Okay, we are back to our usual series. We are looking at the Ten Commandments. So this morning the title for our sermon is “Children, Obey Your Parents”. Now let me point out at the very outset that this is not a Sunday School class meant only for children. So this is not kid’s talk. Now, this is serious business. In fact, this is deep theology alright- this is deep theology. This is heavy stuff with huge implications.

Now let us remember that this is one of the ten words (now ten words refers to the Decalogue or to the Ten Commandments). In fact, remember that this belongs to that words or the ten words of the commandments written by God Himself. Now turn with me for a moment to Exodus 31- to Exodus 31 and how we see in the Bible that this is emphasised alright- that this is emphasised. The great importance of these commandments, the great importance of these ten words.

Now in Exodus 31:18 (that is the last verse), it says: “And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.” alright- written with the finger of God. And in the following chapter- the following chapter and verse 15, and it says there: “And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony”, referring to the same thing were in his hands. “The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.”

Verse 16: “Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.”. And that is how the Bible wants us to see what we are doing here in this series. Now, this is important. That’s what the Bible is saying. These are the words of God written by God Himself with the fingers of God as it were. And that is really how that we should come to study the Ten Commandments alright with that kind of seriousness including alright- including the commandment that we are studying today alright.

So this is not like one of those you know there are Ten Commandments, and this is like the minor commandment alright this is a secondary commandment. No, that is not how the Bible wants us to understand this. And we know that today that this is hugely undermined. This commandment is broken. It’s hugely undermined, this commandment to obey your parents or to honour your parents.

If you dare discipline your children for disobedience in some societies, in some countries, you might be reported to the police. The children can sue you well for disciplining them. Now that is the kind of world that we are living in, and that is what this commandment is speaking to. It’s about honouring or submission to parental authority. I say in this day and age, it is undermined. In fact, we live in such an anti-establishment era or time, and we find that this rebellion is everywhere. It’s everywhere. It’s going against authority.

Now we want to ask also: What about in the Bible? What about in the Old Testament? What if you go against authority? What if you disobey? Have you ever ask that question? Now people go against authority. They disobey as if they are not going to suffer the consequence. Now in the Bible, in the Old Testament, what if you disobey? Now let us find out in Deuteronomy chapter 21 alright- Deuteronomy chapter 21 and here in verse 18.

Deuteronomy 21:18 onwards, it says here: “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, (verse 19) then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’”.

Then what? Verse 21: “Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.”. Now that is the consequence of breaking this commandment. This son shall be stoned to death. And why? It says here so that this evil- this evil “shall be put away from among you”. It is evil. It’s an evil thing. God says that this is a bad thing. It’s not to be entertained. It’s not to be entertained.

Now that is how serious God views this whole thing alright. This is how serious this commandment is about. And so this is deep things. This is heavy stuff, and that’s what we are looking at. You may ask: Why so severe? Well of course when people read this, and they say what kind of Bible this is, what kind of God this is, what kind of punishment is this? It’s because we take rebellion very lightly. We take rebellion very lightly, but not with God.

Why? Why is it such a serious thing with God to rebel again your parents? The reason is because in the Bible, in the Old Testament, God was impressing upon His people the terrible nature of rebellion. Rebellion is a terrible, terrible thing, and that is what this commandment is about. This is what it is meant to show us. It is a terrible thing to go against authority. Why? Because going against authority is going against God.

We must not see that you know that these two things are separate things. Going against authority is going against God. Why? Why is that so? Now remember Paul when Paul wrote to the Romans in his letter, and he writes in chapter 13 and verse 1 these words. Romans 13:1, now listen to what Paul says here. He says in verse 1: “Let every soul be subject to governing authorities.”. Now that is the order. That is a command from Paul when he writes to the Roman church. He says: “Let every soul be subject to” what? “The governing authority”.

Why? Then he gives the reason: “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”. In other words, when you go against authority, you’re going against what? Constituted authority. You’re going against God because no authority except those appointed by God because God put them there.

Now, remember that is how we should understand that in the family when you go against constituted authority. Parental authority are constituted authority, and they are appointed by God. They will not have authority without God putting them there. Remember the family is a divine institution. It is not a human invention. And the father stands in the place of God in relation to his children. Now hear that again- now here that again: The father stands in the place of God in relation to his children.

