“Parenting With the Holy Spirit – Part 2” to go along with message on 5/21/23
Confession
- Good, gospel driven, God honoring, fruit of the Spirit producing parenting is impossible for you to do.
- You cannot do biblical God honoring parenting.
- “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:7-9 ESV
- If we parent with the flesh, in our own ability, we will reap from our parenting, and our children will reap from our parenting corruption.
- If we parent with the Spirit, we will reap from our parenting, and our children will reap from our parenting eternal life.
Ambassadorial Calling
- “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV
- If you’re a parent you have been given ambassadorial calling.
- An ambassadorial calling means everything you do is representative.
- David Guzik – “An ambassador does not speak to please his audience, but the King who sent him. An ambassador does not speak on his own authority; his own opinions or demands mean little. He simply says what he has been commissioned to say. But an ambassador is more than a messenger; he is also a representative, and the honor and reputation of his country are in his hands.”
- Your calling as a parent and in all of your relationships is to represent the message and the methods and the character of the King.
Identity
- We’re all searching for meaning and purpose. We’re all searching for identity. And there’s only two places to look, you either look horizontally or you will look vertically.
- And if you’re a parent it’s very tempting to place the burden of your identity on your children.
- If you have placed the burden of your identity on your children, you will be all too focused on momentary success.
- You will be all too focused on reputation, how your children are depicting your reputation to others.
- You will be all too focused on control.
- “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 ESV
- You don’t get your capacity to love from the person you have been called to love.
- You’ve been given everything you need in the person, work, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to be where you’re supposed to be and to do what you’re supposed to do in the life of that child.
- “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
- “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13 ESV
Conclusion
- Christian parents love their children. We have a God given obligation to prepare our children for the future.
- But, I think when most of us think about this responsibility to prepare our children for the future we’re thinking about keeping our children healthy, good education, good work ethic, to be polite, financial security, successful in work, etc…
- But what if when we think about our responsibility to prepare our children for the future we should be thinking about the billions of years that come after all of that?
- Is is possible as a parent to go overboard in preparing your child for the 7 trillion years of their future life.
- “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man (OR YOUR CHILD) to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”” Mark 8:34-38 ESV
Living Hope Ministries 