WEBVTT 00:00:00.719 --> 00:00:03.419 I don't have a lot of memories from my childhood. 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:09.960 Perhaps you're like me. And memories are few, 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:12.779 far between, and therefore precious. Some that 00:00:12.779 --> 00:00:17.320 I do have, I wish I didn't have. I recall vividly 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:19.359 in one occasion, I can remember it as though 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:22.179 it happened just last year, but I was only probably 00:00:22.179 --> 00:00:28.649 11 or 12 years old. When... Shortly after Mother's 00:00:28.649 --> 00:00:31.390 Day, I was complaining to my mother about the 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:35.310 fact that there was no Children's Day, when children 00:00:35.310 --> 00:00:39.030 should be honored. Later in life I found out 00:00:39.030 --> 00:00:42.469 that in fact there is a day set aside to be Children's 00:00:42.469 --> 00:00:47.890 Day. The truth is, every day is Children's Day. 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:52.490 They just don't realize it. One parent complained, 00:00:52.630 --> 00:00:55.770 the first half of my life was ruined by my parents. 00:00:56.170 --> 00:01:00.310 The last half is being ruined by my kids. I suppose 00:01:00.310 --> 00:01:02.750 most parents can identify with that at least 00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:06.629 one or two days a year. It's really impossible 00:01:06.629 --> 00:01:10.310 for children in their younger years to understand 00:01:10.310 --> 00:01:14.450 the sacrifice that their parents make for them. 00:01:14.950 --> 00:01:20.290 Later, the appreciation usually comes. In a day 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:25.549 and culture when family is being discussed, redefined, 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.459 and in some quarters undermined, it would be 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:34.819 wise for us to hear a word from the author of 00:01:34.819 --> 00:01:39.760 the family, the creator God, and to understand 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:43.739 some of God's wisdom regarding the family. That 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:47.200 is going to be our intent in the studies through 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.140 the month of February in the book of Proverbs. 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.480 God instituted the family as the basic unit of 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.540 human social order. He considers the family, 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:05.819 father, mother, children, to be so fundamental 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:09.960 and significant that when he gave the Ten Commandments 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:14.159 to Moses for the nation of Israel, the first 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.240 of the commandments dealing with the social order 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:24.039 addresses the family. He said, honor your father 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.159 and your mother, that your days may be prolonged 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:32.340 in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:37.780 The New Testament echoes that command in Ephesians 00:02:37.780 --> 00:02:42.419 chapter 6 when it says, children obey your parents 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:47.460 in the Lord for this is right. And then that 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:52.000 command is quoted from Exodus. Following that, 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:55.560 it goes on to say, and fathers, do not provoke 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:59.280 your children to anger, but bring them up in 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:04.979 the discipline and instruction of the Lord. What 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:07.099 does it mean to honor your parents? Well, the 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:09.780 New Testament interpretation of that by the apostle 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:14.280 is it means, at least in part, to obey your parents. 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:20.210 Children, obey your parents. But quickly the 00:03:20.210 --> 00:03:25.770 apostle goes on to say, and fathers, do not exasperate 00:03:25.770 --> 00:03:30.689 your children. In other words, children are to 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:34.849 honor their parents by obedience. On the other 00:03:34.849 --> 00:03:39.370 hand, parents' actions should earn their respect. 00:03:41.169 --> 00:03:45.930 It is possible for a parent to exasperate a child 00:03:45.930 --> 00:03:51.270 by scolding, The nagging, not listening, not 00:03:51.270 --> 00:03:55.990 keeping promises. The telling them to do something 00:03:55.990 --> 00:04:01.150 but not doing it oneself. All of these things 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:05.430 to the extreme create frustration in a child 00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:08.490 that makes it very difficult for that child then 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:14.840 to honor and obey the parent. As we look at God's 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.519 wisdom regarding the family, we need to understand 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:21.579 this, that if God's wisdom is followed and practiced, 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:28.800 it will reverse the decline of our culture. And 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:31.740 it will nearly eliminate most of the serious 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:35.199 social problems plaguing the nation today and 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:40.480 costing us billions of dollars. You say it's 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:44.939 as simple as that? That's exactly right. If we 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:48.360 were to follow what