July 5, 2025 • 71 mins
A Biblical Perspective on Authority, Obedience, and Relationships
This message was delivered by Norman Berry in Toledo in 1985.
Mr. Berry delves into various relationships such as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and children, outlining their roles and responsibilities according to biblical teachings.
He explores the theme of authority and obedience as outlined in the Bible, specifically drawing from Psalm 119 and Deuteronomy. He also stresses the importance of relying on, submitting to, and obeying God's word in all aspects of life.
The ultimate message is that adherence to God's word brings blessings and prosperity.
Submit questions and comments to www.ThoughtsofChrist.com
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
How might we open our Bible,first of all for one verse of
authority, and that is thehundred and 19th Psalm 119 and
verse 1 28.
Therefore,"I esteem or regardall thy precepts concerning all
(00:24):
things to be right.
Now, this verse tells us veryplainly that the word of God for
every step of your journey ofyour life down here on earth is
to be relied on, not only to berelied on, but to be submitted
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to and bowed to.
It is the final authority.
We use no other book than thisblessed book now then.
It is a wonderful fact torealize beloved ones, that the
heavens have been opened now,and we can look up by faith into
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an open heavens.
And God has brought every one ofus here who knows the Lord Jesus
Christ the Savior, into a newrelationship with Him.
We know him now as our Father.
We know the Lord Jesus Christ asour Husband- to- be, and we are
in a spiritual relationship withGod in an entirely new way.
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But then we ask ourselves thequestion if this is what about
the relationships that we knowhere on this earth?" We know the
end.
That is that God similarly hasgiven you and me instructions
now in these relationships thatwe will be speaking of tonight,
very implicit instructions: Husbands, fathers, wives, (01:55):
undefined
mothers, children.
We're gonna take up these pointsone by one.
God hasn't just said we'respiritual beings now and we have
life in Christ and we just dothe best we can on this earth.
(02:18):
No indeed it is the word of Godis very explicit now that these
relationships are spelled out.
And I just ask you tonight, eachone of us, I'm going to be
speaking about, as I said,fathers right down to the little
children.
And I would like to apply thesethings to myself.
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We're going to be speaking aboutone word, almost exclusively.
Two words, possibly obedienceand submission and beloved ones.
This applies to every one of ushere who knows the Lord as our
savior.
Sometimes we have a tendency tobe talking to the children and
always applying that obedienceword to them.
(03:06):
But I want to emphasize tonightthat this is a word that you and
I need as parents and as in allthese relationships, it is very
important.
One other thing.
The very book in the Bible thatbrings before us the highest
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truth in all the scriptures.
And that is the book ofEphesians telling us of this
heavenly calling, telling us ofour position of oneness, telling
us in the second chapter that weare seated in heavenly places in
Christ.
Now, this same book is the onethat spells out these
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relationships as no other bookdoes.
And it is very important for youfor me to realize these things
and to know that God wantsblessing for every one of us
here, but it is going to be onthe basis of that word that I
have spoken of.
(04:08):
Now, let's go over, first ofall, to deal with the
relationship of fathers, and weturn now to Deuteronomy chapter
six.
The fathers, I suppose we arepermitted to say, I think it's
correct in saying they have, wehave the most difficult of all
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the relationships of father.
He is in a position that God hasput him in absolute authority.
That applies not only to hischildren, but to his wife as
well.
Every one of you, dear wiveshere tonight, you are
responsible to God, to yourhusband.
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And he is going to be heldresponsible for everything that
you say and do.
Let's look now in Deuteronomyand see the, some of these
duties I'm going to be goingback and forth between the Old
Testament and the New.
It's all one book it has tellingus, gives us the same
relationship and the sameinstructions in many occasions
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for these relationships.
And it is just one book.
Chapter six and verse three.
The first word that we hear nowis H-E-A-R.
HEAR.
And I would like to explain whatI was reading recently.
What?
Oh, the breakdown of the wordobedience is, and it is very
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instructive.
It's made up of two Greek words.
I understand, I know Greekstudent, but I just have read
this in English that it is madeup of two words.
One is to"hear", and the otheris to hear"under hear".
Under obedience means to hearunder, in other words, the words
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that are spoken.
M from the word of God, you andI must put ourselves in the
subservient place and to realizethat authority is coming down to
us.
We're living in a day wheneverybody is just expressing
their own opinions.
And democracy enables everyoneto express our opinions.
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This is not known to God's wordat all.
Authority always comes down.
And when you and I hear, we mustbe hearing in that attitude of
obeying and hearing under, inother words not on a parallel.
Interesting.
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Interesting too, to know thatthe word disobedience comes from
the word"hearing beside".
Ah, there is the key, isn't it,of disobedience.
My asserting my own opinion andsaying I'm going to consider
whether I'm going to listen tothese things or not.
Oh, beloved ones.
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We must realize that obedienceis obedience to God.
To God.
And if you and I are going to beblessed in our Christian life,
it is going to be to HEAR.
Not only to hear, my mother usedto call me when I was a child
and I remember, and she wouldcall me a couple of times and
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then she'd say,"Norman, are you,do you hear me?" Yes, I heard
her all right, but I wasn'tdoing what she was telling me.
I was"hearing beside", I wasdeciding when I was going to
obey.
But here's the first word in ourthird verse which says, hear
therefore oh, Israel, andobserve to do it, not only to
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hear, but to do what we aretold.
It's so important for us.
I trust you, older ones andmyself, that we will receive
this word now, hear it and doit.
This is going to be what we willbe emphasizing from time to
time.
That it may be well with thee.
There is the promise right fromthe very beginning of the result
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of obedience and that ye mayincrease mightily.
Every one of us wants toprogress in our souls.
And here is God giving us therecipe.
Are we going to listen to ityoung and old alike?
Are we going to hear this?
And then he goes on to say, asthe Lord thy God of thy fathers
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hath promised thee in the landthat floweth with milk and
honey.
Oh, it's a rich land physically,but it is a glorious fact to be
a believer in the Lord JesusChrist.
What a wonderful life this is.
And it's a land, spirituallyspeaking that flows with milk
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and honey.
Who could be happy, but theChristian?
What a wonderful life it is toknow the Lord is our Savior, but
He wants to us to grow in thisknowledge of Him, God, our
Father and the Lord JesusChrist.
And so he goes on in the fourthverse,"hear, Israel, the Lord
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our God is one Lord." Onemessage.
One Lord always.
One God never speaks with doublelanguage.
He speaks one way and it isalways plain and simple.
It's a word of obedience.
And then He says, and thou shaltlove the Lord thy God with all
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thine heart and with all thysoul, and with all thy might.
Oh, what do we find here?
Body, soul, and spirit, or I putthat in the opposite order.
Spirit, soul, and body.
That's the way the word spellsit out.
It's total.
It's not a question of cominghere on Lord's day and doing our
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duty by being here and thengoing off and living the life
that we want on Monday and inour business life.
No, it is a total life ofobedience to the Lord, and He
wants a consistent life from usbecause He has promised that if
there is that consistency,there's going to be blessing.
Verse six, and these words.
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Now he comes down to the wordverse six, which I command thee
subject, verb, object.
I command thee.
I trust we're taking thispersonally.
Now remind me, but this is Godspeaking to every one of us here
tonight.
Are you going to listen, youdear boys and girls that are
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here, sometimes you're gettinginto the habit of coming to the
meetings and not listening.
I'm gonna tell you this, thatGod is going to hold you
responsible if you are notlistening in a meeting for what
is being said.
And it is so important for us torealize this- each one of us
needs to bear these things inmind.
And these words, which I commandthee this day, shall be in thine
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heart and thou shalt impress orteach them diligently under thy
children.
Now here comes the father'sresponsibility to teach them.
And when I use this word andwhen the word children is used,
bear in mind it's the wholefamily, the whole household that
is included.
It is to be teaching orinstructing or impressing as the
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New Translation puts it.
Them diligently under thychildren and thou shall talk of
them when thou thine house andwhen thou walk us by the way.
And when thou lies down and whenthou rise up.
And thou shall bind them for asign upon thine hand and they
shall be as frontlets beforethine eyes.
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And thou shal write them uponthe posts of thy house and on
thy gates.
Oh, what an important messagethis is for every Christian home
household here in Toledo.
To each one of us does thischaracterize your house, your
home, your fathers?
These words are addressed,particularly now to fathers.
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Are we instructing our children,our wives, by, not only by
precept in what we say, but byour example?
And this is what it's telling usmorning tonight.
It's a complete 24 hour job.
It's not just on and off.
It is total.
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And if this is you and I,beloved ones are going to be
blessed.
Another thing, and that is thatyou and I as fathers should be
training our children, ourfamily, just as if the Lord were
there in that house and doingthe training.
That's how close you and I asfathers need to be.
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One of the sisters one timecoming to the gospel tent, she
said My father and mother arehaving a bit of a hassle over
whether there should be a TV inthe home.
My mother wants to have it andmy father wants to get rid of
it.
She said what should he do?
Oh, I said to that sister, thatgirl- there's only one thing
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that your father needs to bedoing and that is consistency in
his Christian life.
Because if there is notconsistency, your mother is
going to say to your father whatabout you?
Look at the things that you aregoing on with, and there's going
to be no moral power in the lifeof that husband.
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But if there is consistency,then there is going to be that
speaking and there is going tobe that authority.
How important beloved ones it isfor you and for me to bring the
Lord into our life.
Proverbs 22 and verse six, Iwon't turn to it.
It just says, train up a childin his- i'm quoting from the new
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translation- in his inclination.
And when he is old, he will notdepart from it.
Bringing up the children is avery important thing.
I can't bring up my children tomake them fit into a mold.
Every child has a differentinclination or a different
nature; they require differenttreatment.
And it is very important if youfathers are going to
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intelligently know how to bringup your children, you're going
to have to get the wisdom fromthe word of God, and you're
going to bring up each one thechildren in a little different
way to bring out of them theimportant characteristics of
that child.
Now let's go over to the NewTestament, into Ephesians
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chapter six.
And you could also mention thatin all these instructions, the
order is very important.
I'll come to that later when thewives are.
When we take up that subject ofthe wives, verse four, Ephesians
six and four.
And ye fathers provoke not yourchildren to wrath, but bring
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them up in the nurture andadmonition of the Lord.
Oh, there is very importantinstruction.
Again, bringing them up in thenurture.
The nurture means, comes fromthe word"discipline".
That in turn comes from the worddiscipling or educating, and
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that is what you and I need tobe doing by example, as fathers
bringing them up in the nurtureand admonition.
The admonition is the constantwatching for the danger points
and the contacts and where thechildren are and how they are
conducting themselves and beingwarned of the dangers.
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Bringing them up in the nurtureand the admonition of the Lord.
Oh, it's the Lord, isn't it?
He's the one that must be thatpattern, and He's the one that
you and I must always have inmind as we are living before our
children.
As examples go over two booksinto Colossians.
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And it's just a little bitdifferent there, but it's
instructive.
Verse 21, fathers provoke notyour children to anger, lest
they be discouraged.
It's easy to discourage thechildren.
That's Colossians 3 (16:49):
21.
It's very easy to be insensitiveto the children's natures and to
alienate ourselves from them.
And so that word is so plain.
It tells us there that lest theybe discouraged.
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Are we discouraging ourchildren?
I see that in some of the homesI go into as we visit from home
to home.
The father not setting anexample and the children
discouraged and they say, what'sthe use?
But there is the word that givesus explicit instruction to
couple those instructions withlove.
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Strictness.
Yes, indeed.
We're getting away.
I know I'm a, might beconsidered an old fashioned
person, but I believe that theword of God doesn't change
though the days are gettingdarker.
And when there is the theinsistence on obedience, because
I tell my children, I've got afather that I must obey and I'm
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going to teach you and I'm goingto insist in love on your
obedience.
And this is what this versemeans, not to provoke them.
Because the father has authorityand the child is under him.
And if that father acts in theflesh or if he's not setting a
good example, he is going to bespeaking in the flesh and the
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flesh of the child is going toimmediately roused up.
And there they are, like tworoosters at each other.
And so there's the old naturecoming up.
But so long as the father isconsistent in his life and
giving his instructions in love,there is going to be a response
in the child.
I know it from personalexperience and God's word works.
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Tells us that in Thessaloniansthat if we believe it, I'm not
talking about salvation, but itsays it works in those that
believe it and obey it.
So how important it is for youand for me to get those
instructions.
Now, one more verse in FirstPeter chapter five.
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Not much use training thechildren how to, or at least to
obey the Word of God, unless youand I as fathers are governed by
that word of God.
It must be by example.
Let's look at that fifth chapterin the third verse.
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Neither as being lord's overGod's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
To the flock.
How important that is for youand for me to realize this and
to, I ought to say this also-that it is important for you to
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tell your child that you, I, asa father and just as equally as
responsible to obey God as thechild is to obey me.
