Every Baby Ought To Know

FAMILY  Season 3, Episode 001, "Every Baby Ought to Know" audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Recorded December 29, 1979, 1st Presbyterian Church, Fillmore, California. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.  

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Transcript

EVERY BABY OUGHT TO KNOW
Stephen Bly
Recorded at 1st Presbyterian Church, Fillmore, California
December 30, 1979 

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And he called a child to himself and stood him in their midst, and he said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself like this child shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks for it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes. 

And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than having two hands or feet to be cast into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire. 

See that you do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”  (Matthew 18:1-10) 

“Dear Father, Lord, I pray that you direct our minds and hearts and might truly hear you speak and rejoice in it. For I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen.” 

I’m beginning to believe that it’s possible to have faith and not to have faith both at the same time. We see this sort of thing in the Bible. In Mark 9 when Jesus, James, John and Peter come back down off the Mount of Transfiguration. There was a big crowd and all sorts of people had come to see Jesus. 

One of the men that had come to see Jesus had a son who had epileptic seizures. And they had asked Jesus’ disciples who were waiting if they wouldn’t take care of this problem. They had tried and failed to cure the lad. And so when Jesus returned, the man hurried up to him and told the situation. He said, “Jesus, if you can do something, please help my son.” 

Now Jesus, of course, says, “What do you mean—if I can?” Then he says, “Oh ye of little belief.” And the man makes that classic statement, “I believe! Help my unbelief.” Both belief and unbelief existed in him at the same time. 

Well, I think I suffered from some of that recently, that belief and unbelief. Last August I sat down and for several days worked on what sermons I would be preaching over the course of the next six to eight months. I planned out the whole Christmas series that I just completed on Christmas Eve. Then I came to this last Sunday in December.  

Starting this week is a new series, so what am I going to do the last Sunday? I looked at my calendar which said the 26th was when our baby was due. I said, okay, I know just the title for my sermon on the last Sunday in December. It’s going to be “Daddy’s Little Girl.” And so there in my notes I wrote in August that titles. Now, Friday morning this week we had to print a sermon title in the bulletin. My unbelief took over my belief and I said, “Well, let’s put down, ‘What Every Baby Ought To Know,’ fully expecting by this point to be able to tell you what the real title was supposed to be. However, since we’re still waiting for baby to arrive, we’ll have to leave it at the present title. 

One of the exciting things in looking forward to another child in my family, is the things I will be able to teach this little one. I think we all look forward , as parents and grandparents, neighbors, uncles or aunts, to some of the things we can teach a little child. 

Little children, of course, are the most helpless of all creatures that God created. They are able to do hardly anything for themselves. Everything has to be learned. And some of they joys are looking forward to what we’re going to teach them. To be the one that holds them by their hands and leads them toddling across the floor till they finally walk on their own. Or to be the one that hears that first word as you try to get them to say the most loveable of all words, “Da-da.”  

Or perhaps it’s your job to teach them how to sit blocks one upon another. The only thing a child know instinctively that I’ve ever found out is how to knock them down. You never teach a child that. Destruction seems built into children—part of the sin nature, I’m sure. But you have to teach them how to stack those blocks. And so we look forward to those exciting times of teaching children. 

But this morning, I want to talk about the more important things that we need to teach children. That is, more important than walking and playing with toys. You might not even be there for those moments, but that’s not the most crucial times in their lives. There are ideas, principles of life, we might even call them the philosophy of life though that sounds much too big for a little child. It’s a lifestyle and a way of living. Those are the important things to teach. 

There are some principles we should have that every child has a right to learn from a Christian family. I want to go through them, not in any particular order. They’re every one important.  

1.) Every child ought to know that God is real and alive and personal. 

As you begin to raise children they start out with a whole world of unreal things and I think that’s good. It’s good for imagination and creativity to have their make-believe friends. But they need to realize and separate God from that imaginary world. God is not part of that imaginary world. God is real and God is alive, and God is personal. All three of those need to come together.  

You know the teddy bear is personal. If you don’t think so, just listen to a little one talk to that teddy bear. The teddy bear is personal—not alive, not real, but personal. On the other hand, there are a lot of live and real things such as tall, growing green trees that aren’t personal at all. And children need to know that God is real, alive, and personal. 

2.) Every child should know that Daddy loves them. 

