Honouring Parents: The 5th Commandment – Sermon Audio 2618

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, Go, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to Go Teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through Australian and international speakers. . And here is today's presenter, John Kitevski. SPEAKER B You know, we are following a series on the Ten Commandments, and I'm going to talk a little bit about the Ten Commandments in a minute. But today is the Fifth Commandment. Who knows it off by heart? Say it with me. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord gives you. There's a few things here. God gives you life. God gave you parents. Amen? SPEAKER C In fact, God gives you everything. SPEAKER B I want to tell you a story. A family, you know, in our church we don't do baby christenings or baby baptisms because this is not really— it's not a biblical thing. SPEAKER C We baptize older people, but babies, what we do is we dedicate them and we pray over them and bless them. SPEAKER B Yeah? SPEAKER C And we do that when babies are born, and we have a beautiful baby have just come in for the first time in the church. And after the baby was dedicated, mom and dad were driving home and the baby was in the baby seat, but they had an older boy. And all of a sudden on the way home, the older boy started to cry in the back seat on the way home from church. And he was sobbing and crying. And mom said, what's wrong? What's wrong, son? Well, he said, well, uh, that pastor said He wanted us children to live and be grown up in a Christian home. SPEAKER B And mum said, "What's wrong with that?" And the little boy says, "But I want to stay with you guys." In the translation it'll go— I know you won't get it, but it's all right. You know, what is a good Christian home? You know, the Bible tells us that In the Tabernacle, God's Temple, and I just want to give you— SPEAKER C there's a picture here— and right around the Temple, all the people's tents, and the center of all where everyone lived, in the heart where they lived, was a Temple. And in the Temple, there was a bit that happens outside. Let's look if I can get this. Yeah, look at that. Look at that, that arrow works. There was where they made a sacrifice. There was water where they washed their hands. And there was this place, the first apartment, where they had some bread, they had a little bit of incense there, and they had light there, candles, 7 candles. And that was called the Holy Place. And every time somebody offered a sacrifice, the priest used to come in and sprinkle some blood in there every day, daily, right? And then once a year, once a year, and only if the priest He checked his heart. He was allowed to go into this place. SPEAKER B It was called the Most Holy Place, or some people call it the Holy of Holies. And it was called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies because it was the most important place in all of Israel. SPEAKER C Do you know why it was the most important place? Because inside was the Ten Commandments. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? You think about this. SPEAKER C The Ten Commandments was so important, why would God say this is most important in the Old Testament and come in the New Testament and say, well, it's been done away with? SPEAKER B Makes no sense, does it? SPEAKER C Why is the Holy Place stuff more important than the Most Holy Place? SPEAKER B God gave us that example. SPEAKER C You know, the Bible tells us that in the Most Holy Place was the Ten Commandments. Now above the Ten Commandments It was called the Shekinah Glory. There was like a fire and God represented Himself in the top there. And that said, when the fire was there, God was in a temple. SPEAKER B Amen? Sometimes we look for that fire in our hearts. Yeah, we want that fire burning in our hearts where we could say, I know that God loves me. SPEAKER C I know I have a purpose in life. So anyway, God's presence was there and that was called the Mercy Seat. So down the bottom was the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were 10— SPEAKER B let me show you what they are. SPEAKER C The Ten Commandments, let's have a look, were really God's 10 aspects of His character. Let me show you something. If you look at Exodus 9:27, you can write this down and check it for yourself. It says God is righteous. If you look at Deuteronomy, God is truth. And then John, God is pure. If you look at John again, God is spiritual. If you look at Malachi, God is unchangeable. If you look at Genesis, God is eternal. But when you look at the Ten Commandments, in Psalm 19:9 says He is righteous. In Psalm 119 it says He's truth. In Psalm 19 He's pure. In Romans He said He's spiritual. In Matthew He says He's unchangeable. The same characteristics given to who God is, is given to the Ten Commandments. SPEAKER B Isn't that a coincidence? But there's more. Sorry. SPEAKER C And God is holy, just, perfect, and love. The Commandments are good— sorry, holy, just, perfect, and love. Exactly what it says about the Ten Commandments is what it says about God. SPEAKER B So why was the Ten Commandments in the Most Holy? Because it was really where God was and that was where His presence was. And the Ten Commandments, if you think about it, really represent the character of God. Would you say amen? That's why Jesus said in John 14:15, say it with me: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." He's not talking about some— SPEAKER C keep some things He suggested. He said keep 'The Commandments,' which is the Ten Commandments. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? Now I want to show you something about the Ten Commandments that I— as I was studying, you know, when you look at the Ten Commandments, there's a lot you can learn when you just look at a little bit. Now if you have a look, there's 17 verses. SPEAKER C The real commandments start with, uh, verse 3 and finish in verse 17. SPEAKER B But how do we normally divide the commandments? Does anyone know? SPEAKER C How are the Commandments normally divided? SPEAKER B The first what? SPEAKER C First 4. SPEAKER B What does that represent? Our relationship with God or love to God, yeah? SPEAKER C And the last 6? Yeah. Now I want to show you something. SPEAKER B You can do this on your laptop and I think in the Hebrew is even more accurate. SPEAKER C I got the first 3 Commandments and I put them in a Word, you know, like in Word, and I, and it had the words. It had about 150 or 140, 140 words. SPEAKER B I got the Fourth Commandment, it had about 140 words. SPEAKER C I got the last Six Commandments, it had about 140 words. Did you see that? Let me show you something. The first three commandments almost, not exact, almost equal a third The last 6 commandments equal a third, and the middle one, which is the Sabbath— SPEAKER B Pastor Chris preached on that— SPEAKER C equals about a third. SPEAKER B So that's why the 4th commandment is literally, not because we think it is, it actually really is the center of God's commandments. Would you say amen? But wait, there's more. It gets better. Yeah, I'm not selling knives, no. I heard you. You just think I can't see you and you think I can't hear. SPEAKER C I hear everything. SPEAKER B And if you're sleeping, I can see. So, you know, all right. SPEAKER C If you look at the first, and I know it's smaller writing, but it says there, "And God spake all these words, saying." Now this is interesting. The Ten Commandments start with, "God spake all these words, saying." Isn't that right? Why does it start with "all"? Because there are some people who think that Nine Commandments or Eight Commandments are important and maybe one or two of them are what? SPEAKER B Are not important. SPEAKER C And God's— SPEAKER B yeah, because that's what they say. SPEAKER C The Sabbath is only for the Jews. SPEAKER B Don't worry about it. It's not for you. Yeah? Isn't that what some people say? If God spake all these words, I want to ask you something. SPEAKER C How many of the words are important? SPEAKER B All. Amen. Amen. SPEAKER C And He says, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the house of what? Egypt. And out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. That's the first commandment. SPEAKER B Look at the last commandment. SPEAKER C It says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ass, nor his strait." You know, the Bible says, "I brought you out of a bad house." The last commandment says, "Now you're in a good house." Would you say amen? SPEAKER B Don't covet. Did you notice the— it's beautiful, isn't it? SPEAKER C But there's more. If you look at it, it's, uh, when it comes to house, that really represents family. And if you look at the, uh, the Third Commandment: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images in any likeness of anything that is heaven above, or that is earth beneath, or that is in the water underneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow thyself down to them, nor serve them: for I am the LORD thy God, a jealous God, visiting iniquity on the fathers upon the children. SPEAKER B The third commandment says that God is interested in the fathers and the children, into the house. Amen? SPEAKER C That's what the third commandment says. Now I want to tell you, the fourth commandment says, "Nor thy son nor thy daughter." Remember the Sabbath? Don't let anybody do anything in your house. What does that mean? That God is interested in your family. Would you say amen? And you look at the fifth commandment. What does the fifth commandment say? Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be, what? SPEAKER B Long. SPEAKER C If you look at the Ten Commandments, it's really about family. You know, the Ten Commandments really are about blessing your family. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? I can testify that, that being conscious of the commandments in my own family has blessed our family. Amen. Very, very conscious about that. And not just honor your father and mother and thou shalt not get angry or kill or something, but it's a lot. SPEAKER C All right, you know, at creation God established a few things. He established that God made everything. He's Creator. Amen? SPEAKER B Amen. SPEAKER C And at creation He established that we were made in His image, male and female. SPEAKER B Can I ask you something? Are these two things under attack right now? I was talking to someone yesterday trying to convince me that evolution was good and that the Bible was a fairy tale. You know, it was very strange, a very strange conversation I had with someone. SPEAKER C But you know, those things under attack. But the third thing God established was God established at the creation family. SPEAKER B Amen? SPEAKER C And the next thing He established is obedience because He said, "Don't touch one tree but touch the others." He made them a law. He gave them the ordinance of obedience. SPEAKER B I don't know what else you would call it. The instruction of obedience. SPEAKER C And it's important that we understand what it means to be obedient and have been accountable to each other. And the fifth thing God established at creation is the Sabbath. Amen. Yes? See, God established the family. That's why the Ten Commandments are so important. It's really a throwback to what God started originally. SPEAKER B You know, it says in Genesis 12:3, it says, I will bless those who bless you, to Abraham, and I will curse him who curses you. SPEAKER C And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. SPEAKER B And I want to tell you something, God loves families. Would you say amen? SPEAKER C There's a problem in our families though. We're not living in fairy tale land. Most families are either fighting or, or are divorced or wish they were divorced. A lot of families are struggling. Every morning people wake up frustrated with the other person or their children or their parents. God's not— this is not God's plan. God loves families. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? SPEAKER C And I want to tell you something. If you are having thoughts in your mind right now that I want to be out of this family, is it God's thought or the devil's thought? Maybe you've got a good reason to because she or he is yelling at you. SPEAKER B God loves families. The Bible says, let's say it together, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God has given you." Would you say amen? SPEAKER C Honor your mother and your father. What does the word honor mean? Well, let me tell you, in the original Hebrew, the word means heavy. SPEAKER B You know, remember that song? "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." And in the '60s, that was interpreted, "He's not heavy, he's not a burden," right? SPEAKER C In other words, heavy has an implication in the Hebrew that it's got a lot of weight. When it says honor, it's not just like, "Honor, oh yeah, I'll honor them." No, honor carries a lot of weight here. It really means treat with great respect as something very important, appreciate, respect. Highly prized. Highly prized. Treat with great respect and nothing comes second. Now I want to say something here. It says, "Honor your father and your mother." Oh boy. SPEAKER B In this modern age that we live in, parents being honored or peer— let me put it another way— or parents acting honorable It's not very common, is it? Both are at risk here and both are at fault. True or not? It goes both ways. SPEAKER C It's not like, "Hey kids, listen to me." You know, the Bible says God sees an honorable father like this: "For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken to him. God says, I know a good father when I see one. And what does God say is a good father? Someone who rules with an iron hand. SPEAKER B My father was not a very big man. He was a policeman. He was shorter than me, but man, did that man have a heavy hand. He had this follow-through. He could smack and I could feel it was like, you know, like, you know, they say when you punch someone you've got to not aim here, you've got to aim here, isn't that right? SPEAKER C You've got to aim behind them and he must have had training somewhere. SPEAKER B He had a heavy hand. SPEAKER C But that's not necessarily a good father. Some of us think that was a good dad because he was tough. No, the Bible says, God says, that He says a good father is someone who commands his children to serve God. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? You know, that's why the Bible says, "Train up a child." You know, it's important as parents that we train our children to be obedient and to be kind, because the Bible says in Psalm 127 that children are a blessing, a heritage from God. SPEAKER C When you look at your children— now many of you have young children and you're all in, in good places. SPEAKER B When they get to teenagers, Have mercy. SPEAKER C They have their own opinion, in case you don't know, and sometimes they answer the way they shouldn't. SPEAKER B Sometimes they have opinions that you don't like at all, right? The Bible says your children are a heritage from God. Look at one of my favorite quotes, one from Desire of Ages, Adventist Home: One well-ordered, well-disciplined family tells more on behalf of a Christianity than all the sermons that can be preached. Would you say amen? You know, the Bible says, "Honor your father and your mother." I want to tell you something. Out of the Ten Commandments, the first commandment, first three, four commandments are honoring and worshiping God, right? The last six, respecting and honoring your fellow man, right? And we call normally the fifth commandment like a bridge, like a bridge commandment, if you