THE SPECIAL VALUE OF OUR CHILDREN

Psalm 144:11-12
11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children,
whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

What joy a new born baby brings to a home. Just to hold the fragile bundle and feel the tenderness of the supple skin is pure joy. Think about the unconscious and absolute dependence of this baby on the care of its parents. It is not for children to be fathers or mothers. That is a job for grown men and grown women. The care of our children is very paramount our lives as married couples. God commands us to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Prov.22:6 ; Eph.6:4). Children are a gift from the Lord. Children are called the heritage of the Lord and thus must receive necessary care and training they need to fulfil their destiny in life.

A. Grief By Strange Children

(i)  THEIR CALUMNY (Psalm 144:7,8). These are strange children. Their lifestyle is strange, their speech is strange, their relationship with their parents is strange, their language is strength. they cannot speak the language of Zion. the poison of asps is on their lips (Neh.13:24; Deut.32:20; Rom. 3:13). They are strange children - strange to their parents and strange to God. They behave like strangers to the covenant of God. They deny God. They deny authority. they deny God. They are children left to themselves (Prov.29:15)

(ii)  THEIR CLAMOUR (Psalm 144:11): They speak vanity. They believe in the falsehood that this world is everything. They clamour for things of this world. They earthly and worldly
(iii) THEIR CALLOUSNESS (Psalm 144:4; Rom.1:30-31): They are disobedient to parents, implacable, without natural affection. No wonder gay and lesbian activities are now considered normal. When the natural affection between husband and wife, and between children and parents evaporates, everything becomes strange and unnatural. Why is there so much evil in our world? Because of strange children, who have no affection for parents, who grow up and infiltrate society with their unnatural behaviour - backbiting, hateful, deceitful, boastful, proud, unmerciful and implacable. What is our prayer? Rid us of such children! If you are a child and all these things we are saying seem to affect you, repent and turn to God and He will have mercy. If you are a parent and you have such children, pray to God for help to bring them up as God requires. This leads me to the growth of our children.

B. Growth Of Our Children

(i)   THE TENDERNESS OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): As plants grown up in their youth. In another place it says "Thy children olive plants round about thy table" (Psalm 128:3). Our children are like tender plants that need to be cultivated. Their minds are tender, it is our responsibility to create an atmosphere in which they will grow. There mind is spotless and harmless. What we allow to be planted there is of paramount importance. We must help our children to cultivate their minds primarily with God's word. This will help them acquire wisdom and knowledge of God (Luke 2:40-52). Jesus said that adults who wish to enter the Kingdom of heaven must be converted and their minds made pure like those of children ( Matthew 18:1-4; Mark 10:13-16; Eph.6:4; Col.3:21)
(ii)  THE TYPING OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): As plants grown up. Healthy plants have life in them. So also our children have been equipped by God with everything to grow up and be useful. Children are classified as babes (1Peter 2:2-3). Young tender plants need cultivating and maturing. We water them. We manure them. We weed around them. We prop them up until they are strong enough to stand on their own. We must feed our children the pure milk of the Word of God. The word of God is able to make them grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of God.
(iii) THE TIMING OF THEIR GROWTH (Psalm 144:12): Grown up in their youth. One of our young nephews jokingly said that the reason we did not grow as tall as they was because we were growing up during the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970. In those days there were no food, no good nutrition, no Medicare. We missed our time of growth! Compare that will children born this age in the UK. They have more than they even need to grow physically. Teach your children the Word of God early (Prov.22:6; Eccl.12:1; Prov.29:15). All children have the right to be given the opportunity to know God early. Timothy was a great example of early influence of godly parents (2Tim.1:5)

