THE INFLUENCE OF GODLY PARENTS

INTRODUCTION
The first thing of which a child is conscious in this life is the care and love of Mother and Father. That is the way God intended it to be. God shows His love and care for us through the love He puts into the hearts of parents who love and serve Him. The children of such parents are cradled in love; they arebrought up in the fear of God and disciplined by love. Blessed indeed is the child who is born into a Christian home!

True love does not cater to every whim and fancy of a child. Love is strong and supporting. Love commands obedience, and that is the happy way.

Children take their first steps on the Royal Road to Happiness as they learn to obey their parents. The first verse of our text is addressed to parents: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” [Proverbs:22:6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ]).

Day by day they teach their children the way they should go as revealed in the Bible. Way back in the time when Moses brought the Children of Israel to the borders of the promised land, he said to the people: “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, . . . And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” [Deuteronomy:11:18Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. ];[Deuteronomy:11:19And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ]).

If we are obedient, our life here will be “as the days of heaven upon the earth.” If we do not obey, we feel the lash. This, also, is God’s plan; for “the rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame” [Proverbs:29:15The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. ]).

Children acquire the habit of obedience to authority under the influence of their godly parents, and when they are old enough to take a part in church services, they are ready to obey their Sunday School teacher and their minister, as God has said: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account” [Hebrews:13:17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. ]).

Later, when they go to public school, the habit of obedience continues. They obey the teacher’s rules in so far as they do not conflict with their service to God. They obey the traffic rules, and the laws of the city and country in which they live, as they have been taught from the Bible: “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” [Titus:3:1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, ]).

Above all, they have learned to obey God because they love Him. He is the greatest of all those whom any person is to obey. And it is easy to know what God wants us to do, because He has written his commands in the Bible. In school we learn by reading the textbooks and by hearing what our teachers say. We learn God’s will by reading the Bible and listening to the Teacher whom Jesus sent into the world -- the Holy Ghost who speaks in our hearts and tells us it is right to obey.

Item 1:
a) Who is a parent? A father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian. [Matthew:1:2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; ]; [2 Timothy:1:1-2 [1] Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, [2] To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ]; [Esther:2:7And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. ]; [Exodus:2:9And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. ].
b) How can one become a godly parent? [Jeremiah:3:13Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. ]; [Proverbs:28:13He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. ]; [2 Chronicles:7:14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ]; [Isaiah:55:6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ];[Isaiah:55:7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ]; [1 John:1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ].

Item 2:
a) In what time of life should a person be trained in the way he should go? [Proverbs:22:6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ]; [Isaiah:28:9-10 [9] Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. [10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: ]; [Deuteronomy:6:7And 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. ].
b) What does a child bring to his parent if he is left to grow up without reprove? [Proverbs:10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. ]; [Proverbs:29:15The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. ]; [1 Kings:1:5-6 [5] Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. [6] And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom. ], [1 Kings:1:18And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: ]; [1 Samuel:2:12Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. ], [1 Samuel:2:33-36 [33] And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. [34] And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. [35] And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. [36] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. ].
c) Give some examples of godly parents in the Bible? .

Item 3: In what ways can godly parents influence their children? By teaching them:
a) the Word of God. [Deuteronomy:11:18-20 [18] Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. [19] And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. [20] And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: ]; [Psalms:78:1-6 [1] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. [2] I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: [3] Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. [4] We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. [5] For he 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: [6] That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: ]; [Joel:1:2-3 [2] Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? [3] Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. ]; [2 Timothy:1:5When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. ].
b) how to pray and praying with them. [Deuteronomy:6:7And 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. ]; [Psalms:55:17Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. ]; [Luke:11:1-4 [1] And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. [2] And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. [3] Give us day by day our daily bread. [4] And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. ]; [Luke:18:1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; ].
c) through examples. [Joshua:24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ]; [Job:1:5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. ]; [1 Timothy:4:12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ], [1 Timothy:4:16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. ]; [2 Timothy:2:15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ]; [2 Thessalonians:3:7-9 [7] For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; [8] Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: [9] Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. ]; [Titus:2:7-8 [7] In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, [8] Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. ].
d) dignity of labour. [Genesis:2:15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ]; [Proverbs:10:5He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. ]; [Proverbs:12:11He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. ]; [Proverbs:13:11Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. ]; [Proverbs:22:29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. ]; [Proverbs:31:13-22 [13] She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. [14] She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. [15] She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. [16] She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. [17] She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. [18] She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. [19] She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. [20] She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. [21] She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. [22] She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. ].
e) obedience to constituted authority. [Hebrews:13:17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. ]; [Romans:13:1-7 [1] Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. [2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: [4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. [5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. [6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. [7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. ]; [Titus:3:1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, ].
f) the importance of church attendance. [Psalms:122:1I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. ]; [Joel:2:15-16 [15] Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: [16] Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. ]; [Hebrews:10:25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. ].

CONCLUSION
Now that we have considered the influence that godly parents have upon their children, let us consider the privilege children have to help their parents. Each Christian parent has a part in the Gospel work. For Mother it may not be a part that is seen by others. Her part may be praying and keeping the home for her family. Father may attend street meetings; he may drive the Sunday School bus; he may testify; he may preach.

But whatever part Mother and Father have, the children can help. They can ‘do all things without murmurings and disputTings’, and that is God’s way [Philippians:2:14Do all things without murmurings and disputings: ];[Philippians:2:15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; ]). At prayer time they can take their turn reading the Bible, and joining in prayer at the family altar.

At one time the Prophet Joel said that even the babies should be brought to church where children and the older people worshiped the Lord. In other places in the Bible God says: “Let all the people say, Amen.” He wants all the people, the young and the old, to express their belief in His Word.

Could it be that your parents want to go to camp meeting, but because you will not do right, they have to stay home? Could it be that God wants to send them out as missionaries, but because you are not saved they cannot go?

May it be said of you that you appreciate the Gospel, that you have a keen sense of the value of your father’s religion, and will stand with him as he says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” [Joshua:24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ]).

CHALLENGE: Are you ready to take the same stand with your godly parents?