Blessing Our Children
Hebrews 11:21
6-15-03
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
Intro: Since this is Father’s Day I want to share with you the
Ten most commonly used phrases by dads as they are raising their kids.
10. This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me.
(As kid, I’m thinking- then let’s just not do it.)
9. Don’t forget to bring back the change.
8. Get off that before you kill yourself—on second thought, go ahead.
7. I don’t know. Ask your mother.
6. Be quiet. I’m trying to watch the game.
5. Why? Because I said so, that why!
4. Shut up, before I give you something to cry about.
3. Just wait until you have kids
2. You are going. And you’re going to have fun.
1. When I was your age I walked 5 miles to and from school
everyday-and it was uphill both ways.[1]
Raising kids can be challenging at times. But it is also one of the greatest privileges a person could ever experience. How can we make the most of that awesome opportunity?
This morning I want to talk about:
How we can bring blessing upon our children and grandchildren.
I. It Begins by Receiving Blessing from God.
We can’t give something have not received. But God has much to give us.
“…it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 NKJV
And He know how to give good gifts to His children. Before we can pass on a blessing we must receive blessing from the Lord.
In Gen. 12 God called Abraham to pilgrimage—a life of faith and obedience. We know two things from that story. First, we know Abraham obeyed. His obedience was not flawless. (He went down to Egypt and he lied about Sarah being his wife.) However, the overall tenor of Abraham’s life was one of faith and obedience. The second thing we know is that God blessed, not only Abraham and Sarah, but also their posterity as well.
In Genesis 17:5-8 God said to Abraham, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." NKJV
Notice something very significant. Abraham’s interaction with God did not just affect Abraham and Sarah. It held profound implications for his descendants as well.
Years later after Moses led Israel out of Egypt, the children of Israel fell into grievous sin. Numbers 25 describes severe judgment that had come upon Israel in the form of a plague. Thousands were dying as the flagrant idolatry and corruption continued.
Then one of Aaron’s grandsons, named Phinehas, rose up in defense of God’s honor.
Because of his courageous obedience God stopped the judgment against His people.
Now listen to what God said to Phinehas in Num. 25:10-13,
“The LORD said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." NIV
In verse 11notice what God commends in this man. He was zealous for the honor of God. One characteristic of our age is the lack of regard for God’s honor. We are careful to protect human rights and we should. People are even zealous for animal rights. But what about the rights of Almighty God? May we, like Phinehas, be a people who care about God receiving appropriate respect and honor.
In verse 13 God says about Phinehas that sounds a lot like what He said to Abraham.
“He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood…” God not only blesses Phinehas but extends that blessing to his descendants.
Many other examples could be given from scripture to demonstrate how a life lived in obedience to God can bring blessing not only upon an individual but upon his or her children as well. Prov 20:7 “The righteous man walks in his integrity;His children are blessed after him” NKJV
II. We Establish that Blessing by Instructing our Children in the Way of
the Lord.
In Gen. 18:19 God said this about Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." NKJV
God called Abraham and promised to bless his descendants. But part of the process for that blessing to be realized was the instruction of his children. We not only instruct our kids through our words but also through our actions. Abraham’s values were modeled in his home as well as told. Because of Abraham’s godly leadership his children were blessed.
I want to take just a moment to address those who may not have biological children. That is our focus this morning. But God is not restricted to that. In Isa 56:4-6 4 God speaks to his servants who do not have biological children. “For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.” NKJV
Jesus had no biological children. Paul had no biological children. Yet God has imparted tremendous blessing through their lives. In some cases God fulfills the principles of this teaching in other ways. The principles behind the teaching this morning apply to all of us.
Turn with me to a familiar Father’s Day passage in Eph 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” NKJV
I read those first three verses to remind us as parents of the importance of teaching our children to respect us--as parents, as God’s representatives, not because we need the ego boost but because instilling that attitude of respect will bring blessing in their lives. The attitude they learn toward Mom and Dad will be the attitude they carry toward God as adults. We want it to be well with them. We want them to live long on the earth. So we teach them to respect us.
The NIV translates verse 4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children. The idea is that we will frustrate and provoke resentment in our children if we do not properly train them in God’s ways. Both of the words Paul uses in that verse for training and admonition imply an element of discipline and correction. No parent who loves his kid enjoys administering correction. It takes time and energy to address issues. It’s easier in the short run to just let it go. Besides that we would all much rather be the nice guy than the bad guy. But without proper guidance kids get exasperated. They are not equipped to make adult decisions on their own. It is the parent’s responsibility to set boundaries, correct behavior, and give direction. It sounds very broad minded and understanding for a parent to say, “I’m not going to tell my kids what to believe. I’m going to let them choose their religion on their own.” Or “I’m not going to make my kids go to church. I’m going to just let them decide.” How would a child wind up if his parents took that attitude toward school and education? It is the parent’s responsibility to train the child. The books of Proverbs and of Ecclesiastes are examples of parents teaching children important life principles. Even God teaches us this by the way He leads and corrects us.[2]
But training our children is not all discipline and correction. It is also example and inspiration. Godliness is often more caught than taught. Our children will embrace the values we live far more than the values we lip.
