Children of the Bible
Lesson 1
Lesson Text—Luke18:15-17
Luke 18:15-17
15 And they brought unto him also
infants, that he would touch them: but
when his disciples saw it, they
rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and
said, Suffer little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not: for of such is
the kingdom of God.
Lesson Text—Luke18:15-17
17
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever
shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child shall in no wise enter
therein.
Lesson Text—Psalm 127:3-5
Psalm 127:3-5
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the
LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his
reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty
man; so are children of the youth.
Lesson Text—Psalm 127:3-5
5
Happy is the man that hath his quiver
full of them: they shall not be
ashamed, but they shall speak with the
enemies in the gate.
Lesson Text—Luke 2:46-48
Luke 2:46-48
46 And it came to pass, that after three
days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the doctors,
both hearing them, and asking them
questions.
Lesson Text—Luke 2:46-48
47
And all that heard him were
astonished at his understanding and
answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were
amazed: and his mother said unto him,
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
behold, thy father and I have sought
thee sorrowing.
Lesson Text—Luke 2:49-52
Luke 2:49-52
49 And he said unto them, How is it that
ye sought me? wist ye not that I must
be about my Father’s business?
50 And they understood not the saying
which he spake unto them.
Lesson Text—Luke 2:49-52
51
And he went down with them, and
came to Nazareth, and was subject
unto them: but his mother kept all
these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and
man.
Focus Verse—Luke 18:16
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called them unto him,
and said, Suffer little children to
come unto me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of
God.
Focus Thought
Christians should follow Jesus’
example to accept, love, and
nurture children.
I. We
Culture Connection
Lovingfor
Unlovable
Children
Weep
Children
Paul wrote to Titus and exhorted the
church to teach the younger women to
love their husbands and their children
(Titus 2:4). Do you have to be taught to
love your own children? Since most of
us adore our children, this seems like a
redundant command. It is conceivable
that wives need to be taught to love
their husbands. After all, husbands can
be troublesome. But do we really need
to be taught to love our own children?
I.
Sometimes children are unlovable.
What
do youfor
do when
your thirteenWe
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Children
year-old tells you to shut up? What do
you do when your first grader breaks
your favorite piece of china? Some
parents know what it feels like to walk
the floor all night with a crying infant
as they endure the discomfort of colic.
It is shock and awe when a sixteenyear-old wrecks the new car or when a
single seventeen-year-old daughter
says, “I’m pregnant!” Every parent
learns that sometimes children put
love to the test.
I.
Children live in a dangerous world.
We temper these dangers with
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for
Children
seatbelts, car seats, bicycle helmets,
knee pads, and warning labels. We are
a safety-conscious culture. Yet in a
more sinister way, our society is more
dangerous than ever. Social and
spiritual predators abound; humanism,
atheism, pornography, violent movies,
sensual music, homosexuality, drugs
and alcohol, poor parenting, divorce,
corrupt schools, and many other
dangers lurk about.
I.
Just as love motivates us to fasten an
We
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Children
infant
in a carfor
seat,
love will also
motivate parents to protect their
children from spiritual predators.
Love is a decision. The emotion of
love will go up and down, but real love
will endure and transcend emotional
feelings. We choose to love our
children at all times because they are
God’s children and He loves them
unconditionally.
Contemplating the Topic
I. WeDays
Weep
for
Children
of leisure and occasional
press conferences had vanished for
the king. For the first time in his adult
life he thought long and hard about
the God of his ancestors. Feeling
overwhelmed by the needs of his city
and incapable of overcoming the
enemy’s siege, King Jehoram paced
the road on top of the city wall to mull
over the awful circumstances. (See II
Kings 6:24-30.)
I.
The king’s steps probably took him
by the miller’s shop where no sounds
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for
Children
of the grinding wheel had emerged for
a long time. Indeed, the entire business
district probably seemed eerily silent.
Perhaps he paused momentarily for a
boy who was crawling along the wall,
searching for pigeon dung that may
have been overlooked by others.
