Children, Obey Your Parents (Ephesians 6:1-4)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:10.109 Let's turn our attention now to Ephesians chapter six. Here Paul continues and gives 2 00:00:10.109 --> 00:00:16.070 us instructions on how our households ought to be ordered. This is the second 3 00:00:16.190 --> 00:00:25.179 of three instructions regarding a submission within the family. Particular instructions this evening given 4 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:29.339 to children. I'll read verses one through four, but one through three are 5 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:38.450 the particular focus tonight. So effesian six versus one through four. Children, 6 00:00:39.609 --> 00:00:43.649 Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor Your father 7 00:00:43.969 --> 00:00:48.289 and mother. This is the first commandment, with a promise that it may 8 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:52.479 go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, 9 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:56.159 do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the 10 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:07.109 discipline and instruction of the Lord. You may be seated. Well, seeing 11 00:01:07.189 --> 00:01:14.750 a some children here, but knowing that many are missing. I may preach 12 00:01:14.829 --> 00:01:19.379 us in the morning next time. Well, I'll think about that and here 13 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:23.900 your advice on that. Perhaps later. But I want to begin by letting 14 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:29.180 you write the beginning of my sermon. I asked you last week to think 15 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:34.650 about how we might and why we might pay attention to passages that may not 16 00:01:34.930 --> 00:01:38.930 directly apply to us. Now this one's a little different, because all of 17 00:01:40.049 --> 00:01:45.010 us are children in some sense or another. Even if you are very old, 18 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:49.840 do you have father and mother? And so we never stopped in some 19 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:57.400 ways thinking about ourselves as children of someone Um. But nevertheless, the question 20 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:02.989 I asked you last week it was how do we apply a passage that of 21 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:08.750 which we don't particularly belong to the group which is directed at or, perhaps 22 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:13.629 more clearly, why should someone who's not directly addressed by a command of God 23 00:02:14.509 --> 00:02:16.900 care about that command? And I want to share with you some of the 24 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:22.699 answers I received on this last week. I'm one is that it helps us 25 00:02:22.780 --> 00:02:27.819 grasp the whole counsel of God. It allows us to be better equipped to 26 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:31.210 read and talk about our bibles right. We take the parts and we hear 27 00:02:31.289 --> 00:02:38.169 them in part light of the whole. That makes every part important. I'm 28 00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:43.409 another comes from second tim if four team through seventeen, where we are reminded 29 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:46.560 that all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for a 30 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:52.000 proof for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be 31 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:55.960 complete equipped for every good work. As we approach the scripture, then we 32 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.990 approach it with a certain expectation, a certain promise, even that it all 33 00:03:01.189 --> 00:03:05.669 is useful to us, and so we ought to think how and why. 34 00:03:07.509 --> 00:03:12.030 Some of you suggested ways in which why is, in which it does apply, 35 00:03:12.310 --> 00:03:16.180 why and how it might apply, and one reason is that was that 36 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:20.259 said that stay of this way. We should know what God commands, even 37 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:23.539 if it doesn't directly to apply to us, so we can encourage others and 38 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:29.569 reprove those who are not following God's laws. A few others of you mentioned 39 00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:32.610 this as well. The knowing the duties that are are particularly to other people, 40 00:03:32.650 --> 00:03:36.849 helps us know to how to encourage them and walk with them in their 41 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:42.400 walk. Of course I'm paying attention to these human relationships. Also helps us 42 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.240 pay attention to our relationship with God, which mirrors these is Paul has been 43 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:53.479 I'm saying, for example, the relationships between husbands and Wives Mirror relationship between 44 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:58.270 Christ and the church. And so one person wrote, I pay attention because 45 00:03:58.310 --> 00:04:01.310 I'm a child of God in relation to him. I pay attention because I'm 46 00:04:01.349 --> 00:04:04.229 the bride. I am the bride of Christ, and Christ is the head 47 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:10.500 of the church. This wonderful quote was from Isaiah, fifty four, five 48 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:14.259 through six. Was Given for your maker is your husband, the Lord of 49 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:16.779 hosts is his name, and the holy one of Israel is your redeemer, 50 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:20.860 the God of the whole Earth. He is called for the Lord has caused 51 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:26.089 to called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife 52 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:31.970 of youth when she has cast off, says your God. We might remember 53 00:04:32.009 --> 00:04:35.290 to that the scriptures are given to us and that we might grow in them. 54 00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:40.720 Second Timothy, three we read. But as for you, Paul writes 55 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:44.680 to Timothy. Continue and what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from 56 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.439 whom you learned it and how, from childhood, you have been acquainted with 57 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:51.600 the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through Christ Jesus. 