God says about the family, 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:54.899 it would reverse the trends in our nation, and 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:59.660 it would improve the economy of our nation. Because 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:02.519 a great deal of the economic loss that we have 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.360 is due to social problems that stem directly 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:11.899 back to the family's failure. God's wisdom is 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:16.949 very practical wisdom. It's wisdom that has an 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:19.790 impact not only upon the people in the family 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:23.470 unit itself, but upon the whole society. Whoever 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:27.110 we are, whatever our age, God's wisdom tells 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:33.350 us to honor our parents. How do we do that? Well, 00:05:33.350 --> 00:05:37.310 it's practical. God tells us in the book of Proverbs 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:40.829 how we are to do it. The first hint is found 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:49.740 in chapter 13 and verse 1. Where it says a wise 00:05:49.740 --> 00:05:55.319 son heeds his father's instruction But a mocker 00:05:55.319 --> 00:06:00.660 does not listen to rebuke Chapter 15 and verse 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:06.459 5 a fool spurns his father's discipline But whoever 00:06:06.459 --> 00:06:11.560 heeds correction shows prudence chapter 23 verse 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:17.579 22 Listen to your father who gave you life and 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:24.459 do not despise your mother when she is old. How 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.819 do we honor our parents? Number one, listen to 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:32.620 them. Listen with the ears and listen with the 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:38.220 heart. Listen with an attitude to obey. There 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:41.379 are not only exasperated children, there are 00:06:41.379 --> 00:06:46.920 exasperated parents. And there are some parents 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.500 sitting in this room this morning who say, my 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:56.279 children will not listen to me. On the one hand, 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:01.779 it's no wonder they don't. For that's exactly 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:04.579 what they're taught to do by the television programs 00:07:04.579 --> 00:07:06.920 that we allow their minds to be pickled with 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:14.670 daily. Nonetheless, this refusal to listen is 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:19.470 evidence of being a fool and a mocker if it becomes 00:07:19.470 --> 00:07:24.649 a habit of the life. Mockers are so cocksure 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:27.329 of being right that they're contemptuous of anybody 00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:31.170 who tries to tell them anything. They're unteachable. 00:07:32.589 --> 00:07:35.810 Proverbs says it can be seen in their very face. 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:39.149 For chapter 30 verse 17 it speaks about the eye 00:07:39.149 --> 00:07:43.920 that mocks a father. You can see it in the expressions 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:48.240 of the face of children. We need to understand 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:53.199 that the Mosaic Law took a serious view of rebellion. 00:07:54.980 --> 00:07:58.420 Stubborn refusal to obey one's parents resulted 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:05.480 in what? Does anybody know? Execution. Capital 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:10.180 punishment was the penalty for disobedience to 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:17.370 parents. Deuteronomy 21 verses 18 to 21. Now 00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:22.910 why was it so severe? I'll tell you why. It's 00:08:22.910 --> 00:08:28.910 because what happens in the home eventually takes 00:08:28.910 --> 00:08:34.259 place in society. And when there is not respect 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:36.700 for authority in the home, there will eventually 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:40.580 not be respect for authority in society and that 00:08:40.580 --> 00:08:43.740 society will collapse. Therefore it is essential 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:49.080 that children learn to obey in the home. Listen 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:53.120 to your parents. That's the wisdom of God. That's 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:58.279 how you honor them. To rebel against parents, 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:02.779 writes Kenneth Aitken. is to rebel against God's 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:06.779 institution and design for order and responsibility 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:13.860 in society. Now frankly, there is no record of 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:16.500 God's command in Deuteronomy being literally 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:21.879 enforced in Israeli families of old. But God 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:24.340 at least made the point with his people of how 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:27.820 seriously he looks upon an attitude of rebellion. 