And we must relate that always,that it is to be an example-
yes- but to cause that child tounderstand that as that child is
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obeying me, I in turn have toobey my father.
And we are equally responsibleto see that is true.
Now, I often say this, that mychil my children know me inside
out.
I can't fool them.
They know the values that I haveon everything in life, and your
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children do too.
And so it is important then forus to be living what we are
saying- living what we areteaching our children to be.
Then we ask ourselves thequestion- am I fitting my
children for the Lord and theglory ahead- or am I fitting my
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child for this world?
That's what every one of usfathers needs to be asking.
Now there are some good fathersand some bad fathers, and I'm
not gonna take very much time tolook at them, but we'll just
turn over to Genesis to see whatGod said about one of them.
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Genesis chapter 18 verse 19,speaking about Abraham, a good
father.
I know him.
This is the Lord speaking thathe will command his children and
his household after him, andthey shall keep the way of the
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Lord to do justice and judgmentthat the Lord may bring upon
Abraham, that which he hasspoken.
There it is the purpose of it sothat God could bless that home.
God wants to bless our homes.
He wants to make our home ahappy home.
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They go into some homes andthere's anything but happiness.
Father and mother, not gettingalong to well together, children
allowed to do anything they wantunhappiness.
Unhappiness here was a man thatGod is using as an example of
faith and obedience.
And God said he will command hischildren.
(22:20):
So important to realize this,that obedience from the father
down is going to bring blessinginto that home.
What about a bad father?
Eli?
What does it say about Eli?
It won't take time to look atit.
You can look at it for yourself.
Eli never corrected hischildren.
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The margin in your Bible saysnever frowned at them.
That's significant, isn't it?
He never corrected them.
Oh dear fathers here tonight.
Don't let your children thinkthat when you are speaking
explicitly of obedience that youdon't love them, it's because
you do love them! And Eli didn'tlove his children, and we know
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the disaster that came.
Into that home and it'll comeinto your home and mine too,
unless we follow the precepts ofthe word of God.
David was another example.
He was a good king, but a badfather.
And his son, Amon he defiled hissister Tamar, and he in turn was
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murdered by another son.
Abso this was a bad father, andGod allowed those things.
He allows these things in ourlife.
We must relate them all to God'sintimate control of our life.
Eli and David are examples thereof a bad bad father.
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What another point also inconnection with David through an
elicit affair with Bathsheba.
A child was born and God tookthat child away.
He died.
God is intimately interested inevery detail of your life and
mine.
Education.
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What about the education?
This is a, so important part ofour life these days.
Oh, many homes.
I had a father confess to me.
He said, I made such an awfulmistake in my oldest girl, in my
second girl.
And he said, I laid such stressand education.
And that girl today she'sgathered to the Lord's name, but
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she's far away, unhappy,married, into unhappiness.
And we bear the fruit of thesethings.
We have to be very carefulsometimes for our pride and
sometimes for convenience,sometimes for advantage.
We insist on education, highereducation and still higher.
And it surely is paid for insorrows later on.
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We need to be very careful.
And also, let me say this inpassing, what about the things
that we allow in our home?
The entertainments, the sportsthat are allowed or at least our
children allowed to get intocompetition and so on.
Excuse me for saying it, but Iwent to one assembly and we were
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giving a series of talks and onenight almost the whole meeting
was empty and I was rather takenback.
And the next night, or at leastthe next day, I found that there
was a big basketball tournamenton and most of the assembly was
gone to that to that basketballgame.
I'm not saying that incriticism, but I'm saying this,
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that there is going to be noblessing when there is that
allowance of those things thatare of the world.
Nothing wrong with a basketballgame, but it is the association
that is wrong.
What about Tv?
I'm gonna speak very plainly.
I don't believe that a home canbe watching TV on Saturday night
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and then on the Lord's Daymorning, come in to the blessed
presence of the Lord JesusChrist and remember Him in his
death.
I just don't believe that it canmix.
And I'm sorry if I offend some,but I believe that TV is an
insidious wickedness and itassociates with the world in all
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its nefarious and awfulness andit can do nothing but just to
take away the appetite forwalking with the Lord.
What about ending this on a goodnote?
Two Corinthians nine or eight.
I'll just quote it and it saysthis, seven superlatives there.
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By the way, a superlative iswhat is best.
God is able to make all graceabound toward you.
That ye having all sufficiencyand all things may abound to
every good work being enrichedwith all bountifulness that our
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thanksgiving may be to God.
I'm not quoting the last partexactly correctly.
Seven superlatives.
God is able, and if you and I,as fathers will put these things
into practice, God will, heguarantees that there will be
blessing for His glory and foryour and my blessing too.
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Now that is sufficient forfathers.
Now let's go on to husbands andwe go to Ephesians chapter five.
Now here is a very intimate partof our life now as a husband,
and I believe the first thingthat is so important for you and
for me is to forge a threefoldcord that won't easily be broken
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as the word of God says.
What are the three, the Lord,the husband, the wife, how
important that is?
If that is the cornerstone ofyour life and mine, it is going
to be blessing.
Now, the 25th verse, Ephesianschapter five, husbands love your
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wives even as Christ also lovedthe church and gave Himself for
it.
There's the motive.
Even as Christ loved the church,how much did He pay?
He paid for that love with Hislife.
We are not called upon to dothat.
(28:28):
But there is the example thatthe Lord Jesus sets Himself.
That is what He did once.
But you and I now in love are tolove our wife.
That's what God says.
He doesn't ask us to do that.
It is instruction.
And if we do that's the wordthat the husband needs to bear
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in mind, to love his wife.
And then the next verse, the26th verse, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with thewashing of the water by the
word.
Now that is indicating that itgoes on.
I know the 25th verse isreferring to the past 26th to
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the present, 27th to the future.
I'd like to apply that to thehusband in his relationship with
his wife.
It's an enduring love.
It's not up and down.
And then the next verse looks oninto the glory that he might
present it-this is Christ toHimself, a glorious church not
having spot a wrinkle or anysuch thing, but that it should
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be holy and without blemish.
There is the purpose of this.
So we were speaking at noontoday about marriage.
Why?
It's not just something that Godhas given for the orderliness of
the world.
It is an example of God'spurposes and that is that God,
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His beloved Son would have abride in the glory with Him.
If you and I as husbands bearthis in mind that this is God's
purpose in it all, then there isgoing to be indeed blessing.
You might, I remember years ago,an older brother saying- if I
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have a wife that is verylovable, it's very easy.
But if I have a wife that is notvery lovable, then I'm going to
have to call upon God to help meto obey, and that is to love my
wife." Now, if you and I aredrawing from Christ.
(30:39):
If you and I as husbands aredrawing from Christ, it's going
to be easy to love our wife.
I hope my wife doesn't mindmaking these remarks, but it is
so important for us now.
It's not to whether the wife islovable or not, it is God's
instruction and for blessing inour life.
Go over to Colossians again, andthere we see the instructions,
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chapter three, verse 19.
Husbands love your wives and benot bitter against them.
Bitter against them.
Why is that put in there?
I believe it's this, that menare in business.
We in business, we know thatit's a hard world and there
(31:24):
needs to be firmness.
But God is saying here that inthe relationship with the wife,
there can't be that bitterness.
And let me say this, that menhave a tendency more to rely on
reasoning and the wife onaffections and and emotions.
So there is a difference there.
And God is telling us inColossians not to be bitter
(31:46):
toward them.
How good this is.
God's heritage, but being endensamples to the flock.
To the flock, how important thatis for you and for me to realize
this and to, I ought to say thisalso, that it is important for
(32:07):
you to tell your child that you,I, as a father and just as
equally as imp uh, responsibleto obey God as the child is to
obey me.
And we must relate that always,that it is to be an example,
(32:27):
yes, but to cause that child tounderstand that as that child is
obeying me, I in turn have toobey my father.
And we are equally responsibleto see that that, uh, uh, is
true.
Now, I often say this, that mychil my children know me inside
(32:49):
out.
I can't fool them.
They know the values that I haveon everything in life, and your
children do too.
And so it is important then forus to be living what we are
saying, living what we areteaching our children, uh, to
be.
(33:11):
Well.
Then we ask ourselves thequestion, am I fitting my
children for the Lord and theglory ahead, or am I fitting my
child for this world?
That's what every one of usfathers needs to be asking
Fathers.
Now there are some good fathersand some bad fathers, and I'm
(33:36):
not gonna take very much time,uh, to look at them, but we'll
just turn over to Genesis, uh,to see what God said about one
of them.
Genesis chapter.
18 verse 19, speaking aboutAbraham, a good father.
(33:59):
I know him.
This is the Lord speaking thathe will command his children and
his household after him, andthey shall keep the way of the
Lord to do justice and judgmentthat the Lord may bring upon
Abraham, that which he hasspoken there.
(34:26):
It is the purpose of it so thatGod could bless that home.
God wants to bless our homes.
He wants to make our home ahappy home.
They go into some homes andthere's anything but happiness,
father and mother, not gettingalong to well together, children
allowed to do anything they wantunhappiness.
(34:49):
Unhappiness here was a man thatGod is using as an example of
faith and obedience.
And God said he will command hischildren.
So important to realize this,that that obedience from the
father down is going to bringblessing into that home.
(35:09):
What about a bad father?
Eli?
What does it say about Eli?
It won't take time to look atit.
You can look at it for yourself.
Eli never corrected hischildren.
The margin in your Bible saysnever frowned at them.
Well, that's significant, isn'tit?
He never corrected them.
(35:30):
Oh dear Fathers here tonight.
Don't let your children thinkthat when you are speaking
explicitly of obedience that youdon't love them, it's because
you do love them.
And Eli didn't love hischildren, and we know the
disaster that came.
Into that home and it'll comeinto your home and mine too,
(35:51):
unless we follow the precepts ofthe word of God.
David was another example.
He was a good king, but a badfather.
And his son, Amon, he, he, uh,defiled his sister Tamar, and he
(36:14):
in turn was murdered by anotherson.
Abso this was a bad father, andGod allowed those things.
He allows these things in ourlife.
We must relate them all toGod's, uh, intimate control of
our life.
Eli and and, and David areexamples there of a bad, uh, bad
(36:37):
father.
What another point also inconnection with David through an
elicit affair with Bathsheba.
A child was born and God tookthat child away.
He died.
God is intimately interested inevery detail of your life and
(36:57):
mine.
Education.
What about the education?
This is a, so important, uh,part of our life these days.
Oh, many homes.
I had a father confess to me.
He said, I made such an awfulmistake in my oldest girl, in my
second girl.
And he said, I laid such stressand education.
(37:18):
And that girl today, she's,she's gathered to the Lord's
name, but she's far away,unhappy, married, into, uh,
unhappiness.
And, uh, we bear the fruit ofthese things.
We have to be very carefulsometimes for our pride and
sometimes for convenience,sometimes for advantage.
(37:39):
We, uh, uh, insist on education,higher education and still
higher.
And it surely is paid for insorrows later on.
We need to be very, verycareful.
And also, let me say this inpassing, what about the things
that we allow in our home, theentertainments, the sports that
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are allowed, uh, or at least ourchildren allowed to get into
competition and so on.
Uh, excuse me for saying it, butI went to one assembly and we
were giving a series of talksand one night almost the whole
meeting was empty and I wasrather taken back.
And the next night, or at leastthe next day, I found that there
was a big, uh, basketballtournament on and most of the
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assembly was gone to that, uh,to that, uh, basketball game.
I'm not saying that incriticism, but I'm saying this,
that there is going to be noblessing when there is that.
Uh, allowance of those thingsthat are of the world.
Nothing wrong with a basketballgame, but it is the association
that is wrong.
(38:49):
What about tv?
I'm gonna speak very plainly.
I don't believe that a home canbe watching TV on Saturday night
and then on the Lord's Daymorning, come in to the blessed
presence of the Lord JesusChrist and remember him in his
death.
I just don't believe that it canmake and can mix.
(39:09):
And I, I'm sorry if I offendsome, but I believe that TV is
an insidious wickedness and itassociates with the world in all
its nefarious and awfulness andit can do nothing but, uh, just
to take away the appetite forwalking with the Lord.
(39:35):
What about ending this on a goodnote?
Two Corinthians nine or eight.
I'll just quote it and it saysthis, seven superlatives there.
By the way, a superlative iswhat is best.
God is able to make all graceabound toward you.
That ye having all sufficiencyand all things may abound to
(39:59):
every good work being enrichedwith all bountifulness, uh, that
our thanksgiving may be to God.
I'm not quoting the last partexactly correctly.
Seven superlatives.
God is able, and if you and I,as fathers will put these things
into practice, God will, heguarantees that there will be
(40:22):
blessing for his glory and foryour and my, uh, blessing too.
Now that is sufficient for, uh,fathers.
Now let's go on to husbands andwe go to Ephesians chapter five.
Now here is a very intimate partof our life now as a husband,
(40:46):
and I believe the first thingthat is so important for you and
for me is to forge a threefoldcord that won't easily be broken
as the word of God says.
