======================================================================== PRESENTING YOUR CHILDREN UNTO GOD by Keith Malcomson ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon focuses on the dedication of two children, Zach and Yasmina, to the Lord, highlighting the importance of entrusting children to God's care. The passage from Luke chapter 2 is used to draw parallels between the dedication of Jesus by Mary and Joseph and the dedication of these children. The sermon emphasizes the significance of presenting children to God, the impact of surrounding them with spiritual influences, and the need for families to prioritize spiritual growth and wisdom in their children's lives. Topics: "Child Dedication", "Spiritual Growth in Families" Scripture References: Luke 2:21, Luke 2:25, 1 Corinthians 7:14, Luke 2:40, Proverbs 22:6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon focuses on the dedication of two children, Zach and Yasmina, to the Lord, highlighting the importance of entrusting children to God's care. The passage from Luke chapter 2 is used to draw parallels between the dedication of Jesus by Mary and Joseph and the dedication of these children. The sermon emphasizes the significance of presenting children to God, the impact of surrounding them with spiritual influences, and the need for families to prioritize spiritual growth and wisdom in their children's lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're going to go to the Word of God this morning. If you have your Bible, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 2 and verse 21. Luke chapter 2 and verse 21. We're going to read a few scriptures here. Luke chapter 2 and verse 21. My message here, before we do this baby dedication of Zach and Yasmina, before we entrust them into the hands of the Lord, we want to come to the Word of God and hear what God says concerning these things. Luke chapter 2 verse 21. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms and blessed him and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people. I like to liken the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Amen. Let's pray together as we come to God's word. Father, we thank you here this morning that we gather as a church, Lord God, as families, Lord God, to present these two children into your hands. We trust you, our God, in an hour like this when our world is in chaos with so many tragic things happening. Lord God, we realize that we can have safety and trust in these children, body, soul, mind and spirit into your hands. And so we bring Zach and Yasmina. Lord God, thank you for these two couples that are bringing them to present them in the house of God unto the Lord. Lord God, to commit them into your hands with faith that you'll watch over them all the days of their life. Lord God, we believe your promises. We believe in your provision. We believe that you're a mighty God. You're a God that cares. You're a God who loves. Lord God, you're a God who looks upon these little children. Lord God, you know them by name. You know every hair of their head. Lord God, you watched them in the womb even as their very limbs were being formed. You're a great God. You're a caring God. You're a loving God. You're a kind God. And we worship you and we adore you and we bow the knee. And oh God, we pray unitedly even this morning that you'd hear our prayers, that you'd see our hearts. And Lord God, that you'd do a work in these two children's life in keeping your hand upon them. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Bless your word to us this morning. In Jesus' name. Amen. My message, and this is it, presenting your children to God. Here this morning, we're not coming to sprinkle or to christen or to baptize. We're actually coming to take these children and dedicate them to the Lord. We're going to do this with baby Zach Levi McNamara. He was born on the 23rd of May at about 8 a.m. in the morning. Ask mommy, she'll tell you. She was there. And at a very early stage, had a fight for his very life. You remember how he was in hospital. We went in and out, prayed with him, praying for him very intensely. That's enough to worry a mother and father's heart. As that baby, and what the doctors say, we care about them so, so tender. So fragile. At that point, you realize how tender life is. Then just weeks later, on the 17th of June, Yasmina, Bint, Sophie, and Talali came into this world as well. I don't know the time. Do you know the time? See, they have to think about it. Some things you ought not to forget. Came into this world, and again, a rage and fight. Both of these children in the hospitals at the same time, fighting for their life, the tenderness of that precious life. We were praying for both children. The doctors at times, and we know that in this hour, the doctors aren't going to lightly speak about that. They were deeply concerned about both children during those weeks. We as a church were, but more so these parents were. We are praying that God's hand, God's will would be done in their lives. Thank God they're both here. We're dedicating them to the Lord, coming to give thanks to God that he does answer prayer, and that there is a place of safety with him. If I ask you this morning, what's the greatest loss of life in Limerick, Ireland, and our world? What would you say? On the stats of Ireland, they say number one death in Ireland is due to cancer. 