Raising Children of Destiny

0:23 Today is Youth Sunday and I want to talk about Raising Children of Destiny. That's the title of my subject today, Raising Children of Destiny. That's what I want to talk about. I'm going to talk to you about our role and responsibility of raising our children. I'm so proud of our young people here at First Baptist Church of Glen Arden because they, somebody say, they are doing it. Our young people are on fire. They are passionate. They are devoted. They're in the word. They're worshiping God. They're leading worship. They're not the church of tomorrow. They are the church of today. They're doing it right now. They're actually showing the adults how to do what they're supposed to do. Somebody say amen about that.

1:15 Proverbs chapter 22, verse 6 is the verse I want to use today. Proverbs 22, 6. I want to walk down through this verse. And I want you to, it's a very familiar passage of scripture. People quote it all the time. Proverbs 22 and 6 says, train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old, he will not depart from it. Amen. That's profound, powerful, true. And located in just that one verse is some insightful truth that we need to spend some time and talk about. So look at your neighbor. Tell them, pay close attention.

1:58 That was a little weak, but that's okay. We have a wonderful opportunity to raise up a generation. Matter of fact, this is true not just for your kids, but also for your grandkids. It's important that grandparents are involved in the lives of their grandchildren. Our children are being exposed to stuff in today's culture and day and age that I never got exposed to in my lifetime. The stuff they're being exposed to today, I never had to face with. So we have to make sure that we are doing what we need to do as parents to raise up our kids to be everything God wants them to be. because if we don't, the enemy will slip in there and accomplish what he wants to be accomplished in our children. So it becomes, thank all 17 of y'all for clapping on that point right there.

2:58 That's what we want to do. That's what we're pressing for. That's what I'm passionate about. Now, why did God give you kids? Not to run errands for you. Just jot these verses down. I'm going to read them to you, but they may or may not come up on the screen. Let me just get those of you taking those. Write down Malachi chapter 2, verse 15. Malachi 2, verse 15 says, But did he not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? This is a question that the prophet asked. Why did God make a husband and a wife to be one unit? Here's why. He seeks godly offsprings. God is interested in your children being godly. That's why he put you together. That's why he joined you in marriage.

3:50 Therefore, it says in verse 15 of Malachi 2, take heed into your spirit and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. Make sure you treat your wife right so y'all can have kids that can produce a godly offspring. God is interested in producing godly offspring. Psalm 127, verse 5, jot that down. There's another verse I need you to make a note of. Psalm 127, verse 5. Happy is the man who have his quiver full of them. Talking about children. A quiver is five. When you have arrows and you put them in a quiver, that's where they're kept. When you have five arrows and the quiver is four. We had six kids, so we got a quiver plus one. Yeah, I told the early service that I was praying.

4:46 I said, I had five kids or six kids. And then I had to correct it. I didn't have any kids. My wife has six kids. We have five plus one. Happy is the man who has a quiver full of them. Then it says this, they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Now listen to this. This is very important. He said, they shall not be ashamed. I'm proud that we have young kids in this church that are not ashamed to call themselves Christians. Amen. I'm proud. I'm proud of these young people that are on fire and passionate. And it says this, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Now that's an important statement right there. It says Psalm 127 verse 5. They shall speak with the enemies in the gate. What does that mean? The gate is the place where decisions are made. The gate is the place where life charting courses and decisions are made. And the scripture says that there will be a generation that will be raised up that will speak with the enemies at the gate.

5:50 In other words, you know what that means? That means that when the enemy comes to try to get them to do the wrong thing, we are raising up a generation that will rebuke what the enemy is trying to tell them to do. I wish I had an amen crowd right there. that God is raising up a generation of young people who will not be persuaded, who will not be deterred, who will not fall into and flow into the things that the world wants them to do, but they're going to be raised up to tell the devil, no, not only no, but hell no. Come on, holler back at me for just a second. I'm not doing that. I'm not using drugs. I'm not going to do drinking. I'm not going to do immorality. I'm not going to walk down that path. I'm going to walk with God and please God and do what's acceptable in his sight. Go on and preach, master. I'm doing the best that I can. That's what God wants to do. Raise up a generation of young people and that's what he is doing.

