you think you need to go back downstairs, say amen. So look at your Bible now, if you would, in Proverbs chapter 1, and I just want you to realize if God gave us kids, he ought to be the one that instructs us on how to raise them.

[1:56] If you believe Psalm 127, he wants those kids formed into spiritual weapons. We are given a great commission. We are told to carry the gospel to the entire world.

[2:06] He gives us children that we can train. The Bible's pretty clear. Society may not be, but God's word is clear on how to raise children. There's a wisdom in Proverbs chapter 1 comes from the wisest man, and here's some stuff I would just like you to write down with me, if you would.

[2:23] Go to Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 8, write this down somewhere. Number one, give your children direction for living. Give your children direction for living.

[2:34] Psalm, Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 8, the Bible said, my son, hear the instruction of your father. That's talking to a kid. I'd just like to change the emphasis, and I would like you to underline, hear the instruction of your father.

[2:47] Now, I'd like to back up. I'd like to say, hey, dad, are you giving instruction? Are you setting these kids down and saying, hey, the Lord gave you to me, and it's my job to give you instructions. God gave you to me for me to give you instruction.

[3:01] In Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 8, Solomon's talking to his son. He said, son, listen up. Pay attention. I give you instruction. You should hear the instruction. I worry about how many of us don't give instruction any longer.

[3:15] I wonder about how many of us that want to let our kids grow up and make their own decisions. And I'll just tell you right up front, I want my kids to be so pointed in the right direction towards the right decision that when they get ready to make their own decision, it'll be the right decision.

[3:28] I think it's a big deal. I want my kids. Then look at the verse. It says, and forsake not the law of your mother. The law of your mother. Would you want to align the law of thy mother? Law of thy mother. Mom, are you giving any instruction besides brush your teeth, comb your hair, put the potty seat back down?

[3:45] I mean, they need more instruction than that. And so I'm going to give you some ideas, I think, that are clear in the Bible that you ought to teach them. Number one, they ought to be shown the way to go.

[3:56] The way to go. Proverbs 22, 6, the verse that's overused by us maybe, but the Bible says, train up a child in the way he should go. Now, you know what's important about that?

[4:08] Train up a child in the way she go? Is you got to be going that way before you can train him to go that way. I mean, you have to be on that road yourself or you can't tell somebody to get on that road.

[4:18] They ought to know how to walk. They ought to know how to live. They ought to know it because they're watching you, but then you ought to be given instruction that goes along with your walk. You ought to be given instruction that goes along with your walk.

[4:30] You should explain your faith to your children. I really wish you'd listen to this part. You can't assume they understand what's going on, even at church. Why do I have to sit still?

[4:42] Tell them why they need to sit still. Why do I need to go to Sunday school? Tell them why they need to go to Sunday school. Why do I need a Bible? Why do I need to memorize Bible verses? You ought to be giving them instruction, Dad.

[4:53] They need to hear instruction from you. They need to be in the right way, and you need to give them instruction. I want my kids to understand there is a hell. You ought to tell them there's a hell.

[5:04] You ought to tell them there's a heaven. You ought to tell them that Jesus died on the cross. You ought to set them down. It ought to be when you come to church, when you come to church, you can say to your kids, I already told you everything he's telling you because I'm teaching you what the Word of God says.

[5:18] Amen. Ought to be like an echo chamber for you. Ought to be like an amen choir for you. Your kids ought to come in here. They can go to heaven when they die. And they ought to go, yeah, Dad says that all the time. Your kids ought to come into Sunday school class, and that Sunday school teacher tell them about Jesus died on the cross.

[5:33] And they ought to raise their hand and say, yeah, you're forgetting the part my dad told me. You ought to be giving them instruction. Can I get an amen right there? You ought to give them law, Mom. You should give them law.

[5:44] You should teach them the way in which they should walk. And, you know, at a church like ours, I probably ought not have to say this, but I'm afraid I do. If you get to the New Testament, you can't get to the end of the Gospels without getting to the world.

[5:58] You can't get to the end of the Gospels without getting to the world. You get to the end of Matthew chapter 28, you get down there and it says, hey, I have all authority. I can tell you anything I want to. Now go into all the world. I think your kids ought to hear that.

[6:09] I think your kids are growing up in a church where they're seeing and hearing it all the time. I hope they don't go home and hear the opposite. I hope they don't go home and hear you saying, now, I mean, I know they overemphasize missions in our church and overemphasize obeying Jesus.

[6:22] I don't know how you overemphasize that. Sometimes preachers accuse me of pushing kids to be missionaries. And I say, thank you. I don't mind being pushed. I don't mind you saying that about me.

