TRAINING

1. Our society puts a lot of emphasis on training.

2. The soldiers in our military are trained.

3. Many companies require or offer some type of on-going training for their workers.

4. There is also training for children.

5. The children in every society throughout our world receive instruction.

6. Instruction comes from the home, school, and possibly the government.

7. Additional training is sometimes received from groups like 4H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts.

OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING TRAINED AND THE BIBLE HAS SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THEIR PREPARATION.

1. One of the most famous passages that deals with raising children is Prov. 22:6.

2. This proverb says “train up a child in the way he should go.”

A. The word “train” is a verb. This verb is also found in Deut. 20:5.

B. In Deut. 20 Moses described a man who built a house.

C. After a house was built it was “dedicated” (same word).

D. The word in Prov. 22:6 is also used in 1 Kgs. 8:63 to describe the “dedication” of the temple.

E. Just as a building or a house is dedicated, so children need to be dedicated to some things.

F. Children need to be pointed in a certain direction and kept on a certain path.

3. Prov. 22:6 suggests all children will be trained.

4. Children will eventually be dedicated to one thing or another after they grow up.

5. Thus, with children we may say that the matter is not “if” we train because we will train them.

6. We will insure that they are dedicated to something.

7. The only question to be answered is “how” we will train young people.

8. What will children be trained for? What will they be dedicated to in their adult years?

9. God tells us that it is His will that that children be “trained.”

10. In Eph. 6:4 Paul spoke of “nurturing” children.

11. Instead of letting children figure out things on their own, kids need to be given direction.

A. In our culture we see a variety of styles concerning the home.

B. There is the single parent home.

C. There are children who are raised by same sex couples.

D. Some are raised in foster homes.

E. Other children are trained by a relative. There are two parent homes.

12. Training comes from a variety of sources and it can take several different directions.

13. Because the training of children is so important, we must strive to do it right.

14. This fact causes us to ask this question: How should we train our children?

15. THE BIBLE AFFIRMS THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TRAINING CHILDREN BELONGS TO THE PARENTS.

16. Ps. 127:3 says that children are a “heritage from the Lord.”

17. Children come from God, to parents, and moms and dads are to train them.

18. This assignment is one of the most serious that adults ever undertake.

19. Parents are to take any children that they have and mold them into Christians.

20. If we are a Christian we are to help our offspring become faithful children of God.

21. How do we accomplish this?

22. How we live will be a major factor in determining how our children turn out.

A. There are exceptions to this.

B. In many ways, children pattern their lives after their parents.

23. Because this is true, parents need to insure that they take some important steps.

A. Jesus told people how much they are to love God.

B. He said that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Mt. 22:37).

C. He said this is the “great and first commandment” (Mt. 22:38).

D. If we train our children (Prov. 22:6), we will impart these very values to them.

E. They will know that it is right to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind.

F. They will have in their parents a living example of what Jesus described.

G. This example should be in place long before children are ever born.

24. Many of us have met parents who said they “found a church.”

25. Two non-church goers fell in love, got married, and had children.

26. After their children were 2, 5, 7, 12, they went out and became part of a religious group.

27. People saw a need in the lives of their children and they sought to fulfill it.

28. The time to start loving God and serving Him is when we are young.

29. Before marriage is the time to become a faithful Christian.

30. After marriage and before having children is the time to learn how to serve God with a spouse.

31. This approach allows a child to be “trained” as early as possible.

32. If this approach is taken, before a child is born the parents are already on the right road.

A. Love for God is essential but it is not enough.

B. The Bible associates love with knowledge.

C. Listen to Phil. 1:9 – READ .

D. Love and “discernment” (knowledge) go together.

E. To properly train a child parents need to love God and know the word of God.

F. 50 years ago members of the church were known for their knowledge of the Bible.

G. This is no longer the case.

33. In some congregations we have scores of people who have very little Bible knowledge.

34. If parents are poorly informed about spiritual things, how can they help their children?

35. To train a child there must be a fervent love for God and a good knowledge of His word.

36. When these things are in place parents will offer the right kind of example.

A. Young people will see their parents live Christian lives.

B. This is also essential in training children.

C. Children need to see plenty of times when mom and dad are good examples.

D. They need to see what it means to live out the principles found in the New Testament.

E. They also need to see some times when mom and dad fail.

F. Children benefit from seeing how a godly mother and father recover from sin.

G. Youth profit from seeing how a Christian repents and gets back on the right road.

H. This is one more ingredient in insuring that they will be dedicated to the Lord (properly trained).