If you’re a mommy, that means that Mommy loves them. But for me, it means my child has to know, to learn that Daddy loves them. They’re not going to be born with that knowledge. They’re not going to assume that. They’re going to have to experience it when they’re one week, at one month, when they’re one year or ten years, at twenty or thirty years, even when they’re fifty years old that Daddy loves them.  

They must learn that Daddy’s love doesn’t ever give up and there’s absolutely nothing they’re going to do in their life that’s going to destroy his love. That love is based on my giving, not on their deserving. Therefore, they need to learn by loving actions and loving words that Daddy loves them. And when they learn that it will be very easy for them to learn their Heavenly Father loves them even more. 

3.) Every baby ought to know is that in the world there is tribulation.

As Christian parents, we like to isolate our children. We want to protect them. We should, of course, to some extent, so they’ll have that proper base to start life on. But we can’t protect them forever. They have to learn sometime that most of the world is harsh and cruel. Most of the world lives outside relationship with God. That means people in the world ae alone, frightened, insensitive, insecure, and some are insane. That’s the way the world is and if we try to protect them too long—never let them fail, never let them struggle, never let them have trials until they’re at a mature age—suddenly they’re thrown into a world of tribulation. And they don’t know how to respond. In the world there is tribulation for darkness is always opposed to light.  

4.) You have to teach these things. But in the same breath, you teach another thing. You teach Jesus has overcome the world. 

We’re not going to take the tribulation away. They’re going to have to go right through whatever happens and whatever crazy ideas come through, but in Jesus there is victory. Not just victory for Him because He was triumphant on the cross and over the tomb, but because He was triumphant for us. There’s victory for us.  

He will never leave us. Anyplace we are, any jam we’re in, no matter how much trouble there is, He’s there. He’s willing to help. He can help. He has the power to help. And those little ones need to learn as soon as they are able to understand “in the world there’s tribulation but be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world.” 

5.) Every baby ought to know that the Bible is completely reliable.

As they grow up they come to a point where they’re able to understand books. They begin to read all of those nice story books. As soon as they’re able to understand, they need to be told that this book, the Bible, is different than every other book.  

In fact, it’s not just a book. It’s different. In these pages is the truth of God, completely without error, absolutely never leading astray. You can measure all truth that you’re going to learn your whole life by this book. They need to learn that not only because you tell them, but because you act upon the Word in that way. Your life reflects the fact you believe it’s completely true. Every baby, every little one, ought to learn that the Bible is completely reliable. 

6.) Every baby should learn that obedience to God is the secret to a fulfilled life.

They ought to learn obedience, but not just obedience. The little ones need to learn to obey not just because you’re bigger or tougher or meaner, but because obedience not only produces joy in the one who wants him to obey and ultimately joy in God because they’re obeying Him. But also they find their own satisfaction and fulfillment.  

It’s a lesson we’ve all learned the hard way. Perhaps we can teach them to learn it young. That is, when you obey God’s way you find the satisfaction you’ve looked for all along. That’s why He gave us His Word. He wanted us to have satisfying, fulfilling, complete, joyful lives. He said here’s the way to have it. Obedience means not only we’re pleasing Him but we satisfy our own life desires. 

7.) Every little one ought to learn that life is exciting and adventuresome.

I’m convinced you have to try to make lie boring. Some people are extremely good at making life boring. God is a God of unexpected things. He is, as C.S. Lewis in the Narnia Tales says, “a wild lion.” That is, you never can know for sure what He’s going to do because He’s always doing the unexpected. He brings blessings. He brings people into our lives. 

There are some exciting stories right here in this room through the lives of these people than any library in this town could hold. You only need to talk to them and get to know them. And you know what? You have to try and avoid people. You’ll have to get up and hurry out of church or you’ll hear something exciting you’ve never heard before. Somebody will grab you and begin to tell you about it. 

You see, you have to try to make life boring. Life is exciting and I want my little one to know life is an adventure. You never know what’s going to happen. But you know who’s already there in the future planning it for you and that’s God. So you cannot be afraid but look forward to the adventure of life. 

8.) Another thing I want my little one to learn—the family unit is a God-given means of human contentment.