Needless to say, conditions in the
nation were deplorable. Suddenly, he
heard a frantic call. “Help, my lord, O
king!” (II Kings 6:26).
I.
Jehoram already had more problems
than he could deal with, so he asked
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for
Children
curtly, “How can I help you? If God
won’t help us, what am I supposed to
do?” He sighed. “Very well, tell me
what’s wrong.”
“I’ve been robbed!” said the woman.
“Do you know who the thief is?”
“Yes, my roommate. We had an
agreement. We were both starving, so
we agreed to feast on our children.
Yesterday, we killed my son, boiled his
flesh, and ate him.
I.
Today, we are to eat her son, but she
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for
Children
has hid him and won’t let me have my
fair share.”
Nausea swept over the king. He
convulsed and ripped his royal robe in
despair. “No!” he shouted, weeping
bitter, angry tears. “What has become
of us?”
Searching the Scriptures
I. We Weep
forfor
Children
We Weep
Children
We live in a selfish, twisted world
that destroys children. It has been that
way since children first came on the
scene. Selfish people hurt kids. The
prostitute mothers in besieged
Samaria destroyed their own offspring
to satisfy the urge for selfpreservation. They are not alone.
Abortion destroys almost four
thousand children every day, mainly
for the convenience of the mother.
Transparency 1
I.
1. Child murder is not new. Both
Pharaoh and Herod murdered infants
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for
Children
(Exodus 1:22; Matthew 2:16). In every
age the devil has sought out ways to
destroy people, especially the young.
The pagans of Canaan murdered their
children to please their god Molech.
God responded to this outrage, saying
never “came it into my mind, that they
should do this abomination” (Jeremiah
32:35).
Like Jehoram, the present-day
destruction of children should disgust
us.
I.
Carnage and waste of human life
should infuriate us. We should rend
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for
Children
our hearts for the little lost souls who
will never know God’s purposes in this
life. As the Lord Jesus told the city of
Jerusalem, “Weep not for me, but . . .
for your children” (Luke 23:28). It is
time to weep.
2. Divorce consumes more children
than anyone wants to admit. The
estranged parents consider only their
own feelings, it seems, as they rend
the very fabric of society—the family.
I.
With only one quarter of fathers paying
child support, the single parent home
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for
Children
suffers financially, but that explains
only a small portion of the hurt a split
home suffers.
The myth of “easy divorce” can be
easily disproved in or out of court.
Girls with fathers achieve better than
those without. Boys without a father
usually suffer from the absence of a
male role model in the home. The loss
of childhood that so many children
suffer is heartbreaking.
I.
Consequently, many young men and
women fail to embrace life’s
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for
Children
responsibilities even into their thirties.
3. Illegal activities destroy the
innocence of millions of children. From
parents who teach their kids to shoplift
to those who provide liquor and tobacco
for minors, criminals arrive younger and
younger at juvenile hall. Not only do
some children learn to do wrong, many
develop the habit of self-justification
until any crime can seem justified in
their eyes. We weep for those who will
spend more time behind bars than
out of them.
I.
4. Perversion rips away children’s
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privacy.
Fromfor
predatory
adults in the
seclusion of the home, to predatory
boys on the school bus, a child may
count himself or herself lucky to arrive
at adulthood unmolested. Sexual
molestation and incest abound in a
world where female figures serve as
marketing tools. We weep for those
whose worldview has been misshapen
around sexual promiscuity.
I.
5. Rude people destroy children’s
hopes and dreams. Crude, hateful
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for
Children
people tear the life out of youths full of
expectancy and potential. Often
impatient parents snuff out the
creativity of a child by shouting about
the dirt on the patio rather than
complimenting the creative mud
sculpture. Rudeness deflates budding
entrepreneurs and God-given, freethinking ability. We weep for those who
could have been great but settle for far
less in fear of rejection.
I.
