Children (Part 2 of 2)

The there's no shortage of books available on parenting and child. A lot of people have a lot to say on that topic. But God has given us clear and concise instruction. Children are to obey their parents. He also tells us why today I'm Truth for Life weekend. Alastair beg explains what ought to motivate a child to obey were continuing in Colossians chapter 3 children obey your parents. So when you undergo the discipline of correction.

It is there to drive out faults so that you're able to come and say I was sorry. I'm sorry I was wrong and I accept the consequences, but part about obedience is not simply to the discipline that comes to us by way of correction but it is the disciplines that comes by way of instruction so the instruction is absolutely clear and secondly the instruction is absolutely comprehensive business children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. The third thing to notice is that this is in the context of the Lordship of Jesus instruction is clear.

It is comprehensive, but it is also within the context of the Lordship of Jesus will reset on the first night that ultimately the reason for the wife submission. The submission of love to laugh.

The submission of equals to one another is an expression of her submission to Jesus is Lord. She says Jesus is Lord and therefore this is how she lives within the framework of the family. The husband says Jesus is Lord, and this is therefore how he lives within that context. The child says Jesus is Lord of my life and this is how he or she then lives within the framework of the family. In other words, this little phrase brings child obedience specifically into the realm of Christian duty. It leaves upon children, the responsibility of a bearing their parents because of their own personal relationship with Jesus and it seems patently obvious that it is in the home primarily and not in the church where this lesson is to be learned. So it was harder in the hall because in the long where the instructions are given.

I thought I asked you not to do that. Yes I know but I didn't like the idea. I did like the suggested it was in the suggest. Here's a framework that is high. All that I can do in this role is, if you like frame the discussion frame. The context but it is within… All is within the framework of the warp and woof of interpersonal relationships that all this is hammered out the youth group can do so much they can give instructions they can provide videos being on campus again reinforce this but it is within the home that this thing needs to be put together.

The lesson is learned.

Ultimately, primarily their so that's the obligation is clear is comprehensive and it is within the context of the Lordship of Jesus.

Finally, I one of the motivation while the motivation is first of all because it is right. While you say is not there in Colossians no.

But it is in Ephesians Servetus turned once again back couple of pages. Ephesians 6 children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right is of course is the peculiar challenges in it in an environment in which nothing is wrong and nothing is right when everything is on a sliding scale whose to say anything is right or anything is wrong. Anybody who introduces moral rectitude. Anybody who says this is the standard summers as well, where did you get your standard and that's why you see the distinctive nature of Christian living is increasingly countercultural, but the Bible has no such ambivalence. Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Paul doesn't argue from the passing cultural norms of the first century that is one of the arguments that is always leveled against the Paul was in a patriarchal society. Paul was in a hierarchical society, and if he'd been in our contemporary society even have never said these things wrong completely wrong because he argued the principal into the culture. He did not argue the principal from the culture he argued from creation. He went back to Genesis and he says this is how God made it in the beginning it is a creation ordinance and that is why it is an abiding principal, and may apply in different cultures and different ways of the principal is never deviated from therefore when he says I want you to obey your parents because it's right he saying it is right because God says it's right and he has written it down, and he's written it down in the 10 Commandments and he has worked it out in the rest of the Scriptures, and he is provided the motivation for it, not only in the law, by nature, but also in the supernatural element of Christian expedience and he is reinforced it by the instruction of the Bible. Now, that is why Jesus did what he did.

That's why I said what I said earlier, why did he obey his parents because it was the right thing to do. You save yourself young people are listening to me, trust me, I'm an old man now. You will save yourself a tremendous amount of heartache if you just do what is right. If you ask yourself know what feels good, not what gets me out of this problem. Easiest not what allows me to wiggle out of an obligation, responsibility, what is the right thing to do and in answer to that question, you will be saved many many many sad nights. I guarantee that any child who has been reared in the instruction of the Scriptures will when the lights go on when having trained them in the way they should go. They finally settle on it.

