WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.100 I invite you to open your Bible with me to the 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:08.480 book of Colossians and the third chapter. Dave 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:12.220 Bly and I were blessed this last week to attend 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:16.500 a briefing in Washington DC that was sponsored 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:19.679 by the National Association of Evangelicals. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:24.500 As we were there, it was very encouraging to 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:29.410 hear some of the freshman representatives. who 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:31.530 were elected two years ago to go to Washington 00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:33.929 and make a difference and to see the courage 00:00:33.929 --> 00:00:37.570 as they have tried to do that with a lot of obstacles 00:00:37.570 --> 00:00:41.710 being thrown in their way. I want you to know 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:43.969 today that though there are great concerns in 00:00:43.969 --> 00:00:48.590 Washington and though we have a lot of prayer 00:00:48.590 --> 00:00:50.950 that needs to be offered up on behalf of our 00:00:50.950 --> 00:00:56.189 leaders, God is doing a work there. About a third 00:00:56.189 --> 00:01:02.100 of the Senate attends weekly Bible studies. And 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.439 there are scores and scores who are members of 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:06.340 the House of Representatives who are doing the 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:09.739 same thing. And they are praying for each other, 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.120 they are praying for the work that God has called 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:16.780 them to do. Many of them know Jesus Christ as 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:19.519 Lord and Savior and are seeking to honor Him. 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:24.180 And so as we think about our responsibility to 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:28.640 pray, We think about the fall elections. We need 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.299 to be in prayer. We need to be working for those 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:35.620 who will go on and make a difference in Washington 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:41.400 DC. The United States has become the most wealthy 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.799 and powerful nation in the history of the world 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:48.980 because it was founded upon biblical principles. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.549 We were reminded of that this past week. that 00:01:53.549 --> 00:01:56.989 many of the principles that our Founding Fathers 00:01:56.989 --> 00:02:00.950 drew upon were derived from scriptures, not the 00:02:00.950 --> 00:02:04.590 least of which was the belief in a sovereign 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:10.270 God who created us and who rules over the affairs 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:15.689 of men. Let me just remind you of what our Declaration 00:02:15.689 --> 00:02:21.379 of Independence says. When in the course of human 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:24.199 events it becomes necessary for one people to 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.280 dissolve the political bands which have connected 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.659 them with another, and to assume among the powers 00:02:30.659 --> 00:02:32.979 of the earth a separate and equal station to 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:38.219 which the laws of nature and of nature's god 00:02:38.219 --> 00:02:43.080 entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:45.599 of mankind requires that they should declare 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.080 the causes which impel them to the separation. 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:53.219 It goes on to say, we hold these truths to be 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:58.939 self -evident that all men are created equal, 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:03.919 that they are endowed by their creator with certain 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:07.580 unalienable rights. In other words, our founding 00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:10.520 fathers did not see the government as the source 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.919 of the rights of the people of this nation. They 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:18.259 saw the creator as the source of those rights. 00:03:19.459 --> 00:03:22.340 And yet, in our government school system today, 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:25.759 children are not allowed to pray, and the Bible 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:28.680 is not read. The Ten Commandments cannot even 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:34.280 be put in the school rooms of our country. They 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.620 conclude the Declaration of Independence by saying, 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.280 and for the support of this declaration, we, 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:42.919 with a firm reliance on the protection of divine 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:46.280 providence, we mutually pledge to each other 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:49.610 our lives, our fortunes, in our sacred honor. 