Ten Keys to Your Salvation - Part 5 - Honor Your Parents

When we look at God's Ten Commandments, we find that the fifth commandment through the tenth commandment, they involve aspects of conduct by humans. Human behavior, we call it.

These particular commandments, the fifth through the tenth, are God's royal law of love, involved between humans. They are tailored to physical human beings. Obviously, spirit beings don't marry. They don't break some of those commandments as spirit beings, but this is God's spirit law, His holy law, that's applicable to us as human beings.

Violations of these particular keys to your salvation and mine have a very strong impact on negative consequences on individuals, on families, on organizations, and on societies.

Consequently, God puts these right at the forefront as part of the Ten Commandments that He gives us. Interestingly, the first of these, the fifth commandment, says, honor your father and mother. Now, we as humans probably, if you just think about this, relegate that to a minor kind of commandment. It sort of fades and drifts away depending on how old the parents are, if they're still there, how much they're a part of your life, etc., etc. Seems, in a sense, somewhat diverted from the Great Ten, right? Like, don't break the Sabbath. You know, don't have a law, don't have a God before the Almighty God. Don't kill somebody. When you think of honor your father and mother, it kind of comes across a little lightweight, we might think. Is it less crucial than the others? Is it less important than the others? Well, after all, in your mind and my mind, in the age in which we live, I would say, yes, that is definitely the case. But is that the case in God's mind? After all, father and mother are typically out of mind. You know, as a young person grows up, they want less and less to do it. Their parents, they want to get away from their parents. All of us who are adults have gone through that, and we flew the nest, and we were off looking forward, and we were developing, and we want to grow, and we want all these events and things, etc., etc.

So a parent's view is often in our rearview mirror. That's how we see them, is something that's historical, something that may be antiquated in a way, and something that is not really a factor in one's busy life as a young adult. So this tether that we have with parents tends to get separated. The Bible even says, you know, a man shall leave his father and mother, separate that, cleave into his wife. He wants us to become independent families. Parents often want to cling and hang on to and control the kids as long as they possibly can, and sometimes there's this almost civil war that happens in a family. When parents who want to hang on and control and domineer won't let their young adult children step out and have a life of their own, which God offers them. At the same time, sometimes we find that a young adult will simply take everything the parents have given them and fly without ever looking back, without appreciation, or with any sort of responsibility. And so, when a young adult has an income stream and everything is new and exciting, and they're getting a new job and a new car and a new house and new furniture and new sports gear and new hobbies and new friends, new challenges, new travel, see, they're off and running. They often wear through things pretty fast. Clothing wears out as they grow or as they wear it out and their kids wear it out and there's this continual new clothing that comes in. Their vehicles wear out. Their housing goods wear out. Their entertainment things tend to wear out. And with an income stream, those things are constantly being replaced with better phones and faster technology in order to keep up with the work and the life that they need. Their furnishings are wearing out, needing up, updating. And so, they are replacing and upgrading constantly. And yet, retired parents with a small income stream are not wearing things out rapidly. And they are taking care of things. And those things tend to last, whether they be clothing or vehicles or furnishings. Or things that they have possessed and owned their whole life that remain. Why would you throw those things away when you live on limited funds? And so, in the minds of young people, parents begin to antiquate and their things become antiques and their clothing styles look old and their vehicles are old and their technologies are old and their phones are old and the systems that run technologies are the old ones. They might say, well, I can't tell an HDMI from a 5G and why can't I fax off my flip phone. You know, some things just don't make sense. And they might say things like, when I was your age, and then describe something that has no real relevance to modern technology, or my advice would be. So we typically view parents through this rear view lens and we diminish, perhaps, their role to one of being judged. In other words, I am advancing. I am going forward. What did they do for me? Now, when you look at someone through a judgmental eyes, through the self lens of what did they do for me, the only thing you can come up with is condemnation, because no one can rise to the level of self that you would want them to. And so parents often also get judged or condemned easily. Why didn't they do more to advance my life? Why didn't they do more of this for me? Why didn't they help me more in this way? I didn't get this. I didn't get that. Caution. Self-focus is a very partial judge. It is almost inevitable that self will seek to put blame on everybody else but the one who's living the life.