Any child will honestly come and tell the stupidest dumbest biggest mistake I ever did was ingest being disobedient to you that everything flowed from that because I learned to not look you in the eye and do what I wanted and having failed to look you in the eye. I paid no attention to our father in heaven who watches over me loves me and provides the instruction of his word for my protection and for my correction, and for my instruction and for my encouragement and if you doubt this, you need not stay even within the realm of Scripture just read history just read the most superficial anthropologies. In fact, every organized and stable society is built on this Greek and Roman pagans, moralists affirmed the necessity of the obedience of children. They did it to an extent that was horrible and blameless and instead of there being a filial loving response to parental jurisdiction. That was kind and constrained. It was often a servile fearful cringing response to a brutality that was pronounced upon them, and what Paul is saying is calling into question all of those brutal elements of but nevertheless the Stoic philosophers were the same. They saw the obedience of a son is crucial to the structure of society. Parental jurisdiction has been regarded as absolutely fundamental and indispensable to any civilized stable society when you leave that down is axiomatic. Then you begin to understand why it is that in these lists in Romans one and in two Timothy three you come to the phrase, disobedient to their parents don't you ever look at that and say howdy disobedient to their parents get anywhere. I mean, I did I do mad. Maybe I maybe I just missed it completely. Paul talks about the turning of a man's back to the truth of God's word, the exchanging of what is be known about God for that which is a fiction and the judgment of God on that giving them up because they didn't feel it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so we gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done is Romans 129 they become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity is not a good list there full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, how's it going there, gossips, slanders, God haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, the invent ways of doing evil.

They are disobedient to their parents will come on usually thrown that in therefore answering it something as trivial as that in the midst of all of these biggies.

One of the ugly signs of a decaying culture is disobedient youth invited two Timothy three and I will turn you to it.

But in two Timothy three when Paul says that there will be perilous times in the last days and people will be lovers of themselves, rather than lovers of God and so on. Right there again in that list. He puts the same thing, disobedient to their parents why because our culture will testify to the topsy-turvy nature of its lifestyle.

Not only in extravagant and bizarre behavior, but of the most endemic foundational level of interpersonal relationships as young mothers by for the attention of their children are paralyzed by their children in restaurants because they have so consumed themselves with the notion that they have no jurisdiction over them that this child is as much right to say, as they have. They just happen to be a little taller or a little older, or perhaps a little brighter, but not necessarily the father doesn't know what to do and he's completely hamstrung in the child longs for a framework longs for directed longs for the many things they fight against longs for somebody to be brave enough to say you're not doing that you're not going there. I love you too much for that God says is wrong to do that. I can't let you do that do what's right for once. Would you, I say to you again this is not some slick methodology you can go in there and get a book on and do five principles in three Hail Marys and run around the block and will all be fine. It's not going to happen and maybe blood sweat and tears and more to make these kind of discoveries and that is why disobedience to their parents is at the very cornerstone and hot of these instructions.

Disobedient children are one of the ugly and alarming signs of a crumbling society, that society is crumbling exponentially when the legal system puts in place. Legislation which undermines the parental jurisdiction and gives to children a role in society that they are neither prepared for, nor able for Norwood constituted to exercise.

What's the motivation first because it is right and finally because it pleases the Lord. It is what it comes down to those in a kids young people, teens want to please God want to please God, obey your mom and dad want to please God, or to want to please yourself please yourself skulk around to look them in the eye. Do whatever you want, lie to them cheat hide telomere over here when you are over there so to the wind and I guarantee you, you will reap the whirlwind. God is not put these this framework in place to spoil you or Tamara or to inhibit you, but in order to make you is not what Paul says in two Corinthians 5. He says he's talking in a different context, albeit buddies talk about whether we live or whether we die with her within the earthly tender whether we go to heaven and he says basically no matter where we are. What's going on. We make it our goal to please him. I think sometimes young people say to themselves, you know, I don't really know if there's anything that I can do to serve Christ store to commend Christ. Well let me tell you, here's an area that is clear and obvious. Here's one for you. Try this. Families are fractured, you know that because you have friends parents are completely paralyzed by their failure to to have any guidelines or context in which to exercise their privileged responsibility to realize what an impact your life can have. If you'll take seriously the simple instruction of Colossians 320. If you make a commitment from your heart to be an obedient boy or an obedient girl God being your helper. Do you know that other families will have occasion to ask, what is it about that family not because you walk around with a thumping great Bible all the time. Not because you do ostentatious things that highlight your religious credentials.

None of that will be necessary if you just obey your mom and dad because you will be so markedly, so radically different that you will shine like a light in a dark place. Perhaps he doesn't need said but I'll say it anyway.