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.220 How a child listens to his parents reflects how 00:09:33.220 --> 00:09:37.580 he listens to God. There is a parallel that exists 00:09:37.580 --> 00:09:44.980 between the two. Parents, if we do not teach 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:47.820 our children to listen to what we say to them, 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:51.019 then essentially we are saying they need not 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:57.940 listen to God either. And they won't. How do 00:09:57.940 --> 00:10:00.399 we honor our parents? Number one, by listening 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.120 to them and taking heed to what they say. Does 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:06.799 that mean the parents are always right? Of course 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:12.840 not. There are no perfect parents. But it means 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.220 that we must listen to what they say, and unless 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:19.179 they contradict God, we're to obey them in the 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:25.240 Lord. For that's just plain right to do. And 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.740 furthermore, There's blessing promised to those 00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:32.759 who will. Secondly, to honor our parents, Proverbs 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:37.399 tells us, chapter 30 verse 11, to speak well 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:43.200 of them. Actually, this verse is just the opposite. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.480 It says it negatively, but I've chosen to state 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:49.840 it positively for my outline today. The verse 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:54.899 says, chapter 30 and verse 11. It says, there 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:59.240 are those who curse their fathers and do not 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:04.379 bless their mothers. This is in the list of people 00:11:04.379 --> 00:11:07.720 described here whom God is not pleased with. 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:12.360 I remember a time in my teenage years when I 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:16.259 was so angry with my mother that as I went up 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:24.309 the stairs under my breath, I cursed her. And 00:11:24.309 --> 00:11:26.509 immediately when I did, I was reminded of the 00:11:26.509 --> 00:11:29.549 verse in Proverbs that says, whosoever curses 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:34.509 his mother or father will die. God smote my heart. 00:11:34.610 --> 00:11:38.570 Now my mother didn't hear it. Or I would have 00:11:38.570 --> 00:11:44.889 been in a lot of trouble. But God heard it. And 00:11:44.889 --> 00:11:47.789 God convicted me immediately that what I had 00:11:47.789 --> 00:11:53.190 said in my anger was foolish. To honor our parents. 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:56.870 We must not curse them, but speak well of them. 00:11:57.809 --> 00:12:00.549 Actually, the word curse here means to seek them 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:07.250 harm by bringing a curse on them. You say, oh, 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:10.070 that's just, you know, that's hokey pokey stuff. 00:12:10.629 --> 00:12:14.909 You can't really curse somebody. Just pagan people 00:12:14.909 --> 00:12:20.970 believe in that. That's not true, friend. I talked 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:24.460 with a parent last week. in another city whose 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:30.659 two children were cursed by a Satanist who was 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:38.299 a plant in their church. And those children are 00:12:38.299 --> 00:12:40.740 now in their 20s and 30s and only now has that 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:42.960 curse come to light so it can be canceled. Their 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.740 lives have been partially wrecked because of 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.779 a curse that was placed upon them by an occultic 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:56.919 power. It is very real. And what is warned about 00:12:56.919 --> 00:13:00.899 here is placing a curse upon your parents. And 00:13:00.899 --> 00:13:06.860 in fact, the penalty for doing this was also 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:13.679 execution in the Law of Moses. It is actually 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.279 the same penalty as blaspheming God because that 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:22.820 too was to be punished by execution. You see, 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.759 there is a parallel in the mind of God between 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:30.740 parent and himself. It's not that the parents 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:34.100 are God, but in the life of the child they stand 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:39.600 in the place of God in a very important respect. 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.059 And so a child is to speak well of his parents 00:13:44.059 --> 00:13:49.940 and not to curse them. We need to measure our 00:13:49.940 --> 00:13:52.990 words carefully. It's not just little children 00:13:52.990 --> 00:13:57.970 who can say things that hurt a parent. When I 00:13:57.970 --> 00:14:01.289 was a college student, I was home for a break. 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:06.070 And one evening, a missionary guest was in our 00:14:06.070 --> 00:14:10.269 home. She was helping us do the dishes after 00:14:10.269 --> 00:14:13.549 dinner. My mother was washing, she was drying, 00:14:13.610 --> 00:14:16.450 and I was putting them away. And we were talking. 