What are the three, the Lord,the husband, the wife, how
important that is?
If that is the cornerstone ofyour life and mine, it is going
(41:07):
to be, uh, blessing.
Now, the 25th verse, Ephesianschapter five, husbands love your
wives even as Christ also lovedthe church and gave himself for
it.
There's the motive.
Even as Christ loved the church,how much did he pay?
(41:29):
He paid for that love with hislife.
We are not called upon to dothat.
But there is the example thatthe Lord Jesus sets himself.
That is what he did once.
But you and I now in love are tolove our wife.
(41:50):
That's what God says.
He doesn't, uh, ask us to dothat.
It is instruction.
And if we do that, that's theword that the fa, the husband
needs to bear in mind, to lovehis wife.
And then the next verse, the26th verse, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with thewashing of the water by the
(42:12):
word.
Now that is indicating that itgoes on.
I know the 25th verse isreferring to the past 26th to
the present, 27th to the future.
I'd like to apply that to thehusband in his relationship with
his wife.
It's an enduring love.
It's not up and down.
And then the next verse looks oninto the glory that he might
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present it.
This is Christ to himself, aglorious church not having spot
a wrinkle or any such thing, butthat it should be holy and
without blemish.
There is the purpose of this.
So we were speaking at noontoday about marriage.
Why?
It's not just something that Godhas given for the orderliness of
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the world.
It is an example, uh, of God'spurposes and that is that God,
his beloved son would have abride in the glory with him.
If you and I as husbands bearthis in mind that this is God's
purpose in it all, then there isgoing to be indeed, indeed
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blessing.
You might, I remember years ago,an older brother saying.
If I, if I, if I have a wifethat is very lovable, it's very
easy.
But if I have a wife that is notvery lovable, then I'm going to
have to call upon God to help meto obey, and that is to love my
(43:45):
wife.
Now, if you and I are drawingfrom Christ, if you and I as
husbands are drawing fromChrist, it's going to be easy to
love our wife.
I hope my wife doesn't mindmaking my, making these remarks,
but it is so important for usnow.
It's not to whether the wife islovable or not, it is God's
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instruction and for blessing inour life.
Go over to Colossians again, andthere we see the instructions,
chapter three verse 19.
Husbands.
Love your wives and be notbitter against them.
(44:31):
Bitter against them.
Why is that put in there?
Well, I believe it's this, thatmen are in business.
We in business, we know thatit's a hard world and there
needs to be firmness.
But God is saying here that inthe relationship with the wife,
there can't be that bitterness.
(44:51):
And let me say this, that menhave a tendency more to rely on
reasoning and the wife onaffections and so, and emotions.
So there is a difference there.
And God is telling us inColossians not to be bitter
toward them.
How, uh, good this is Now thengo over to one Peter, chapter
three, verse seven.
(45:13):
Likewise, ye husbands dwell withthem according to knowledge,
giving honor unto the wife asunto the weaker vessel and as
being heirs together of thegrace of life that your prayers
be not hindered.
(45:34):
A believing wife has knowledge.
I think that is, I believethat's what the reference is.
The wife has that knowledge nowthe man is to treat his wife in
that way- that she has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and she
is instructed to.
I often say this, that it is agood thing for a husband to have
(45:54):
his wife as a sounding board.
And when he asks her opinion, ifthat wife is a godly wife, he's
going to get a spiritualresponse to that sound and he's
going to be wise if he listensto it.
But on his side now that tellsus there he is to dwell with
(46:16):
them according to knowledge andgive honor to them.
Why?
That your prayers be nothindered.
We need to be praying together,and it is important for us to be
praying with a good conscience.
I mentioned before that the thesequence in which instructions
are given, it's quite important.
(46:38):
And in each of these cases, inEphesians and Colossians, the
wife is first.
Now we're living in a day whenthe women's lib, of course, it's
faded a bit, but nevertheless itstill is very important.
Equality.
(46:58):
Equality God's word knowsnothing of that.
Christianity affords a woman aplace of privilege that no other
society gives or no otherreligion, so called.
It puts the wife in a positionof dignity and respect.
So let's look at that 22ndverse.
(47:21):
Wives submit yourselves untoyour own husbands as unto the
Lord.
Now there is another word thatis important equally with the
husband's word of loving thewife.
(47:41):
Here's the wife's word now-submission.
We hate that naturally, don'twe?
I'm speaking as a naturalperson.
I'm not talking about aChristian.
I'm talking about that old lifethat we have.
Submission is just repugnant tothe old nature.
But you sisters, you wives thatare here tonight, the word of
(48:04):
God is giving you and me thesecret of blessing in your life.
And it tells us there in thatverse,"Submit yourselves into
your own husbands as unto theLord." If you can see the Lord
behind your husband, you'regoing to be easily submitting to
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Him.
Doesn't tell us the wives tolove their husbands, except in
one particular case, I thinkit's in Titus, when there was a
specific purpose that was giventhere.
Now I'd like to take a minute toexplain what a wife's special
privilege here on earth is.
(48:49):
God had as an object before himthat He was going to have
children.
And secondly, that His son wasgoing to have a wife.
And marriage isn't just a,something that is evolved in
society, that is working well.
(49:10):
No, indeed.
It is an example of this factthat the Lord Jesus Christ is
going to have a wife foreternity.
And every believer in this roomtonight is going to be married
in that marriage-, 19th ofRevelation- to the Lord in
(49:32):
heaven.
Now, if you wives.
I can see that you have theprivilege that we as men don't
have because I can't live outthe part of a wife.
I'm the husband.
My wife can.
You wives, you can.
And if you realize that, thatyou are in your submission to
(49:57):
your husband and seeing him asGod in that home of yours,
you're going to be blessed to gointo homes sometimes.
And we see signs that say Christis the Head of this house.
It's not really scriptural.
The father- the husband- is thehead of the wife of the wife and
of the home.
And there we find that word foryou, dear sisters.
(50:22):
Submitting the nature in you.
That old nature resists thateverything that we're hearing in
our society these days is a windagainst it.
But if you sisters realize thisthen you are going to take it
take as a natural thing.
(50:42):
You don't need to be taught inthe word to love your husband.
That is going to come naturally.
But what about submission?
Oh, this is going to be the keyof your happiness if you really
follow that out.
It's the very foundation of, asI said, of our society, the
family unit, the wife's part inthat family relationship.
(51:08):
And if you live that out, you'regoing to be living out this
wonderful example.
I see you, some of you sistershave hats on tonight.
It's not because it's a customfor us to wear.
For you sisters to wear a hat.
It is a token of submission.
(51:28):
I know it's it's been given upeverywhere.
And I'm sorry to see sometimesthat lots of sisters leave their
hats in the meeting rooms andjust put them on before the
meeting starts, and then theywalk out the door without it.
And just saying this in passing,the neighbors would just think
then they're just the same asanyone else.
(51:48):
But there again, if you dearsisters, realize that this is
God's order for blessing in yourlife and in your relationship
with your husband, you're goingto readily be willing to submit.
Eve is an example of using herwill.
(52:10):
She reasoned, she didn'trecognize that God was wanting
to bless them.
And there she didn't stay withher husband.
She listened to another personapart from her husband, and we
know the disaster that has comeright into this whole world.
This has brought this wholeworld right down to the present
(52:32):
sad state.
What did the Lord Jesus say whenhe was here?
Think of this.
I came not to do my own will,but the will of Him that sent
me.
What a wonderful statement thatis.
What is an example of theblessed Lord Jesus! This is for
you as a wife to be willing tosubmit to the authority of your
(52:58):
husband.
Now what happens if yourhusband's will is contrary to
the word of God?
This is a serious situation,isn't it?
He's asking you to do somethingthat conscientiously you cannot
do.
What are you to do?
I believe this, that if you arewith a good conscience in your
(53:22):
life- you're going to have theconfidence to say to your
husband- I cannot do what youask me to do because the word of
God tells me otherwise.
And you have to submit then andcount upon the Lord and you're
going to be able to count on theLord, to carry you through to
submit only until it is aninstruction contrary to the word
(53:48):
of God.
I hope I make that plain.
Let's turn to one Peter.
And we see that beautifullycountered and answered one Peter
three in one.
Likewise ye wives be inobjection to your own husbands.
That of any obey not the word.
They also may without the wordbe won by the conversation of
(54:12):
the wives.
Now, here is another situationto people that might have been
unsaved.
They marry, the wife comes toknow the Lord as Savior.
Husband unsaved?
What is she to do?
To leave him?
No.
One Corinthians seven says notto.
(54:35):
If he be pleased to dwell withthe believer.
Do not leave.
But what is the wife to do?
Oh, this is going to call onyour drawing from the Lord to
live before that unsaved husbandof yours.
(54:55):
In a way as that word says, notby preaching at him, but it says
without the word that they mayalso without the word be won by
the conversation or manner oflife of the wife.
Or how important that is.
There used to be a littlepamphlet,"how to win your
(55:17):
Husband to Christ." I gave it toa girl that was in this
position, say unsaved husband.
She read it.
I saw her a week or so later andI said to her, how did you enjoy
that paper?
She said, it wasn't for myhusband, it was for me.
She had to learn the lessons ofwhat she was going on with that
(55:38):
were was inconsistent in herlife.
And I often say this too towives who are the Lords and
married to an unsaved man.
Don't pray so much for yourhusband.
You pray for yourself.
You pray that there won't beinconsistency in your life, that
though your husband may not bereading the word of God as this
(56:01):
passage says, he's going to bereading you.
And if there is that consistencyin your Christian life, there is
the assurance that husband isgoing to be won for Christ.
So sure it says there that hemay be won without the word,
without the constant preaching,but the living.
Now go over to the next verse,second verse.
(56:22):
"While they behold"- notice thatword"while"- there's the hinge.
"While they behold your chasteconversation." Chaste means
polished.
Not having erosion on it.
Nothing that is going to blurthat outshining of its
clearness.
(56:43):
Coupled with fear.
This is important.
It's not a question of ofpressing your will.
You're never gonna win yourhusband that way, but it is in
fear of the Lord.
Now look at the next verse.
Very important, who's adorning-let it not be that outward
adorning of platting the hairand of wearing of gold or a
(57:05):
putting on of apparel, but letit be the hidden man of the
heart in that which is notcorruptible even the ornament of
a meek and quiet spirit, whichis in the spite of God.
Sometimes a sister, feels thatthe way to win her husband is to
(57:29):
be looking as beautiful as shepossibly can, so that her
husband will stay with her.
That avenue, dear wives, sistershere that are here tonight, you
never can count upon God in thatway.
You're not gonna have thatassurance.
But it is an adorning- not theoutward adorning- but the
(57:51):
adorning of the heart.
That is what is going to bringblessing into your life.
Paul said,"modest apparel."Modest apparel.
I hope I'm not offending anyone,but we are living in a day when
it, we are drifting toward moreand more falling into the
(58:15):
world's fashions and habits.
And it is something I believethat is a word in season.
We have to be careful of this.
It's a sad thing to have to sayit, that when a sister and
speaking now just wives, when asister comes into the Lord's
presence.
(58:35):
In a way that is un- suited.
I say that un suited to sit downin the Lord's presence and think
that I am crucified to the worldand the world unto me.
I just say that in passing.
I believe that you and I shouldcome into a meeting that nobody
(58:58):
noticed what we are wearing.
And then I believe we are suitedsuitably apparel.
We're not gonna be drawingattention to ourselves either
being too shabby or overdressed.
How important the word of Godstresses these points.
And so there is that assurancethat the Lord will work when
(59:19):
there is that that desire.
Now let's go over to Exoduschapter 20 verse 12..
Now we turn onto the subject ofmothers.
Honor thy father and thy motherthy days that thy days may be
(59:40):
long upon the earth, which theLord thy God giveth thee God.
There insists on honor beingpaid to the mother.
Sometimes sad to say it I seemothers being rudely spoken to
by her boys and girls, and thisis a very sad thing because God
(01:00:05):
says there in those 10commandments that there is to be
a place of honor for the mother.
Think of some of the honorablemothers in the scripture.
Think of Hannah in one Samuelchapter one who is
misunderstood.
She was belittled by anotherwife in those days, and she also
(01:00:34):
was misunderstood by the highpriest into his thinking that
she was drunk.
But in her heart, there was thatgodly longing for a child, a
son, and God honored her.
Oh dear sisters here, youmothers, you are very much in
(01:00:59):
the in the spotlight by yourchildren.
They're looking up to you.
You can count on God if there isin your heart that drawing from
the Lord.
And there was Hannah, she wasblessed.
Samuel was born to her.
And God withheld that childbecause there was something that
(01:01:24):
was needed in her life to learn.
And when the time came, whenIsrael had gotten to a stage
where they needed Samuel, Godgave Samuel to her.
God is a perfect timetable forevery one of you wives.
And if you and I are justpatient, you wives, I should say
(01:01:44):
are just patient, God will carryout His promises of blessing.
