READ: PSALM 34:1-22 TEXT: v 11 COME YE CHILDREN ETC.,
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What better text can comfort/encourage/instruct us as we contemplate a
special effort to reach the many children who live in close proximity
to our church?
We want to reach them for Jesus Christ, just as some of us were reached
by the churches in our own neighbourhood in childhood days
No one says that it is going to be easy
Every generation it seems is harder to reach than the generation before
and if we are in the last of the last days (as is generally believed
among the Evangelical people of God)then the last generation will be
most difficult to reach indeed:
This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God; (2 Timothy 1:1-4)
The work/God has never been suspended because times were hard or encouragement few or small
Whenever it was remotely possible, there have always been those who have taken advantage of every wind
The work/God does not depend on outward circumstances for its strength, but has found ever found its energy in the word of God
Indeed the more difficult the work then: he more reliance is needed upon the word/God to succeed
Great danger in an easy work - Even the most careful Christian can
easily fall to the temptation that this is due to his planning/hard
work etc., and while he will hardly rule God out altogether, yet he can
easily relegate God to being a mere helper/overall success, instead of
being the One who is the Beginning/End of any spiritual work done
Our text (as said) will encourage us as we aim to reach the children
3 main thoughts to consider/text
1) THE PUPILS WHO ARE INVITED:
Ye children…
A/ We must take this first of all in the literal sense
Most natural bearing/text (and suits us well in our circumstances)
[i] Little children are not born with any deep knowledge or fear/God
Not to say "No knowledge" because this would not be true
Folk are born in the image/God with an innate God consciousness
Even in heathen lands, there is the desire to worship God
(Not always according to truth - but the desire is there nevertheless)
This desire is innate - within the human heart even from birth
Even hardened atheists have a ardent faith to maintain/cling to
Man (including children) have a conscience which soon develops
Conscience must be instructed - but it is there and it make itself known in the life of the child
[ii] Young children need to be taught simply
Great truths may be so taught, if done right
Not to confuse simplicity with childishness/banality
[iii] Many samples from Bible and church history of those who learned the fear/God early in life
MOSES is the obvious OT example - Reared by his own mother in her capacity of being Pharaoh's Daughter's nurse
What instruction she gave her own son so much so that he survived 40
years of the heathen teaching/Egyptians to lead God's people
TIMOTHY is the obvious NT example: 2 Timothy 3:15
CHURCH HISTORY: Provides us with people like SPURGEON and others who were sons/manse and who were brought early to fear God, even if not converted to later
B/ We may take the term children in the figurative sense
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil…(1 John 3:10)
But applicable, even if figurative, to boys/girls
Folk are not born into God's family, but born again into God's family
John 1:12-13 makes this clear
Those who are, spiritually speaking, children of the Devil reveal all the evidences that they belong to the Evil One
[i] DISOBEDIENCE: Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2)
This is why youngsters need to be disciplined/trained to behave
As sinners, they are subject to the bondage of the devil who encourages them to disobey the Law/God
Evidence that the soul is still unsaved when the law/God is flouted
[ii] DULLNESS: Satan not only leads people bound, but he blindfolds them as well
He keeps men in ignorance, robbing them of the information/message they need the most i.e. the gospel
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid
to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2
Corinthians 4:3-4)
Hence in the parable/sower…Satan is represented by the birds/air
snatching away the good seed before it has even a chance/germinating
This being the case, we may expect opposition (active/passive) to our efforts to evangelise sinners of whatever age
Our plans and Satan's plans cannot co-exist
He wants to keep children in heathen darkness
We want to bring those same children into the light/gospel
[iii] DAMNATION: Sin breeds damnation
It is the sole cause of damnation - Wages of sin is death
Satan himself is a damned being (Revelation 20:10)
Mark of his children that they follow in his doomed footsteps
So these are the pupils/text who are invited
They stand in great need of this invitation
2) THE LESSON THAT IS INSTRUCTIVE:
I will teach you the fear [reverence] of the LORD
A/ Such is for the sinner an "acquired taste"
(Note: Not just a matter/taste and so a non issue, but rather that it does not come naturally to the sinful heart)
It is required of all ages: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
B/ Can only be learned from the Bible
We cannot revere/fear one of whom we are completely in ignorance
True reverence is based
[i] On knowledge
People are destroyed for the lack/knowledge (Hosea 4:6)
[ii] On faith
Faith believes the knowledge it has received and acts on it
Might know much re: what the Bible says re: God and yet not believe
But true reverence can only be felt because God is believed
[iii] On love
Once God is truly known and believed, the soul is then truly drawn out in love to Him.
We love Him because he first loved us (1 John 4:9)
Such love will fuel the reverence and the reverence fuels the love
C/ Fear/Lord will lead the soul to think about salvation
Closer we come to a Holy God, worthy to be feared, then the more we realise our own personal sin against Him
Isaiah 6 confirms the link between reverence/confession of sin
We cannot revere God until we are saved
D/ These lessons, properly learned, will never be forgotten
Other lessons often are forgotten and better for it
Child/God is to continue: things which he has learned (2 Timothy 3:14)
E/ It is ever an ongoing lesson
Can't be reduced to a 12 week course or a 4 year course
Even the most knowledgeable Christian acknowledges his relative ignorance and his need to learn more
3) THE MASTER WHO IS INTENDED:
Come ye children and I will teach you…
A/ Immediate speaker is David Himself:
Very busy man- many affairs to see to
Interesting/read the Psalm's Introduction for circumstances/text
Embarrassing episode in David's life, but he did not let it deter him
Indeed: Energised him because if he himself had truly feared God , then he would not have engaged in such childish behaviour
B/ By implication, any Christian may be the speaker
Christians are witnesses to the truth/Bible (Acts 1:8)
We need to be teaching:
[i] Our own children who are the heritage of the Lord (Psalm 127:3)
[ii] Other people's children - esp. if they cannot do it themselves
C/ Notice the skill/Master as expressed in our text:
[i] Uses the warmest/words: "Come"
Children should not be sent to go, but invited to come. Speaker himself is interested in the subject
[ii] He was most direct in his appeal
Often the difficulties in getting children's attendance to things/God is because of the hardened hearts of their parents
Without compromising parent's authority, it is good to appeal to the children so that they will want to come
[iii] David appealed to children (plural) - as many as he could interest
D/ A reference to the Greater David i.e. Christ
Only He can ultimately instruct the children
Thankfully, He uses pretty poor substitutes to do His will
In closing:
[i] Pray for a burden for this work ahead
[ii] Get involved [iii] Pray for those who are involved
THE END