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:24.429 And up in the cupboard, I found some dust. Now 00:14:24.429 --> 00:14:27.710 that, of course, does not happen in any cupboards 00:14:27.710 --> 00:14:32.230 represented in this congregation. But on the 00:14:32.230 --> 00:14:37.070 farm, it happens. There was dust up there to 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:41.450 which, in a rather calloused way, I called attention 00:14:41.450 --> 00:14:46.049 to it in front of this missionary guest, not 00:14:46.049 --> 00:14:51.230 realizing I had deeply wounded my mother. She 00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:55.590 disappeared, I noticed, and the missionary friend 00:14:55.590 --> 00:14:59.350 got next to me and said, I think you need to 00:14:59.350 --> 00:15:03.570 go talk to your mom. Well, I found her out on 00:15:03.570 --> 00:15:07.669 the porch crying, doing some other work, because 00:15:07.669 --> 00:15:13.190 she'd been hurt. We don't have to be little children 00:15:13.190 --> 00:15:18.090 to hurt our parents. Sometimes we can hurt them 00:15:18.090 --> 00:15:23.190 when they're old. When they're feeble by the 00:15:23.190 --> 00:15:27.309 things that we carelessly say Someone has said 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:29.809 make your words sweet because you may have to 00:15:29.809 --> 00:15:33.309 eat them I've eaten enough of them in my life 00:15:33.309 --> 00:15:36.029 that I have tried to learn to make them sweeter 00:15:36.029 --> 00:15:41.389 Make it a practice to say good things About your 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:44.730 parents to bless them And I want to encourage 00:15:44.730 --> 00:15:47.509 you to do that in some form that is permanent 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:52.440 It's wonderful to say it to them. It's wonderful 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:54.659 to pick up the telephone It's convenient to do 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:57.240 that and dial a few numbers and get them on the 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:01.220 other side of the country But there's advantage 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:07.100 to putting it down in writing Because then later 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:10.600 when it's too late to say those things Some of 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.759 you heard me say this before when it's too late 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:18.019 to say those things because they're gone You 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:20.559 have a permanent record of what you have said 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:24.039 to them and you know that you said some precious 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:26.799 things to them. You're glad that you had the 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.139 opportunity to share those thoughts while they 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:34.740 could enjoy them. Bless your parents. Speak well 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:39.120 of them. Do it frequently in writing. Number 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:42.620 three, to honor your parents, treat them respectfully. 00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:46.070 Once again Proverbs puts it in the negative in 00:16:46.070 --> 00:16:50.330 chapter 19 verse 26 Where it says he who robs 00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:53.669 his father and drives out his mother is a son 00:16:53.669 --> 00:17:00.350 who brings shame and disgrace He's warning here 00:17:00.350 --> 00:17:05.029 about not dispossessing your parents Apparently 00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:08.650 there were some in Israel in that day Who drove 00:17:08.650 --> 00:17:11.390 their parents away from home to care for themselves 00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:15.470 when they got old? They got in the way. They 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:18.710 were a burden to the family. And so they were 00:17:18.710 --> 00:17:22.970 sent out to take care of themselves. Let's put 00:17:22.970 --> 00:17:25.650 it in the positive and instead of saying don't 00:17:25.650 --> 00:17:28.690 rob them, let's say treat them with respect. 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:33.029 Practice the golden rule with your parents. Show 00:17:33.029 --> 00:17:38.650 them deference. Show them your affection. Here 00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:43.029 the suggestion is that Even as we become adults 00:17:43.029 --> 00:17:45.710 and our children grow old, there continues to 00:17:45.710 --> 00:17:49.930 be some responsibility for their welfare when 00:17:49.930 --> 00:17:53.390 you as the child find yourself in the place of 00:17:53.390 --> 00:17:59.410 being a parent to your parents. He's not saying 00:17:59.410 --> 00:18:03.029 here that it's always wrong to put your parent 00:18:03.029 --> 00:18:06.009 in a senior center when you can't care for them. 00:18:07.210 --> 00:18:09.250 There are some who have no choice but to care 00:18:09.250 --> 00:18:13.029 for their parent because of health or for other 00:18:13.029 --> 00:18:16.549 reasons by putting them in a place where they're 00:18:16.549 --> 00:18:20.769 lovingly and well cared for. He's not arguing 00:18:20.769 --> 00:18:22.910 against that, but he's saying that we ought to 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:27.069 take care of them in some appropriate reasonable 00:18:27.069 --> 00:18:32.829 manner as they grow old. We need to treat them 00:18:32.829 --> 00:18:36.910 with respect at every age to view them as our 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:40.599 friends and not our enemies. Some teenagers see 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:44.180 their parents as enemies, as those who are out 00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:47.000 to restrict them and hold them down and they're 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:50.720 against them. The fact is there are very few 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:54.299 parents that have that kind of an attitude. There 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:56.940 may be some who are emotionally or mentally messed 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:00.859 up, but nearly all parents love their children 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.079 and whatever restrictions they place on them 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:10.730 is for their good. Fourthly, to honor your parents, 00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:15.710 watch your company. Chapter 28, verse 7. He who 00:19:15.710 --> 00:19:18.750 keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion 00:19:18.750 --> 00:19:24.630 of glutton's disgraces his father. The English 00:19:24.630 --> 00:19:29.829 version puts this instead of glutton, a companion 00:19:29.829 --> 00:19:35.559 of good for nothing's disgraces his father. We 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:39.180 honor our parents by the kinds of friends that 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:45.019 we choose. You see, some friends can create friction 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:49.000 because parents often have an innate sense of 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:52.380 who's good for their child or who's wrong for 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:56.240 their child. Wrong friends will not only hurt 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:00.500 you, but possibly bring disgrace to your family. 