Jochebed was another faithfulwoman.
She saw that little child, Moseswas a favored child.
She had the courage.
Beautiful to read it in Exoduschapter one, and she hid that
(01:02:07):
child.
It says that she did that- itdoesn't say anything, but the
husband- it says that she builtan ark and she put that little
baby in it and she instructedthe family where to hide that
child.
And he was hidden there threemonths.
God bless that mother! Oh dearyou dear Mothers here tonight.
(01:02:29):
God wants to bless you.
He wants to bless you.
And if you mothers, if youfollow the word of God, you're
going to be blessed.
You are in a difficult timebringing up children.
I hear some mothers saying,"Whyit's getting so dark that we
shouldn't really be bringingchildren into the world." Yeah,
(01:02:51):
that's as as much as saying ifit doesn't get any worse, I can
manage.
But if it does get any worse, Ican't.
Oh, you can count on the Lord!It doesn't depend on how
difficult the day is.
He will preserve us.
He'll preserve you.
And if you are faithful to Him,why you can count on Him with
(01:03:13):
absolute confidence! Just thinkof Timothy young man in the
second chapter of Timothychapter one, I think it is.
And there he had a faithfulmother and a faithful
grandmother- named.
You might not be named in thescriptures, but if you are being
faithful to the Lord, God isgoing to bless you and those
(01:03:37):
dear children that you are arebringing up.
A memory of my mother is vividin my life in my heart, in my
mind tonight, when I think ofher in that kitchen long ago,
60, 70 years ago.
What is my memory of her?
An open bible on the beside thesink.
(01:03:58):
Every once in a while, goingover to look at those verses to
memorize the word of God.
Who are you mothers drawing fromthe word of God?
You need it.
You need it in wisdom to bringup your dear children.
Don't let the other thingsinfluence you in this regard.
(01:04:18):
Oh, are we faithful?
Are you sisters faithful asmothers?
How important it would be.
Let's turn to a lovely pictureof a faithful mother in Proverbs
chapter 31.
It's good for you mothers toread all of these verses
(01:04:38):
starting with the 10th verse,and we're only going to read a
couple of them.
How encouraging these words are.
Who can find a virtuous womanfor her prices far above rubies?
Seven times her hands are spokenof in these passages once her
(01:05:02):
mouth.
I'm not saying thisdisparagingly, but it is
instructive, isn't it?
That the part of the woman is tobe in the home and to be doing
those things that are going tobe for the benefit of her
children and of her husband.
Look at the 25th verse.
Strength and honor are herclothing, and she shall rejoice
(01:05:28):
in time to come.
Verse 28, her children arise up.
I love this verse.
Her children arise up and callher.
Blessed her husband also, and heprays of her.
Oh, nothing thrills me more thanwhen I hear some of the children
(01:05:54):
saying,"thank God for mymother".
Are you, are your children goingto be able to say that about
you?
It says it here.
I'm not saying this.
God says it.
Her children arise up and callher blessed.
Oh, we're living in a world thatis rushing down to hell.
And if the Lord doesn't comesoon, the storms that are just
(01:06:17):
gathering all around us, they'regoing to be breaking more and
more every day.
It's getting worse.
My son was saying just a littlewhile back, it's not only
getting worse, but it's gettingworse faster, and it, we're not
in a valley and we're going tocome back.
There's no return.
It is going down and you and Ineed to be living and serving
(01:06:40):
the Lord with purpose of heartto survive.
That's enough for the wives.
Now, the last one, the children,and let's go right over to
Genesis and I just wanna say inconnection with the children.
I hope some of your childrenhave been listening because we
(01:07:02):
have been bringing before yourfathers and your mothers that
they need to be obedient to God.
And now what I'm going to say toyou children and to you,
teenagers or older ones, I wantto bring before you a word of
encouragement.
I know so often we're lookingdown or looking at the children
(01:07:25):
and the young people in SaintMaya.
Isn't it so bad they're justgetting worse and worse?
But what about us?
What kind of an example are weliving?
I quoted in one Peter chapterfive and verse three, where it
mentioned that the fathers wereto be examples to the flock.
But what about one Timothy four12?
(01:07:48):
There.
It tells that Timothy was to bean example, not to but of the
believers.
Oh, you dear boys and girls, areyou?
Do you belong to the Lord?
Have I asked you if you belongto the Lord?
I might say, yes.
How's your life?
Is it obedient to your parents?
(01:08:10):
You see that to be obedient tothe your parents is the same as
being obedient to the Lord.
Let's just look here now inchapter 22 of Genesis in verse
18, and in thy seed shall allnations of the earth be blessed,
(01:08:30):
because thou has obeyed Myvoice.
There was the cause, becausethou has to obeyed My voice Who
could reverse it?
Because thou hast obeyed myvoice in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed.
There's the fruit.
You boys and girls- do you wannabe blessed in your life?
(01:08:53):
I see some of the boys noddingtheir heads.
Thank God for that.
Would to God, there would bemore desire in your heart to
live for the Lord.
Nothing thrills us more than togo back to a place that we
haven't been for a few years andthere to see the boys and girls
(01:09:14):
growing in their souls.
Obedient to their parents.
The key of it, dear boys andgirls, and you, teenagers and
all the way up, obedience to theword of God.
You'll be blessed if you dothat.
The older ones in the assemblyare passing on and if the Lord
(01:09:35):
doesn't come soon, the olderones are gonna be gone.
Young men in the assembly, howimportant it is for you to be
taking a hold, not just leavingit to the older ones, but to be
growing in your souls, feedingyourself.
Don't want to be always spoonfed by your parents.
(01:09:56):
Nice when you're little babiesto have the food put into your
mouth, but it's nicer when wegrow a little bit older to start
to reach for the spoon and toput the spoon with the food in
our mouth ourself.
Now the same thing applies tothe word of God.
Are we reading it?
Are we keeping away from badcompany?
For the many years in the gospeltent, I've asked many of the
(01:10:18):
teenagers, what is the mostserious problem that you have?
And almost invariably, keepingaway from bad boys and girls.
Let me say that to you.
Keep away from them.
Keep away from, they're onlygoing to drag you down.
Wonderful.
And so there is that wonderfulpromise that God gives us.
(01:10:42):
Now then let's go over to twoTimothy, and there we will see a
very nice thing.
Two Timothy chapter three, versetwo.
Verse one says, knowing thisknow also that in the last days
perilous or difficult timesshall come.
(01:11:04):
That was written 2000 years ago.
Were living in 1985.
We're living just before theLord comes back.
It's the last times whatcharacterizes the last time.
Look at the second verse.
I'm not gonna read all thatverse, but look at toward the
end of that second verse,disobedient to parents.
(01:11:24):
That's the nature, that's thecharacter of the world today.
Disobedience to parents.
Verse three, without naturalaffection.
I said at the very beginningthat to be in submission and to
be following the word of God isgoing to be a blessing.
(01:11:46):
I'm gonna hold out a key to you.
You dear young ones heretonight.
That key as a word, honor tospell what that word key means.
And it is O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E.
There is no substitute for thisobedience.
(01:12:09):
And if you realize that yourfather and your mother are just
the same as the Lord.
And when you are obeying them,you are obeying the Lord.
You are going to be blessed andGod wants to bless you dear boys
and girls and older ones too.
And as I mentioned before, Iwant to just encourage you,
(01:12:29):
there's so much to discourageyou dear boys and girls.
I was asking one at the intervalthere, you get discouraged.
Yes.
I don't like to ask that.
Boy does your, do your parentsdiscourage you?
But what about the parents?
Are we discouraging our childrenas we saw, but are our children,
ah, are we encouraging ourselfin the Lord?
(01:12:52):
That's what David did.
Don't miss the happiness thatGod has for you.
He has blessing and He's goingto bless you and He offers you
that wonderful key.
Just think of all the unhappyboys and girls.
Like the prodigal son that youknow, and we know some of them.
(01:13:15):
One of the boys in our assemblysaved through the grace of God.
His older brother went intodrugs, his mind blown, his older
sister went into drugs, went upon the top of one of the
buildings and leap over, and thefather said to that boy when he
(01:13:38):
started into it to the thirdboy, he said, that's enough.
That's enough.
I don't want any more like that.
Get outta this house.
He threw him out.
French Canadian boy, God had oneof the faithful boys in the
assembly waiting as it wereoutside that door and he met
him.
(01:13:59):
He brought him into his home.
He fed that boy.
He was not much older, but hewas working to help that boy to
get on his feet.
The boy was saved.
He was gathered to the name ofthe Lord Jesus Christ, happily
going on.
But the poor boy was onto drugsso much that he never recovered
(01:14:19):
and he became despondent fromtime to time.
Oh, I just say this.
I know that you boys and girls,by God's grace are being
preserved from it, but keep awayfrom all those awful things.
That poor boy became sad anddiscouraged, and as it were, the
Lord just looked down onto poor,didn't he?
(01:14:42):
And said to him, you're findingit too hard down there.
I'm gonna take you away.
And the poor boy was drowned inhis own bathtub around 21 years
of age with the Lord now, butoh, how serious it is.
Don't allow any of those things.
I you might not say no, that ofcourse I wouldn't do.
(01:15:03):
I would just wanna say a littleword about social drinking.
It's creeping in to homes and itis creeping in amongst the young
people, and it can only bringdisaster.
Drunkenness is on is justgetting worse and worse.
And you older boys and girls, weneed to keep away from those
(01:15:25):
awful influences because theyare insidious.
They will trap us, they'll trapyou, and may God just preserve
you dear young ones.
From this.
As I said before, just think ofall those sad cases of those
prodigals and these institutionsthat are handling young people.
(01:15:48):
What lies behind it?
What's the root, I might say, ofevery one of them?
It starts with disobedience toparents errands.
That's where it starts.
In subjection to the word ofGod.
I won't turn to it.
I see our time is going fast.
Deuteronomy chapter 27, I'lljust read you that verse.
(01:16:10):
It says, cursed be he thatsetteth light by his father or
his mother, and all the peopleshall say, amen.
There's a curse.
There is an awful statement thatGod says that if you and I make
light of our father and ourmother, it is a sad thing.
(01:16:32):
Look in the contrast now inProverbs chapter six in verse
20.
Proverbs six 20, my son, keepthy father's commandment and
forsake not the law of thymother.
Bind them continually upon thyheart and tie them about th thy
(01:16:52):
neck.
When thou goest, it shall leadthe Isn't that wonderful?
When thou ghost, it shall leadthe, it's going to go be ahead
of you like the cloud in the,with the children of Israel,
when thou sleep, it shall keepthee.
That cloud went to the back ofthe children of Israel when
danger came and it preservedthem.
(01:17:14):
God's word will keep you.
It will guide you, it'll keepyou.
And then it says, and when thouawakest, it shall talk with
thee.
How beautiful that is.
Drawings, strength from theLord's word and learning what
the Lord is saying to you forthe commandment is a lamp, and
(01:17:37):
the law is light.
That's the word of God.
And reproves of instruction arethe way of life.
How wonderful that is.
Now over to Ephesians chapter 6,4, 1 or two last words in verse
(01:17:58):
one, children obey your parentsin the Lord.
For this is right.
This is right.
How beautiful that is.
This is right.
(01:18:18):
Honor thy father and thy mother,which is the first commandment
with promise that it may be wellwith thee and that thou may live
long on the earth.
Now I know that wouldn'tnecessarily apply to a guarantee
that you're going to live a longtime, but you're gonna be
(01:18:40):
blessed in your life.
Oh dear young people.
I'm finished my little talk now.
And I just want to encourageyou, dear boys and girls, you
ones who are getting into yourteens, this is a wonderful
Christian life.
Nothing like it.
I'm an old man now, but I cantell you that it gets sweeter as
(01:19:03):
the days go by.
If you wanna be blessed in thisdark world, keep on, keep away
from those ones that would harmyou and get this key from God's
word to walking in obedience tothat word and an obedience to
(01:19:24):
your father and your mother.
And God will bless you.
If the Lord leaves us here andwe come back to Toledo,
sometime, would to God- and thisis my closing prayer, that the
Lord will preserve you dear boysand girls.
One of these moments, we're allgoing to be gone and we're going
to be.
Facing the Lord Jesus there inglory.
(01:19:47):
May you and die you dearchildren, you, teenagers, you
older fathers, and mothers whoare still young, you mothers,
you wives, husbands, fathers-keep on! Paul, in his closing
words to Timothy, he said twowords as he laid down his pen in
(01:20:13):
that Roman prison, and he said,"continue thou".
I say this as we pass on thesewords to you, beloved ones,
everyone, husbands, fathers,wives, mothers, children,
"continue thou".
May the Lord just bless thesewords.
How might we open our Bible,first of all for one verse of
authority, and that is thehundred and 19th Psalm 119 and
verse 1 28.
Therefore,"I esteem or regardall thy precepts concerning all
(00:24):
things to be right.