6. Hunger consumes children in
impoverished areas. With possibly one
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for
Children
billion of the world’s population going
to bed hungry each night, almost
another billion struggle to survive
without the needed nutrients to sustain
life. We weep for those who will only
rarely know a full belly or a good
night’s rest.
7. Abusiveness warps children’s
perspectives on reality. Some psyches
suffer permanent damage even after
the bruises and wounds have healed.
I.
While some children suffer physically,
many more suffer verbal abuse from
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for
Children
hateful parents and caretakers.
Further, neglect is the most
widespread form of child abuse. We
weep for those who have missed the
cuddling and affection that accompany
a safe home.
8. Violence shapes the lifestyles of
too many children. Fighting parents
and abusive adults warp youths into
defensive creatures. Even the young
are beginning to carry weapons.
I.
Bitterness becomes anger, and anger
turns into hatred. We weep for those
We
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for
Children
who commit violent crimes long before
they have a chance to hear the
message of hope.
9. Entertainment whittles away the
imagination of many children.
Spellbound in front of glowing
screens, kids text, surf, and play
games for hours. One day they will
wake up in a real world where virtual
reality proves to be worthless for
coping with life.
I.
Incomplete reasoning skills, deficient
We
Weep
social
ability,for
and Children
reclusive tendencies
overpower young men and women who
could have used their mental powers
for the Lord’s kingdom. We weep for
those who lose a major portion of
childhood to Hollywood morals and
Silicon Valley upgrades.
II.
God
Desires
for
Children
to
God Desires for Children to
Enjoy Life
Enjoy Life
Through the prophets, God told of a
time when “the city shall be full of
boys and girls playing in the streets”
(Zechariah 8:5). God wants children to
enjoy life, not to experience
insufferable abuse and hurt. He wants
them to have stable, healthy lives
(Genesis 21:9-20; I Timothy 3:4; Titus
1:6). Our weeping for children should
not be as those who have no hope.
I.
We cry out in intercession that they
would find the life God intends for
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for
Children
them. But we must do more than pray.
The family of God must provide a
safe place for children. Studies in
orphanages have shown that newborn
infants who receive human touch
survive and mature at a much greater
rate than those who receive only
adequate food and water. How much
more effective we can be by offering
an environment where children can be
touched by the presence of God.
I.
More than a nursery haven, we offer a
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for
Children
training ground—a place to overcome
the evil influences and realize a better
future. Children without number have
been lifted out of the slime of this
world, washed by the blood of the
Lamb in a Pentecostal church, and set
on a straight course far different from
the sins of their parents. But we have
to be willing to love them to the Cross.
A.
A. Jesus Cared about
Jesus Cared about
Children
Children
In His earthly ministry, the Lord
cared about the needs of children.
Jesus was not an “adults-only”
evangelist. He went out of His way to
minister to youths who needed a
miracle as much as any adult. From
Jairus’s daughter to the widow’s dead
son, Jesus apparently enjoyed turning
a tragedy into a miracle.
I.
Our Lord illustrated kingdom
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for
Children
principles with children. When His
followers fell into position-seeking and
politicking, Jesus picked up a child,
set him on His knee, and said, “Except
ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven. Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest in the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4).
I.
We know that being born of the
water and the Spirit is necessary to
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for
Children
enter the kingdom, but first one must
have the humility of a child in simple
faith and repentance from dead works.
Some of the qualities of children
include their quickness to forgive, their
willingness to display love openly, and
their unfeigned enthusiasm.
Jesus further used this toddler to
exemplify how carefully we must treat
our fellow humanity: “Whoso shall
receive one such little child in my
name receiveth me.
I.
But whoso shall offend one of these
little ones which believe in me, it were
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for
Children
better for him that a millstone were
hanged about his neck, and that he
were drowned in the depth of the sea”
(Matthew 18:5-6). Not only does He
pronounce a specific curse on those
who disparage or mislead a child from
righteousness, but He also gives an
amazing promise to our little ones:
“Their angels do always behold the
face of my Father which is in heaven”
(Matthew 18:10).
