FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 8, number 43, October 22, 2009
So all the years that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died, Genesis 5:5.
To a Thousand Generations
As I survey the present condition in our country I have conflicting emotions. On the one hand I am gravely concerned. A common characteristic of many young people today is their inability to write or speak clearly and cogently. They also tend to have an inability to put events into historical context.[1] On top of that many pastors I know grieve as they see young people they baptized as infants growing cold to the faith of their parents or downright rejecting it. On the other hand I have marvelous hope. Many parents I know, including many in our congregation, are assuming their God ordained responsibility to rear their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and the results are most encouraging. I see a commitment to academic excellence with some through home schooling and our hope is for a Classical Christian School which can serve people in the north end of Hartford as well as others in the Hartford area.[2] My hope for the future is built on covenant theology, the glorious truth that God will be a God to us, and we will be a people to Him. Peter declared that the promise of the gospel is to us and our children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39). We see this illustrated in the genealogy from Adam to Noah, recorded in Genesis 5. What is remarkable is that all these great men of the faith, those from the godly line of Seth, except for Noah, were alive at the same time. The chart below suggests something of the godly influence Adam had on Seth, Seth on Enosh, et al.
FROM ADAM TO NOAH
Name Meaning Year of birth Total age Year of death
Adam From the ground 1 930 930 A.M.
Seth Appointed One 130 912 1042 A.M..
Enosh Weak One 235 905 1140 A.M
Kenan Sorrow 325 910 1235 A.M.
Mahalalel Blessed God 395 895 1290 A.M.
Jared Descent 460 962 1422 A.M.
Enoch Consecration 622 365 987 A.M.*
Methuselah At death it 687 969 1656 A.M.
will come
Lamech Humiliation 874 777 1651 A.M.
Noah Rest 1056 950 2006 A.M.
· Enoch did not die. He was translated to heaven.
· A.M. Anno Mundi (year of the world) A means of counting from the Biblical reference to the creation of the world.
Parents, in borrowing from the promise of God in Deuteronomy 7:9, I want to exhort you to believe and act upon the promise of a covenant seed for a thousand generations. You should pray for, expect, and diligently and deliberately work for a godly posterity that fears God and brings to bear the rule and reign of Christ in all aspects of this world.
How can you get there? First, you must believe and act upon the obvious fact that God generally works through families. We are always thankful when we see formerly pagan people converted and begin to walk with Christ, but we ought also to labor for those reared in godly homes to continue that godly seed to the next generation. We see this clearly illustrated in the line of Seth as well as in the promise from Acts 2:39.
However you must not presume upon God’s covenant of grace. God is sovereign but you are also responsible to do your part in God’s covenant of grace. When children leave the faith I sometimes see parents, though obviously heartbroken, who are mystified when this happens. When a child leaves the faith, the first place parents must look is at themselves—are they responsible for their child’s apostasy? Did they not discipline? Were they not careful to teach them to fear God, to be aware of His presence? Did they act hypocritically? Did they not guard their children against ungodly influences at school, in the media? Did they allow impressionable children to attend godless, public schools or legalistic, harsh Christian schools? Were they inconsistent in public and family worship? Were they outwardly and verbally critical of the pastor or Elders?
If your children have left the faith and if you are somewhat responsible, then what should you do? You must confess your sin to God and repent, asking Him for grace. You must go directly to your children in heartfelt contrition and tell them how you have failed them, asking their forgiveness. You must then begin to move toward them with prayer and godly living, even if they are grown and away from home.
But if your children are young and still at home, what must you do to see a godly seed for a thousand generations? You need to observe VIP. First the V—you must remember, borrowing from my good friend Henry Krabbendam, that your children are “vipers in covenant diapers.” They are born with original sin and they learn very quickly to sin in their own style. You must therefore discipline them verbally and corporally. You must spank them with the rod, for they will not die (Proverbs 23:14). If you love them then you will discipline them with the rod (Proverbs 13:24). You must discipline them for disobedience, disrespect, and dishonesty. Second is the I—you must intentionally teach them the Bible and Theology. You should do this formally through family worship, obviously designing it according to the ages of your children.[3] I know how hard this is. The older your children get, and the more active they are, the more difficult it is to be consistent. I suffered with inconsistency myself. You must also instruct them informally as things happen in their lives, always bringing them back to what God says about whatever circumstance arises. Day by day, year after year this instruction will forge godliness in your children. It means you must guard their hearts and minds against ungodly influences (1 Corinthians 15:33). What are their friends like? Are your children being negatively influenced by them? If so, you must step in and forbid these relationships. Don’t fall into the lie that your children know best. Proverbs says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child but the rod will drive it far from him (Proverbs 22:15).
And third is the P—you must pray, pray, and pray some more. Pray for God to give your children a tender conscience and a fear of disobeying you and God. Pray for God to give them regenerate hearts. Don’t assume that their baptism means they are in Christ. They need new hearts just like any pagan. Pray for God to protect them from evil doers, to give them courage to stand alone, to stand above the crowd of their peers. Pray for God to give them a hunger for righteousness. Pray for God to build the beatitudes of Matthew 5 into their hearts and minds. In short, be very deliberate and intentional. Your greatest gift, outside of your marriage and the Lord Jesus, are the precious children whom God has given you to rear for His glory. Don’t spoil them. Don’t coddle them. Discipline them in love. Teach them the truths of Holy Scripture. Call them to faith in Christ. And pray for God’s power and holiness to rest on them all their days.
[1] See Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton’s, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, Oxford University Press.
[2] Tony and Chris Mancini of CCPC, along with Todd Sherrod and others, are in the very early stages of putting together a POG (purpose, objectives, and goals) for a Classical Christian School . This is to be a community wide ministry, not one under the authority of CCPC. With mere man this task is impossible.
[3] See our website www.christcpc.org click on “resources” for details on family worship.
FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.
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