Psalm 127, Psalm 127. And we're going to be looking
this morning, particularly at verses 3 through verse 5. Last Wednesday evening, we looked
at verses 1 and 2 concerning the Lord building His church. The Lord building His church,
except the Lord build the house. They that labor, they labor in
vain that build it. We know this, that God has a
people that He has chosen for Himself. God has a people that
He has elected in love, that He predestinated in love to the
adoption of children. We who believe in Jesus Christ
Is it not true that we are the sons of God? We are the children
of God. And if we are believers in Jesus
Christ this morning, I pray that this third verse through verse
3, that we would take this to heart. Because we know what it
is to be a child of God. We desperately desire that others
come to know Christ. We desire this. Especially those
in our household. Look at verse 3. The scripture
says, Children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of
the womb is His reward. We as believers in Christ, we
journey through a barren wilderness. This world has appeals to our
flesh, but truly to us, our new nature, this world has no appeal.
It's barren. This world can provide no satisfaction. This world can provide nothing
that has already been provided for us by Jesus Christ. We've
had the forgiveness of sins. We are the child of God. We are
heirs to the glory of God. And nothing in this world appeals
to us. It's a barren world, isn't it?
There's nothing here that satisfies. But as we go through this life,
our Father, who is so gracious to us, often often gives us tokens
of His mercy. Often He gives us good things
in this world. And I tell you, one of the best
things that God can give us is children. Lo, children are an
heritage of the Lord. You have no idea how it thrills
my heart to see children come to the worship. It thrills me.
It's wonderful. And I know that it's wonderful
to you. You who believe children are
wonderful. They're wonderful gifts of God.
They're tokens of His mercy. And although we have multiplied
trials, have we not received multiplied blessings? Has there
been more trouble in our life than there's been good? Now,
it seems that way, but that's not true. That's not true. We
have had more good days than bad. We have been healthy more
than we've been sick. Now, we remember the sick. We
don't remember the healthy days. Sometimes I'll go to the doctor
and I'll get some medicine and I tell him I don't feel anything.
Well, he said, that's the purpose. Take away the bad feeling. It's
good. And so if it's good, I'm just
saying, hey, that's normal. Well, that's good. God's given
us more than we could ever give Him. And if we've done anything
in the service of God, hasn't He given us more than we've given?
You can't out give God. There's just no way. And He will
not be outgiven. He will not. Our God is good
to us. And all the temporal blessings
and gifts of God are small in comparison to children. God,
if He's given us children, He's given us a blessing. Because
the scripture says they are an heritage to the Lord. They are an heritage of the Lord. In this age we live in, children
are not seen as a blessing, are they? They're seen as a burden. Children in our day are seen
as a curse. Men by nature would rather receive
the lifeless heritage of wealth or treasure rather than receiving
a living gift of a child, of a child. The treasure of a child
is a wonderful gift of God. Now, to the lost children of
men, to the lost children are a hindrance to prosperity. To the lost, children are a hindrance.
They say, oh, you know, I could have had a whole, you know, mansions,
I could have had this, I could have had that, if I had not had
these children. Well, that's a horrible way to
look at children. That's not how God looks at them.
It's not how God sees them, and it's not how the believers should
see them. The wicked see children as a hindrance to their sinful
lusts. Well, I could have went on and
did this in business, or I could have done this, and I could have
had these if I had not children. And this is why abortion, why
murder of children is so popular in our day, because they believe
they're a hindrance. They believe they're a curse,
and they want to rid themselves of children. What a horrible
thing. What a horrible sin. But it's
not so with the saints of God. It's not so. Our Lord, when He
was approached by children, He said, Suffer the children to
come unto Me. He was not hindered by them.
He was not interrupted by them. He said, Come, let them come
unto Me. For of such are the children
of God. So we can, who are believers in Christ, we should be able
to identify with children because that's what we are. We are the
children of God. Believers, we see children as
a blessing because they are the continuance of the church. If we all are all that there
is and God does not raise up of our children, believers, or
the children of others, then the church would die. But God
has purpose to build His church, He's purpose to call His people,
and He's going to call them from where? From children. From children, from people, from
the offspring of other people. And as we grow older and nearer
to our end, we often, I often, ask this question, who will carry
the banner? And we've been asking ourselves
that, I'm sure, more recently, since we've lost several of our
brethren who have went home to be with the Lord. Who will continue
this? Who will be here to share the
gospel of Jesus Christ with the next generation? Well, it will
be the next generation. This is our hope, our confidence
that the Lord would be gracious to give His gospel to the next
generation so that the light would not go out in this place,
so that the gospel would continue, so that people would be saved,
that God would call out His children and use them. And when we're
no longer able to preach the gospel, who will go forth with
the Word of Light? And when we are gone, who will
engage the enemy at the gates? The children will. The children. The children are the heritage
of the church because they are the heritage of God. Therefore,
believers, as we are given children, let us understand that we also
have a great responsibility. As we are given the blessing
of children, we have a great responsibility to train these
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is the exhortation.