30% die from cancer. That's what the stats say, or certain stats. You may look at all the stats of the world and nations, and you'll say number one is heart disease. Number two is cancer. They say nowadays, number three is COVID. Others say terrorism comes next on the list, and then accidents after that. Within accidents, they talk about those that die in earthquakes, or volcanoes are drowning, or car accidents, or fires, or some other means of tragic accident. Many people die by these means, but that isn't the number one death or cause of death in our world. In fact, all these are minor in comparison to what I'm just about to tell you. Do you realize every single year, 73 million deaths are induced by choice through abortions across our world. It is the number one killer of humanity in our world. When you go to the next biggest killers, you're talking about 200,000, or sorry, 2 million, dying from various things across our world, but nothing compares with 75 million dying every year through a deliberate act and choice of the will. Not accidents, not miscarriage, but a deliberate choice. That's about 200,000 each day. Do you know what that would be like doing? That would be like in one day, blotting out the entire population of Great Britain, or the entire population of France, or almost the entire population of Germany. China has about 1.4 billion people in our world, the first or second biggest country in the world population-wise. It would take 19 years through abortion to wipe out the entire population of China. If you parallel this, it is the number one killer. Do you know what country aborts more babies every year, or has the highest stat per thousand heads of abortion in the world? It is Vietnam. Abortion is rife. Not wanting those children. So I could go on with stats and facts and figures. Not even war. War is tragic. War is looming all around us. It's on your screens. Yet do you realise there's only half a million people dying every year in war? But again, 73 million die in the womb. Do you know what that means? I'm giving you facts so you understand this and you realise this. Do you realise the most dangerous place in the entire world for humans, for humanity, is not on the high street, not on the battlefield, but in the womb of a mother. It is the most dangerous place on the entire planet. A conceived babe is under more risk of deliberate death than at any other single stage in its entire life once it's born. I've just told you about the most dangerous place. Let me tell you about the most safe place. And that's my message. Presenting your children to God. I'm utterly convinced the safest place for a child is entrusting them, by faith, with a sincere heart into the hands of God. There's nowhere safer. You could wrap that child in cotton wool and it will not be safer than being entrusted into the hands of God. Let me take you to these verses that we've read this morning and point some things out from Luke chapter 2 here concerning presenting your children to God. Number one, I want you to look at this family that went up to Jerusalem, Mary, Joseph, and they went up to Jerusalem to present this newborn babe unto the Lord, unto God. And I want to point out five different things about this family. This was a family unit. A father, a mother, a child. And I want to point five things out because I believe they were absolutely in the safest place they could. And they were doing the safest thing with that child. Do you remember what happened in these days with Herod? There was a tyrant in the land. Do you remember he gave a commission out of fear and superstition over losing his throne and over prophecies that were communicated by wise men from the east that he sent soldiers into a little town to massacre the children? It's a fact of history. I tell you there were dangers and there's always dangers in life. But I want to exhort you as two couples, as two families, fathers, mothers, today you're doing the greatest thing of all is to entrust them with sincerity with real faith, not out of religion or tradition or some moral thing, but with a real awareness there's a God in heaven. This is real. Let me point these five things out about this little family in this hour. Number one, it was a covenant family. It was a covenant family. It says there in Luke chapter 221, and when eight days were accomplished for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which is so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Eight days. They took him up to Jerusalem on the eighth day to have him circumcised. What's my point? A covenant family. This little family was a covenant family. Why were they getting their child circumcised? That was the ritual of removing the foreskin on the eighth day. Isn't that amazing? It took all the millennia, not until about 1945 that scientists and medical science discovered the eighth day is the pristine time in the life of a baby, that hour, that time when blood congeals. Isn't it amazing that God would know that thousands of years ago and communicate it to a shepherd in the desert to a man called Moses when even the great doctors of Pharaoh's palace didn't know that. But that man in the