C. Grounding Of Our Children

(i)   THE POSITION OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones. Corner stones unite intersecting walls. So are children in the home. The have a uniting influence on the family. When Pastor Benny Hinn and his wife Susan Hinn divorced, his grand child one day after two years asked, "Grandpa, when is grandma coming back?" That was the trigger for their reunion and reconciliation! (Psalm 8:2; 127:3-5). Our children are there to bring restoration to the family and to the Church (Isaiah 58:12)  Our children should continue the ministry of the Gospel of Christ as we pass it unto them.
(ii)  THE POLISH OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones polished after the similitude of the palace. Polishing is an art of making a piece of stone into a gem. Using some form of sanding paper, a rough piece of rock, metal or wood can be polished into a lovely, smooth surface. Polishing has to remove something from our children. The instrument of polishing our children is the word of God:
1. (Psalm 119:105) - Like a lamp it show them the light so they do not walk in the darkness of this world.
2.  (Jer.23:29) - It is like fire and like a hammer that knocks out the rough edges of life and burns the chaff like fire, leaving only what is good and true.
3. (Heb.4:12) - like a two edged sword it penetrates the deepest recesses of their hearts.
4. (James 1:22) - like mirror it will reflect our life, revealing what is good and what is not and what must be removed or corrected.
5. (Mat.4:4) - Like food it feeds us and keeps us spiritually alive!
God's word is a character shaper. The Ten Commandments display to us the character of God. We must practice keeping them
(iii) THE PLACE OF OUR CHILDREN (Psalm 144:12): As corner stones polished after the similitude of the palace. This refers to the Kingdom of God. The ultimate purpose of training our children is for the ultimate destination of all God's people - the Kingdom of Heaven. What shall it profit if this is not the goal (Mat.16:26). Every preparation, every training, every polishing is to prepare us and our children for the Kingdom of Heaven. Are you ready for that? Some people mistakenly suppose that success on earth alone is all they need. That is not true (Luke 12:16-21). Are you ready?

REVELATION OF CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-29; Luke 9:18-20

There is so much to say and to write about Jesus Christ that it will take more than a short Sunday sermon to accomplish. What I will do here is to present some basic facts about our Lord Jesus Christ to build our faith in Him. Jesus is known as both Son of Man and Son of God. These two are titles that. Son of Man is a title of Authority and Son of God is a title of Deity. We need an understanding of both in order to properly place our faith in him. The names of Jesus Christ reveal His work

1. The Names Of Jesus Christ

The apostle Peter gave is understanding of Christ's person by revelation. The Jews at that time were expecting the Messiah at that time but did not know or believe that Jesus was the messiah.
(i.) The Name JESUS (Mat.1:21; Zech.3:1): Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua or Yehoshua, Yahweh is salvation. He shall save His people from their sins. The work of salvation was the main work Jesus came to accomplish on earth. Believing in Him leads to salvation for the repentant sinner (John 3:15-18)
(ii.) The Name CHRIST (Luke 2:10-11; Lev.4:3; 1Sam.9:16; 10:1; 2 Sam.19:10): This is the 'official' title of Jesus. He is Jesus the anointed one. In the Old Testament kings and priests were regularly anointed. the oil of anointing symbolised the Holy Spirit of God (Isa.61:1; zech.4:1-6); and the anointing represented the transfer of the Holy Spirit upon the anointed person (1Sam.10:1, 6, 10; 16:13, 14).  As the High Priest and as the King of Kings, he is the Anointed One (Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:26-28). Christ was anointed from eternity but made manifest when he was conceived, born and baptised (Luke 1:35; Mat.3:16).
Why was Christ anointed (Isa,61:1-3)? To preach the Good News; to bind broken hearts; to proclaim freedom to captives; to release those who are bound (by Satan).
(iii.) The Name SON OF MAN: Over forty times in the Gospels, Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man (Daniel 7:13; Mat.8:20; 10:23; 12:8, 32, 40; 13:37, 41; 16:27, 28; 18:11; 19:28). In most of these passages we see Christ manifesting power and authority. As Son of Man, He has power to execute judgement on the world (John 5:22-27). He has power to give life to whomsoever e will.
(iv.) The Name SON OF GOD (Psalm 2:7; Luke 1:35; Mat.18-24; John 5:18, 23, 14:9-11): He is God's representative; He is the heir of God. He affirms it (John 10:36); The Father affirms it (Mat.3:17; 17:5). Demons recognise Him by that name (Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28). This name reveals the divinity of Christ (Mat.11:27; 14:28-33; John 6:69; 8:16;, 18, 23). He is the second Person of the Trinity. He is the one who came in the flesh to obtain eternal salvation for man. He is the one who fulfils all the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

2. The Revelation Of The Church

In this passage (Mat.16:15-19) is found the first mention of the Church. The Church therefore is an institution established by the Son of God. The Church is established upon the concrete fact of the Son-ship of Christ - upon this rock. Jesus gave power and authority to the Church (Mat.18:18-20). Every member of the Church shares in that heritage. This passage seems to through light to the meaning of (Mat.11:11). the least in the Kingdom can exercise tremendous power and authority on earth.
Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church. What a comforting promise in light of the persecution that always faces the Church, We claim that promise for this our local Church. The gates of hell shall not prevail against us! We claim the keys of authority - to bind and to loose. We claim the power of agreement. Whatever we agree upon as the Church of Christ, shall be done for us by our Father.
Take some time to think of some of those things that need to be bound in our Church or in your life or in your family.
3.The Response Of The Believer
(2Cor.6:14-18) - "come out from among them". The Church is a called out people. You are a chosen generation (1Pet.2:9). We need to remain distinct from the world, by applying the word of God to our lives and circumstances, waiting for the coming back of our Messiah Jesus Christ.

