Ross – Godinterest

As Christian parents, Julie and I decided to bring our children to Christ to be blessed moments after they were born. I remember clearly in that miracle moment following the births of our children, lifting them up to Christ for His blessing. We still bring our children to be blessed in prayer.

Matthew 19:13 says, “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could lay His hands on them and pray for them.”

What I love is that children were received by Jesus. He was more than willing to take time and pray for them.

After birth, the spiritual prayers of righteous people are important for their lives. James 5:16 (NLT) says “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Laying His hands on these children was a way of identifying with them in order to symbolize the bestowal of blessing from God and dedication to God (Genesis 48:14; Numbers 27:23).

As I was reading the POSB commentary recently on this passage, I was prompted to think of the reasons why we bring our children to Christ to be blessed. These six reasons express the deepest prayers I have for my own children, even though they are now adults with children of their own.

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR OF THIS WORLD

Not science, technology and medicines as wonderful as they may be.We believe that their only hope in this world is through relationship with Christ. Jesus made it clear. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but through Me” (John14:6).

1 Timothy 2:5 says “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

We bring our children to Christ because we have personally experienced what it means to become born again into the family of God ourselves and know the reality of Salvation and new life in Him. We want them to be blessed with new life in Christ

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BLESS THEM

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus says, “Let the children come to Me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

We refuse to allow them to grow up neglected, ignored, by-passed, and pushed aside, given no direction and left to fend for themselves. We care enough to want the best for them, too.

We want them trained up in the ways of God, not squashed by the world’s values by being left unrestrained to express whatever sinful desires they like and indulged to the point of being totally selfish.

Because they belong to God, He wants the best for them. I want so much for them to look outside themselves and acknowledge that they need the help of God for the challenges they face in life. He wants to bless them with guidance.

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST SO THAT THEY WILL HAVE GOD’S PERSPECTIVE CONCERNING THEIR IDENTITY AND FUTURE.

He knows them better than they know themselves. They are unique and God has a unique destiny and purpose for them. We want them to learn that they are created by God for a purpose and that they make a difference in the world for Christ.

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST SO THEY LEARN TO BE PEOPLE OF FAITH IN GOD AND BELIEVE IN HIS WORD

Not simply look towards the popular opinions of the media. I don’t want the world and its influences to shape their thinking.

The TV and social media might be useful in their lives but I don’t bring them to the TV or computer to be blessed. I believe in helping them to shape their spiritual values and beliefs on what the Bible says. And this will be a blessing.

We want them to grow up with discernment about what is sin and not simply embrace the world’s popular values. We refuse to contribute to them becoming weak spiritually and feeling as if they have to accept anything and everything the world offers. We don’t want to leave them struggling to swim and sink in the cultural assault of a valueless society.

We are not so preoccupied with life that we don’t see our responsibility and the importance of raising our children in the ways of the Lord.

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST TO BE BLESSED WITH HIS LOVE

That they know God’s love and learn to love others, which incidentally, is not necessarily accepting the lifestyle choices of others.

WE BRING OUR CHILDREN TO CHRIST BECAUSE THEY BELONG TO GOD

Although God entrusted them to us, we want to acknowledge that they are His, which is why we raise them according to the principles of the Bible.

In Isaiah 64:8 (NLT), Isaiah sees a people that have deliberately chosen to be shaped by the world’s values, and he says “Yet You, Lord, are our Father.We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”

CHILDREN ARE A GIFT – AN AMAZING BLESSING FROM GOD

The invitation is that we might bring our children to Christ that they may be crafted with a distinctive identity and future, not in our image but in the design and purpose of God for their lives.May the blessing of the Master Potter uniquely shape the lives of our children with His blessing, to be all they were intended to be.

Pastor Ross

It’s great to have you mob (crowd) here today. Being an Aussie (Australian) I thought you might like to hear my Aussie Outback version of a Night before Christmas.

You’ll hear a bit of Aussie Lingo here this arvo (Australian language here this afternoon).

So let’s get a bushmen’s barbie going here (outback barbecue), with a Billy boiling on the campfire (Can for making tea)

You’ll hear a bit of Aussie Lingo (Australian language).

I want to tell you a story around the campfire about the Nativity. Imagine what it would have been like if Jesus was born in outback Australia.

Jesus, of course, was born in Bethlehem, not in the Never-Never (Outback Australia)

So our story is a bit of a furphy (a made up story) but only concerning the place, not the actual events. The events are all dinki-di from the Bible (The real story of these events are found in the Bible and are all true).

I won’t earbash you no more (I won’t talk a lot), so lets shake–a–leg (Let’s get on with it).