In other words, I didn't have good teachers. I didn't have the attention I needed.

There must be something that the problems I'm having is related to my heritage, my DNA, the genes that my family has, to the lack of this that I had growing up, the lack of that that I had, maybe some childhood illness I had, bad teachers, a lack of support, some criticism I got, maybe a feeling of abandonment. Every one of those things has a link back to your parents.

And it's very easy then from the lens of self-focus to be judgmental of our parents. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 1 and break out of the carnal human reasoning here in see what God tells us. And this is reaffirmed in the New Covenant. In the book of Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 1, children obey, we might also say, honor, respect, revere your parents in the Lord.

Not just your parents, but here we have a link to God, a link to the New Covenant.

For this is right. Doing this is righteousness. To honor them. Verse 2, honor your father, honor your mother, which is the first commandment. So suddenly we find ourselves in something that's not rational according to human logic, something that is not easily explained to us as we propel ourselves forward in a quest of a better life for me. We're told here to do something that we've thrown into the rearview mirror. To stop, obey as children, honor as adults, our parents, which is the first commandment with promise. Notice that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Now don't just relegate this to, well, if you obey your parents and don't run out in the street after a ball, you'll live longer. This, in verse 1, is about in the Lord and a connection with the Lord. And all of us want to live a long life, don't we? How long do you want to live your life? I would like my life to live forever. So in the context of the New Covenant, we want a long life, don't we? That it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. So we see this is why it's commandment of God, not just because it's a good thing for children to do, but also this is an element of God's character that he wants us to build in our lives.

What is so crucial about honoring parents? That's what we'll look at today during the sermon. The title of the sermon today is 10 Keys to Your Salvation, and this is part five, Honor Your Parents. Character begins to form during childhood. See, we've skipped, haven't we? We've skipped to holy righteous character all the way from young adults living an exciting life.

Character begins to form during childhood. During our formative years, the attitudes that we develop towards others are molded. Molded just like clay that gets fired. And if we have the proper attitudes as children developed and molded into us, then those attitudes throughout our life will be proper. The fifth commandment is all about learning to respect others from childhood. Learning to respect others from childhood. Not just learning about it, but actually doing it. Respecting others from childhood. And this commandment shows us from whom the fundamentals of respect come. It comes from family, from father, just as in the New Covenant. Father in heaven has our our great honor. His son, our husband, it's all about family, children, authorities. And we are to learn that. Not just as aging spiritual people somehow have this secondary thought process that we have towards God. We're supposed to have this from childhood on in respect to all people.

It guides us as to how we are to yield to others something that's not appreciated in society.

Submission to authority. It's hated by humans, hated by society. Yielding to others. Yielding in work, school, relationships, marriages, parents, children. You can see instantly that there are strong issues with that taking place everywhere. A key is those children who are mentored to follow this instruction from God establish a lifetime pattern of respect for authorities. A respect for authorities is a great, wonderful gift. It's not a bad thing at all. Society and Satan want you to think it's a horrible thing to submit to authority. Well, that's just horrible. It should be all about me, the self. But in fact, submitting to authority and being humble and submissive is what Jesus Christ is to God the Father. It's what all of us are to Jesus Christ if we want to be part of that family. And throughout Ephesians chapter 5, actually the whole book of Ephesians, we're taught about submitting to God and submitting to each other.

A godly person who honors and respects others throughout his lifetime is actually developing an aspect of holy righteous character that God wants to harvest into his family. Let's look, for instance, at 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 17. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 17. Now, we all know what the two great commandments are, right? Love God with your heart, soul, and mind. What does that mean? Submit yourself to God. Submit yourself to God. Obey and honor him and obey him. And love your neighbor as yourself. How do you love other people? You submit yourself. You submit your wealth. You submit your will. You submit your time to other people. The Bible tells us to submit yourselves to one another. It's a concept. It's a good thing. And here in 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 17, it says, honor all people. Well, that flies in the face of modern society, doesn't it? Who gets honor today? Well, nobody in authority at the highest positions, nobody in authority at the lowest positions, nobody gets honor. Some guy with a gun roaring around shooting people might say, you better respect me. Is that honor where it should be? Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Love the brotherhood. It doesn't say love certain individuals who help you, embellish you, say nice things about you, encourage your life, help you on your speedway to fame and fortune. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Now, how many of you know a king, a president, a governor that does everything so great that you just say, oh, I just want to honor him. Maybe I'll make a bronze statue to him, declare a holiday to him or her. And it doesn't happen, does it? It doesn't happen. Those things are done by that individual himself. And then people generally tear him down later once the person leaves office. But he's not going to be able to leave the person leaves office. But here's what God says. Honor all people. That means everybody everywhere, no matter what situation they're in, love the brotherhood, no matter who.