58 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:56.670 Deuteronomy two thousand nine hundred and twenty nine tells us that these things are 59 00:04:56.790 --> 00:05:00.470 given to us, they are our possession, all of them. The secret 60 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:02.430 things belong to the Lord, our God, but the things that are revealed 61 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:09.300 up along to us. There are a few others that were mentioned, but 62 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:14.060 I'll stop there. I'm so all great reasons something and thank you for sending 63 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:17.339 those to me. I want to continue to encourage you to think about these 64 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:24.689 kinds of things, especially tonight as we come and think about these instructions that 65 00:05:24.730 --> 00:05:32.970 are given a particularly to children, particularly to children. Paul addresses children tonight, 66 00:05:33.769 --> 00:05:41.000 and this is a significant thing. I'm Steve Baugh and who, I've 67 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.680 pointed out, I've been leaning heavily and learning a lot from his commentary on 68 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:50.910 Ephesians. I'm he points out, as a scholar who understands the ancient world 69 00:05:50.949 --> 00:05:57.029 very well. There are a couple things things that make this passage really remarkable 70 00:05:57.189 --> 00:06:02.069 that we might not notice. The first is that typically in the ancient world, 71 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:08.139 when the morality of children is addressed, it is usually only addressed to 72 00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:13.740 the parents, fathers in particular. In other words, it's very remarkable thing 73 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:20.009 that children are addressed directly here. It's not a section about the obedience of 74 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:25.970 children and is directed to the fathers. But Paul speaks to you, kids 75 00:06:26.529 --> 00:06:32.639 and he says children, Obey your parents in the Lord. This is, 76 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:39.199 of course, is because Christians who belong to the household of God understand that 77 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:44.000 their children belong to that household. When God speaks to us as a church, 78 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.589 he's not just addressing the grownups of the church, with kids who may 79 00:06:47.750 --> 00:06:53.189 happen to be there or not, but he addresses the whole household of which 80 00:06:53.310 --> 00:07:00.230 you kids belong. Sometimes you go to places throughout the day which aren't particularly 81 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:04.980 for you. You're there because your parents have to be there and they have 82 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:09.860 to watch and care for you, and so you're there. Church is a 83 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:14.660 little different. You come to church not just because your parents come to church, 84 00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:19.329 but because you belong here. It's not their church, it's your church 85 00:07:19.449 --> 00:07:25.089 as well. This is why you were baptized as infants. It's why you 86 00:07:25.490 --> 00:07:30.519 kids are considered members of the church. The Bible tells us that even if 87 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:34.079 one parent is a believer, the children are considered holy. In First Corinthian 88 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:41.120 seven, your baptized because you belong to the Lord, because God's Covenant Promises 89 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:44.629 Belong To you, and that's why Paul speaks in this very unique way. 90 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:46.949 Oh, you would make way. You don't really find the ancient world when 91 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:57.310 he talks to you directly, not just through your parents. Professor Bob points 92 00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:00.620 out a particular verse in I've not considered before. In light of this, 93 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:05.420 and this will perhaps surprise you, I'm as ECIL. Sixteen, Twenty through 94 00:08:05.540 --> 00:08:11.660 twenty one is a condemnation on Israel and says this. And you took your 95 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:16.850 sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these, 96 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:26.410 namely sons and daughters, you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Where your 97 00:08:26.449 --> 00:08:31.279 horring so small a matter that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as 98 00:08:31.320 --> 00:08:35.960 an offering by fire to them. You See, kids, to put it 99 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.679 in a very dramatic way, there's another way that you could be treated, 100 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:46.429 and in fact some parents have treated their children instead of offering up to the 101 00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:50.750 Lord, their God, and seeing you baptized into his church. God here 102 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:56.860 is condemning certain people, people that claim to belong to the Lord, people 103 00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:03.059 that did belong to the Lord, for offering their children not for baptism but 104 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:07.740 to be killed, to be sacrificed to gods that are not their gods. 105 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:13.809 Perhaps you can be grateful, then, the