I.
Jesus, however, saw children as
more than sermon illustrations or frail
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for
Children
creatures that need angelic protection;
He saw them as people right now. He
laid His hands on children and blessed
them, signifying a transfer of authority
and supernatural empowerment. Jesus
did not wait until these kids grew up
and graduated from Bible school
before giving them a purpose in life. He
imparted ministry dynamics even in
their childhood (Matthew 19:13-15;
Mark 10:15-16).
B.
B.
God
Included
Children
God Included Children in His
in His Blessings
Blessings
Lest someone think that Jesus’
impartations to children were just a
whim, we should realize God has
always wanted to bless the young as
well as the old. God extends mercy and
righteousness to His followers and
“unto children’s children” (Psalm
103:17).
I.
Through the prophets, God promised
a blessing
upon
the
youth (Isaiah 44:3;
We
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for
Children
Joel 2:28-29), and through Peter, He
promised the gift of the Holy Ghost to
“children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God
shall call” (Acts 2:39). No child should
have to wait through the teen years, a
divorce, and a car wreck to qualify to
receive the Spirit. The promise is for
all who will accept it.
I.
Children are a gift from God. When
the church
recognizes
the value of a
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for
Children
child, we will accept our responsibility
in training them in the ways of the
Lord. As Hannah learned when God
gave her the miracle son, Samuel, a
child is a gift from God, but a gift we
give to God as well. In return for this
loan, God paid interest by blessing her
with more young ones (I Samuel 1:2428; 2:18-21). How blessed the body of
Christ will be when we treat every
child as a gift from God that we give
back to Him!
I.
In the book The Blessing by John
Trent
and Gary
the authors
We
Weep
forSmalley,
Children
outline the five elements of how to
convey a blessing to a child and treat
him or her as a special gift.
1. Meaningful Touch. Every person
needs a touch that conveys
acceptance, love, and commitment. It
is a non-sexual, affirming touch that
often conveys as much as any words
in letting people know how special
they are.
I.
2. Spoken Blessing. Along with a
meaningful
touch,
we speak a blessing
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for
Children
of encouragement. Words have
incredible power. Unkind words hurt as
much as being struck with sticks and
stones. But we are built up and made
whole by words that communicate that
we are valued and appreciated.
Criticism does not belong in the
context of blessing. A blessing
involves speaking only good things.
I.
3. Attaching High Value to the One
Being Blessed. We have the power to
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for
Children
communicate inestimable worth to the
ones we love. This is not flattery but
simply recognizing the special gifts
that they are from the Lord.
4. Picturing a Special Future for the
One Being Blessed. Not only do we
recognize people for what they are
now, but we also ask God to give us
insight into how their gifts may lead
them into the future. We can be the
conduit of faith to help others reach
their full potential in Christ Jesus.
I.
5. An Active Commitment to Fulfill
the Blessing.
Our Children
words have
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conviction if along with them we make
a commitment to the Lord and to those
we are blessing that we will do
everything we can to help them fulfill
all the plans the Lord has for them.
C.
C. Our Actions Impact Children
Our Actions Impact
Children
for Life
for Lifeleft the child a
Carelessness
permanent cripple. Of course the royal
nurse did not mean to hurt the boy; but
in her haste she dropped him, and
apparently Mephibosheth never walked
again (II Samuel 4:4). Our cities and
rural areas are littered with adults who
were wounded in their youth—
wounded physically, mentally, and
emotionally.
I.
Some rude church member made them
feel unwelcome to attend in their
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for
Children
inadequate clothing. Some careless
teacher’s helper spoke judgmentally
about another believer, injuring the
child’s respect for the body of Christ.
You have met them somewhere along
the way. Little hurts and stumbling
blocks have waylaid more than a few
would-be leaders in the kingdom,
crippling their spiritual lives.
However, there are those who watch
for the welfare of the children.