Fear God, which means deeply honor and respect God, and honor the king. Now, this is interesting because we've been part of a society that for decades has loathed disciplining children. They have they have gone the opposite direction.

The counterculture has been, no, have children dishonor and let them do anything they want. And then, of course, those children who grew up became the parents.

And then they taught their children to dishonor, and they grew up and became the parents. We have multiple generations now, and you can see how this is rolling out around the world. People are shooting each other every day, multiple mass shootings. People are tearing things down, ripping things apart. They're they're disgracing, they're defaming, they're destroying. These are the children who never, as children, followed the fifth commandment. And people in society today think, oh, this is great. Even people in the church think, oh, this is wise. You know, this is really wise. People who loathe their parents and loathe authorities bring about the collapse of societies. Let's see how God feels about this. Let's go to Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 9.

Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 9.

For everyone who curses his father or mother, now this is one who is saying negative things about father or mother, a tendency of humanity, whoever says these negative things about his father or mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him. We can see here the stark contrast between God's family, who is to love, respect, and honor everyone. What contrasts that is to Satan's society that would curse even one's parents or complain about them. One society is building and growing and will last forever. The other society is crumbling. It's disintegrating. It's going to have its worst days ever for humanity in the near future, and it ultimately will be destroyed. Society mandates, in fact, that children should not obey their parents, should not really honor them. We have to ask, which do I support? Do I support the Ten Commandments, or do I support society?

We find in Ephesians chapter 6 and Deuteronomy chapter 5 and Exodus chapter 20 that God says, Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the earth.

The opposite of that shortens life. It shortens everyone's life, not just the child's life. It shortens society's life.

In Romans chapter 1 and verse 28, right at the very beginning of the book of Romans, notice how lives are shortened and how disobedience to parents is linked with those who hate God himself. Disobedience to parents is okay. Well, then that is the mindset of those who hate God, it says. Notice Romans chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 28 and read through the end of the chapter. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, you know, humans want to have the choice of good and evil themselves, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness, that means the opposite of right, according to God in His Word, things like sexual immorality, of all types, of all flavors. And this is just rolled out everywhere all the time. Wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, whispers, backbiters, gossippers, haters of God, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things. Notice the next one, disobedient to parents.

See how it fits? It is all there, encapsulated in a society of lawlessness. And they are, verse 31, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, they not only do the same, but approve of those who practice them.

So this fifth commandment suddenly becomes very important, doesn't it? It puts us either linked with the family of God by keeping it, or if we disregard it, we suddenly find ourselves among those that Revelation 21, verse 8, are going to see burned in the lake of fire if they don't repent.

It's easy for us to be influenced by society around us. What happens out there happens in here a little bit later, maybe to a little lesser degree, but it comes in. What society does impacts the church, and so it has become somewhat fashionable, it seems, even within the church, among some members, to curse their government leaders, to curse authorities, to speak evil of dignitaries. You'll hear this at times. You'll hear people criticize parents, teachers, leaders, programs, institutions. That's what we do in society, honestly. Come on. It's what we do in this age, right? And so it trickles in. But this is why we have the Sabbath. This is why we have God's Word. This is why we have God's Spirit. We're to come out of this world, and we need to push back on a member's social media page with someone's post recently that was spewing vitriol about the governor using four-letter words, the foulest four-letter words, lots of them you can imagine. And after it were several likes. People liked it. I'm just showing you here that society trickles in. Society comes on board if we're not careful. We see it in the news. Well, if it's on the news, I mean, everybody's doing it. Of course, it's in entertainment, on TV, radio, back talking to authority, bad attitudes, people unthoughtful. One might assume that disrespecting authority has now become a tradition in the church. It's kind of what we do, too. You know, we're probably getting good at it disrespecting authority. Let's notice what the head of our church says about that in Matthew chapter 15 verses 3 through 9. Matthew 15 and verse 3. It's good for us to pause on the Sabbath. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath. He's the head of the church, the head of the body. He's our husband. Matthew 15 and verse 3 says this, And He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? But we have this tradition. We have this custom. It's in society. It's what we do in the 21st century. Why do you transgress the commandment of God, the fifth commandment?

