Parenting is a remarkable adventure, brimming with opportunities to shape the future. But the question that often lingers is, how can we raise our children the right way? Join us on this journey as we unlock the secrets to raising epic kids. Embrace the timeless wisdom of the Bible and discover practical tips as you become the parent that God wants you to be. How to Raise Epic Kids with Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr. We are, once again, gonna talk about raising epic kids. Is it possible in our world, in our day? I remember that Karen and I, when we were just married and we were talking about having kids, we wondered, should we even bring kids into this world? Because back in the late 80s and early 90s, the world was so terrible. And it's gotten a lot better since then, hasn't it? But of course, we feel like it was the right thing to do. God blessed us with two daughters, and we're so thrilled. I threatened to bring them up on the stage and have them share with you some tips on what a parent shouldn't do, and that's why I didn't bring them up on the stage. But I am thankful that they love the Lord and are serving the Lord and have provided us the best part of life, and that's grandparenting. I thought I would do like a one-year series on the joys of being a grandparent, because it would take at least a year to cover that. But it's tough, isn't it? There was a man that was going through the grocery store, and in his cart he had assorted items, but he also had a screaming little boy. And he kept muttering, it's okay, Billy. Calm down, Billy. Hold it together, Billy. Don't cry, Billy. And a woman that was watching all this came up to him and said, sir, I am so impressed that you're so patient and so calm with little Billy. He says, lady, I'm Billy. It's a challenge, isn't it? It's a challenge. We need to know what God has to say about raising kids. Even if you're not a parent raising kids right now, I think this is for all of us. Why? Because you know someone that is. You can invest yourself into people that are raising kids. You can pray for them. And it's in the Bible. We wanna know whole counsel of God, and you can counsel your kids as they raise kids. And so I think this is very valuable for us as we're in our final of our three-part series. We've already learned that parents need to know God themselves. They need to be godly. They need to make church a habit and a priority, and they need to model salvation. And today we're gonna give you 15 very practical tips on how to raise epic kids. Number one. Parents, you are accountable to God. Now this one's frightening, isn't it? Because it's true. These aren't your possessions, these children. They are your heritage. They are a heritage of the Lord. Psalm 127 verse one says, except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it, except the Lord keep the city. The watchman walketh but in vain. Verse three, lo, children are heritage of the Lord. What does this mean? This means that they are given to you to bring them up in the way of the Lord. They are your responsibility, but they're the Lord's ultimately, right? Because they're created by God and created in his image. The fruit of the womb is his reward. And so let me talk about the accountability of parents. It has been said by mostly Democrats that you need a village to raise a child. No, you don't. No, you don't. You need a parent to raise a child. Now, obviously other people come into play in raising that child, but You are responsible as a parent to bring up that child in the way of the Lord. You don't need the government to do it. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't want the government to do it. Because God has given you the responsibilities and trusted you with this great honor, this heritage. What are government schools teaching children? Well, years ago, they took away prayer and Bible reading, and public schools are getting so much better today than they ever have been. You can tell by the metal detectors in their hallways. People can't believe we don't have metal detectors in our school. They're teaching evolution as fact. No wonder kids are acting like animals. And I mean that. If you tell a child that they came as an evolutionary accident, that they're a descendant of an ape or a monkey, why wouldn't they just act like animals? Why wouldn't they just take a gun into their school and just start shooting people? You say, well, that's not what's causing all this. Then what is? Then what is? Public schools are teaching evolution is fact. You know what's really interesting about that? Actual science is disputing evolution. Here's one example, James Webb Space Telescope, looking farther into what they say is the past, into our universe than ever we were able to before. And what they're finding is much tighter galaxies, spiraled galaxies than they would have assumed because that should have been really spread out. But they're finding it actually looks younger the farther you look. So that's blowing away the existing paradigm of the Big Bang Theory. But they're teaching this as fact in schools, in public schools, in government schools. They're teaching critical race theory, which I have a problem with because they're trying to eliminate racism by focusing on skin color. To me, that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. What can, and racism is a real thing. It's a real thing, I've seen it. My dad and I, we were with a black pastor, we were at a restaurant, and he was mistreated because of the color of his skin. So what can solve this issue? And it's not always black and white, by the way. Do you know the Jews were racist against Samaritans? Did you know that the Irish and the English were not liking each other? I mean, there's all sorts of racism in