RAISING A TENDER PLANT

 

TEXT: ISAIAH 53:2; LUKE 2:51-52

 

 

1. I.              INTRODUCTION

 

1. A.   PHYSICAL GROWTH OF JESUS

 

1. Throughout his writings, Luke, who was a doctor, mentions the various stages of the physical growth through which Jesus passed.
   1. He was an unborn infant (Luke 1:42).
   2. He was a babe (Luke 2:12).
   3. He was a boy (Luke 2:40).
   4. He was a youth (Luke 2:43).
   5. He was a man (Luke 24:19).

 

1. Jesus did not, like Adam, first appear of full stature.
   1. Just like you and I do, and just like these babies that are before us will, Jesus passed through every stage of life…

(1)         From conception to infancy;

(2)         From infancy to childhood;

(3)         From childhood to youth;

(4)         From youth to adulthood.

 

1. And as Jesus passed through, He sanctified each stage of life.
   1. As an infant, He sanctified the nourishing of a mother’s love and care.

(1)         As a boy, He sanctified the fun of playing with others and establishing the relationships of siblings and friends.

(a)         As a youth, He sanctified the importance of obedience and honor to our parents.

1)      As a man, He sanctified the power of resisting temptation.

 

1. The fact that Jesus passed through various stages of development bodily, mentally, and spiritually is of great significance and importance.

 

1. B.   THE PHYSICAL GROWTH OF CHRIST

 

1. There were three distinct stages of the physical growth of Christ.
   1. There is that of childish innocence.

(1)         No instances of supernatural knowledge or of miraculous deeds are recorded in connection with His early years.

(a)         The idea is conveyed to our minds that He lived a simple, blameless life, unconscious of the high calling that lay before Him.

1)      He was subject to His parents in the same way that ordinary children are while they are too young to think and act for themselves.

a)   And neither His siblings nor His neighbors and friends saw anything in Him to prepare them for His role as the Messiah in adulthood.

b)  He had a childish innocence that did not reveal who He really was.

 

1. Then there is that in which He first began to realize and manifest a sense of personal responsibility to God.
   1. As a 12-year-old, He spoke with the wise elders and synagogue leaders, confounding them with His wisdom.

(1)         When confronted by His worried parents, He told them of His purpose and calling while here on earth – His personal responsibility to God.

 

1. And the third stage is that in which He finds the way in which to reconcile higher and lower obligations, so as to render perfect obedience to the Law of God as it touches the duties we owe to Him and to our fellowman.
   1. As the account of history relates, Jesus returns to Nazareth and is subject to His parents…

(1)         But His obedience to them is of a higher cast than that which He had formerly rendered.

(a)         It is an intelligent, voluntary acceptance and discharge of duty, such as can only come with maturity of age.

 

1. In all three stages of growth, Jesus has afforded a perfect example for all to follow.

 

1. II.          BODY

 

1. A.   JESUS AS A TENDER PLANT

 

1. Isaiah 53:2 says of Jesus, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form…”

 

1. The term “tender plant” means literally, “a little bush,” such as would spring forth from a low branch.
   1. In other words, Jesus was not a great tree but an humble bush.

(1)         He was a remarkable man in that He was completely and wholly human, indicated by the words, “He shall grow up…”

(a)         Yet, He was divine.

 

1. Between His glorious and miraculous birth and His redemptive death, Jesus is described as a “tender plant” that had to grow up.
   1. Note that Isaiah says that Jesus would be as a root out of dry ground, and that “He hath no form.”
   2. This indicates that:

(1)         He came into the world just like every other baby; and

(2)         He was moldable – He had to be formed.

(a)         Jesus was born with all of the qualities that would make Him the Messiah, but He had to be formed…

1)      He had to grow into it.

 

1. Genesis 2:4-5 speaks of the “generations of the heavens and earth;” and goes on to say that God made “every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew…”
   1. But God “had not caused it to rain” on the earth because “there was not a man to till the ground.”

(1)         You see, there are some things that God has planned to do, has made provision for doing, and desires to do, but that He will not do until a man or a woman is in place to work for and receive what God intends to give.

 

1. Resident within each child before us – Taylor, Mallie, Brice, and Hailey – is everything that God intends them to be, but unless and until each one of them is in the right frame of mind, until they are in place to receive and be everything that God has already placed within them, there must be a time of preparation.
   1. That preparation, Joel and Patia;
   2. That preparation, Scott and Alison;
   3. That preparation, Mark and Melissa…

(1)         Is your responsibility.

(2)         You are the “tiller of the ground” in your child’s life.

 

1. Just as God knew the prophet Jeremiah before he was even formed in the womb of his mother, God knew…
   1. Taylor Willis;
   2. Mallie and Bryce Broussard;
   3. Hailey Dickens (hopefully, one day, Hailey Henry);

(1)         God knew who each child’s parents would be.

(2)         He knew what each child’s life would be.

(3)         He knew when he or she would come to be dedicated into His service.

(4)         He knew where each child would live and grow, and from where his influences would come.

 

1. That’s where you come in, parents.
   1. It has fallen your lot in life to nurture and to teach and train your young child in the ways of the Lord.

(1)         Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

1. B.   THE PLANT

 

1. There are a number of things that affect the health and growth of a houseplant.
   1. There are environmental factors:

(1)         Light,

(2)         Water,

(3)         Temperature,

(4)         Humidity,

(5)         Ventilation,

(6)         Fertilization, and…

(7)         Soil are chief factors affecting plant growth.

(a)         And any one of these factors in incorrect proportions will prevent proper plant growth indoors.