For God commands saying, Honor your father and your mother.

He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.

See, this is now in the New Testament, and this is Jesus Christ telling us. He says, Because of what you say, you say whoever says this or that, verse 6, then he need not honor his father and mother. Well, because of this or because of that, I don't need to. Because they didn't do this or they didn't do that or blah, blah, blah, I don't need to. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Well, did Isaiah say of you, These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. What's that applied to? Honoring father and mother. So let's each look at ourselves. Let's look at ourselves today and ask ourselves, how can I improve on the fifth commandment? And how can I move it into the forefront as one of the biggies, one of the big commandments, the important ones? In 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1, we find that this is right at the core and center of the attitudes in the end times.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the Bible says this is what it's going to be like in the end time. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 through 5.

But know this in the last days dangerous perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves. Here's the young adult mindset. You know, we're often running in life. Lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient, two parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanders, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God. Come out of that. See? Fight against that. Put that away. Turn off those entertaining things. Turn off the news. Don't just constantly get absorbed with it all the time until it's what you think reality is. That's not what reality is. That's an advert. That's an advertisement of Satan to get everyone in the world to think that this is life. It's not life.

You know, what you see on TV isn't real. Shut it off. Look out the window. What are you doing? That's real. It's the only reality there is. We have God's directives in His Scripture. Let's notice down in verse 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness. This is where we need to spend our time. This is reality in the life that we go out and live once we read some of God's Scripture and pray and then go forward and have a real life.

That the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. Life is actually very good. It's full of good works where you live, where I live, in what we are involved with. Our future is bright. It's not the tribulation. It's not the end time. Our future is a daily relationship with God that's filled with blessings raining down from the Father of lights. And so the honor of parents is vital. It's vital. It's one of the core elements of God's purpose for you and me to honor our spiritual and physical parents and family and relationships. You know, when we all come up in the kingdom of God and we're created as spirit beings, we're all going to be where Jesus Christ places us. I go to prepare a place for you. We know that God the Father will be the Head. Jesus Christ will be under him. Then we have some of the apostles. We have David. We have a bride. We have kings over or governors over cities, some five and ten. Some over this, some over that. We need to dovetail and fill whatever responsibility God has prepared for you and me in beautiful harmony and great reverence and respect for all involved. We need to be learning that now. God created you to be in his family. He wants you to be like his family, learning to be like his family. He wants you to be his child and he wants to be your father. As it says in verse 16 of 2 Timothy 3, all scripture is given by God. This is what God wants. Irrespective of whether it's fashionable, that's what God wants. If it's not there, then we have to give account at the judgment. Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, will be our judge and we must give him account, the scripture says.

The importance of honoring parents, then, is forefront in life. We can use a litmus test individually to see how we're doing. How we honor God actually can be tested by how we're honoring our parents at this moment, whether living or dead, whether living with you, around you, near you, or some far-flung corner of the earth. How you honor God can be, in a sense, sampled by how you honor your parents. God's fifth commandment comes with a great promise. In Exodus chapter 20 in verse 12, we see the origin of this command. Exodus chapter 20 in verse 12, right after the Sabbath day command in verse 11, he says, Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. On the land. They were receiving a physical land, land of Canaan. We're receiving a spiritual land, a different country. Hebrews 11 points out. If we honor our father and mother, then that honor transposes onto all because it's a mindset. It's a lifelong concept that we should have developed. A long life is a blessing for obedient children. Both physical and eternal life are implicated in that. So don't just disrespect someone because you can find fault in them. Is there anybody on earth that you cannot find fault in first? We might just start there. Is there someone on earth that you cannot find fault with? Answer should be no, if you want to go looking for it. So therefore, we might say, I can't fall back on the excuse that I don't have to respect if they make a mistake. They still have to honor them. Still have to honor them.

