Martin Dendekker
Covenanters Presbyterian Church (ARP), Cambridge, NS, Canada
January 7, 2024 PM service
As We Gather for worship this afternoon let’s sing our gathering praise which is in the Salter the blue Salter Salter 93 the Lord is crowned as King And Streng Shall be forever well good afternoon everyone and welcome to worship as we uh close the Lord’s day uh gathering together again as his people worshiping him and a special welcome to all who are visiting with us to worship Our God together and our King as we’ve just lifted him up in praise
And and are eager to meet with him tonight in our worship service a note um uh if you’re visiting that we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper this afternoon after the preaching of God’s word and uh if you are able to affirm the the five questions and the insert in the
Bulletin um then you are welcome to participate in the Lord’s supper with us let’s take a few moments to prepare ourselves for worship coming into before we come into the presence of God let’s take a few moments for silent prayer and ask the Lord’s blessing Church of the Lord Jesus Christ please stand as he calls us to worship this afternoon afterno from Psalm 57 my heart is steadfast oh God my heart is steadfast I will sing and give praise awake my glory awake lute and harp I will awake in the dawn I will praise you
Oh Lord among the peoples I will sing to you among the Nations for your mercy reaches under the heavens and your truth under the clouds be exalted oh God above the heavens let your glory be above all the Earth let’s pray oh Lord Our God we
Do bless you we bless your name and we exalt it together this afternoon as we come to worship you we do with sincere Hearts Desire oh God for your you to be exalted above the heavens and For Your Glory to be above all the Earth for you
Are worthy to receive that honor you are worthy to be set high above anything in creation for you are the Creator and you are worthy for all of creation to give you praise and to exalt your name oh God we pray that as We Gather here this
Afternoon and in other places around the world your church gathers and worships that the worship offered would be done in spirit and in truth that we would be equipped by your Holy Spirit to offer you true worship as those who have been regenerated made new in Christ and made
Holy we thank you oh God for your your spirit in us to to lead us and guide us and so again May the worship we offer each in our with our own uh hearts and mouths be sincere and true bless us this afternoon in every part of the service
Especially as we hear your word proclaimed and preached and then as we uh in faith participate in the Lord’s Supper God in heaven we thank you for bringing us together again this afternoon and may we conclude this Lord’s day with great joy in our worship in his in Jesus name we pray
Amen please take up your Salter I have two uh songs listed here we’re just going to sing one this after afternoon so we’re just going to sing Salter 69a 69a save me oh God and here is a here is a Psalm that uh we sing as those
Who are in Christian Warfare those who are in a world that is hostile to the Lord we can sing to our God and and cry out to him for help as we battle sin as we uh deal with all different troubles as we go the Lord gives us these words
To sing and to pray and he is faithful to help so let’s sing 69a God Mighty on every side I sing in my is I am God for without re all the My for you God you know my call youed because of oh god of is it is because of me for your and my is cont and shame I am for to my own brothers and from my mother son I am with their on my I even reproach to me I am drunken for pray to you Lord Accept youring kind respond god with please be seated perhaps the first word rather than than the word I gave before singing this Psalm is that this is the psalm As we sing this I think the the uh reality of this applies not first of all to us but to Jesus Christ who was
Mocked and spit on and insulted we we’ve heard that this morning in the ways that he was mocked by the religious leaders and and called a drunk and a glutton um here as Christ so was treated but overcame by uh overcame and and was able to conquer so we who follow him will
Also be treated mistreated by this world but we are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us so we can hold on to this uh this Psalm and sing and pray these words with hope in Christ let’s take our uh uh Himel now
We’re going to turn to the back of the Himel to page 874 to do our corporate confession of Faith as we come back to the Shorter Catechism uh in this afternoon’s preaching and the particularly focusing on the fifth commandment we will look uh confess our faith using Shorter Catechism question answerers 63 and
64 Brothers and Sisters in Christ which is the fifth commandment the fifth commandment is honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee what is required in the fifth commandment the fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor and
Performing the duties belonging to everyone in their several places and relations as superiors inferiors or equals as we begin the new year we have the opportunity to uh continue to uh give we begin a new year of giving in the afternoon for our missions as we
Continue toh to do that we have um this afternoon are for through the month of January the Canadian Presbyterian missions for supporting work in Malawi and Pakistan uh and uh going to be praying about that this afternoon as well for let’s come before our God In Prayer Lord God In
Heaven There are many who say who will show you any good who will care for you who will love you who will Who who truly cares about the church Lord we say in faith oh Lord you are the one who cares for cares for us and we come in prayer saying oh Lord
Lift up the light of your face upon us and put joy in our hearts more than when uh Grand rain and wine abound more than when there’s any Earthly Prosperity Lord may your grace and love in our hearts abound and may our walk with you as a
Church be faithful and true knowing that you are with us that you lead us and guide us we come to you in faith this afternoon to bring our petitions and our needs before you for we trust that you are indeed The God Who blesses your people who cares for your people Lord we
Come this afternoon to pray to you in the name of our great high priest Jesus Christ he who has come down to Earth to complete his work for us but now has passed again into the heavens who Lord sits at your right hand and rules and Reigns over the world
And yet is still one of us and is able to sympathize with our weaknesses for he once was weak like us but now Lord he has been exalted and lifted up and one day he will take us where he is we thank you God that he can
Sympathize with our weakness is able to to save to the uttermost those who draw near to you through him he always lives to make intercession for us we bless you that that is our uh that is our place before you that is our relationship with you through Christ both here together as
The church in corporate Unity praying and seeking your face but also this is a reality that goes with us each and every single day and each and every single night we bless you for that oh God we we certainly have much to be thankful for as we come to pray and seek
Your face and we seek your face to praise you and give you thanks and bless you thank you for the grace that you have shown to Sophie and to Andrew in this past week and they’re uh in in grieving uh the loss of Sophie’s grandmother and ministering to Sophie’s
Family and uh Lord we thank you for that thank you for their safety bringing them to New Brunswick and back and uh we pray you’d continue to comfort continue to give opportunities to uh show the love of Christ by word and deed and we continue to help them in moments of
Sadness we thank you Lord for the Gathering Together of uh of the church in different ways this week for prayer meeting or for uh the ladies study or uh for the the communicate membership class on Tuesday or the leadership class yesterday we thank you for that we