And I see the Apostle sees it. You can see it in Ephesians chapter
6 and verse 4. The Apostle, he addresses fathers. He says, fathers, you fathers,
provoke not your children to wrath. Well, he says that because
fathers are more prone to be severe. Mothers are more prone
to be indulgent. But fathers are prone to more
severity. And so he tells us who are fathers,
don't provoke your children to wrath. Don't, as you would a
fire, you would take the fire and the fire would be going out
and you would poke it. Well, that's what he's saying.
Don't prod them to anger. This is why it's good for a child
to have both father and mother, because it's a balance. It's
a balance. I need to not be so severe with
my children, but my wife needs not be so indulgent, and then
we would both raise them up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. We must rebuke our children. We must. Now when you chasten
your child, he's going to be angry. I don't care who it is,
what kind of child. That's going to provoke anger.
He's not saying don't correct them. He's just saying don't
poke at it when you do. Don't prod it. Don't ag it on.
That's a message for me. I need that. Now we must correct
our children. We must chasten them, but not
in anger, not with malice, but out of love. Chasten out of love. Chasten with a heart of love
desiring their good. Isn't that why we chasten them?
For their good. When you pull them out of the
middle of the street, that's not for your good. You had to
run all the way out there to get them. That was for their
good, so that they would not get injured or hurt. We do this
because we know that life is hard, life is cruel, and we must
train them to labor, to work, to be responsible. Children are
not naturally that way. They're just not naturally that
way. Were we naturally that way? No, absolutely not. And we can't
expect our children to be naturally that way either. So God tells
us to train them, to discipline them. And I love this. He that
spareth the rod, Solomon said, hateth his son. That's just totally
opposite of what the world believes about disciplining children.
They say, oh, if you love them, you won't discipline them. You'll
let them go. You'll let them go their own
way. No, if you love them, you will train them. You will discipline
them. Discipline is a good thing. It's
a love thing. I do it not because it's pleasurable
to me. It hurts me. It hurts you when
you discipline. But yet it's got to be done.
It must be done. Otherwise, we just hate them.
A parent that lets their children go and do what they please is
a parent that hates their children. I didn't say that, God did. That's
just so. I know my children don't feel
that way. My children feel, oh, he hates me. He's not letting
me do this or that or that. No, because I love them. That's
how we show love. We should train them in divine
matters. This morning, the children that
have come are being trained in divine matters. You have come
for this purpose. You have brought them for this
purpose, that they be trained up in divine matters. You know
what? I still need to be trained up in divine matters, don't you?
I've not finished that. I've not run my course in these
things. I've not found the end of that. When I was... I know
when I was younger, I thought I knew everything about doctrine.
Yeah, I understand that. A big checklist I had, and I
checked off everything I knew, and I was really, really smart.
No. No, I wasn't. I hadn't even started
understanding the gospel. So, we drain them up in the affairs
of the gospel, in worship, in prayer, in study. And we do this
by example. We do this by example. We do
this by our own faithfulness in the affairs of God. Cheryl, unbeknownst to me, because
I was asleep, she would get up and she would go and study. Well,
our children see that. It's not that she necessarily
intended it for that purpose. She was getting her own. But
eventually, they woke up and started going to be with her. Children do more of what we do
and less of what we say do. They just do. They follow. And
so we must give them a path to follow. We must be faithful and
we must make sure they are faithful. Again, children are not going
to be faithful on their own. Proverbs 22 6, train up a child
in the way he should go. Not the way he wants to go. Because
the way he should go and the way he wants to go are two opposite
directions. are two opposite directions.
Train up a child in the way he should go. Believers, we are to train a
child while they are young, in the age of their vanity. We must
keep them in order and disciplined because they will not do it themselves. This is why the man of wisdom
said train them in the way they should go. Children are by nature
sinners, rebels, haters of God, in bondage to sin, just as we
were by nature. They are no different than we
are. And if we should see them as
gifts of God, and we will not neglect this duty, we will not
neglect this responsibility, because it's an honorable duty.
