HOPEFULPARENTINGD

r. D

avid

Jere

mia

h

Through wisdom a house is built,And by understanding, it is

established;By knowledge the rooms are filled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

Proverbs 24:3-4

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every

good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Biblical Foundation

• Teaching– Sound instruction, good for taking sure,

safe, forward steps

• Rebuking– To bring conviction which helps the

erring one realize he or she is going the wrong way

The Biblical Foundation

• Correcting– Head us in the right direction, back to

fellowship with God and others.

• Training in righteousness– Directs us to fuller, sweeter fellowship

with others and with God.

• Note the order of these events!

The Biblical Foundation

• …and for what?

• To be thoroughly equipped for every good work.– Thoroughly equipped: finely honed,

exquisitely prepared for the task.– Every good work: doing the will of God

in every way and in every circumstance.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not

depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Train Up

• In our cultural context, “train up” has a sort of boot camp connotation.

• The original language has a different meaning.– An Arab midwife would rub dried dates

in the mouth of a newborn to stimulate the action to suck and draw nourishment.

– A thirst and a hunger for God!

In the Way He Should Go

• “according to his own way”

• We are each unique individuals, for which God has a unique plan.

• We cannot prepare a child for a predetermined mission in life based on our expectations or the performance of his or her siblings.

In the Way He Should Go

• Instead of focusing solely on the rights and wrongs of specific circumstances, we are to train our children in the overarching Biblical truths that guide our decisions, judgments, and choices.

Challenge Question

• Will sound and consistent Biblical instruction hamper your child’s ability to effectively navigate this world?

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father

but from the world.

1 John 2:15-16

A Survey of 1,361 Vice-Presidents at Major

Corporations:

Korn-Ferry InternationalUCLA School of Management

89%

Active in their Faith

87%

Still Married to their One-and-Only Spouse

92%

Raised by Two Parent Families

91%

Claimed Church Affiliation(Fortune Magazine)

54%

Came from Lower-MiddleClass Families

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will

be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

Passing on the Legacy

• Which is more potent?

– A wicked man passing his wickedness to his children?

– A righteous man passing God’s righteousness to his children?

Exodus 20:5-6

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your

God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of

those who hate me,

Exodus 20:5-6

…but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me

and keep my commandments.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin

increased, grace increased all the more…

Romans 5:20

Mom and Dad

Father Only

Mother Only

Neither Parent

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

76%

55%

15%

9%

Percentage of Children Following in the FaithBased on Who Takes them to Church on a Regular Basis

The Importance of Prayer

• In what ways should we be praying for our children?– That they would know Jesus.

– Spiritual and physical protection.

– For their future, and their future spouses.

Challenge

• In what specific, Scriptural ways are you preparing your child for this world?

• Is your heart one of trepidation or rejoicing when it comes to equipping your children?

• Do you view your children as future victors or victims?

Question for Next Week…

• If you could pass on only one quality or character trait to your child, which one would it be?