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This is a sermon that was used in a service for conducting a baby dedication.
Written Excerpts...
Bringing
Children to Jesus
Luke 18:15 (NKJV) Then they also brought infants to
Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they
rebuked them.
Introduction:
Today we have had the privilege of dedicating two small children to the
Lord; asking for God’s blessing and direction upon their lives and upon their parents. These two babies are so little and innocent today, but time will pass
rapidly and it won’t be long before these parents may very well be feeling the
same way as some other parents I read about.
On the first day of school, a
first grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read,
"The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his
parents." http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/humor/031703.shtml
I also read a cute list describing the kinds of things children learn. I
think you will agree after hearing this list and recognizing its accuracy, that
children are quick to learn from life’s experiences.
Truths Children Learn
1) No matter how hard you
try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your mom is mad at
your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits
you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year
old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to
watch your food.
7) Don't sneeze when
someone is cutting your hair.
8) Puppies still have bad
breath even after eating a tic tac.
9) Never hold a Dustbuster
and a cat at the same time.
10) School lunches stick
to the wall.
11) You can't hide a piece
of broccoli in a glass of milk.
12) Don't wear polka-dot
underwear under white shorts.
13)
The best place to be when you are sad is in Grandma's lap.
Well, the reason we promote and celebrate the dedication of children is
because we believe in the importance of making commitments to God in various
areas of life. We believe it is essential for moms and dads to realize the sober
responsibility they have in bringing their children up in the “nurture and
admonition of the Lord.”
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to counsel a couple with a small
child. I figured that I may never again get the opportunity to tell the father
like it is, so I “laid it on the line.” I informed him how important it was for
him to bring his child up to know God. I mentioned the solemn fact that most
children have a concept of God that mirrors their earthly father. I also urged
him to remember that he had a large influence regarding the eternal destiny of
his child. I fear that my counsel fell on deaf ears.
So, for just a short time this morning, I would like to take a look at a
Scripture passage to further examine this matter of bringing our children to
Jesus, as a follow-up to the sacred ceremony that we conducted just a few
minutes ago.
The passage of Scripture we are looking at briefly this morning is
found in Luke 18:15. There are similar accounts recorded in Matthew 19 and Mark
10. In all of these references it tells us that the people “brought their
little children to Jesus so that he might lay his hands on them.”
For the next few moments I want to consider two questions that I think
naturally arise from this account. 1. Why do we bring our children to Jesus? 2. How do we bring our children to Jesus?
The first question we are going to consider is:
1. Why do we bring our
children to Jesus?
Several authors I consulted on these passages of Scripture seem to
agree that it was a common practice among the Jews for parents, and especially
mothers, to bring their small children to the popular Rabbis and seek to have
them pronounce blessings on their children.
It was a common custom among
the Jews to lay their hands on the heads of those whom they blessed, or for
whom they prayed. This seems to have been done by way of dedication or
consecration to God—the person being considered as the sacred property of God
ever after. (Adam Clarke's Commentary)
In Matt. 19, it says that they asked Jesus to touch them and pray.
Here in Mark’s gospel, it states that Jesus took them up in his arms
and blessed them.
This seems to carry on the tradition mentioned in the OT. For example, Genesis 48:14-15 (NKJV) 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand
and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left
hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was
the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said….
Isaiah 44:3 (NKJV) 3 For
I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will
pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring…
We also bring our children to
Jesus because we desire the Lord’s blessing upon the lives of our children.
For us today, there is an additional reason why we bring our children
to Jesus.
Since we have the benefit of having God’s written revelation, we
understand from Scripture that children are naturally prone to grow away from
God as they get older. In order to prevent this we must “bring them to Jesus”
as often as we can. Everyone one of us, the Bible teaches, are born with a sin nature that
causes us to be naturally inclined to selfish desires and even resistance
toward God. Therefore we all need to be “brought to Jesus” and the sooner, the
better.
Some people do not like to think about this and may not even believe
it, but we all need to be brought to Jesus. The implications in the Scriptures
are: If we are just left to ourselves, we naturally choose to go against God’s
will and design and we always seek our own selfish agenda. So parents, we all need to bring our children to Jesus.
2. How do we bring our
children to Jesus?
In this Bible story, when Jesus walked this earth in a physical body,
it was pretty simple. They just took their babies and their children and went
to a place where they could meet Jesus.
Today, we must understand this concept in spiritual terms.
A. We bring our children to the Lord by
deliberate, meaningful ceremonies such as this one we have done today.
B. We bring our children to the Lord by means
of fervent, intercessory prayer.
C. We bring our children to the Lord by
getting them into all kinds of spiritual influences such as: Worship; Christian
Ed (Sunday School); daily teaching “line upon line; precept upon precept.”
D. We bring our children to the Lord by living
a consistent testimony before them.
I’ve read various articles and comments by authors who have tried to
define the reasons why children tend to turn away from the Lord as they get
older. I’m sure that there are a number of factors, but I’m fairly confident
that one of the main factors involves parents who “preach” one thing to their
kids, but they live exactly opposite to what they say.
I hope that each of us will have
a renewed commitment to bring our children to Jesus.
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