6:46 It's what God is doing. He's raising up a generation to do that. And so he tells us right here, I got three points. Here's number one. All from Proverbs 22 and six. Am I going too fast for you? train up a child. And my first point is discipline. Somebody say discipline. Look at your neighbor and say discipline. Ask him, do you know what discipline is?

7:16 Excuse me. Discipline. Train up a child in the way they should go. I like that right there. Train up. Train up. That word train, listen, here's a cuss word. Here's what the word train means. It means a narrowing of the path. That's what it means. It means establishing boundaries.

7:40 That's what a parent is supposed to do is establish boundaries. Now that's not the culture of today. The culture we live in today, people want to be free to do what they want to do. But that's not what parents are supposed to do. You don't let your kids do whatever they want to do. I couldn't, my parents didn't let me do what I wanted to do. They establish boundaries. And the problem we have with a lot of parents today is that they're afraid to give boundaries to their children. Let me say that again. I knew y'all weren't going to say amen on that, but it's true whether y'all say amen or not. We have to establish boundaries with our kids. They have to know that there are limitations. You just can't do whatever you want to do. Go wherever you want to go. You can't walk any place you want to walk. You can't say what you want to say.

8:33 My parents gave me boundaries. And we have parents today that are afraid to give their kids boundaries. You got to give them limitations, restrictions, a narrowing of the path. That's what the word train up means. It means establish proper boundaries for your kids. And I'm trying to tell you that you have to establish some boundaries. If my parents gave me boundaries, if I had violated those boundaries, I would never dream of talking back to my parents. If I talk back to my father, my face would be smashed up against the wall. If my parents, here's my parents who tell me, the kids that they don't know nothing about this. My parents used to say, you better be in the house by the time the street lights come on. Look at all these hands right here.

9:31 Yeah. I'm watching the streetlights because when the streetlights come on, I got to be home. Boundaries. When I hear in the news that these young kids are out downtown at the malls and stuff at 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night. What in the world? Where are their parents? It's appalling to me that the government has to establish a curfew for kids. That's your responsibility as a parent. Somebody say boundaries. Look at the person on the other side, say boundaries.

10:25 That's what the discipline means, that we're establishing boundaries. Proverbs 22 and 15, jot it down. It's not going to come up on the screen. I don't think I gave it to them, but Proverbs 22, 15 says, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. But look at this, the rod of correction will drive it far from him. By the way, It is not against the law in Maryland for you to discipline your kids. Thank you. Y'all see the people clapping. They got kids that they been whipping. That verse is profound. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him. That's amazing.

11:19 Here's another verse. Just jot it down. It's not going to come up on the screen. Proverbs 13, 24 says, He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. I'm giving you permission. because some of y'all don't you think it's you you shouldn't whip your kids now there's a there's a right way and there's a wrong way yeah you don't discipline your children in anger Amen.

12:07 And notice, now this is true. This is Bible study. Since y'all don't come to Bible study, I bring Bible study to you. Here's another verse, Proverbs 23, 13 and 14. Do not withhold correction from a child. For if you beat him with the rod, he will not die. ain't none of the young people clapping right now he will not die he will not die and then verse 14 says you shall beat him with the rod and deliver his soul from hell Yeah, now I got six kids, my wife and I got six kids, six children, and I feel I had to give my wife the credit.

13:12 I think we did a pretty good job raising our six children. They're all grown. They all graduated from college. They all got jobs. Woo! Praise them. They are all gainfully employed with jobs. Praise the Lord God Almighty.

13:36 But I look back over, I used to say that all six of my kids always got to a place where they started smelling themselves and thought it smelled good. But I had to bring correction to it because the more I thought about it, not all six of them did that. Five of the six did it. One of my children was not as bad as the others.

14:09 That was my daughter, Natalie. Natalie. Even though at 28, she's starting to spell herself now. Yeah, she said this too shall pass. I hope so. Here's what the, here's the description, train up a child. Are y'all with me? Are y'all following me on this?