WANTED: GOOD FATHERS; WILL PAY ANY PREMIUM!

Gen.1: 26-28, 31; Deut.6:5-7; Malachi 4:6; Psalm 103:13;

Good and godly fathers are wanted in our generation. Any grown man can be a father. But not every grown man can be a good father. There is a premium on good fathers. Good fathers are not easy to come by, but they are the pressing need of the present generation. Secularism, feminism, homosexuality and all the other isms and religions of this post modern age, which in reality are not new, have ganged up together to destroy true fatherhood. Children are still being born, but most of them are not being brought up by fathers, true fathers. I heard of a primary school sometime not long ago where children were not allowed to come with cards and things that celebrate fathers day, because "it might offend those children who do not have fathers"! That is a telling statement. It is not that they are virgin-born; not that their fathers are dead, rather it is that their fathers have abandoned them and moved on to other women or partners! Many children increasingly find themselves among this group.

We need to know that any attack on fatherhood is an attack on God and on divine order; it is an attack on the family. If the family unit is destroyed, then social order in society is destroyed. True religion will be destroyed. What do we get? Chaos; a deconstruction of morality; resurgence of paganism and spiritism.
Is it surprising that homosexuality has such a strong voice in many societies today? Some people believe that homosexuality is the new religion. In his book, Biblical Foundations For Manhood and Womanhood (p.267), Wayne Grudem noted that, "homosexuality has been identified with pagan spirituality in many ages and many places" Robert Baum, said that "gender variant men have filled a sacred (religious) role throughout the millennia" In another book, Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India, Serena Nanda said that the hijras are a company of men who dress and act like women, whose culture centres on the worship of Bahuchara Mata, one of the many versions of the mother goddess worshipped throughout India. An androgynous priesthood was associated with the worship of the goddess Ishtar in the Sumerian age (1800 BC).

There is a resurgence of this anti-gender lifestyle in almost every nation. If these were practiced privately, there would be no cause for alarm. It is because homosexual practice is becoming the norm, the new law and the new religion of many. Not only that, it is being foisted (to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit) on society as the new way of life.

We stand by God's standard from creation. God created men to be fathers and women to be mothers. He equipped each with the necessary means of fulfilling their role. When children are born, a bond is formed between them and their parents. As the mother suckles and nurtures the child, the father is their to provide, protect and educate the child. This combined responsibility is needed in the upbringing of children into mature, sensible adults; men and women who will grow up to love God and respect others. Children brought up in this way are the gatekeepers of the next generation.
We need fathers who will train up their children in the way of the Lord, who will prepare their children to fill the role of gatekeepers in the next generation.

I saw a study titled, "What the Bible Teaches About Being a Good Father..." and would like to share with you some of the things mentioned:
Facts provided by the Department of Health and Human Services: More than one-fourth of American children – 17 million – don’t live with their fathers. In 1996, 42% of female-headed households with children were poor, compared with 8% of families with children headed by married parents. Girls without fathers in their lives are 2.5 times more likely to get pregnant and 53% more likely to commit suicide. Boys without fathers in their lives are 63% more likely to run away from home and 37% more likely to use drugs. Boys and girls without father involvement are twice as likely to drop out of school, twice as likely to go to jail and nearly four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems.
Good fathers are wanted!

