The Church Nursery

Chapter 8 verses one through 81 will do this while not unpack it as I go.

I'm not recommending that for you younger pastors out there get past 40 years before you do that okay.

But Tom, the prominent message of Nehemiah chapter 8 verses one through eight is the priority of the word and the priority of the preaching of the word here.

We actually have a a worship service. As such, centered on the word of God and it is starting in verse one.

Notice times were to know little of the context of the people have returned from exile in Babylon. They'd been there quite a while and Esther is something in semi retirement with David as semi retired or semi retired you guys come the same, but he still hangs around and helps out which is what you're doing are being a problem with several help topic from whichever which everyday yes but answers hang around and he's helping the governor Nehemiah and here's what happens. Verse one.

The much upright and all the people gathered as one minute.

The square, which is in front of the Watergate and they ask and answer the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given Israel now want you to grasp as we go through the loop the greatness that reverence the awesomeness. The foundational element of the word of God in the preaching of the word so the Lord last part of verse one the Lord had given this book to Israel through Moses, verse two, then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen with understanding on the first day, the seventh month. Now they have a special observance. The first day of every month and this was the time for the reading and preaching of the word. Not that it didn't happen. Of the tiles with a special meeting and noticed men and women are included in that was not common in ancient Israel, so it kinda shows you the uniqueness and the specialness of this first three he read from it. Before the square, which is in front of the Watergate from early morning until midday. That's a long service six hours or so, maybe even longer in the presence again of men, women, and those who can understand and all the people were attentive to the book of the law I get another emphasis on the reverence and importance of the word in the preaching of the word. Verse four Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium you could say a wooden pulpit. It was a raised area again to give us steam and priority to this ministry. The word which they'd made for the purpose, and beside him stood met the fire Shema and Anaya Uriah Hill Kia Messiah on his right hand idea Michelle Malka Jaya Haitian testbed Anaya Zechariah and Michelin on his left him.

Now these are the associate pastors.

As such, these are associate priest there all assembled there to give support to and to build to the esteem and the reverence of the moment right.

Verse five is her open the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people. That's why our forefathers in the faith that distant Puritans alike built churches with the pulpits in the center and elevated because we do not build the church on priest craft. We do not build the church on a so-called altar, and there are no altars.

Altars are gone. The only altar we had Calvary you have steps you can kneel at the steps and make it an altars but you can kneel there and make an altar. You got the mall and deal and make it an altar and we had one beer senior don't menu without his Ford truck and set the for 30 minutes after service and it became his altar where he was say we don't we don't worship in certain buildings and places. This is not more holy than their is the gospel that saves not the church structure that saves got awful map. He opened the book and the people stood up verse six and ever bless the Lord, the great God and all the people answered amen in a and look at the reverence and all that have a lifting up their hands and then they bowed low in worship the Lord with their faces to the ground. Here's a people that have been in Babylonian pagan captivity and they've neglected the ordinances God gave Israel and one of them was the word in the reading and the preaching of the word in their recovery get back you notice that Ezra's just big get he's just come to the pulpit. The people just bounce oh God, oh God, this is just so amazing that we've grown so accustomed to the word that we've lost our reverence for what it is that again to add to the steam in the reverence and the how moment verse seven that you ship to Sheila but nine share abaya J men echoed seven thigh Oneida may Messiah Kaletra up every Isaiah shows a bad Hainan playa. The Levites explained the law to the people of the people remained in their place. Notice, this isn't just some ceremony there were not mystics were not superstitious will just go through some things here Christianity is taking God's truth and getting it in our minds so that we understand God's great doctrines in our hearts learn to treasure these great doctrines in our lives. More so as we grow in syncopation live out the truths that our mind understand our hearts treasured with the church. Pam and I were in Greece you sent us over there and we went to those Greek Orthodox churches and it was mindless, senseless, superstitious ritual that those dear people putting their hope going in in the Lincoln touching their chest and kissing the picture of the Virgin Mary, hoping somehow that helps get them to have no from ancient times. The standard is the practice of the church is the book is open. The book is preached and explained in the people understand graph the truth or with their minds, treasure the truth in the hearts and live for God with their lives.