00:03:51.490 --> 00:03:54.930 My point is simply this. The founding fathers 00:03:54.930 --> 00:03:59.050 of this nation had a deep and abiding faith in 00:03:59.050 --> 00:04:03.870 God. They were not all Christians, but they believed 00:04:03.870 --> 00:04:08.610 in God. And this nation was founded upon principles 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:18.379 that require a belief in God to work. What we 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:21.660 observe, I think, in the history of America is 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:26.180 that obedience to biblical principles makes a 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:33.160 society strong. Not only a society, but a family 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:39.639 and an individual. Obedience brings blessing, 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:43.839 but disobedience to biblical principles brings 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:49.860 decay and destruction. Now today's text in Colossians 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:53.279 chapter 3 lays down some foundational principles. 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:59.240 Foundational principles for society, and for 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:05.279 the home, and for individuals. Where these foundational 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:09.600 principles are followed, there will be strength. 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:15.240 And where these principles are neglected or forsaken, 00:05:15.529 --> 00:05:22.829 there will be grief and decay. Verse 18 of Colossians 00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:27.610 3. Wives, be subject to your own husbands as 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:31.629 is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives 00:05:31.629 --> 00:05:35.250 and do not be embittered against them. Children, 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:37.589 be obedient to your parents in all things where 00:05:37.589 --> 00:05:41.050 this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.769 not exasperate your children that they may not 00:05:43.769 --> 00:05:47.959 lose heart. Slaves in all things obey those who 00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:50.379 are your masters on earth, not with external 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:53.519 service, as those who merely please men, but 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:58.439 with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:01.620 you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:04.860 rather than for men. Knowing that from the Lord 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:07.439 you will receive the reward of the inheritance, 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:11.079 it is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:13.339 who does wrong will receive the consequences 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:15.939 of the wrong which he has done, and that without 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:19.819 partiality. Masters grant to your slaves justice 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:24.060 and fairness, knowing that you too have a master 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:27.839 in heaven." The apostle addresses the household 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.439 as it was in the days of Rome. Slaves were common 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:35.139 in many families and were considered to be part 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:39.519 of the family. And so he addresses the household 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:43.300 in Rome. Now, of course, we today do not have 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:46.629 slaves. Some of you wives may feel like it, but 00:06:46.629 --> 00:06:50.769 I hope before the morning's over you won't. We 00:06:50.769 --> 00:06:53.029 don't have slaves, but the principles that are 00:06:53.029 --> 00:06:56.889 laid down here apply to us in the home and in 00:06:56.889 --> 00:07:00.689 the workplace. And what we learn here is that 00:07:00.689 --> 00:07:03.209 we who name the name of Jesus Christ, who have 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:07.329 been raised from the dead and are risen with 00:07:07.329 --> 00:07:11.660 Christ, we who are called chosen and holy and 00:07:11.660 --> 00:07:14.980 beloved. We who are commanded to do all things 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:20.560 in the name of the Lord Jesus, verse 17, we have 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:25.379 certain responsibilities at home and in the workplace. 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.019 The principles that are laid down here, which 00:07:29.019 --> 00:07:32.339 if followed will strengthen our homes and as 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:38.279 a result of that strengthen society. And if we 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:42.620 neglect these principles, our homes and our society 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:50.360 will suffer as a result of it. The Apostle first 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:55.220 addresses wives, and he says to them, be subject. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:01.819 The Greek word here means, place yourself under 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:08.470 another in an orderly fashion. This verb does 00:08:08.470 --> 00:08:12.670 not mean that a wife can be coerced into doing 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:18.449 this. The very idea in which he, the way in which 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:21.029 he expresses this means that it is to be done 00:08:21.029 --> 00:08:27.790 voluntarily. It is her choice to defer to her 00:08:27.790 --> 00:08:33.250 husband. And yet the subjection is viewed as 00:08:33.250 --> 00:08:37.110 fitting. as a duty and as an obligation under 00:08:37.110 --> 00:08:41.330 the lordship of Jesus Christ. Why, if he says, 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:46.629 be subject to your husband? Now in Ephesians 00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:49.730 chapter 5, we have a parallel text to this that 00:08:49.730 --> 00:08:52.549 elaborates upon it. I don't have time this morning 00:08:52.549 --> 00:08:54.570 to read it, but let me just draw a couple of 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:58.289 things out from that text that will help undergird 00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:03.830 this point a bit. It is clear in Ephesians chapter 00:09:03.830 --> 00:09:08.710 5 that a mutual submission within the church 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:13.769 fellowship is evidence of the Holy Spirit's control 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:17.830 in their lives. In verse 18 he says, be filled 00:09:17.830 --> 00:09:20.429 with the Holy Spirit, and then he begins to list 00:09:20.429 --> 00:09:23.129 the results of that, and one of them is that 00:09:23.129 --> 00:09:28.830 we within the church, men and women, will have 00:09:28.830 --> 00:09:34.220 a mutual deference. to one another. We will subject 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:38.759 ourselves to one another. And in that context, 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:41.700 and in that spirit, he goes on to say, and wives, 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:45.320 you specifically be subject to your husbands. 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:52.360 So you see, this command to wives has a context. 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.700 And it is the deference that we believers are 00:09:56.700 --> 00:10:00.519 to show to one another anyway. within the fellowship 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:04.960 of the Church. Secondly, God has appointed order 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:09.379 in the home, an order that places the husband 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:14.279 as the head or the authority in the home. That 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:18.019 is clearly stated in Ephesians chapter 5. And 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:20.679 that corresponds to the relationship between 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:25.259 Jesus Christ and the Church. It is a reflection. 00:10:25.740 --> 00:10:28.840 of the order that God has established where Christ 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.620 is the head of the Church, and we submit ourselves 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:41.399 to Him. This command, and it is a command to 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:44.659 wives, does not mean that the husband is the 00:10:44.659 --> 00:10:48.460 dictator and the master of the home who lords 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:56.679 it over his wife. It does not mean that. A husband 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:05.419 leads by serving his wife. It does not mean that 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:08.440 the husband is to demand or to force subjection 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:15.919 from his wife, for he truly cannot do that. No 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:20.460 one can force another person into subjection. 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.460 Rather, the husband's character and his service 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:29.269 to his wife ought to make submission from her 00:11:29.269 --> 00:11:33.529 a willing response, because subjection, you see, 00:11:33.570 --> 00:11:41.649 comes out of respect for the leader. This command 00:11:41.649 --> 00:11:44.470 does not mean that wives are exempted if their 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:48.330 husbands are not Christians. 1 Peter chapter 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:52.440 3, verses 1 through 6 makes it clear. that even 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:55.539 when a Christian woman is married to a non -Christian 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:58.620 man, there is to be an element of subjection 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:05.159 in her home relationship with him. Wives be subject 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:10.179 to your husband. After that succinct statement, 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.240 the apostle moves on to husbands and he says, 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:17.169 husbands love your wives. This was a revolutionary 00:12:17.169 --> 00:12:19.570 statement in the Roman world because in that 00:12:19.570 --> 00:12:22.669 world wives were often viewed as possessions. 