Children

It's interesting how sometimes at a conference things flow. Our brother Lavery got at the basics, finding the manna. That's a great thing.

I found the manna in 1952. And then our brother Slabaugh was speaking about finding a husband or a wife. And that was enough to make me get up.

I had made up my mind I wasn't going to get up, but I don't always get my own way. I want to speak about the next stage. What's the next stage after you get married, folks? Little people come into your life, so we're going to speak about children.

Genesis. Look first of all at the book of Genesis. Chapter 18, verse 19, speaking of Abram.

For I know him. Here's what God knew about this man. Of course, God knows everything about everybody.

But God appreciated this thing that he knew about Abraham. That he will command his children and his household after him. And they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment.

That is the responsibility of every man that is a father. To command his children. He's the commander-in-chief.

And the child doesn't say, why? When he tells them to do something. Next scripture. The children are just going to love me for getting up here, aren't they? I'll tell you what.

I think a lot of young people like me. Because I love them. I love children, but I don't care for brats.

Deuteronomy 6, verse 5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart. And with all thy soul. And with all thy might.

And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house.

And when thou walkest by the way. And when thou liest down. And when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand. That's honesty in your business dealings. Children are quick to observe what you do.

And they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Notice. About the scriptures.

And evidently at this time these people must have had the writings of Moses. In the four previous books. Thou shalt teach them diligently.

Now that word. Most of the time that that word is used. It's used for the sharpening of swords and arrows.

That's strange isn't it? How do you associate that with this? Well. You just. If you have a sharp sword it's more effective.

It goes in better. Same with the arrow. Right? And so if you.

Use the word of God. Use it in such a way that it will go in. And have an effect upon that child.

And one way is. The character of the person that's using the sword. It's not do as I say.

It's do as I do. And mothers and fathers set an example. For their children.

Don't you think children can't see through things? And you know I love them. They're so transparent. Aren't they now? They just blab out everything they know you know.

And sometimes they'll give the secrets of mothers and fathers away. And embarrass the parents. But at any rate.

I want to emphasize the fact of the need of the scriptures in raising our children. Now. Over to the last reading.

Judges chapter 13. These people were promised a child. Verse 12.

And Manoah said. Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child? And how shall we do.

Unto him. So the question arises. How shall we order? The word order is to fashion or form.

A piece of clay. I want you to look at a child in that way. There's different ways of raising children.

Rationalism. I raise the child according to my own opinion. We see too much of that in the world.

And some people raise their children according to traditionalism. Well. This is the way it's been done.

And so we'll just do it the way it's been done. According to tradition. Then pragmatism.

Say what's that? If it works it's good. Now those things will not work in a Christian home. To the glory of God.

We want to raise our children according to scripturalism. When this child comes into the world. He is the fruit.

Of a couple's oneness. And I'll tell you what. They are cooperating with God.

In the creation of a child. Isn't that right? And we as parents. You as a human.

You women contemplating marriage. And you men contemplating marriage. When you get married.

You are going to be given a privilege. From God that no angel has ever had. No angel can produce a child.

When God created the angels. Don't ask me when. Long before he created the universe.

Angels never die. But all the angels that were created. The number is exactly the same today.

As when they were created. Not so with the human race. The human race started out with two.

Now we have over six billion. And billions that have died. And so we have a privilege.

That angels don't have. Now let me use some medical terms. And maybe you won't like it.

But I don't know. There is a term idiot, imbecile and a moron. Now you don't go.

You don't go around calling a fellow a moron. When you don't like him. But those are medical terms.

An idiot is a person that has the mind. Of a three year old. He can't help.

We have a moron next door to us. Nice little girl. Thirty years of age.

But she's a moron. Her mental capacity. Is only that of a three year old child.

So she needs complete custodial care. So. No offense.

But if you have a little boy or a girl. And he's two and a half. He's got the capability of a moron.

That's how they judge these people. They can't take. What can a two year old do to take care of himself? They can't.

They need their parents. Then you have the next step up is an imbecile. He can be from three to seven.

And he needs supervision to take care of himself. A little supervision. And he can do some little things.

That's an imbecile. And a moron is a person. He can't help it.