Praise you for the um for the opportunities to be in your word in perhaps in different ways with different goals but Lord able to be in your word and able to study and able to have Fellowship together in Christ and so we we thank you for that and pray you
Continue to add your blessing to what was done we give you great thanks and praise oh God for hearing the news of Randy and Allison receiving their visas from the the a government Lord in in Pakistan that is uh need hostile to the gospel and is not uh Lord interested in
Seeing Christ’s kingdom come but yet you and your might and power have opened the way way for them to receive missionary visas Lord something that just a few months ago thought was thought to be impossible and certainly not something worth pursuing but Lord we bless you and
Praise you and we’re reminded again that the thoughts and plans of men are are uh Lord do not stand in in your way for Lord you are able to do more than more abundantly than we ask or think and there is no uh no one who is hostile to
You who ultimately can can change your plan or support you when you have purpose to do what you will do we thank you for them we thank you for their desire to go into a hostile place and to bring the gospel to Proclaim Christ to uh Lord see the spiritual welfare of
That Nation further that there would be more and more who turn to Christ and to confess him we pray oh God that you would be with uh Randy and Allison we uh we pray for Allison and and her sister Megan as they travel here for the week
And pray for their time with her sisters here but we pray for Randy and Allison as they continue to make preparations and plans for going I bless the the presbyter missions committee as the committee makes plans for uh through this year and to prepare them to go we
Pray for their language training we pray for their cultural training and uh all of that that takes place uh through the coming months and Lord we pray that you would uh keep the evil one far from them and Lord that uh that even uh Lord that
Uh that the news of this this uh what’s happened here would not uh be fall into the hands of the of those who would want to harm or who would want to undo the good that’s been done Lord we ask for your care for them but we praise you and
We bless you and we thank you that there are those in Pakistan whom you have determined to call out of Darkness into your light and so Lord continue to make that way and prepare the way for that to take place we lord have much more to be
Thankful for uh in our own families and the in the ways you’re at work amongst us as in our homes and in our extended families and we thank you for uh even opportunities and especially for opportunities to share the gospel to speak of Christ to encourage each other
In him Lord living in this world we do have great need and we have also experienced that in this week in our own lives and families and we pray for your grace upon us that is greater than all our sin but it is also greater than all
Our trouble and help us to live by faith not by sight help us to live Lord trusting in you each and every moment and not being R not being Carried Away by fears of tomorrow or next week or next year but that we would be resting
In you day by day Moment by moment Lord we do pray for one another and we thank you we have that privilege we pray for Peggy uh Lord who herself has has a brain tumor and he will need uh some treatment coming up and needs and also
Just a a scan to see if it’s grown we pray for your grace to her and strength for her day by day and dealing with the pain of that we also Lord pray for a back surgery that’s coming up for her we pray for Peggy and her daughter be who
Lord has this very debilitating syndrome who being paralyzed from the neck down and Lord not only has that trouble and struggle but also Lord has other personal needs and cares we ask Lord that you would be near her we pray that she and uh her boyfriend and her
Children would all confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that where there is no faith that you would work faith in those in in Hearts where there may be faith that you would strengthen and stir and encourage it at this time we thank you for Peggy’s witness to them and
Continue to help her to speak into uh to speak into her family with love we pray that as we may have opportunity uh and to help in different ways that uh that those would become clear but help us to be first and foremost persistent in
Prayer for them we pray Lord that in all the needs that we have we know Lord we think of Claus and Linda as well and their health needs and cares uh we think Lord of of others who are dealing with pain and discomfort or who are dealing with sickness whether it’s seasonal
Sickness or or or something that’s hanging on and longer whatever it might be Lord stresses and worries things that tempt us to fret and to fear we pray that you would draw Us near wrap us in your care and provide for for our us as a church family in every single way Lord
You call us to be patient in adversity and so we pray that we would as we pray and know that answers may not H that that answers may not come immediately but you in your perfect time will address our need so Lord we pray also that we would help each other we pray
That we would encourage each other in the truths and Promises of your word we pray that we would not grow weary and impatient with one another in the needs that we have that we lord would take the time to care for each other help us to live truly as a family that
Loves one another and to reflect uh our Heavenly father’s Grace and compassion to each other we thank you for our preser we pray for our sister Church in Halifax we pray for John shes and his ministry we thank you for the men who serve on the session and uh for uh the
Deacon there as well we pray Lord that you would provide uh further leadership for that congregation uh that you would uh raise up men to serve and we thank you for those who seem close to to be uh to be able to take up the the work of
Leadership there we pray for different Health needs in that congregation and many that we know uh personally and also we thank you for the children that are being born and for those Covenant children may they grow up loving and serving Jesus Christ and confessing his
Name we pray for uh the ministry of the word the simple preaching of the Gospel that it would transform lives we thank you for the many who have come from various Nations around the world Lord even there in that little congregation and that in this one in the world we see
A a picture of the Gospel of the fruit of the Gospel where from many uh different tongues and Nations and tribes there is those there one there is one heart to serve Jesus Christ and so continue to build that church we thank you God for your word you give this to
Us to Enlighten our path of life and to lead us in the way of of Truth and to bring us Lord in obedience before you we pray that now you would Enlighten our path and understand understanding as we hear your teaching on Authority we pray that
By your spirit you would give us a submissive Spirit not first of all to men but first of all to you that we would submit ourselves to you and then to All Those whom you call us to submit our lives too in our day-to-day living we pray that you’d give us now an
Attentive Spirit as well to hear what you will speak to your church we pray these things in Christ’s name amen please take your Salter again we’ll turn to Salter 119b how can a young man cleanse his way 119b with all my heart I see for you from your commands let me not Str word I Tre in my heart so that from you I will not Turness I I have re with my my lip all of the lord your mou as re in your as one in p i on your And I will all your ways I will Delight in your youring all my please be seated of God’s word this afternoon will be just two verses think we’ve heard both of these already today it’s good to hear them again as we come to uh consider the fifth commandment so we’re going to read
Exodus 20:2 and then Deuteronomy 5:16 and we through the preaching of the word will hear hear uh God’s word read in some other places as well Exodus 20 verse 12 honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you