That's why you must come in here practicing expository listening. This is in a mindless event for you. This should be the most attuned sober discipline moment of the week for us. They read from the book of the law of God, translated and get the sense and they understood the reading.

Well now I want to bring you my church a commendation and an expectation on supporting the truth that is taught in this text while this truth, I'm going to talk to you about is not the primary emphasis of the text, the preeminent issue in the text is the word and the preaching of the word. However, there is a secondary truth here that is essential to the primary truth and I want to talk about that secondary truth modified if the secondary truth is not practiced well. The primary truth could suffer greatly, so were having something of a family meeting this morning as your father figure pastorate at 62 I feel more like that than I used to. I'm calling us to family meeting about something practical about a secondary truth that supports the primary truth that we are about as a people. This secondary truth comes to us quite clear in verses two and three. Let's talk about those.

Notice what it says in verse two that as of the priest brought the law before the assembly of men and women that was unusual but notice the next freight and all who could listen with understanding those that had some sort of mental or emotional deficiency couldn't grasp couldn't sit still not be a distraction, and certainly all of the children who were not old enough to listen with understanding when not allowed in the congregational worship with preaching of the word was taken place. Verse three he read from it. Before the square, which is in front of the Watergate from early morning until midday in the presence of men and women that was unusual. Women are included and those who could understand why last phrase and all the people were attentive to the book of the law, so I will talk about the church nursery. My sermon is about the church nursery now to main points here. First of all, while we encourage you using the nursery for your children until your children reach the age of understanding our right.

While we encourage not a law were not legalists but while we encourage you using the church nursery until your children are able to listen with understanding number one because this text makes it explicitly clear distraction must be kept to a minimum during the preaching of the word that this text makes it very clear what I ha ha and reverence. We are to have will become to the meeting of God's church into the time of reading and the preaching of the word of God that there are many other tags that we can look to the splash some is it these out very quickly.

Acts 1711 talks about those who are no more noble minded than those in Thessalonica told that the Parisians they received the word with great eagerness. Notice the spirit, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. First Thessalonians 213 for this reason, we also causally think God that when you receive the word of God, you reheard that you heard from if you accepted it not as the word of men, but what for. It really is the word of God which also performs its work in you who believe.

Hebrews 2133. We must take much closer attention. The Lord now that we have the finished canon of Scripture that gives us the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must play much, much closer attention to what we've heard so that we will not drift away from it in the old covenant. That word spoken to the Angels verse two proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience preserve the death penalty. How do we escape if we neglect so great salvation Edwards first spoke to the Lord is confirmed by those who heard so the Lord came to earth. He gave us the doctrines the church is to stand on disseminated this to his apostles. The apostles wrote it down. Now we have the finished truth of God and we must now give it the utmost attention and reverence, i.e. we want to make sure nothing distracts in any way from the reading and the preaching of the word of God in God's service are at number two.

The second reason why we encourage using the nursery to your children reach the age of understanding well because if we are going to have people who do this.

This requires a nursery if you're going to have no distractions, then obviously we need to do what was required in ancient Israel. And that's how those who could possibly not understand and possibly cause a distraction not in service not there, there's a move it's movement some time ago and all my goodness you have one of these movements just come wave after wave after wave, and they don't have a thimbleful of Scripture in them, but they sound so spiritual when this movement was called the family integrated church and the idea was when the basic things was family should never be separated in the church in every setting. You must have mom and dad, grandma and grandpa.

All the children all the grandchildren, regardless of their eight and the problem with that is, there's not a string of scriptural basis for that. It set well. We want our children with us been ported that they be with us etc. etc. I understand that and that the sound was, but that is the so import the notion came out is that if you don't do it this way then you're not as godly as we are.

If you don't get this way then you're not as spiritual are as committed as we are.