14:40 Some of y'all don't recognize that you're training them up while they're young. Some of y'all are still trying to train them up and they're adults. It's too late. right now. People come to me all day, pastor, I'm trying to get my child to do the right thing. They won't do this, they won't do that. They do this, they do that. I say, well, how old is they? 22? What? 22?

15:13 They're past the age of you trying to parent them to grow up. Y'all see the claps are getting lower and lower and lower. Yeah, you raise and develop a child while they're kids, while they're young, before they're teens. A teenager is too old for you to be whipping. Some of these teenagers bigger than you, looking down on you.

15:45 That's what you do as they're growing up. You establish those boundaries. You create a heart in them to want to honor you and respect you and love what your desires are for them. It's very important for them to recognize that while they are small. Amen.

16:07 The Bible says train up a child, not train up a man, a woman, a grown, a teenager. Teenage is too late. It's too late at that point. Amen. But now somebody says, well, Pastor, what do I do? My teenager ain't listening. Pray. That's what you have to do. Pray. Look at your neighbor and say, you need to pray now. Yeah, you got to pray. You got to pray. Somebody say. Now, that's point one. The point one. Did I say discipline? Did I say discipline? It means to train up. It means to narrow the path. Establish boundaries. Give them boundaries. Here's point two I want to make. I want to call it direction. This is an important point right here. If you don't remember anything else I say, get this point right here. Direction. Somebody say direction. The verse says, Proverbs 22 and 6 says, train up a child in the way he should go.

17:04 The way means direction. Somebody say direction. Say direction. Here's what that means. A course of life, a mode of action, a journey. What's the course of life? Here is what I want you to hear me say. If you don't hear anything else you hear me say, I want you to hear me say this today, how important it is. Here's what I recognize. Here's what I know to be true is that when God created you, When God created us, when God made us, he put in us with giftings and callings that he wants us to achieve and accomplish in life. And during the course of our lives, during the course of our walk, and during the course of us being raised, God raises up opportunities and situations and circumstances that are designed to prepare you for what your future will be. So I look back over my life and I look back over my journey and everything that went on during my childhood and all of the things that I've gone through through my life prepared me for the assignment that God is for my life today.

18:08 And it's true of all six of my kids. All of my kids had what, let me slow down. Oh, I got to slow down. Slow down. What I recognize today and what I think is very important for parents to understand is rather than you attempting to form and make your child function in what you failed to be in your life, Your job is to identify what are the things that God has created and put in them and help them recognize that this is the direction that God wants them to go in their life.

18:47 Ooh, Lord, I don't know if y'all got that. That's so important. It's so important that you take recognition of what are those opportunities? What seems to me that person's like? I grew up as a young person in church, grew up in church, teaching Sunday school at 14 and 15. I called to the ministry around 15, started doing all of these things. And all of the parts that God shaped me in my life made me what I am today. My six kids, I look back over the course of their life and all of them are doing things that they used to do as children. In other words, what they experienced in their childhood, God used that to help them to shape them for their future. So Sarah, when she was six years old, she wanted to play basketball. Six years old, six years old, she wanted to go join the basketball court. The girls didn't play basketball back then very often, but she wanted to go to the basketball court.

19:40 She went to all of the games. She joined the team, and she did all of that, and here she is 30 years later, 35 years later, and she's the head coach of a college basketball team. Joshua and our kids used to do preaching contests. We used to have a preaching contest. Joshua and Jimmy would compete in preaching. We'd take a verse and they would each get three minutes to preach and then the family would vote on who was the best preacher.

20:16 What is Joshua doing now? Joshua is off this morning preaching at a church in Bowie, Maryland today. He's our young adult pastor. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Jimmy, when he was young, they used to set up a stage and they used to put on productions and do a play. And Jimmy was the one orchestrating and doing all. As a young person, as a young man, here he is setting this up in the house and doing these plays. And what is he doing now? Making movies. Parents' job is to help your children identify what are the giftings that God has put in their life, what are the experiences that God gives them to have, what are their passions, what are their interests. Don't try to make them do what it is you fail to do. Let's help them identify what God wants them to do in their life. I'm bothered by the fact that we got teenagers graduating from high school and don't know what they want to do with their lives.

