About 4,000 years ago, there lived a man in the
land of Canaan, in what today is the general area
of the nation of Israel.
His name was Lot and he was the nephew of Abraham.
He had a wife and a family, a place of prominence in
society, and had grown quite wealthy.
You might say he was successful.
But then, something went terribly wrong.
Lot lived in the ancient city of Sodom.
Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah were judged and
destroyed by God for their decadence and corruption.
But this story is not just of the downfall of a
sinful city, but the tragic collapse of a
family as well.
Lot escaped with his life, but his family paid a dear
price.
What can we learn from the story of Lot?
How can this apply to us, in a world of increasing
evil?
How can we expect to guide our family, our children,
in our society today?
So, how can we raise good kids today?
I’ll be right back with the answer.
♪
Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you
make sense of your world through the pages of the
Bible.
About 4,000 years ago there lived a man named
Lot.
He was the nephew of Abraham, the ancestor of
the children of Israel.
Before Lot moved to Sodom, he lived near his uncle
Abraham.
But as their flocks and herds grew, the land
wasn't large enough for both of them.
So, they had to separate.
Abraham told Lot to choose which direction he
would go, and Abraham would go the opposite.
Notice how the story unfolds in Genesis 13:10...
“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere...
like the garden of the LORD.”
When Lot saw the land surrounding Sodom, he
was impressed. It looked good.
It was fertile and lush, a perfect place to raise his
flocks and herds.
But there was something wrong with this area as
well.
What was it? Let's read in Genesis 13:11...
“Then Lot chose for himself all the
plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east...
and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and
pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and
sinful against the LORD.”
You see what was happening.
Lot was drawn to Sodom, because it looked good--a
place to grow wealth, to raise his flocks, to raise
his family--a rich and fertile land.
But the inhabitants had a way of life totally
contrary to what he had learned from his uncle
Abraham.
Sodom already had a bad reputation.
The point is, Lot chose to move toward Sodom, not
away from it.
And he made that choice, even though there were
warning signs that this was not a good idea.
It eventually brought disastrous results on
his family, and on his own life, as we’ll see
later in this program.
But what does that have to do with us now, living in
the end-times?
Well, let’s discuss our first key to raising kids in our
world today:
1. Resist the pulls of the world.
The Bible tells us that as Christians, we must resist
the temptations of this world, and be different.
This is even more important as we find
ourselves at the end of the age.
We’ve got to discern the direction the world is
going, and choose instead to embrace God’s way.
Jesus inspired the Apostle John to write these words in
Revelation 18:4...
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out
of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and
lest you receive of her plagues.
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has
remembered her iniquities.”
Sodom was judged and destroyed for promoting a lifestyle in
direct violation of God’s ways.
The Book of Revelation shows that the society of
the last days will be promoting the same
anti-God ways.
That end-time society will be judged and punished,
just like Sodom.
And God says to Christians,
don’t get caught up in that world.
Be different, come out of it,
and you can be spared.
So, why should this concern parents?
Well, our children soak up the environment they grow in.
The choices we make--whether we are
coming out of the world, or being drawn into
it--directly affect the viewpoints and attitudes
our children will adopt.
Many well-meaning, loving parents are unwittingly
allowing the world to have too much influence on
their children.
The corrosive nature of the world erodes the
values the parents hold dear.
And one day, too many parents are shocked to
discover their children don’t hold their values at
all.
Maybe part of the solution is understanding what it
means to come out of the world.
Are we to run away and isolate ourselves from
society?
That’s not what Christ meant, when He said
this in John 17:15...
“I do not pray that You should take
them out of the world, but that You should keep them
from the evil one.”
We must function in this society.
We have to work and make a living to provide for our
families.
But we also must protect our children from the
corrosive nature of this world.
And that means evaluating our decisions.
Do our choices reinforce our efforts to train our
children God’s ways?
Or do they unknowingly tear down the character
we're trying to help them build?
Today, through technology, the world comes to us.
Through our televisions, our computers, and our phones,
we can literally feed on the world’s anti-God values if
we’re not careful.
Think about the themes that come flooding into
our lives through entertainment and media.
Our homes should be havens of peace that promote
Christian values of love, self-control and faith.
But too often, we allow the world to inundate us
with violence, selfishness, immorality
and rebellion.
If these corrosive themes fill our homes, why would
we be surprised if they fill the minds of our children?