What is a prophesied sign of the terrible end time that's coming? Let's go to Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 1.

Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 1. I just want to cement this before we go forward. For behold, the Lord of hosts takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stock and the store, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water. We know this is coming just as it did when Judah was taken captive under a siege. Jerusalem was. The mighty man, the man of war, we know that the pride of the power of those who transgress God's covenant will wane and fail.

The judge and the prophet, those who are the teachers and the judges that make the rules that people are enamored by at times. The diviner and the elder. That's the diviner is the one that would prophesy the elder. The captain of 50, the honorable man, the counsel, the skill for artisan and the expert enchanter. All of those who can see and advise their advisors.

I will give children to be their princes and babes to rule over them. See what's happening here?

They're despising all of those other people. They're not respecting, they're not honoring children are princes, babes are rulers. They're saying by dishonoring the others and repudiating them that they are the ones that should be ruling. In verse 5, the result is the people will be oppressed, everyone by another and everyone by his neighbor. The child will be insolent toward the elder and the base toward the honorable. Do we not see this happening right now? The insolence of the base towards the honorable, the insolence towards the older, be it the parents or the fathers of society, as it were, etc. You know, you and I cannot justify being disrespectful or dishonoring other people simply because it's being done in the end times. It's prophesied.

Now let's stop and ask the question, how can we reverse this and show honor and respect for one's parents? Point one, love your parents as you love yourself. Guess where I got that one? The first great commandment is to love God. He is our Father. Love your parents as yourself. Don't put yourself before God and try to get him to bless your life like you did your physical parents. That's the other way around. You know, put yourself backward and love God with your heart, soul, and mind and trust Him to bless you and to direct you and write and that will be good. And that will be a blessed life. You need to understand that you're not perfect in God's eyes.

First Peter chapter 2 and verse 9. This is a very important positive scripture. This is how God sees you. First Peter chapter 2 and in verse 9. You are a chosen generation. I have chosen you, God says. I have called you. I have, from the foundation of the earth, selected you to be called at this time. You are a royal priesthood. Royal because God is the King. Jesus Christ is the King. See, they are the rulers and you are a priesthood serving me, a holy nation, His own special people.

Wow! Are you a sinner? You know, Passover's coming once a year. Are you a sinner?

And yet God says that, doesn't He? We need to kick this up in our own lives when it comes to looking at other people, when it comes to looking at parents, when it comes to loving others as God loves us. He loved us when we were still sinning in the absolute, you know, 100% sense.

And yet this is how He honors you and me. No human is perfect in your eyes yet, just like you're not perfect in God's eyes yet, but He honors us. To this degree, we need to honor others like that. Point number two. Live a godly life that reflects well on your heritage. Whether your parents are still living or not, you can honor your parents by living a godly life, according to this, that reflects well on your heritage. It reflects well on your parents, on your grandparents, on your great-grandparents, on all of your relatives, your whole heritage, you see?

But there's another application to that. You have a spiritual family. Live a life that reflects well on your heritage, the family of God.

That family, living in heaven now, is going to expand greatly at the first resurrection and will continue to expand beyond that. Live a life that reflects on that heritage. That's what God has called us to. Because, going on here in verse 9, God loves us and He honors us so that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. In other words, so that you can reflect well on the heritage that you've been called into, who were once not a people but are now the people of God. So reflect well on your heritage, both physically and your literal spiritual heritage. It's very, very important.

You know, Jesus Christ was a great example of a good son. He reflected well on his heritage. Which one? Well, let's start with his Second Peter chapter 1 and verse 17.