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:06.559 You have a family name. Honor that family name. 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:13.819 Uphold it. Bring honor to it. Watch your company. 00:20:16.019 --> 00:20:18.500 Now I can almost hear someone say, what about 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:23.059 parents who are abusive? Or who are otherwise 00:20:23.059 --> 00:20:28.460 unworthy of honor? It is sad to say that there 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:32.119 are some parents who fall into those categories. 00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:37.559 And they're not all un -Christian, by the way. 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:39.799 They're not all non -Christians, by the way. 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:45.819 I'm also sad to say. What do you do when a parent 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:50.539 has been abusive? What do you do when a parent 00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:53.039 is not worthy of respect by what they've done? 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:56.960 Well, the answer is not simple to that question. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:01.579 But in general, I want to say this. that God 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:04.519 wants us to honor our parents because of their 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:11.480 position, often despite their failures and even 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:18.019 their sins. We may not agree with them, we may 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:22.059 weep for what they have done to us or to others, 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:26.480 but nonetheless they are our parents and there 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:29.910 is a sense in which God wants us to honor that 00:21:29.910 --> 00:21:35.809 position. Why should we do this? Why should we 00:21:35.809 --> 00:21:40.990 honor our parents? Because it's protective. I'm 00:21:40.990 --> 00:21:45.470 going to just quickly cover this. How is it protective? 00:21:45.970 --> 00:21:48.069 Honoring parents in the first place protects 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:51.410 you from destructive consequences of rebellion. 00:21:52.390 --> 00:21:59.400 Chapter 20, verse 20. Here's 20 -20 vision. If 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:03.539 a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:08.019 be snuffed out in pitch darkness." That's one 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:10.000 of those verses that got to me that day I told 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:17.019 you about. By honoring our parents, we protect 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:20.319 ourselves from the destructive consequences of 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:23.839 rebellion. As a rural one who is a rebellious 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:30.769 child, grows up to experience a premature and 00:22:30.769 --> 00:22:35.529 often tragic death. Because that rebellion in 00:22:35.529 --> 00:22:38.869 childhood sets in motion certain lifestyles, 00:22:39.349 --> 00:22:44.450 certain habits that cause the life to be ended 00:22:44.450 --> 00:22:49.950 often tragically too soon. And so learning to 00:22:49.950 --> 00:22:53.269 respect authority, learning to honor parents 00:22:53.269 --> 00:22:58.029 protects us. from destructive consequences in 00:22:58.029 --> 00:23:01.029 our lives. It also protects us from a life of 00:23:01.029 --> 00:23:07.289 misery. A life of misery. Chapter one, verses 00:23:07.289 --> 00:23:11.430 eight and nine. Listen, my son, to your father's 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:13.890 instruction. Do not forsake your mother's teaching. 00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:17.170 They will be a garland to grace your neck and 00:23:17.170 --> 00:23:20.750 a chain to your head and a chain to adorn your 00:23:20.750 --> 00:23:26.460 neck. And skip down to verse 22. How long will 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:28.920 you simple ones love your simple ways? How long 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.940 will you mockers delight in mockery and fools 00:23:31.940 --> 00:23:35.380 hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:37.700 I would have poured out my heart to you, made 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:42.140 my thoughts known to you." And on he goes to 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:45.940 tell about the consequences of not listening, 00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:50.359 of not respecting, of not honoring parents. It's 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:55.779 misery. The consequences of defiance, in early 00:23:55.779 --> 00:24:02.880 life are carried over into adult years. Learning 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:06.900 to honor our parents saves us later in life from 00:24:06.900 --> 00:24:11.960 remorse and regrets that cannot be corrected 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:16.579 and healed. Honoring our parents finally protects 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:21.079 you from God's judgment. Yes, God's judgment. 