Title: Parents and Children of Christians
Contents
The sermon video is on the Japanese sermon bulletin board.
The first relationship a person establishes after being born is the relationship between parents and children. Before forming relationships with siblings, neighbors, classmates, or office workers, a person first has a relationship with their parents as soon as they are born. Therefore, when the relationship between parents and children is good, the family is harmonious and happy. Furthermore, your relationship with other people can be right, and you can become a person who is praised and respected before God and people.
As we learn the words of Ephesians every Sunday, we have compared the relationship between the church and Christ to a marriage relationship, and learned that it is a relationship that cannot be divided. We also learned about the responsibilities and roles of husband and wife. Now, I hope today will be a blessed time to enjoy the grace of the Word while learning together the lessons the Bible teaches about the relationship between parents and children of Christians through the text.
First, the Bible instructs Christian children.
Second, it is the responsibility of Christian parents.
Suzanna, the mother of Johann Wesley, whom I admire, said, "Cut your children's stubbornness immediately. The sooner you break it, the better. Parents who are overly kind and let go of their children are in fact cruel. And he is a man who works the devil's work, who ignorant of the faith, who makes him unable to be saved, and who destroys the souls and bodies of his children forever." This is not to say that parents are not allowed to abuse their children. Rather, it means that parents should focus on their children's spiritual interest so that they do not lose their souls by recognizing the nature of sin, the evil devil that lurks in our beloved children and being tempted by it. So Susanna gave birth to and raised 17 children without complaining, caring for the sick, visiting the hospital with her children when visiting, and teaching them how to love the soul. In the end, she worked hard to teach her children to love God and the soul, and she became the mother of John Wesley, the Reformer of her day.
And finally, it is worth paying attention to the word “nurture” (Ephesians 6:4) in the text. These verses do not simply say to guide their children, but they say that parents should be examples to their children. As a person grows up, the biggest influence is his family and his parents. Behind a great person, there must be a mother of great faith. Timothy had a faithful mother named Eunice. Moses was greatly influenced by Jochebed, Augustine by Monica, John Wesley by Susanna, and Lincoln by their mother's faith. In the case of Abram Lincoln, the only legacy he inherited was the Bible and poverty. But he became the greatest president in American history. He confessed: “All that I am, and all I hope to be, is the virtue of my angelic mother.”
I will conclude
Dear members of Kyoto Southern Church, In our day, many crises arise from the family. The more you do this, the more you become children of God, and I pray that you will become all the saints who overcome the crisis in your family by obeying God's Word, not the world's standards. First, we must strive to become good children by honoring our parents well according to the Word of God. Only then can you build a blessed family. But in order to become good children and good parents, it is important that I first become like the image of the Lord. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must confess God as Abba and Father as a child of God, and we must honor and serve Him well. Then, I believe that God will unite us and we will build a happy family that is pleasing to God with His grace and blessings. In the name of the Lord, I bless and bless all the families of our beloved Kyoto Southern Church to obey God's word and become such parents and children overflowing with the grace and love He blesses. Amen