As parents, we need to be the primary influence in
our children’s lives.
No, we can’t shelter them from the world forever.
But we can protect them and nurture them so that
as they approach adulthood, they are ready
and prepared to resist the pulls of the world.
We're living in the end of the age.
Our society is not going in the right direction.
And it’s a challenge being a parent in a time such as
this.
But you can be a successful parent, even in
difficult times.
There’s a lot to discuss on this topic, and we
simply don’t have time to go into every detail.
Which is why we are offering today, the free
DVD, “Raising Good Kids in a Bad World.” It was
created by Tomorrow’s World writer Jonathan McNair.
As a pastor for over 30 years, he has worked with
parents and guided them through the ups and downs
of raising responsible, God-fearing children.
And, as a father of five children of his own, he
brings a personal and practical element that
will help you navigate the storms of raising children
in today’s world.
There’s no obligation--we just want to get this
material in your hands.
It can change your life, and your children’s lives.
So order--click, call or write today.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you’re calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from *a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
Welcome back.
In the last segment, we saw that Lot was drawn to
the allure of the city of Sodom, in spite of its bad
reputation.
So what happened to him?
And what became of his family?
In this segment, we’ll continue his story.
As mentioned before, Sodom was beautiful.
It was green, lush, and prosperous.
But it was wicked and rebellious as well.
God sent two angels--who appeared as two ordinary
men--to warn Lot and his family that the city would
be destroyed.
We read in Genesis 19:1 that Lot met these men at
the gate of the city, and invited them into his
home.
He knew it would be dangerous for them to stay
out in the open square all night.
But things did not go well that evening.
The men of the city surrounded Lot’s house,
demanding that he bring out these men, that they
might abuse them.
They even violently threatened Lot, almost
breaking down his door.
You can read the story for yourself in Genesis 19.
But notice Lot’s response to them.
We read it in Genesis 19:7,
“[Lot] said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do
wickedly!
See now, I have two daughters who have not
known a man; please, let me bring them out to you,
and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing
to these men, since this is the reason they have
come under the shadow of my roof.’”
As a father of daughters of my own, I can't even
begin to comprehend why Lot would say such a thing.
On the one hand, he was risking his life to
protect these men under his care.
But on the other hand, he was brazenly willing to put
his daughters in unspeakable humiliation
and danger themselves, in the place of these men.
How could Lot possibly think this way?
Well, let’s think this through.
We know Sodom was well-known for its
extremely lax morals.
And maybe Lot’s actions were an illustration of how
tainted his own thinking had become by being
immersed in that world.
He was a righteous man--2 Peter 2:7 says that--but
perhaps he had absorbed more of Sodom than he
thought.
What about today?
Is there a lesson for parents today, seeking to
navigate the dangers of our anti-God world?
There is.
And that brings us to our second key to bringing up
children in today’s world:
2. Don't underestimate how the world is affecting you.
Like it or not, we're living in this world.
And the world affects us more than we may realize.
It’s good to ask ourselves, how is the
world impacting me?
Do my spouse and I find ourselves getting
impatient and critical with each other, when we
don't intend to?
Maybe we're allowing the spirit of selfishness that
pervades out world to rub off on us?
Do we watch TV shows or movies filled with casual
sex and immoral behavior?
If we do, that’s going to affect how we think
ourselves.
Do we find ourselves getting anxious or
negative, for no good reason?
There is a spirit world out there that is actively
broadcasting a message of anger, animosity and fear.
Are we absorbing it?
Then we shouldn't be surprised when our
thoughts, our words and our actions reflect the world
more than they reflect our professed Christian
beliefs.
The apostle James gives helpful advice on learning
how to discern what is coming from the world, and
what's coming from God and His word.
He writes this in James 3:14,
“... If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your
hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
This wisdom does not descend from above, but is
earthly, sensual, demonic.
For where envy and self-seeking exist,
confusion and every evil thing are there.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality and
without hypocrisy.”
In order to know how to guide our children, we need to
first look at the fruit of our lives.
Is there love, joy, peace, faithfulness, and
self-control?
These are just a few of the fruits of God’s
Spirit, as outlined in Galatians 5.
Or, is there selfishness, disrespect, outbursts of
wrath, and impure thoughts and actions?
It’s critical we examine our own selves first, to
know how to help our children.