Now that is something that is missed. That’s something that you know people don’t get you know. They don’t understand, and therefore they dare- they dare defile constituted authority in the family. Now, what does this tells us about parenting goals? Alright, a word for parents, what does it tell us about parenting goals? What is parenting about? Now I’m doing some premarital counselling and I tell them that after that there will be post-martial and talking about parenting.

Alright, I sent something to Aaron, I told him to watch it with Ern Huey alright. It’s about parenting. Now parenting, what does this commandment tell us about parenting or parenting goals? Now it tells us this alright- it tells us this. Ephesians chapter 6 alright- Ephesians 6:4. Ephesians 6:4. Now remember when Paul writes these words to the Ephesian church and he writes to the Ephesian Christians here and about these things, he doesn’t come out of his cave and give some advice out of no context.

There is a context to why Paul is telling them these words in Ephesians 6:4 alright. Ephesians 6:4, listen to Paul. He says: “Fathers. You, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and (the instruction or the) admonition of the Lord.”. That is your parenting goal. That is what you are here for in the family that God has put you. As fathers, you are to bring up your children in a certain way.

There’s this goal. There’s objective. That’s what parenting is about. It’s not simply to feed your kids and give them a good education and that’s it. Give them all the good things in life. What about their soul? What about their character? How are you bringing them up? Is it according to what we read here “in the training and the admonition of the Lord”?

Or in Psalm 78. Psalm 78, and again listen to what the psalmist writes here about parenting goals. If God has put you (fathers and mothers) in the family, now listen to these words. Psalm 78, beginning and look at verse 2. Psalm 78:2- “I will open my mouth in a parable; And I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.”. Verse 4: “And we will not hide them from their children” things that we have learned. The truth that God has given to us, we will not hide them from our children.

It says in verse 4: “But telling to the generation to come and the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”. Verse 5: “For He has established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; (verse 6) That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, (verse 7) that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments”.

That is what parenting is about. That’s why God put us in the family. We’re in charge, and we have to bring up our children in a particular way, in the way that God meant it to be, not in the way that we want it to be. It’s not good enough. It’s not good enough that your children are well physically, they’re well fed, well educated, and everything provided for. It is not enough. It’s to be more than that. It’s to be more than that. Now you see, that is what parenting goals is about if this were to be true.

And so back to Exodus 20:12, and therefore there is this commandant here in Exodus 20:12. And what does it say again? So let me read verse 12: “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”. Even in the Old Testament, there is that more than a hint alright. There is this information. There is this telling them that if you go against this commandment, this society is not going to survive alright.

You are not going to survive as a people of God in the land if this is broken when there is chaos, anarchy, no rule, no control, rebellions everywhere, the society is not going to survive. Children, obey your parents or in the words here “honour your father and mother”, and we shall consider first of all what this means. What does it mean to honour your father and mother?

If this is so important, we need to understand what it means right? What does it mean? Now the word ‘honour’ means simply this: The word ‘honour’ simply means heavy or weighty. Alright, that’s what that word means. Now, what does it mean well honour means heavy or weighty? In fact, it is the same word alright for glory or the glory of God. When you speak of the glory of God, what do you think it means? We speak of the glory of God. We speak of glorifying God. We say that that is our chief duty.

What is the chief duty of man? It is to glorify God. We live for the glory of God. What does the glory of God mean? Now, this is what it means. If glory or honour means weighty, it means that the weightiness of God, the importance. The weightiness of God. Now that is what glory of God means: The weightiness of somebody alright- the weightiness of God. And therefore, to honour parents (honour your father and mother) therefore means that your father and mother (your parents) should carry some weight in your life.

Is it not? Should not it be that your parents (your father and mother) should carry some weight in your life, that is they matter? Your dad and your mom, they matter. They should matter to you, and that is what weightiness means. It means what they say should count, should carry weight. Don’t just ignore them. Now that is what it means. Don’t just you know just discount what they say. It should carry weight in your life. It should mean much. In fact, it should mean a lot.