00:24:21.420 --> 00:24:24.480 You see, it is a law of God that we honor our 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:27.579 parents. And if we do not respect the law of 00:24:27.579 --> 00:24:31.099 God, we place ourselves under the judgment of 00:24:31.099 --> 00:24:37.720 God. God compares rebellion against authority 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:43.380 to witchcraft. It is the heart of satanic sin 00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:48.059 to be rebellious. So when we put that away and 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:51.509 we honor our parents, it protects us. from the 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:54.650 judgment of God. We place ourselves under God's 00:24:54.650 --> 00:24:58.049 protective umbrella when we learn to submit to 00:24:58.049 --> 00:25:01.430 His authority in our lives. Oh, we need to learn 00:25:01.430 --> 00:25:04.289 the wisdom of God. We need to hear the wisdom 00:25:04.289 --> 00:25:07.390 of God. We need to practice the wisdom of God 00:25:07.390 --> 00:25:10.849 in our families. It will change our lives for 00:25:10.849 --> 00:25:13.970 the better. And if enough of us do it, it will 00:25:13.970 --> 00:25:17.849 change our culture for the better. But to do 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:21.539 that requires repentance. It requires a change 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:25.480 of thinking, maybe even a humbling on our part. 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:35.220 One of the happiest moments in my childhood memories 00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:38.599 were those times when we gathered around the 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:42.259 evening supper table. We didn't call it dinner 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:46.079 on the farm. You ate dinner at noon. You ate 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:50.200 supper at night. We gathered around the supper 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:57.180 table. Mom, my brothers, my sister, later my 00:25:57.180 --> 00:26:03.119 stepdad, my half -sister. I say those are happy 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:05.480 memories because when we got around that table, 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:09.200 whatever had happened during the day, whatever 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:13.619 squabbles there had been, and there were a few, 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:19.049 however severe the cob fights had been, You've 00:26:19.049 --> 00:26:22.230 never been in the cob fight, have you? Man, you 00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:24.690 get a wet cob and throw it at somebody, they'll 00:26:24.690 --> 00:26:33.089 know what hit them. Great sport. Whatever had 00:26:33.089 --> 00:26:36.150 happened to strain our relationships, when we 00:26:36.150 --> 00:26:38.529 came to that table, we had to sit down together, 00:26:39.250 --> 00:26:44.119 and it had to be over. And when we sat down there, 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:46.980 even though we had fought during the day like 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:50.680 siblings do, though we had disagreed with mom 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:53.180 or with our stepdad during the day, as happens 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:55.920 with children and parents, when we sat down at 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:58.240 the table, we were face to face with one another. 00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:01.319 It was a time of settling those kinds of issues. 00:27:01.420 --> 00:27:05.359 It was a time when we knew that we belonged to 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.740 each other. That's what the Lord's table is for 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:14.180 you and me. This is our Father's table. We come 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:17.880 to this table recognizing that we've failed. 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:21.339 We've sinned in many ways, even against others 00:27:21.339 --> 00:27:26.180 in God's family, our own families. And we're 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:29.420 saying as we come to the table, we need to put 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:31.599 those things aside. We need to correct those 00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:37.259 things because we belong to each other. And as 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:40.150 we sit down with the Father, at this table where 00:27:40.150 --> 00:27:44.029 we remember His Son. Let's make it a happy memory. 00:27:45.470 --> 00:27:49.589 Let's make it a blessed time, as sins are repented 00:27:49.589 --> 00:27:53.910 of, where we give ourselves afresh to each other 00:27:53.910 --> 00:28:00.809 and to our Lord. Let's pray. Now, Father, as 00:28:00.809 --> 00:28:05.470 we partake of these elements, as we come to Your 00:28:05.470 --> 00:28:12.220 table, to observe this Last Supper memorial that 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:18.740 Jesus gave us. We do it with a sense of sorrow 00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:24.900 in our hearts for our sins. We do it with repentance 00:28:24.900 --> 00:28:28.200 in our minds, changing our minds about what we've 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:30.720 done, the way we've lived, how we've treated 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:35.680 others, how we've treated you. Father, we come 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:41.680 to your table. confessing and we come receiving 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.700 receiving with grateful hearts the provision 00:28:45.700 --> 00:28:49.400 you've made for us in your son thank you for 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:53.880 his broken body thank you for his shed blood 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:59.440 which was for us minister to us as we partake 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:03.059 around your table right now amen