1. Examples Of Fathers In the Bible

Adam - The First Father (Gen.4:1-8): The story of Genesis 4 does not suggest that Adam had a good influence over his children. That his first son Cain murdered his brother Abel is a sign that He did not.
Noah - The Man Of Grace (Gen.6:8-13, 22): In the time of Noah there was corruption, wickedness and violence. Yet Noah walked with God regardless of  the prevailing culture of his time. He was able to bring up his children to believe, fear and love God.
Abraham - The Father Of Faith (Gen.12:1-4) Genesis chapters 12 to 25 are all about Abraham. he was the father of faith, a man of covenant who rightly earned the position of being an example of a true father (Gen.18:17-19). He made sure that Isaac followed the way of God. He ensured that He married correctly. Isaac grew up knowing he was a child of covenant. It was his father Abraham who brought him up to know and respect that. He sought to bring up his children in the same way. He was able to pass the Great Covenant blessing to Jacob.
Jacob - The Father Of Israel. The twelve sons of Jacob make up the nation of Israel, the nation with who God made a covenant, through whom Christ was born to the world! Jacob feared God and taught children to fear God.
David - The Man After God's Heart; had many children including some imposters an usurpers to the throne, but he passed on the blessing of God to his son Solomon who constructed the first physical Temple to the Almighty God. What we are seeing is that God's blessing is transferred from fathers to their children. when a father fails to play his role in the family, the children will suffer loss.
Eli - An Indulgent Father (1Sam.2:12-17, 22-34). Eli was a father who did not have any good influence over his sons. Disregarding their father's position as a priest of God, they kicked against God's sacrifices, defiled the alter of God by their immoral lifestyle, bringing the wrath of God down on the entire family!
All these examples show us that God has a very important role for Fathers in all societies.

2. The Characteristics Of A Good Father

(i) He Must First Be A Good Husband (Eph.5:25-33):
Those who define marriage as other than a union between a man and a woman are making a parody of this original plan of God. People may convert themselves from men to women or from women to men but that would be unnatural.  Any gender taken up in opposition to God's original creation is acquired and not original. In God's plan, the children a born in the atmosphere of the love which God has planted in father and mother.
In our Church, husbands must be true husbands - loving, sacrificing, helping, building up, encouraging, supporting, protecting, sanctifying, providing, guiding, teaching, leading their wives and children to love God. The world, the outsiders, the unsaved must see this true display of love and responsibility. They must see the benefit of it.
(ii) He Must Keep The Great Commandments (Deut.6:5; Mark 12:30-31)
He must love God with all his being and love neighbour as self. And who is his nearest neighbour? His wife.
(iii) He Must Teach His children to know God (Deut.6:5-7; Prov.22:6; Eph.6:4). How important this role is in our time cannot be overemphasized. All the humanistic and antireligious teaching they receive from school must be countered by sound biblical instruction at home from the father and the mother. the principles and application of the Ten Commandments must be communicated to our children. They need to know of God's plans for human beings. Any teaching against the scriptural teaching of true family relationship is to be rejected. Any instruction about sex and sexuality that disregards biblical standards are to be rejected. Rather than wait until children come home with weird notions about sex and sexual relationships, fathers and mothers together should teach children the true meaning and use and what God intends when He created man male and female.
(iv) He Must Be A Friend Of His Children. Children and their parents must have close relationship to the point that children are willing to tell their father or mother whatever bothers them. When children keep things from their parents there is danger. Those children can very easily run into trouble with dangerous groups out there. they may begin to join gangs, listen dangerous teachings that "radicalise" them.

(A little girl, with shining eyes and little face aglow, said, “Daddy, it is almost time for Sunday school. Let’s go! They teach us there of Jesus’ love, and how He died that we might all have everlasting life by trusting in Him!”

“Oh, no,” said Daddy, “not today, I have worked so hard all the week, I am going to the woods and to the creek. There I can relax and rest. I must have one day to rest, and fishing is fine, they say. So run along. Don’t bother me. We’ll go to church some other day!”

Months and years have passed, but Daddy hears that plea no more: “Let’s go to Sunday school!”
Those childish years are over and that Daddy is growing old, when life is almost through,
he finds time to go to church. But what does daughter do? She says, “Oh, Daddy, not today. I stayed up almost all last night, and I’ve got to get some sleep!”) (Encyclopaedia of 7700 Illustrations)

(v) He Must Be A Praying Man (Job 1:1-5)
What a father Job was! Not only was he there to teach his children to do right, he made sure constantly prayed for them and made sacrifices of atonement in case they had sinned against God.

3. The Unparalleled Example of The Ultimate Father

(Eph.3:14-15; Mat.6:6-15; 5:45; 6:32; Heb.12:7; Psalm 103:13)
If we want to learn about being good fathers, the first Person to go to is God. God loves us with the clearest and the greatest examples to follow as fathers. He is God and Father of all both good and bad. He is generous and non-discriminating. He provides for all, loves all, forbears all, forgives all, blesses all, protects all, saves all who come to Christ. He disciplines all in order to bring out the best of them.