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:29.990 Wives were viewed as something that one possessed 00:12:29.990 --> 00:12:35.370 for his own benefit. They were not respected. 00:12:36.309 --> 00:12:38.610 There was not understanding really between husbands 00:12:38.610 --> 00:12:43.230 and wives. And so while Paul doesn't undermine 00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:47.879 the authority, of the husband, he mitigates that 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:51.139 authority. He says that authority is to be carried 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:57.919 out with love. Love your wife. This word love 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:01.480 is the word for God's love. It means that the 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:05.059 husband is to continually seek the welfare of 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:11.080 his wife. This is an act of the will, not of 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:16.169 the affection. This love is an act of the will 00:13:16.169 --> 00:13:21.809 to choose, to seek the welfare of another, whether 00:13:21.809 --> 00:13:24.450 or not the feelings are there at the moment. 00:13:25.029 --> 00:13:27.370 It's like faith in that regard. Faith is not 00:13:27.370 --> 00:13:30.950 a feeling. Faith is a choice that we make to 00:13:30.950 --> 00:13:36.149 believe God, to trust in Jesus Christ, and not 00:13:36.149 --> 00:13:38.269 in ourselves or whatever else we're trusting 00:13:38.269 --> 00:13:42.389 in. To love our wives means to choose to act 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:47.629 in a way that ministers to her needs. One commentator 00:13:47.629 --> 00:13:50.269 says, Christian love is not an impulse of the 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:53.809 feelings. It does not always run with natural 00:13:53.809 --> 00:13:57.330 inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon 00:13:57.330 --> 00:14:00.730 those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love 00:14:00.730 --> 00:14:05.289 seeks the welfare of all, and works no ill to 00:14:05.289 --> 00:14:10.480 any. And to husbands, the apostle says, do not 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:15.620 be embittered with your wife. Do not be irritated. 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:19.620 Do not be harsh or surly. We might put it in 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:24.240 the colloquial of our day, don't be cross with 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:31.720 your wife, but love your wife. Now in Ephesians 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:34.019 5, again, there's a parallel text, and from it 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:39.370 we gain insight. The love of one's wife is a 00:14:39.370 --> 00:14:45.230 self -sacrificing choice. Just as Christ has 00:14:45.230 --> 00:14:52.129 loved us and given himself up for us, we husbands 00:14:52.129 --> 00:14:58.330 are to lay aside our rights and to give ourselves 00:14:58.330 --> 00:15:04.429 up for our wives. But Paul also says it's a self 00:15:04.429 --> 00:15:09.129 -nurturing choice. for us to make. Because, he 00:15:09.129 --> 00:15:11.570 says, if we love our wives, in essence, we're 00:15:11.570 --> 00:15:16.889 loving ourselves because we're one flesh. There 00:15:16.889 --> 00:15:20.070 is great benefit to the husband who practices 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:26.210 love for his wife. The benefits and the rewards 00:15:26.210 --> 00:15:30.710 that come back to him multi -fold. And so it 00:15:30.710 --> 00:15:34.750 is, in a sense, a self -nurturing choice. And 00:15:34.750 --> 00:15:39.509 again. It illustrates Christ's care and union 00:15:39.509 --> 00:15:45.929 with the Church. And then within the household, 00:15:46.009 --> 00:15:48.769 he writes to children, and he says, to children, 00:15:49.250 --> 00:15:55.509 be obedient. Humorous Ogden Nash observed, parents 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:58.649 were invented to make children happy by giving 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:04.610 them something to ignore. Not in the Christian 00:16:04.610 --> 00:16:11.200 home. The word obedience means to listen to and 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:16.559 to attend to the words of your parents. Literally 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:23.360 it says to hear under them. And so it means to 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:26.059 hear what they say and then be ready to carry 00:16:26.059 --> 00:16:32.059 them out, those words of instruction. It is wise 00:16:32.059 --> 00:16:34.740 for a child to do this for a number of reasons, 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:37.960 including the fact that when a child does this, 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:40.820 he is under the umbrella of protection of his 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:48.100 parents. There is a safety for the child who 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:52.399 obeys his parents. There is safety in obedience. 00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:57.320 And a child is to obey, it says, in all things. 