God that your parents have not 106 00:09:15.049 --> 00:09:20.169 sacrificed you to foreign idols, but, if said, have instead given you 107 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:28.159 to the one true and living God. Sin Goes very deep. A lot 108 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:33.559 of things are possible in the depravity of man. It is a blessing to 109 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:39.950 belong to God and his church. So it is a significant thing that you 110 00:09:39.149 --> 00:09:46.190 are addressed. You are called children and addressed as those who belong to the 111 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:50.990 Lord. A second remarkable thing that is easy to pass over is when Paul's 112 00:09:52.070 --> 00:09:58.860 mentions children. Here, both boys and girls are included here. Often girls 113 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:03.220 in the ancient world were kept away from the public until they were around fourteen 114 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:09.529 years old, but Paul assumes here that they are a part of the covenant 115 00:10:09.529 --> 00:10:13.090 community as well. GLACIANS, he says. In glacians three, he says 116 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:18.210 that neither male or there's neither male or female in Christ. All or one 117 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:22.240 to him, and we're all equal in this way, boys and girls, 118 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:26.679 men and women. When we belong to Christ, we all have the same 119 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:33.279 share in him. One not more than another. And so when Paul speaks 120 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:39.669 to you as children, he is not just talking to one gender or to 121 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:43.870 the other, but to both, and this is, of course, a 122 00:10:43.149 --> 00:10:48.549 great blessing. It reminds us that, even from when we're very young, 123 00:10:48.629 --> 00:10:54.059 all have access to Christ. All have access to Christ through faith in him. 124 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:01.340 One other final thing we might remember as we think about this command to 125 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:05.970 children, and I'm talking to you now, adults, is that even as 126 00:11:05.009 --> 00:11:11.690 adults, as we grow older, there are still responsibilities and obligations that are 127 00:11:11.730 --> 00:11:16.090 due to our parents. You are all might remember that Paul are a, 128 00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:20.840 rather Jesus, condemned the Pharisees, I'm, grown men who were giving lip 129 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:28.759 service to honoring their parents while not really honoring them at all. We all 130 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:35.149 have an obligation, I'm to think about our parents and to honor them. 131 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.789 So then, what does it mean to honor them or, more particularly, 132 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:48.220 a to obey, as as Paul says? Here? Let's first talk about 133 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:52.740 what it doesn't mean. I'm just as I did when we talked about the 134 00:11:52.820 --> 00:12:00.019 submission that wives owe their husband's as I said regarding wives, the honor that 135 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:05.850 is due your parents does not give your parents right to abuse you. This 136 00:12:07.090 --> 00:12:11.490 is not what is commanded or allowed by God. And if they do abuse 137 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:16.519 you, kids, you should tell someone that you trust. No adult has 138 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:20.600 the right to abuse you. God does not command this as a part of 139 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:28.360 the scriptures or demand that you suffer under that. You have a right, 140 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:33.110 and ob may even an obligation, to tell someone you trust to find safety. 141 00:12:35.230 --> 00:12:39.750 And so this is what it does not mean. But what does it 142 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:45.259 mean? What kind of obedience ought we to give? As we discussed with 143 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:50.460 the commandments, that were given to wives. I'll mentioned three or four things 144 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.940 here. First thing it means, kids, is that your obedience is a 145 00:12:56.179 --> 00:13:01.289 service to God. What you do for your parents, in obeying and honoring 146 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:05.809 them, you are ultimately doing for the Lord. Remember what the verse says. 147 00:13:05.889 --> 00:13:11.649 It says children, Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is 148 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:16.120 right. The service that you give to them a service that you are giving 149 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.120 to God, and that means that that honor and respect that you give to 150 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:26.600 them is a very power, a weighty thing you are giving. Even as 151 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:31.029 you give honor and respect and obedience to your parents, you are giving honor 152 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:37.990 and obedience and respect to God. That's no small thing and there's several implications 153 00:13:37.070 --> 00:13:43.500 of that. One is that it means you can't shrug off their honor just 154 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:46.860 because you don't feel like it. This is true even when they're not good 155 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:52.460 parents, because God is always good. You can't shrug off his honor, 156 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:58.529 which means that even when your parents aren't so great, they still owe your 157 00:13:58.330 --> 00:14:03.889 you still owe them your honor and obedience because you owe it in the Lord 158 00:14:05.049 --> 00:14:09.889 and honor to God. But it also means that you may not honor your 159 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:15.679 