Fathers your children need you! they need to learn about God and you must make effort to teach them! They need to be loved and you must love them. they need to be helped and you must help them. Be a good husband. Be a good daddy. The Lord help you to do so!

THE PERILOUS NATURE OF OUR TIMES

Gen.6:5-7; Psalm 14:1-7; 2Timothy 3:1-8; Romans 1:18-32; 1Tim.4:1-5; Psalm 2:1-10

These are the last days. And the last days are perilous times, even for the Church. We are seeing increasing signs that Jesus coming back is in the horizon. Just recently a man from Australia has been claiming to be Jesus. Corruption and abomination are flowing like a river; nations are legalising same sex marriage as if that is the solution to world problems. Nations have cast off the yoke of God and are now bearing the yoke of the devil. Men do not think twice anymore before taking a five year-old girl, sexually molest her and kill her. Men are now murdering for sex. We even hear that some are obsessed with having sex with corpses! Things that belong to the pit of hell are now being openly practiced and defended. The questions raised in (psalm 2:1-3) is very relevant to our day. Why do people want to cast off God and create their own gods or take the place of God? Because they want to be able to do all their evil and all their corruption without being accountable to anyone.

1. Rejection Of God and Godly Standards

 The origin of sin and evil in the world is the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen.3:1-7; Rom.5:12-14). We can see the effect of this sin in (Gen.6:5-7). As the scripture declares, the heart of unconverted man is desperately wicked (Jer.17:9). Sin is rebellion against God's holy standards or God's standard of holiness. Every sin of man is against an established divine order or standard. How can mortal man possibly reject the standard of Almighty God? By convincing themselves that God is not there (Psalm 14:1-6). When they do this it is so that they can do evil without any consequences. But there are consequences. Judgement is coming. But before that God is giving unregenerate mankind a long season of time to repent of their multiplied evil (Rom.1:18-32). If people do not repent there are consequences. God reveals His wrath; Their imagination became vain; Their foolish heart become darkened; while they claimed to be wise, they became fools; They sank into deep and abominable idolatry (Rom.1:23); God gave them up unto their own lusts. The Apostle Paul continued to follow their descent into the depths of sin (1Tim.4:1-5; 2Tim.3:8)

2. Revival Of Sodomic Wickedness

In the last days, perilous times shall come. Iniquity shall abound. The love of many shall wax cold. Nation after nation in the Western world are endorsing same sex marriage. How can you explain such a revival of Sodom, except to understand that God has given them up to vile affections (Rom.1:26-28). Or else how can a 47 years old man want to sexually molest a 5 year old girl. Such affection can only be vile. When God's natural order is rejected, what you get is something unnatural. That is what we are witnessing in our day. It is the fulfilment of bible predictions. Some people will kill for 5 minutes sexual pleasure. We are not here to describe what abominations these people commit, but why will a person kill for sex, if not that their foolish heart is darkened. They plunge themselves into the depths of satanic lusts that leads them to kill.
For  most others, they just want money, and sometimes Satan deceives them by devising means to give them many. Their God becomes money. They can steal, kill, and destroy because of money. The only remedy available for such people is to rush to Jesus for cleansing before it is too late.

3. Reprobation Of Unrighteous Boasters

God gave them up (Rom.1:26)! What a frightening statement (Hos.4:17). When God gives a person up they will continue to deceive themselves till the sink into hell. In (Psalm 2:1-5) we learn God's reaction to such people: first He will laugh at their foolishness. Then He will speak to them in His wrath. Finally He will terrify them in His displeasure and fury. God has declared woe unto such people (Isa. 3:11; 45:9; Hab.2:19). The wrath of God is revealed unto them (Rom.1:18). Again what should such people do? Repent and turn to Jesus (Mat.3:1-10)

4. Restoration Of God's Glory

God is going to restore all things (Psalm 2:6-10). Jesus is coming again to rule. God's creation will restored when this time of probation comes to an end. Then according to scripture, the wicked shall be turned into hell with  all the nations that forget God. Christ is the Judge. We urge you to submit your life now to Him as Lord. He is the one appointed to judge all nations (Mat.25:31-46). The counsel of the Lord is for men to submit to Christ now before the day of judgement (Psalm 2:10-12).

The Response Of The Godly

In (Psalm 11:1-7)  the question arises, "if the foundations be destroyed..." what can we do? What can you do? Are you prepared to counter evil river of corruption; to prevent it form affecting you; affecting your children; affecting the Church (Phil.4:5-9; Rev.2:25; 3:3, 11)?