When the biblical text report out rock. The opposite is true. If you care about the undistracted preaching of the word, then you would make sure that those who are likely are possibly could be a distraction are not present in the service, whether the glaring lack of Scripture supporting that every time the church is to get all the family had to be together. For example, in amplifying out their positional a bit more than say there can be no children's program all the families was, but it can be no student program. No college program etc. etc. it is interesting. We had some families come through that kind found somebody's book. That's wealth and I found the book in its book, begun in the book said about that book you move 2000 years of church history. We didn't find this and boom. Some guy finds it so they read the book and decided they were going to do these things and they went out informed them a little grouper found a church that would support that movement and then I found out that on some Friday nights. They did a college guy take this the younger folks and go do an activity with the thinnest lucky youth group to me is lucky, youth program, with all it's okay because it's us here in the real principle behind all these things as if you have a godly parents involved in the children's program and godly parents involved in the student program in a godly program for them, then it's fine is not just the fact of having it that makes it wrong. Well, I think that horse enough. Number three. 1/3 reason why we encourage using the nursery to children able to listen with understanding is because it demonstrates a high view of the preaching of the word.

You know it's interesting we regularly seek childcare when we are doing something important that we not in our lives is really rare for me to preach a funeral have to compete with a child who wants to get the attention of right in the funeral because most of the time focus.

I will a child doesn't need to be in that setting it's it's a reverent moment. Or maybe other things like if you believe that the family must always be together.

Do you take your child with you to a job interview or to backdate not with your spouse the faintest take him then to why do we decide, in a secular plane that there's some things that it's appropriate to not have that smaller children can understand present but they have to be in the church service that you were not legalistic here that happens and were not the gifts that we don't think you're wicked for doing that anyways. A perfect match but we do have certain events that occur at certain agents will my daughters reach 13 I had a special date with them. We talked about Christian courtship, something we need to revive a little bit around here, by the way, and talk about why we would approach their relationship with boys differently now that would been inappropriate when they were for our seven with 13 was the right age as graduations from a grade school and middle school has been happens at a certain age and its appropriateness is something the Puritan fathers would call spiritual common sense. Look for some mystical deep truth about it just understandable why we would do this you know if a child begins to understand the preaching of the word enough to be in the worship service now disused age 7 is probably quite a bit older than that. But I disused age 7. Well then they made from ages two through six. If they came into the service before that age from ages 236 they've attended about 500 worship services and what has happened in those 500 worship services.

Let child was ages eight through 602 through six. Well, they ate a lot of candy. I played with army men. They played with dolls.

They played with coloring books. They watched baby Einstein on your iPhone. They did all of these things, but what have they learned what probably they've learned is that the worship services play Tom and Katie time is that so you know I'm not saying that. But is that really what we will accomplish didn't really do any good. Years ago dealing with this issue we looked at some pastors we respected and all of them had a certain age a certain time like like at the beginning of the fourth grade we bring our young people in from children's church and we make a big deal out of it. Why because we reference this place, we reference what were doing in here and that sister the children it's important. And now you're old enough to begin to understand what is happening exactly what the text says as her have been doing only bring those who could listen with understanding, number four, fourth reason why we encourage using the nursery into children able listen with understanding is because it helps parents avoid an unrealistic expectation of their children's behavior and over disciplining them man says well I'll tell you what my boy sit still and listen. From age to well I have two things say about that.

Maybe he is a child prodigy babies. One in 10 million that literally literally could sit still and listen but not listening is I don't get I can get that little boy's brain with the exited.