37. What else needs to be done to “train up a child?”

38. Children need to learn that God’s will is to be first in their lives.

39. In Mt. 6:33 Jesus said that we are to “seek first” the kingdom of God.

40. Kids know what their parents are seeking (desiring).

A. Young people can tell where God rates in their parent’s Christian life.

B. They know if God is at the top or bottom, or even the middle of life’s priorities.

C. To properly train children, God must be at the top.

41. The proper training of a child also requires corrective discipline.

A. We live in a time when it is common for parents to let their children run wild.

B. Most of us have seen children who have about as much restraint as a wild animal.

C. The Bible has some things to say about self control.

D. In no passage do we find that self-control is limited to adults.

E. Kids can be taught to behave. God says that children need to be taught to behave.

F. Prov. 23:14 says that punishment saves the soul of a child.

G. Prov. 23:13 says that we are not to “withhold” punishment.

H. Prov. 29:15 says that punishment (“the rod”) imparts “wisdom.”

42. There is a unifying point between Prov. 22:6; 23:13-14; and 29:15.

43. Training a child includes punishment.

A. Bible punishment is not child abuse.

B. Bible punishment is discipline that helps young people go the right way.

C. There are some who think that their children do not need punishment and discipline.

D. Others say kids are better directed without it.

E. God says that punishment not only works, it is necessary.

F. The consequences of not punishing young people are become more and more visible.

44. Young people grow up without discipline and then enter into the world as adults.

45. When they are reprimanded or disciplined by someone in authority, they are stunned.

46. This is a new experience for some of them.

47. Young people did not get punished in childhood so they expect the same thing in adulthood.

48. Parents who do not discipline their children—and this includes spanking young ones—do a disservice.

49. Proper punishment and discipline is part of God’s training manual on training children.

50. ANOTHER ASPECT TO TRAINING OUR CHILDREN INVOLVES SATAN.

A. Children are often ignorant about some of the dangers in our world.

B. I know a preacher who has a daughter who is in her late teen years.

C. This young lady, not too long ago, was coming out of a toy store.

D. A man was on the curb by the store and he stopped her.

E. He said that she had all the qualities to be a model.

F. She could make a lot of money if she would let him photograph her.

G. If she wanted, he would take some free pictures of her.

H. He worked out of his van and it was right by the curb.

51. The young lady thought that this sounded okay but she had an appointment.

52. How many professional photographers lurk outside a toy store waiting for a model?

53. Young people are often naïve about some things, and this includes Satan’s schemes.

A. In 2 Tim. 2:22 Paul spoke of “youthful lusts.”

B. He said that God’s people need to “flee” these things.

C. Sometimes these things are fled because mom and dad step forward and say no.

D. Training young people means that parents tell their children that some things are off limits.

E. Young people may not understand how dangerous a situation can be.

F. Satan is shrewd and young people sometimes cannot see his temptations.

G. Thus, mom or dad must sometimes say that there are some things will not be done.

H. There are times when parents need to put their foot down and that ends the discussion.

I. I have heard parents say, “I couldn’t tell them no because it would hurt their feelings.”

J. It’s better to have a few hurt feelings than expose a child to a bad situation.

K. This is part of training children and it should be readily acknowledged by every Christian.

L. There are times when decisions must be made and these choices are enforced.

M. We have seen parents who tell their children no but they do not keep their word.

N. This approach to parenting is training, but it is bad training.

O. Our actions as parents train our children and we need to carefully consider what we do.

P. If we do this we should be parents who are free from guilt.

54. I recently spent some time with my parents.

55. Dad is about 70 years of age; mom is a few years younger.

56. They told me (and this was not the first time) that they often think back to the parenting years.

57. They now wish that they would have done some things differently.

58. Their friends, who are in their same age bracket, have the same kinds of feelings.

59. All parents would surely make some changes if they could have a second chance.

60. If we have train our children as the Bible describes we have done our job.

61. If we have done the job as it is described, there is no basis for guilt.

62. In the world we recognize that some do not respond to training.

63. For one reason or another some people will not accept training no matter who does it.

64. There are children who are in this same category.

65. I have had dozens of parents tell me, “My children know what is right but they are unfaithful.”

66. “We gave them the best Christian example that we could but they are not faithful.”

67. In cases such as this the parental duties were fulfilled.

68. If we have taught, disciplined, gave direction, and provided a Christian example, we did it all.

69. We did our job and now it is up to them.

70. If we parent in the way that God described we should be a parent who is free from guilt.

71. God wants us to train our children. Are we doing that?

72. If we have grandchildren are we trying to help train them?

73. Are we a child who has been trained and as a result of that training, ready to become a Christian?