the world. So what solves racism, it's Jesus and the gospel. Now why would that solve racism? Because we're all created in the image of God, so there really aren't races. That's evolution in my opinion. That's what Hitler picked up on with eugenics, saying that certain people weren't evolved as much as others, so we can eliminate those people with those qualities. It's not biblical. It's not according to scripture. Why? Because we're all, there's one race. There's one race, the human race. And when we mistreat each other for whatever reason, that's sin, and Jesus died for sin. And his blood was shed for all people of all skin tones. By the way, there's no such thing as black, because black, is a really dark color, and there's some darker skin people, but there's all sorts of shades of brown. Even I'm not white. If I were white, you would be sending me to the hospital. White. This is white. Am I white? I might be pale, but I'm not white. So even those terms, I think, lead to this. And so we're trying to teach our kids that America is a racist nation. Obviously, we've had racism as part of every civilization, but I don't think we can say America is a racist nation. We are founded on racist principles by racist people. That's not accurate, but that's what they're teaching the kids in government schools. So parents, we have the responsibility to help our kids learn truth, and if we're sending them off to a school that's teaching them human sexuality, that is different than what the Bible has to say, that transgenderism is okay. As a matter of fact, there's a, elementary school in our country that has removed male and female language from the fifth grade science lessons, covering the human body and puberty and reproduction. That's happening today in our nation. I say all this to say this, parent, parent your kids. You are the parent, you are responsible, they're a heritage. Now, let me also say this. Some of you have children that are in a public school, a government school, and you have no control over that because of divorce or economics or whatever it is. And God knows that. God knows that. And all you can do is pray really, really hard, have really good conversations with your child. It'll be okay. If there's no choice, there's no way. But if you have a option, choose that option. choose that option. I think parents were astounded by what public schools were teaching during COVID when they were hearing what they were being taught. And our school grew tremendously after that because parents started to realize what their kids are being taught in our public schools. So parents, you are accountable to God. Remember that and make sure that you protect them. We're also gonna talk about protecting them in other ways. Some people say, well, you don't want your kid to grow up in a greenhouse, but we do want a small plant or a small flower to grow up in a greenhouse, because it's being protected. and nourished and given everything it needs so it can grow and then go outside and stand, right, in a world. So why wouldn't we want our kids to have that same protection and growth environment? So I actually think it's a positive if they say, you're putting your kids in a greenhouse. Yes, I am. Yes, I am. But protecting them is important. We'll talk more about that later. Number two, husbands love your wife. And they say, well, how could that be a good tip on raising kids? If your kids know that dad loves mom, then they're going to be very secure. the home environment, they're not gonna be afraid of a divorce. They're not gonna be afraid of what could happen within that dynamic. This is so important that our marriages are good as we're raising kids. And sometimes the kids make our marriages more challenging, right? Kids are good at knowing which one will say yes, which one will say no, and they're not gonna go to the one that'll say no. They play off each other. They're a lot smarter than you think they are. but husbands love your wife. Kids learn more by watching than by you teaching them, okay? Ephesians 5 tells us in verse 25, husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. What did Jesus do for us? He gave his life as a sacrifice for us. And so that's our model husbands. It's a tough thing. Some people say, well, the woman has it harder because they have to submit or they have to respect the husband. No, I think we have it harder because we have to love our wives as Christ loved the church, which is impossible, and it is, except for the Holy Spirit. And if we'll yield to the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish this. And it says, so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Here's a tip for you. Well, let me read verse 29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the church. In other words, treat her with love. Treat her with honor. Treat her with respect. Here's a tip. I think that moms and dads should show affection in front of your kids. When you get home from church, just give her a big ol' smack on the lips. And I know what your kids are gonna do. They're gonna be like, oh, gross, ah! They'll run away, but they are smiling because that means so much to them. Why? Because there's security. God knew what he was doing when he created marriage and children within that context of a one man, one woman, covenantal relationship for life. And when they know they're secure in that love, it means everything to them. So do that. Now, wives, you're not off the hook here because wives, in order to raise your kids, you need to respect your husband. You need to submit to your husband, as it says in Ephesians 5, 21, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. And again, this is biblical. Why is the man told to love his wife? Shouldn't the man also respect his wife? Yes. But the