Listen Lisi was steel and he was quiet not tell you what I have seen too many times in those context. I've seen some beaten-down children there still in their quiet but usually their spiritless robots there over disciplined. I think if we're not careful we insist on such a thing were teaching them and pulling them and squeezing these and take them out. Get spankings. I think that you get in the rim of cruelty and maybe being a non-Christian, you just don't Wrigley take children places that are not fit for them and act and expected at like adults nephew got fruit you took brought years and you got through it okay. Praise the Lord, but generally speaking, that doesn't happen. I think this is why Ephesians 6 warns us, do not provoke your children to anger certain places and certain things in certain ways you can discipline where you are being overbearing and unrealistic in your expectation that you don't need to be that way. So having them in the nursery are in the children's church avoids that temptation to overcorrected over disciplined Sunday doesn't need to be a day you dread because you have to prepare for war with a strong-willed child too often punishment in those context is out of revenge because they embarrassed you instead of you correcting them out of love bombs and that we don't correct our children out of revenge because they embarrassed us. We correct them for them because we love them and want them to glorify God. Number five, the fifth reason why we encourage using the nursery into a child can listen with understanding because it could help with child idolatry. The pastor none of us struggle with child idolatry of just about half of you to do so could I leaving your child in the care of loving adults who are praying for them singing to them reading the Scriptures for them, teaching them at their level. The best they can, so that you mom and dad, but time probably mom so that you and others can hear the preaching of the word without hindrances made do you some good if your helicopter mom it might be some good to face that fear and discover they made it through it and I wasn't there for an hour and 1/2 so I'm fussing at you a little bit. Yes I am.

Some of you need to pull back your to overprotective your to guarding to mothering, so this might be a place God would help you to understand you've made the child and idle sure you love them with all your sure you give your life for them.

I would mind and my grandchildren but I better not see them in here with. I can be in children's church or nursery number six deadlock in the sermon.

Okay, we are on number six. I don't preach it very often but everything 15 years know the reason why we encourage using the nursery into your children are to the ageless with understanding is because the major purpose of the worship service is not teaching a child to sit still and listen. This isn't the place to discipline your child that's other places that it can be a place of mental me just recently I did get up and go to talk to her sent by one of my I think this like a middle out a middle school child because they were acting right in the service that you didn't bother me. I'm glad you did that. That may happen from time to time you got a real little woman. There is going happen. I a lot of the time you write it. That's not the place for training my child about sitting steel and being quite if you regularly disrupt the service of those around you to discipline or correct your child then you an effect of putting your child in their training over the congregations need to hear the word think about that with her precious in their special obstruct the peaceable some of those other 50 precious and special to the public courses worship hour is not the place to train your child is the place for all to listen and understand the preaching of the word. Number 773 July. We encourage you to use the nursery for your children because it isn't good for our children to associate church with discipline and correction that's in Southpoint, you've heard those stories many times child in this and that father taken them up in doing this and that that happened to my wife and she was a little girl she decided Ms. Pam decided she would make an empire out of the hymn books one Sunday morning she pile them up behind she sat on top of them and Clifford went and apprehended her and I left the service and she never piled hymn books up again. While I don't know if they'd ever heard a sermon like this, but that does happen if it happens, do what you gotta do okay and I didn't grow up really in church when church is a small child and we were out of church for years and I remember when I was converted in first started attending First Baptist Church of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee Charles Owens Dinkins was the pastor.

I learned the doctrines of grace under Charles Owens Dinkins, a Southern Baptist pastor also learned something else. You better not get up and move while he's preaching. I may loose that no one morning enough little fella got up and got about halfway them.

He sits on stop right there where you going to the bathroom. The wall was not do it again.

Both a lot of full bladder's threats to the leaks in that church.

Well, you just gotta have a little than ever now and then not haven't done that in a long long long time and I don't plan to do it. I might try not to prove something. This shouldn't be the place your children associate with.

This is where I get corrected and Pinkston threatened all the time is not one or two to think about the worship service number eight reason why we encourage parents to use the nursery until their children can listen with understanding because it helps parents to hear the word with the light with discipline and delight in here you are, you thought was sin and Satan yourself all week moms and dads you need to hear the preaching the word.

And there's so many avenues so many avenues for the world the flesh and the devil to attack a new mother new mother's just constantly feel like failures, their hormones are all over the place.

They're tired of struggling with child idolatry. They need to hear God's word preached Satan would love to set you up with that precious baby that your that's really what needs your attention know you need an hour and have to have hours a week.