Now, this is in contrast for example in the Jewish culture where a woman’s testimony counts for nothing alright. In that culture you know if the woman were to give testimony, it’s not counted, carries no weight. Now that is the meaning. Now don’t treat your parent’s advice like the Jewish culture, treating a woman’s testimony as nothing. But that is how so many children treat their parents. Whatever they say counts for nothing, doesn’t mean anything in their life, carries no weight.

And so that is the meaning of honouring your father and mother- their opinions, their counsels should be given due consideration. Don’t just brush them aside. Listen to what Solomon says in Proverbs chapter 1- Proverbs chapter 1 on the same thing alright on the same issue here about giving due consideration to what your parents tell you or say to you. Proverbs 1:8, it says here: “My son”. Verse 8: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not despise the law of your mother”.

Verse 9: “For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and the chains about your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say to you, “Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, and like those who go down to the Pit””. Now it says here: “And we shall find all kinds of precious possessions, and we shall fill our houses with spoil; Cast in your lot among us, and let us have one purse”.

Now when sinners tell you this, when these people of the world tell you this, Solomon says in verse 15: “My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path”. Now you see, you look at verse 8 through verse 15, can you see the contrast here what is Solomon trying to say? In verses 8 and 9, Solomon says this is a contrast. Now here are your parents (your father and your mother) telling you, giving you advice; and here are your friends in this world, the people of the world, and they also give you advice. Who would you listen to? Who would you listen to?

That is Solomon’s question here, and Solomon’s exaltation here is this: Obey your parents. Listen to your father and mother. Why? Because it says in verse 9: “For they will be a graceful ornament on your head”. Now these are precious things that your father and mother is saying to you, not those things said to you by your friends, by those outsiders, by the people of the world. The tendency for people today, for many young people today is to listen to the world rather than listening to their parents.

Now that is what this commandment is trying to point out here. That is what we see all over the Scripture, not just a common application of it. All over Scripture is this exaltation, this encouragement, this stress to listen to your parents. Now you might wonder when you read the Bible with this constant stress on this point about the importance of listening to your parents, the importance of giving weight, due consideration to what your parents say to you. The constant emphasis, not just in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament. Why is that so?

First, because of the grave consequence if you did not do so, and also because of the tendency for us to rebel against this commandment. The great tendency for us to ignore this and take this lightly. In other words- in other words, your parents should mean more to you. Your parent’s advice and opinions and viewpoints and their feelings should mean more to you more than the people outside there.

That’s what this commandment is about. Or it means this: It means that Ronaldo’s hairstyle, Messi’s T-shirt, or what they say or the opinion or perhaps Kim Kardashian’s dressing, how they dress, or BTS or what Song Hye Kyo or Park Shin Hye or IU. Now I’m sure you’re familiar with names like these. How often we find all the young people, they will rather listen to these people and what do they think about marriage and what do they think about divorce and what do they think about abortions.

There in the Bible says, listen to your parents. Or what do they think about your hairstyle? Ask your parents. Now you don’t like to ask your parents what kind of hairstyle is that alright. They say you know Messi got same hairstyle. That is what the Bible is saying. See, we give so little weight as it were to our parent’s opinions and feelings and thinking and advice, and we should not.

So when mom and dad say that this is no good, don’t do that. Don’t look at your Facebook too much, listen. Just listen. Now don’t ignore them and say: This crazy old man. Now all these are out of touch. Now, these people are out of touch, and how often young people look at older people alright their parents as out of touch. Or when your parents say don’t be out too late, eat your cabbage, read your Bible, come to church, do not brush their counsel aside alright. Give due consideration. Listen and obey. So that is what it means.

Now the second thing is: Now how do we honour our father and mother? How do we honour our father and mother? I think to help us you know get these, I’ll give you three words to remember alright that is how we should honour our father and mother. The first word is simply this: Obey them. Obey. Ephesians 6:1. Ephesians 6:1, now listen again as Paul writes about this. In verse 1, Paul says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”. Now, what do you think Paul was thinking about when he writes this verse? What do you think he was thinking about?

He was thinking about the fifth commandment. Now how do I know? Because the following verse he says, he quoted the fifth commandment: Honour your father and mother. So it’s in that context. So in other words, how do we honour our father and mother, and to Paul that this is how we honour them by obeying them. By obeying them, for this is right, but this is hard. Now it may not be easy. In fact, a lot of children, perhaps most children find it very often very hard to obey your parents for a number of reasons.