man, I think, more naturally can show respect to his wife, but we are not very good at showing love because of our sinful condition. Wives, you're really good at showing love, you're less adept at showing respect. And so that's why God gives us these two instructions in Ephesians five. And I think if we can do this right, then within the context of marriage, we're gonna be able to raise epic kids. Now, if you're raising kids alone, this might have been hard for you to hear. But again, if this is your situation, God will fill the gap. God will help you. God is a God of the fatherless and the widows. God has a special place in his heart for people that have a tougher situation. And so just because, let's say you're raising your kids without a husband or without a wife, it's okay. It's okay. Do the best you can, pray harder, and God will fill the gaps. I don't know exactly how he does it, but he does it, and I believe in that. Number four, be real and consistent. This is something my dad was really good at, being real and consistent. This is important for kids. It says in Proverbs 22, verse six, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This is so important. Kids need to have parents who are following the Lord and are real and are consistent. If you act one way in church on Sundays, but you act a whole different way on the ride home from church, the kids, they're gonna check out. They're gonna check out. You have to be real. You can't be playing a game. Your faith has to be real. You have to be consistent in your faith. And if you'll do that, then it is very, very likely that they will not depart the faith. Your kids know if you're not walking what you're talking. They know that. So be aware of that, be real, be consistent. That's one of those things that my dad was, that was one of his specialties, is he was exactly the same. every day, and that's important for us. Number five, be diligent. It says in Deuteronomy 6-7, thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, these are the things of God, and shalt talk of them when thou, and this is really interesting to me, sittest in the house, walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up. You know, that's pretty much all the time. You know, it's not like, okay, it's time to learn about God and family devotion time. You know, this might shock you, but my dad never, my mom and dad never had family devotion time. But they taught us all the time, biblical truths. As we went through life, as things came up, they never missed an opportunity to tie it in with scripture. Okay? So, Train your kids all the time. Also, as real life situations come up, especially as they're older, but I think even younger children, as real life situations come up, take the time to explain the reason we don't do that or we do do this. Don't just say, just do this or just do that. Now, maybe when they're really little, you're not gonna do that, but as they get older, as they get into school age, for sure, Give them the reason for the rule, okay? Explain it to them. Be diligent in this. Also, here's another tip for you on diligence and training your kids all the time. Make heroes out of people that really are heroes. And that's not athletes most of the time. I would say almost all the time. That's not Hollywood, that's not influencers. Don't let influencers influence your kids, okay? Make heroes out of pastors. Seriously. When you get done on Sunday, on the way home, do you criticize the sermon or the pastor? I don't care if you do, but if you do it in front of the kids, they've lost respect. Do you make heroes out of missionaries? Do you talk like, man, I just love what Pastor Edwin Sampson is doing. They just celebrated their church anniversary and that over 500 people in their new building and the new building is done. Wow, isn't that incredible how we could come together and help them with that and pray for them. And you're making a big deal out of Pastor Edwin Sampson? Make him a hero, because he is. Make these people, when the missionaries come into town, invite them over. Make a big deal about them with your kids. Christian workers, do this with people that are in ministry. Make the heroes of those people. And I think that will make a difference. Be diligent and do it all the time. Be fun. Now, I'm also gonna, there's a caveat with this one. Be fun. You're not the buddy. You're not the best friend. I'm not saying you shouldn't be a friend, but that's not your role. Your role is a parent. Your role is a mom. Your role is a dad. Okay? You're not their buddy. You're the parent, but, but you can have fun with them. You don't have to be a codger. You don't have to be curlish. You don't have to be a dominating dictator. We need to discipline, and we'll get into that in a minute, but have fun with your kids. I think we should have meals with our kids. Sit down and talk. Turn off the phone. Don't let distractions destroy those times when you can be building relationships. Go on hikes, go on bike adventures, do anything you can do to have fun with your kids. Why do I say outside things? Because Job 12 says in verse 7, but ask now the beast and they shall teach thee. You know the animals can teach us about God. The fowls of the air and they shall tell thee or speak to the earth and it shall teach thee. The fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Get outside with your kids. Show them this incredible world that God has created. Explain that it's a fallen world and the world to come is gonna be unbelievable. Explain these things to your kids. Who knoweth not all these things that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? Parent, that's your job, and you can have so much fun outside with your kids. Limit the screen time. I know that's a great babysitter. I