And then Deuteronomy uh 5 verse 16 honor your father and your mother mother as the Lord your God has commanded you that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving
You when I was young I went in our small town we had a a local hairdresser and went into her house uh and she had a little Salon there and we uh there went you sitting there and you’re kind of a captive you can’t move much um and so
You’re kind of always staring at just kind of what you see in front of you while she cuts your hair and tells you constantly not to move and there was only one there’s one thing within eyesight that always stuck out to me and it was this little sign she had on the
Side of her mirror on her mirror that said that said by the time we realize our parents were right we have kids who think were wrong by the time we realize we have parents our parents were right we have kids who think were wrong it was a an interesting uh perhaps
Thought to be a cute little sign that people could chot and it reflects really a truism in our culture that is this thinking in our culture that there’s obviously going to be conflict between parents and children that parents are the children are going to think parents are wrong parents are going to argue
That they’re right and there’s probably going to be some period of rebellion that takes place in life at some point and after there’s some life experience gained and perhaps they have their children of their own then they begin to finally realize wait maybe my parents weren’t so old-fashioned weren’t so
Stubborn weren’t so foolish maybe they were right maybe I ought to respect what they had to say that’s it’s a truism in our culture this is this is part of of of the way life is this is the cycle of Life parents have children children rebel against parents eventually they come
Around become parents of their own and it just the cycle continues and in some sense we might even say as so far as to say it’s the natural Norm of our world but we cannot go f further than that to to say that it is just something that’s acceptable something that we
Ought to have happen in the world it might be natural because our world our natural world has fallen is full of sin and so when you watch movies something to pay attention to you watch movies with your kids there’s there’s also we see this this this struggle with
Authority throughout in these films even the the cute animated films that we watch it’s there it’s constant that this is just part of life but it’s not acceptable to us because it’s not acceptable to God that’s not how God created the world that’s not what God intended for his
World and for how Authority was to be considered and thought about God calls for children to honor their parents children of all ages to honor their parents and what this really teaches us as we think about this is as God calls us to honor our parents is that how you
And I treat Authority is not first a reflection on what we think of the authority we’re treating or mistreating but it is a reflection on what we think of God it’s how we treat God how we treat Authority is how we truly Beyond everything else treat
God and how we think of God and his authority his ultimate authority over all of us is going to affect our obedience to others around us to those lesser authorities whom God has appointed over us God is in other words the center of this whole commandment he
Is the focus of our uh of of who we are he’s the one we ought to honor he’s the he’s the focus of our obedience here in the fifth commandment and it is natural for you and me to resist Authority and I say natural in the sense of our fallen
Natures because we want to be autonomous we want to be self-governing we want to be our own boss our own parents our own God that indeed is what we’ve inherited ited from our first parents who decided we will not have this God rule over us
But hey if we eat this fruit we can become like him and we maybe you know we can we can tell him what to do every now and again and we’ll be we’ll be the authority in our lives but what we need is a change of nature what we need is
Jesus Christ to transform and change us and we need new affections given to us by Christ the same affections he had for his Heavenly Father by whereby he submitted himself in the Plan of Salvation to his father in every way obeying him living that life of obedience submitting to him and bringing
Salvation to us we need those affections that Christ had in order to submit ourselves to the rule of God and then to parents and then to all other authorities whom God has given to us and thus as we consider the fifth commandment we consider that true honor
For God means honoring your parents and all others God places in authority over you true honor for God is the first statement true honor for God means honoring your parents and all others God places in authority over you and so that’s what we’re going how we’re going
To consider begin to consider the fifth commandment as we look at it for the first of of three sermons uh this afternoon honoring God honoring god-given parents and then honoring god-given authorities honoring God honoring god-given parents and then honoring god-given authorities now we come into the fifth commandment and as
We do we enter into what is commonly known as the second table of the law Moses came down from the mountain with two tables and though that was very likely uh two tables with the same Ten Commandments written on both yet we’ve often considered it’s just been the
Thought of it’s just we’ve got four Commandments on one six on the other because Jesus when he summarizes the moral law tells us that that we are to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves and the first four Commandments clearly Focus us on our worship of God our honoring of God
Giving him the the primary place in life and the last six Focus us on how we then uh love our neighbor in order to to care for them but while that may be a helpful way in breaking down the The Ten Commandments yet we ought not to
Separate the six from the four we ought not to separate these last six Commandments uh from our service and worship of God because we can’t obey and keep the Commandments of God without without God at all in other words if if if the way the Commandments are broken
Down we have that vertical relationship with God in the first four focused on and we have the horizontal relationship with one another in the last six yet if our relationship with God’s wrong we’re going to get our relationship with our neighbors wrong if we’re not honoring
God first of all we’re not going to honor our neighbors and love them if if that’s that’s what Jesus says love God above all and your neighbor as yourself these two have to go together Calvin writes this so beautifully when he says the First Foundation of righteousness is
The worship of God when this is overthrown all the remaining parts of righteousness like the pieces of a shattered and Fallen building are mangled and Scattered apart from the fear of God men do not preserve equity and love among themselves therefore we call the worship of God the beginning and found Foundation of
Righteousness and this focuses us back on God the whole of the Ten Commandments focuses us on God the world loves to want to talk about very neighborly things we ought not to murder and we ought not to steal and that may how you Define murder in different ways uh certainly culturally
It’s all over the map but but they may look at that and say we should ought to we ought to love our neighbor more the world to be a better place if we all just loved our neighbor no the world would be a better place if we all Lov God
And if you don’t love God you won’t love your neighbor that’s why the world’s such a mess we don’t love God so we have to love God first of all and honor God first of all and that applies here as we come into the second table as we come to the fifth
Commandment if you don’t honor God’s ultimate authority over you you will not honor the authority of others if you don’t honor God’s Authority you will not honor the authority of others parents or any other authority but you will resist and you will fight and you may do something you
