Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

A little while back I was speaking with my son-in-law and he gave me an idea that I want to exercise today.

A couple weeks before I left to head out west, I preached a message on Sunday morning called ‘Why Church’.

The message dealt with the importance of attending church.

I know some of you might remember, but others either missed it or ignored it judging by our Wednesday night service.

But Gator said to me “You should do a series building off that message.

You could do several topics such as ‘Why serve’, ‘Why Witness’, ‘Why Tithe’, etc.” I told him that was a great idea and given that he offered it, I would not only give him credit, but also allow him to present a topic himself.

That being said, I want to take this opportunity today to preach on this topic ‘Why Train’.

I thought this would be appropriate given the change that I’ve made concerning the nursery here at church.

If you’re unaware, we will not be offering the nursery during every service, by only for the MWS moving forward.

There are several reasons for this, but they all boil down to and are rooted in the need for us to be training of our children.

Today we are going to examine ‘Why Train’ speaking of our children.

What it is, what it means and what it looks like.

I do believe that if the principles that are found in this message are diligently applied to a child at a young age, you will look back and enjoy the fruit that will follow.

That being said, let’s look first at the Particulars of Training

I.

The Particulars of Training

The Definition of Training

Oxford (def) teach (a person or animal) a skill or type of behaviour through regular practice and instruction.

(train something on) point or aim something at.

Strongs (def) 2596.

חָנַךְ chânak, khaw-nak´; a prim.

root; prop.

to narrow [comp.

2614]; fig. to initiate or discipline:—dedicate, train up.

So when we’re talking about training, it obviously includes teaching.

However, teaching is only a part of it.

(Ill.)

There is a movie that is called ‘King Richard’.

I have not seen the movie, nor do I endorse it.

I’m using it as illustration because I understand what it is based on.

The movie is based on Venus & Serena Williams’ dad Richard.

I’m assuming you know the William’s sisters and their success at tennis…?

Venus won Wimbledon 5x and Serena won 23 Grand Slam Championships.

Anyway, you see, Richard didn’t just teach those girls the sport of tennis - he trained them to be tennis players.

We parents are not simply supposed to teach our kids about life, but we are to train them on how to live! We’ll get in to what that looks like in a bit.

We see the Definition of Training

The Necessity of Training

We’re Instructed To:

God has been good to me.

He has blessed me with the blessing of Salvation.

He’s given unto me a wonderful wife - and He’s blessed me with two children.

One thing that we need to understand is that the blessing of children comes with the necessity of responsibility.

The Bible tells us of course in our text: Pro.

22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

It also tells us: Eph.

6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

(Turn) De. 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And 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 shalt 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.”

We parents have a great and grave responsibility to raise our children - IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO!

We (Christians) are instructed to Train them

If we Don’t, Someone Else Will

Church / Parents - if you fail to recognize this great responsibility, and you fail to make it a priority in your life to train them in the way they should go - rest assured… someone else will train them - and NOT in the way they should go.

Music will train them

Most popular music today celebrates fornication, drugs, drinking, living in the moment, living for self, the occult - that’s the value system of pop music today - it’s been that way for over 40 years and it’s not gotten any better, it’s simply gotten worse.

Let me side-step one second and give you one of the many reasons I detest contemporary Christian music - because it wants to sound just like that perverted mess, but with ‘Godly’ lyrics.

You can clean the mud off a pig, but it’s still a pig.

You can try to clean up garbage music by changing the lyrics, but it’s still garbage, worldly music.

TV will train them

Yes - plop your kids down in front of Blue’s Clues today: They will learn how ‘P’ stands for ‘Pride’ and see a gay pride parade.

Or you can watch two male rats get married on the kids show Arthur.

Or two male cartoon characters kiss on the Proud Family - or having a gay couple introduced on Sesame Street.

THESE ARE KIDS SHOWS!

Unfortunately, one of the great babysitters of the last 40 years has been the television.

There’s toddlers that have a screen in front of their faces all the time to shut them up!

Church let me tell you - we’re playing right into Satan’s hands when we do this.

The Internet will train them

Let me tell you something - the internet is a world of wickedness at the fingertips of not only teens, but adults as well.

One of the most dangerous things you can do is allow your teens to have unfiltered access to the internet.

I would not let your child have access to the internet behind a closed door - because the internet will train them.

Facebook / Instagram / TikTok will train them

(Ill.)

I saw a new commercial the other day where Tide was promoting their new child-proof lid to their tide pods.

Do you all remember the Tide-pod challenge?

It’s where people were taking these plastic wrapped detergents and swallowing them.

Or there was one called the ‘Kylie Lip Challenge’ where teens would put their mouths on bottles and such the air out to try and get bigger lips.

These are just two that went viral.

Yes, social media will train your kids if you won’t

Celebrities will train them

Church, I don’t know about you - but I don’t want my children growing up to be like the Kardashians.

I don’t want them idolizing people who make fornication ‘cool’.

I don’t want their ambition in life to be focused on their looks, money or fame.

But if you don’t watch out, you might let go of the reigns and allow Bruce Jenner to take them up and raise your child.’

Because celebrities will train them

Their friends will train them

Let’s say that you protect them from the internet and the social media and the TV and music.

But if you don’t monitor the friends that they keep, their friends will train them.

And they most likely are going to be the ones influenced by the TV, Music, Social Media, etc.

Their friends will train them

Predators will train them

Daddy’s let me say this: Make sure you give your little girls the attention they deserve so that they don’t go seeking that male influence somewhere else.

Because predators will train them

I promise you this: If you don’t train them - someone else most assuredly will!

We see the Necessity of Training

Now that we have established the Definition and Necessity of Training our Children, we’ll look at the Process of Training - what does properly training them look like

II.

The Process of Training

The Practical Requirements