parents or obey them more than you honor or fear God. There may be 160 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.399 cases we are disobedience is required so that you might be obedient to God. 161 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:28.509 The point is simply this. God is above everything. As you give your 162 00:14:28.549 --> 00:14:31.870 obedience to your parents, you do it because God is above them. And 163 00:14:33.070 --> 00:14:39.580 in choices and in very difficult and hopefully very rare situations where disobedience is required, 164 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:45.779 again it's done in obedience to God. Everything that we do is Christians 165 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:58.169 is in for is always a first and foremost in relationship to him. One 166 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:01.490 last thing, I think this is the last thing, or close to it, 167 00:15:01.889 --> 00:15:03.769 that I want to mention. When we talking about what does this mean? 168 00:15:05.009 --> 00:15:11.080 To obey, is as we talk about to whom that obedience is given. 169 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:16.600 I'm one thing we might mention is that Paul doesn't say submit only to 170 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.909 your father's but he says to your parents. It is true that the wife 171 00:15:22.950 --> 00:15:28.509 is in submission to her husband, but the children are in submission to both 172 00:15:28.590 --> 00:15:33.549 and are called to obey both. Because the wife is submits to her husband, 173 00:15:33.110 --> 00:15:39.259 this doesn't remove the child's obligation to obey both father and mother. We 174 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:46.940 might ask another question. What about step parents? About adoptive parents or other 175 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:52.929 parental relationships where there is not, where they're not your biological parents. Well, 176 00:15:54.009 --> 00:15:58.730 the answer is yes, we're called to obey them as well. You 177 00:15:58.889 --> 00:16:04.200 might remember what I said a few weeks ago that in the ancient world death 178 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:08.799 was a very common thing and it was not uncut. It was not uncommon 179 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:15.159 for a man to have multiple wives over the court of his even his short 180 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:22.429 life, because his wives would often die in childbirth and another situations. Malnutrition 181 00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:26.389 was often a big problem, which meant that when Paul speaks to the children 182 00:16:26.470 --> 00:16:33.419 here, he's talking to children who very likely have stepmothers and perhaps other sort 183 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:40.019 of situations as well, because this was very, very common. We can 184 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:45.620 assume that whatever parent is properly called your parent, through marriage, even a 185 00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:52.009 stepparent, they are to be treated with honor, with respect and obedience. 186 00:16:52.809 --> 00:17:00.049 Now you might feel that this is unfair because of diff if of its difficulty, 187 00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:03.880 you may think that it's not as easy perhaps as the natural bond that 188 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:10.640 you might have with a biological parent, where their attachments and closeness and connections 189 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:15.480 built from birth. But I'll remind you that not all biological parents are easy 190 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:22.069 to love either. Sometimes people much prefer other step parents to their biological parents. 191 00:17:22.829 --> 00:17:27.910 We are all put in difficult and challenging situations in our lives. We 192 00:17:29.029 --> 00:17:33.859 all have to find ways to fulfill the Lord's commands, even in complex and 193 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:41.940 challenging situations. So it may be hard to hear these commands sometimes, but 194 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:48.210 I want to remember this. What does Paul Base these obligations on? Does 195 00:17:48.289 --> 00:17:52.730 he base them on how we feel or what we prefer, or what a 196 00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:57.599 parent has earned or not earned? He doesn't, does he? What does 197 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:03.200 he base the obligations on? Children, to that you owe your parents? 198 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:08.519 Simply on God's will, not ours. He says, children, Obey your 199 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:15.309 parents, for it is right, it's simply is. This obedience that we 200 00:18:15.470 --> 00:18:19.109 give is not to be a lip service and it is to be true, 201 00:18:19.230 --> 00:18:23.390 because that is what how the Lord commanded it, this is how he has 202 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:29.980 ordered the world and his household. And so that brings me the final section 203 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:33.579 of my sermon this evening, which is, if we've talked about the WHO 204 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:37.859 and the how, or on the how we should obey, what about the 205 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:45.250 why? Well, the first one I've mentioned already, because you belong to 206 00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:51.609 the Lord, you are his child and he is commanding this to you as 207 00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:56.200 your father. Are you going to look God in the eye, your heavenly 208 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:02.400 father, and say no? I hope not. That would be way more 209 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:07.960 dangerous than it would even your earthly parents if you would hesitate and be a 210 00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:14.470 little bit afraid of of saying no and stamping your foot to your earthly parents. 