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:02.620 We must note, however, that that does not include 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:09.970 abuse. That does not include being told to do 00:17:09.970 --> 00:17:13.329 what is wrong and having to do that. It does 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:16.849 not mean that. But as a general principle, in 00:17:16.849 --> 00:17:19.450 a healthy way, a child is to obey his parents 00:17:19.450 --> 00:17:22.609 in all things. And he says this is God's will, 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:25.710 and God recognizes this response as something 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:29.190 that is pleasing to him. In fact, it well pleases 00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:35.250 God when a child obeys. And then to parents. 00:17:35.549 --> 00:17:41.430 or to fathers. Do not exasperate, he says, your 00:17:41.430 --> 00:17:45.410 children. Now it's not easy to discipline children, 00:17:45.630 --> 00:17:50.890 is it? That's a tough thing to learn to do. About 00:17:50.890 --> 00:17:53.750 the time you've learned to do it with some success, 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:58.710 they're grown. All parents are a learning curve. 00:18:02.509 --> 00:18:06.009 Lord Rochester gives some... found advice when 00:18:06.009 --> 00:18:08.609 he says, before I got married, I had six theories 00:18:08.609 --> 00:18:11.569 about bringing up children. Now I have six children 00:18:11.569 --> 00:18:19.650 and no theories. He tells us here, parents, do 00:18:19.650 --> 00:18:23.970 not provoke your children to frustration. Do 00:18:23.970 --> 00:18:28.470 not make them angry and discouraged pointlessly. 00:18:29.509 --> 00:18:33.329 Now, some parents have so reacted To that that 00:18:33.329 --> 00:18:36.150 they have failed to discipline their children 00:18:36.150 --> 00:18:41.250 and discipline is important Some author who I 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:46.309 do not know Wrote these words. I loved you enough. 00:18:46.809 --> 00:18:50.710 It's entitled Someday when my children are old 00:18:50.710 --> 00:18:52.829 enough to understand the logic that motivates 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:55.730 the mother I will tell them I loved you enough 00:18:55.730 --> 00:18:58.410 to ask you about where you were going with whom 00:18:58.410 --> 00:19:02.200 and what time you would get home I loved you 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:05.579 enough to insist that you buy a bike that we 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:08.319 could afford to give you with your own money. 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:12.420 I loved you enough to make you return a Milky 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:16.240 Way with a bite out of it to a drug store and 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:21.420 to confess I stole this. I loved you enough to 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:24.700 stand over you for two hours while you cleaned 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:26.940 your room, a job that would have taken me only 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:31.720 15 minutes. I loved you enough to let you see 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:34.440 anger, disappointment, disgust, and tears in 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:38.480 my eyes. I loved you enough to admit I was wrong 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:42.079 to ask for your forgiveness. I loved you enough 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:49.640 to let you stumble, fall, and hurt. I loved you 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:52.099 enough to let you assume the responsibility for 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:57.940 your actions when you were six and ten and sixteen. 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:02.920 But most of all, I loved you enough to say no 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:06.900 when you hated me for it. That was the hardest 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:13.599 part of all. It is important to discipline our 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:19.900 children. And in our society today, there is 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:25.170 such a deification of children. that it's an 00:20:25.170 --> 00:20:27.829 evidence of the convoluted thinking of our culture 00:20:27.829 --> 00:20:34.630 regarding discipline. It is difficult for me 00:20:34.630 --> 00:20:36.869 to understand how a six -year -old can fly an 00:20:36.869 --> 00:20:39.589 airplane across the United States. It's not a 00:20:39.589 --> 00:20:44.150 problem. Et cetera, et cetera. We have a deification 00:20:44.150 --> 00:20:46.930 of children and children's thinking in our culture. 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.529 John Rosemond, who is a licensed psychologist, 00:20:52.910 --> 00:20:57.089 in North Carolina who occasionally has a column 00:20:57.089 --> 00:21:01.269 in our St. Paul paper, wrote several years ago 00:21:01.269 --> 00:21:05.009 these words. After a recent presentation, he 00:21:05.009 --> 00:21:07.289 says, I found myself talking with a couple of 00:21:07.289 --> 00:21:09.829 parents who wanted to know how to set limits 00:21:09.829 --> 00:21:14.150 without spicing their children's energy. No sooner 00:21:14.150 --> 00:21:16.670 had they asked the question than up walks a girl 00:21:16.670 --> 00:21:19.890 of seven or eight. Without missing a beat, she 00:21:19.890 --> 00:21:22.309 proceeds to address her parents as if I'm not 00:21:22.309 --> 00:21:25.609 even there. When are we leaving? She asks. I'm 00:21:25.609 --> 00:21:29.970 bored. Immediately breaking off our conversation, 00:21:30.089 --> 00:21:33.470 the father says, now, Haroldine. That surely 00:21:33.470 --> 