Children Need To Know: (Cont'd.)

5. As soon as they can understand, they need to know that they are sinners and must come back to God, personally, and ask him to forgive and save them. "They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Psalm 58:3). "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). Salvation is a personal matter. God has no grandchildren. No one is a child of God merely because their parents were godly Christians.

6. That God's Word says:

1. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1).
2. "Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2). They need to know that this is one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses in the Old Testament, found in Exodus 20:12.
3. "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord" (Colossians 3:20).
4. When children love God more than their parents, they will love their parents more than they would if they do not love God most. Everyone's first love and allegiance should be to God. "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37).
5. That parents are commanded and obligated to teach God's laws to them diligently:

   "These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And 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. And thou shall bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deuteronomy 6:6-8).

6. That the Bible says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Children Can Learn from Bible Examples

Joseph (Genesis 37-50).

1. Joseph had 11 brothers and one sister. His mother died when his youngest brother was born. Although he was a favorite of his father, Jacob, his 10 older brothers hated him because of this. When Joseph was a teenager of 17, because of the jealousy and antagonism, some of his brothers first planned to kill him but later sold him as a slave to a passing camel caravan. He was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and captain of the guard. His brothers pretended that an animal had killed Joseph. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph to commit sin with her. He refused, was lied upon, and spent two or more years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
2. God was with Joseph; Pharaoh had a dream that troubled him and which none of his wise men were able to interpret. God gave Joseph the interpretation; he was promoted to be ruler, second to Pharaoh in all Egypt.
3. There was a famine that reached into Canaan where Joseph's father and brothers lived. In desperation, the brothers came to Egypt to buy food and must go to Joseph whom they by now did not recognize.
4. When Joseph later made himself known to his brothers and had all his relatives moved to Egypt, he held no bitterness toward his brothers for all the suffering they caused him. He said, "As for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Genesis 50:20).
5. Likewise, in spite of being mistreated, young people can turn out all right if they will put God and His will first in their lives. God can turn bad into their good. Joseph did not become bitter toward his brothers nor toward God for permitting it.
6. Young people, like Joseph can resist temptation to commit immorality, may have to suffer for a while, but will be exalted by God.
7. As a teenager, Joseph had dreams of what God would do for him. God did not fail him but after hardship and suffering brought the fulfillment and brought him to honor and even riches.