Hope For Our Kids Deuteronomy 11:18-21

We have had such an amazing week at Vacation Bible School this week. I am so grateful for our Children’s Minister, Jessica Durrett, and her 56 volunteers who have made this week the best week of the year for all of our kids. For those of you who weren’t here, I wish you could have experienced the kids singing at the top of their lungs about shining Jesus' light in the world! They sat and listened to the Bible stories and talked about how it applied to their lives. They made crafts, played games, met new friends, and had the best week they will have all summer! You want to stay young? Then you need to hang out with the little ones and experience their excitement and enthusiasm about Jesus! All week long I was thinking about what I experienced with the kids at VBS compared to what I keep hearing and reading about the state of kids in America today. If you’ve been paying attention then you know it is more than alarming. Let me give you a couple of examples. The American Medical Association published a report in April of this year. Let me read you an excerpt. 

A recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) of all-cause child mortality data from 1999 to 2021 reveals that deaths in the 1-19 age group rose 10.7% from 2019 to 2020, and again by 8.3% from 2020 to 2021. These increases are the largest in decades, and they reverse what was previously a downward trend… ‘Rising death rates in children and teens is not happening in other countries. This is all an American phenomenon,’ said Dr. Stephen H. Wolf. Wolf goes on to say, ‘We identified four causes of death that seemed to be the main drivers of this trend: suicide, homicide, drug overdoses and car accidents.’ (Marie Holmes. Child Mortality Rates in the U.S. Should Be Going Down, But It’s Rising. Here’s Why. April 7, 2023)

Kids under the age of 19 in America are dying from suicide, homicide, drug overdoses, and car accidents in unprecedented numbers. Numbers that no other nation on the face of the planet is experiencing. So much of what we’ve heard about the hardships kids are having to deal with has been attributed to Covid. The kids were out of school for so long. They were removed from important relationships in the classroom and even from family members as we were told we had to isolate. The truth is that what is being reported on now has been happening for years. I read an article from the American Psychological Association this week that tells the story. Listen to this…

In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness–as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors–increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (Zara Abrams. Kids' mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help. January 1, 2023)

I would say that reports like these are reasons to be concerned and I’ve not even mentioned the identity issues we’ve heard so much about in the past few years or the effects of social media and the amount of time kids are spending in front of screens. A recent study showed that kids, ages 8-10, spend around 6 hours a day in front of a screen. That number increases with age. Kids ages 11-14 spend about 9 hours a day, and those 15-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of some kind of screen. With the avalanche of bad news you might wonder if there is any hope for our kids? I’m more than optimistic! I’m convinced that you and I have the answer to help our kids navigate the landmines that are everywhere before them today. It is pretty obvious that the professionals don’t have the answer. We have more professionals working with kids now than ever before, but the concerning trends are moving in the wrong direction. I’m grateful for what professionals can bring to the table, but the best professional is no substitute for you and me when it comes to teaching our kids the most important lessons in life. And it all starts with you, those of you who are parents. This past week I’ve gone through God’s Word and pulled out several examples of how God first instructed the adults and then told them to teach what He had taught them to their children. Let me show you what I mean.The book of Deuteronomy is really one long sermon by Moses preparing the people to enter the Promised Land. Think about when you were getting your child ready to go to college. I bet you shared with them the most important things they needed to remember. That’s what Deuteronomy is for God’s people who had been wandering in the wilderness and were now preparing to enter the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 6 we read,

20 "When your son asks you in the future, 'What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you? ' 21 tell him, 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, 23 but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers. 24 The LORD commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. 25 Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.' (Deuteronomy 6:20-25 CSB)

Everything the Lord had done in the lives of His people they were to pass on to their children. The adults were to teach the kids about God, but what lessons about God were included in the curriculum? That’s such a great question! They were to teach the kids who God is, what God does, and what God desires from His people. How were they to teach the kids? When were they to teach their kids? Were they to send them to schools, to the synagogue, or to some professional who knew the Torah better than everyone else? No way, those came along much later. God’s “Blue Chip” teaching team begins with mom and dad. God had equipped the parents to teach their kids through what they had learned and what they had experienced. When were they to teach their kids? On the Sabbath or at some designated time like family devotions each evening? Nope. Listen to what Moses told God’s people in Deuteronomy 11:18-21.