00:21:37.509 wasn't her name. Now, Haroldine, what have we 00:21:37.509 --> 00:21:39.809 told you about interrupting? What are you supposed 00:21:39.809 --> 00:21:44.730 to say? Excuse me, she says mechanically. That's 00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:46.750 better, he says. Now, what is it you want to 00:21:46.750 --> 00:21:50.130 tell her? And right there, to my amazement and 00:21:50.130 --> 00:21:52.630 amusement, this family demonstrates the degree 00:21:52.630 --> 00:21:56.190 to which Haroldine's energies are in desperate 00:21:56.190 --> 00:22:02.950 need of stifling. But I pick on Haroldine's parents 00:22:02.950 --> 00:22:05.910 when, in truth, they are every parent and Haroldine 00:22:05.910 --> 00:22:09.869 is every child. This generation of American children 00:22:09.869 --> 00:22:13.289 has, as a group, no respect for adult conversation. 00:22:14.230 --> 00:22:16.769 Which simply means they have no respect for adults. 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:21.039 Which simply means their parents as a group have 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:23.299 failed to communicate the single most important 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:26.500 of all distinctions That adults are not children 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:32.700 and children are not adults Because I'm to say 00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:36.160 now we're being told That we are good parents 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:38.700 only to the degree we become involved with our 00:22:38.700 --> 00:22:41.660 children The more we do with them the better 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:46.160 parents we are Involvement he says the Emperor's 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:50.640 new clothes The latest spin on the same old child 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.740 as center of the family universe, professional 00:22:53.740 --> 00:22:56.480 drumbeat we've been marching to for 40 years. 00:22:56.980 --> 00:23:01.079 You'd think we would have learned by now. You've 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:03.160 got some important things there to say for us 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:09.299 folks. But in the midst of our discipline, we 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:13.400 must not frustrate our children. And how is it 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:17.150 that children are frustrated? Let me just suggest 00:23:17.150 --> 00:23:20.069 some ways in which we can exasperate our children 00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:25.029 as adults. One is by never giving them any physical 00:23:25.029 --> 00:23:32.029 affection, or taking them for granted, or making 00:23:32.029 --> 00:23:37.410 them feel unwanted. We can exasperate our children 00:23:37.410 --> 00:23:41.930 by embarrassing them in front of others, by criticizing 00:23:41.930 --> 00:23:44.829 them unjustly, by putting down their opinions. 00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:51.049 By bringing up the old mistakes again and again, 00:23:52.089 --> 00:23:54.789 children are exasperated when they see their 00:23:54.789 --> 00:23:57.910 father continually putting down their mother. 00:23:59.869 --> 00:24:02.490 They're exasperated by inconsistent discipline, 00:24:04.369 --> 00:24:09.109 by our not showing approval of them, by our having 00:24:09.109 --> 00:24:12.690 too high of expectations for their attitudes 00:24:12.690 --> 00:24:17.490 and behaviors. by our failure to acknowledge 00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:22.369 our own mistakes as parents. These are the kinds 00:24:22.369 --> 00:24:26.430 of things that can exasperate our children resulting 00:24:26.430 --> 00:24:31.029 in their losing heart or being broken in spirit. 00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:38.990 So he says, fathers, especially fathers, but 00:24:38.990 --> 00:24:41.789 parents in general, do not exasperate your children. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:48.180 And then to slaves or to employees, as we would 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:51.660 apply it in our culture, he says several important 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:57.119 things. First, we who are working for others 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:04.920 must obey our supervisors, our masters. We must 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:08.920 see them, whether they are just or Christian 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:12.700 or kind or any of the good things, we must see 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:16.980 them nonetheless as God's authority over us. 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:21.400 And so we are expected to obey them. Secondly, 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:26.740 we are to do our work with a God -fearing attitude. 00:25:27.980 --> 00:25:32.299 Not just to please men, as important as that 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:36.799 may be, we are to do our work fearing God, doing 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:42.670 it in the sight of God. Third, We're to do our 00:25:42.670 --> 00:25:45.349 work with a Christ -honoring diligence. We're 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:48.289 to do it heartfully. Literally, we're to do it 00:25:48.289 --> 00:25:53.369 from the soul, with all of our hearts. We're 00:25:53.369 --> 00:25:56.710 to do our work for the Lord, realizing that ultimately 00:25:56.710 --> 00:25:59.769 our reward is not the paycheck every two weeks. 