Matt Nelson - September 25, 2022
Gospel-Centered Parenting
A BETTER STORY Gospel-Centered Parenting 9.19.22 Mark 7:1-8 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.) 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:20-23 20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Our goal is not to raise good, morally conforming children but children where right behavior flows out of the goodness in their hearts. How do we practice gospel-centered parenting and fight for the hearts of our children? We must give them a story worth living for We must reflect the unconditional love of the Father If we are not receiving our identity completely and fully in Christ, we will struggle to create a space where our children are unconditionally loved. We must align our lives and our values It must be in you before it will be in them. Matthew 23:27-28 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. As our children get older, our journey with them moves from control to influence. We must discipline for their heart, not just their behavior We must never place secondary issues over primary issues We must intentionally disciple our children We must develop a passion for prayer and the presence of God We can teach it to our kids. We can model it to our kids. We can create environments for our kids. But we cannot transform the hearts of our children. Only Christ can transform!
From Series: "A Better Story"
We love a good story! Something that captures our imaginations and takes us somewhere. Something that gives our lives meaning, context, and hope. Unfortunately, we often get so caught up in trying to write our own story that we lose our God-given purpose. We trade a life of eternal kingdom impact for the temporary and empty rewards of our own desires. In this series, we will lay down our story for a better story and be intentional about leaving a legacy of kingdom impact and purpose.