May do something with grumbling you may uh you may uh uh do it at of a terror or recognize you don’t want to pay the penalty and pay the fine but that’s not true honor that’s just merely doing it out of a from a bad motivation and doing
Something to try to make somebody happy with you but if we don’t honor God’s Authority we won’t actually honor him and keep this commandment but when you and I by the grace of God in Jesus Christ are reconciled to God when we are forgiven from our sins by Jesus Christ
And we are brought back into that healthy and good relationship with our heavenly father and we’re submitted to him as our as his children then out of that relationship true honor to others will flow in fact it’s interesting as we talk about honoring parents don’t we find in the scriptures
That God himself has revealed himself to us as in very paternal language very very uh he he he’s our heavenly father even in the Old Testament which where the access the the the access to God or The Nearness to God the the familiarity with God and that sort of
Father child relationship was not as strong for Christ had not yet come we still find that language Psalm 103 is a is a classic text that you think of as a as a father pies his children so the Lord pies those who fear Him there’s the Lord’s care and and compassion passion
Just as a good father ought to do for his children but in the prophets you find this kind of language in various places where God rebukes his children for rebelling against him in the second verse of the book of Isaiah here o heavens and give ear o Earth for the
Lord has spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me in other words God saying I’m their father and he would refer to Israel as his child and they have rebelled against me they’ve turned against me they don’t honor me it’s interesting because I think in
That sort of language that God speaks there’s encouragement for you as a parent if your children are in Rebellion because your heavenly father knows what it is to have children rebel against him he is not uh he is not aloof from that sort of that from from from what is
Happening now you ask okay so what encouragement is that is that misery loves company because well he he he has children rebelling against him so that should comfort you well the comfort is that he is the one who’s powerful to change the hearts of your children he’s
The one who’s powerful to to affect change in them and to bring them from Rebellion to honor and submission to him and then to you and so you can go to him with your children you can go to him in prayer you can seek his face and plead with him to change and
Bring the language like that saying F saying Heavenly Father you know what it is to have children who rebel against you you know so change their hearts and make me a better parent like you that’s whether your children are Rebellion whether it’s short-term or longterm whether it’s in a a very difficult week
Of stubborn sin or it’s longer than that to be able to to go to God now in the New Testament uh we have the paternal language that comes of course much in a much stronger way for God has revealed himself to us through his son Jesus
Christ and made us who believe in him children of God as we considered just a few weeks ago from Galatians 4 in the fullness of time when the fullness of time had come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who are under the
Law that we might receive the adoption as sons and because you are Sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying out Abba father we can cry out to God with that familiar language father ABA Father which is ABBA is just the the Greek for
Uh for sorry the the Hebrew for father therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir of God through Christ the father reveals himself to us as our father and not only that in other terms of authority God reveals himself he’s our Lord he’s our
Master when you think of earth when you think of authority think Heavenly Authority before you think Earthly Authority think of God’s Authority before you think of any man’s Authority because God’s God’s titles are the titles he owns none of you have a title that you own every
Title you have is a title given to you by God and lent to you by God he is the one who owns the titles he is the one who owns the title father who owns the title of Lord and of your m master so you can think of him who
Provides perfect compassionate holy care for you in every place of your life and he is the model of what it is to be a parent or to be an employer or to be a teacher or to be the ruler the Elder in the church he is the
Perfect you know honoring men is hard s honoring men is hard because of our sin we’re stubborn we don’t like to be ruled and because of their sin no matter who and how great they are there’s sin there’s failures there’s there’s things that need to be repented of on the part of
Authorities and for some and I think specifically of parent relationships there are some who and some of you have suffered under very difficult parent relationships who have pain and and and difficulty and Trauma that that stretches through your life and that’s hard but it’s also wonderful to remember
That God is the one you can turn to in those times God is the one who perfectly carries out the work this work of being your your uh your God your father the one who cares for you that even just a text to cling to from Psalm
27 even even in your hurt from those who have abused Earthly Authority Psalm 27:10 when my father and mother my mother forsake me then the Lord will take care of me we can go back to him he’s not going to abandon you he’ll never forsake you he’ll care for
You you can trust him you can be as you honor him and love him you’re and as you you recognize who you are uh in Christ now under this heavenly father you’re under his care you’re under his protection and he’s control not just of your life he’s
In control of the lives of those who are set over you in Authority so you can appeal to him in every situation not because you don’t like the answer but in terms of of being when when Authority is misused and abused over you now what then is there a message
Here as we think about this the particular specific language of this commandment honor your father and your mother as we think about honoring God and and we’re going to talk about honoring we’re not going to talk about parent child relationship and then to Greater authorities but you know if you
No longer have uh parents to honor they’ve passed away they’re not in your your life uh in in um there there there’s no relationship there um or you have no children to to apply some of these teachings to then the call of scripture then as we consider ourselves
In God’s family is to love God’s family and to give thanks for being in God’s family to honor God above all and to care for and minister to and nourish as God gives you opportunity uh the family of God for that is more than any natural family the greatest family that you are
A part of and we see again the example of Christ for us to follow if we are to honor God he honored him far more and perfectly and he followed him through all that he had commanded his son to do in bringing salvation to us and his
Spirit now as Believers dwells in us to lead us in that same obedience so we are to start by honoring God that’s where the fifth commandment begins true honor for God but now with that Foundation we can then look and apply it to our human relationships on the horizontal plane
And Min in in in in uh in the way that God expects us to apply this as we as we uh love our neighbors and true honor for God means honoring your parents and that’s the second Point honoring god-given parents and I want to focus I’m going to spend
Most of the time this afternoon on uh here in this part on the responsibility of children though I’m going to come to the responsibility of parents uh in a little bit but th this is uh though this isn’t the though this relationship between parents and children is not the
Only thing that the fifth commandment is speaking to yet it is the the particular example as it were that God gives for us he doesn’t just say honor authorities but he gives a very specific example honoring parents and this is because honoring your parents and that parent child relationship is the most primary