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:04.609 It's the reward we will receive from Jesus Christ 00:26:04.609 --> 00:26:09.519 on that day that we see Him face to face. This, 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:13.119 by the way, gives tremendous dignity to all work. 00:26:15.099 --> 00:26:18.960 It is the heart and core of what is called the 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:23.380 Protestant work ethic that for centuries made 00:26:23.380 --> 00:26:30.079 America great. And then finally, we're to realize 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:34.700 that working in a poor way will bring due consequences. 00:26:35.330 --> 00:26:38.329 God does not promise us divine protection for 00:26:38.329 --> 00:26:44.230 lousy work, for sloppy management. There's no 00:26:44.230 --> 00:26:49.269 favoritism, because one is a Christian. We're 00:26:49.269 --> 00:26:52.190 rewarded for work well done, we suffer consequences 00:26:52.190 --> 00:26:56.970 when we fail to do our work well. But then he 00:26:56.970 --> 00:26:59.970 closes with a word to those who are the supervisors 00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:06.630 or the masters. Those who are in charge, are 00:27:06.630 --> 00:27:09.509 responsible to supply two important attributes 00:27:09.509 --> 00:27:16.990 to the workplace, justice and fairness. Justice 00:27:16.990 --> 00:27:23.690 means to do the right thing. We are to do the 00:27:23.690 --> 00:27:28.789 right thing for our employees, not the most economical 00:27:28.789 --> 00:27:34.319 thing necessarily for the company. Were to do 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:37.660 the right thing, there's to be justice. Roman 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:41.660 slaves had no rights at all, period. And so the 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:46.039 apostle says to masters, give them rights, and 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:49.740 do what is right before God. Secondly, he says, 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:52.519 treat them fairly, let there be an equality. 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:59.180 Treat them as human beings. Do not treat them 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:04.509 with partiality, but with equality. And the motive 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:10.410 for doing so is that those who are masters have 00:28:10.410 --> 00:28:15.210 themselves a heavenly master, the Lord, who witnesses 00:28:15.210 --> 00:28:19.769 the way that we treat others, and who will, it 00:28:19.769 --> 00:28:25.829 implies, compensate us in a similar fashion that 00:28:25.829 --> 00:28:30.490 we treat others. Now I began this message this 00:28:30.490 --> 00:28:33.500 morning. by saying that there are certain foundational 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:37.880 principles which, if followed, will make a country, 00:28:39.859 --> 00:28:47.839 a home, and a person successful. There are certain 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:50.859 foundational principles given in God's Word which, 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:55.279 if followed, will help us make our homes and 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:59.890 our lives filled with joy and satisfaction. Not 00:28:59.890 --> 00:29:01.829 that there won't be problems, there are problems 00:29:01.829 --> 00:29:04.210 in every home because a home is a collection 00:29:04.210 --> 00:29:09.170 of sinners. But when we follow the principles 00:29:09.170 --> 00:29:11.250 that God gives us, there will be strength in 00:29:11.250 --> 00:29:16.049 our home and in our country. I think you can 00:29:16.049 --> 00:29:19.390 see by the contrast in our country today where 00:29:19.390 --> 00:29:23.849 we're at. And very sadly, surveys show that there 00:29:23.849 --> 00:29:26.730 is very, very little difference. I mean within 00:29:26.730 --> 00:29:29.369 the... a fraction of a percentage point in the 00:29:29.369 --> 00:29:31.650 attitudes between Christians and non -Christians 00:29:31.650 --> 00:29:34.309 in America when it comes to the kinds of things 00:29:34.309 --> 00:29:39.190 we're talking about today. The apostle says that 00:29:39.190 --> 00:29:43.809 we are to be distinct, and we are to devote ourselves 00:29:43.809 --> 00:29:46.809 to the principles of God's Word, make them the 00:29:46.809 --> 00:29:49.509 foundational principles of our lives. Ladies 00:29:49.509 --> 00:29:52.230 and gentlemen, these are the true family values. 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:56.559 We hear a lot about that term, and it's been 00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:59.099 twisted by some to mean what they want it to 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:05.160 mean. But here are the true family values. These 00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:08.539 things make a family work. And because of that, 00:30:08.619 --> 00:30:11.519 they make a society work. For a society is a 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:16.799 collection of families. If there is going to 00:30:16.799 --> 00:30:21.599 be hope for America, the America of your children 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:27.119 and your grandchildren. There must be another 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:33.059 American revolution. Not one of guns, but one 00:30:33.059 --> 00:30:39.420 of morals. And yes, it begins at the ballot box. 