know it is. How do I know? Because we do it with the grandkids. We do. But don't be lazy with this. It's so easy to just give them a phone or a tablet or whatever, but Spend time interacting with kids. Something that my dad did, mom and dad did. I don't even know whose idea this was, but just something that they were really fun about. We had a high pressure environment growing up. in the pastorate, we're under the microscope, people would criticize Julie and me, and she deserved it, I mean, I deserved it, because, you know, we're kids, and we were bad, and I was really bad one Sunday in Sunday school, and my wonderful Sunday school teacher, I won't say her name, but her initials are Terry Burgenal, told my dad, and I got the biggest whoopin' I've ever had in my life. She feels so bad now that I tell this story, but it was an important moment of my life. Okay, but we were under the microscope all the time and they would, you know, let's say 10 kids were misbehaving, they would pick us out. So dad was aware of that and he wanted to create some special times. And so people, when you're in the pastor, people are always trying to, and they need your help and they need your attention or whatever. And they'll just come by and knock on the door. So what we would do is hide the car. like down the street to make it look like nobody's home, turn off all the lights, light candles, and cook homemade pizza. It was a box from Chef Boyardee. and a can of tomato sauce, a can of flour, or a thing of flour, and I think like a little package of pepperoni. It was probably the worst pizza ever, but it was delicious. Why? Because we were together, we were having this fun moment, the lights were off, the candle was lit, and we were just enjoying each other. Cheap, fun, fun. Great experience growing up. Do those things. Think about how you can do fun things with your kids. That's what they will remember. Plus, as you're needing to discipline them, if they know for sure you love them, then they'll accept the discipline, okay? Number seven, show and speak love to your kids. How do you do this? Well, know this, that your kids crave your love. How do I know this? When your child, is gonna do something and they want you to watch. Hey, Dad, watch. And if you're watching, if you look away for a half a second, they'll know you did. They wanna make sure you're watching and they, Dad, watch, watch, watch. That's how I know it's so important for them to have you engaged. They crave your love. So here's an idea. Sit, go outside, wherever they're playing, put a chair down, sit down in that chair and watch them. Don't take your eyes off of them. They're not gonna know what's going on because normally you're flipping through your device or something like that. Just sit there and watch them. You'll be amazed how much they enjoy that as they're playing wiffle ball or whatever they're doing outside. Have those times, cultivate communication. You know, try to have conversations with your kids all the time. Now, they're gonna come to an age when it doesn't seem like they wanna talk to you. Right? I mean, and you're like, do they like me? Do they wanna, I mean, what's going on? It's called adolescence. It's no big deal. Every kid has it, especially in the teenage years. You know what they need more than ever during that time? They need you to talk with them. and just have those conversations. Be proactive about it. Why? Because they need your help. They need your advice. They're kinda acting like they don't want it, but they want it. Okay, so stay engaged, especially as they get older. Try to listen without interruption. Keep your emotions in check. Stay calm. Focus on what they do. rather than on what they shouldn't do. An example of that is, instead of saying to your kids, don't be mean to each other, don't be nasty to each other, say it this way. Say, we as a family are gonna talk respectfully to each other. So you turn to, instead of being negative, you're still accomplishing the same thing, but you're creating it in a positive way. Okay? We are gonna talk respectfully to each other instead of saying, stop being nasty, stop being mean to each other. Just a tip on ways to effectively communicate and speak love to your kids. Now this one's important, maybe the most important. To have epic kids, you need to lovingly discipline your kids. Okay? If you leave your kids to themselves, they will be rebels. What does it say in the Bible? Proverbs 1.7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Now what does that mean? That means a healthy reverence and respect. But fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father. Forsake not the law of thy mother, for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy neck and chains about thy, grace upon thy head and chains about thy neck. When children learn that there are consequences to misbehavior, then they will, I believe we can get to the heart issue of that child. This is a biblical principle in Ephesians 12. It says, no chastening, in verse 11, for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness. unto them which are exercised thereby. Boy, this is a wonderful thing to have. Teach your kids that sinful behavior has consequences. What are some of those consequences? Well, if your child refuses to eat, may I suggest that after mealtime is over and they don't eat, they don't get any more food until the next meal. They'll eat, eventually. And by the way, if they're really, really picky, I'm gonna try to say this with some balance. There are certain things you should not force your kids to eat, like mushrooms, okay? That would be not in the Bible. That would be child abuse, I think, if you tried to eat meat. My dad used to make spaghetti, and he loved mushrooms. And he'd always put