18 "Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your fathers. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21 CSB)

The truths He teaches us, we are to teach our kids. Over and over again God instructed His people to teach their children, but did you notice the “when” and “where” of how they were to teach them? “Talking about them when you sit in your house,” “when you walk along the road,” “when you lie down and when you get up” – all of life, everyday life, was an opportunity to teach their kids about the Lord. This is such an important lesson for you and me. There is nothing wrong with having family devotions and family prayer time, but if that is the only time we are sharing the Lord with our kids then we are missing out on so many opportunities. All of life, every day life, is an opportunity to teach our kids about the Lord, who He is and what He has done in our lives. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of those former Hebrew slaves who had been delivered by God’s mighty hand from the Egyptians. When they got ready to cross over into the Promised Land they had to cross the Jordan River, but in Joshua 3 we learn that the Jordan was at flood stage and the people wouldn’t be able to cross, that is unless God intervened. God gave Joshua clear instructions on what he was to do. The Lord stopped the Jordan and the Israelites crossed on dry ground. Once they were on the other side, God told Joshua to have the leaders take twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and to set up a memorial beside the Jordan. So, we read in Joshua 4:20-24. 

20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." (Joshua 4:20-24 NIV)

What was the purpose of the memorial stones? It was to be used in the future to teach their kids what God had done. What are some of the Jordan River moments you have experienced in life where God provided for you in an unmistakable way? What stories can you share with your kids to teach them God’s faithfulness?Why do we who are older need to teach our kids what God has done, both in the Bible, in the lives of His people, and in our own lives? How will they know if we don’t teach them? And, in my estimation, that is the biggest problem we are facing today with our kids. We are not teaching them. Oh, we are teaching them so many things, but it appears that we are not teaching them the most important lessons of life–Who God is, what He has done and continues to do in the lives of His people, and how He desires for us to live in relationship with Him and those around us. We are willing to crawl through broken glass to get our kids in the right school with the best teachers. We will shell out tons of money to get our kids the best coaches and trainers in town. We will spend countless hours researching where the best job opportunities will be in the next ten years and then try to direct our kids down the path of success. All of those things are good and fine, but I know many, many successful people whose lives are full of stuff, but lacking in a real, tangible, authentic faith that brings glory to the Lord and is a blessing to others. The numbers don’t lie. Faith in America has been on the decline for decades. Those who claim to believe in Jesus are growing fewer and fewer. Church attendance is trending downward. Those who read the Bible outside of a church setting are becoming more and more scarce. More young people are turning away from the Lord and to other things. What happened? What is the reason for this downward trend? I wonder if it’s not maybe the same problem those Israelites had once they got settled into the Promised Land and became comfortable. When God’s people were preparing to enter the Promised Land they were told, “Don’t forget the Lord.” Listen to this…

10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you-- a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant-- then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NIV)

“When you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Once in the Promised Land they got busy and comfortable and they forgot. Can you really blame them? Their families were growing. Dad and mom were both working trying to keep up with the bills. They had soccer practice on Monday night, tuba lessons on Tuesday after school, dad couldn’t let his golfing buddies down on Wednesday after work, Mom had her book club on Thursday nights, there were football games, softball games, and basketball games scattered throughout the calendar depending on the season and time of the year, and most every single weekend there was a tennis tournament or some other activity…who can keep up? Who has time to add a Bible lesson? And Israel forgot the Lord...and I’m afraid we have as well. Judges 2:10 tells us that after Joshua and his generation died there came about another generation “who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” Listen to these verses.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the LORD's anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. (Judges 2:10-13 NIV)

That’s eye-opening isn’t it? How did it happen? How did those who had seen the Lord do such wonderful things in their lives forget? How did those who knew God was holy, righteous, merciful, and had committed to never leave or forsake His people–forsake Him? They failed to pass on the faith. They failed to teach their kids the truths about God, His character, His ways, and what He desires for His people. For those of you who are parents, I know it is overwhelming. There is no denying that you have a lot going on, and life is so busy. I know this is true because Connie and I were neck deep in commitments and activities while our own kids were growing up. I was complaining to a friend one time about my lack of time and how busy life had become when he told me, “You do what you want to get done.” Sounds simple, but it really is true. Those things that are a priority for us are going to get done. Teaching our kids about the Lord was very important for Connie and me, but we needed help. We found such incredible help here at Britton Christian Church. Back in the early days there weren’t any young families like ours, but there were a ton of people who were “grandparent age” and they were such a blessing to us and to our kids. We had our kids in Sunday school, even though there were times they didn’t want to go, not to replace what we were teaching them, but to get them with others who were walking with the Lord and with kids who wanted to grow in their faith. As our kids got older and we grew more and more dumb and out of touch, that’s how they felt, it was people from this church, people our kids knew who drew close and helped us during those tough teenage years. I’ve thanked Jessica Reineke a thousand times for what she did for our daughter Annie. Annie played tennis and Jessica would take her and hit balls and talk about life. When our boys turned 13, it was men from this church who wrote them letters of encouragement and shared with them how important it is to always seek the Lord in everything they would do as they became men. God has provided a “Blue Chip” team of people to invest in the lives of your kids, our kids. Our passion as a church is to introduce kids to Jesus at a young age. I first became involved in a church as a youth pastor forty years ago. The studies then are still consistent with what the studies show today. The vast majority of those who give their lives to Christ do so before they turn 18. The most recent study I’ve found, from the Children’s Ministry website, shows this to still be true. 43% of all people who are followers of Jesus, became a follower before they were age 12. Over 77% of all Christians became a follower of Jesus before they were age 18. In the article, they state,