Or she. They have the capability of thinking like between eight and twelve years of age. And they can do little routine things on their own.

Now you can see the position a little baby is in. When a little baby comes into this world. He is a little piece of plastic like.

He's moldable. You know a little child. He needs others.

He has no habits. You know a five year old. Five month.

Maybe a five month. Take a baby a couple of weeks old. What's his bad habit? I mean they don't have habits.

They've never developed habits. And they have no mental patterns. They have no attitudes.

They have no pride. They have no humility. They are just a little piece of material.

And what's going to make this child something? The parent. And it's the parents. What I want to impress this afternoon is.

The parents responsibility to mold and fashion that little child. And that's the question here. How shall we fashion? How are we going to form? How are we going to mold this child? And so we read about Abraham.

He commanded his children after him. To keep the way of the Lord. And then when you come over to the next reading.

In Deuteronomy 6. They were to expose their children to the word of God. You'd almost think it was a continual thing. I remember Archie Stewart.

He's been mentioned in these meetings. He's an old Irishman with a lot of wit. I was with him for a number of years.

And Mr. Wark too and Oswald McLeod. I was glad I was with older men. And I forgot what I was going to say.

But at any rate. Those men. Oh yes.

Archie Stewart used to emphasize the fact of a family altar. You say what's a family altar? Let me tell you about me when I was a little boy. I wish they had never had straight razors.

Because my dad had a straight razor strap. To sharpen it. But at any rate.

I used to have boyfriends come to the house. You know my buddies you know. Maybe I was six, seven, eight years of age.

And I'd warn them. I'd warn them about my parents. They'd come for dinner.

I'd say well be prepared. Because after we eat. They're going to get the Bible out.

And we all got to read a verse. Until we finish the chapter. And then.

We got to get down on our knees. On the chair. And my dad's going to pray for you and me.

You know that's the family altar. Let me encourage you. Married couples here.

That are young and raising little ones. Have a time in the day. When you're going to expose those children.

To the word of God. I can tell you about a family of 12. Every morning.

Before going to school. They had Sunday school in the dining room. Every morning.

And ten of those children are saved. And in God's assembly. Two still remain.

Not saved but come. To all the gospel meetings in that area. Isn't that nice? Now then.

They're raw material. They're not the finished product. And another thing.

They're born with a bias towards evil. Why? Because like me. Like you.

We're born with an Adam nature. Isaiah said they are transgressors from the womb. And the psalmist says they go astray as soon as they be born.

Speaking lies. I might see the day where I'll have a great great grandchild. I've got great grandchildren now.

They're growing up. Some. Two of them.

They're growing up. One is still little. But at any rate.

To bring the word of God before them. But they do go astray. Where does the problem begin with sin? In the mother's womb.

I was a transgressor from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born. Speaking lies.

Now before they can say da-da and ma-ma. They can speak a lie. Do you know how? They cry when there's nothing wrong.

There's two kinds of cries. The cry of pain. That's legal.

But the cry of manipulation. Manipulate the parents. They manipulate them.

And I've seen them act up in a meeting. And they're crying and fussing and everything else. And the mother takes them out.

And they're no sooner outside the door of the auditorium in the hall. And the crying stops. They've achieved their purpose.

I shouldn't say it. But on one occasion a little fellow. And he had a kind of a deep froggy voice.

And he was acting up in the meeting. And his father was frustrated. And he picked him up.

And he started to march him out. And the kid's looking over. I shouldn't call him a kid really.

He's a child. And he's looking over his father's shoulder. And this is at the Lord's Supper.

And we're trying to remember the Lord. And the kid hollers out as he's being taken out. Brethren pray for me.

He knew what was coming. And he got it. Aren't they sweet these little things.

Can't they so surprise you brethren. Pray for me. Well parents are God's appointed mediator in the home.

And I'll tell you what got me on this really. At Stout Conference I saw so many little children. Sitting there so nice.

It's something when a little child will sit an hour and a half through the breaking of bread. All dressed up. And sitting there so cute and so quiet.

No crayons. No toys. No pop tarts.

No potato chips. They got a bible and a hymn book and that's it. And we want to teach our children that when we come into the gathering of God's people.

