Church and Children - SERMON NOTES

Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study.

Intro: (1) background of past three years (2) cultural realities, foundation of God’s word, owner vs. steward (3) present church corporately responsible for forming future church

Theology

1. OT: (1) Proverbs 22:6  importance of laying spiritual foundation through both love and correction (2) Exodus 20:12  proper respect for authorities God has established, without which our experience of God will be lacking (3) Deuteronomy 6:4-9  v.4-6 emphasize recognition of and love for God, while v.7-9 emphasize passing this on to children through daily modeling
2. NT: (1) Ephesians 6:1-4  reference to Exodus 20:12, emphasis on fathers, specifics of “discipline and instruction” (2) Mark 9:33-37, 10:13-16  children teach us something about the heart God desires, a tendency to be dismissive toward children, Jesus’ love of children (3) Matthew 10:34-39, Mark 3:31-35  biological family vs. spiritual family

Philosophy

1. Proclaim God: (1) who God is — creator, scripture, Christ (2) salvation — sin, law, Christ, Holy Spirit, second coming (3) Christian life — spiritual growth, church, prayer (4) mirror of adult SS
2. Help parents: (1) neglecting responsibility — assess what IS shaping the souls of our kids (2) taking ALL responsibility — reminder that children are meant to turn into adults (3) team effort
3. Point to Christ: (1) non-goals — belief in God, acquiescence to good moral behavior, help them to be true to themselves, build self-esteem, tell them they can accomplish anything (2) baptism
4. Instill community: (1) pioneer clubs (2) participation in corporate worship — opportunity to model, reminder that the world does not revolve around them, they see us and we see them

Methodology

1. Task: (1) pioneer club leadership — covid, societal approach to volunteering (2) use of shep groups — first meeting (3) lessons and training provided
2. Struggles: (1) not feeling gifted, babysitting, hard/tiring, scary (2) complaining vs. sacrificing
3. Benefits: (1) camaraderie with group members (2) cultivating a heart of service (3) opportunity to be blessed through children (4) faithfulness to biblical mandate (5) getting out of comfort zone

Conclusion: (1) intergenerational friendships a sign of gospel community (2) importance of talking to different people and people who are different than you, including children