God's Heart for Children

Here are my sermon notes from this past Sunday. I hope it causes you to thimk!

I. Introduction:


• Today as we are gathered, churches all over the nation are focused on children.

• This is Sanctity of Life Sunday.

• It is a day when we express our opposition to the world’s view.

• We believe that children are created in the image of their maker from the moment of conception.

• Abortion is rampant and those who dare to stand against this horrible practice are hated.

• Our nation grants women the freedom of choice, but few think that the innocent life within her has no choice.

• This morning I declare to you that God loves children.

• He died on the cross for them just as he did for you and me.

• He loves them and cares for them.

• My title this morning is, “God’s Heart for Children”

• I want us to look at how God views children.

• Prayer

II. He Plans:

• Jere. 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

III. He Parents:

• Psalm 68:5-6 “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.”

IV. He Provides:

• Deut. 24:19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.”

V. He Protects:

• Deut. 10:18 “He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.”

VI. He Pursues:

• Eph. 1:3-5 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

VII. Conclusion:

• Our God plans, parents, provides, protects, and pursues children.

• Why, because He loves His children.

• He loves them with an unending love.

• He cries with the child in Africa who has no food.

• He hurts with the child that hides in the dark because he is afraid of being hit again.

• He hears the prayers of the orphan begging Him for a family.

• He sees the innocent child that had no chance at life because of a mother’s choice.

• He bears their burdens.

• He heals their hearts.

• He comforts them in times of distress.

• God does not stop there.

• He calls us to do the same.

• James 1:27 “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you”

• Listen to the Father’s heart this morning.

• It is a heart filled with love and compassion.

• Children around the world are hurting.

• Gov. Mike Huckabee describes being pro-life as not only defending the unborn, but improving life after birth for all children.

• Along these line the Assemblies of God Foreign Missions Dept. has proclaimed 2011 the Year of the Child with the theme, no child without.

• God has called us to a greater purpose than ourselves.

• To this call we rise, to this call we answer, “God I will defend them!”
• Prayer for God to:

o Forgive us of our sins against children.

o Raise up workers for children around the world.

o Give us a heart of compassion and love for kids.

o Use us to touch their lives.

Mission 1:27 E-Touch

Dear Friends and Family,


All around the world children are hungry and hurting. Millions walk the streets begging for their next meal. With no shoes, no clean clothes, they walk; sleeping wherever they can, in drainage ditches, sewers, and trash heaps.

Into this world of darkness and despair a light shines. Missionary workers seek to provide all that they can to help these little ones. Often it is not enough. For that reason my/our church has formed Mission 1:27. Our purpose is to help provide the needs of these kids. Current projects include: rice and beans, remodel work on buildings, a security wall, small prizes, shoes and uniforms, school tuition, and many more.

Please join me in supporting their E-Touch campaign. Help touch the lives of these kids around the world. From Haiti to the Philippines, from Europe to Africa, these kids are desperately in need.

You can give a donation of any amount by going to www.mission127.com. There is a PayPal Donation link there or if you would prefer send a donation to: Mission 1:27, PO Box 99086, Louisville, KY 40269. All donations are tax deductible.

Please help us make E-Touch a great success. There is over $10,000 in projects waiting. Please forward this to anyone that might be willing to help.

Mission 1:27 is also an adoption advocate. They would be happy to answer any questions you might have about adoption. Email them at: info@mission127.com

For His Children,

Darren

Walmart

Your mom and I have always been Walmart shoppers. Not for everything, but usually for groceries. Saturday night they sponsored a wonderful movie, "A Change of Plans". The purpose was to bring focus to the need of adoption and foster care. It was a wonderful, heartwarming movie. It painted the challenges and the success with equal honesty. After the movie Walmart sponsored a live forum for answering questions and information.

No matter what issues others have with Walmart, we are now life long loyal customers. Thank you Walmart for bring light to this topic. I hope many children will find families because of your efforts.

Our process continues to move forward...although slowly. We are excited to find a few children on the waiting kids list that might fit the with the family. We are praying that you will be the perfect child for us.

Love,
Daddy

God You Are Awesome!

This week we will go through the final of three interviews for our homestudy. It will be great to have one more thing checked off the list. At this meeting we will owe our first large sum of money. Sunday we were short around $400-$500. Sunday night we received a check for $550. God is so faithful to us. Each time He performs a little miracle it just reinforces that we are doing the right thing. We know God has a great plan for your life. That plan, in God's wisdom and timing, includes us.

All during the Christmas break your sister and brother begged us to buy a stocking for you. Well after Christmas we purchased the first item that will be yours. You now have a moose stocking and holder. Whether you are with us by next Christmas or not, we will hang your stocking with the rest of the families.

We pray for you everyday and hope that your arrival will come sooner rather than later.

Love,
Daddy