wilderness knew that. You see, this was a little covenant family. It said in the Old Testament in the law of Moses in Leviticus 12 verse 3 that a child in the eighth day of the flesh of the foreskin shall be circumcised. Do you know what that circumcision, it was an outward mark that this was a covenant child. In other words, those parents were saying we want this child to be identified with a covenant made with God. It's a covenant child. We're a covenant family. What is a covenant? In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with Abraham a binding agreement with a man. Can you imagine God doing that? The God who created all things, created man who's almighty, knows all things, knows every thought in every mind in this room right now and every single person of eight billion people in the world. Every thought, every issue of the heart, he knows it all. That is the real God of the Bible. No one created him. He had no origin. He is caring. He is almighty. He is power. When he created things, he created them perfectly at the beginning. Why sin? Why sickness? Why disease? Why heartbreak? If there's a God, why? Because man rejected it. You know what the Bible says? In the beginning, God created all things good. Point at something that's evil that offends you, that trips you up, that's bad for humanity and yet God gave his law. Man rejects it and says, I want all the good things but I reject your law. Why don't you bless me? If anything bad goes wrong, say, where are you God? Lots of good things happen, you don't say thank you Lord. Aren't we so inconsistent? We're looking for things. When they brought this child up to Jerusalem and said, I want you to be in covenant with Abraham, that men can be in relationship with God through a binding agreement. In other words, God makes commitments. He says, if you will, I will. I want you to be in relationship with me, to walk with me as a friend and I will bless you. That's a promise for each one of us here that God wants you in a covenant relationship with him and these are two covenant families. They're certainly not circumcised in here today and I want to tell you that but this is an outward testimony of the covenant. Do you know for us now in the New Testament, in the church for these children, as they dedicate their children to Christ, do you know what they're looking for? It's an inward spiritual circumcision of the heart. In the Old Testament, it's an outward type of something. Physical outward things mean nothing religiously. They're dead. They always represent something very powerful, very spiritual and this was meant to represent that that child will one day believe on the Lord. In other words, that child, what's happening in its body outwardly in circumcision is going to happen in its inward heart. You see, your problem and my problem is flesh. The eye, that's flesh. The Bible talks about it. Pride, arrogance, unforgiveness, selfishness. You be in the center of your world. All problems come out of that. Only putting yourself first, that is flesh and the Bible speaks about this circumcision of the heart. Being in a covenant relationship with God where he circumcises your heart spiritually inside of you. So when they brought this child up, it was the custom in Israel that they were saying we want our child not only to be circumcised outwardly with the mark of the covenant, we want him to be circumcised inwardly and isn't it remarkable that what God gave to Israel, all the eating regulations, sorry to tell you guys, but see for the Jew, pork was forbidden. You know why? It's bad for your body. No one can argue with me it's bad for your body. You might like it, I like my ham sandwich okay. I'm sticking with my ham sandwich. But you've got regulations, wash and run on water, that's in our Bible. You've got all of the regulations, health regulations, they have never in the 21st century been improved upon. They are dynamic and one of them was circumcision for cleanliness. This was put within scripture. This was put in the bible. And that his name be called Jesus which was soon named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. There's only several men named before conception in the entire bible. There's Isaac, there's Ishmael, Cyrus the Great of history was named 150 years before he was born. And in fact in the prophecy it was given what he would do, how he would reign, commands he would give, and then it played out in history. It's utterly remarkable when you begin to look at these things. The name of Moses was also given, and Solomon, Josiah, and last of all, is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The angel gave him the name before he was conceived in the womb. People argue whether you're a real human in the womb. I know that you're a real human in the womb. Just look at the videos of the attempts of abortion, and you'll see a baby in the womb fight for its life. Don't tell me it doesn't have life, or it doesn't have thinking or feeling. It does. Right in the womb, at conception, there is life. But look at this. God actually knows this person before conception. God knows you before you're conceived in the womb. He knows all things. He knows everything. He knows you even before you're formed, even before you're conceived in your mother's womb. And so this