It's not the family room. It is a holy sanctified gathering. And we teach them reverence.

I could tell you about this family of 12. I don't want to say too much. But that's all they were allowed was a bible and a hymn book.

And there was an instrument in the basement called the rod of correction. And I talked to that woman last night. To find out some information.

I said when did you start disciplining your child. She said when they were six months old. The pain was inflicted.

What was the pain? She pinched her leg. And looked at them. And they associated that pain with their misbehavior.

And so in fear of misbehaving again because of pain. They finally caught on after a couple of weeks. That if I misbehave I'm going to be hurt.

You say is spanking proper? Well. What does the bible say? It says withhold not correction from the child. For if thou beatest him with a rod he shall not die.

But thou shall deliver his soul from hell. What does that mean? It means when that child is brought into the subjection of its parents. That it learns to respect authority.

And as that child grows up respecting authority. It will respect the police department. And it will respect God.

You take a child brought under humanistic teaching. It has no respect for its mother or father. It has no respect for the law.

It has no respect for God. And there's the danger that it won't be saved. Now then.

Parents. They're appointed as the mediators of the framework. Within the framework of the home.

And they are to be prophets. They are to declare the will of God to the children. And instill within them.

Why they're going to be punished. Albert Joyce. That's the father.

Albert Joyce. He's long dead. His son Alex used to be taken to the bedroom.

And his father said now we're going to pray Alex. And I'm going to tell God why I'm doing this to you. He says that was worse than the spanking.

And he brought all these things before the Lord. And then he applied the rod of correction. Abraham.

There'd be no bargaining. There'd be no questioning. He commanded his children after him.

And what he said went. And you can see that in Isaac. Here he is.

A man 120 some years of age. And he's got a 22 year old son. And he's putting him on an altar.

And he's going to kill him. And there's no resistance in the son. Why? Because the father it was his say.

Of course Isaac had faith too. But you can see the submission. Isn't it nice to see children that are submissive to their parents.

And polite and obedient. Now then. We're also priests.

You take the book of Job when it opens. He had seven sons and three daughters. What did he do on a continual basis? He offered up burnt offerings just in case they had sinned against God.

He's offering sacrifices for his sons and daughters. Just in case they had sinned against God. And I think of all the years I give my mother grief.

In my unconverted days. And when God saved me. I was in the assembly within a month and preaching.

I went over to the old Addison Road assembly. I was a bit brash. 250 in fellowship.

And if I didn't get up at their prayer meeting and preach on Jabez. And I said you were all shocked when you heard I was saved. They said not him.

You mean he got saved? And I just told him now if you'd have been praying for me you wouldn't have been surprised. And I remember an old man Tom Smith come up to me with tears. Actually crying.

He says Robert when I was 23. He said I prayed for you every single day from the day you were born. And I fell in love with that man.

Do we pray for the children? Now you know I feel sorry for parents today in some respect. The NEA. National Education Association.

It's a very strong union. In fact, they got what's called a sweetheart deal with Congress. They're the only labor union that does not pay taxes on their personal property.

Which comes to 1.6 million a year. The Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, Future Farmers of America. All those organizations pay taxes.

But the National Educational Association got the sweetheart deal with Congress. They're not taxed for their property. Now what do they support? Well about 12 years ago they came up with some resolutions.

That abortion was a constitutional right. Now I hope you don't mind me mentioning these things. Because I'm mentioning them because of this.

When your children go to school here's what they're going to be bombarded with. Teaching birth control. Diversity of sexual orientation.

They are teaching that homosexuality is an alternate lifestyle. It's permissible. And they're teaching this at the elementary level.

Your little children go to school are taught that homosexuality is a normal way of life. If you decide to live that way. No silence for prayer in school.

But rooms are being assigned for Muslim children. And they're giving extra recesses. This is what the National Educational Association is supporting.

This is what they're pushing. This is what they're putting on the school superintendents. And so that they are assigning special rooms for Muslim children to pray.

But you cannot bring a Bible into school and even read it in study halls silently. Because there have been principals fired for allowing it in their schools. This is what we're up against.

I don't know about you Canadians what it's like up there. Lesbians and gays are supported. And they advocate free access to all media and internet including pornography.