Relationship you’re ever going to have it’s the primary relationship that uh that God has created in this world all you you may not you may never be married you may uh you you may be self-employed you it takes a while for us to understand as we grow up
Understand uh that we have a civil government over us and and and and what that matters and how that factors into our life and and to understand also in the church that we under Elders in the church as kids takes a while to grow up but kids from the very first moments
Know that they have parents it’s the primary relationship all have this relation all can relate to one degree or another to the command here honor your father and your mother and of course the Family itself is the primary building block of society God has created it to be that way that’s why
In every authoritarian government they attack the go they attack the family they attack the parent child relationship they try to take the child out from under the parents influence so that they that that that the state itself can become the parent to the child and be the primary influence in
That child’s life it’s fascinating that in in Nazi Germany in the 1930s uh before World War II that one of the things that the the the uh Hitler government did was to ban homeschooling and 80 or well now I would be 90 years later that ban has still not been
Repealed it’s still illegal to homeschool your children in Germany it’s fascinating that uh that that is one part of that Legacy that continues to carry on that that the parent does not have primary Authority in the education of their children that’s the way authoritarian governments want want it to be they want
To do this now if you want to destroy the family what’s the way you destroy the family don’t need to just have an authoritarian government to destroy the family what’s the way you destroy the family and just and by and as a consequence wreak havoc on society is
You dishonor your parents and allow dishonor to go on in your home and to promote it as we see it so much in our own world that that’s just the way it’s going to be dishonor is okay now what does it mean though to honor parents when I say honor your
Father and your mother well literally actually it’s a very weighty definition because that’s what it means it means you’re to you it’s a it this is a weighty thing give them it literally it means weight give them the the uh the the respect that they are due that that
Don’t think lightly of this don’t treat this as a light thing but it give them honor and Glory give them honor this is the same word that’s often applied to God giving him honor means to to look to God and realize that he is a very weighty figure a very weighty person he
Has owed great honor and so parents not on the same level as God but so parents are also uh to be to be uh honored in that way we’re not to think boys and girls you’re not to think lightly of your parents you’re not to think of them
As not worth very much or or not really that important or not worth honoring well how do we Define the word honor again I find Kelvin helpful here he gives three uh three particular ways in which uh we are to honor uh parents the first way that children
Should honor parents is by having reverence children you are to have reverence for your parents Leviticus 19:3 uh uses that language very actually specifically uh when it when it as God frequently would restate commands through the law every one of you shall rever his mother and his father
And keep my sabbaths I am the Lord your God we’re to show reverence have respect for our parents now the scriptures speak of the idea of respect in two particular ways one when we are called to respect somebody we are to do so by virtue of their position by virtue of their
God-given position over us and so you are to respect your parents not first of all because they earn that respect but because God has put them in that position of respect that God has called them to that God has made them your parents and no one else and so you are
To give them respect that way it’s not it it it is this is a respect that we all ought to have towards our parents regardless of the situation that we’re in it’s a respect given by position because as we honor as we honor uh them in this way we
Honor first of all not them but God who has put them over us but then the second way that scriptures speak of respect is that we respect them by their character this is not an either or this is both we are we we ought to long for and desire
To respect them for their character and this as parents is a is a uh responsibility we have that we would live worthy of that respect that we would be good characters that we would not be abusing that Authority that that our children would be able to respect us
In this way that they say my my father my mother they’re honorable they show love they show that that deference to God I’m able to respect this the first one uh to respect them by position is what we all ought to owe and we all ought to desire to be
Able to respect them by their character again ideally we would respect both for both reasons but we certainly must by position and again look at jesus’ example right you Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem and he goes back to Nazareth and he was subject to them
In all things we’re told to who to Mary and to Joseph I mean if if if think of this Jesus is perfect Jesus has no sin his parents at least his his Earthly father and his mother they didn’t they weren’t perfect they had lots of sin their commands were
Inconsistent their ways of dealing with things weren’t always holy they lost their temper and raised their voice they weren’t following God’s law like Jesus was but he subjected himself and if you’re an imperfect child who has sinned and also needs the grace of God then you ought to follow this
Example of Jesus Christ even more some sense we we like to think when we’re on the moral High Ground we can talk down to people so we got the moral High Ground I’ve done I’ve not done this sin I’m better than you in some sense Jesus was always on Choice Jesus was
Always on the moral High Ground even with his parents but he didn’t dishonor them he didn’t use that against them and where this idea of reverence in thinking about this in relation to your own relationship with your parents if this is convicting you of how you have
Not given them reverence as you ought to have then the opportunity you have is to seek forgiveness and if you’re not able to seek forgiveness from them then but you can still seek forgiveness from God and pray for his grace to show this reverence that you ought to
Show so the first way that we define honor is by reverence but the second way children is that you must obey your parents this is obedience perhaps what we think of mainly when we think of the fifth commandment but this is obedience that is owed to parents by those who are
Still under the headship of their parents who have not yet left the home and formed their own uh Covenant households their own their own particular families who are still under that Authority and in and in the home and and so this is going this this is going to change that obedience is not
The same when you’re 3 years old or you’re 30 years old and it’s going to look different even in the home whether you’re seven or you’re 17 it’s going to evolve and change but yet you must still always obey when you’re under the headship of your parents and you must always obey children
Cheerfully that you say yes Mom yes Dad I will go and do this you do with a cheerful heart not grumbling complaining kicking the cat when you’re off to to empty the the trash because you don’t want to empty the trash and getting grumpy and miserable that’s not obedience that’s not honoring your
Parents but to obey cheerfully with a cheerful heart to do what you’re you’re taught to do now there is a limit uh we talked a couple limits there briefly but there is a there is a major limit to your obedience and that is what Paul gets to
In Ephesians 6:3 a text we’ll come back to planning to come back to in a couple weeks where Paul citing the fifth commandment says that children obey your parents in the Lord Ephesians 6 vers1 obey your CH parents obey your children in the Lord this means that if they command you to