mushrooms. Dad, you know, is there a way to make this without mushrooms? He's like, no. I'm like, well, I mean, you know, and then he goes, he goes, just, Jimmy, just eat them. You don't even taste them. And I'm like, my stupid logic, I'm like, then why are we putting them in if you don't taste them, dad? If you guys know my dad, you know what his response would have been to that. But don't let them be picky. They'll eat it. They'll eat it. There's some kids that will only eat chicken nuggets. And I don't think that's real food, I really don't. Some of you, that's all you've ever had in your life. Okay, let's say your kids are fighting over a toy. Here's a way you can teach them, is put the toy away for the day. You can take away privileges, especially as they get older. And there's ways to discipline that are in those ways. The one thing that we really need to incorporate in discipline is spanking. You say, oh, no, you can't spank because that's not in the Bible. Well, actually, it is. It is in the Bible. God, I think, has created the human anatomy with such a perfect location for this temporary pain that will solve permanent heartache, and it's called the rear end, the caboose. I'm not sure the best term in church to use, but what does the Bible have to say about this? Well, let's look. Hebrews 12.10, it says, for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure. This is kind of the idea of your parents spanked you for their own pleasure, not meaning that they were excited about it, but so that they could survive life, right? That you wouldn't be such a terror. But he, this is God, for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness. So here the issue is not punishment, the issue is discipline and spanking will bring forth holiness. Okay? This is so important to remember. Proverbs 29, 15, or Proverbs 13, 24, he that spareth his rod hateth his son. Is that true? Is that really in the Bible? Absolutely. Absolutely. Let me try to go back, and there's a verse that's missing here, but it's probably in your handout. Hopefully, do you all have Proverbs 29 15? You don't. Okay, so that's, I'm sure my fault. Proverbs 29 15, if the guys can throw it on the screen, if they can find it at the time, is a really important verse. that has to do with spanking as a form of discipline. It says this, Proverbs 29, 15, the rod and reproof give what? Wisdom. But a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. Now, when would you use spanking as a form of discipline? I think it's a really easy answer. Anytime they are defying you, they're rebelling against the authority that God has given you. You say, well, that's like all the time. Maybe it is, maybe it is. Use your judgment. But if they are forgetful, and kids sometimes forget. I understand that. That's not necessarily rebellion. Maybe they haven't developed enough yet to really understand what you're saying. But I think we can excuse our kids a lot and not do what we need to do to help them gain wisdom and holiness. That's the goal, right? But if they're defying you, it's rebellion, you have to use the rod or use however you're gonna spank your kids. How did we do it? We used a wooden spoon. And we gave them three or four good ones, and they lived. They lived. My dad used his belt. I almost didn't live, but here I am. Here I am. But it is good, it is right, it is biblical if you don't do it. And some people don't spank because your parents didn't do it right or something like that. You almost have to not worry about your parents, how they did it. Just do what the Bible says, okay? And certainly, it's important. The goal and discipline is holy character. It's not even good behavior because you know a lot of really well-behaved kids are internally rebels. So our aim isn't good behavior, our aim is holy character. Somebody said it this way, when you are experiencing negative behavior, there's a lot more under the surface. Something is happening in your child's heart. The same can be said for their positive behavior. Just because they're super kind or thoughtful doesn't mean they're being shaped into someone more like Jesus. That's the goal. Encourage them to reflect on the real issue. When you're having these moments of correction, sit down with them and talk about what's going on in your life, what's going on in your heart. And you can open up and you can share that there's a deeper thing going on there and help them with that. But the Bible encourages us to discipline our children and shape them into the right kind of people that God wants us to be. Number ten, protect them from infiltration. Protect them from infiltration. How do you do that? Well, electronics need safeguards. You need to make sure that you have a way to protect your children from awful, awful things that are online, on TV, in our world, very easily accessible. How do you do that? Well, I don't think you should give your kids a cell phone. That's my opinion. We don't allow it in the school. As a matter of fact, a lot of public schools are banning cell phones now, which I love. I love when they finally catch up with Quentin Road Christian School. I mean, they really are. They're not doing it for the reasons we are, but guard your children, protect them from social media, the internet. Know who their friends are. Don't just let them go and spend the night in anybody's house that asks. Know the families, know the friends, know what kind of a people they are. You say, well, I don't want to offend people. Offend people. Offend people. I'm not saying to offend people, but don't, not do the right thing just so you don't offend someone. Okay, play it safe, be really careful with your children. Number 11, give appropriate responsibility. What does this mean? That means your children need to learn how to do