It's an honorable thing that God has placed in your hands.
Honorable. It is a privilege because they
are the heritage of God. Believers, let us not dream of
preaching the gospel to strangers if we have not first preached
it to our own children. Do we expect to be successful
in the gospel outside of our home while our home is in a shambles?
We should preach the gospel in our home. And then if God blessed
that, what a blessing that would be. I tell you, I know this,
I would rather have my children believe than anyone else. They're my children. And I know
that about you. You would love to have your children
and grandchildren believe the gospel. You would love that more
than anything. You would love to see them come. And if we are faithful in this
work, we have this hope. This is our hope. Train up the
child in the way he should go, and when he's old, he will not
depart from it. Now this is not a guarantee that
our children will be saved. I'm not saying that at all. I
would not have you be presumptuous of that. I've known many faithful
parents, many who have trained their children, who have done
the best for their children, who have always had them in the
service, who have always shown them the way to go, and their
children have gone away into sin and all kinds of wickedness,
never believing in the gospel. So this is not a guarantee. But we must also see this as a principle. There was a saying that just
slipped my mind. It's all right. It'll come back later. Let us be sure that if these
parents have trained their children, no matter what their children
do, we know this, that they will not be able to come back and
blame the parent. Those parents who've been faithful,
those people who have been faithful in the gospel, their children
will not be able to come back and say, well, it's your fault
that you weren't such a good parent. I know they'll do it
anyway. Not saying they won't do it anyway. But you may have
a clean conscience in this. You may have a clean conscience
in this, it is not your fault if they do go away. You have
been faithful, you have done your responsibility, and the
rest is in God's hands. Everything's in God's hands. Let us be sure of this as parents,
our labor and training of our children will not be in vain,
because I know this, God is building His church. God is building His
church. Will God neglect one of His children?
If one of you are the child of God, will He neglect you? Will
He suffer you to be lost forever? No. He will come and He will
save His own. He will save His own. I take
comfort in this truth that many Many of the church of God are
those who are children of godly parents, more so than the other. That's just so. There'll be more of God's children
brought out of godly homes than the other. Now that's not always
the case. But I tell you it's true of this
church. Is it not? Is it not true if
you were to see that most of these come from godly parents?
Now some of you haven't. That's the grace of God. There's
no doubt about it. You were saved by grace as well.
And so let us who have children, who are parents of children,
to be faithful in training them up because they're the heritage
of God. Now then, let us Also understand that it's not just
the parents' responsibility. It is the church's. You who don't
have children, I hope you know that you are
an example for my children. I know that I don't always tell
you, but my children speak of you very often. They watch you just like they
watch me. You are an example to them just
like I am an example. Now, I have a greater responsibility.
They're always with me. They're not always with you.
But when you're with them, when you're here with them, know this,
that you are a light to them. If you are a teacher, you have
influence over children, may God open our eyes to see that
children are a blessing. Let us labor to this point, to
point them to Jesus Christ. Let us remember how God used
other people in our lives to preach the gospel to us. It wasn't just my parents' faithfulness. I saw other men who were faithful. They were influential in God's
using them in my life. Go over to Titus. I want you
to see it. Go to Titus, chapter 2. Titus, chapter 2. Speaking to the pastor, he says,
but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. That's
me. But I tell you, it's also you.
You should speak things that are of sound doctrine to children. That the aged men be sober, brave,
temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience. You older
men. Is that you? Should be. That becomes sound doctrine,
doesn't it? You aged women, likewise. that
they be in behaviors becometh holiness, not false accusers,
not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may
teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love
their children. Isn't that something that the
younger women need to be taught to love their husbands and children?
Well, you think, well, man, that should be that. That's not natural.
No. Natural love ourselves. That's natural. But how do you
do that? You go home and love your husband,
you go home and love your... No! You walk it, you live it.
I tell you, that is a great testimony. Just loving your own husband
and children, that's a witness in and of itself. That's a teaching
thing. Be discreet, chaste, keepers
of the home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the
word of God be not blasphemed. Young men, likewise, exhort to
be sober-minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of
good works and doctrines, showing uncorruptedness, gravity, sincerity,
sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of a contrary
part may be ashamed, having no evil to say of you. Exhort servants
to be obedient to their own masters, It's employees. I mean, we're
not slaves, but yet we have jobs. We should be faithful to those
jobs. And all of these things, are they not great examples that
we live in front of our children? They are. Denying, verse 12, teaching us
the grace of God teaches us that denying ungodliness, worldly
lust, we live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
Doesn't that teach our children? Yes, it does. And when you do
that, it teaches my children. It instructs my children. I've
had some people come to me, young people, and they were planning
on living together. And they said, well, what does
that have to do with the church? I tell you, it has everything
to do with the church. Well, they said, it's none of
your business. Well, it is our business, because everything
we do affects the other. That would be telling the children
that it would be okay to live in adultery. No, we don't preach
that. We don't teach that. That's not
right. We know that's not right. God's people understand that. Go back to your text quickly.
