1. Father's Day is a good time for us to be reminded that "the Father and Christ love children." 2. In our lesson we are examining passages that relate to 2 groups of children: a. those that have been born b. the unborn. 3. We will see that the Father and Christ feel the same toward all children. Discussion: I. FIRST, THE FATHER AND CHRIST LOVE CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN BORN
A. According to Psalm 127:3, the Lord considers children to be His "heritage" and His "reward." B. Jesus showed how He felt toward little children in Mark 10:13-16. C. The Scriptures show how the Father and Christ feel when children are mistreated. 1. (Mark 10:14) Jesus was "much displeased" when His disciples rebuked those who brought the "young children" ["infants" -- Luke 18:15] to Him. 2. In the Old Testament God was displeased with Pharaoh's actions. a. Pharaoh gave 2 commands for the male Israelite babies to be killed (Exodus 1:16, 22). b. Eventually, when God brought the 10th plague upon the Egyptians, Pharaoh was not spared (Exodus 12:29-30). 3. In the New Testament God was displeased with Herod's actions. a. (Matthew 2:16-18) He had the children 2 years old and under killed. b. Eventually, Herod died (Matthew 2:19), and he will be held accountable for his deeds at the judgment. D. In addition to loving children that have been born, . . . II. THE FATHER AND CHRIST LOVE UNBORN CHILDREN
A. To help us understand how God feels toward unborn children, let us consider several passages that tell us about 3 of His greatest servants. 1. Let us consider: a. how well God knew David (Psalm 139:13-16) b. who formed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-5) c. what Luke called John (Luke 1:39-44). 2. God considered David, Jeremiah, and John to be children when they were in their mothers' wombs, and He was very concerned about them. B. The Scriptures show how God feels when unborn children are mistreated. 1. We learn from Exodus 21:22-25 how God feels when something happens to unborn children. 2. According to Proverbs 6:16-17, God considers all "hands that shed innocent blood" to be "an abomination." Conclusion:
1. In Mark 10:14 Jesus said concerning children, "of such is the kingdom of God." 2. In John 3:5 Jesus explained how we are born again so we can enter God's kingdom: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