Now, this verse tells us veryplainly that the word of God for
every step of your journey ofyour life down here on earth is
to be relied on, not only to berelied on, but to be submitted
(00:44):
to and bowed to.
It is the final authority.
We use no other book than thisblessed book now then.
It is a wonderful fact torealize beloved ones, that the
heavens have been opened now,and we can look up by faith into
(01:05):
an open heavens.
And God has brought every one ofus here who knows the Lord Jesus
Christ the Savior, into a newrelationship with Him.
We know him now as our Father.
We know the Lord Jesus Christ asour Husband- to- be, and we are
in a spiritual relationship withGod in an entirely new way.
(01:32):
But then we ask ourselves thequestion if this is what about
the relationships that we knowhere on this earth?" We know the
end.
That is that God similarly hasgiven you and me instructions
now in these relationships thatwe will be speaking of tonight,
very implicit instructions: Husbands, fathers, wives, (01:55):
undefined
mothers, children.
We're gonna take up these pointsone by one.
God hasn't just said we'respiritual beings now and we have
life in Christ and we just dothe best we can on this earth.
(02:18):
No indeed it is the word of Godis very explicit now that these
relationships are spelled out.
And I just ask you tonight, eachone of us, I'm going to be
speaking about, as I said,fathers right down to the little
children.
And I would like to apply thesethings to myself.
(02:43):
We're going to be speaking aboutone word, almost exclusively.
Two words, possibly obedienceand submission and beloved ones.
This applies to every one of ushere who knows the Lord as our
savior.
Sometimes we have a tendency tobe talking to the children and
always applying that obedienceword to them.
(03:06):
But I want to emphasize tonightthat this is a word that you and
I need as parents and as in allthese relationships, it is very
important.
One other thing.
The very book in the Bible thatbrings before us the highest
(03:26):
truth in all the scriptures.
And that is the book ofEphesians telling us of this
heavenly calling, telling us ofour position of oneness, telling
us in the second chapter that weare seated in heavenly places in
Christ.
Now, this same book is the onethat spells out these
(03:47):
relationships as no other bookdoes.
And it is very important for youfor me to realize these things
and to know that God wantsblessing for every one of us
here, but it is going to be onthe basis of that word that I
have spoken of.
(04:08):
Now, let's go over, first ofall, to deal with the
relationship of fathers, and weturn now to Deuteronomy chapter
six.
The fathers, I suppose we arepermitted to say, I think it's
correct in saying they have, wehave the most difficult of all
(04:30):
the relationships of father.
He is in a position that God hasput him in absolute authority.
That applies not only to hischildren, but to his wife as
well.
Every one of you, dear wiveshere tonight, you are
responsible to God, to yourhusband.
(04:54):
And he is going to be heldresponsible for everything that
you say and do.
Let's look now in Deuteronomyand see the, some of these
duties I'm going to be goingback and forth between the Old
Testament and the New.
It's all one book it has tellingus, gives us the same
relationship and the sameinstructions in many occasions
(05:16):
for these relationships.
And it is just one book.
Chapter six and verse three.
The first word that we hear nowis H-E-A-R.
HEAR.
And I would like to explain whatI was reading recently.
What?
Oh, the breakdown of the wordobedience is, and it is very
(05:41):
instructive.
It's made up of two Greek words.
I understand, I know Greekstudent, but I just have read
this in English that it is madeup of two words.
One is to"hear", and the otheris to hear"under hear".
Under obedience means to hearunder, in other words, the words
(06:06):
that are spoken.
M from the word of God, you andI must put ourselves in the
subservient place and to realizethat authority is coming down to
us.
We're living in a day wheneverybody is just expressing
their own opinions.
And democracy enables everyoneto express our opinions.
(06:29):
This is not known to God's wordat all.
Authority always comes down.
And when you and I hear, we mustbe hearing in that attitude of
obeying and hearing under, inother words not on a parallel.
Interesting.
(06:50):
Interesting too, to know thatthe word disobedience comes from
the word"hearing beside".
Ah, there is the key, isn't it,of disobedience.
My asserting my own opinion andsaying I'm going to consider
whether I'm going to listen tothese things or not.
Oh, beloved ones.
(07:10):
We must realize that obedienceis obedience to God.
To God.
And if you and I are going to beblessed in our Christian life,
it is going to be to HEAR.
Not only to hear, my mother usedto call me when I was a child
and I remember, and she wouldcall me a couple of times and
(07:31):
then she'd say,"Norman, are you,do you hear me?" Yes, I heard
her all right, but I wasn'tdoing what she was telling me.
I was"hearing beside", I wasdeciding when I was going to
obey.
But here's the first word in ourthird verse which says, hear
therefore oh, Israel, andobserve to do it, not only to
(07:55):
hear, but to do what we aretold.
It's so important for us.
I trust you, older ones andmyself, that we will receive
this word now, hear it and doit.
This is going to be what we willbe emphasizing from time to
time.
That it may be well with thee.
There is the promise right fromthe very beginning of the result
(08:19):
of obedience and that ye mayincrease mightily.
Every one of us wants toprogress in our souls.
And here is God giving us therecipe.
Are we going to listen to ityoung and old alike?
Are we going to hear this?
And then he goes on to say, asthe Lord thy God of thy fathers
(08:42):
hath promised thee in the landthat floweth with milk and
honey.
Oh, it's a rich land physically,but it is a glorious fact to be
a believer in the Lord JesusChrist.
What a wonderful life this is.
And it's a land, spirituallyspeaking that flows with milk
(09:02):
and honey.
Who could be happy, but theChristian?
What a wonderful life it is toknow the Lord is our Savior, but
He wants to us to grow in thisknowledge of Him, God, our
Father and the Lord JesusChrist.
And so he goes on in the fourthverse,"hear, Israel, the Lord
(09:23):
our God is one Lord." Onemessage.
One Lord always.
One God never speaks with doublelanguage.
He speaks one way and it isalways plain and simple.
It's a word of obedience.
And then He says, and thou shaltlove the Lord thy God with all
(09:46):
thine heart and with all thysoul, and with all thy might.
Oh, what do we find here?
Body, soul, and spirit, or I putthat in the opposite order.
Spirit, soul, and body.
That's the way the word spellsit out.
It's total.
It's not a question of cominghere on Lord's day and doing our
(10:07):
duty by being here and thengoing off and living the life
that we want on Monday and inour business life.
No, it is a total life ofobedience to the Lord, and He
wants a consistent life from usbecause He has promised that if
there is that consistency,there's going to be blessing.
Verse six, and these words.
(10:28):
Now he comes down to the wordverse six, which I command thee
subject, verb, object.
I command thee.
I trust we're taking thispersonally.
Now remind me, but this is Godspeaking to every one of us here
tonight.
Are you going to listen, youdear boys and girls that are
(10:51):
here, sometimes you're gettinginto the habit of coming to the
meetings and not listening.
I'm gonna tell you this, thatGod is going to hold you
responsible if you are notlistening in a meeting for what
is being said.
And it is so important for us torealize this- each one of us
needs to bear these things inmind.
And these words, which I commandthee this day, shall be in thine
(11:14):
heart and thou shalt impress orteach them diligently under thy
children.
Now here comes the father'sresponsibility to teach them.
And when I use this word andwhen the word children is used,
bear in mind it's the wholefamily, the whole household that
is included.
It is to be teaching orinstructing or impressing as the
(11:39):
New Translation puts it.
Them diligently under thychildren and thou shall talk of
them when thou thine house andwhen thou walk us by the way.
And when thou lies down and whenthou rise up.
And thou shall bind them for asign upon thine hand and they
shall be as frontlets beforethine eyes.
(12:01):
And thou shal write them uponthe posts of thy house and on
thy gates.
Oh, what an important messagethis is for every Christian home
household here in Toledo.
To each one of us does thischaracterize your house, your
home, your fathers?
These words are addressed,particularly now to fathers.
(12:25):
Are we instructing our children,our wives, by, not only by
precept in what we say, but byour example?
And this is what it's telling usmorning tonight.
It's a complete 24 hour job.
It's not just on and off.
It is total.
(12:46):
And if this is you and I,beloved ones are going to be
blessed.
Another thing, and that is thatyou and I as fathers should be
training our children, ourfamily, just as if the Lord were
there in that house and doingthe training.
That's how close you and I asfathers need to be.
(13:09):
One of the sisters one timecoming to the gospel tent, she
said My father and mother arehaving a bit of a hassle over
whether there should be a TV inthe home.
My mother wants to have it andmy father wants to get rid of
it.
She said what should he do?
Oh, I said to that sister, thatgirl- there's only one thing
(13:33):
that your father needs to bedoing and that is consistency in
his Christian life.
Because if there is notconsistency, your mother is
going to say to your father whatabout you?
Look at the things that you aregoing on with, and there's going
to be no moral power in the lifeof that husband.
(13:54):
But if there is consistency,then there is going to be that
speaking and there is going tobe that authority.
How important beloved ones it isfor you and for me to bring the
Lord into our life.
Proverbs 22 and verse six, Iwon't turn to it.
It just says, train up a childin his- i'm quoting from the new
(14:17):
translation- in his inclination.
And when he is old, he will notdepart from it.
Bringing up the children is avery important thing.
I can't bring up my children tomake them fit into a mold.
Every child has a differentinclination or a different
nature; they require differenttreatment.
And it is very important if youfathers are going to
(14:41):
intelligently know how to bringup your children, you're going
to have to get the wisdom fromthe word of God, and you're
going to bring up each one thechildren in a little different
way to bring out of them theimportant characteristics of
that child.
Now let's go over to the NewTestament, into Ephesians
(15:01):
chapter six.
And you could also mention thatin all these instructions, the
order is very important.
I'll come to that later when thewives are.
When we take up that subject ofthe wives, verse four, Ephesians
six and four.
And ye fathers provoke not yourchildren to wrath, but bring
(15:24):
them up in the nurture andadmonition of the Lord.
Oh, there is very importantinstruction.
Again, bringing them up in thenurture.
The nurture means, comes fromthe word"discipline".
That in turn comes from the worddiscipling or educating, and
(15:46):
that is what you and I need tobe doing by example, as fathers
bringing them up in the nurtureand admonition.
The admonition is the constantwatching for the danger points
and the contacts and where thechildren are and how they are
conducting themselves and beingwarned of the dangers.
(16:09):
Bringing them up in the nurtureand the admonition of the Lord.
Oh, it's the Lord, isn't it?
He's the one that must be thatpattern, and He's the one that
you and I must always have inmind as we are living before our
children.
As examples go over two booksinto Colossians.
(16:32):
And it's just a little bitdifferent there, but it's
instructive.
Verse 21, fathers provoke notyour children to anger, lest
they be discouraged.
It's easy to discourage thechildren.
That's Colossians 3 (16:49):
21.
It's very easy to be insensitiveto the children's natures and to
alienate ourselves from them.
And so that word is so plain.
It tells us there that lest theybe discouraged.
(17:09):
Are we discouraging ourchildren?
I see that in some of the homesI go into as we visit from home
to home.
The father not setting anexample and the children
discouraged and they say, what'sthe use?
But there is the word that givesus explicit instruction to
couple those instructions withlove.
(17:30):
Strictness.
Yes, indeed.
We're getting away.
I know I'm a, might beconsidered an old fashioned
person, but I believe that theword of God doesn't change
though the days are gettingdarker.
And when there is the theinsistence on obedience, because
I tell my children, I've got afather that I must obey and I'm
(17:54):
going to teach you and I'm goingto insist in love on your
obedience.
And this is what this versemeans, not to provoke them.
Because the father has authorityand the child is under him.
And if that father acts in theflesh or if he's not setting a
good example, he is going to bespeaking in the flesh and the
(18:17):
flesh of the child is going toimmediately roused up.
And there they are, like tworoosters at each other.
And so there's the old naturecoming up.
But so long as the father isconsistent in his life and
giving his instructions in love,there is going to be a response
in the child.
I know it from personalexperience and God's word works.
(18:40):
Tells us that in Thessaloniansthat if we believe it, I'm not
talking about salvation, but itsays it works in those that
believe it and obey it.
So how important it is for youand for me to get those
instructions.
Now, one more verse in FirstPeter chapter five.
(19:00):
Not much use training thechildren how to, or at least to
obey the Word of God, unless youand I as fathers are governed by
that word of God.
It must be by example.
Let's look at that fifth chapterin the third verse.
(19:21):
Neither as being lord's overGod's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
To the flock.
How important that is for youand for me to realize this and
to, I ought to say this also-that it is important for you to
(19:42):
tell your child that you, I, asa father and just as equally as
responsible to obey God as thechild is to obey me.
And we must relate that always,that it is to be an example-
yes- but to cause that child tounderstand that as that child is
(20:07):
obeying me, I in turn have toobey my father.
And we are equally responsibleto see that is true.
Now, I often say this, that mychil my children know me inside
out.
I can't fool them.