James said we must not “lie against the truth.”
There is objective truth, and the Bible defines what
it is.
And yet, overwhelmingly, our society does not
recognize universal truths, especially when it
comes to morality.
The Barna research group reported on this in a 2018
study: “We live in an increasingly ‘post-truth’
political climate.... Over time, consensus on key
moral principles has waned, and the younger
generations are now inheriting this new moral
landscape.” The report goes on to explain how
each generation, in general, approaches sex
before marriage: “21% of Gen Z strongly believes
sex before marriage is wrong--though they are
mostly on par with other generations.”
Think about that statement.
The beliefs of Generation Z--that is, those born
from 1996 to 2015--are roughly the same as other
ages, when it comes to their views on sex before
marriage.
In fact, only 22% of both “Elders” and “Boomers”
believed sex before marriage is wrong.
That’s only 1 percentage point difference than
Generation Zs.
Do we see any correlation between what the younger
generation thinks, with what they've been taught
by the examples of the older generation?
We might blame the youngest generations for
the moral slide.
But who taught them?
Who showed them the way?
Who gave them excuses to adopt a relativistic
world view?
If we are parents, we have to look at our own
examples.
And we must not underestimate the
corrosive effects of society on us, which in
turn affects our children.
So what do we do?
There is a better way.
It’s defined in the pages of your Bible.
And it’s explained in our free DVD today, “Raising
Good Kids in a Bad World.” As Pastor and teacher
Jonathan McNair explains, we don't have all the
answers, but the Bible does.
Mr. McNair explains that we can put a stake in the ground,
so to speak, and declare, we will strive to live as
God says we should.
Based on His word, the Bible.
No matter what the world says.
Sure, we’ll do it imperfectly.
But our goal is to live as God tells us to live, for
ourselves, and for the sake of our children.
And God will help us, if we seek Him with all of our
heart.
This powerful DVD will give you specific and
practical examples and advice on how to do just
that.
So, don't forget--to order the DVD “Raising Good Kids
in a Bad World,” call, click or write to us, today.
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
In the last segment of our program, we reviewed the
story of Lot and the angelic visitors he
sheltered in his house.
After the incident at the house, the next morning,
the visitors told Lot and his family it was time to
get out.
They were given specific instructions to leave and
not look back.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
But Lot’s wife, tragically, turned to view
the destruction of those sinful cities, and died.
Lot escaped with his two daughters, and the story
ends with another sad event in the lives of Lot
and his family.
Let’s read that, in Genesis 19:30...
“Then Lot went up...
and dwelt in the mountains, and his two
daughters were with him...
Now the firstborn said to the younger, ‘Our father
is old, and there is no man on the earth to come
in to us as is the custom of all the earth.
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we
will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage
of our father.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
The eldest daughter the first night, and the other
daughter the next night.
And so, Lot had children by his two daughters, and
those children grew to become the Ammonites and
the Moabites.
Now, it’s a little hard to fathom the thinking of
these young girls.
What a shame, they were so confused in their
value-system, that they thought it would be a good
idea to commit fornication and even incest with their
father.
You must wonder, where was the spiritual training?
Did Lot really teach his children about God, His
Laws and His way of life?
Was God real to them?
Or, were they sort of just left to learn from their peers?
Lot was a conflicted individual.
On the one hand, he's described as a righteous
man in 2 Peter 2:7, as we've seen before.
But on the other hand, we see a man whose example
didn't always measure up to his beliefs.
And I think we can assume, despite being a good man
overall, Lot did not fully discern his God-given duty
to teach his children.
It wasn't that he wasn't capable.
If you review the beginning of the story,
you'll find Lot was a prominent citizen in
Sodom.
We read that in Genesis 19:1 that he “sat in the gate
of the city.” That meant he may have even been a
high official in Sodom.
And yet, even though a prominent and relatively
successful citizen, Lot appears to have not made
it a priority to teach his children spiritual values.
And that brings us to our third key to raising good
kids in today’s world,
3. Make teaching your children spiritual values
a high priority.
When we think of our own lives, maybe we can relate
to Lot.
As parents, we sometimes struggle with our own
burdens and stresses.
We may feel overwhelmed from time to time.
We strive to live as best we can, but we know our
example isn't perfect.
And we sometimes feel inadequate guiding and
teaching our children.
Yet, as Christians, we must make the spiritual
training of our children a high priority.