Do anything that is dishonoring to God and violates his Commandments then you are not to do that you don’t need to honor they are not your full first Authority God is your first Authority and God forbid that you should ever be in a situation where you are commanded
To do something you that is against the law of God and if that is the case then you must not arrogantly but humbly and with sadness disobey the same obedience that is owed to parents is not owed just to believing parents but also to unbelieving parents
So long as they don’t command you to do something that is sinful and against the law of God and what a witness it is when you if or or as you counil friends who come to Faith in Jesus Christ who are in homes where their parents are not
Godly now what a witness it is to be able to then show the faith in Jesus Christ makes a difference by the way you sudden you you your heart has changed and how you treat your parents it’s not that you now walk in arrogantly and and and and demand that they follow you
Because you’re a Christian and they’re not but that you submit yourselves to Those whom God has put over you the Third Way That We Define uh honor is or the thir way we define honor is devotion you are to be devoted to your parents you are to seek their
Well-being you are to care for them and provide for them you are to seek the opportunities you have to bless them and this is something again that carries through your whole life in our society today we are far too busy uh caring for ourselves and perhaps our own
F our own immediate family to think about our parents and once we’re gone and out and as they get older it’s too busy especially when they become seniors and it’s just too hard to visit them it’s SP time with them provide the care for them open our homes to them next
Week we’re going to consider how this is not a modern problem this is a problem as well then as we’re going to be in Matthew 15 now this is perhaps in our in our day where kids are not we’re not all multigeneration living in the same home
Or even in the same area where kids and families are spread around the country and around the world this may be this may be difficult and may look different depending on where you live in the world but but still the principle ought to be that we ought to be devoted to them to
Seek their well-being and to sacrifice for them to be willing to give up something of ourselves to serve them to love them to cherish them as so long as you have them in this world and indeed when it comes to care for our seniors and when it comes to care for parents as
They they have different Health needs and cares and burdens as as that sh balance shifts between their care for us and our care for them shouldn’t we in the church as Christians set a much higher better example for our culture than just going the way of the world and
Following the patterns that are being set and in that same regard as we all at different phases of or at different phases of how we of of our parents uh and how we need to help them they help we have to help each other in the church
Care for each other in the church church it’s it can be exhausting and tiring when parents’ health is is is draining and and we may be on the front lines of caring for them we ought to care for one another pray for one another help one another and
Love how is it that you honor then as we think about these three the the uh reverence and obedience and and uh devotion how is it that you honor your parents and so love God as you do in what ways do you do that do you do that
And what ways do you do that children of any age it’s not just young children children of any age what might need to change in your heart and life what needs to be repented of and corrected perhaps it’s not super complicated perhaps what needs to change
By the grace of God is that you say to your that you say to your parents yes Mom yes Dad perhaps it’s to say sorry I’m sorry for not honoring you as I should perhaps it’s to say thank you thank you for everything you’ve done for me thank you
For this meal you’ve just made thank you for your care for me and for my family or perhaps it’s as simple as to set the time to call and say hello how do we honor our parents God calls us to honor how should how do you
Honor them where do you need to grow in honoring your father and your mother well then we move to the responsibility of parents in this regard because this has application to you as well and I think we’ll get into this more in the coming weeks but I I do
There are some things I want to touch on with respon the responsibility of parents parents are in a position of leadership and we ought to lead as parents as uh like Jesus Christ LED that is as a servant as one who came not to be serve but to
Serve get this and understand this in your own parenting it’s so hard or so easy to forget this you are not the most important relationship your children have that’s the relationship with God you’re not the one they ought to respect more than anything else that is God what
You have a responsibility to do is to train your children to fear the lord to honor him to serve him to do to follow your commands your lawful commands so as to honor them honor him rather honor the Lord recognize that by Nature your children are going to resist your your
Authority they’re going to resist any Authority they’re going to want to go their own way from their youngest days and we must consistently according to the word of God correct them we cannot let such we cannot let that Rebellion just go without being without dealing with can’t just say well
That’s just kids we need to deal with it we need to address it it’s not always easy it sounds very clean when you put it down on paper but then you get into reality and it becomes very messy but we ought to strive by God’s grace for consistency teaching them reverence
Teaching them how to live honorably and how to obey and how to how to be devoted this is part of our instruction our work of instruction Deuteronomy 6 and other places that that we’re called to do this we also are to model for our children that God is number one that we’re not
Teaching them to obey to make us feel better that their obedience is not first and foremost to make your life easier and your day smoother but it’s so that they serve God that when you discipline them as you ought to do that you do it for God for
For their you do it because of God and that that they would honor God first of all and that’s why when you discipline your children it must include reconciliation is not enough that they recognize they’ve done wrong it’s also that they must be brought to repentance and forgiveness before God that when
When uh when you discipline them that that you also bring them to repent To God In Prayer teaching them that that is where they can go through Jesus Christ and be forgiven and remember whether it’s the 15th time or the 150th time you’re dealing with a particular situation in
Training remember God’s grace to you remember God’s grace to you for God has forgiven you far more often than you’ll ever forgive your children if only it was that easy to just remember all of this every time you need to deal with your children but God
Is gracious to teach and train us as parents as well and as we recognize that our children have already been called out by God to serve him and have been engaged to confess Jesus Christ and him crucified as they grow older and understand this as they’ve been baptized
And set apart Heart by God for Holiness and God has in their baptism promised you everything you need for yourself and for them in the work he’s called you to do as parents so you can take full advantage of that so you can pray for
Them in faith so you can and must bring them to use and the means of worship bring them into worship bring them under the teaching of God’s word and have faith that God will work in the hearts of your children it’s not your work by yourself and God chips in a little
Helping hand here and there it is completely his work and he is pleased to use you but you can rest in him completely that’s what he teaches you in baptism you’re not going to save them I’m I I’m the one who must save them and I will give you the grace to
