Lesson Three
Protection and Preparedness

Pastor Ryan Story

Memory Verse: “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’ - and he was called a friend of God.” James 2:23 

Recently, my wife and I took our children to a waterpark resort for a family trip. Notice, I said trip, not a vacation. Vacations are restful and void of children. Trips involve children, waterparks, and no rest. Trips are not restful for parents. Despite that, all parents love trips with their kids. We were having a great time, then it happened. I was walking with my two older sons to one of the waterslides, and I watched a little girl run, slip, and fall on her back. Praise God she was uninjured and sprung right back up. However, this little girl’s father (we will call him “Joe Every-parent”) was very frustrated. I could hear Joe tell his daughter something I have, in fact, said to my own kids, “Haven’t I told you, no running in a waterpark; you can slip and hurt yourself!” I walked by Joe, and we exchanged the “I get you man” glance. Joe Every-parent’s heart may not have been 100% glorifying God at the moment, but there was something very familiar with his response. Every parent ought to want to protect their children, and every parent should want to prepare their child. These are not just good societal rules. A parental role that protects and prepares your children is biblical.  

Matthew 18:6 warns, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”  

We should never want anything to get in between anyone and a saving relationship with Jesus, especially our own children.  

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 commands, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” 

Teaching and preparing our children to know Jesus’ love, to love Jesus, to live for Jesus, and, best yet, to see our children teach the Gospel to their children is a daunting task. Literally, it causes chills. We should desire to prepare our children to know and walk with the Lord and to walk in faith. 

1. On a scale of 0 (Not at all) – 10 (Total):

How prepared by your parents do you feel?  

How protected by your parents do you feel?  

If applicable, how are you with your grandchildren? 

The story of Abraham and Isaac is one that has been preached, taught, and placed on felt boards for thousands of years. For most of us, when we think of the interesting dynamic between Abraham and Isaac, our brains go to the moment in Genesis chapter 22 when God calls Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on an altar on Mount Moriah. The truths that are found in Genesis chapter 22 are ones that every parent needs to heed and ones I wish I had known early in my parenting journey.  

PROTECT 

Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭says, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

2. Why does God test us? What is the difference between a test and a temptation?  

3. How does God describe Isaac to Abraham? Why does this description make this test so hard for Abraham? 

In this moment, God revealed an idol in Abraham’s life. The very son God gave to Abraham and Sarah became an object that distanced Abraham from God. God knew Abraham’s faith, and God knew Abraham’s heart. A part of this test was to see if Abraham trusted God completely. Sadly, sometimes, the most meaningful blessings God gives us in life become the areas in which we least trust God.  

Every time I read this chapter, this request from God causes a massive struggle with its insanity. As parents, are we not called to protect our children from everything? It can range from skinned knees to horrible diseases that can be contracted if our child drinks out of the water hose. Were we not tasked with the never-ceasing worry of the “what if” scenarios? 

At this moment, God is asking a parent to do something insane. God is asking Abraham to trust Him. At this moment, God is asking a father to realize that his love for his child is not the best way to protect the youth. The greatest protection a child will ever have is when their parent is fully obedient to God. Amazingly, at this moment, Abraham made the resolution to trust God, no matter what. 

4. When is it hardest to trust God in your life?  

5. How does obedience to the Lord best help us receive the protection our parents gave/give us? 

6. What practical ways can you show your relationship with Jesus in how you trust in His protection? 

PREPARE 

Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭says, “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

7. If you were Abraham, how would you be feeling at this point of God’s test?  

By the time this book is published, my oldest son will be nine. My youngest will be three. There will be an eight-year-old and a six-year-old in the middle. (Cue “Cat’s in the Cradle.”) There are so many times I know I have missed to prepare my children for life because I wanted to protect them. There have been so many learning opportunities I have taken away from them because, in my impatience, I could not watch them struggle. I would rather protect my kids from any difficulty. I would rather wrap them in bubble wrap and not let them make any choices that could hurt them. This is tricky to navigate, but as believers, we have to protect our children from a real enemy, and we also have to prepare them for the fight that is at hand. We have to prepare our children to have faith in Jesus.  

8. Do you feel like overprotection might have caused you to not be prepared for certain things in life? 

Abraham did a lot of things wrong. Sin complicated a lot of his life. However, one truth God seemed to put on his heart was to prepare and protect Isaac by keeping his faith in God.  

Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭17‬-‭19 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

9. What is the best advice you were given to help you be prepared for life? 

The best way to protect and prepare the next generation to live for the Lord is to model for them what faith looks like. Your kids were given to you by a sovereign King. He did not bless you with children so you could stress all day or create a list of life lessons. God gave you children so you can love them as He loves you. God gave you children so you could be a minister of reconciliation, an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19-20). 

We live in a broken, fallen world. We live in a world that needs to teach children how to grow up. The only way to do both is to ensure that they have a genuine relationship with Jesus. The best way for that to be fostered is them to see yours. 

Deepak Reju said, “While only God can save children, God uses parents who raise their children ‘in the training and instruction of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4) as a means to pass truth on to the next generation.”  

10. How can we get better at preparing the next generation or at following our parents as they try to protect and prepare us for life?  

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