They know the values that I haveon everything in life, and your
(20:28):
children do too.
And so it is important then forus to be living what we are
saying- living what we areteaching our children to be.
Then we ask ourselves thequestion- am I fitting my
children for the Lord and theglory ahead- or am I fitting my
(20:52):
child for this world?
That's what every one of usfathers needs to be asking.
Now there are some good fathersand some bad fathers, and I'm
not gonna take very much time tolook at them, but we'll just
turn over to Genesis to see whatGod said about one of them.
(21:14):
Genesis chapter 18 verse 19,speaking about Abraham, a good
father.
I know him.
This is the Lord speaking thathe will command his children and
his household after him, andthey shall keep the way of the
(21:35):
Lord to do justice and judgmentthat the Lord may bring upon
Abraham, that which he hasspoken.
There it is the purpose of it sothat God could bless that home.
God wants to bless our homes.
He wants to make our home ahappy home.
(21:58):
They go into some homes andthere's anything but happiness.
Father and mother, not gettingalong to well together, children
allowed to do anything they wantunhappiness.
Unhappiness here was a man thatGod is using as an example of
faith and obedience.
And God said he will command hischildren.
(22:20):
So important to realize this,that obedience from the father
down is going to bring blessinginto that home.
What about a bad father?
Eli?
What does it say about Eli?
It won't take time to look atit.
You can look at it for yourself.
Eli never corrected hischildren.
(22:42):
The margin in your Bible saysnever frowned at them.
That's significant, isn't it?
He never corrected them.
Oh dear fathers here tonight.
Don't let your children thinkthat when you are speaking
explicitly of obedience that youdon't love them, it's because
you do love them! And Eli didn'tlove his children, and we know
(23:05):
the disaster that came.
Into that home and it'll comeinto your home and mine too,
unless we follow the precepts ofthe word of God.
David was another example.
He was a good king, but a badfather.
And his son, Amon he defiled hissister Tamar, and he in turn was
(23:31):
murdered by another son.
Abso this was a bad father, andGod allowed those things.
He allows these things in ourlife.
We must relate them all to God'sintimate control of our life.
Eli and David are examples thereof a bad bad father.
(23:51):
What another point also inconnection with David through an
elicit affair with Bathsheba.
A child was born and God tookthat child away.
He died.
God is intimately interested inevery detail of your life and
mine.
Education.
(24:12):
What about the education?
This is a, so important part ofour life these days.
Oh, many homes.
I had a father confess to me.
He said, I made such an awfulmistake in my oldest girl, in my
second girl.
And he said, I laid such stressand education.
And that girl today she'sgathered to the Lord's name, but
(24:34):
she's far away, unhappy,married, into unhappiness.
And we bear the fruit of thesethings.
We have to be very carefulsometimes for our pride and
sometimes for convenience,sometimes for advantage.
We insist on education, highereducation and still higher.
And it surely is paid for insorrows later on.
(24:57):
We need to be very careful.
And also, let me say this inpassing, what about the things
that we allow in our home?
The entertainments, the sportsthat are allowed or at least our
children allowed to get intocompetition and so on.
Excuse me for saying it, but Iwent to one assembly and we were
(25:20):
giving a series of talks and onenight almost the whole meeting
was empty and I was rather takenback.
And the next night, or at leastthe next day, I found that there
was a big basketball tournamenton and most of the assembly was
gone to that to that basketballgame.
I'm not saying that incriticism, but I'm saying this,
(25:41):
that there is going to be noblessing when there is that
allowance of those things thatare of the world.
Nothing wrong with a basketballgame, but it is the association
that is wrong.
What about Tv?
I'm gonna speak very plainly.
I don't believe that a home canbe watching TV on Saturday night
(26:01):
and then on the Lord's Daymorning, come in to the blessed
presence of the Lord JesusChrist and remember Him in his
death.
I just don't believe that it canmix.
And I'm sorry if I offend some,but I believe that TV is an
insidious wickedness and itassociates with the world in all
(26:22):
its nefarious and awfulness andit can do nothing but just to
take away the appetite forwalking with the Lord.
What about ending this on a goodnote?
Two Corinthians nine or eight.
I'll just quote it and it saysthis, seven superlatives there.
(26:42):
By the way, a superlative iswhat is best.
God is able to make all graceabound toward you.
That ye having all sufficiencyand all things may abound to
every good work being enrichedwith all bountifulness that our
(27:03):
thanksgiving may be to God.
I'm not quoting the last partexactly correctly.
Seven superlatives.
God is able, and if you and I,as fathers will put these things
into practice, God will, heguarantees that there will be
blessing for His glory and foryour and my blessing too.
(27:24):
Now that is sufficient forfathers.
Now let's go on to husbands andwe go to Ephesians chapter five.
Now here is a very intimate partof our life now as a husband,
and I believe the first thingthat is so important for you and
for me is to forge a threefoldcord that won't easily be broken
(27:47):
as the word of God says.
What are the three, the Lord,the husband, the wife, how
important that is?
If that is the cornerstone ofyour life and mine, it is going
to be blessing.
Now, the 25th verse, Ephesianschapter five, husbands love your
(28:08):
wives even as Christ also lovedthe church and gave Himself for
it.
There's the motive.
Even as Christ loved the church,how much did He pay?
He paid for that love with Hislife.
We are not called upon to dothat.
(28:28):
But there is the example thatthe Lord Jesus sets Himself.
That is what He did once.
But you and I now in love are tolove our wife.
That's what God says.
He doesn't ask us to do that.
It is instruction.
And if we do that's the wordthat the husband needs to bear
(28:50):
in mind, to love his wife.
And then the next verse, the26th verse, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with thewashing of the water by the
word.
Now that is indicating that itgoes on.
I know the 25th verse isreferring to the past 26th to
(29:10):
the present, 27th to the future.
I'd like to apply that to thehusband in his relationship with
his wife.
It's an enduring love.
It's not up and down.
And then the next verse looks oninto the glory that he might
present it-this is Christ toHimself, a glorious church not
having spot a wrinkle or anysuch thing, but that it should
(29:33):
be holy and without blemish.
There is the purpose of this.
So we were speaking at noontoday about marriage.
Why?
It's not just something that Godhas given for the orderliness of
the world.
It is an example of God'spurposes and that is that God,
(29:56):
His beloved Son would have abride in the glory with Him.
If you and I as husbands bearthis in mind that this is God's
purpose in it all, then there isgoing to be indeed blessing.
You might, I remember years ago,an older brother saying- if I
(30:17):
have a wife that is verylovable, it's very easy.
But if I have a wife that is notvery lovable, then I'm going to
have to call upon God to help meto obey, and that is to love my
wife." Now, if you and I aredrawing from Christ.
(30:39):
If you and I as husbands aredrawing from Christ, it's going
to be easy to love our wife.
I hope my wife doesn't mindmaking these remarks, but it is
so important for us now.
It's not to whether the wife islovable or not, it is God's
instruction and for blessing inour life.
Go over to Colossians again, andthere we see the instructions,
(31:04):
chapter three, verse 19.
Husbands love your wives and benot bitter against them.
Bitter against them.
Why is that put in there?
I believe it's this, that menare in business.
We in business, we know thatit's a hard world and there
(31:24):
needs to be firmness.
But God is saying here that inthe relationship with the wife,
there can't be that bitterness.
And let me say this, that menhave a tendency more to rely on
reasoning and the wife onaffections and and emotions.
So there is a difference there.
And God is telling us inColossians not to be bitter
(31:46):
toward them.
How good this is.
God's heritage, but being endensamples to the flock.
To the flock, how important thatis for you and for me to realize
this and to, I ought to say thisalso, that it is important for
(32:07):
you to tell your child that you,I, as a father and just as
equally as imp uh, responsibleto obey God as the child is to
obey me.
And we must relate that always,that it is to be an example,
(32:27):
yes, but to cause that child tounderstand that as that child is
obeying me, I in turn have toobey my father.
And we are equally responsibleto see that that, uh, uh, is
true.
Now, I often say this, that mychil my children know me inside
(32:49):
out.
I can't fool them.
They know the values that I haveon everything in life, and your
children do too.
And so it is important then forus to be living what we are
saying, living what we areteaching our children, uh, to
be.
(33:11):
Well.
Then we ask ourselves thequestion, am I fitting my
children for the Lord and theglory ahead, or am I fitting my
child for this world?
That's what every one of usfathers needs to be asking
Fathers.
Now there are some good fathersand some bad fathers, and I'm
(33:36):
not gonna take very much time,uh, to look at them, but we'll
just turn over to Genesis, uh,to see what God said about one
of them.
Genesis chapter.
18 verse 19, speaking aboutAbraham, a good father.
(33:59):
I know him.
This is the Lord speaking thathe will command his children and
his household after him, andthey shall keep the way of the
Lord to do justice and judgmentthat the Lord may bring upon
Abraham, that which he hasspoken there.
(34:26):
It is the purpose of it so thatGod could bless that home.
God wants to bless our homes.
He wants to make our home ahappy home.
They go into some homes andthere's anything but happiness,
father and mother, not gettingalong to well together, children
allowed to do anything they wantunhappiness.
(34:49):
Unhappiness here was a man thatGod is using as an example of
faith and obedience.
And God said he will command hischildren.
So important to realize this,that that obedience from the
father down is going to bringblessing into that home.
(35:09):
What about a bad father?
Eli?
What does it say about Eli?
It won't take time to look atit.
You can look at it for yourself.
Eli never corrected hischildren.
The margin in your Bible saysnever frowned at them.
Well, that's significant, isn'tit?
He never corrected them.
(35:30):
Oh dear Fathers here tonight.
Don't let your children thinkthat when you are speaking
explicitly of obedience that youdon't love them, it's because
you do love them.
And Eli didn't love hischildren, and we know the
disaster that came.
Into that home and it'll comeinto your home and mine too,
(35:51):
unless we follow the precepts ofthe word of God.
David was another example.
He was a good king, but a badfather.
And his son, Amon, he, he, uh,defiled his sister Tamar, and he
(36:14):
in turn was murdered by anotherson.
Abso this was a bad father, andGod allowed those things.
He allows these things in ourlife.
We must relate them all toGod's, uh, intimate control of
our life.
Eli and and, and David areexamples there of a bad, uh, bad
(36:37):
father.
What another point also inconnection with David through an
elicit affair with Bathsheba.
A child was born and God tookthat child away.
He died.
God is intimately interested inevery detail of your life and
(36:57):
mine.
Education.
What about the education?
This is a, so important, uh,part of our life these days.
Oh, many homes.
I had a father confess to me.
He said, I made such an awfulmistake in my oldest girl, in my
second girl.
And he said, I laid such stressand education.
(37:18):
And that girl today, she's,she's gathered to the Lord's
name, but she's far away,unhappy, married, into, uh,
unhappiness.
And, uh, we bear the fruit ofthese things.
We have to be very carefulsometimes for our pride and
sometimes for convenience,sometimes for advantage.
(37:39):
We, uh, uh, insist on education,higher education and still
higher.
And it surely is paid for insorrows later on.
We need to be very, verycareful.
And also, let me say this inpassing, what about the things
that we allow in our home, theentertainments, the sports that
(38:05):
are allowed, uh, or at least ourchildren allowed to get into
competition and so on.
Uh, excuse me for saying it, butI went to one assembly and we
were giving a series of talksand one night almost the whole
meeting was empty and I wasrather taken back.
And the next night, or at leastthe next day, I found that there
was a big, uh, basketballtournament on and most of the
(38:29):
assembly was gone to that, uh,to that, uh, basketball game.
I'm not saying that incriticism, but I'm saying this,
that there is going to be noblessing when there is that.
Uh, allowance of those thingsthat are of the world.
Nothing wrong with a basketballgame, but it is the association
that is wrong.
(38:49):
What about tv?
I'm gonna speak very plainly.
I don't believe that a home canbe watching TV on Saturday night
and then on the Lord's Daymorning, come in to the blessed
presence of the Lord JesusChrist and remember him in his
death.
I just don't believe that it canmake and can mix.
(39:09):
And I, I'm sorry if I offendsome, but I believe that TV is
an insidious wickedness and itassociates with the world in all
its nefarious and awfulness andit can do nothing but, uh, just
to take away the appetite forwalking with the Lord.
(39:35):
What about ending this on a goodnote?
Two Corinthians nine or eight.
I'll just quote it and it saysthis, seven superlatives there.
By the way, a superlative iswhat is best.
God is able to make all graceabound toward you.
That ye having all sufficiencyand all things may abound to
(39:59):
every good work being enrichedwith all bountifulness, uh, that
our thanksgiving may be to God.
I'm not quoting the last partexactly correctly.
Seven superlatives.
God is able, and if you and I,as fathers will put these things
into practice, God will, heguarantees that there will be
(40:22):
blessing for his glory and foryour and my, uh, blessing too.
Now that is sufficient for, uh,fathers.
Now let's go on to husbands andwe go to Ephesians chapter five.
