Welcome to you friend! I’m Mack Lyon. The program’s “In Search of the Lord's Way.” Today our brother in the Lord, Phil Sanders, is concluding an excellent series about “Raising Faithful Children.” Oh say! We’re glad you have joined us. We pray we’ll both be blessed.
Greetings my friend! What a joy it is to have you with us for Bible study “In Search of the Lord's Way” of salvation and His way to live the best life on this earth! Today is Phil Sander’s last message on the series of four this month. It’s titled, “When Children Fall.” (Now, I didn’t say that this is his “last message. I said it was the last in this series. OK? No, no, we’re happy and glad to have Phil with us and we pray the Lord’s blessing on him!) These four are published in this little book titled, “Raising Faithful Children.”
Now, you may have a free copy of it by writing us or calling us: “In Search of the Lord's Way;” P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail at searchtv@searchtv.org. It’s also available on our website at www.searchtv.org. Or, you may use our toll-free telephone number 1-800-321-8633. I did say they were free, didn’t I? Well, they are. You may consider it a gift from some of your neighbors or perhaps your friends there in the area of this station who is members of the churches of Christ there. They make your weekly visits possible with us. And they would love to have you visit one of their Bible studies or worship assemblies, too, and I hope you’ll do that real soon.
If you have seen our programs before, you’ve heard me say it many times: I firmly believe the Lord’s way is the best way to live this life that has ever been introduced to the human family. Oh, it’s been denied, yes, but never proven wrong. We would like to think that every viewer of these programs is a Christian, but we know that can’t be true, there are too many of you to be members of the church. However, if you are not so, then you could become so, a Christian, this very day and lead your children to become a Christian, too. Ken Helterbrand’s going to lead us in singing now; then Phil will be here to read 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 22 through 26.
We are reading today from 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 22 to 26. “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” This is from the New King James Version. Let’s pray together. O, Lord, help us to be good fathers and good mothers; who love our children and with compassion reach out to them to bring them to You, our Father. This we pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord; Amen!
I once heard a psychologist say he felt being the parent of a teen was the most difficult task of life. Well, the challenges facing our children touch all of us. It seems that the devil uses every trick and scheme that he can to throw at our youth to lead them astray. He tells them that they are the products of evolution rather than created by God. He tells them not to worry about God and introduces them to the pleasures of sin. He slanders what’s good and makes sin appear cool. He uses the media to seduce them into ways of thinking and behaviors that end up ruining their lives. Parents often worry about what their children see and who their friends are. Oh, it’s tough to be a young adult today!
The moral downfall of America affects families and always hurts our youth the most. Four in ten children born in America are born to unmarried mothers and fathers. We are told half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Millions of children live in single parent or blended families. School teachers aren’t ever sure the last name of a child is the last name of the parents. Children who grow up in homes with both natural parents often have both parents working and only a limited time for their children. The “traditional” home, that is where dad worked and mom stayed home with the kids, is rare these days. It is no wonder that young adults begin to stray early in life.
Now, parents who love their children, they do all they can to keep their children active in church, but many young adults wander away from the faith when they go to college or move out on their own. People fall away from the church for a variety of reasons. Some get their feelings hurt by a church member, and this experience leads them to go astray. Some see people that they thought were mature Christians living sinful lives and they think the whole church may be full of hypocrites. Others get caught up in their own sins and simply drop out, because they are ashamed. Others go to college with professors who don’t believe in Jesus Christ and it causes the young people to stop believing. Still others fall away because they are angry with their parents, and they know quitting church will hurt the parents.
Well, when children fall away, parents have to figure out what’s caused the problem and then take steps to bring their children back. Sadly, people do as they choose, and you can’t make children come back. That doesn’t mean, however, parents, that you are helpless. You can do something to help. The Scripture says in the epistle of Jude, verses 20 to 23, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
First, you can “build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” Whether your children are teenagers or adults, I know that you parents take the souls of your children seriously. You want them to remain right with God and to live with God forever. The best thing you can do for your children is to remain strong in your faith. Live what you believe consistently; be true to the Lord and to His cause; and when your faith is true and sincere, you’ll stay close to God. And you will also show your authentic faith to your sons and daughters. They’ll respect you for being genuine in your faith.
Second, love them. Everybody needs love. Love doesn’t mean that you condone or excuse their sins; it does mean that you won’t give up on them. Loving them means letting them know you care for them in spite of the life that they are living and you want what is best for them. Now, while parents must stand firm against what is sinful, that doesn’t mean they can’t love their child. Many young adults need to understand that love doesn’t necessarily mean approval of every behavior. God can love us as his children and yet hate our sinful behavior. Jesus hated the sins that we all commit, because he knew how destructive they are to us; but He loved us all, and He loved us enough to go to the cross for us.
