In this episode, we reflect on the necessity of teaching children about God’s praises and His mighty works, inspired by Psalm 78. Jeff Archie shares insights on parenting from a biblical perspective, emphasizing the need for a strong spiritual foundation for our youth. Discover the powerful role of hope in our lives and how it can sustain and guide our children towards the light of God’s word.
Dear friends, today our young people are faced with so many things, and we need to make certain we will hide nothing of God from our children. Let’s think about that today here from the International Gospel Hour. Stay with us.
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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. For 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through International Gospel Hour. You are about to listen to another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour, starting now.
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I am bound for the promised land.
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Well, greetings everyone. Great having you once again for our studies from the International Gospel Hour, on air or online since 1934, and to God be the glory. We’re grateful you’ve tuned in. Thank you for listening. And we appreciate our J-Web, who will have some great stuff for you throughout our broadcast. A quick reminder, everything we offer from International Gospel Hour is absolutely free, and we are thankful. Hebrews 11, 6 reminds us, But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So let us seek God through our study today. We will begin with the reading of the 78th Psalm, verses 1-8. Give ear, O my people, to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. For He has established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children, that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children.” that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Friends, may the Lord always bless us with the reading, the hearing, and the application of His Word. And the psalmist, through inspiration, saw the spiritual emphasis for children, did he not? And what an opportunity for us today to learn from the text of what we must not hide from the children, your children, mine, others, everyone’s children. There is a world that teaches our children things that are contrary to the Word of God, and we must not hide what God has uncovered. Let’s think about Psalm 78 in just a moment. As we discuss, we will not hide them from the children. Before we do that, here is a special tool for your children and grandchildren, and here is our J-Web with our publication, our free publication today.
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Our special free publication today is called Discovery, Scripture and Science for Kids. For over 20 years, our friends at ApologeticsPress.org have made this great resource possible to help our children in dealing with such teachings as evolution, dinosaurs, creation, and a variety of biblical subjects written on a child’s level. We at International Gospel Hour have been blessed with a very limited number of these, and you can get your free copy today by calling toll-free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say, Discovery. That’s it. Again, that’s 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say, Discovery. You can also send your request through our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Click on the contact tab and leave us your name and address and put reason in the message box. We will send you a copy. Again, we only have a very limited number, so reach out to us now.
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Friends, we will not hide them from the children. That is, we will not hide the praising of our God. Again, verse 4, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength. We know that we will praise God for giving us the Christ, reflecting the apostles’ conversation from Luke 25, 50-53. I love verses 52 and 53, how they worshipped Him returning to Jerusalem with great joy and continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Wonderful! know that we praise God for the church that He gave us through the Son, Jesus Christ, who promised to build His church in Matthew 16 and verse 18, and that church came into existence on the day of Pentecost as they were added to the church, Acts 2 and verse 47. Jesus Christ is the head of His church, Ephesians 1, 22 and 23. He is on the right hand of the Father, Ephesians, or rather Hebrews 1, 1 through 3, and He makes intercession for His people, Hebrews 7, 24-26 Know that we praise God through song, as we sing among the congregation. Hebrews 2, 12 To lift up our voices in song, without the use of a mechanical instrument, and let the only instrument be that of the heart. Ephesians 5, 19 Know that our example should be as Peter proclaimed in 1 Peter 2 and verse 9, that the Christian be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, or a people for God’s possession. that we should show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Beloved and friends, this we must not hide. Our children need to see us praising God and thanking God for what He has done, so they may do the same, to worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4, verse 24. Second, from verse 4, We will not hide them from the children, the wonderful works of God. telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. On the seventh day God ended His work of creation, Genesis 2 and verse 2. The creation of the world was indeed the work of God and not the evolution from nothing. It took work and our children need to know that God is the Creator. The words of Isaiah 64 and verse 8, But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou art our potter, and we are all the work of Thy hand. To let our children know that we are created in the image of God, Genesis 127. Let’s think about the resurrection of Christ as a work of God, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him in His own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1 verse 20. And Jesus in John 6 verse 29 said, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him who He has sent. Have you ever considered that faith is a work? It’s a work of God. And that is the work that leads us unto salvation through our faith in God. Third, we will not hide them from the children. We’re not going to hide the responsibility of parenting. For in verses 3 and 4, the psalmist said, We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. You know, I mentioned moments ago about my children. My wife and I do not have children, but I’ve adopted so many through the years and have taken so many to be my dear friends. And I’m grateful because every child is important. You know, it was once said it takes a village to raise a child. The indication there is, let’s use all the biblical, godly resources possible to rear a child, to think about the responsibility of parenting and to be godly parents. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing under the Lord, Colossians 3.20. And fathers, do not provoke your children into wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6 and verse 4. Well, there is no doubt that if children see it, they reflect it. That the influence of parents on children is the number one influence. Parents guide, parents teach, parents instruct. To this very day, friends, when I cross a street at my age, and at this point I am only 61, but when I cross the street, I look both ways at least twice because my mother instilled that in me. There are places I have no desire to have a part because my mother instilled that in me. There are attitudes and approaches that I take in life that are God-given and, if you will allow me, Daddy-implemented. And I am grateful for my parents. Dear friends, don’t hide from the children the responsibility of parenting. And fourth, we will not hide them from the children. We’re not going to hide the only hope that matters, verse 7. that they may set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments. When you think about hope, it stirs us for answers in our faith, according to 1 Peter 3.15. It will sustain and strengthen us, the hope that is in God, Romans 8.24-25. Hope will grant us something in which we can look forward to. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 19. Titus 2, verse 13. And imagine those with no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2, verse 12. That is tragic. There were those Ephesian brethren who at one time had no hope and were without God, but they were no longer. Friends, what will we accomplish of our children if, rather, our children do not make it to heaven? Let’s think about these things, friends, and let’s make certain that we as adults are on the route that we need to be on. With that being said, as we draw near to the end of our broadcast, I once again defer to our J-Web, who will share with you our free online study through our friends at the World Bible Schools.
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That’s the free online study at worldbibleschool.org. Sign up today. Tell them the International Gospel Hour has sent you.
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Friends, these things we will not hide from the children, our children. And if we hide any of these matters we discussed, our children will not be as God desires them to be. God wants us all to believe on Him. to move from that faith to repent of our sins as He commanded in Luke 13, 3, confess our faith in Christ, Romans 10, 9 and 10, and to be baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins, Acts 2 and verse 38, and added to His church. May it be, friends. And let’s continue our studies together at another time. But for now, thank you for joining me on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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May this study prompt your search of God’s word for his will in your life. To assist you in your study or to listen to our other programs, please visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. To God be the glory.