name, Jesus, was given to him. Isn't it amazing in this covenant family, in this Abrahamic covenant, do you know what the covenant with Abraham was? It says, I will bless every family in the earth through a child that you're gonna have, Abraham. He was an old man, and he didn't have any children. His wife was barren, her womb was closed. They didn't have any children. And God moved upon them, they had one child. And now, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, all look back to Abraham as the father of the faith. That's quite an achievement. That's most of the world's population acknowledges this man, Abraham, as the father of the faith. He has impacted our world. But here's what's amazing. When Christ, on the eighth day, was being circumcised in the temple, on that eighth day, as the sign of the covenant, his blood was being shed for the first time. In this Abrahamic covenant, we know it was prophesied that one would come and die and shed his blood for sinners. On this eighth day, as this was happening, God is looking out and saying, this child is gonna shed his blood for all sinners, every family of the earth. There's a plan in this. You see, I believe God has a plan in families. He cares about families. Look how delicate they are, these little children. How delicate, father, mother, dwelling together. How insignificant. Who would pay attention to you bunch, you two families? You're not shaking the world, are you? They're not writing books on you, are they? And yet there's a God in heaven, says, I take note of you. My covenant is with you, and I have a plan. That's the first thing, a covenant family. The second thing, a holy family. It says in verse 22, and when the days of her, Mary's purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The word law is mentioned all through these verses. Several times, everything they'd done was according to the word of the Lord, the scriptures, the Bible, what God had said. There's not only a covenant family, it is a holy family. Joseph, Mary have such a heart that they say, see with this little child, we want everything around them to be according to the Bible, the word of God. We believe this is God's wisdom, God's counsel, God's advice. It gives the very best care. If you obey this word concerning your children, you will have very blessed children, I wanna tell you. These children, some of you would covet their position. This Bible's saying how you're to treat your children, how you're to raise your children, that you're to love your children, that you're to care for them, that you're to watch over them, that you're to guide them, that you're to be an example unto them. Remember where it says, father, fathers don't provoke your children to wrath. What wisdom. All of this is in the Bible. And so we see there a holy family. It was on the 40th day after her purification that she came up to present her child, to dedicate him unto the Lord. It says when it was accomplished or when it had been fulfilled, she was living her life, ordering her days in line with the Bible, with the word of God. Do you see what it says? They brought up the child. You could send a child to Sunday school. You know, I seen that era in the church where parents didn't go to church, they sent their children to church, to Sunday school, to kids clubs, and went, it's good for them, but I'm not going. I'll just send them because it's a good influence on them. It'll give them a bit of morality. But they didn't do that. They brought their children to the house of God. That means to lead them. It's taken actual responsibility for them. Anyone can send. You could tell your children, do this. And as having been one, I want to tell you, a kid, no matter how young, are very sharp. They will know when you say, and don't do. Every time you say, do that, that kid will either go in his mind, you're not doing it, or you're doing it. You're asking me to do what you live, or you're asking me to do what you don't even believe yourself. You know, I've seen parents, I won't name any. I've seen parents, some in my family, they were rogues as kids, and then they give it to their kids. And I go, I've seen how you dealt with your dad, kicked against him, and then you tell off your kids. Wonder how much of a mind change has been there. This was a holy family. Do you know what saturated Joseph and Mary? They loved the word of God. They obeyed the word of God. They wanted this little family, this child's life, to be protected by the word of God. And so they brought him up to Jerusalem to dedicate him to the Lord. That's a distance of about 75 miles. It would take about three days walking down through those dusty roads to get there. What are they doing? We're bringing our child to go to the house of God in Jerusalem to present them to the Lord. It wasn't a dead ritual. It wasn't a tradition. They actually, this is a part of their life. They're a holy family. What is holiness? Holiness isn't a look or a statement. It's obedience to the word of God. If you don't obey the word of God, you're not holy this morning. And it says that they came to present him to the Lord. This word present is where we get baby dedication from, presenting them to the Lord. This is what it means. It means to stand beside them and to offer up as a sacrifice or a dedication