Preparing Your Kids for the Real World (Part 09) - Spiritual Development (Part E)

Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Preparing Your Kids for the Real World (Part 09) - Spiritual Development (Part E) For the outline and the rest of the sermons in this series, click here: Preparing Your Kids For The Real World To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: (Part 8) To listen to or watch the next sermon in the series, click here: (Part 10) 12. Teach them the importance of going to Bible study. A. Teach them that it's important to study the Bible (2Ti 2:15). B. Teach them that in addition to personal study, it's also needful and beneficial to have a teacher guide them to help them understand (Act 8:30-31; Eph 4:11-14). C. Teach them that part of their pastor's ministry is to teach people privately in homes (Act 20:20). D. Teach them that Bible studies are: i. An opportunity to hear the other 50% of what the pastor teaches the church outside of the church service. ii. A mid-week spiritual pick-me-up. iii. A time when they can fellowship with other church members. iv. A time when they can get their questions answered. E. Teach them the importance of going to Bible study by going yourself. 13. Teach them to sing hymns. A. Teach them that singing hymns is God's music program for the church (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; Mat 26:30). B. Singing hymns is: i. A good opportunity for you teach your children doctrine (Col 3:16). ii. A great opportunity for families to bond. iii. Helpful in teaching your children to sing and read music. 14. Teach them to value family. A. Outside of the church, the family is the most important institution that God created. B. Teach your children to honor their parents (Eph 6:1-3). C. Encourage your children to be best friends with each other and treat each other well. D. Don't let your children fight and grow resentful of each other. i. Have them memorize Bible verses that will remind them of how to get along with each other such as: a. "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." (Pro 10:12) b. "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (Pro 15:1) c. "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling." (Pro 20:3) d. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (Rom 12:18) e. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Heb 12:14) f. "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing." (1Pe 3:9) ii. If two of your children are fighting, spank them both to teach them to keep the peace. a. If there is a fight, they are likely both to blame in some way. b. If they know that they will get a spanking if they are involved in a fight with one of their siblings, they will be less likely to instigate a fight, or continue one when it is instigated. c. It would be wise to make a little inquiry before spanking them both to make sure that one was not the unprovoked aggressor and the other was innocently defending himself. (i) If this is the case, then only spank the aggressor. (ii) This will probably rarely be the case though -- it usually takes two to tango. E. Teach them that meal times are important family times. i. Make a strong effort to eat meals together as a family, which is one of the greatest blessings a family has (Psa 128:3). ii. Spend time talking together at meals. iii. Enforce discipline at meal times so that they are quiet, calm, relaxing, and enjoyable times. iv. Forbid smartphones, electronics, and toys at the dinner table. F. Jealously guard your family's time together. i. As much as possible, BE HOME with your family. ii. SHOW by your presence (and presence of mind) that your family is important. iii. Sacrificing some worldly gains, pleasures, and status may by required, but it's worth it. iv. Say "no" to intrusions into your home-life by school activities, sports leagues, hobbies, and other activities that will take you or your children away from the home during the evenings and weekends. v. Encourage your children to make neighborhood friends, but also make sure to put a limit on how much time they spend at their friends' houses, or how much their friends interfere with your family time. 15. Teach them to embrace the God-ordained roles in families. A. Teach your children (by precept and example) that the father is the head of his wife and children (Eph 5:22-24; Gen 18:19). B. Teach them that the wife is supposed to submit to her husband (Eph 5:22; 1Pe 3:1). C. Teach them that children must obey their parents (Col 3:20). D. Teach them that the father is supposed to be the bread-winner (Eph 5:28-29; 1Ti 5:8). E. Teach them that the wife is supposed to be a keeper at home (1Ti 5:14; Tit 2:4-5). F. Teach your girls to look for a godly man to marry who will be her head, leader, provider, and protector. i. Teach them to want to be stay-at-home wives and mothers. ii. Teach them that being a homemaker is the most important job that they ever can or will do. iii. Don't encourage your daughters to go to college and get a worthless degree that they have to go tens of thousands of dollars in debt for and will have to work for years to pay off. a. Why would you want to encourage your Christian daughters to go to college and rack up debt that they or their husbands will have to work for years to pay off? b. Why would you want to teach them to be in bondage (Pro 22:7). c. Why would you want to encourage your Christian daughters to go to college to prepare them to have a career outside the home? d. Why would you want to encourage your Christian daughters to go to college to learn that they don't need a man to provide for them? e. Why would you want to encourage your Christian daughters to go to college to have their good, godly virtues undermined and corrupted? iv. Though I highly advise against sending your daughters to college for the reasons given, it may not be a bad idea for a young woman to obtain some training or education that would enable her to provide for herself in case she is suddenly desolated by divorce or death, and/or is forced to provide for infirmed parents or orphaned siblings. a. The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 was obviously skilled in commerce and real estate, utilizing those skills for the betterment of the home under her husband’s oversight. b. Her work took her outside the house to purchase materials (Pro 31:13-14), to buy land and plant a vineyard (Pro 31:16), and to sell the goods that she made at home (Pro 31:24). c. However, the Proverbs 31 woman was not a career woman who worked outside the home and gave her kids to a daycare facility to raise them for her. She was working from the home to take care of her family. v. Teach them to submit to their husbands by showing them by your example (wives) (1Pe 3:1-6). vi. Teach them to practice submitting to their husbands by submitting to their father. vii. Do not tolerate any back-talking or disrespect from them. G. Teach your boys to look for a godly woman to marry who has a meek and quiet spirit (1Pe 3:4 c/w Pro 7:11) and who desires to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. i. Teach them to be decisive and to be good leaders. ii. Teach them to be gentle and courteous with women (1Pe 3:7). iii. Teach them how to work hard and to be providers (more on this later). iv. Teach them to be protectors of their wives and children.