[6:33] I push the people to obey Jesus. What are you pushing them to do? Not obey Jesus? Why are you complaining about me? You ought to be saying, preach it, brother. You ought to be saying, preach it, brother.

[6:44] We've got to teach them so they'll do right. Second thing I want you to teach them, you're giving them some direction, the way they should go. But they need to know how they're supposed to walk. And that is Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 10.

[6:57] You've got your Bible there. You're still there, I think. Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 10. They need to know who to hang around and why. When Solomon starts writing this book of instructions that he's given his son, verse 10, your kids ought to have this memorized.

[7:15] And it ought to be explained repeatedly. My son, my daughter, if sinners entice you, if people try to get you to do wrong, don't do it.

[7:26] Consent thou not. Your child ought to hear that. They ought to be taught, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Now, we know exactly what kind of stuff he was telling him about because look at verse 11.

[7:38] He even said, now let me give you examples of what they might say to you, son. Look at it. Underline it in your Bible. If they say, if they say, come and let us lay wait for blood.

[7:49] Let us lurk privately for the innocent without call. Let us go hurt somebody. If they say, let us go hurt somebody, you say, son, I've told you, if sinners entice you, don't do it.

[8:02] Don't do it. Let us get because of time. Skip all the way down to verse 15 now. My son, walk not in the way with them. Get off their path.

[8:14] See, somewhere along the way, you need to set your kids down. And I'm afraid, you know, I'm afraid maybe this is kind of old and out of date and we don't do it anymore. But you need to help your kids choose friends. You really need to help your kids choose friends if they're anywhere near 10 or 11, 12.

[8:28] You can pretty well control that six-year-old. He doesn't get to go anywhere. They get 13 or 14. They got the wrong friends. They got them on their PlayStation or whatever that thing is. They're messing around with other people on the Internet. They got them in Facebook and Snapchat and all the other places.

[8:41] They got the wrong kind of friends at school. And they don't even have to go to school to get the wrong kind of friends. They can be homeschooled to get the wrong kind of friends. You say, you don't know what you're talking about. I'll just tell you I've talked to your kids.

[8:52] You don't know what you're talking about. So you need to be careful. Refrain your foot, son. Don't walk with them. So we teach them how to deal with temptation.

[9:03] Have you ever dealt with temptation? Have you ever had issues of trying to live for God and it seems like the devil tries to get you off track and he hurts people? We saw Nehemiah chapter 9.

[9:15] You ought to have thought what a wonderful chapter. And that was the whole history of the nation of Israel. But Nehemiah was saying to them, God's people tend to go back to sin. God's people tend to do what's wrong.

[9:26] If I read that and I know that, I know my kids could do that. I don't know about anybody else in this room. I think I do. Man, I want my kids to love Jesus. Oh, I want my kids to love Jesus.

[9:37] I want my kids to love the Bible. I want my kids to want to serve God. And I know that temptation is going to come. I've watched temptation come. I need to sit down with them and tell them it's coming. Explain what it looks like and tell them how to face it.

[9:50] My son, if sinners entice thee, don't do it. Consent thou not. My son, this is how they'll do it. If they say, if they say, you just get away from them.

[10:02] Teach them. What will happen if they follow the temptation? Teach them. You play without alcohol and see what happens. I need to say something to you parents because independent badminton are horrible exaggerators.

[10:17] If you ever kiss a girl, you'll die. Well, they're going to go kiss a girl and find out she lied about that. They'll figure it out about the rest of the stuff. Tell the truth. In independent badminton, you exaggerate everything.

[10:28] You take everything to the nth degree. I've been working with young people all of my life. And you know what young people are told? A bunch of malarkey that's not in the Bible. And then when they go out and they test it, they find they want to say, let me try it.

[10:39] I'm going to do what I shouldn't do and just see if I really fall dead. And they don't. And then they go, well, I'll try something else. They lied about that. They'll lie about something. Tell them the truth. Okay.

[10:57] I want to say more. But I was accused of being really old-fashioned the other day, so I'm going to stop it. Teach them the way of salvation. Teach them the way of salvation.

[11:08] I love 2 Timothy 1, verse 5. And I think you know the verse, but it's where he said, When I call to remembrance your unfeigned or your not-faked faith, your true faith that you have, I know it dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.

[11:24] And I am persuaded that in thee also. I really, there's one thing I don't like about this verse. Because I always read the Bible and I try to find me. And I don't know of one verse where it says, Daddy and Granddaddy, put faith in you.

[11:36] And I wish there was a verse that said, you know where Austin and Charles helped you get that faith, boy. But we don't get that. You mamas ought to take a hold of something. That commandment from mama, that law from mama. You ought to be teaching them about Jesus.

