SERMON: GIFTS FOR YOUR PRECIOUS GIFT11:00 AM Worship Service | Sunday, September 17, 2023 Psalm 127:3a Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord. Introduction When God made a nation and called it Israel, He spoke frequently about the responsibility of being a parent. Throughout the Scriptures, God instructed Israel and all who would read the Holy Writ, on how to rear their children and what to give to them for their growth and development. This is true because every child is a precious gift from God. Every human being has intrinsic value. Just being human makes one valuable in God’s sight. Every child is a miracle in many ways. A child is a biological miracle. Many small things have to happen at the right time before an infant takes his or her first breath. Some of these things are very pleasurable and others are severely painful. (I know all the mothers can say amen on the part about the pain.) Every child is a generational miracle. The Ten Million Names Project and many other genealogical studies have said that a child born in 2023, counting from 1619, has four thousand ninety-four ancestors. If any one of them had not reproduced, that child would not be here. If there had been a fatal accident or a violent death before procreation, or infertility, that child would not be here. I know four thousand ninety-four sounds like a lot. I could not believe it when I first heard it. So, let me count them for you right now: 2 parents 4 grandparents 8 great-grandparents 16 second great-grandparents 32 third great-grandparents 64 fourth great-grandparents 128 fifth great-grandparents 256 sixth great-grandparents 512 seventh great-grandparents 1024 eighth great-grandparents 2048 ninth great-grandparents Think for a moment, how many struggles, how many battles, how many sad days, these ancestors had to endure. On the positive side, think of how much love, how many humorous stories, how many family meals, how many hugs, and how many religious services they enjoyed. Let’s quickly look at our text. The psalm is one of the shortest and perhaps one of the most difficult to exegete. Some scholars think it is two short psalms attached together and that this information was not passed down to future generations. Those who take this approach assert that the first psalm is verses one and two. The second psalm includes verses three, four, and five. Others see it as a composite whole, but have difficulty connecting all of the figures of speech. Whatever you think about this psalm, the first part of verse three says that children are our heritage. To put it another way, children are an inheritance from God Himself. An inheritance is a gift transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor. An inheritance is special because, usually, it is handed down from one loved one to another loved one. God loves us and He gives us children as our inheritance.
I repeat a child is a gift from God and a miracle from on high. Since a child is a precious gift, we have the responsibility of giving this precious gift many precious gifts to secure for her or him a successful future – a future built on sound spiritual principles. We are used to giving the gifts that we have received complementing gifts. So, it is nothing new. If you give a man one small tool for his birthday, he then buys a humongous tool cabinet with wheels in which to store this one tool. If you give a lady a simple yellow sun hat to wear to a picnic, she has to buy a color-coordinated yellow dress, matching yellow shoes, and the appropriate accessories to complement the hat. We have to do the same thing with our children. Let’s look at a few of the gifts that we can give our precious little gifts. I am sure you can think of many more. I am just reaffirming what most of us are already doing. Exposition 1. The Gift Of Attentive, Articulated Love. (Demonstrate Your Love.) (Express Your Love Verbally.) (Discipline Is A Part Of Love.) (Unfortunately, Punishment Is A Part Of Discipline.) 2. The Gift Of Age-Appropriate Instructions. (Practical Instructions (How To Knowledge.) (Value Instructions (Why To Knowledge.)
3. The Gift Of A Godly Example. (Children Are Sometimes Poor Listeners, But Always Great Imitators.) (Set The Example For Christian Virtues and Values.) (Somethings Are Taught And Other Things Are Caught.) (Social Osmosis is Powerful.) Closing Thoughts Parenthood is a great privilege and a great responsibility. It is time consuming and challenging. Parents, pray for your children. Parents, pray with your children. When you are exhausted from your parental duties, just remember the barren couple who would love to have your challenges. When they get on your nerves- and they will- just remember other than Jesus Himself, your parents and your children are God’s greatest gift to you. Show God you appreciate His gifts by treating them well. Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory! Related Scriptures Deuteronomy 6:1-12 Deuteronomy 31:12-13 Proverbs 22:6 Copyright © 2023 by James C. Ward All Rights Reserved
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