I.
Jehosheba was such a woman (II Kings
11:2). She protected Joash from the
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for
Children
troubles of his day. She hid him from
the contention and disruption in the
kingdom. Because one brave woman
intervened, a godly leader survived to
displace the usurper who sought to
distort God’s people. How great a
reward those Christians must have
who will protect children from trouble!
Children observe and absorb much
more than we think.
I.
Just a little waywardness on an adult’s
part can throw a child’s whole
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for
Children
perspective off course. Certainly
Rebekah had no idea how much of an
impact her deceit would have on
Jacob. What may have seemed to be
just a little trickery in the kitchen
turned out to be a lifetime battle for her
son. Jacob reenacted the same error of
favoritism toward his own son, Joseph,
not realizing that decades later this
weakness would still be tearing up his
family, even after his own death.
must be
of how our
I. WeWe
Weep
foraware
Children
choices affect the children in our lives.
Think of the countless children who
died in the night because their parents
refused to obey God in the Passover
(Exodus 12:29). In David’s moment of
infidelity, he did not consider the
impact on his offspring (II Samuel
12:14-19; 13:1-19). Truly, the sins of
the parents affects the following
generations.
Transparency 2
I.
No matter what sins a person has
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for
Children
been subjected to as a child, he can be
free of them. God reviews each case
on an individual basis and stands
ready to reform and transform even
the most broken lives. God makes a
new promise.
Ezekiel 18:19-20
“When the son hath done that
which is lawful and right, and hath
kept all my statutes, and hath done
them, he shall surely live. The soul
that sinneth, it shall die. The son
shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear
the iniquity of the son: the
righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:1920).
“And
the wickedness
Ezekiel
18:21-22of the
wicked shall be upon him. But if
the wicked will turn from all his
sins that he hath committed, and
keep all my statutes, and do that
which is lawful and right, he shall
surely live, he shall not die. All his
transgressions that he hath
committed, they shall not be
mentioned unto him: in his
righteousness that he hath done
he shall live” (Ezekiel 18:21-22).
Ezekiel 18:26-27
“When a righteous man turneth
away from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, and dieth in
them; for his iniquity that he hath
done shall he die. Again, when the
wicked man turneth away from his
wickedness that he hath
committed, and doeth that which
is lawful and right, he shall save
his soul alive” (Ezekiel 18:26-27).
D.
D.
God
Does
Not
Want
Us
to
God Does Not Want Us to
Lose Our Children
Lose Our Children
After God miraculously provided a
woman with a child, years later he died
of an apparent sunstroke. Broken and
stunned by this unexpected turn of
events, the woman went straight to the
prophet who had promised she would
have a child. She said, “I never asked
you for a son. When you promised him
to me, I told you it had better not be a
trick. What is going on?”
I.
Elisha did not believe it was God’s will
thatWeep
the childfor
die prematurely.
He sent
We
Children
his servant to lay his staff on the
child’s face, and then Elisha went to
the child so the child might live again.
(See II Kings 4:1-37.)
Jairus asked Jesus to go and pray
for his sick child. En route,
messengers came and said, “Don’t
waste this healer’s time; the child just
died.” Jesus told the father, “Be not
afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36). When
Jesus arrived at Jairus’s home, He put
all doubters out.
I. We
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Children
He spoke
to for
the child,
“Damsel, I say
unto thee, arise” (Mark 5:41). She got
right up, to everyone’s amazement.
Clearly, these two events in
Scripture demonstrate the Lord’s
concern for the welfare of the children.
He cares about all people.
III.
The
Church’s
Responsibility
to
The Church’s Responsibility
Children
to Children
A redeeming ministry to children
must be anointed with power from on
high. Young people laden with sin and
yoked with spiritual bondage will be
set free by a praying church that
speaks the truth in love, for “the yoke
shall be destroyed because of the
anointing” (Isaiah 10:27).