[11:47] You do not realize, I got 20 grandkids. You do not realize how quick you're going to have grandkids. I mean, you have a kid, you wake up and you got grandkids.

[11:58] You are young when you get married and one day you wake up and you're like, how did I get old? You look in the mirror and say, where in the world did that guy come from? I used to be good looking. I used to be young and skinny and muscular. Well, not quite, but anyway.

[12:10] But it dwelt in grandmother first and it dwelt in mother first. And now it's in you. What a privilege. Share the faith with them. Next, teach them to work.

[12:22] Teach them to work. I got in big trouble for this in Peru. I was working with poor people and rich people. The ministry had started among the really poor people, the poorest, so poor that the richer people in the community used to say, why don't you work with healthy people?

[12:38] Literally. Because they thought they were too poor. They were subhuman and looked down on them. And then the Lord, through my son David, people started getting saved that had some money. He played with their kids in the park where we lived and they started getting saved.

[12:50] They came and I was teaching on teach a kid to work. And they said, I had to work and I'll not teach my kid to work. Rich people spoil their kids. Poor people, their kid has to work.

[13:01] And rich people, your little kid ain't never learned how to make his own bed up. You need to teach them to work. Proverbs chapter 6.

[13:12] Boy, y'all a bunch of dead kids. Kids help me. Your parents need to learn what they ought to do. Say amen. Lydia, quit looking at your dad and shaking your head. No, you don't want to learn to work. I saw that. Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 6.

[13:24] I love this. This is one of them passages you ought to memorize. You know, we all ought to have hundreds of verses committed to memory. You don't even have to try. Just read them enough. They'll stick. Proverbs 6, 6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard.

[13:36] Go to the ant, kid. Consider her ways and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

[13:48] How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, and your poverty comes like somebody riding on horseback coming straight at you.

[14:01] Traveling. They come with guns out. Armed men. Because you get poor if you don't learn how to work. I mean, good night. The generation, all the jokes that are even being made.

[14:13] If our young people today that are coming up are such bad people, we need to look in the mirror because they got to be bad because we made them bad. Say amen right there. You know, millennials had you for a parent. Millennials stink.

[14:29] Well, what made them stink? Stinky parents. Say amen. Spanish word for brat. So malcriado. Poorly raised. Bad raised kid. When you see a kid running around to church and he's been a brat, you say, there goes a bad raised kid.

[14:43] And that puts all the blame where it ought to go. Not on the kid. It's mom and dad. In Spanish, in English, we say brat. That means the kid's bad. Kid's not bad. Kid's doing what you taught him to do.

[14:54] You gave him direction in life. Say amen. Amen. So would you look at this verse with me just quickly? I want my kids to succeed. They need to learn how to work. That means they need to learn.

[15:07] Just consider, it's time to quit. Just consider this. They ought not be allowed to sleep so much. They need a disciplined life.

[15:18] They need to get up in the morning and they need to do stuff. They need to go to bed tired. My daddy used to say, if you can't go to sleep when I put you to bed, you didn't work hard enough. I'll figure out something else you can do tomorrow. I read a story of a guy just the other day.

[15:31] He said, his dad told him, he said, I need you to stack the firewood over there. And he stacked the firewood over and got it all really good and really pretty. And his dad came home and said, that's really good, son. The next day his dad came out and said, I'd like you to move that firewood over there.

[15:42] He said, he got to be a grown man. He said to his dad, dad, I never understood why I had to move the firewood. He said, well, I didn't have anything else for you to do, so I had to make up something. You say, why would you be that cruel? Go to the ant, thou sluggard.

[15:54] Consider her ways and be wise. She doesn't need to be told what to do. She learns how to save her money. She learns how to work when it's time to work. She learns how to get up when it's time to get up. She doesn't let that keep her down.

[16:06] Verse 10, just for the fun of it, I want you to mark all the littles. It's not a lot of sleep. It's a little sleep. It's a sluggard button on the top of your machine.

[16:17] It's a sluggard button on your iPhone that says snooze a little while. A little slumber, a little folding of the hands. I want my kids to be a success. We got a world to reach for the gospel.

[16:29] We got a world to reach for the gospel. And having children is a big deal. You've never had anything as valuable as a child. You've never had anything as important as being a parent.

[16:40] There's not a job on this planet as important as being a parent. The president of the United States takes second base to any mama. The truth is, we're the parents and moms especially, but we're raising kids for him.

[16:52]  So I would challenge you, let's make decisions to raise our kids. For his honor and glory.