The Bible says in the book of Romans chapter 5, verses 6 through 8, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ acted out of love to forgive sinners. He wanted them to be saved and was willing to bear the cross so they could come out of their sins. Some people have the mistaken belief that Jesus’ death on the cross allows them to find grace, but find it without change or repentance, but this is not the case. When Jesus rescued and forgave the woman caught in adultery for instance in John 8 and verse 11, He said to her, “go, and from now on sin no more.” Young people have to learn the grace of God is not some license to stay in sin but that God expects us to change our lives to conform to His will. Some young people think condemning sin, as the Bible does, is mean-spirited, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
You see, the Scripture says in the book of Titus chapter 2, verses 11 to 14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” God doesn’t save us to leave us as He found us. He saves us to help us become better as people. God’s way is to bless us and not leave us in destructive lifestyles.
Third, you can pray for your children. You know, some folks must go through hard times before they see where their sins are leading them. Pray that your children will come to their senses. Pray they will remember the love and grace of God. Pray that they will see the need to repent. Pray their hearts will be open to the Word of God. Pray they will see the error of their ways. Pray every day and don’t stop praying. We never know all that God is doing to answer our prayers, but we know that God listens and wants every person to do what is right. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3 and verse 9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” No, He won’t twist your son or your daughter’s arm; but God can use all kinds of circumstances to wake people up to their spiritual condition. Your son or daughter has a conscience, and who knows what will prick that conscience to turn their lives around.
Fourth, you can talk with your children and encourage them to come back to God. The Bible says in Galatians 6 and verse 1, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Parents, your attitude toward your young adults may be the real key in winning back their hearts. If you become self-righteous or you get mad, angry, you’ll certainly end any meaningful communication with them. But if you gently and humbly approach them in love, they may listen to you. Approaching other people to lead them back to God is not an easy task. It takes humility, gentleness and patience. God said through the apostle Paul this inspired advice that he gave to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, verses 24 to 26, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” Parents read this passage and be God’s servant in reaching out to your wayward child.
Fifth, help them find the answers to their doubts. When children are small they borrow from your faith; but when they grow older, they must work through the great questions of life to possess their own faith in Christ Jesus. Don’t rebuke your children for asking hard questions; rather help them find the answers to their questions and doubts. Now, no problem that you’ll ever face is greater than God and you together. The God of the Bible is still the God of creation and the Ruler and Sustainer of the Universe. And nothing has changed that. The Bible is still the inspired Word of God and it’s utterly trustworthy. The problems people face in life, however hard they may be, does not mean God doesn’t care or He won’t help. The questions people ask about God, or Christ, or the Bible, or about suffering do have good and solid answers. They are in God’s Word, the Bible, and they can give comfort and assurance to parents and children alike.
Well, how does a faithful parent deal with an unfaithful child? Well, God’s word has an answer. You have probably heard the story of the Prodigal Son. Well, here is what the Lord Jesus said in the book of Luke chapter 15, verses 11 to 26; it reads: “And He said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.” So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and he went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving him anything. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and I will go to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I’m no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”
So he got up and he came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and he ran and he embraced him, and he kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But he didn’t finish; the father interrupted him and said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Oh, friend, just as God forgives His children when they return home spiritually, so parents long for the day when their children come home to the faith. If you’re a prodigal, come home to the Lord. If you are a parent of the prodigal, keep an eye out for your son or daughter. They may be going through a tough time and may need you and the Lord. Listen to me carefully, people can and do repent. Pray for that day and be constantly ready.
Your child may come home; and when he or she does, forgive that child and bring out the best robe. He or she probably came home because you and your faith are the only haven that he or she has left. God extends His grace to us as a magnificent blessing; and grace should open our hearts to forgive when people return penitently. God is in the saving business. And when we come to Him in love and faith, repenting of our sins, and willing to obey, God receives us with an open heart. In baptism God washes away our sins. Oh, God is waiting for the prodigal to come home, and parents you can do no better than to imitate the father of the prodigal son. Let’s pray. O Lord, help us all to love everyone and especially, Father, to love our children. And, Father, we pray that if we have those wayward children that they will come back to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you! Thank you, thank you, brother Phil for an excellent series of four messages about “Raising Faithful Children.” My friend, you are going to want one of these books containing these four messages; you are going to want to refer back to them so many times. And I am sure that’s so. And the first lesson, remember, is on “Raising Faithful Children;” Number two, “Keeping Teens Faithful;” Number three, “Loving But Firm;” Number four, “When Children Fall.” Well, you and your family will want to refer back to these, perhaps read them together with these messages for Bible studies in your own home privately. Here’s how you get the copy absolutely free. Yep! That’s what I said; I said: “they are free.” We’re now in our 30th year and we have never asked you for a donation, and we’ve never tried to sell you anything in order to sustain our program.
Simply mail your request for your copy of “Raising Faithful Children” to “In Search of the Lord's Way;” P.O. Box 371; Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. If you prefer to call, please use our toll-free telephone number and we will pay for the call in that instance; if you will use our number--that is 1-800-321-8633. You may also access all of the messages and a lot of other good information on our website at www.searchtv.org.
We’re sponsored here by your friends in some of the churches of Christ in the broadcast area of this station. These are your friends; perhaps they are your neighbors; perhaps they live next door to you or across the street or up the street. But they are your friends and they would delight in having you pay them a visit in one of their Bible classes at the church, or perhaps attend some of the worship meetings with them. Oh, they would like that very much. Pay them a visit, will you? Real soon! We plan to be back next week; hope you will too. We love you.
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