AN AUSSIE OUTBACK NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS; THERE WASN’T A SOUND. NOT A POSSUM WAS STIRRING IN BETHLEHEM’S TOWN. THE INN KEEPER’S TABLE HAD TUCKER AND BEER. BUT OUT IN THE STABLE, MARY’S BABY WAS NEAR; IF IT HAPPENED IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA TODAY ON A HOMESTEAD UP NORTH, AND SO FAR AWAY WITH GOANNAS AND EMUS AND RED DIRT AND DUST WHERE CARS AND MACHINERY ARE COVERED IN RUST WHERE CROCODILES SNAP AND DEADLY SNAKES HISS I’VE GOT A FEELING IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS”¦ ON A HOT CHRISTMAS EVE, WE’D BE SAFE IN OUR BEDS, WHILE DREAMS OF PAVLOVA DANCE ROUND IN OUR HEADS; MUM IN HER NIGHTIE, AND DAD IN HIS SHORTS, WOULD HAVE JUST SETTLED DOWN TO WATCH TV SPORTS, AS THE KANGAROOS GATHER OUT ON THE PLAIN AND A KOOKABURRA LAUGHS IN THE GUM TREE AGAIN THE RED DOG STOPS BARKING. THE SKY’S PINK AND BLUE WE CAN HEAR DISTANT SOUNDS OF A DIDGERIDOO THEN UP IN THE NIGHT’S SKY A STAR SHINES SO BRIGHT; LOUD VOICES OF PRAISE WAKE US UP WITH A FRIGHT. WE RUN TO THE SCREEN DOOR, PEEK CAUTIOUSLY OUT, SNEEK ONTO THE DECK, TO FIND WHAT IT’S ABOUT. GUESS WHAT HAD WOKEN US UP FROM OUR SNOOZE, BUT A WHOLE HOST OF ANGELS DECLARING GOOD NEWS. AND ONE OF THEM STANDING ABOVE A GUM TREE, SAID THE SAVIOUR WAS BORN AND TOLD US WHERE HE WOULD BE. NOW, I’M TELLING THE TRUTH. IT’S ALL DINKI-DI. THOSE HEAVENLY ANGELS FILLED UP THE SKY. ONE LOOKED AT US KIDS, HIS WINGS WERE LIKE FLAMES, AND HE SPOKE TO US ALL AND CALLED OUT OUR NAMES. NOW, DAVO, NOW BAZZA, NOW, KYLIE AND SHANE! ON MAGGIE! ON SHAZZA! ON, STEVO AND WAYNE! GO TO THE KITCHEN, GRAB A QUICK DRINK, SCOOT DOWN TO THE BARN AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK!’ SO DOWN TO THE BARN IN THE OLD RUSTY UTE WITH HEARTS FULL OF WONDER, ALL OF US SCOOT, WE PARK BY A GUMTREE AND JUMP TO THE GROUND, THEN IN, THROUGH THE WINDOW, WE ALL LOOK AROUND. THERE WERE DROVERS AND SHEARERS, A MAN WITH A BEARD. AND HIS WIFE HAD A BABY WHOM THE WORKMEN REVERED; THEY WORE SINGLETS AND SHORTS, BECAUSE OF THE HEAT. THEY TOOK OFF THEIR HATS AND BOWED AT HIS FEET THE BABY AWOKE AND HIS EYES SIMPLY SHONE! BORN OF A VIRGIN, GOD’S ONLY SON! THREE SWAGMEN ARRIVED FROM FAR EAST OF THE STATION THEY’D BEEN SEARCHING ALL DAY FOR THE KING OF SALVATION A SWAG FULL OF PREZZIES THEY FLUNG FROM THEIR BACKS, AND WITH EVERYONE LOOKING THEY UNDID THEIR PACKS. THEY SPOKE NOT A WORD, BUT BENT DOWN ON ONE KNEE, AND PRESENTED THEIR GOODIES AND GIFTS. THERE WERE THREE”¦ ONE BROUGHT GOLD NUGGETS, A GIFT FOR A KING AND ONE BROUGHT HIM FRANKINCENSE, A STRANGE GIFT TO BRING AND THEN THERE WAS MYRRH FROM THE LAST ONE TO COME, WHEN HE SAW US HE WINKED AND HE HELD UP HIS THUMB; THEN THE ANGELS APPEARED CLEAR OUT OF THE BLUE; FLUNG OUT THEIR WINGS AND PREPARED TO SHOOT THROUGH. THEY BELLOWED OUT LOUD AS THEY SWOOPED PAST THE GATES – ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND GOOD-ON-YA, MATES!’

Author: Ross

Why We Brought Our Children to Christ to Be Blessed?

Aussie Night Before Christmas