And God will help us if we ask Him to.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God taught
Moses the principles of living a godly life, so he
could teach the parents.
And they were in turn to teach their own children.
Notice how He describes that in Deuteronomy 6:5,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength.
And these words which I command you today shall be
in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up.”
God wants us as parents to make it a habit to talk with
our children--to use normal, everyday situations to
teach the principles of godly living.
And we do it in ways that children can understand.
We teach them godly values, such as: Don't hit
your sister.
Take turns on the playground.
Share your toys.
Pray to God.
Show respect to your elders.
Don't throw your peas on the floor.
You get the idea.
Notice Malachi 2:15,
“But did He not make them one, having a remnant
of the Spirit? And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none
deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”
Marriage as an institution was created
by God.
But why?
Because God loves children and He wants to bring “many
sons to glory”, as it says in Hebrews 2:10.
But He doesn’t just want lots of children running
around who are rebellious, confused, miserable and
disrespectful to authority.
He wants godly children.
He wants sons and daughters who have learned
to exercise self-control and self-restraint.
He wants to see our children have learned to
care for and love other human beings.
Notice what Paul says, in Ephesians 6:1...
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the
first commandment with a promise: “that it may be
well with you and you may live long on the earth.
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to
wrath, but bring them up in the training and
admonition of the Lord.”
The Ten Commandments include one just for families: Honor your
father and your mother.
It’s our job to help our children understand what
that means.
And sometimes we must gently but firmly correct
them for behavior that doesn’t measure up.
Not because we hate them, but because we love them.
They may not like it at that moment, but that’s ok.
They'll be ok.
None of us likes correction when we get it.
But if we teach and even correct them in love, in a
spirit of teaching them a better way, over time
they'll understand.
And they'll grow more secure, knowing there are
clear boundaries of right and wrong.
There’s a lot to think about on this topic.
But that’s why we’ve created this special free
DVD to guide you through the process.
“Raising Good Kids in a Bad World” is filled with
encouraging and helpful advice on being a teaching
parent.
Pastor and Tomorrow’s world writer Jonathan
McNair explains how teaching self-control, for
example, at an early age, is a vital step in the
moral and spiritual training of a growing
child.
If you’re a parent, you need this DVD.
It’s absolutely free--your copy has been “paid
forward” by others who care enough about this
work to provide it for you.
So call, write, or order online today.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you’re calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
A few years ago, doctors Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate
collaborated on a book entitled Hold Onto
Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers.
On page 7 of the book, they make a powerful
statement of the challenge facing parents today: “For
the first time in history young people are turning
for instruction, modeling, and guidance not to
mothers, fathers, teachers and other responsible
adults but to people whom nature never intended to
place in a parenting role--their own peers.
They are not manageable, teachable, or maturing
because they no longer take their cues from
adults.
Instead, children are being brought up by
immature persons who cannot possibly guide them
to maturity.
They are being brought up by each other.”
What a summation of the experience of too many
children growing up today.
That’s the world we live in.
But as we’ve reviewed the story of Lot today,
we can see these challenges are not really new.
Other generations have faced the difficulty of
raising children in corrupt societies as well.
What we need to do is learn from their
experiences.
Our story and our family’s story does not have to end
up like Lot’s.
Consider what God said regarding Lot’s uncle,
Abraham.
He was living in the same time, but took a very
different path than Lot.
Notice what God said about Abraham in Genesis 18:19,
“For I have known him, in order that he may command
his children and his household after him, that
they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness
and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what
He has spoken to him.”
God takes special note of parents who are striving
to live godly lives and pass on His
truth to the next generation. And God will help them, if
they sincerely ask Him for help.
God cares about you and your children.
And we do as well.
Which is why we’re doing what we’re doing here at
Tomorrow’s World.
And this is why we’re offering the free DVD,
“Raising Good Kids in a Bad World.” So you can
raise your children to be successful, virtuous and
happy, with hearts and minds turned to our
Heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Thank you for being with us.
We invite you to keep watching for more
Tomorrow’s World episodes.
As Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Wallace Smith and I
explain how to navigate through the challenges of
today’s world, and what we can look forward to in
Tomorrow’s World.
It’s truly Good News, and can bring hope and comfort
to you, your family, and all humanity.
See you next time.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
The preceding program is
produced by the Living Church of God.