Raise them in the fear of the Lord and one final note just as we look at the at the fifth commandment honor your father and your mother as you heard Leviticus 19:3 would actually the mother comes first we need to make this we need to make this very
Clear to our children that it is not just fathers the fathers in a usual household are the head of the home it is not just fathers who are to be honored it is mothers who are to be honored as well and that is not a given in in
Ancient cultures though family was more primary I think in ancient cultures than in terms of their thinking yet parents were not always treated well and even Sons could overrule and mistreat and abuse their mothers that is not the way that God is this is this was countercultural this is countercultural
Uh 4,000 years ago it’s countercultural today fathers you are the heads of your homes and in part of that head you must part as part of that you must teach and uphold the reality that though that that your children are to honor both you and their mother and that just because you’re the
Head of the home children don’t get to appeal to you because they didn’t like the answer their mother gave them and that does go the other way where mothers also must not undermine the headship of fathers but must uh seek together mothers and fathers must work together
To train their children what it truly means to honor them as parents true honor for God means honoring your parents and all others God places in authority over you we moved from honoring God as our primary goal and calling here then moving to honoring parents and now I
Want to look briefly at the broader application which is really where a Shorter Catechism summarizes this teaching that it doesn’t actually talk about parents specifically it talks about Authority in general we need to honor all god-given authority because as you well remember uh the uh uh perhaps remember I guess I shouldn’t
Assume that but but in one of the ways we interpret the The Ten Commandments one of the rules for interpretation that the scripture teaches us is that when God gives a com commands a specific duty of one kind that all the duties that fall under that same kind are also are
Also uh talked about are also implied so for example in terms of the fifth commandment when God calls us to honor our father and our mother that is not just speaking about the parent child relationship he’s speaking of all god-given authorities that are placed over us that’s the whole there this is
Just one example of that kind but all that fit in that same kind apply to us and so all whom have been appointed by God to be our authorities over us ought to be shown honor so God created all authorities it’s very interesting if you turn to Romans chapter 13 Romans chapter
13:9 that Paul says for the Commandments you shall not commit adultery you shall not murder you shall not steal shall not bear false witness shall not covet there’s five of the six Commandments in the second table of the law and you say wait a minute where’s the where’s the Commandment where’s the fifth
Commandment he’s skipping the fifth commandment no he’s not skipping the fifth commandment he deals with the fifth commandment in chapter in verses 1 to 7 what does he say the beginning of Romans 13 let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for there is no Authority except from God and the
Authorities that exist are appointed by God Paul didn’t didn’t say wait I know there’s a sixth commandment I just can’t remember what it is right now so I’ll just write down five he’s saying I’m going to give a little more bigger Exposition on the fifth commandment and
Then here’s the other four here here’s the other five and he says if there’s any other commandment summed up in this love your neighbor as yourself it’s very clearly applied implied where the fifth commandment applies not just to parents but also to government government and other and all other authorities there’s every
Authority is appointed by God we find this in the Old Testament in another way we see this as well in that uh the parental language is applied in other relationships so in 2 Kings uh 2 Elisha calls Elijah his Superior in terms of the in the prophet world he calls him
His father as he sees Elijah being carried into heaven in 1st Samuel 24 remarkably David though he’s chased by Saul and hated by Saul yet he is David’s King and David calls him his father not because he earned it because of his character but because he was owed
It because of God’s Authority so this principle then of of of the fifth commandment is applied more broadly and we see this in different places so Romans 13 tells it talks to us about the civil government Ephesians 5 and 6 just one place where Paul will apply the same
Principle to marriage talk then about family and then talk about the workplace the work environment in our context there it was slaves and Masters and so every uh all lawful god-given Authority is owed the same honor and ought to be given the same honor that ought to be given the honor that is
Called for in the fifth commandment it’s not always easy it’s not always obvious exactly how to do that but our first goal ought to be then to love and serve God and seek from him the wisdom that we might honor his authorities and honor his authority over it all true honor for
God means honoring your parents and all others God places in AU authority over you that’s what we begin to consider as we begin to consider the meaning and the application of the fifth commandment certainly much to chew on much to ponder and think about much to pray through
Perhaps there’s things we’ve known and that you’ve just have been reinforced this afternoon but we also you’ve been convicted you’ve gone off track in terms of obedience to this commandment and need to be on track or perhaps there’s some new things that you need to think about in process and and perhaps leads
You to repentance but seek God’s grace seek his help to honor him of all and help each other live this out help each other as uh as as as those parents with more uh uh experience can help those with less experience or those who as we can help one another in difficult work
Situations or whatever it might be help each other let’s help each other to live this out and to point each other to Christ through whom we can and go to the cross with your sin that means confess your sin ask for forgiveness for sin and pray for
Growth in godliness an ability to live out what God commands so may God give us the grace to honor him by honoring Authority and in our positions leading well those he’s placed under us let’s pray Lord Our God we thank you for your clear commands in scripture we ask oh
God that in our own particular homes and workplaces and under our particular civil governments that we would have wisdom in knowing how to obey how to honor You by honoring those whom you set an authority over us we do want to honor you we also know the tendency of our
Heart is to resist is to uh Lord be our own uh our own uh boss our own Governor our own parent and Lord we ask that you would forgive us for that and give us Greater Grace and humility to submit ourselves where you called us to do that
Lord we thank you that we can come to you for strength and help that’s what we’re going to do in these next moments in the Lord’s Supper we come Lord to remember our savior and to be nourished spiritually as the Holy Spirit ministers to our hearts the grace that we need to
Live daily so God in heaven thank you for your word preached now as we see the word displayed and proclaimed in the Lord’s Supper so may we also uh Lord grow in faith and obedience in Jesus name we pray amen let’s sing hym 185 as the Lord’s Supper is prepared hym
185 Majestic sweetness sits enthroned we’ll stand to Sing Glor all Shame and All my and Bre and all the I of he BRS my show me the glories of my God My Receive all please be seated well brothers and sisters in the preaching of the word today we’ve heard of our deep need for Jesus Christ for forgiveness in order to honor him and Obey him as he commands but we’ve also heard of his wonderful salvation and his gospel promises to us as his