This type of data has been confirmed time and again. Researchers describe childhood as a life stage when people are most open to the Gospel. This has led to a missiological focus on children aged 4 to 14:  to win a people group to Christ, begin with the children. (Children’s Ministry)

From time-to-time, during the 33 years that Connie and I have been here at Britton Christian Church, there have been some folks question, “Why does it seem there is so much attention given to ministry to kids?” There’s your answer. If childhood  is the greatest window of opportunity for people to come to know Jesus then doesn’t it make perfect sense to have an added emphasis on reaching kids? We want all people to come to know Jesus. Have you seen the number of adults who have been baptized here at BCC this year? It is truly remarkable! So, it’s not like we aren’t sharing Jesus’ love and saving power with all people, but we have a small window of time to impact our kids before they leave home and we want to make sure we make the most of that opportunity. Studies show that two of the most effective tools of the church are Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. The sad reality is that there is a trend to eliminate Sunday school and Vacation Bible School in churches over the past couple of decades. Fewer churches have Sunday school and fewer churches are doing VBS than ever before. Listen to this:81% of churches had VBS in 1997. By 2012 that number had dropped to 68%. In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, only 17% of congregations offered Vacation Bible School. In 2021 the number jumped up to 36%, but last year, 2022, the number dropped to 31% of churches who held a Vacation Bible School. In the same survey, 59% of adult leaders in churches said they were involved in VBS as a child and 86% of adult leaders were involved in Sunday School. You want to train up tomorrow’s leaders? Do everything in your power to get kids involved in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.There is an even more pressing priority than training up tomorrow’s leaders and that first priority is seeing kids come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, the most important decision a person of any age will ever make in life. For far too long the church has tried to put together the most entertaining, exciting, and fun programs to draw kids in. Our kids can be entertained for 18 years and never come to know “why” a commitment to Jesus is critically important and “how” to make a commitment to Jesus and then to grow in discipleship. If we recognize that our kids are in great need of Jesus now, not some day when they grow up, but now, then we will be much more concerned about introducing them to Him than anything else. Everything else becomes secondary. Dr. Stephen Chang, the pastor of Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California writes,One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen among those who have a heart for the lost is that they don’t see the children in their own church as lost. Every child, even the cute ones in our Sunday schools, needs the gospel. Our goal is not just to get the children into church, but into Christ. So if the church is to be missional, let’s be missional with those closest to us—the ones already within the church walls. (Stephen Chang. “Don’t Neglect the 4/14 Window of Children’s Ministry. March 6, 2018)Just a few weeks ago I was preparing to baptize Braver and Anna. We were together in a room with their mom and dad getting ready to pray when I told them, “You don’t realize it right now, but this decision you have made to follow Jesus will impact every other decision you make in life. The decisions you make about where you will go to school, what you will study, who you will marry, how you will raise your kids–all of these important decisions will be shaped because of your relationship with Jesus.” That’s not a stretch. I wasn’t being overly dramatic. God’s desire for you and me is that we will follow His will for our lives. The answer to what is plaguing our children today is found in our sharing with them the greatest truth in the world: God loves them so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross in order that they might have a new community, a new identity, a new motivation, a new security, a new hope, and a certain future. That’s not only true of our kids, it’s true for you and me this morning. There may be someone here this morning who is not a follower of Jesus. You didn’t grow up in a Christian home. You don’t know the first thing about the Bible. Somehow you’ve found yourself here, sitting in this sanctuary this morning, and you know God is calling you to Himself. Take that step and He will come running for you my friend. Mike HaysBritton Christian ChurchJune 11, 2023