things, how to work, give them work around the house, but make sure it's something that they can do, okay? And also, don't stand over them. Sometimes it's good to let them make a mistake with whatever that is. Okay, as long as it's not gonna hurt anybody or hurt themselves, you can do that and then in a loving way correct them and teach them how to do it right. But give them appropriate responsibility, let them learn by doing things that they can do. Teach accountability. If they break it, folks, what should you do? Make them pay for it. Well, what if they don't have any money? Give them a way to earn money to pay off what they broke. That's what life is, right? I mean, this is common sense, but we don't have common sense anymore in our world. Number 13, instill gratitude. How do we do that? Well, it's important to teach them to say thank you. Always teach them to say thank you, but that's not enough. What you need to do is instill thankfulness in your kids. Thankfulness. When you're going through a hard time, there's always a silver lining. Find that and praise the Lord for that. That will show your kids that you're thankful even in this dilemma, even in this hard time, okay? You're instilling this attitude of gratitude in your children. Number 14, teach them honesty. Honestly, how do you do that? Well, make sure truth is supreme in your house, which means that you're helping them. If you know that they're not being truthful, if they're holding back information, or if they're outright lying, that's a serious problem. Don't let them do that. If your teacher tells your kid, tells you that your kid did this or that, don't defend your kid. What if the teacher's wrong? Who cares, okay? By the way, we don't have any teachers in our school that ever get anything wrong. So if your kid's in our school, I mean, I'm much more sure that your kid is gonna do something wrong rather than our teachers or any teachers, okay? Believe the teachers, teach your kids honesty, be truthful yourself. because again, they're learning by what they're watching you do. And then the 15th and final thing in the series is teach giving. What does that mean? That means be a giver, teach them how to give, teach them how to give to the Lord. If they have a dollar, they give 10 cents to God. Seriously, do that. Teach them how to give. Why? Because God is a giver, we are made in his image, We should be givers, but we're not because we're rebellious. So teach them how to do what God wants us to do, and that is to be givers. And so these are, some of these are tips, some of these are kind of random, but all of these, I believe, are biblical truths, and all of these will lead to having incredible, epic, godly children who will not depart. from the Lord. They will one day leave your house. But if we do a lot of prayer and a lot of proper, balanced, biblical teaching, our kids will never leave the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? Now, we're born sinners, and that's why we had to have this series. If we weren't born in sin, We wouldn't sin and we won't have to do child training series in heaven. Won't that be great? But here we do because we are sinners. We've all fallen short of the glory of God. There's no one that is righteous. There's no one that always tells the truth. There's no one that never takes anything that's not theirs. We've all sinned. That's the bad news and the news gets worse. The penalty of sin is death. That's eternal separation from God in hell. but the story of the Bible contains good news. We call it the gospel. That word literally means good news, and the good news is this, that God came into this world. Jesus, the Son of God, entered this world and never sinned, but died for our sins on a cross. He rose again the third day, and the news even gets better. If you will put your faith in him, you will be saved, right now and forever. This is the greatest news in the world. This is the main thing you need to teach your kids. You need to model to your kids. We talked about that last time. How to raise epic kids. Know God. Teach them how to know God. Teach them how to be saved. Pray that they would accept Christ as Savior. What does the Bible say about this? Well, we had a grandparents day on Friday, and on this very stage, we had all the fifth grade boys holding up a wordless book, and they had the most beautiful presentation of the gospel I think I've ever heard. I mean, it makes me look really bad that they're so good in fifth grade. And I thought, you know what, we need to have them give that in church sometime, and I'm going to. You fifth grade boys, you're on alert now. And the fifth grade girls did a wonderful job reading a story about how to babysit your grandma. That's really funny, isn't it? But just a beautiful program. Simple message of the gospel, that God so loved the world, that's all of us, that he gave his only begotten son, it's Jesus, That whosoever, that's all of us, believe. Believe is to trust, to put our faith in, not in our religion, not in ourself, not in a priest, not in a pastor. But the person of Jesus believeth in him. Jesus should not perish, which is hell, but have everlasting life, which is heaven. It's a simple message. All you have to do is believe. People say that's too easy, I have to do more. No, because if you could do anything, then Jesus wouldn't have had to die. If you could add to your salvation, then Jesus didn't do enough. No, no, no, he did it all. And it's just when you accept that, when you believe that, he paid for all of your sins, that you're saved. And then in Ephesians 2, 8, 9, it says, for by grace are you saved through faith. It's not of ourselves, it's a gift of God. Just receive the gift, how? By faith, by believing. It's not of works, lest any man should boast.