People and now he calls us to participate in the Lord’s Supper to have communion with him as a powerful means of Grace to build us up in our faith and obedience this is the offer that the lord gave to his disciples and threw them to his church the night before he
Was crucified so that we as his people would have a simple means of remembering his sacrificial death on the cross that was done to save us from our sins to provide forgiveness the bread that we’re going to eat points to his broken body and the wine that we’re going to drink to his
Shed blood on behalf of his people but by his spirit in the Lord’s Supper Christ also promises to feed our souls strengthen our faith and to Spur us on as Christians and as the church together as We Dine with him to bring us together to unite us together he works in our
Hearts it’s a mysterious thing as the work of the spirit always is in in the lives of his people but yet God promises to work that as we eat the physical elements so our soul by faith feeds upon Christ this is meant for his people in order to strengthen our faith that we
Have in him you don’t come to this table this afternoon because you deserve it you don’t come to this table because you’ve done something to earn it you come because he makes you worthy he makes you holy and he loves to welcome you his people to his table to participate in
The Lord’s Supper this afternoon you must be a a faithful believer in Jesus Christ and currently committed to a Bible believing church under the care of Elders by formal membership if you’re not we would urge you not to participate you are welcome to observe and seek God’s grace in prayer at this
Time let’s uh seek from our God the grace that we need the access that we need through Christ and to consecrate the bread and the wine to his service oh God in heaven we thank you and praise you for the opportunity to be together as your church In This Moment
In This Time Lord to have the truths of the Gospel pressed Upon Our senses we’ve certainly heard them uh Lord and we’ve had the word preached and proclaimed and that gives me meaning Lord we need the gospel proclaimed to give meaning to what the bread and the wine represent uh
But Lord we thank you that we now Lord will have the have this as you uh have this opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good and Lord that you condescend to us in such a way to minister Grace to us we thank you Lord
In heaven we do thank you for the Christ who has come we thank you for his work that he has done on the cross we thank you Lord and pray that though we know these things well they would not be over familiar that is Lord that we would not
Think less of them nor despise them for it but that we would rejoice and give thanks and recognize that our Salvation Lord uh is would not at all be possible if he had not completed this cross work that he did we pray that we would then have faith to receive well uh these
Elements this afternoon and Lord to feed upon Christ by faith we pray that we’d be strengthened in our relationship with him and Lord as the Holy Spirit Works in our hearts also to be encouraged in our Christian walk and to be United closer to one another in the Christian church
Lord we pray then that you would sanctify this bread and the fruit of the vine which in accordance to your institution and command we set apart to this holy use that they would sacramentally be the body and blood of Jesus Christ may we look from them to
Christ Our Savior who sits on the right hand of at your right hand on Throne on the throne in glory and from there ministers to our souls and continues to prepare us that we one day will go to be where he is so God we pray according to your
Promise and according to the purpose of this meal strengthen our faith and build your church we pray this in Christ’s name amen ask the elders who are serving to come forward please our lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed he took bread gave thanks
And broke it and gave it to them and said take or said this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me in Jesus Christ we have the Fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy including the sweet words that come from Isaiah chapter
12 we testify that as we receive uh his uh this meal that he gives to us in the day of salvation you will say oh Lord I will praise you though you are angry with me your anger is turned away and you comfort me behold God is my salvation I will trust
And not be afraid for yah the Lord is my strength and song he also has become my salvation therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of Salvation And in that day you will say praise the Lord call upon his name declare his deeds among the peoples make mention
That his name is exalted sing to the Lord for he has done excellent things this is known in all the Earth cry out and Shout oh inh Haven of Zion for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst Brothers and Sisters in Christ take and eat in remembrance that
Christ Jesus died for you and feed upon him in Your Heart by faith with Thanksgiving likewise Christ also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood which is shed for you just a reminder that the outer rings are wine and the inner rings are grape juice
A sweet reminder of what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross from the New Testament from Romans chapter 8 there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit for the law of
The spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death for what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of
Sin he condemns sin in the flesh that the righteous that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit isn’t that the central words of our faith but we could not do God did for
Brothers and Sisters in Christ drink this remembering that Christ’s blood was shed for you and give him thanks let’s pray oh God and Heaven we thank you for the broken body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ there is no other savior he is
The only one there is no other savior we seek for in him we have everything that we need we bless you and thank you for his perfect work of a righteous life and a righteous death and we thank you that you’ve accepted his him and his sacrifice to forgive our sins and you’ve
Given us his righteousness that we can live before you holy and well we bless you oh God for the communion that we can have uh even now through the Holy Spirit Lord that as the spirit ministers to our soul that we have communion with Christ and in his body and
Blood we pray Lord that we would be faithful then to the relationship that you have established with us in Christ that even as he was always he was faithful and has always been faithful we pray that in this Covenant in this relationship we would Lord live and give
Our lives as a reasonable sacrifice and service to him and so we present ourselves oh God as a living and holy sacrifice and we uh we commit ourselves and recommit ourselves oh God that we will not uh serve the evil one and serve the flesh but we will serve you in the
Spirit we pray then that the gifts that you’ve given in the bread and the wine would be made effectual to bless the soul and that we would be able to to live and walk the Christian life that you call us to we pray that it would
Strengthen us day by day and Lord that the blessings of knowing Jesus would never leave we pray these things in his name amen amen please take your Himel and we’ll sing uh standing hymn 565 as we praise our Lord all for Jesus hymn 565 My heart and words and doings all my all My letesus only my lip For their of beauty to BU Of And Jesus of All sh My theu oh what wonder how amazing Jesus glorious King of Kings to all After the benediction we’ll sing hymn 731 which is praise God from whom all blessings flow receive now the blessing of your God and go from here with his peace peace to the Brethren and love with Faith from God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ and Grace be with all those
Who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity amen PR God from all blesss praise him allures prise him the host PR Father Son and Holy Ghost