Jesus
explained
He came in Spirit
I. We
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for that
Children
power “to preach the gospel to the
poor; . . . to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised”
(Luke 4:18).
I.
Those who are not called to teach
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for
Children
or minister to children should support
those who are. We must never look
down on children’s workers as
second-class ministry. These brothers
and sisters stand on the frontlines to
catch the ripe fruit before it is spoiled
or snatched up by the devil. Above all,
we must save our children.
Transparency 3
A. Children Can Worship
A. Children
After JesusCan
rode Worship
into Jerusalem on
a donkey, the crowds shouted His
praises but were soon distracted by
the cares of life. Long after their
parents had gone back to their daily
duties, however, the children were still
singing and shouting hosannas. In
fact, they were so boisterous and
obsessed with their Messiah that the
religious leaders got upset. “Can’t you
do something about these kids,
preacher? Don’t you hear what they
are saying?”
I.
“Yes,” Jesus responded. “Have ye
never
read, Out
the mouth of babes
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forofChildren
and sucklings thou hast perfected
praise?” (Matthew 21:15-16).
When little believers worship, the
enemy gets stopped in his tracks
(Psalm 8:2). God is not so complex
that children cannot extol Him. His
beauty and nature elicit praise from
even the smallest mouths, and God
tells us that even nursery children can
worship Him.
B. Children
Understand
B. Children
Can Can
Understand
Spiritual Things
Spiritual Things
The Spirit of revelation knows no
age limit. God works on a hunger
basis, not an age-qualification level.
God speaks to young children too.
Samuel was just a boy when he first
heard from God. As a child, Joseph
saw a prophetic dream that spoke his
destiny for life.
I.
His relationship with God and the
divine
message
his dream carried
We
Weep
forofChildren
him through a rough young
adulthood. Even our Lord, while
twelve years old, illustrated the ability
of a child to understand, discuss, and
even teach others about the Word of
God (Luke 2:46-52).
I.
Not only can children learn about
God,
they should
be taught about
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for Children
Him. God does not want children to
play in the parking lot while the
adults have Bible study. We must
teach the children too. Let us not wait
until they are fifteen, full of raging
hormones and rebellion, before we
teach them the principles of
Scripture. Let us start teaching them
from their youngest days.
C. Children
HearGod
fromand
God
C. Children
Hear from
and Speak to Him
Speak to Him
Eli believed in Samuel’s ability to
hear from God. Because an adult
believed in a child, the voice of God
continued to speak to His people in
Israel. Samuel heard from the Holy
One, and carried a message to a
minister and a people too hardened to
hear from God for themselves.
I.
Jeremiah deprecated himself before
We
Children
God,Weep
saying for
he could
not minister
because of his immaturity. God told
him, “Before I formed thee in the belly
I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,
and I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations. . . . Say not, I am a child: for
thou shalt go to all that I shall send
thee, and whatsoever I command thee
thou shalt speak” (Jeremiah 1:5, 7).
I.
John the Baptist was anointed for
We
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forfrom
Children
ministry
“even
his mother’s
womb” (Luke 1:15). If God has called
children, let us not turn them aside as
did the disciples. As Paul told his son
in the Lord, “Let no man despise thy
youth” (I Timothy 4:12), so let us not
put down those whom God has raised
up.
Internalizing the Message
I. We Weep for Children
May these closing words of a poem
by David Steele serve to challenge
and remind us of our sovereign
responsibility toward the next
generation.
“Let those children come in!”
Jesus shouted,
Poem
by
David
Steele
and said something frightfully odd.
“They are bearers of grace
and their ultimate place
is right smack in the kingdom of
God.”
So the place of the child is the
kingdom!
That’s what He so carefully taught.
So . . . the last time you did
play some ball with your kid,
you were closer to God than you
thought.
I. WeChildren
Weephave
for aChildren
definite place in
the kingdom of God. God has taught
us that by His Word, and Jesus
exemplified it through His actions. As
He loves children, so let us love them
and make a place for them within the
church.