Raising Children to Do Right - Part 1 (Eph 6:1-4) | Adult Sunday School

Yeah Yes Okay Good morning

Glad you're here this morning as we get started together Let's begin by opening your

Bibles to the sixth chapter of Ephesians so Ephesians chapter 6 we're actually making forward progress

We've gotten out of chapter 5 for the most part arriving at chapter 6

And Before we begin let's open with a word of prayer Well our great

God and father of the Lord Jesus Christ How grateful we are to gather here together this morning and to open your word

To hear from you through the scriptures as your spirit makes it plain and clear to us

We do ask father that you would enable that clarity of speech and thought

Clarity of hearing That your spirit would apply his word where it is needful in each and every one of our lives

Our father what an amazing thing it is That the Word of God can speak in that kind of personal way to each of us exactly where we are for the purpose of Growing us in the likeness of Christ That we might stand as redeemed lights in a lost and dark world

For the glory of Christ alone. We pray Amen Well As I say we are in the sixth chapter of Ephesians Ephesians chapter 6 and for this week and next we are going to bring a

Two -part message entitled raising children to do right. So this is sort of the continuation of the family and parenting

Rubric that's that's stood over all of this but we are turning to address the topic of children beginning this morning and then next week as well and The scriptures tell us that children are a blessing

Children are a blessing For example Psalm 127 in verses 3 through 5

We read behold children are a gift of the Lord The fruit of the womb is a reward

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior. So are the children of one's youth How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them?

They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gates. So children are a blessing a blessing of the

Lord But children can also be a grief Children can be a grief for example

Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 25 Working we read a foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him

So children are a blessing of the Lord, but children can be a grief We raise a foolish child.

It will be there'll be no end of the grief that will come to us on account of it Disobedient children are one of the signs of societal depravity and the scripture tells us the end of the age

Societal depravity in the end of the age are characterized by disobedient children again, for example in Romans chapter 1 verses 28 and following Where Paul writes and just as they did not see fit to acknowledge

God any longer God gave them over to a depraved mind To do those things which are not proper being filled with all unrighteousness wickedness greed evil full of envy murder strife deceit malice

Gossips and slanders and haters of God insolent arrogant

Boastful inventors of evil that is quite a litany disobedient to parents disobedient to parents without understanding untrustworthy unloving

Unmerciful and although they know the ordinance of God that those who practice such things are worthy of death

They not only do the same But also give hearty approval to those who practice them, right?

square in the middle of that viceless of depravity we find disobedient to parents

Disobedient children characterized the end of the age Paul writes in 2nd

Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 and following But realize this that in the last days difficult times will come

For men will be here. We is here. It comes again lovers of self lovers of money boastful arrogant revilers disobedient to parents ungrateful unloving unholy irreconcilable malicious gossips without self -control brutal haters of good treacherous reckless conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power a boy such men as these

So yes disobedient children are Absolutely a mark of the end of the age and the depravity

That characterizes it since God is the one who has established the family structure he views disrespectful and Rebellious children as the equivalent of disrespect and rebellion against him he equates them together

And God views those things so seriously he puts them on a par with treason and Idol worship keeping your thumb in Ephesians.

You can look back just a couple of passages Leviticus 19

Leviticus 19 Seriousness of disobedient children

Leviticus 19 verses 1 through 4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them

You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father and you shall keep my

Sabbaths I am the Lord your God do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods

I am the Lord your God again fascinating This is a rebuke of idolatry and right

Smack in the middle of it is this issue of reverence and respect of children to their parents

There's a big deal. It's a big deal One more

Deuteronomy 21 Deuteronomy 21 and beginning in verse 18

Deuteronomy 21 and beginning in verse 18 If Any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother and When they chastise him, he will not even listen to them

Then his father and mother shall seize him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of his hometown

And they shall say to the elders of his city. This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious

He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death

So you shall remove the evil from your midst and all Israel will hear of it and fear

God is very very much concerned With the state of our children's heart and how they respond to Parental authority over them turn back to sixth chapter of Ephesians The topic of raising children within the protective confines of a believing community is what we want to talk about and Even if your children are fully grown this morning, even if they are fully grown this morning