21:21 Parents, it's our job to help them see how God has shaped them, how God has gifted them, how God has helped them to be able to see what he wants them to do through experiences. And I'm firmly persuaded and believe that that's a part of our role is that we're to train up the child, create narrow paths in the way they should go. Identify the doors that God has opened, the opportunities, the experiences, and the giftings that God has called them to do. Look at your neighbor and say, he's preaching better than you're saying amen. I think this is very, very significant and important. As a matter of fact, this is a model throughout all of Scripture. David was a shepherd boy taking care of his father's flocks, and he later became king of Israel. Are you hearing what I'm saying here today?

22:14 Timothy was a young man who his parents drilled in him the Scriptures, and here he was super interested in the Word of God. He became a minister of the Gospel. Jesus was teaching the young man, teaching the people in the temple. God, whatever happens in your childhood is preparing you for your future. I feel tension in the room. I feel stress in the room. And it's probably stress because you recognize some of y'all have, God's been trying to get you down a particular path, take you down a certain road. But no, oh no, you wanted to do what you wanted to do. Some of y'all have missed the assignment and missed the call and missed the gift and missed what God has for you because you wanted to do what you wanted to do. And you walked down a path and did what you wanted to do and you missed out on God. Oh, you might make more money, but you won't be fulfilled. I am preaching up in here whether y'all like it or not somebody say go on and preach pastor I'm saddened by the number of young people graduating from college I mean from high school and don't know what they want to do with their life parents it's our role to help them I know I've said it before let me say it one more time as you raise your children and help them see how God, through experiences, through passions, through giftings, prepared them for their future.

23:43 each and every experience in the course of my journey in the course of my life prepared me for what i'm doing right now prepared me for the assignment god gave me and i'm grateful for it i can look back and thank the lord for every place i've been every door every opportunity And guess what? Even your failures prepare you for what God wants you to do in the future. All right, here's my last point. I got five minutes.

24:24 Come back at 12 and tell me to take my time. Train up a child in the way he should go. And then it says this, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Somebody say, that's good. That's what the scripture says. when he is old, he will not depart from it. What does that mean? I'm glad you asked the question. My third and final point is destiny. Destiny. When he is old, he will not depart. Here's what that means.

24:59 The word depart means, in the Hebrew, it means he can't turn it off. I want you to hear me on this. I'm bringing my plane in for a landing. I'm pulling my car into the garage. I'm putting the dishes in the dishwasher. I'm pulling the boat into the dock. What else can I do?

25:24 I'm hanging the clothes on the clothesline in the dryer. Some of you today, here's the deal. Whatever God has called or assigned to you to do, you can't turn it off. It'll keep coming back. It'll keep calling. It'll keep beckoning for you. If you're not doing what God has called you to do, you will find that thing will never be turned. It will never turn off. It will never go away. When it says he will not depart, it don't mean they won't walk away. They will walk away, but they can't turn it off. They can't turn the yearning off. They can't turn the desire off. They can't turn off. And some of y'all today are missing out. God's got something for you to do and you're trying to drown it out. You're trying to smoke it out. You're trying to drug it out. You're trying to drink it out. You're trying to get rid of it, but you can't get rid of it because the gifts and callings of God will never go away. I wish I had an amen to some people.

26:24 Once he ushers the call to you, you can't escape the call that God has for you. You can't run away from it. You can't deny it. You have an assignment. You have a gifting. You have God knew what he wanted you to do before you were born, and he put it inside of you, and some of y'all have been sitting on it, and that's why you're unhappy. You done gone from job to job to job because you're not happy. You done gone from marriage to marriage to marriage, and you keep thinking it's always the other person that's the problem. The only common element that keeps going in from relationship to relationship to relationship to broken marriage to broken marriage is you are the common element. It ain't the person you married to that's the issue.

27:19 It ain't your boss. Ooh, y'all shouldn't have came.