211 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:18.470 Certainly none of us as should do that with our heavenly father. We 212 00:19:18.710 --> 00:19:22.029 belong to the Lord and he loves US and he takes care of us, 213 00:19:22.190 --> 00:19:27.700 and everything that he commands for you is good. It's for your benefit, 214 00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:33.019 it's for your blessing, it's according to his most holy, imperfect will. 215 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:38.849 If you doubt what the command is, remember who the commander is, remember 216 00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:45.369 the one who gives you the rule. It's God. He is not fallible. 217 00:19:47.210 --> 00:19:52.440 He always has your best interest at heart, and not to that this 218 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:57.680 command that he gives is so clear. It's a command that he has revealed 219 00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:04.599 through general revelation to all people everywhere. Paul mentions it in Romans one. 220 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:10.869 Is One of the many ways in which people know the law, know the 221 00:20:10.869 --> 00:20:15.990 law even though they've never come into contact with scripture. They know the law 222 00:20:15.190 --> 00:20:21.859 and yet are, he says in Romans one, disobedient to parents. If 223 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:25.099 you turn there. I'm going to just to read you some of the other 224 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:30.299 things that he mentions, these things which people just ought to know by virtue 225 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:34.220 of being made in the image of God, through their knowledge of him in 226 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:41.289 creation and in their consciences, and being made in his image, he says, 227 00:20:41.289 --> 00:20:47.890 in these things they are without excuse and he describes us some of the 228 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:52.680 things that they do. He says they are filled, or were filled with, 229 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:57.480 speaking of gentiles, with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, 230 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:03.319 malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, 231 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:08.349 their gossipers or gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, haughty, 232 00:21:08.710 --> 00:21:15.910 boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, 233 00:21:15.950 --> 00:21:21.660 heartless, ruthless. If you fave ever are tempted to think that disobedience to 234 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:26.500 parents is a light thing or not a big deal, remember how God includes 235 00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:33.289 it here in this list, a list that includes murder and strife and deceit 236 00:21:33.529 --> 00:21:38.690 and hating God in Romans too. Fourteen, he'll go on to say that 237 00:21:40.009 --> 00:21:42.849 for when gentiles, who do not have the law, meaning the Law of 238 00:21:42.970 --> 00:21:49.160 Moses, by nature, do what the law requires. They are a law 239 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:53.319 to themselves, even though they don't have the law. They show that the 240 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:59.480 work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears 241 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:06.150 witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. What's full saying 242 00:22:06.230 --> 00:22:08.470 here in Romans, when he's sang you? You all know that this is 243 00:22:08.589 --> 00:22:12.950 true, even if you've never heard the law of Moses. You know this. 244 00:22:14.869 --> 00:22:18.660 You're made in the image of God. You know that you are to 245 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:23.420 be obedient to your parents. Well, if that isn't enough, of course 246 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:27.660 it is written in the law of Moses. God Not only reveals his this 247 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:33.170 command in general revelation, which is accessible to all people, but he underscores 248 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:38.450 it and makes it perfectly clear and special revelation as well. And that's what 249 00:22:38.609 --> 00:22:44.440 Paul points to hear when he quotes it in verse two, Honor Your Father 250 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.519 and mother, and then he continues the quote in verse three, that it 251 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:52.640 may go well with you that and that you may live long in the land. 252 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:59.190 A parenthetical comment. This is the first commandment with a promise. What's 253 00:22:59.190 --> 00:23:03.509 Paul doing here? He's saying this is right. Everyone knows it. Moreover, 254 00:23:03.950 --> 00:23:07.430 this is commanded in the law of God as he gave it to as 255 00:23:07.470 --> 00:23:11.390 he gave it to Israel. And not only was it commanded in the Law 256 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:15.539 of God, The v of the Ten Commandments, Paul points out it even 257 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:21.460 has this special weight to it and that it is the first commandment given that 258 00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:26.259 has a promised attached to it. What was that promise? That you may 259 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:30.730 live long in the land. And if you read the commandment there and in 260 00:23:30.849 --> 00:23:33.930 Deuteronomy five or exodus twenty, it says that the light the land that the 261 00:23:34.049 --> 00:23:38.890 Lord your God is giving you. Well, so, no, it's not 262 00:23:40.009 --> 00:23:44.200 to confuse us or make us think that if you are obedient, you will 263 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:48.440 be able to live long in Israel. Paul cuts off the command and expands 264 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:52.960 it and simply says that you may live long in the land or in the 265 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:59.069 earth. But Paul is pointing out here is that, as the command was 266 00:23:59.190 --> 00:24:03.549 given to God's people in the theocracy, it had a very special place, 267 