I read the story of a farmer who had toiled over a bumper crop of grain - a badly needed crop that was going to pay off many creditors and secure the family for another year. But just a few days before it was due to be harvested a freak wind and hail storm ravaged the property, and the harvest was lost. The man stood with his little boy looking over the fields of destroyed grain. The boy expected to hear his father cursing in despair. But instead his Dad began to softly sing: “Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.” Years later that boy, grown into manhood, said: “That was the greatest sermon I ever heard!”[3]
III. We Impart the Blessing by Speaking it into their lives.
Several years ago Gary Smalley wrote a book entitled, The Blessing. Several of you have read it. In that book he gives helpful examples of how we impact our children through the words we speak. Belittling words that in any way suggest a rejection of a child’s personal value can be devastating. It is one thing to correct behavior. It is quite another to attack the worth or esteem of the individual. Our words should not only guide our kids but should also inspire them.
Prov 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” NKJV God has a plan for every child. It is every parent’s privilege to help their kids discover God’s will for their lives and inspire them to pursue it successfully. Words of encouragement can go a long way toward that objective.
So our daily mode of communication makes a big difference in a child’s life.
But I want us to see something in scripture this morning that goes beyond that—something that is often overlooked in our culture. My great grandmother was a devoted woman of God who influenced me as a child. Whenever a new great grandchild or great, great grandchild was born she would carefully lay that baby in her lap and begin to pray asking God’s blessing on that child’s life. It was something she took very serious. Something significant transpired when she prayed those prophetic prayers.
In Heb 11:20-21 we see this kind of thing going on,
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.” NKJV
The words spoken by these Jewish patriarchs were spoken under the unction of the Holy Spirit and were authoritative and powerful in imparting blessing to their descendants. These were not everyday communications. There was a prophetic dimension in these prayers that were monumental in their children’s lives.
We have a lot of scripture in Genesis concerning the life of Jacob. What is interesting to me is the incident the Holy Spirit chose as indicative of this man’s faith. It was not the moment God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. It was not the vision of the ladder bridging heaven and earth. It was this act of imparting the blessing to his descendents. That was the climax. That was the culmination of this man’s life of faith. He passed on the blessing he had received.
Here is an old man leaning on his staff. He has learned dependence upon the Lord. He is no longer the schemer, conniver, manipulator. He is worshipped God, operating under prophetic unction of the Holy Spirit. He has been given the authority from above to bless his children and grandchildren. That is a valuable thing to have and exercise.
I am encouraged by the grace of God I see in all this. Jacob was not a perfect man. God had to deal with a lot of flaws in Jacob. That means this might be something I could enter into. God brought Jacob to this place of spiritual authority. One thing I see in Jacob that is very important—he valued the things of God. He may not have always reached for them in the right way. But unlike Esau Jacob was pursuing the blessings of God.
The greatest inheritance we can give our kids is the blessing of the Lord. It’s good and nice when fathers lay up material inheritance for their children. But to impart this kind of spiritual inheritance is ever more valuable. By a specific and intentional act of faith Jacob prayed a prophetic prayer over his descendants imparting God’s blessing into their lives.
We are going to close this morning by giving the fathers an opportunity to pray blessing upon their children. Mom, if Dad is not here then you pray over the kids. We have arranged to have the children brought into the sanctuary at this time. When they get here you will gather with your family and pray. This is also an opportunity for grandparents to pray over their children and grandchildren. Begin by simply asking God to bless them in whatever way the Lord may bring to your mind. Sometimes God will empower those prayers with a powerful prophetic unction. At other times we simply pray knowing God hears us when we pray. There is not always a prophetic dynamic to our prayer. But we are giving opportunity for that to happen and it is always right to ask God to bless our descendants. If you are not here with a family I want you to come join my family so that as pastor I can ask God’s blessing on you.
The kids are coming in so gather with your family. You are free to go when your family finishes praying.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Adapted from list in sermon entitled “Choosy Fathers Choose Jesus by Kelvin Parks preached June 2000 at Monument of Love Baptist Church in Memphis, TN whose source was The World According to Dad by C.M. Mantis
[2] Hebrews 12:5-11
[3] From sermon entitled “God Chose a Father for His Son” by Phil Morgan preached September 1996 at Devonport Assembly of God in Davonport, Tasmania, Australia