The preaching of the word of God. New mother's need the unhindered preaching of the word, possibly more than any other segment of the church because you're being attacked in so many ways. In that season of your life. Number nine not reason we encourage parents to use the nursery into the children can listen with understanding because it helps to remove the temptation to listen carelessly, not carefully carelessly to the preaching of the word.

One lady told me a few years ago. She said pastor when my children are with me.

I hear maybe one third of what you say maybe one third of what you say how easy it is to cuddle a precious baby and neglect to listen with sobriety and attended to preaching of the word that seems okay then, but it's a precious pain.

Pete, yes, but that baby is not important you hearing the word of God.

It is just an hour and 1/2. Number 10. I got 15 butter going pretty fast. The 10th reason why we encourage you to put your children in the nursery until calculus with understanding is because a sweet precious sleeping beautiful child is a sweet precious sleeping beautiful child. There's no way I could sit on the pew look in front of me on the next few and see a sweet precious sleeping beautiful child and not get my attention and here's what I'll be doing. I just am addicted to seeing a baby's smile. I can't help it is worse than cocaine in a beautiful, sweet, precious child is just going to get attention that goes back to why Paul taught ladies about modesty in the church we could you draw attention mess not with teaching the need be on you ladies. This bill preaching the word as well.

But Tom goes to great links with our fingers in our choir that there's nothing close to inappropriate or sensuous because that draws attention away from what were about number 11 reason why we encourage you to use the nursery till childless with understanding because it does not limit the role of parents in the last of their children. I find no evidence that children who stated nursery modules adjust poorly to worship service or for life in general. I my I've never heard someone say you know their children. They grew up in their rebels. They don't love God, they put them in the nursery I told you that would happen.

You never heard that is not true in balance with that are adding to that number 12 respect with reason why we encourage you to use the nursery to your children reach the age of understanding because hundreds of adults sitting around you stayed in the nursery. They treasure Christ. It didn't affect them for Jesus.

In fact, being a parent of young children and being able to listen to the word without the distraction of your child will make you a better parent ended up making them better children.

Number 13.

The 13th reason why we encourage you to use the nursery church into your children can listen with understanding is because one child with a tummy ache and disrupt the congregation of the thousand so you have a small church a 75 200 people and you have one or two small children will disrupt the service up to three weeks for a large church like ours approaching a thousand times thousand sometimes attended you probably would have 30 small children. If you had no nursery and they will disrupt the service to the three times every service then admit I have a pretty amazing comp concentration. People come to me and tell me about things that happened and I don't remember them because I'm very wrapped up in what I'm doing, but it can happen. And it does happen 14th reason why we encourage you to use the nursery into your children reach the age of understanding is because we love your children, and deeply care for their soul.

In other words, we are very intentional in our children's ministry very intentional that from the tiniest bit babies up that we are surrounding them with the truth of the word of God and we use the utmost safety protocols.

We have almost 100 cameras in our children's build 100 cameras we see almost every inch of every room all the time protocols about changing diapers protocols not going to the restroom to make sure there's always more than once a safety is utmost you think I put my children and therefore thought there was any thought of something happening God for bid. I guess it can happen, but we're doing everything it can be done to love and care for your children. 1/15 reason why we encourage you to use the nursery to your child reaches the age of understanding because we are constantly doubling our efforts to make every effort to make sure nursery is excellent in every way. I always tell the nursery people spend the money get the best get the newest do the best we won't have the very best for our babies in our nursery artless shift gears that there could be many more blueshift years go to the other side of the coin. This is what you been waiting for why you must take your turn serving in the nursery is a little you must take your turn serving in the nursery 15 points not only got to because of these two don't work your unhelpful gun. These two don't work and I A Christian duty requires. As Christians we have duties with responsibilities. Now I know a lot of evangelists and preachers teach you that getting say get you out a hail Helen gives you your best life now when they left out a whole bunch like peering across by praising the Lord when people persecute you and sell sorts of evil against you and your duties to your local church family just a couple of text here.

Galatians 6335 or for anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself brother sister you unintentionally maybe thinking your something.