unto the Lord. Of course, you're gonna raise them. You're taking them home. Don't leave them with me. I once told you about one man up in the north, a reverend, a minister, and he was preaching. And there was a lady there had a bountiful supply of children. One day she turned up at the door with this little child saying, I've got nothing to give to the Lord. So I'm giving my youngest newborn babe to you. Please never ever do anything the like of that. It won't be tolerated. Do you know what? You're taking your babes home. You're gonna raise them. You're gonna change the nappies. We're still working on inducing Ian on this task, but we're gonna keep at it. You are gonna raise them, but here you're presenting, you're dedicating them to the Lord. You actually so believe, you're saying, Lord, they're not mine. I'm only entrusted with them. You birthed that child. You watched over it in the womb. You knew this child. You've given this child to us. We are being entrusted with it for a short period of time. That is holiness. You know, guys, your wives are not yours. They're given to you for a short time to look after, and you'll be accountable. Wives, your husbands aren't yours. They don't belong to you. You don't just treat them anyway. God has allowed you to have them as a blessing for a short time, and you will be held accountable. When you become aware that a family under God, obeying Him, being blessed by Him is a wonderful thing, and who doesn't fall short in some aspect or at some point? We all do, but I'm telling you God's best. Here you come and you present your child to the Lord. You're saying, Lord, I believe in you. We're gonna raise him, but he's yours. She is yours. She belongs to you. You have given them for a time. We are entrusted with their care, their responsibility for a very short period of time, and then it's over. It says in 1 Corinthians 7, 14, concerning a unsaved person being married to a saved person for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else were the children unclean, but nor are they holy. Do you know what he's teaching? In a marriage, you can have one person who's saved, born again, knows Jesus, and the other isn't, and yet it says here that person is sanctified and the child is holy. What does that mean? Because if they're unsaved, they can't be holy. This word holy also means to be set apart to a special dealing with God. You can have a saved person, an unsaved person together raising up children, and the apostle says those children are set apart to a special work of God. He notes them. He sees them. Even in a marriage like that. Third of all, a financially poor family. You may be shocked to know that this little family, the most renowned family in the entire world that's impacted nations, generations, the greatest of leaders in our world, this little family, the books have been written about, films, major movies. Nations have established their law on his commandments, and yet when we look at these few verses here, we say they were a financially poor family. If you only measure richness by your house, your possessions, and your bank, you don't have a clue about a satisfied heart because in this city, you can have people, they have got finance without limits. Some people just plug into social services and just keep going. They live like there's no limit to it. They'll never satisfy. House will never satisfy. Possessions, money. Look at this little family, financially poor family. Verse 23, as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle dove and two young pigeons. Do you know what Joseph and Mary done? They were obeying the law of God. When they came up to dedicate them to the Lord, you had to bring a sacrifice. You're saying, Lord, he is yours. She is yours. This child belongs to you. We want your blessing on this child. But you brought a sacrifice up, a redemption sacrifice. Do you know what it says about Mary and Joseph? They brought up two turtle doves. Notice this carefully for a moment. Two turtle doves. Let's read the law a bit more carefully. Leviticus 12, verse six. What did the word of God actually say? You shall bring a lamb of the first year. That's what it says. First, if you're gonna dedicate your son, bring a lamb. Why did they bring two turtle doves? Well, it goes on to say this. And the young pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering, if you can afford a lamb. They couldn't afford a lamb. Joseph the carpenter in Nazareth couldn't afford a lamb. This child's a precious child. You know what your parents are like. You'll pour out on this child. You'll begin to buy things. You wanna care for them. They've gotta have their nappies. They've gotta have their feet. They've gotta have the care. They've gotta have their comfort. You don't care about money when you're thinking about this. This couple hadn't got the price of a lamb. A hard working, industrious couple. They couldn't afford to buy a lamb. So they went down a level. They bought two turtle doves and they brought them. Do you know what that tells me? They have financial issues, financial pressures, financial restrictions, but never mark family life by money. The quality of your family life does not depend on money or house or size or possessions. You will wreck your marriage. You will destroy