Now here is a very intimate partof our life now as a husband,
(40:46):
and I believe the first thingthat is so important for you and
for me is to forge a threefoldcord that won't easily be broken
as the word of God says.
What are the three, the Lord,the husband, the wife, how
important that is?
If that is the cornerstone ofyour life and mine, it is going
(41:07):
to be, uh, blessing.
Now, the 25th verse, Ephesianschapter five, husbands love your
wives even as Christ also lovedthe church and gave himself for
it.
There's the motive.
Even as Christ loved the church,how much did he pay?
(41:29):
He paid for that love with hislife.
We are not called upon to dothat.
But there is the example thatthe Lord Jesus sets himself.
That is what he did once.
But you and I now in love are tolove our wife.
(41:50):
That's what God says.
He doesn't, uh, ask us to dothat.
It is instruction.
And if we do that, that's theword that the fa, the husband
needs to bear in mind, to lovehis wife.
And then the next verse, the26th verse, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with thewashing of the water by the
(42:12):
word.
Now that is indicating that itgoes on.
I know the 25th verse isreferring to the past 26th to
the present, 27th to the future.
I'd like to apply that to thehusband in his relationship with
his wife.
It's an enduring love.
It's not up and down.
And then the next verse looks oninto the glory that he might
(42:36):
present it.
This is Christ to himself, aglorious church not having spot
a wrinkle or any such thing, butthat it should be holy and
without blemish.
There is the purpose of this.
So we were speaking at noontoday about marriage.
Why?
It's not just something that Godhas given for the orderliness of
(42:59):
the world.
It is an example, uh, of God'spurposes and that is that God,
his beloved son would have abride in the glory with him.
If you and I as husbands bearthis in mind that this is God's
purpose in it all, then there isgoing to be indeed, indeed
(43:21):
blessing.
You might, I remember years ago,an older brother saying.
If I, if I, if I have a wifethat is very lovable, it's very
easy.
But if I have a wife that is notvery lovable, then I'm going to
have to call upon God to help meto obey, and that is to love my
(43:45):
wife.
Now, if you and I are drawingfrom Christ, if you and I as
husbands are drawing fromChrist, it's going to be easy to
love our wife.
I hope my wife doesn't mindmaking my, making these remarks,
but it is so important for usnow.
It's not to whether the wife islovable or not, it is God's
(44:09):
instruction and for blessing inour life.
Go over to Colossians again, andthere we see the instructions,
chapter three verse 19.
Husbands.
Love your wives and be notbitter against them.
(44:31):
Bitter against them.
Why is that put in there?
Well, I believe it's this, thatmen are in business.
We in business, we know thatit's a hard world and there
needs to be firmness.
But God is saying here that inthe relationship with the wife,
there can't be that bitterness.
(44:51):
And let me say this, that menhave a tendency more to rely on
reasoning and the wife onaffections and so, and emotions.
So there is a difference there.
And God is telling us inColossians not to be bitter
toward them.
How, uh, good this is Now thengo over to one Peter, chapter
three, verse seven.
(45:13):
Likewise, ye husbands dwell withthem according to knowledge,
giving honor unto the wife asunto the weaker vessel and as
being heirs together of thegrace of life that your prayers
be not hindered.
(45:34):
A believing wife has knowledge.
I think that is, I believethat's what the reference is.
The wife has that knowledge nowthe man is to treat his wife in
that way- that she has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and she
is instructed to.
I often say this, that it is agood thing for a husband to have
(45:54):
his wife as a sounding board.
And when he asks her opinion, ifthat wife is a godly wife, he's
going to get a spiritualresponse to that sound and he's
going to be wise if he listensto it.
But on his side now that tellsus there he is to dwell with
(46:16):
them according to knowledge andgive honor to them.
Why?
That your prayers be nothindered.
We need to be praying together,and it is important for us to be
praying with a good conscience.
I mentioned before that the thesequence in which instructions
are given, it's quite important.
(46:38):
And in each of these cases, inEphesians and Colossians, the
wife is first.
Now we're living in a day whenthe women's lib, of course, it's
faded a bit, but nevertheless itstill is very important.
Equality.
(46:58):
Equality God's word knowsnothing of that.
Christianity affords a woman aplace of privilege that no other
society gives or no otherreligion, so called.
It puts the wife in a positionof dignity and respect.
So let's look at that 22ndverse.
(47:21):
Wives submit yourselves untoyour own husbands as unto the
Lord.
Now there is another word thatis important equally with the
husband's word of loving thewife.
(47:41):
Here's the wife's word now-submission.
We hate that naturally, don'twe?
I'm speaking as a naturalperson.
I'm not talking about aChristian.
I'm talking about that old lifethat we have.
Submission is just repugnant tothe old nature.
But you sisters, you wives thatare here tonight, the word of
(48:04):
God is giving you and me thesecret of blessing in your life.
And it tells us there in thatverse,"Submit yourselves into
your own husbands as unto theLord." If you can see the Lord
behind your husband, you'regoing to be easily submitting to
(48:25):
Him.
Doesn't tell us the wives tolove their husbands, except in
one particular case, I thinkit's in Titus, when there was a
specific purpose that was giventhere.
Now I'd like to take a minute toexplain what a wife's special
privilege here on earth is.
(48:49):
God had as an object before himthat He was going to have
children.
And secondly, that His son wasgoing to have a wife.
And marriage isn't just a,something that is evolved in
society, that is working well.
(49:10):
No, indeed.
It is an example of this factthat the Lord Jesus Christ is
going to have a wife foreternity.
And every believer in this roomtonight is going to be married
in that marriage-, 19th ofRevelation- to the Lord in
(49:32):
heaven.
Now, if you wives.
I can see that you have theprivilege that we as men don't
have because I can't live outthe part of a wife.
I'm the husband.
My wife can.
You wives, you can.
And if you realize that, thatyou are in your submission to
(49:57):
your husband and seeing him asGod in that home of yours,
you're going to be blessed to gointo homes sometimes.
And we see signs that say Christis the Head of this house.
It's not really scriptural.
The father- the husband- is thehead of the wife of the wife and
of the home.
And there we find that word foryou, dear sisters.
(50:22):
Submitting the nature in you.
That old nature resists thateverything that we're hearing in
our society these days is a windagainst it.
But if you sisters realize thisthen you are going to take it
take as a natural thing.
(50:42):
You don't need to be taught inthe word to love your husband.
That is going to come naturally.
But what about submission?
Oh, this is going to be the keyof your happiness if you really
follow that out.
It's the very foundation of, asI said, of our society, the
family unit, the wife's part inthat family relationship.
(51:08):
And if you live that out, you'regoing to be living out this
wonderful example.
I see you, some of you sistershave hats on tonight.
It's not because it's a customfor us to wear.
For you sisters to wear a hat.
It is a token of submission.
(51:28):
I know it's it's been given upeverywhere.
And I'm sorry to see sometimesthat lots of sisters leave their
hats in the meeting rooms andjust put them on before the
meeting starts, and then theywalk out the door without it.
And just saying this in passing,the neighbors would just think
then they're just the same asanyone else.
(51:48):
But there again, if you dearsisters, realize that this is
God's order for blessing in yourlife and in your relationship
with your husband, you're goingto readily be willing to submit.
Eve is an example of using herwill.
(52:10):
She reasoned, she didn'trecognize that God was wanting
to bless them.
And there she didn't stay withher husband.
She listened to another personapart from her husband, and we
know the disaster that has comeright into this whole world.
This has brought this wholeworld right down to the present
(52:32):
sad state.
What did the Lord Jesus say whenhe was here?
Think of this.
I came not to do my own will,but the will of Him that sent
me.
What a wonderful statement thatis.
What is an example of theblessed Lord Jesus! This is for
you as a wife to be willing tosubmit to the authority of your
(52:58):
husband.
Now what happens if yourhusband's will is contrary to
the word of God?
This is a serious situation,isn't it?
He's asking you to do somethingthat conscientiously you cannot
do.
What are you to do?
I believe this, that if you arewith a good conscience in your
(53:22):
life- you're going to have theconfidence to say to your
husband- I cannot do what youask me to do because the word of
God tells me otherwise.
And you have to submit then andcount upon the Lord and you're
going to be able to count on theLord, to carry you through to
submit only until it is aninstruction contrary to the word
(53:48):
of God.
I hope I make that plain.
Let's turn to one Peter.
And we see that beautifullycountered and answered one Peter
three in one.
Likewise ye wives be inobjection to your own husbands.
That of any obey not the word.
They also may without the wordbe won by the conversation of
(54:12):
the wives.
Now, here is another situationto people that might have been
unsaved.
They marry, the wife comes toknow the Lord as Savior.
Husband unsaved?
What is she to do?
To leave him?
No.
One Corinthians seven says notto.
(54:35):
If he be pleased to dwell withthe believer.
Do not leave.
But what is the wife to do?
Oh, this is going to call onyour drawing from the Lord to
live before that unsaved husbandof yours.
(54:55):
In a way as that word says, notby preaching at him, but it says
without the word that they mayalso without the word be won by
the conversation or manner oflife of the wife.
Or how important that is.
There used to be a littlepamphlet,"how to win your
(55:17):
Husband to Christ." I gave it toa girl that was in this
position, say unsaved husband.
She read it.
I saw her a week or so later andI said to her, how did you enjoy
that paper?
She said, it wasn't for myhusband, it was for me.
She had to learn the lessons ofwhat she was going on with that
(55:38):
were was inconsistent in herlife.
And I often say this too towives who are the Lords and
married to an unsaved man.
Don't pray so much for yourhusband.
You pray for yourself.
You pray that there won't beinconsistency in your life, that
though your husband may not bereading the word of God as this
(56:01):
passage says, he's going to bereading you.
And if there is that consistencyin your Christian life, there is
the assurance that husband isgoing to be won for Christ.
So sure it says there that hemay be won without the word,
without the constant preaching,but the living.
Now go over to the next verse,second verse.
(56:22):
"While they behold"- notice thatword"while"- there's the hinge.
"While they behold your chasteconversation." Chaste means
polished.
Not having erosion on it.
Nothing that is going to blurthat outshining of its
clearness.
(56:43):
Coupled with fear.
This is important.
It's not a question of ofpressing your will.
You're never gonna win yourhusband that way, but it is in
fear of the Lord.
Now look at the next verse.
Very important, who's adorning-let it not be that outward
adorning of platting the hairand of wearing of gold or a
(57:05):
putting on of apparel, but letit be the hidden man of the
heart in that which is notcorruptible even the ornament of
a meek and quiet spirit, whichis in the spite of God.
Sometimes a sister, feels thatthe way to win her husband is to
(57:29):
be looking as beautiful as shepossibly can, so that her
husband will stay with her.
That avenue, dear wives, sistershere that are here tonight, you
never can count upon God in thatway.
You're not gonna have thatassurance.
But it is an adorning- not theoutward adorning- but the
(57:51):
adorning of the heart.
That is what is going to bringblessing into your life.
Paul said,"modest apparel."Modest apparel.
I hope I'm not offending anyone,but we are living in a day when
it, we are drifting toward moreand more falling into the
(58:15):
world's fashions and habits.
And it is something I believethat is a word in season.
We have to be careful of this.
It's a sad thing to have to sayit, that when a sister and
speaking now just wives, when asister comes into the Lord's
presence.
(58:35):
In a way that is un- suited.
I say that un suited to sit downin the Lord's presence and think
that I am crucified to the worldand the world unto me.
I just say that in passing.
I believe that you and I shouldcome into a meeting that nobody
(58:58):
noticed what we are wearing.
And then I believe we are suitedsuitably apparel.
We're not gonna be drawingattention to ourselves either
being too shabby or overdressed.
How important the word of Godstresses these points.
And so there is that assurancethat the Lord will work when
(59:19):
there is that that desire.
Now let's go over to Exoduschapter 20 verse 12..
Now we turn onto the subject ofmothers.
Honor thy father and thy motherthy days that thy days may be
(59:40):
long upon the earth, which theLord thy God giveth thee God.
There insists on honor beingpaid to the mother.
Sometimes sad to say it I seemothers being rudely spoken to
by her boys and girls, and thisis a very sad thing because God
(01:00:05):
says there in those 10commandments that there is to be
a place of honor for the mother.
Think of some of the honorablemothers in the scripture.
Think of Hannah in one Samuelchapter one who is
misunderstood.
She was belittled by anotherwife in those days, and she also
(01:00:34):
was misunderstood by the highpriest into his thinking that
she was drunk.
But in her heart, there was thatgodly longing for a child, a
son, and God honored her.
Oh dear sisters here, youmothers, you are very much in
(01:00:59):
the in the spotlight by yourchildren.
They're looking up to you.
You can count on God if there isin your heart that drawing from
the Lord.
And there was Hannah, she wasblessed.
Samuel was born to her.
And God withheld that childbecause there was something that
(01:01:24):
was needed in her life to learn.