Father and mother, brothers and sisters, and Grandma and Grandpa are a God-given family. It wasn’t by accident people decided they didn’t like being alone. They didn’t say, “Let’s make a little group here. We’ll call it a family.” It’s because God designed it that way. 

And it’s no accident you have the children you do or the parents you have. God designed the family unit and brought it together because in that unit He has a lot of lessons to teach. In that unit you have a lot of things to give and receive. In the family you’re going to learn how to love other people better than you could learn any other way. So God put you there.  

You’re going to learn how to give and receive forgiveness. That’s a kind of thing you can’t learn any place else but in the family. The family is so important because it’s God-given. We should do everything we can to make it strong. We should do everything we can to make a loving environment for each person in the family. And so every child ought to know that about their family. It’s God’s design and purpose and plan. And it’s for them. 

9.) A little one needs to learn that fierce honesty produces strong, personal relationships.

Fierce honesty means being completely honest all the time. Now, that goes along with obedience. Sometimes we teach children to obey because if you don’t obey you’re going to get a whipping. Sometimes we teach children you got to be honest because if you’re dishonest you’re going to get in trouble. 

Let’s start teaching children to be honest because that’s not only pleasing to us and to God but it’s going to produce the result they wanted all along. When somebody’s dishonest, it’s because they have a goal in mind. They want to achieve something. I want to be the best person in class in this test, but I can’t be the best without cheating. So, I’ve got to cheat on the test and now I’m the best.  

But why did you want to be best? Because you wanted the satisfaction of knowing that you had all that information. And what does cheating do? It makes you look like the best but when you get there, you know inside you didn’t have all that information. And so the very goal you strive for, you do not achieve. I want my little one to know from the very beginning that fierce honesty is the only way to build personal, strong relationships and produce the kind of result that they wanted in the first place. Teach children to be good, as good as their word. 

10.)   Little ones need to learn that life is just a prep school for eternity with God.

From the very beginning of comprehension, whenever they’re able to begin to learn, maybe it’s at a time of death for a pet or death of a grandparent. As soon as they’re able to learn life here is short and terminal, they need to realize it’s made that way on purpose. God had that plan in mind.

Yes, there’s something in us that say we ought to live forever. But life here is just a training ground. God has just given us a few years to get ready for heaven. So, he stuck us in a family and said, see if you can learn how to love each other. See if you can learn how to forgive. See if you can follow Him and know Him. If you can, then you win forever. And that’s all life is. 

11.)   Another thing they should know is God made them that way.

Our little kids have been singing about that for years. “I’m something special!” And it’s true. They need to learn from the time they’re able to comprehend that they’re special, that they’re important. God made them and He doesn’t make any junk. They were made right. 

If they’re tall, it’s because God made them tall. If they’re short, it’s because God made them short. If they have a big nose, it’s because God gave them a big nose and there’s no mistakes. They’re special because God made them that way. The talents that they have each one, the brains they have were given by God. The only way they can abuse that, the only way they can have low self-worth is not to use what God’s given them. 

12.)   Finally, every little one ought to learn you just can’t pray too much.

I have never met anybody that prayed too much. Neither young or old or anyone. Now, I’ve met some that prayed at the wrong time. That is, there’s a time for prayer and a time to get busy. And some people have the ability to never get busy. They just wait till it’s time to get busy and then to pray. I think they’re missing something. 

Little ones need to know God cares about everything. There’s not one concern in their mind that God’s not concerned about. Any time they want to go to Him in prayer they should. 

Every little one ought to know all these things. You see, I’m wise enough to know as you do that, you cannot make your children Christians. If we could, we would have all done it by now. And certainly, I would lead the pack if I could make my children be Christians. But I can’t. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and God in their lives. They have to come to that place of confessing Him on their own. But I can prepare the environment. I can work up the fallow ground. I can get the soil ready for good seed to be planted and I need to do that. I can teach them a lot of things. But you and I will have to say it in words and show it in our own lives.  

You’ll have to reach them that God is real, alive, and personal and that you love them. In the world there’s tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world. You’ve got to reach them about the reliability of the Bible and how to obey God. And enjoy the excitement of living. You’ve got to teach them about family and honest and the terminal length of life on earth. You’ve got to teach them about the importance of themselves as God’s creation. Teach them about prayer. And when all of this is done, then and only then, you can relax and know you’ve done your part. You can trust God for His. 

Amen and Amen