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:44.859 And every one of you had better be at the ballot 00:30:44.859 --> 00:30:48.720 box next fall and know what you're doing there. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:51.420 And you'd better work for the candidates that 00:30:51.420 --> 00:30:54.400 are committed to foundational biblical principles. 00:30:54.539 --> 00:31:01.680 and give them money to work with. I'm sorely 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:07.339 tempted, but I rest and I will not. Except to 00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:10.759 say that we give our, we expect so much from 00:31:10.759 --> 00:31:14.259 our representatives and give them so little to 00:31:14.259 --> 00:31:18.759 work with. We heard from one man who went through 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:23.319 hell on earth to be elected from Omaha, Nebraska. 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:29.859 By 1 ,700 votes, about one percentage, he won 00:31:29.859 --> 00:31:34.799 over his liberal counterparts. And the AFL -CIO 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:37.019 has committed hundreds of thousands of dollars 00:31:37.019 --> 00:31:42.000 to his deceit this fall. They have committed 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:49.299 $35 million to deceit those who were committed 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:51.400 to righteousness in the last election and who 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:54.319 won. They're determined to take over Congress 00:31:54.319 --> 00:32:00.079 again. So what I'm saying is that you and I need 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:02.599 to be deeply involved in the grassroots. We need 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:06.880 another American Revolution. But listen, it's 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:08.819 not going to happen at the ballot box alone. 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:12.660 It has to begin in the choices that you make 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:17.019 and that I make in our homes. That's where the 00:32:17.019 --> 00:32:19.619 revolution has to start, and let it start today. 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:25.779 and then let it spread. Not just for the sake 00:32:25.779 --> 00:32:28.940 of America. America is a nation that God has 00:32:28.940 --> 00:32:31.279 raised up and He can put it down whenever He 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:34.319 wishes. He is the sovereign of the universe. 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:38.819 But let us do it. Let us put these foundational 00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:42.160 principles in place in our lives for the glory 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:46.279 of God. For whatever we do, in everything, let 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:52.180 us do it for the glory of God. and know that 00:32:52.180 --> 00:32:55.880 as that happens, it will bring blessing to us 00:32:55.880 --> 00:33:04.880 as well. Husband, does your wife know that you 00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:11.359 love her? Wife, are you in submission to your 00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:17.940 husband? Children, do you obey your parents? 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:24.319 Do you respect them? And parents, are you disciplining 00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:30.019 your children, being careful not to cross the 00:33:30.019 --> 00:33:35.920 line to exasperate them? What kind of an employee 00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:39.200 are you as a Christian? Are you living out your 00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:43.819 faith in the workplace? And if you're a supervisor, 00:33:44.819 --> 00:33:47.400 do those under you know that something is different 00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:50.660 about you because of the way that you treat those 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:55.500 that you supervise? Let's hear what God's Word 00:33:55.500 --> 00:33:58.519 says, folks. Let's put it into place and live 00:33:58.519 --> 00:34:03.359 out our faith in this world. And in doing that, 00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:13.920 make a difference. Let's pray. This text makes 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:17.860 demands upon all of us. Would you sing with me 00:34:17.860 --> 00:34:22.719 if it is a prayer from your heart? These words. 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:37.599 All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely 00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:51.579 give. I will ever love and trust Him in His presence. 00:34:53.840 --> 00:35:07.840 Let's stand together. I surrender all. I surrender 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:29.679 all. All to thee, my blessed Savior. Lord, we 00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:34.739 surrender to you our rights. We lay on the altar 00:35:34.739 --> 00:35:40.500 our cultural deviations from these principles. 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:49.260 And we choose to live daily in your presence, 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:55.679 in the face of God. And we do this by faith. 00:35:56.619 --> 00:36:01.840 not only desiring to obey these principles, but 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:05.820 believing that you are the rewarder of those 00:36:05.820 --> 00:36:09.960 who do. In Jesus' name, Amen.