That is, that our obedience to our parents is obviously completely altered once were married. That's another sermon altogether about cutting the apron strings between a kid and his mom and the untold havoc that is there because parents have never let go of their children in the bonds of marriage, and play their heavy-handed a role here, relying on passages such as Colossians 3. It's absolutely wrong. The relationship changes the husband and wife relationship takes priority over the parent-child relationship. There's no need for any lessening of affection and there's no need for any lessening of care. We haven't been outdoors as much lately as we would like to one of the evenings when we were out there some time ago there was a centenarian came a thing is what you call somebody who's 100 years old is it. If not, I invented it. There was an old lady there. She was 100.

Her family brought her.

She listened to the radio program. She wanted to come. She sat in a wheelchair in the sunshine.

I knelt down beside her and spoke with her and I remember she was a kindly lady and had her faculties about her. I was so excited to meet this lady of 100 that I rounded up my children and said I want you to meet this lady, this lady is 100 years old over me.

This lady and you'll always build a safe. I know somebody who's 100 years old and I remember going home and the car and in out of the silence. One of the girls announced that lady that must've really honored her mom and dad wise that we know that thing in the Bible where it says honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the air. She must really take that seriously. While the point was well made, but of course that's not a categorical promised to an individual if aware, then how would we explain children that have died in infancy, but it is a general promise society is made up of individuals. Children who obey their parents become responsible citizens responsible citizens make strong communities within the framework of strong communities is possible to live in freedom and safety and in health, so young people obey your mom and dad honor them as you seek your guidance about your friends. They actually do know best about your schooling about whether Brenda is a beautiful girl that you should marry or whether she is really somebody that you are to chase down the street about whether you should be a brain surgeon or a disc jockey about whether you should have 20 children or for children about how to grow old, about how to know God about how to face eternity because you know what your parents have been given to you by God, they're not the best. They're not infallible.

They don't get it all right if they're honest with you the tell you when they don't and they'll ask for your forgiveness to, but in the general scheme of things they are in charge. We obey authority because it's right because it pleases the Lord. That's our message today from Alistair Begg. This is Truth for Life weekend. Alastair will be back in just a minute to close this program with prayer so please keep listing. First I want to remind you about the book were recommending this month. It's titled brave by faith God -sized confidence in a post-Christian world were especially excited about this book because it's written by Alastair brave by faith follows the story of Daniel and his friends they were exiles in Babylon pagan world where God and his laws were viewed as countercultural, not unlike the world we find ourselves living in today. This book is about what it looks like to be a Christian in a society that has become dis-interested in, or even hostile toward the gospel.

Alastair shows how God delivered Daniel and his friends. Time and again, and he reminds us that while it may be tempting to simply admire Daniel's steadfast faith God is ultimately the hero of this story, you will benefit greatly from the powerful message packed in this small book and you will be challenged to consider how you should respond when you're pressured to go along with the crowd rather than to obey God. Find out more about the book brave by faith.

When you visit Truth for Life.org now hears Alastair to close with prayer father as we try and work your way through these verses we are confronted again and again by joys and sorrows of our life. Some of us make application of these things and it stings because we know we have made a hash of things in the past for some of it is painful because the evil one comes in these the accuser offers in the just digs around and tries to rummage up garbage from the past and sins that have been forgiven. We we we resist and firm in the faith Lord, but some of us are the at the infancy of these things and were already seeing the impact of carelessness. Some of us have begun to lie to our parents.

Some of us are developing deceitfulness as a pastor. Some of her use respectful words but is not true from our hearts, and when we read this verse we see how we supposed to do this and your word comes back with one resounding crescendo by your grace by your enabling by the work of your spirit in our repentant hearts by our submission to the truth of the Bible and by our desire to follow the example of Jesus, so I pray tonight for the families of our church.

I pray specifically for young people who are bombarded from every site with the invitation to do everything but obey their parents, who are chided by their friends on the basis of the fact that they're just afraid of their parents or their two week will they're afraid of what their parents will do to them and made be that our young people are more afraid of what they will do to their parents is aware by their foolishness, rebellion, that of any discipline that might come their way. We pray Lord. To this end, and commend each family into your custody this night in Jesus name on them about the pain can join us again next weekend for a timely message on Father's Day is Alastair teachers about how fathers are to love their children, the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living