Now very often is that simply that what they tell you to do just clashes with what you want to do alright. It’s not what you want to, so you find it very hard. Other times perhaps is that parents sometimes seem unreasonable. Yes, we acknowledge that, and that’s the reason why Paul in giving this exaltation here, he reminded the parents also in verse 4 because he tells them in verse 4 that the parents- the parents.

Yes, I know. I know that your children are supposed to obey you. But don’t be too hard on them alright- don’t be too hard on them. Verse 4 says: “And you, fathers, do not provoke them”. Now just because of the likelihood or the possibility of a father provoking the children, now Paul doesn’t, therefore, say oh, don’t obey them. No, he still says. He begins by saying obey them.

Then he tells the father because we are all sinners alright. We’re all sinful beings. So be understanding about your parents, about your father. They too are sinners. Now we are all sinners. We fail very often in our duties in the way we treat our children, but that does not negate this commandment. Children, obey your parents, now that’s the first way how we honour our father and mother.

And the second word is this: Listen to them. Now listen to them. In other words, turn with me to Proverbs chapter 23. Proverbs 23:22. Verse 22 of Proverbs 23, it says: “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”. I think we should perhaps try to memorise this verse and perhaps for this week alright for this week. “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

Now that is how we honour our father and mother. And it is interesting that in this verse that mother is included. Sometimes you think that it’s only about fathers. No, listen to your father and also to your mother, that’s what it says here. Listen to them and consider what they say. In other words, you should listen to them and talk to them. Get their opinions.

Ask them about things in your life. Perhaps talk to them about your studies or about your work or about your friends. Talk to them about your boyfriend or your girlfriend. Don’t let them be the last to know that you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. They shouldn’t you know be in shock. Talk to them. Don’t say that they know nothing, they don’t understand. Recognise their wisdom.

It was Mark Twain who said this: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have him around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”. Now so very often we look at our father and we think that they know nothing alright our parents, and that’s what Solomon means. Do not despise your mother when she is old. Listen to them. Ask them what they think about issues in your life.

The third word about honouring your father and mother is remember. Obey them, listen to them, and remember them. Turn with me now to First Timothy chapter 5. 1 Timothy 5:3-4. Verses 3 and 4: “Honour widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.”. Now, what is good and acceptable before God? Paul says to show piety at home and to repay your parents.

Simply put is to remember them. Don’t forget them alright. Then after you grow up you only remember all your friends. Remember your parents. Remember to talk to them. I think there is a great tendency alright that as children grow older, they talk less and less with their parents. Remember to talk to them.

Remember to care for them. Remember to visit them. Remember their favourite food. Don’t let them tell you how many times I must tell you no chicken backside? Remember their favourite food. Dad, mom, I bought something. Monkey brains, your favourite food, whatever. Remember your parents. So how do we honour our father and mother? Obey them, listen to them, and remember them.

And finally, why? Why should we honour our father and mother? Have you ever asked that question that why God commands this and why should you as children obey or honour your father and mother? Now two things here. Number one, now let us first of all turn to Colossians chapter 3 alright- Colossians 3:20, and we’ll see why. Colossians 3:20, it says here: “Children, obey your parents in all things”.

Now again it’s kind of added emphasis. Not just obey, but obey in all things, “for this is well pleasing to the Lord”. But this is pleasing to God. It’s pleasing to God for children to obey their parents. That is why. And if this is the only reason indicated in the Bible, shouldn’t that be sufficient- sufficient reason that you obey your parents? You know what Paul told the Corinthians in his second letter in 2 Corinthians 5:9? He said it is my aim in life to be pleasing to the Lord.

That is how we should live out our Christian life that our Christian life is about not pleasing people, not pleasing ourselves but pleasing God. And if this is pleasing to God, I will do it. So that is reason number one. Now added to that of course is the one that I read earlier on in Ephesians 6:1. We are told to obey your father and mother, for this is right. Not only it is pleasing to the Lord, but this is the right thing to do.