will. SPEAKER C Because it reaches back, it looks forward, should I say, it's honor your father and mother, reaches forward to society and people next to you, and it goes back and says because of the Lord. Look what it says, "Which the Lord thy God gives thee." It's the commandment that connects honoring and loving God to worshiping, sorry, and honoring your fellow man. SPEAKER B Here's the thought, that if we understand this commandment The next commandment, you know what the next commandment is? SPEAKER C What's after honor your father and mother? SPEAKER B I've memorized the Ten Commandments. Who has memorized them? Who is anyone else who memorized them? What's the next commandment? SPEAKER C Thou shalt not kill. If you honor your father and mother and your father and mother were godly people, they would tell you what to do, to kill or not to kill. Do you understand? SPEAKER B What's the one after What's the Sixth Commandment? Now I'll give you a tip how to remember them, memorize them. SPEAKER C The first four Commandments is honoring God. That's easy. SPEAKER B Have no other gods, don't make any idols, don't take God's name in vain, Sabbath, right? SPEAKER C The next one is, it goes from most important or most to least, if you will, if they will. SPEAKER B They're all important, but if that kind of, it's like most severe to least severe. Does that make sense? SPEAKER C Honoring father and mother is the most— you need to focus on the most. Why? Because if you honor your father, that will teach you not to kill. That will teach you stay with your wife. One woman for one man for life. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? Now for those of you who are not on the first marriage, God is not judging you and doesn't like you. I'm not judging you here. God loves all families and it doesn't matter what your relationship has been in the past. God will accept you. But I'm just saying, if you're getting married, God is saying to keep to one person. Did you get that? SPEAKER C The Fifth Commandment sets up the next Five Commandments because if we honor our parents, then lying, stealing, everything will be amen and hunky-dory. SPEAKER B But some people think it says there, "Honor thy father and thy mother," that the father deserves a bit more reverence than the mother. Is that right? Look what it says here in Leviticus. It says, "Every one of you shall revere," honor, "your," now it goes the other way, "mother and your father." What God is saying here is honor them equally. Would you say amen? And I'm the father here, so I should have just stuck to honor the father more, I guess, but that's not, that wouldn't be truth. SPEAKER C God is telling us, now I want to say something about this here. SPEAKER B Listen carefully, parents. Ah, if you're fighting with your wife or your husband, think about what I'm about to say. And you're trying to put your children against their father or their mother, what you're teaching them is to dishonor their father and mother. SPEAKER C You're breaking God's commandment. SPEAKER B Are you with me? SPEAKER C You hear what I'm saying? SPEAKER B It's very dangerous. SPEAKER C Some people say, "Yeah, but he's like this and she's like that." I've heard it many times. SPEAKER B "If you only knew what she's like or what he's like." I've heard that for the last so many years, so many times when people call us up. And my response is, "Honor your father and your mother." Because no matter how your wife is or how your husband is, God has called us to teach our children to honor their mother. SPEAKER C My job as a father is to teach my children to honor their mother. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? SPEAKER C If Naomi's job as a mother is to teach our children to honor me, would you say amen? And if I teach them not to honor their mother, I'm actually breaking the Fifth Commandment. Would you say amen? SPEAKER B Some of you are scared to say that because you know what you've been doing. You know, look what it says in Proverbs 1:8. "My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother." What does "hear" mean? Obey. And Proverbs 6:20 says, "My son, keep the father's commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother." Twice it says it. Why does it say and remind us to obey? SPEAKER C Because if we learn obedience at home, as Children, when we go to work, what does your boss say? Turn up anytime. You don't have to go see those clients, don't worry about it. You don't have to do the job, just do whatever you like, I'm gonna just pay you the same. Is that what the boss says? SPEAKER B No, no. You know, when my son got married, because I know that he's not here. Are you watching, son? If he's not watching, he's not gonna hear. So it's gonna be dangerous what I'm about to say, but here it goes. I said to him, think about this, son. All your life you grew up being told what to do. It's time to wake up, time to go to sleep, time to have a bath, time to eat. SPEAKER C Mum and Dad were telling you nonstop what to do. SPEAKER B True? Maybe your parents did. Did your parents do that? Ah, your parents. SPEAKER C I said, all of a sudden you get to about 16 and 17, you realize, I got wings. And I need to stretch my wings and do what I feel like. True