And when the time came, whenIsrael had gotten to a stage
where they needed Samuel, Godgave Samuel to her.
God is a perfect timetable forevery one of you wives.
And if you and I are justpatient, you wives, I should say
(01:01:44):
are just patient, God will carryout His promises of blessing.
Jochebed was another faithfulwoman.
She saw that little child, Moseswas a favored child.
She had the courage.
Beautiful to read it in Exoduschapter one, and she hid that
(01:02:07):
child.
It says that she did that- itdoesn't say anything, but the
husband- it says that she builtan ark and she put that little
baby in it and she instructedthe family where to hide that
child.
And he was hidden there threemonths.
God bless that mother! Oh dearyou dear Mothers here tonight.
(01:02:29):
God wants to bless you.
He wants to bless you.
And if you mothers, if youfollow the word of God, you're
going to be blessed.
You are in a difficult timebringing up children.
I hear some mothers saying,"Whyit's getting so dark that we
shouldn't really be bringingchildren into the world." Yeah,
(01:02:51):
that's as as much as saying ifit doesn't get any worse, I can
manage.
But if it does get any worse, Ican't.
Oh, you can count on the Lord!It doesn't depend on how
difficult the day is.
He will preserve us.
He'll preserve you.
And if you are faithful to Him,why you can count on Him with
(01:03:13):
absolute confidence! Just thinkof Timothy young man in the
second chapter of Timothychapter one, I think it is.
And there he had a faithfulmother and a faithful
grandmother- named.
You might not be named in thescriptures, but if you are being
faithful to the Lord, God isgoing to bless you and those
(01:03:37):
dear children that you are arebringing up.
A memory of my mother is vividin my life in my heart, in my
mind tonight, when I think ofher in that kitchen long ago,
60, 70 years ago.
What is my memory of her?
An open bible on the beside thesink.
(01:03:58):
Every once in a while, goingover to look at those verses to
memorize the word of God.
Who are you mothers drawing fromthe word of God?
You need it.
You need it in wisdom to bringup your dear children.
Don't let the other thingsinfluence you in this regard.
(01:04:18):
Oh, are we faithful?
Are you sisters faithful asmothers?
How important it would be.
Let's turn to a lovely pictureof a faithful mother in Proverbs
chapter 31.
It's good for you mothers toread all of these verses
(01:04:38):
starting with the 10th verse,and we're only going to read a
couple of them.
How encouraging these words are.
Who can find a virtuous womanfor her prices far above rubies?
Seven times her hands are spokenof in these passages once her
(01:05:02):
mouth.
I'm not saying thisdisparagingly, but it is
instructive, isn't it?
That the part of the woman is tobe in the home and to be doing
those things that are going tobe for the benefit of her
children and of her husband.
Look at the 25th verse.
Strength and honor are herclothing, and she shall rejoice
(01:05:28):
in time to come.
Verse 28, her children arise up.
I love this verse.
Her children arise up and callher.
Blessed her husband also, and heprays of her.
Oh, nothing thrills me more thanwhen I hear some of the children
(01:05:54):
saying,"thank God for mymother".
Are you, are your children goingto be able to say that about
you?
It says it here.
I'm not saying this.
God says it.
Her children arise up and callher blessed.
Oh, we're living in a world thatis rushing down to hell.
And if the Lord doesn't comesoon, the storms that are just
(01:06:17):
gathering all around us, they'regoing to be breaking more and
more every day.
It's getting worse.
My son was saying just a littlewhile back, it's not only
getting worse, but it's gettingworse faster, and it, we're not
in a valley and we're going tocome back.
There's no return.
It is going down and you and Ineed to be living and serving
(01:06:40):
the Lord with purpose of heartto survive.
That's enough for the wives.
Now, the last one, the children,and let's go right over to
Genesis and I just wanna say inconnection with the children.
I hope some of your childrenhave been listening because we
(01:07:02):
have been bringing before yourfathers and your mothers that
they need to be obedient to God.
And now what I'm going to say toyou children and to you,
teenagers or older ones, I wantto bring before you a word of
encouragement.
I know so often we're lookingdown or looking at the children
(01:07:25):
and the young people in SaintMaya.
Isn't it so bad they're justgetting worse and worse?
But what about us?
What kind of an example are weliving?
I quoted in one Peter chapterfive and verse three, where it
mentioned that the fathers wereto be examples to the flock.
But what about one Timothy four12?
(01:07:48):
There.
It tells that Timothy was to bean example, not to but of the
believers.
Oh, you dear boys and girls, areyou?
Do you belong to the Lord?
Have I asked you if you belongto the Lord?
I might say, yes.
How's your life?
Is it obedient to your parents?
(01:08:10):
You see that to be obedient tothe your parents is the same as
being obedient to the Lord.
Let's just look here now inchapter 22 of Genesis in verse
18, and in thy seed shall allnations of the earth be blessed,
(01:08:30):
because thou has obeyed Myvoice.
There was the cause, becausethou has to obeyed My voice Who
could reverse it?
Because thou hast obeyed myvoice in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed.
There's the fruit.
You boys and girls- do you wannabe blessed in your life?
(01:08:53):
I see some of the boys noddingtheir heads.
Thank God for that.
Would to God, there would bemore desire in your heart to
live for the Lord.
Nothing thrills us more than togo back to a place that we
haven't been for a few years andthere to see the boys and girls
(01:09:14):
growing in their souls.
Obedient to their parents.
The key of it, dear boys andgirls, and you, teenagers and
all the way up, obedience to theword of God.
You'll be blessed if you dothat.
The older ones in the assemblyare passing on and if the Lord
(01:09:35):
doesn't come soon, the olderones are gonna be gone.
Young men in the assembly, howimportant it is for you to be
taking a hold, not just leavingit to the older ones, but to be
growing in your souls, feedingyourself.
Don't want to be always spoonfed by your parents.
(01:09:56):
Nice when you're little babiesto have the food put into your
mouth, but it's nicer when wegrow a little bit older to start
to reach for the spoon and toput the spoon with the food in
our mouth ourself.
Now the same thing applies tothe word of God.
Are we reading it?
Are we keeping away from badcompany?
For the many years in the gospeltent, I've asked many of the
(01:10:18):
teenagers, what is the mostserious problem that you have?
And almost invariably, keepingaway from bad boys and girls.
Let me say that to you.
Keep away from them.
Keep away from, they're onlygoing to drag you down.
Wonderful.
And so there is that wonderfulpromise that God gives us.
(01:10:42):
Now then let's go over to twoTimothy, and there we will see a
very nice thing.
Two Timothy chapter three, versetwo.
Verse one says, knowing thisknow also that in the last days
perilous or difficult timesshall come.
(01:11:04):
That was written 2000 years ago.
Were living in 1985.
We're living just before theLord comes back.
It's the last times whatcharacterizes the last time.
Look at the second verse.
I'm not gonna read all thatverse, but look at toward the
end of that second verse,disobedient to parents.
(01:11:24):
That's the nature, that's thecharacter of the world today.
Disobedience to parents.
Verse three, without naturalaffection.
I said at the very beginningthat to be in submission and to
be following the word of God isgoing to be a blessing.
(01:11:46):
I'm gonna hold out a key to you.
You dear young ones heretonight.
That key as a word, honor tospell what that word key means.
And it is O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E.
There is no substitute for thisobedience.
(01:12:09):
And if you realize that yourfather and your mother are just
the same as the Lord.
And when you are obeying them,you are obeying the Lord.
You are going to be blessed andGod wants to bless you dear boys
and girls and older ones too.
And as I mentioned before, Iwant to just encourage you,
(01:12:29):
there's so much to discourageyou dear boys and girls.
I was asking one at the intervalthere, you get discouraged.
Yes.
I don't like to ask that.
Boy does your, do your parentsdiscourage you?
But what about the parents?
Are we discouraging our childrenas we saw, but are our children,
ah, are we encouraging ourselfin the Lord?
(01:12:52):
That's what David did.
Don't miss the happiness thatGod has for you.
He has blessing and He's goingto bless you and He offers you
that wonderful key.
Just think of all the unhappyboys and girls.
Like the prodigal son that youknow, and we know some of them.
(01:13:15):
One of the boys in our assemblysaved through the grace of God.
His older brother went intodrugs, his mind blown, his older
sister went into drugs, went upon the top of one of the
buildings and leap over, and thefather said to that boy when he
(01:13:38):
started into it to the thirdboy, he said, that's enough.
That's enough.
I don't want any more like that.
Get outta this house.
He threw him out.
French Canadian boy, God had oneof the faithful boys in the
assembly waiting as it wereoutside that door and he met
him.
(01:13:59):
He brought him into his home.
He fed that boy.
He was not much older, but hewas working to help that boy to
get on his feet.
The boy was saved.
He was gathered to the name ofthe Lord Jesus Christ, happily
going on.
But the poor boy was onto drugsso much that he never recovered
(01:14:19):
and he became despondent fromtime to time.
Oh, I just say this.
I know that you boys and girls,by God's grace are being
preserved from it, but keep awayfrom all those awful things.
That poor boy became sad anddiscouraged, and as it were, the
Lord just looked down onto poor,didn't he?
(01:14:42):
And said to him, you're findingit too hard down there.
I'm gonna take you away.
And the poor boy was drowned inhis own bathtub around 21 years
of age with the Lord now, butoh, how serious it is.
Don't allow any of those things.
I you might not say no, that ofcourse I wouldn't do.
(01:15:03):
I would just wanna say a littleword about social drinking.
It's creeping in to homes and itis creeping in amongst the young
people, and it can only bringdisaster.
Drunkenness is on is justgetting worse and worse.
And you older boys and girls, weneed to keep away from those
(01:15:25):
awful influences because theyare insidious.
They will trap us, they'll trapyou, and may God just preserve
you dear young ones.
From this.
As I said before, just think ofall those sad cases of those
prodigals and these institutionsthat are handling young people.
(01:15:48):
What lies behind it?
What's the root, I might say, ofevery one of them?
It starts with disobedience toparents errands.
That's where it starts.
In subjection to the word ofGod.
I won't turn to it.
I see our time is going fast.
Deuteronomy chapter 27, I'lljust read you that verse.
(01:16:10):
It says, cursed be he thatsetteth light by his father or
his mother, and all the peopleshall say, amen.
There's a curse.
There is an awful statement thatGod says that if you and I make
light of our father and ourmother, it is a sad thing.
(01:16:32):
Look in the contrast now inProverbs chapter six in verse
20.
Proverbs six 20, my son, keepthy father's commandment and
forsake not the law of thymother.
Bind them continually upon thyheart and tie them about th thy
(01:16:52):
neck.
When thou goest, it shall leadthe Isn't that wonderful?
When thou ghost, it shall leadthe, it's going to go be ahead
of you like the cloud in the,with the children of Israel,
when thou sleep, it shall keepthee.
That cloud went to the back ofthe children of Israel when
danger came and it preservedthem.
(01:17:14):
God's word will keep you.
It will guide you, it'll keepyou.
And then it says, and when thouawakest, it shall talk with
thee.
How beautiful that is.
Drawings, strength from theLord's word and learning what
the Lord is saying to you forthe commandment is a lamp, and
(01:17:37):
the law is light.
That's the word of God.
And reproves of instruction arethe way of life.
How wonderful that is.
Now over to Ephesians chapter 6,4, 1 or two last words in verse
(01:17:58):
one, children obey your parentsin the Lord.
For this is right.
This is right.
How beautiful that is.
This is right.
(01:18:18):
Honor thy father and thy mother,which is the first commandment
with promise that it may be wellwith thee and that thou may live
long on the earth.
Now I know that wouldn'tnecessarily apply to a guarantee
that you're going to live a longtime, but you're gonna be
(01:18:40):
blessed in your life.
Oh dear young people.
I'm finished my little talk now.
And I just want to encourageyou, dear boys and girls, you
ones who are getting into yourteens, this is a wonderful
Christian life.
Nothing like it.
I'm an old man now, but I cantell you that it gets sweeter as
(01:19:03):
the days go by.
If you wanna be blessed in thisdark world, keep on, keep away
from those ones that would harmyou and get this key from God's
word to walking in obedience tothat word and an obedience to
(01:19:24):
your father and your mother.
And God will bless you.
If the Lord leaves us here andwe come back to Toledo,
sometime, would to God- and thisis my closing prayer, that the
Lord will preserve you dear boysand girls.
One of these moments, we're allgoing to be gone and we're going
to be.
Facing the Lord Jesus there inglory.
(01:19:47):
May you and die you dearchildren, you, teenagers, you
older fathers, and mothers whoare still young, you mothers,
you wives, husbands, fathers-keep on! Paul, in his closing
words to Timothy, he said twowords as he laid down his pen in
(01:20:13):
that Roman prison, and he said,"continue thou".
I say this as we pass on thesewords to you, beloved ones,
everyone, husbands, fathers,wives, mothers, children,
"continue thou".
May the Lord just bless thesewords.
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