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:08.390 but it wasn't just for them. It wasn't just at that time, though, 268 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:12.180 there was a special promise attached to it. It has a general equity 269 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:18.660 in it, a thing, a a principle which is for all people and 270 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:23.849 at all times. This is one of what Paul's way of telling us. 271 00:24:25.849 --> 00:24:30.609 This is important, this is very important and it is revealed by God. 272 00:24:33.490 --> 00:24:37.490 This is why we obey the commandment, because it's not an arbitrary thing or 273 00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:41.880 a foolish thing that your parents make up and decide to just put upon you. 274 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.400 No, it's a relationship that you are born into, an honor that 275 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:57.549 you owe by virtue of your relationship with your parents and even more so by 276 00:24:57.630 --> 00:25:06.869 your relationship with God. Well, kids, I won't ask you to raise 277 00:25:06.910 --> 00:25:11.140 your hands, but how many of you have disobeyed this command? Of course 278 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:14.299 all of you. I'm seeing the parents raise their hands right. All of 279 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:19.019 us have been disobedient to the fifth commandment and the fourth and the third, 280 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:22.650 the second, the first, the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 281 00:25:22.849 --> 00:25:26.089 ten. There's not a single point in the law of God where we can 282 00:25:26.170 --> 00:25:30.009 point to we say, well, wow, I'm really glad I obeyed that 283 00:25:30.289 --> 00:25:36.440 one. When we hear God's commands, and we hear them in all their 284 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:41.640 goodness and all their weight, we are reminded as well that we fail. 285 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:49.549 Kids, we know and you know that you fail it obeying God's command every 286 00:25:49.630 --> 00:25:56.390 day. There's not a day that goes by where you have perfectly done exactly 287 00:25:56.430 --> 00:26:00.150 as God has commanded, even on your best days, even on the days 288 00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:06.059 in which you get the highest rankings and your parents are so pleased, there 289 00:26:06.099 --> 00:26:08.660 are still things that you could think, can point to and say, well, 290 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:11.220 I could have done that better, I could have done that with a 291 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:15.579 more willing heart, or done it quicker or done it happier or whatever. 292 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:22.730 Why do I say this? Well, one, to just be honest. 293 00:26:25.049 --> 00:26:29.049 We can't approach God's law and Pat Ourselves on the back and walk away and 294 00:26:29.170 --> 00:26:33.119 go home and say, well, that was great, because it's just not 295 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:37.880 true. Who We all disobey God's commands. And so then the question is, 296 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:44.480 well now, what? Now? What do we do? Well, 297 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:49.670 Jesus tells us in John Chapter Five that when we believe on him and when 298 00:26:49.710 --> 00:26:55.589 we trust in him for the forgiveness of our sins, for life and his 299 00:26:55.750 --> 00:27:07.579 name, something really remarkable happens. He says that God honors us. Why 300 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:14.940 is that remarkable? Because the kids are supposed to honor the parents. And 301 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:19.690 yet the Bible says that when we put our faith in Jesus and when he 302 00:27:19.809 --> 00:27:26.289 asked him to forgive us our sins and to make us holy and to change 303 00:27:26.329 --> 00:27:30.839 US and recreate us into his image, and image which is obedient to the 304 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:40.119 father. That God in some way then honors us. He treats us in 305 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:45.390 a way that is like he treats his son. How does he how does 306 00:27:45.470 --> 00:27:51.069 the Father Treat the son? Well, the Bible tells us that he glorifies 307 00:27:51.230 --> 00:27:59.059 the son because of his obedience. If you want peace with God, if 308 00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:03.740 you want to honor God, you cannot do it by simply obeying his command. 309 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:08.940 It's impossible. You try it for a while, see how it works 310 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:12.730 out. Not Don't do that. Just skip that step and trust me. 311 00:28:15.529 --> 00:28:22.009 The way that you honor God is through faith in Jesus, by trusting in 312 00:28:22.250 --> 00:28:27.640 him and the honor that he gave a to the father on your behalf. 313 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:33.960 You trust in him, you rest in him, you find your forgiveness and 314 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:38.039 to him and you give yourselves fully over to him, and he promises that 315 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:42.990 when you do that, he not only gives you on the faith and the 316 00:28:44.069 --> 00:28:48.430 repentance through the spirit to do that, but he also begins to work in 317 00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:53.950 you new life and new obedience so that you can obey an even very difficult 318 00:28:55.069 --> 00:29:02.180 situations, so that you can honor God even with imperfect obedience, because God, 319 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:06.900 it is God who is working in you and through you to glorify himself. 320 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:12.170 How do you honor God? Well, of course we honor God by 321 00:29:12.289 --> 00:29:18.369 obeying Him, but we honor God by obeying him in faith, by resting 322 00:29:18.450 --> 00:29:26.640 in him, by trusting in him in his obedience on our behalf. Let's 323 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:29.359 end it there and pray