Title [Lessons of Faith from Children]
Contents
[Lessons of Faith from Children] Matthew 18:2-4 2007.05.06. Children's Sunday Worship
1) Ask what is the most beautiful thing God has made. Stars in the sky and the Milky Way. The majestic stream of Niagara Falls. Himalayas high mountains. The world of animals in the sea. There were several answers. Among them, the most beautiful thing is that God made Adam and Eve a married couple and created a family through them. answered. He made us people in God's image, let them be in the world, rule, and multiply. If Adam had been alone, how lonely the world would have been.
2) Making the family the family of God is a great grace. Today, May 6th, is Children's Sunday in Family Month. God built the foundation of the family in us and gave us a child so that he could learn to fear God from that child.
3) Jesus who blessed a little child, we read how He blesses us who are little children. Aren't we parents with children? So, how do parents feel toward their children? And what of those children to their parents? I hope that the saints of the Lord will have such a childish heart and live by faith. We receive a lot of grace from the heart of a child toward his parents. That is my faith in God.
1.Children simply depend on their parents.
1) Adults are quick to count. I need to have my income and expenses accurate and calculate how much profit will come back to me. However, children do not lay out double lines in their heads or make complicated calculations based on profit. In fact, children do not need to do calculations. He doesn't get what he needs by calculating, he gets it for free from his father. If he is his son, then his father's is his, and he inherits all his father's.
2) A few weeks ago, I met a three-year-old Gio up the stairs. I want to hug you once, so I say, “Gio, hug me somewhere.” and spread his arms. At that time, Gio and I were three steps apart, and it was too wide for a young Gio to run. Then this Geo jumps over the three steps and tries to hug him. Of course, I took it first and hugged her in my arms, right? G.O hugged the person he thought he should hug. Without counting how dusty the streets are, how dangerous those stairs are, and how much I can run. This is the power of simple faith. Because we believe that God will accept us generously, we jump on the cliff and embrace it. If these children have simple faith, we hope that we will have this kind of faith toward God.
3) Of the 49 million school-age children in the United States, 350,000, or 7%, study at home without going to school. Several parents gather and teach their children by subject. This is called homeschooling. Then, the children receive and learn the teachings of their parents, and later receive recognition from the education office and go on to college. Statistics show that 10% of students entering the Ivy League, a top-ranking university in the United States, are homeschooled children. Homeschooling is mainly in the homes of conservative Presbyterians in the United States. When teaching their children at home, they teach the first thing to do is to build knowledge by simply practicing according to their beliefs, i.e., the unity of faith and works. This is an example of how simple reliance on God can be of great strength. We must be able to go out before God with this kind of faith. Simple faith is putting into practice what you learn. Then God responds to that belief.
2. A child's heart easily turns and turns to the parent.
1) Adults become enemies for the rest of their lives even with a single word of personal insult, but children do not retain their feelings for long even if they are scolded by their parents or teachers and easily turn back. Even after a bit of a stinger, after a while, he is hugged by his father again. In these children, we see our faith looking for God and turning to him easily. Looking to God is a positive factor for us. When we receive God's discipline, we must accept that it is God's interest in loving and converting His children. Even if we hear a rebuke that hurts in our heart, or we have been hit in the calf that hurts terribly, when we realize God's grace, we must open our heart to God. This is the lesson of repentance from a child to an adult. Such a person will first receive God's punishment sweetly. Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 29:15 say that parents should not provoke their children to anger, but if they spare the whip and rebuke, the child will dishonor the mother. In the same way, God's admonition leads to repentance that cannot be regretted.
2) The biggest problem with children's education these days is that there are only rewards and no punishments. There is only concern, consideration, and praise, there is no discipline and discipline. Humanism in modern education, the trend of capitalism. However, discipline and censure are valuable ways to let children know that they live in a society that they must uphold and that they are responsible for their actions.
3) Parents dry children who want to touch the stove. After drying four or five times, the child lies on the floor, stretches out his feet, and cries. And again take the stove by hand. Then the father takes the child's hand and puts the child's hand and his own on the stove together. The child wakes up from the heat. And my father also tolerates the heat inside.
Today's Bible tells us to imitate the heart of a child. Just as children easily return to their parents even after being disciplined and disciplined, we teach that we should receive God's discipline and become people who always return to the Lord.
3. The joy and joyful appearance of children gives a positive view of faith.
1) Children are always happy to run and run. Most children laugh while walking or running. Someone said that it is because they are just starting to walk, and they walk in anticipation of how the world will unfold and what beautiful world they will take, step by step. That's right. Children welcome the world before them with joy and joy. This is a positive worldview. Isn't that the way a young child smiles from room to room?
2) When Jesus told us this kind of child, do not forbid such a child to come to me. The kingdom of God belongs to these children. Such a child is a person who treats God with joy and thanksgiving. The laughter that I had when I was a child, I lose it as I become an adult. That's why we call an adult-like child a gentleman. To be gentle means not to be young, not to be childish. However, as adults, we, as children, must go out in the faith of thanksgiving and joy before God. Joy faith leads us to thanksgiving to God.
3) So, we need to educate our children to show their gratitude towards God. A prayer of thanksgiving and a confession of praise we taught our children will lead the rest of the child's future to a life full of God's blessing. In May, a book called Mothers Who Raised Great People was released in bookstores. We introduced mothers who were good at educating their children at home and abroad, and it is recorded that many mothers did not educate their children about knowledge for a good university, but rather educated them about their children's humanity. Among them, many mothers, like department store king Wannamaker, oil king Rockefeller, and Lincoln's mother's consistent education taught them to live a life of thanksgiving to God.
Children, by nature, are characterized by joy and pleasure. If we teach them to be thankful, and if we become grateful believers, then he is the most blessed man of God.
4. For young children, many hours are open to possibilities.
1) What we most envy for children is the possibility. Adults have already had many experiences in life. So you can tell your children wisdom. But there is no time. So there are very few possibilities for doing anything new. But children have plenty of time to accomplish what we tell them to do. Children have many possibilities. Therefore, saints, we adults must bow our heads in front of the potential of these young children. Because they will do what we cannot do. When children have potential, it means let them dream and make them come true.
2) In the book of Genesis, we read how Joseph, who was a young child, fulfilled his dream. In order to realize his dream, Joseph did not give in to any difficulties and Gutgut overcame it. He also won the prison of despair and death. When he thought all possibilities were closed to him, he rather opened up the possibilities of God there. And he made that dream a reality. Let us also stand before God with dreams and possibilities like these little children.
3) When we raise children, we need to be able to tell them this. You are open to the possibility of making your dreams come true before God. So trust in God. God Almighty He will help you in your life. We and our children are in front of these possibilities of life. And God gives us that opportunity.
Conclusion.
1) Family Month and Children's Sunday is an opportunity for us to reflect on ourselves before God as a family. Let's look to God. And let us first learn from our children.
2) Let's pray that our children will look to God with this kind of faith and receive His greatness. I pray in the name of the Lord that God's grace that has been accomplished in this way will come abundantly to our families.