6 Truths Every Parent Must Teach Their Children (by Pastor Osborne)

This past Father's Day, Pastor Osborne preached a two-part message entitled, "To Parents and Their Children."  In his sermon, he covered Six Truths that We Must Teach Our Children.  His basis for these truths came from various excerpts found in Proverbs.


Truth 1 ~ We Must Teach Them to Know God

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."  (Proverbs 1:7)

Parents must teach their children about sin.  Sin separates you from God.  Sin invades every corner of our lives.  Sin robs you of your passion for God.  Sin steals your joy.  Sin leads us to death & eternal separation from God. 

Teaching our children to know God involves teaching them that we are all sinners.  All sinners need a Savior.  Jesus is the only Savior.  Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, thus having victory over sin.  We are saved from sin through faith in Christ alone.

Truth 2 ~ We Must Teach Our Children to Stand Alone

 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  (Proverbs 13:20)

Standing alone means that our children know the importance of having Biblical convictions and are willing to stand up for them.  Children's friends are a constant pressure to conform and follow the crowd.  So if pointing out the right path is not enough, then a change in peer groups is/may be necessary for our children.    

This process of leaving and entering friend groups has the potential to be difficult and even painful.  But as parents, we have the opportunity to teach our children what a good friend is and remind them of the consequences of wrong choices.

Truth 3 ~ We Must Teach Our Children to be Open to God's Counsel

"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs 3:11-12) 

Children, especially boys, need to understand that a tender heart towards God is a a hallmark in the Christian walk.  We need to teach them to respond to our counsel, as parents, but they also need to see the value of other people's correction.  If children can learn to respect the correction of teachers, coaches, grandparents, and other adults, it becomes less difficult for them to respond to God's discipline later. 

Share experiences of life with them!  Real life lessons that we have learned will give our children something they will remember, understand, and hold on to for the rest of their lives.  Sharing victories, defeats, and what we learned when we were their age will make the values more real to our children.  As parents, we must give sufficient amount of time to our children.  Presence and availability will shape our children's personality for the full scope of life's responsibilities.  

Truth 4 ~ We Must Teach Our Children How to Deal with Temptation

"And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.  Keep your way far from her,  and do not go near the door of her house," (Proverbs 5:7-8) 

Parents must explain the beauty of intimate marital love that is found in Song of Solomon and Proverbs 5:15-19.  God's plan is for the flames of passion to increase in intensity within the boundaries of marriage.  As parents, we must also explain the dangers and consequences of sexual relationships outside of marriage.  Temptation comes from the center of our hearts and minds.  If our children resist lust or give in to it is determined on the daily battlefield of their hearts and minds.  We must prepare them by teaching the value of purity and how to detect the slightest glimmers of immoral enticement.

"Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags." (Proverbs 23:20-21)

We must be honest and frank with our children about the destruction resulting from letting the search for pleasure dominate our lives.  They need to understand how easy it is to become addicted, the false promises of lasting pleasure, and how it destroys.

Truth 5 ~ We Must Teach Our Children How to Handle Money

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." (Ephesians 4:28) 

"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10) 

There are four areas of financial responsibility that children need to learn: earning, giving, saving, and spending.

1. Earning means learning a skill that puts your mind to work.  It will help our children develop, train, evaluate, and improve to earn a living. 
2. Giving is our way of honoring the Lord with our income.  We need to teach our children to make giving to the Lord the number one priority on the budget sheet.  
3. Saving is teaching children the discipline of providing for not only today but for tomorrow's needs as well.  It teaches them to deny themselves today, which allows our children to be better followers of Christ.
4. Children need to be taught that spending revolves around one central idea: "If your outflow exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall."  In other words, our children need to understand that in order to keep their spending in check, they need to have a budget and open communication.

Truth 6 ~ We Must Teach Our Children the Value of Hard Work

"A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.  He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame." (Proverbs 10:4-5)

Our children must grasp the concept of hard work pays off.  As parents, we must not make the mistake of only giving to our children without allowing them to experience the value and reward of hard work.  Assign chores for them to do around the house, teach them ways to earn money, and let them share in some of their own expenses.   

Final Thoughts

These truths must be taught by parents, but there are two keys to teaching our children successfully.  First, we must be consistent in discipline.  Second, we must have constant delight in our children.  While they are going through life and learning the difficult lessons of discipline, they must know that we care about them, delight in them, love them, and are proud of them.

To hear Pastor Osborne's Father's Day sermons, click the links below.


To Parents and Their Children - Part 1
To Parents and Their Children - Part 2

Teach Your Toddler That They Are Under Authority (by Stephen Simpson)

What is the most important thing that you need to teach your children when they are toddlers?  In his book Shepherding a Child's Heart, Tedd Tripp states it clearly:

The most important lesson for the child to learn in this period is that he is an individual under authority. (p. 129)

When I read that, I had one of those moments where I learned something that I should have already known and the fact that I didn't already know it made me feel pretty dumb.  I had simply thought that my primary objective with my toddlers was to get them to obey. 

Obedience is fine and well.  But, obedience is simply a result of properly teaching our primary objective. Our primary objective is to teach our toddlers that they are under authority.  God has placed me in a position of authority over my children. 

Our children also need to learn that they will be under authority all of their lives.  There will always be some authority that they must interact with.  It may be a teacher, a coach, a police officer, a local church, the IRS, or a boss.  Regardless of who it is, our children must learn how to live 'under authority.'

Submission to earthly authority is a specific application of being a creature under God's authority.  (p. 130)

Did you catch that?  Maybe you should go back and read that quote again.  I believe this even applies to adults.  How we submit to earthly authority reveals how we submit to God's authority.  Sadly, there are too many adults that cannot deal properly with authority.  No one taught them that they are under authority.  They think that they are their own authority.  They are in for a rude awakening. 

Do your children a favor.  Teach them that they are under authority.

Other Posts on Parenting:

• Is Your Child a Blank Slate?

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Is Your Child a Blank Slate? (by Stephen Simpson)

For over a year, Nicki and I have attended a parenting class at another church.  While we have been in the class, we have worked through several different video series and book studies.  The interaction and discussion with other parents, both young and 'experienced,' has been most beneficial to us.

Currently, we are working through the book, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.  It is by far the best of the books that we have worked through.  It is the cream of the crop.

In the book, Tripp points out that our children are not a 'blank slate.'  He writes "Children are not born morally and ethically neutral."  (p. 101)  Too often, we think that our children are 'innocent' and 'just don't know any better.' We like to use these excuses to cover the truth that they are born sinners.  They enter this world with a heart that prompts them and urges them to sin.  They are not born a blank slate.  They are born an enemy of God and a slave to sin.

This is why it is so important for us to 'shepherd' their heart.  If you are a parent - buy this book and read it.

Related Links:

• Mars Hill in Seattle has posted videos from a Biblical Parenting Conference with Tedd Tripp where he teaches through the material from his book.
• Buy Shepherding a Child's Heart from Amazon.com or from Westminster Books