Baby Dedication Service

CHILDREN’S DEDICATION SERVICE

COLOSSIANS 4:5

JULY 6, 2003

Parkersburg Baptist Church

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Eph. 6:1-4

THERE ARE MANY SCRIPTURES THAT SPEAK DIRECTLY TO PARENTS AND CHILDREN. WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH “SPARE THE ROD, SPOIL THE CHILD”.

HE THAT SPARETH HIS ROD, HATETH HIS SON. PROV. 13:24; CHASTEN THY SON WHILE THERE IS HOPE. PROV. 19:18

FATHERS, PROVOKE NOT YOUR CHILDREN TO WRATH, LEST THEY BE DISCOURAGED. COL. 3:21

I FOUND A VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THOUGH, THAT HAS TOUCHED MY HEART WHILE PREPARING FOR THIS MESSAGE. IF IS PROBABLY NOT AS FAMILIAR AS THOSE WE HAVE JUST READ.

I DO BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT IT HAS GREAT APPLICATION TO PARENTS. BUT NOT ONLY PARENTS, BUT IN FACT EVERY CHRISTIAN. IT CONCERNS OUR BEHAVIOR.

NOW BEFORE WE LOOK AT THIS VERSE, I WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL CLEAR ON A FEW THINGS.

FIRST, ARE CHILDREN BORN INTO THE WORLD, FULLY CAPABLE TO SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN? NO!

SECOND, OTHER THAN INSTINCT, CAN WE SAY THAT CHILDREN ARE BORN VOID OF ANY KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING GOOD AND EVIL? YES!

THIRD, DO CHILDREN HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DO EVERYTHING, THAT WILL HELP THEM TO SURVIVE PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY? YES!

FOURTH, WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO TRAIN/TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO LIVE AND TO SURVIVE? PARENTS!

FIFTH, HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN? WHAT IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE NOTICE ABOUT BABIES, BESIDE HOW CUTE THEY ARE? ISN’T IT HOW ALERT THEY ARE?

YOU KNOW WHAT, WHETHER WE REALIZE IT OR NOT, THEY STAY ALERT FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. THEY ARE ALWAYS WATCHING AND LEARNING.

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE JUST STOPPED LEARNING? HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO LEARN? NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU MAY BE TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN.

I MEAN THEY LEARN BY WATCHING AND IMITATING THEIR PARENTS AND GUESS WHAT CHRISTIANS, THEY LEARN BY WATCHING AND IMITATING THOSE AROUND THEM.

EVERYTHING A PARENT DOES A CHILD IS WATCHING. CHARLIE COMBING HAIR, SNEEZING, SHAVING, ETC. ETC.

CHILDREN ARE BORN WITHOUT WISDOM. THEY GAIN KNOWLEDGE BY WATCHING AND IMITATING. WHEN THEY USE THE KNOWLEDGE THEY HAVE LEARNED, THEN THAT IS WISDOM.

DID YOU GET WHAT I JUST SAID? KNOWLEDGE IS NOTHING MORE THAN ACCUMULATED INFORMATION. WHEN YOU BEGIN TO USE THE INFORMATION OR KNOWLEDGE IN THE MANNER IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED, THEN THAT IS WISDOM.

NOW TURN WITH ME TO COLOSSIANS 4:5—LET’S READ TOGETHER WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT WISDOM.

WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT—NOW WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THIS IS TELLING US?

THE WORD WALK HERE IS TALKING ABOUT OUR CONDUCT. HOW WE ACT, PLAY, AND DO BUSINESS. HOW WE TREAT OTHERS; HOW WE CARRY OURSELVES. IN ESSENCE, HOW WE LIVE.

NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK, IN WISDOM MEANS? I BELIEVE IT MEANS “IN CHRIST” OR “CHRISTLIKE”.

THIS VERSE COULD READ, WALK IN CHRIST OR ACT CHRISTLIKE; PLAY CHRISTLIKE; DO BUSINESS CHRISTLIKE; TREAT OTHERS CHRISTLIKE; CARRY YOURSELF CHRISTLIKE; LIVE CHRISTLIKE.

NOW TOWARD THOSE WITHOUT---WITHOUT WHAT? WITHOUT CHRIST. ALL THOSE AROUND YOU, INCLUDING YOUR CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY YOUR CHILDREN.

BE THE CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE THAT CHRIST MEANT YOU TO BE.

PARENTS, CHRISTIANS, CHILDREN LEARN BY IMITATING WHAT THEY SEE. IF YOU TALK THE TALK, THEN YOU MUST WALK THE WALK.

PORTRAY CHRIST, (BE CHRISTLIKE) IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.

THAT IS WHAT THIS DEDICATION SERVICE IS REALLY ABOUT. IT IS ABOUT THESE PARENTS COMING THIS MORNING BEFORE GOD AND HIS CHURCH TO COMMIT THEMSELVES TO BE DEDICATED CHRISTIAN EXAMPLES FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

AND THE CHURCH AS A WITNESS, MUST IN ITSELF BE A DEDICATED CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE FOR THESE CHILDREN AS WELL.

PLEDGING BEFORE GOD AND MAN THAT THEY WILL WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT.

TODAY THESE PARENTS ARE COMMITTING THEMSELVES TO A DAUNTING TASK. THEIR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED TO THEM BY GOD. IF THEY STAY FAITHFUL TO HIM, THEN THEY WILL SUCCEED IN THE TASK BEFORE THEM. AND THIS GOES NOT JUST FOR THOSE PARTICIPATING THIS MORNING, IT GOES FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN HERE.

STAY FAITHFUL TO GOD, WALK IN WISDOM, BE CHRISTLIKE, AND YOU WILL SUCCEED IN THE TASK THAT GOD HAS BEFORE YOU.

BUT IT TAKES REAL COMMITMENT. NOT JUST AN OUTWARD SYMBOL AS THIS SERVICE IS, BUT AN INWARD COMMITMENT. IT IS A CHANGE OF HEART, IT IS A COVENANT WITH GOD.

IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF HARD WORK. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF PRAYER. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF COURAGE, STRENGTH, AND PATIENCE. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF LOVE. BUT WITH REAL COMMITMENT—WITH TRUE DEDICATION—IT CAN BE DONE.