I know I'm running out of time. Verse 4. As arrows in the hand of a mighty
man, so are children of the youth. Let me ask you this. How many
arrows do you see growing on trees? Are arrows grown or are they
made? Well, they're made. Arrows are
not grown naturally, but they're made. By nature, sticks are naughty
and crooked and rugged. And in order to be an arrow,
they must be skillfully crafted. Skillfully crafted in order to
be useful. What do you suppose would happen
if a skilled archer were to take a branch off a tree and put it
in his bow? He would never hit his target,
no matter how skillful he is. But you put a smooth, crafted
arrow into his bow, and he could hit a target from a long distance
away. Believers' children, by nature,
are naughty and rugged and crooked. By nature, just like we were. And to be useful, they must be
made smooth by the grace and power of God. by the grace and power of God.
You train up your children the way they should go, but I tell
you, in order for them to be useful for the service of God,
God must make them useful. God must create and make them
into an instrument useful for His purpose. We can't do that.
We cannot give our children a new nature. Can't do it. We cannot
give them a new heart. I want to, but I can't. We cannot give them life or faith
in Christ. This is the work of God alone. Ephesians 2.10, for we are His
workmanship. That word means skilled craftsmanship. Our Lord, we are created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. May God call us to mind that
we are his arrows, and that in the hand of Christ, who is the
skilled archer, and by his mighty hand, when he shoots his arrows,
they always hit the mark. They always hit the mark. I'll tell you, have you ever
seen an archer aim? Have you seen one? If they're
aiming at a great distance, you would see an archer put his bow
up there. I mean, the target's right there, but he has to aim
at a different angle. You'd say, hey, that looks bad. Don't look like you're going
to hit that. He knows what he's doing. The Lord Jesus Christ
always hits his mark. So we can train up our children
with great confidence. The Lord never misses one of
His saints, not one. He got you. He got you. And that didn't look
likely, did it? I'm sure everybody said, no,
everybody but that one. I'm sure God will save this other,
but not you. Oh yeah? God saves exactly whom He intends
to save and they believe. And you know who's surprised?
Everybody. Everybody. I was talking to somebody about
the message I heard, surprised by grace. The Apostle Paul wasn't
going to be saved. He was going to kill Christians.
He had that determination. And guess what? Surprise, the
Lord saved him. The Pharisees were surprised.
The church was surprised. Ananias was surprised. Everybody
was surprised but God. Therefore, we who have children, we have hope. As long as they live, we have
hope. You keep training. You keep pointing. Trust in God for the results. Believe God. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Verse 5. Happy is the man that
hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed. but
they shall speak with the enemies at the gate." I'll tell you,
we are happy when our children are saved. If your children come to believe
on Christ, I know there's nothing else that matters. You know,
I don't care if my children become the lowest and meanest of men
as far as their job or their education. If they know Christ,
it is the greatest joy to my heart. And if your children come,
that is a great joy to my heart. I long to see your children come
just as I long to see mine. But you know who's happier than
we are? God. No one is more happy than God
to see His children come. You remember we were the prodigal
children. We wasted our inheritance. We
lived among the swine. But God in grace opened our eyes
to see our condition and we cried with him, Father, I have sinned
against thee and against heaven. Make me now just a servant, please,
just a slave in your house. But as we came, we saw that the
father was waiting for us. And not only waiting, he ran
to us. Only time in scripture where
God was in a hurry. He ran. And before we can get the confession
out of our mouth, He embraced us, hugged us, put a chain on
our neck, a ring on our finger, a robe on our back. And He said,
kill the fatted calf! He offered to sacrifice His Son. And I tell you, we shall not
be ashamed. our sins are gone. And if God
would bring our children to see that, what a joy it would be.
He said that the angels rejoice in heaven over one, rather than ninety and nine people
who will not come, one comes. Wouldn't that be worth all the
training? You bet it would. May God teach us to love and
appreciate our children and to train them, teach them, and be
encouraged that God will build his church from them. May God
even bless the message, I pray.