You don't have to do your turn. Somehow it didn't apply to you.

Donnie beams Flavius Christianity is not where you go to church. Christianity is a church you belong to you belong that if your family and there's duties in the family and nobody's exempted out of a hat hat worked in your home, but in my home growing up. All of us children have duties and responsibilities, and there was never a dialogue about it. My mama was a monotheistic cognition say it was one way is a reason why my teenage friends, mother, Sgt. Geraldine, but I learned to do things I didn't want to do I learn to do things I didn't like to do I learn to do things when I didn't want to do them and we have duties of chart were not special you and thinks he something when he's nothing, he deceives them, but each one must examine his own work and then you have reason for both to regard himself alone and not in Roger nothing. I know this is that the primary application of the text with the principal does apply. Verse five for each one will bear his own load in the local church in the Galatia region.

Paul was saying you churches, make sure all the members bear their own load there. Your responsibility, my goodness, saying these young moms and dads who need all the help we can give them be able to sit and hear the preaching of God's word, which is the hub of the wheel of all were about as Christians in the church sing able to hear the preaching of the word make me take an hour and half out of our schedule every three months to let their precious babies for the cats worth it.

That's a beauty that's worth it. You should join think about that mom I don't want to over dramatize this thing.

But preaching the word may prevent a broken home for that precious baby thousand one of the things which a duty Christian duty includes and requires it. Second Thessalonians 310 through 15 for even when we were with you, we used to give you this order if anyone will not not willing to work than is not to eat either egg in the main application is this is community of believers and their helping each other and summer get lazy and not doing their part. Verse 11 we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies of such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ work in a quite freshly thrown bread this for you brother do not grow weary of doing good but he was not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him so he may be put to shame. Do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. He said if somebody is not to do their duties in the church do their part of the load and separate them out and put them to shame investors discipline not not advocating that will start church discipline.

If you miss your tour in the nursery, but we might all to watch this duty.

That's optional. Some of encourage faster woman will start Sunday night back when I get enough nursery workers so that the same 568 ladies are doing over and over and over and over and over again that you're not. You're not mean rebellious, ugly papers, not will be meetings called together in the next week to this is what you think a text message. We don't do that here, Christian duty required. Secondly, this is the crown jewel of it all.

Christian love requires it.

It's not because it's my duty is not because it's my responsibility.

That's true love trumps them all. Love these people love these babies own have the best mom and that they can have one of the least things I can do is make sure those moms and dads here the preaching of the word without distraction. Jesus said in John 1335 by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you have a love for one another.

That's not love for the world know that love grows when your Christian. I don't mean the world into the one I mean the people in the world. It's a specific covenant devoted life sacrificing love for the church. My local church family.

First John 316 for we know love about this, that he lay down his life for us and we don't lay down our lives for the brethren will nobody has been ask at this point to give your very physical life for your church family. You might be that you have so far who do not give an hour and 1/2 to keep that baby love that parent that might become hear the word of God preached a distraction Christian love requires it. Now look there's always exceptions for not taken child of the nursery. I understand that peers will not ask you to sit toward the back and sit on the house of the child gets unruly. You can go right out the doors listen to the service out there was will judge you for that hope most of you don't decide to do that, but that's where you are not a second-class citizen. We love you and thank God for you, but we should not allow the child to repeatedly take over a worship service with the preaching of the word is going forth. So there may be, except and then those keeping the nursery.

Those taking their turn in the nursery. You may have a physical reason you can't do that. Just tell us we respect that were not legalistic about this.

You may have an emotional reason or people in times of their life that are mostly they just can't handle it.

We understand that that be kept confidential.

Just tell us that, but for the great majority of us. We need to do like the model of Nehemiah chapter 8 so reference. So note the hot honor the critical nature of the worship service in the preaching the word that we do with a dead and don't bring into the service.

Those who are not yet able to listen with understanding. So let's go. Don't gird up our loins in the biblical sense and let's get our names back on the nursery list and let's take our tour of duty in the nursery for the good of the church and for the glory of God