your kids. Do you know having plenty to give to kids could damage those kids? You could give them everything. Have you noticed kids in this generation? I used to be happy with a box. My mom would leave me, come back. I played with this cardboard box for four hours. It was better than the presents. Just set the present aside. Give me the cardboard box. I'm occupied all day. Try and buy any kid a present they're satisfied with today. Do you know why? They have everything. Parents give everything. There's no restriction, no limit. They just get what they want. No, let me give you the other side. Kids demand. I want. I was taught in that generation. I don't ever once remember being a shoves in. I want that. Not once. That isn't because I wasn't equally good. It was because it was taught a certain way. In fact, that generation were taught, don't ask. You ask, you don't get. Now we give everything. We've got a whole generation in Limerick. They're throwing their lives away. There's no point to live. I don't see any reason to live. 16 year old, 17, 20. I know what I'm talking about. I've had to talk to you enough. And they're going, I don't see any point of life. I'm on drugs. I'm on medical drugs. I'm despairing of life. Life is useless, hopeless. What have we done to a generation? We give them everything and then they despise it. We've destroyed them. See this little family. They had this child taken up to Jerusalem. This child, they may not have had all the finance, but I want to tell you, they were presenting in their hands one of the most precious things. You can think a big house is so important, so nice. What about that little child in your arms? That little innocent child, that child can't even speak yet. Won't be long when you look at the others. Man, this comes in quick. This little child, you can't imagine the riches you've got, the joy, the expectation, what that child is going to become. That's more than all the wealth you can bestow upon it. Money means nothing, possessions, house. That child, the care and the good of that child is the most phenomenal, phenomenal thing. They lived in a little town called Nazareth. Remember Nazareth in the whole country was the most despised community. Just think of the worst house in the state in Limerick, please don't mention, but please think of the worst house in the state. And imagine Mary and Joseph there, and they don't have bountiful, but they've got a child growing in that home. They're pouring in. They're teaching the word of God. They're living the word of God. It's real. There's love in that home. There's joy in that home. There's peace in that home. There's everything that you could imagine. You know, there's homes that have plenty of money, but they don't have joy today. They don't have peace of heart. You could have everything as a parent, and you're not even satisfied with your life. It's a tragic thing. They're also a ridicule family, a scandal. How'd she get pregnant? Where's the dad? But you know what? That home was guarded by peace. Fourth of all, a surrounded family. I wanna encourage these two couples. There is a revelation of what a real home is. You need your perspective right in raising these kids. You need your mind right. You need to think the thoughts of God. You need to see things in perspective because your mind is being attacked and grabbed for. Media is all around you. You're getting hit. What's it like coming up to Christmas? You're getting hit all the time. Two months before the stick, the stupid lights up and begin to advertise Christmas is coming down the road. Every year, they're trying to get it a day earlier. Don't tell me they care about your happiness. They want your money. And so everything in life, you're getting bombarded by thoughts. You need to be careful what you listen to. You are being brainwashed unless you actively make a stand and say, what's important in life? What am I building my home on? And so a surrounded family, what do I mean by that? I mean the people these children are gonna be surrounded by in the house of God, people of God. Listen to what happened here in Luke 2, verse 27. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he, him up in his arms and blessed God. There was someone in God's house when they brought him in, they're coming in with him to present him to God. And there's a he, there's a man in there who takes him, lifts him up and blesses him. Who is he? Listen, it says in verse 25, and behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, a very old man, being here a long time in God's house, but he wasn't a dried up prune, wasn't angry or bitter, didn't have attitudes in the heart, wasn't grumpy. He's in there in the house of God. And this is what it says about him. The same man was just, just righteous. He was devout, he was religious, he was spiritual. Waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Ghost was upon him. The power of the Holy Ghost, this wasn't dead religion. There was a vibrancy in this old man. He is waiting, he's an old man. All these years he's read the Bible, read prophecies, knows what's gonna happen. One of these days the Messiah is coming. The Christ is gonna be born. He's not tired. And you know what? He's there waiting for this child. He's expecting the power of the Holy Spirit is upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he should see the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. Look at this old man in God's house. The power of the Holy Spirit's upon him. He is being led every time he comes into God's house by the real Holy Ghost. And the Holy Spirit's revealing things to him that are gonna happen. He was a man who knew God. He walked with God. And so this man is in the house of God. They bring him up to the house of God. You know what Jesus is gonna encounter at this dedication? The man who's gonna hold him and dedicate him to the Lord is a man who knows God, knows God's word, knows the times, knows the seasons, understands prophecy, is being led that morning, that day, at that time by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is real. And you know what he's gonna do? He's gonna prophesy over that child. He's gonna tell them things that nobody knows. You see, that's why I mean it's a surrounded family. You know what you want? You want a surrounded family. See, as families, as couples, you want people that can impact your children. They're gonna warn them of things that will destroy them and mess them up. You want that, I wanna assure you. You want people that can touch the life of your children by showing love. You know, Ian and Eve's kids there kinda so loved him. I think she touched the hearts of those kids. I think so. She loved them. No one in here can die. She loved them. There was a woman of God in here, watched over them every single week, teaching them the things of God, talking to them personally, loving them, caring them. That's real. That's real. That's genuine. You don't get that everywhere. But where God is, you get that. It's very real. A surrounded family. Here in this passage, there's another older lady. The end of her day, lost her husband years ago. So she spends a lot of time in God's house, praying, seeking God. She's in there and she begins to bless him as well. Look at this old man lifting this child and he blesses this child. And he begins to prophesy, this child is gonna be a light to light in the Gentiles. It's a little Jewish family living in Nazareth. It doesn't have a lot of money, who aren't gonna go very far, never leave the country after this. Do you know what? It's an extraordinary thing. Here's a man of God prophesying, this very child is gonna be a light to the entire Gentile world. That's remarkable. That's astounding. Then he prophesies to the parents, Mary, this child's gonna bring a sword to your heart. Not only blessings, there's gonna be hard things. I'll tell you about this child. Many in Israel are gonna fall and stumble over him and many are gonna rise up out of the pit. See, we're not baptizing these children today. I look across this room and think of those, just what's happened in our midst over the past several months. There's people sitting here, saved out of suicide, other addiction to alcohol, addiction to drugs and selling drugs. All in the past months, sitting here right now and online as well. Absolutely changed. They are gonna get baptized in water over the next months. We're gonna have a baptismal service. You know what it says? It says, believe, repent, then be baptized in water. But do you know what we're doing with these children? We're bringing them into the house of God to dedicate them. They are surrounded by an atmosphere of people who were there, did that, were out there, ruined their lives, but they had a transformation of Jesus Christ. They found forgiveness, restoration. I just wanna smile when I look at some of your lives because I know the story of restoration within weeks. It's supernatural. You can go to rehab, you can go through all sorts of courses and you're still addicted and you have one experience of Christ and you're changed never to be the same again. Let me finish with this last point, a maturing family. Jesus was dedicated by his parents, Joseph and Mary to the Lord, entrusted. The next time he's in the temple, listen to what it says, Luke chapter two, verse 40. And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, a maturing family, a growing family. This is the last mark I'm leaving with you for your families. Oh, that these two families would be growing families, that these two children will grow. Listen to what it says. And the child grew, it's talking about his physical growth. You feed, you grow, you care, change nappies, wake up in the middle of the night. There's the mundaneness of this. Of course, the husband always jumps out of bed at two o'clock in the morning to go first to the child. I just know that's true. The child grows, this child's growing. There's this mundaneness, not much happens, but that child's growing, begins to speak, begins to think, begins to learn. There is a growth. What you're doing, see both of you as couples and especially the mothers, you're gonna have a lot of mundane nappies to change. You're gonna have times when that child may scream unless you're very blessed, and you may well be, where you're just going, patience is weary and tiredness is on me, but that child's growing. It may not look very miraculous, but as you're daily, weekly, monthly, going through this ritual, going through the same routine over and over and over and over and over again, he's