Church and Children | Listen to Sermon Audio
Church and Children - SERMON NOTES
Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study. To listen to the sermon, click the link above.
Intro: (1) background of past three years (2) cultural realities, foundation of God’s word, owner vs. steward (3) present church corporately responsible for forming future church
Theology
1. OT: (1) Proverbs 22:6 importance of laying spiritual foundation through both love and correction (2) Exodus 20:12 proper respect for authorities God has established, without which our experience of God will be lacking (3) Deuteronomy 6:4-9 v.4-6 emphasize recognition of and love for God, while v.7-9 emphasize passing this on to children through daily modeling
2. NT: (1) Ephesians 6:1-4 reference to Exodus 20:12, emphasis on fathers, specifics of “discipline and instruction” (2) Mark 9:33-37, 10:13-16 children teach us something about the heart God desires, a tendency to be dismissive toward children, Jesus’ love of children (3) Matthew 10:34-39, Mark 3:31-35 biological family vs. spiritual family
Philosophy
1. Proclaim God: (1) who God is — creator, scripture, Christ (2) salvation — sin, law, Christ, Holy Spirit, second coming (3) Christian life — spiritual growth, church, prayer (4) mirror of adult SS
2. Help parents: (1) neglecting responsibility — assess what IS shaping the souls of our kids (2) taking ALL responsibility — reminder that children are meant to turn into adults (3) team effort
3. Point to Christ: (1) non-goals — belief in God, acquiescence to good moral behavior, help them to be true to themselves, build self-esteem, tell them they can accomplish anything (2) baptism
4. Instill community: (1) pioneer clubs (2) participation in corporate worship — opportunity to model, reminder that the world does not revolve around them, they see us and we see them
Methodology
1. Task: (1) pioneer club leadership — covid, societal approach to volunteering (2) use of shep groups — first meeting (3) lessons and training provided
2. Struggles: (1) not feeling gifted, babysitting, hard/tiring, scary (2) complaining vs. sacrificing
3. Benefits: (1) camaraderie with group members (2) cultivating a heart of service (3) opportunity to be blessed through children (4) faithfulness to biblical mandate (5) getting out of comfort zone
Conclusion: (1) intergenerational friendships a sign of gospel community (2) importance of talking to different people and people who are different than you, including children