or not? Has it happened to you? SPEAKER B I remember that. SPEAKER C I remember feeling free when I had my car and Mum and Dad asked me and I said, "Out, Dad. Out, Mum and Dad." "Where?" Before they could even answer, I was gone. I didn't have to answer anybody. SPEAKER B And I said, "Remember that, son?" He goes, "Yes." I said, "Remember that freedom you had?" I said, "Now you got married." And marriage is I have to kind of listen to what my wife says and I have to listen to what my husband says. Yeah? Let me tell you, if you honor your parents, it'll carry you all the days of your life in every aspect. In fact, obedience and honor to your parents is probably one of the most important lessons that we have. For those of you who have young children, we teach our children obedience for two reasons. SPEAKER C Number 1 is they should listen, but number 2 is they should understand from their own heart that needs to be their choice. Some parents are still beating their kids. SPEAKER B I won't say, but some cultures beat their kids even after 18. Some mothers are man tough out there, whoo, you know. But there's got to be a time when the children understand their choice has consequences. Now you know something, Children that come from a family that's broken, and I got a statistic and I was looking at through some research. Criminals in jail, if you follow it through, they are families without, they are children without fathers or mothers. Often most people that are criminals, not always, you know, statistically we're talking about, it'll be like 70% or something like this. SPEAKER C So that repeats over and over again. I know it happens that people have perfect parents and still they're criminals. SPEAKER B We get that part, right? But statistically, right, statistically, it's not 100% nothing, right? SPEAKER C It is more people spend more time in jail and struggle in life because parents didn't teach their kids what? SPEAKER B Obedience. You know, in Deuteronomy 27:16 says, cursed be he that setteth light by his father and his mother, and the people shall say what? Amen. Be careful you say that because you're a child and maybe. God says in Deuteronomy, if you have a stubborn rebellious son which will not obey the voice of his father, rebuke him and tell him. This is what it says in Deuteronomy 27:16-21. Read it for yourself. SPEAKER C And if he gets really bad and he's really obnoxious at home, Take him to the elders and the elders will take him outside and they'll try to speak to him and if he doesn't listen— SPEAKER B this is Deuteronomy, right? SPEAKER C They'll take him outside of the city and they will stone him. SPEAKER B Wow! Obedience is big on God's list. Let me tell you something, everything we do has to do with accountability and obedience in this life. If you don't think so, who drove a car here and saw a red light? Yeah? SPEAKER C Were you obedient to the red light? SPEAKER B Yeah? I challenge you, drive fast through the red light and see what happens. Don't do it. SPEAKER C What will happen? SPEAKER B This is not a new concept. We live in a land that demands obedience from us. You know, the Bible says in Ephesians 6:1-3, "Children, obey your parents." in the Lord, for it is the right, honor thy father and thy mother. SPEAKER C And then the Apostle says, this commandment is the first of the Ten Commandments that promises something from God. What does it promise? That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Do you know what the promise from God is? SPEAKER B Prosperity and longevity is God's promise to us. Now depending how you judge prosperity, maybe some of us judge prosperity as how many things we accumulate, but to be prosperous, which means you want to do well in the earth, if you are obedient to your parents, God says, "I have a blessing for you." Would you say amen? But are you with me? "And that your days may be long upon the earth." I was going to say more about that, but let's go to verse 4. Look what it says in Ephesians verse 4. Fathers, what does it say? SPEAKER C Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Look, it said it twice. He said it once in Ephesians, the Apostle, and once in Colossians. Don't provoke your children to anger. Did you see that? SPEAKER B Now if you notice what it says here, it says obey your children, parents in the Lord. Sometimes parents who are very provocative to their children, and I know something about this, you can provoke your kids to anger. Unfortunately, I've seen it over and over again. SPEAKER C Some parents say to the kids, they don't know anything about the Bible, but they will remember one verse. SPEAKER B You know what the verse is? SPEAKER C They say to their kids, "Hey kid, you're going to church now. Just remember." Honor your father and mother. See, I'm father or I'm mother, listen to what I'm saying, I'm in charge here. But the Bible says honor your father and mother in Ephesians, in what? The Lord. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? Do you see the difference? SPEAKER C Now in the Lord, what does that mean? It means in the context of who God is. You see, God has called us to be obedient to our families, to our children, to our parents. Amen. This is not a verse for children. This is also a verse for adults to honor our family. Amen. Jonathan, when he had his son King— when his father was King Saul, King Saul wanted to kill David and he said, "Jonathan, set it up for me so I can kill him." Jonathan was obedient to his dad or disobedient? SPEAKER B Disobedient. He was honoring his dad because in the Lord he couldn't kill. David, who was innocent. Does that make sense? So for those of you who are children of unbelieving families and your parents are demanding that you totally obey everything they say, the Bible says honor your family in the Lord. Would you say amen? Let me show you a nice quote. SPEAKER C Adventist Home again: A father should do his part toward making a home happy. Whatever his cares and business perplexities, they should not be permitted to overshadow his family. He should enter his home with smiles and pleasant words. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? SPEAKER C I am not standing here as a saint. SPEAKER B I just want to let you know I have never walked on water, just in case you think that. SPEAKER C I understand when I've had a miserable day and I'm upset about something, I've also walked in the house miserable and upset and carried some evil into my holy house. SPEAKER B You understand what I'm saying? SPEAKER C I've done that. SPEAKER B I'm not telling you I'm perfect here. But I will say this, that when I was aware, I apologized to my children. When my kids were disobedient and very naughty, and they can be, some of them have been very naughty, I can tell you. I'm not looking at you, Hannah, I'm not. Hannah's, you know, I pick on Hannah for the sake of, she always picks on me when she's home, so we have this thing. SPEAKER C You know, and then I really wasn't happy when I came in, when I rebuked the badness. In fact, I am a bit of a steamroller, you know, I'm no pushover. SPEAKER B I like— some people said to me, I don't know if it's Macedonian that I am or something, but I actually like arguing with people. It kind of— I don't mind when people get angry with me. SPEAKER C I'm thinking, here we go, let's go, you know, like, and I'm not yelling at people, but I like to discuss. And so, but sometimes when the children were so disobedient, I would just go in a rage. I'd be so angry. SPEAKER B And I thought, what on earth am I doing? I had to apologize to my children. I'm being honest here. The father should do his, his part toward making his home happy. Would you say amen? When children disrespect their parents and parents disrespect their children, our respect toward God will lessen and even fade away. God has given you your children, but you might be saying, "Well, my kids are very disobedient now." Change the way you do things. God has given you children and God has given you parents. SPEAKER C "But my parents are old, they're unbelievers and they're still acting like they shouldn't, they carry on still." Well, if you know God and if you know His Word, Bless your parents and give them encouragement somehow to become the better parent. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? And the last thing to parents is this: don't correct your children in anger because then your sin is greater than their sin. Yeah? Look at this. SPEAKER C USA Today had an article and they were talking about families. Look what it said. SPEAKER B And USA Today, this is an American, right, newspaper. SPEAKER C It said, and the article said, Our youth today love luxury. They have bad manners. They have contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children nowadays are tyrants. They're bad. They contradict their parents. They gobble their food down and they tyrannize their teachers. They had an article. SPEAKER B Guess who wrote this? Socrates. They made a quote from Socrates. That's 400 BC nearly, yeah. You know, I want to tell you something. Whatever Socrates thought the children were in those days, it's nothing what it says in the Bible about the last days. Look what it says in 2 Timothy 3:3. It says, "Know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come." In what days? In the last days. Are we living in the last days? For the Bible says, "For men." For who? SPEAKER C Children or men? SPEAKER B So in case you're a young child and you're thinking to yourself, hang on, this commandment is for the, for the children, but look what it says: "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents." The commandment of honoring your father and mother, it doesn't end when you become a man or a woman. SPEAKER C It carries through. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? SPEAKER C In fact, understanding obedience is more important for me as an adult than it was for me as a child. SPEAKER B Would you say amen? Are you with me? Who disagrees with this? Put your hand up. Look what it says in Romans 8:7. It says, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and it is not subject to the law of God, not indeed can be." The life, the people that we are living with on this earth, I have carnal minds, and unfortunately we are bombarded with carnal thoughts. SPEAKER C In Romans it tells us that, that the mind of most people is not subject to God's law. They don't care about obedience. They just want to do it their way. SPEAKER B They want to, you know, I was going to open today's, today's topic with a song that I used to sing when I was younger. I sing along to the radio. Have you heard of Frank Sinatra? Remember that song? What was that song? "I Did It My Way." I did it my way. SPEAKER C And there was another song that used to go, "I was born to dream, I was born to live, the craziest boy you ever seen, I have to do it my way." I remember singing that song when I was younger. SPEAKER B Some of you old enough to understand that song. SPEAKER C And I go, "Yeah, I'm sick of being told what to do." What a fool. SPEAKER B What a fool I was. I'm not saying that maybe you are too. I want to tell you that the Bible says the carnal mind, the mind that is not subject to God, doesn't understand. SPEAKER C It just wants to be rebellious. Ephesians says— it tells you where this comes from. Ephesians 2:2, look what it says: "In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince and the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of of disobedience. Who is the prince and the power of the air? SPEAKER B That's Satan. SPEAKER C So every time we as children or we as adults are dishonoring our family, that is the spirit of who? SPEAKER B Satan. You okay? I think you've heard enough. Let's go to something nice. Luke 2:49. Who should we follow? And Jesus was gone from His parents. SPEAKER C He'd been gone for like a day or more. SPEAKER B How many days was it? A day? How long was He separated from His parents? SPEAKER C He was at the temple and His parents were with their family and He was with other people and they thought He's just a child playing with other children. He was 12. And they're walking home and they're having a good conversation and they got probably a day's journey and thought, actually, where's Jesus? He's 12. SPEAKER B 'We don't know. SPEAKER C Did you take him? I thought you had him. SPEAKER B I thought you had him.' You know, that kind of thing. And has that ever happened in your children? 'Where's he? SPEAKER C I thought you had him.' So they went back and they looked for him everywhere, and finally Jesus was there in the temple with all these educated smart people and sitting there talking to them. And Mary, His mother, goes, 'Jesus!' We've been looking everywhere for you. Heck, don't do this to us. Why did you just take off? SPEAKER B What does Jesus tell her? Listen to what He says. And sometimes we use this verse to talk back to our parents. But look what happens. The Bible says, and He said to them, why do you seek me? What's wrong with you, mom and dad? SPEAKER C Don't you know what I'm about? You know that I must be about my whose business? SPEAKER B My Father's business. There you go. SPEAKER C Jesus told us we don't have to listen to our parents. SPEAKER B Is that what it says? SPEAKER C Because it sounds like He's actually telling His mother off. Look what it says from chapter 2, verse 51, just 2 verses up. And when He went down with them, He came to Nazareth and was subject unto them. But His mother kept all these things in her heart, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. SPEAKER B Did you see that? SPEAKER C So that was the true spirit of the first verse. He grew up still from the age of 12 subject to his parents. SPEAKER B Parents, when you give instruction to your children, have consequences. If you don't teach your children to be obedient, you're going to teach them what? To not increase in wisdom and stature, and they will never have favor with God or with man. But when our children learn obedience, not through violent actions but through wisdom— sometimes we have to, you know, put the hand of learning on the seat of knowledge. Yeah, sometimes. SPEAKER C But sometimes we need to actually give them wisdom and give them understanding. But they always must have consequences. Any family who punishes their children doesn't have consequences. SPEAKER B Now I'm not always talking about smacking or beating your children. SPEAKER C I'm talking about consequences. SPEAKER B I'm sorry, you lose that privilege. I'm sorry, but you have to stay there. SPEAKER C I'm sorry, you can't have— we will not go out. SPEAKER B You know, whatever it is, children need consequences because the Bible says Jesus increased in wisdom and height and in favor with God and man. Jesus left us an example how we ought to respect our family in the way He did it with His mum. Do you remember that? When Jesus therefore saw His mother while He was on the cross, His last few words that He ever spoke while He's there dying on the cross— He had an earthly mother that gave birth to Him and that fed Him when He was younger. And while He was there, instead of thinking about His own pain— you know, have you been around people that are really sick and you want to ask them a question? SPEAKER C What do they tell you? Leave me alone, I'm in pain! SPEAKER B You know, they got this, "It's all about me now because I'm in pain." Especially men, we don't take pain so easily. Women seem to carry it a little bit harder, but us men, we're a little bit man-fluish about everything. Yeah, not always, not all us men, but some of us men are like this. But Jesus, I mean, I don't know what sort of pain He had. Was it the nails in His