Second Peter chapter 1 and verse 17. He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Why did he say that? Well, because Jesus Christ was honoring his heritage by living right according to the law of God. He was a good son and the Father said, This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Look how well he's doing. Look how well he's reflecting. Look how well he's representing the God family and the kingdom of God. In John chapter 19 and verse 25, we find some of his very last words. John 19 and verse 25. Now there stood by the cross, by the tree, the stake that he was on, of Jesus, his mother, while he was being crucified, and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And when Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, that was John, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son.

Behold your son. I'm honoring you. I'm having my physical best friend, as it were, gonna look after him, after you. He's gonna look after you. He's family. Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple took her to his own home.

You know, he was a loving son, an honorable son. In fact, he lived his life so honorably that later on, at some point, at least one of his brothers, James, became an elder of the church, pastor of the Jerusalem church. You know, he lived so well and reflected so well on his heritage that he now sits at the right hand of God on the throne. And he's offering us to come up as well and sit on his throne. And the third point is to be thankful.

You know, the one thing that I find it very difficult for children to be is thankful. And I say that in that, as you know, if you've had children, you have to teach them. You have to reinforce it. You know, say thanks.

Become a thankful person. Because at that phase in life, we're pretty much, what's the next toy? What's the next activity? What's the next food? And we burn through that stuff pretty fast as we rise up and go after a career and after a spouse and then after, you know, the fun of life. We can burn through it pretty fast. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 and verse 15.

When we think back with thoughtful minds, what do we start with? Oh, there was a young couple one time, an energetic young couple, good-looking young couple, great figures who decided to have a baby for some unknown reason because God put it in their minds. And that was me. And they sacrificed their time, their life, their body, part of their house, and out I came, stinky at regular intervals, you know, took away their sleep, took away their health, took away their money, and took away their time.

What time they had left before was now gone. And you and I began to go through life growing and, you know, being encouraged, taught to walk, talk to talk, talk to talk, talk to read, have fun, explore nature, you know, all those things that you can't remember anymore. Because for some reason, at an early age, our memories are blocked out.

And all those things that your parents took you out to see, to a zoo, to nature, on a trip, they ask you years later, do you remember when we did this? No. Remember when we did that? No. No, I don't really have many of those memories. Those are things that parents expend on their children. And we began to remember some things sometimes in the category after we've used all their money up is, I don't know, they didn't give me that much. I don't remember the cars, the clothes, you know, the outings, the activities, you know, when they're struggling, maybe with two incomes trying to support me, I'm not sure they gave me enough time.

But you see, with a thankful mindset, things can look a lot different. In Colossians chapter 3 now, in verse 15, it says, and let the peace, the harmony of God rule in your hearts to which you are also called in one body, and be thankful.

This is a huge thing when it comes to others and respecting and honoring others. It's the thankfulness. How many of you have ever paved a mile of highway? How many of you have ever dug a sewer? You know, when we stop and think about just the common things in life and want to complain about administrations, we should be thankful that our infrastructure in whatever country we are in is well thought out for safety, for convenience, for health, for security.

And sometimes we just peek at the little, little changing things or the things we might think aren't just quite right and miss the whole world around us that has been formed and framed by others with a vast amount of effort for us to do a simple thing like go enjoy something or go drive somewhere or go out and see or go out and eat. And we can be easily complainers. But here God says in verse 13 to bear with one another, you know, we should take on a different mindset. We should forgive one another.

Above all things, verse 14, put on a bond of love, a bond of perfection, of relationships. And then we move into this harmony in verse 15 that is really emphasized and the joy comes from the appreciation for the thankfulness that others have done. So in conclusion, we find here honoring one's parents is vital. And in verse 20, we find that this connects to the Lord. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well and pleasing to the Lord.

It's not just a physical thing at all. It has a spiritual link. So how should we show honor to others? The answer is through everything we do. Through everything we do and everything we think we should be honoring others. In verse 16, it says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do and word and deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God our Father through Him. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as fitting to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives. Don't be bitter toward them. Be thankful for what your wife is and does. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing in the Lord. And fathers, don't provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bond servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh.

Not with eye services, men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do as a slave or a free person or a husband, a wife, a child, do it hardly as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. You and I, brethren, have this wonderful opportunity to honor our parents and honor God and honor each other and, in doing so, become children in the honorable family of God.