 

1. The mental health, physical health, and spiritual health of children, like houseplants, are affected by a number of environmental factors of the home as well.
   1. And if any environmental necessity is given in incorrect proportions, a child’s growth will be hampered.

(1)         You see, discipline is necessary – even biblical – but if meted out in unnecessary proportions or incorrectly, it can damage the child physically, mentally, and ultimately spiritually.

(2)         In the same manner, food is necessary for survival, but it must be given in proper proportions or else eating disorders will be created.

(a)         Too little will leave your child malnourished while too much will cause your child to suffer from obesity.

 

1. As you know, plants come in varied shapes and sizes, and with different needs.
   1. You cannot treat a fern like you do a rose bush, and so forth.

(1)         This plant, the Red Abyssinian (or Monrovia) Banana, is a plant that is durable, but must have bright light in order for it to grow.

(a)         And, if allowed, can quickly grow from 15 to 20 feet tall.

 

1. In the same manner, your children came into this world programmed differently, and they have different needs.
   1. If you have more than one child, you will find that you cannot correct one child like you do the other (or others).

(1)         Your children are going to have very different likes and dislikes, and you must work with them accordingly.

 

1. There are, however, universal needs, though varied in the amount, that are essential to the survival of both plants and children…

 

1. C.  WHAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE

 

1. Light is probably the most essential factor for houseplant growth.
   1. The growth of plants and the length of time they remain active depend on the amount of light they receive.
   2. Light is necessary for all plants because they use this energy source to photosynthesize.

(1)         Spiritual light is also the most essential factor for the spiritual growth of your children.

(a)         The amount of time your children spend in the light of truth will directly affect their spiritual growth.

(b)         The light of God’s Spirit is necessary, both in the church and especially in the home, because this is where their real spiritual strength and energy come from.

 

1. Water is perhaps the next most important factor for plant growth, though equally important because without it, the plant will die.
   1. Though it is good to consistently water your plant, it is necessary sometimes to water the pot until water runs out of the bottom.
   2. This serves two purposes.

(1)         First, it washes out all the excess salts (fertilizer residue).

(2)         Second, it guarantees that the bottom two-thirds of the pot, which contains most of the roots, receives sufficient water.

(a)         In that same manner, prayer must be a consistent source of refreshing for your children.

(b)         It is good to pray with them on a daily basis, but sometimes you will need to pray until they are drenched through and through with the power and presence of God in their lives.

 

1. Another factor in consistent, healthy plant growth is the temperature in the house.
   1. Most houseplants can tolerate normal temperature fluctuations, but drastic changes in temperature can damage them.

(1)         Likewise, children are surprisingly resilient, and very forgiving and even willing to forget when things aren’t as warm as they should be, or when the atmosphere in the home is a little too hot or too cold.

(2)         They can tolerate normal temperature fluctuations that are the home and marriage.

(a)         But if your temperature fluctuations are consistently drastic, your children will suffer mental and spiritual damage.

 

1. Ventilation is also an important factor in houseplant growth.
   1. Forced air dries the plants rapidly; it overtaxes their limited root systems, and may cause damage or plant loss.
   2. It is important to let them get some “fresh air” every now and then.

(1)         In the same manner, children must have some room for physical and spiritual ventilation.

(2)         If you force them to be spiritual all the time, you will quickly “dry them out” and overtax their inner-man, and doing so will cause long-term damage to them spiritually.

(3)         Every now and then you should allow them room to “ventilate.”

(a)         Sometimes that could mean just giving them some room to go out and romp and run and jump about.

(b)         Sometimes that may mean allowing them to speak their minds without drastic consequences.

1)      Your children, like you, can think on their own and they deserve to be able to do so on occasion; however, a steady diet of this will destroy them.

 

1. The last comparison I would like to make is that children, like houseplants, need to be fertilized – they need food!
   1. In the physical sense, you should provide a steady diet of healthy food choices.

(1)         In the spiritual sense, you should provide a consistent diet of the Word of God.

 

1. Remember that the best guard against the death of a plant is to check it regularly so that you can head off a serious problem before it starts.
   1. As with this plant, you should check your children regularly, looking for anything that would indicate the beginning of any problems that could become serious.

(1)         This will allow you to head off any serious problems before they really start.

(a)         This type of checking up may include things such as…

1)      Visit their bedrooms to see what they are hanging on the walls or hiding under their beds;

2)      Check their emails to see with whom they are communicating and what they are communicating;

3)      Visit their My Space or Everyone’s Connected web page to see who they are connected to, what they are saying and what is being said to them or about them on their site.

a)   This is invasive, I know; but it is necessary if you plan to protect your child from the traps and snares of Satan.

 

1. III.      CLOSE

 

1. A.   THE COVENANT

 

1. On that note, and in accordance with the purpose for which you have come, please step forward with your child and respond to the following covenant with the words, “We do.”

 

Minister: Do you now present your child before God, in solemn dedication?

Parents: We do

 

Minister: Do you consecrate yourselves as parents to bring up your child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Parents: We do.

 

Minister: Do you promise to instruct him or her in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and in the practice of prayer, and to guide him or her in the development of Christ-like character?

Parents: We do.

 

Minister: Do you promise to try to the best of your ability so to shape the home life of your child, both by family devotion and by your words and your example, that he or she will at the proper age most naturally come to an open confession of Christ, and into the fellowship and service of the church?

Parents: We do.

 

(Lay hands upon each child’s head as it rests in its’ parents’ arms)

 

Minister: In the name of the Lord Jesus I dedicate this child, Taylor Gabrielle Willis; Hailey Dickens (Henry); Bryce McKenzy Broussard; Mallie Alyse Broussard, to God and His holy service.