growing. She is growing. It also says, and wax strong in spirit. Jesus in that environment, that home environment, those first 12 years, he waxed strong in spirit. His spirit within him began to become very strong. I pray for both of you that your children wax strong in spirit. We'll want you if they grew in size, but not internally, in their mind, in their spirit. There is a spirit inside a man. It could be a bad spirit or it could be a good spirit. I pray they grow. They wax strong, they have strength inwardly, filled with wisdom. Can you imagine the first 12 years, a child gaining wisdom by 12 years old? I was 10 years old. Took one of the last walks with my granddad, I remember. My grandmother had died months before. And I'm taking a walk, he's 75 years old and I'm 10 years old. So in a short time, I'll see him die on a Sunday night in church on the back row. I was a very quiet kid, very timid. I know it's hard to believe. I never opened my mouth, never spoke. My mom used to forget to feed me. I was in the house, never made a noise. I'd hide under the table, playing with that old cardboard box I told you about. And as I'm there, she'd just forget. But I'm walking with him, just at the top of the field. He's not saying anything. And I'm praying to the Lord, 10 years old, 10 years old. And I'm praying, I'm saying, Lord, because my granny's died. I know his days won't be long in the earth. I'm thinking, and I'm talking to the Lord, just praying. You never know what your kids are praying. It may surprise you. You may not find out for years. I was praying, and I remembered vividly, Lord, for in my eyes, he's the wisest man on the entire earth, my granddad. He knows everything. And I prayed, and I said, Lord, why should he die, and all that wisdom go to the grave with him? Why should it be lost? So I asked God something, I said, could you not take all his wisdom and just give it to me, pass it on to me, and then it won't be lost when he dies? That's a 10-year-old praying. See, by 12 years old, says Jesus was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of Passover, the church camp, okay? And when he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem to offer the custom of the feast every year. And there's a story of him sitting at 12 years old with scribes, religious leaders, experts in the Bible, old men. They lost him for three days. Took him three days to find him. When they find him, he's sitting in the midst of all these great bearded, white-haired scholars, and they're dumbstruck at the wisdom of this child. 12 years old, and this kid knows the Word of God, knows prophecy, has wisdom, is practical, is holy, understands what he's saying, is deep in his mind and heart. Do you realize a home is given for that? And you today are gonna stand here on this platform, and although you mommies especially have a thousand times over, I'm sure, entrusted these kids to the Lord's end, he's yours, especially when they're sick in the hospital at the beginning. But today, as a church, we're gonna do it. Today, as couples, they're gonna stand here with their child in their hands, maybe I'll even hold for a moment if there's no plan, and entrust, pray for them, bless them in the name of Jesus, and ask for God's blessing to be upon their life. They are embarking on a whole life. None of you in this room know what's awaiting them, but we're gonna pray for God's blessing, and we're, you're gonna make a commitment. These kids are gonna be in the house of God. We wanna raise them according to the word of God. We want them to be in the safest place on this earth, in the hands of God. The womb was a very dangerous place, but you're committing these kids to the safest place. Where else would I wanna be than in the hands of God? King David, when bad things were coming, do you know what he said? Don't let me fall into the hands of men. God gave him an option of three choices. Do you know what he chose? He said, don't let me fall in the hands of men. They won't have mercy on me. Let me fall into the hands of God, because I know he's gracious, merciful, patient, and good. I can trust myself in God's hands, even when I do wrong. Let him chastise me, discipline me, deal with me, but I know he's a good God who only does what's good. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord God, for the word of God today. Father, as we come to do this dedication, Lord God, will you just be here in power and presence. Thank you that these families are gathered, these friends are gathered. We love these kids, we care about them. It delights us, oh God. We're so happy in their birth and their growth, Lord God, and seeing their funny ways and habits and traits already. Lord God, even before they begin to speak and verbalize words and begin to manifest all of the traits that will mark their lives. But oh God, at this early stage, we come to you knowing there's a place of safety, a place of security. It's not riches that we ask for today, but oh God, we ask for the blessing of God upon these children in Jesus' mighty name. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/z1xxQKHwjno.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/keith-malcomson/presenting-your-children-unto-god/ ========================================================================