Stones & Serpents Matthew 7:7-11 Originally Prepared in December 2005 Preached at West Side on December 16, 2007 AM Print slides, 1, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16

Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Introduction “Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them” (P.J. O’Rourke) Most parents have the best of intentions when raising their children. But they do not always make the best decisions. In reality, children do come with an “instruction manual”, and we need to use it (The Bible) (Ephesians 6:4; Titus 2:4)

Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Titus 2:3-5 The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

We give our children stones and serpents… …When They Ask For (Need) Our Time & Affection & Instead We Give Them Material Things. "We are always too busy for our children; we never give them the time or interest they deserve. We lavish gifts upon them; but the most precious gift, our personal association, which means so much to them, we give grudgingly." (Mark Twain) I Samuel 1:20-22

1 Samuel 1:20-22 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” 21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.”

We give our children stones and serpents… …When They Ask For (Need) Our Guidance & Discipline & Instead We Leave Them Alone & Look The Other Way. "The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children."  (The Duke of Windsor, Look, March 5, 1957) Proverbs 4:3-4; Deuteronomy 11:18-21

Proverbs 4:3-4 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: “ Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

We give our children stones and serpents… When They Ask For (Need) Our Guidance On Morality & Ethics & Instead We Give Them Unrestricted Access To Immoral Entertainment Entertainment always reflects the (im)morality of the age! "You're not a good parent, if at some point you are not an embarrassment to your children."   (Malcom Forbes, Sr.) John 17:15-16; 1 John 2:15-16

John 17:15-16 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We give our children stones and serpents… …When They Ask For (Need) Order & Stability In Their Lives & Instead We Give Them Chaos & Unpredictability. " The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.“ (Theodore Hesburgh) Malachi 2:16; Genesis 18:19; Ephesians 6:1-4

Malachi 2:16 “For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” In a divorce, it is the children who suffer most, all because of the sins of the parents.

Genesis 18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. (Parents must establish consistent and righteous standards for their children to follow)

Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. (A proper order in the home is important for children)

Conclusion Our children need us, not the things we can give them. Children need parents who have the strength to exercise consistent & reasonable discipline, regardless of the cost. Children need direction regarding morals. The must be instructed in righteousness and restricted from worldliness. Children need the security & growth environment which comes from orderliness in the home!