Isn’t that common sense? It’s kind of common sense, but you see common sense these days are not very common. But as far as the Bible is concerned that this is the right thing, that’s a common sense thing alright. Shouldn’t be any dispute that it’s right for children to obey their parents. But there’s more that the Bible tells us why we should honour our parents- why we should honour our parents.

The reason, now back to Ephesians chapter 6. Back to Ephesians chapter 6, and you see what Paul writes there in verses 2 and 3. In verses 2 and 3: “Honour your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise. Then verse 3: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”. Do you hear that? Do you hear what Paul is saying here?

He said children, listen. You obey this commandment. You obey your parents. You honour your father and mother. And this is the reason why that it may be well with you, that you may live long on the earth. Now, what is Paul saying here? What he’s saying here is this: That the reason why you should keep this commandment, that you should honour your parents is that it serves your own best interests. It serves your own best interests that it may be well with you. It will not be well with you if you break this commandment.

Did you get that? You see, many young people think that it served their best interests to be free from parental authority. That is what the world is telling us. Get rid of your parents, be free from authority, be free from your parental authority, do your own thing, be independent. We want to be twenty-one years old and declare independence day and have that great celebration somewhere telling our friends this day, I’m on my own. I’m free from my parents. They will not tell me what to do. Is that how you celebrate your twenty-first birthday by declaring Merdeka?

Paul says it does not serve your best interests. Obey your parents that it may be well with you. Now let me ask you: If you do not listen to your parents, who do you listen to? If you do not listen to your parents, who do you listen to? Someone said this. He said behind your crowd, behind these people (your friends). Behind your crowd that is the group of people you hang out with, their tastes and excitements, there exists a whole bunch of manipulating adults.

Now listen to what he says again. Behind your crowd that is the group that you hang out with, their tastes, their excitement. Behind all these, behind the group, there exists a whole bunch of manipulating adults. In other words, there are adults manipulating young people today. These are the people who know exactly what appeals to the young people. Poor parents who simply want to help are seen to be out of date. Now we think that the youth culture are created by the youth. That’s not true.

The youth cultures are created by adults out there to make money from you by manipulating you because they know what we call child psychology, young people psychology. They know what young people want, and they will create that to sell it to you. The kind of music, the kind of entertainment, the kind of toys, the kind of playthings, the kind of things in your handphone, you think created by young people? You think is meant for your good, for your well-being?

No, it’s for their money. It’s for your money that they want. So the question then is not whether you will listen to adults, but which adult? The one out to manipulate you for money, or the ones who gave birth to you, who wake up at night to feed you, who took you to the doctor when you are sick, who cry when you’re in pain? Who would you listen to? Those people out there?

Note, your life’s direction and destiny depends on whom you listen to. Your life’s direction and destiny depend on whom you listen to. Your thoughts, your conviction, your belief system, your value, everything is shaped by whom you listen to. And more than that, where you spend your eternity, whether in heaven or in hell is determined by whom you listen to.

You know that at the very beginning that is the problem with mankind when Eve chose not to listen to the voice of God but to listen to the devil and his deception. How true today with so many young people where God has put constituted authority to represent Him. And I said earlier that a father stands in the place of God to communicate to his children. Of course, we know that there are fathers who failed in their duty, that’s why I started off by reminding fathers (parents) of our parental duties.

But nevertheless, the fathers are there, they represent God, they represent the voice of God to give you that counsel and to give you that words of life. But then there are others. There are the others, and they are all around us every day and they’re telling us deceptions. They manipulate us. Whom would you listen to, the snake or to God? That is the issue of the fifth command. Let us pray.

“Our Father in heaven, we pray once again that You’ll help us understand something of what You are trying to say to us through this Word. Help us to realise indeed that there is no authority except those ordained by You. And we want to thank You for this constituted authority, for they guard our lives. We want to thank You for parents that You have raised in our midst, for they represent You. And we pray that we would indeed have the wisdom of listening to them than to the voices all around us out to manipulate us, out to deceive us.

Lord, we know that indeed and truly the direction of our life and destiny depends on whom we listen to. And we want to thank You that for many of us here that we can listen to that voice that comes from You through the people that You have put in our lives. Grant us that wisdom. Help us to know whom to listen to, for this, we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.