What are parents’ responsibilities to their children?

Sermon Topic Sunday, April 28, 2013 Elder Dennis Trudgen

Dennis started out with a bit of a tangent on the Boston Marathon bombers. A preacher had stated that he was so angry that he could have killed those boys, but then thought “Matthew 7:1; judge not … who am i to judge?” Well … if we are not to judge, then why put the surviving one on trial? Why put anyone on trial? Why have laws? Why not just empty the jails, if we are never to judge? (those two words, “judge not”, are only a tiny piece of two full verses spoken by the Lord, showing the danger in picking bits of Scripture out and discarding the rest … as the speakers at Radio Bible Class have put it, “a text, taken out of context, can easily become a pretext” msl)
Dennis then picked up on the bombers’ parents, and the statements they have made … the father threatened more violence and attacks if the younger was killed, and the mother called her son “a true angel”. Is this how we are to raise our kids?
1 Nephi 1:1 … i, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore, i was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; … having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God ….
Mosiah 1:4-7 … King Benjamin understood the importance of his responsibility to teach his children
1 Nephi 1:173-174 … the records that Nephi and his brothers had recovered from Laban were of great worth to them, in preserving the commandments of the Lord to their children.
Ephesians 6:1-4 … Children are commanded to obey their parents, and honor them (Exodus 20:12). Parents are commanded to not provoke their children to wrath (Strong’s G3949, parorgizo, to enrage), but to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Colossians 3:21 … Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
3 Nephi 8:52-53 … (Jesus speaking to parents) Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my Name, that your wives and your children may be blessed (The blessing of one’s children goes back at least to Genesis 27, Isaac blessing his sons, and continues in Genesis 48 and 49 with Jacob blessing and prophesying over his sons and grandsons, and is a tradition practiced by Jews today, of great significance to them msl); and the command to the people of God to meet together often (see also Hebrews 10:25).
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (called the Shema, from the Hebrew word for “hear” msl) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is reiterated in the New Testament, and validated by Jesus as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:35-40, Luke 10:25-28)
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets … the so-called Golden Rule, which is commonly expressed as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” This also goes back to Old Testament times, and was taught by the leading rabbis, such as Rabbi Hillel.
Jacob 2:62-63 … Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; And also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon YOUR HEADS at the last day.
2 Nephi 3:10-12 … Lehi blessing his grandchildren thru Laman (and in v. 14-16, the children of Lemuel) … if ye are cursed, behold, i leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you, and be answered upon the heads of your parents (again, this illustrates how highly regarded among the Jews, is the father’s blessing). V.11 … for behold, i know that if ye are brought up in the right way that ye should go, ye will not depart from it … where did Lehi get this? From Proverbs 22:6.
Laman and Lemuel had a gread dad, but chose to fall away anyway. The children of Godly parents do not always choose the way of Godliness.
Other examples of Godly parents:
Alma Sr., a devout man of God, who came to faith from the witness of Abinadi … Mosiah 11:159ff, had a son named after him, who was “a very wicked and an idolatrous man”. The prayers of this devout and grieved father were answered though, and Alma Jr. was knocked down while on the road, and given a “talking to” by an angel.
Alma Jr., later in life, a devout man of God from the time of his “talking to” … Alma 19:1-5, had to deal with an erring son Corianton, who forsook the ministry and committed sin with a harlot.
Lois and Eunice … 2 Timothy 1:5 Eunice was Timothy’s Jewish mother, and Lois was his grandmother. 3:14-16 … Timothy was taught the Scriptures from childhood … Paul reminds him of God’s inspiration of the Scriptures and their importance for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction.
So what is our duty to our children when they have done wrong?
Luke 15, the prodigal son … the father ran to his son, and restored him to the family. He had to admonish his older son, who complained … let’s be glad, your brother was LOST, and now is FOUND; he was DEAD, and is now ALIVE. The emphasis in this passage, is REPENTANCE
(And an ungodly parent who refused to fulfill his responsibility to his sons: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:14; High Priest Eli and what happened to him and his sons msl)
2 Corinthians 7:10 … For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (See also Mormon 1:35-40 … the people sorrowed deeply for what was happening to them, but it was not Godly sorrow to repentance, but only the sorrow of the damned.)
Hebrews 12:5-10 … It’s not enjoyable when the Lord has to chasten us, but just as a loving human dad chastens his kids to teach them right and wrong, so God has to chasten His children when we do wrong … and in fact, if we are not chastened by God, we are not His children.
There is only SELF-LOVE in those who will not correct their children. Those who support their children who are guilty of hate crimes are full of hate themselves, and are the most vile of sinners.
Our duty as parents is to confront the sin and seek their repentance , as did the examples we have throughout the Scriptures.