And they've introduced legislation where a child has the right to sue its parent. So here we have a Christian couple and maybe the wife she doesn't have the ability to homeschool. And so the children go to the public school.

Now I'm not saying all schools are like this. But this is the National Educational Association's proposals. This is what they support.

This is what they try to enforce in the educational system. So they go to school and they're subject to all of this sort of thing. What's going to counteract that? A good foundation at home.

To indoctrinate them in the word of God. I'll say something about West Virginia. The brethren put, the Lord put it in their heart to have these children learn Isaiah 53.

Four and a half years old up. They learned a verse a week. Verse 1 one week.

Verses 1 and 2 the next week. Verse 1, 2, and 3 the next week. And at the end of 12 weeks every child from four and a half years of age got up and quoted the whole chapter.

That's good. Because their minds, you know they can absorb more than most of us. I mean their minds are like a dry spot.

I'm an old wet sop up here. My brain's about full, and a foolishness in it too. But I can't absorb things like when I was young.

How many young people can absorb things? And then a little three-year-old and a two-year-old said we can quote the first six verses. Can you see a two-year-old girl quoting Isaiah 53 1 to 6 and then quoting the whole 23rd Psalm and never missing a word? Two years of age. You know what they said? That is a smart child.

I said no. It's a smart mother. And that mother put the scriptures.

And years ago in Jackson a four-year-old boy got up at the Sunday school treat. I wasn't there. And the brother's standing up there with his Bible to check them out you know.

And he said what verse have you learned? Jonah chapter 1 verse 1. And he quoted Jonah chapter 1 and verse 1 and the whole chapter and chapter 2 and chapter 3 and chapter 4. Never missed a lick. Why? Because she put him in a crib and played Alexander Scarbee reading the book of Jonah. That's better than looking at Donald Duck in Goofy isn't it? I'll tell you.

So here we have it. Now then foolishness is bound. Not found.

Foolishness is bound in the heart of the child. What does that mean? It's a part of his warp and woof. It's incorporated into his very nature.

Now that word foolishness doesn't mean telling a joke. It's the thought of wickedness, irreverence, stubbornness, selfishness, anger, lying, rebellion. And the sooner we realize what's in the heart of that beautiful little child we'll be able to deal with it correctly.

Selfishness. I think a little Reuben pancake. How'd you like a name like that? Come up from Sunday school with a Reese's peanut butter cup.

I love them things. But they seem to all stick in one place. But I said to Reuben, I said, could I have your peanut butter cup? He's four.

He looked at me. No way. I said, yesterday at grandma's table I shared my sugar cookie with you.

I did. I says, don't you have any conscience? I gave you half of my sugar cookie. I just love teasing kids.

And he's kind of looking, you know, kind of sad now. And I said, that's a shame that you wouldn't give me your peanut butter cup, Reuben. I said, could I have it? No way.

Next week, he coerced the Sunday school teacher to give him two peanut butter cups. And he'd come upstairs and, Uncle Bob, here's your peanut butter cup. Well, that's it.

Little children, all they think of, a little baby, all it thinks of is itself. I remember when I had to get up at 530 when I was on the daylight shift, and that boy of mine would scream at 2 o'clock and wake me up. He didn't say, well, dad has to get up, I better keep quiet.

He wasn't worried about me. He wanted something to drink. He wanted a bottle.

And so they're very self-centered little things, so they need to be trained. Train them to consider their soul first. Mr. Wark warned me, keep your child out of extracurricular school activities such as sports.

Keep them out of it, because they'll get all involved in that, and it might be detrimental to their soul salvation. And that's a fact. Now then, teach them to attend the meetings.

That means you have to attend. If you start missing a lot of meetings, how do you expect your child when it gets saved to be exercised to go to the meetings if mom and dad have never done the same thing, you see? And so to attend the meetings, and not to doubt your word. Johnny, do this.

Why? If I'd ever said why to my dad, I'd have had it right then and there. And my dad never said he was going to spank me. Never.

He's a 230-pound Irishman, boss 270 men in the steel mill. My mother was 95 pounds of dynamite, little British woman. All my dad ever said when I was going to get it was, Come here! And if I'd have run the other way, it would have been twice as worse.