hand that went into a certain place so the blood wouldn't pour out? SPEAKER C Was it the stretching of the nails while He was trying to breathe? Every time He took a breath, the nails would pull against His flesh and His bones. SPEAKER B Was that pain? Was it the crown of thorns? SPEAKER C I mean, I had a splinter, it bothered me, but the crown of thorns on His head, multiple thorns going in and the blood? Was it the, was it the tickling of the eye and wanting to scratch His eye because the blood was pouring? What was the pain that He was going through? Or was it the pain that everybody that was His friend and close ran away? Was that the pain? Was it the pain that the people He died for are mocking Him on the cross? SPEAKER B Was that the pain He was going through? SPEAKER C I don't know, but I know that He had pain. SPEAKER B And instead of worrying about His pain, He sees His mother crying and He says— look what He says to her: "And when Jesus saw His mother and His disciples standing there, by whom He loved," He had love in His heart, "He said to His mother, 'Woman, I can't be anymore what I need to be for you. This young man, his name was John, will be your son. Then he said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And the Bible says, and from that hour that disciple took her under his own home and made her his mother. Would you say amen? Honor your father and your mother. Have you ever heard of Frederick the Great? A very strange king, but he was an interesting king. And one day he was laying in bed, and as kings do during the day, he thought, I can take a lay down. I don't have to work. He's a king, right? SPEAKER C It's good to be king. SPEAKER B And he got up and he thought, I'm thirsty. So he got his little bell. SPEAKER C Ding-a-ding-a-ding. Ding-a-ding-a-ding. Nobody's getting up. SPEAKER B He said, what's going on here? SPEAKER C Where's my page boy? SPEAKER B Page boys are in weddings, but they call page boys those bellboys, you know, that you ring for, yeah? SPEAKER C And he gets up and he walks out of his room and there's this young man asleep in the middle of the day on the chair. SPEAKER B Because the king was sleeping, he thought, I'll just stay here and I'll keep guard. SPEAKER C But he fell asleep and he was about to wake him up and say, what are you doing sleeping? I'm the king, you're a servant, you need to get up. He doesn't do that because as he looks at him, he notices a piece of paper in the boy's pocket. SPEAKER B He goes, I wonder what's in that paper. SPEAKER C Now the boy is sleeping, so he walks up and he opens the paper and there is a note from his mother. SPEAKER B And it says, "Dear son, I just want to write you this note and to let you know that I really appreciate that you give me most of your wages that you serve the king. I want to really thank you for that because we are so poor, it makes a difference. And I want to tell you Heaven will certainly reward you as you continue to be faithful to this king. Wow, the king saw that. He went back to his chamber and picked out a wad of money. And they used to call it ducats. We have a restaurant in Macedonia called Dukat. SPEAKER C Ducats was money. Is that— you know that word? SPEAKER B Yeah, it's an Italian word. Who's Italian here? Where's Alex? Anna? Are they here? Uncle Tony, ducat, is that some sort of— SPEAKER C it means, that's where we get Ducati from and so on. SPEAKER B And the story goes, he put a wad of money and he grabbed it, it was a lot of money and gold, most likely gold coins, and he put it in the boy's pocket with the note. And he went back to his chamber and he rang the bell again. SPEAKER C Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling. Bing-a-ling. And he's like, he's now ringing the bell as hard as he can. SPEAKER B Finally, the boy wakes up and he gets up and he can feel something heavy in his pocket. SPEAKER C He walks in the chamber like, you know, like, "Sorry," you know, like that. SPEAKER B And he says to the boy, "What's in your pocket?" And he pulls it out and he says, "King, someone's trying to kill me. SPEAKER C This is a setup. SPEAKER B It's not me." He says, "Don't worry. It's from me." He says, "Tell your mother that she doesn't have to worry about her." I will look after her. The king from now on will look after your mother. It's a good story, isn't it? Some people say that Friedrich, the reason he did this is because in his heart he really liked somebody that respected their mother. I want to tell you Friedrich is dead, but the King of Kings, our God, He's watching you. He knows that you have a mother and a father. He knows that When you honor them, God will not just bless you but bless your family. I'd like to leave you with a thought. Let's all say it together. Honor your father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God has given thee. Let's all say amen. SPEAKER A This message was made available by the Gateway Seventh-day Adventist Church. For more resources like this, visit their YouTube page, Gateway Adventist Center, Melbourne, Australia. It's been a pleasure bringing you this program here on 3ABN Australia Radio. Missed part of an Australian program? Listen anytime on demand at 3abnaustralia.org.au and click on the listen button.