I've heard of kids running the other way. That's the last thing I would have ever done. So we teach them to not doubt our word and to remember how God trains His children.

How does God train His children? Listen to what He says. As many as I love, I rebuke. Then what? And chase them.

And God will give you a spanking if you don't listen to what He says. And He has various ways of doing it. And so, He that spareth the rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

And so the rod and reproof give wisdom to the child, but a child left to himself, this is Proverbs, bringeth his mother to shame. When I was younger, I was more outspoken. Can you believe that? And I'm in the supermarket.

There's the meat, the big line of meat, you know. And back here, they had stacks of candy on racks. And this kid, this brat, he wanted some candy.

His mother said, no. He wouldn't listen. He got down on the ground.

And he's kicking and he's pounding the floor and screaming. And she said to me, I don't know why she said it, she's so embarrassed. What am I going to do with him? I said, whip him.

Well, you can't whip him in public anymore because of children's services. But I know a sister, when her five boys were little, she'd say, come with me, dear. I'll never forget it.

Come with me, honey. And she took him to the back bedroom, and boy, she laid it to him. And she'd come back out, and we were sitting at the dining room table, and pretty soon he'd come out.

He was about that big. Did he come out and say, you whip me, I'm going to beat you up? Why, no. He crawled up on her lap, and she hugged him.

He loved her. Children expect it, really, deep down inside. Now let me give you the FBI Unification Crime Report, and I'll sit down.

I've got connections with those kind of people. From 1979 to 1980, I've got it written down here. In the public schools, it was reported 1.4 million children were spanked.

97 to 98, 365,000 were spanked. A lot less, isn't it? Come down to 07 to 08, only 100,000 spankings recorded in all the public schools in the United States. But after that time, the assault on teachers by students rose 470%.

What does that tell you? It tells you that the child was not afraid of the teacher anymore because he could do what he liked and not get corporally punished. And this is God's way, corporal punishment. The attack on parents lately, too, has increased 348% in the last few years.

Why is this? Because people are not raising their children according to God's pattern set forth in His Word. We are to bring them up in the nurture and in the admonition of the Lord. The word nurture means discipline that will regulate their character.

Admonition means bringing before them the Lord's claims. And it's prescribed by the Lord. It's to be administered in His name.

And you can bend a little tree and form it when it's young. But I'll tell you, when that tree gets a little stouter, you're not going to bend it at all. And it's the same with children.

They're sweet, they're lovely, they're a gift from God to us, brethren. The biggest family I know is in Whitmer, West Virginia, Betty White. They only had 18.

And two bedrooms in the whole house. And not one of those children ever got involved with the law. And they lived about 15 miles off the road, way back.

And they had a garden bigger than this whole auditorium here. And those children worked that garden. They worked that garden.

And hanging on the kitchen wall, dear Betty, had something hanging there. The rod of correction. And they didn't have to whip them too often until they caught on mom and dad mean business.

And they brought up their children in the fear of God. I can't say all of them are saved. But this is the way, brethren.

How shall we order the child? Let's go by the book and be careful to love them all you can. And to keep them straight. And then see the day when God comes in and saves their precious souls.

Now you might have some here and you've got older children that are not saved. I can sympathize with you because my boys were saved in their 30s when they got saved. David lost 40 pounds, quit his job, was scared stiff when God got a hold of him.

You remember that, John. But he come down one day and he says, I think I'm saved. And I said, David, how did it happen? One o'clock in the afternoon, he says, I quit trying to believe.

And I just saw Jesus died for my sins. I said, David, your mom's out shopping. Don't tell her when she comes in the door if she's got a grocery bag in her arms.

Don't. She put the bag on the table, and he told her, and she collapsed. She just collapsed.

And the next day the phone rang. My son was a policeman at that time. Then he was head of the detective bureau.

He says, Dad, I got saved yesterday. I said, so did your brother. He says, I pretended to run the radar so I could read my Bible.

I said, that's the kind of radar cops I like. God saved our two boys within 24 hours, and I counted the prayers. I forget how many hundred thousand prayers we had lifted up to God on their behalf.

Don't lose courage. Raise them right and leave them with God, and he will come in and save their precious souls.