Nice this message and next we'll have something for you, too It has something for all of us something for all of us

Let's look at the text together chapter 6 and be any in verse 1

Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise

So that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth Fathers do not provoke your children to anger

But bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I have a threefold approach

That we'll start with this morning simple outline threefold approach to raising children to do right in a world that does wrong a threefold approach to raising children to do right in a world that does wrong in In a world that does wrong we'll look at the first one together this morning and then next week the second and the third so the first for us this morning

Help them to recognize their obligation Help them to recognize their obligation verses 1 & 2

Children obey your parents in the Lord for it for this is right Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise now

Paul is Turning in his address to the believing community here from husbands and wives and he is now beginning to address children

Following this he will begin to address the household slaves so he's still within the confines of the believing community and Now it's

Children and it follows the same pattern and that we saw for wives

Our husbands and wives and then we will see for slaves and masters it is the same here for children and parents and that is that Paul first addresses the one called to submit and Then he addresses the one who is in authority in that relationship same structure exact same structure and We were reminded here and I will just take that moment to remind you of the grammatical connections that flow through this passage and ties it all together

We have in verse 18 Where Paul writes don't get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled by the

Spirit present passive imperative the idea of a continuing action to to put oneself in a position where the

Spirit is Continually filling and influencing and transforming us so that our thinking and our behavior comport with our new status in Christ and Then he spills it out in verses 19 to 21.

You'll remember through a series of five present middle Participles the last of which is in verse 21

Where he writes being subject to one another in the fear of the Lord and then that spills out

Into wives to husbands children to parents slaves to masters. That's how it works now it works and So when we think about the context here verses 1 to 4 what we see is that Paul's instructions here in 6 1 2 4 are an outgrowth of his command to be continually filled by the

Spirit Now that means that there are several features.

I think contextually that stand out this So here they are first Paul is assuming that the children will be included in the meetings of the church and hear the letter read

Notice verse 1 he's addressing them as children. He's addressing the children. So there's an expectation.

They're going to hear this They're going to hear this in the public reading

Ministry of the church at Ephesus. He's assuming they're included Second he's assuming they're old enough to understand what he is writing to them

Old enough to understand it old enough to believe it and old enough to live a spirit -controlled life

All right. This is flowing out of the command to be filled by the Spirit And so he's expecting these children that are the the audience of this

Comply with the command just like he's assuming the wives can comply with it The husbands can comply with it.

The slaves can comply with it and the masters can comply with it third

Third notice that he's addressing the children directly Directly addressing the children.

He is not going through their parents He's speaking directly to the children.

So a question I think that would naturally arise for us is How old are these children?

How old are they I Think we have to assume a few things that they are young enough to still be at home

Young enough to still be at home and yet old enough to deliberate whether they're going to obey this commandment or not

So young enough to still be home old enough to deliberate whether they'll obey or not. They are still being

Brought up look at verse 4. They are still being brought up ectrefo

The Greek it's what's used in 529 there to speak of nurturing and strengthening.

So that gives us a little idea on this they're old enough to be nourished and strengthened to brought up by continuing to receive instruction and Discipline from their fathers verse 4 so old enough to believe old enough to receive instruction

Young enough to still be in that home and under their father's authority

That's the best we can tell I Mean, it'd be great to have well, let's look at the Greek word to techno and we allow tell us exactly, you know

They're nine and a half years old. No, no, no, it's very it's a very broad very flexible word So contextually,

I think that's what we can derive To these children those young enough to be still in the home old enough to hear and believe

Paul gives two overlapping but not identical commands

He gives them to overlapping but not identical commands and The first command is to obey

The first command is to obey verse 1 Children obey your parents in the

Lord for this is right Obey hoop a cool.

Oh is the Greek verb? It's comprised of a preposition a pair which means under and and Akua to hear so it's the idea of to hear under to listen

It reminds me of Proverbs chapter 1 verse 8 where we hear There's Solomon's instruction to his children to hear or to obey or to listen to your father

It's that kind of an idea. It's it's to listen with the eye to obedience What it's not is yeah dad.

I heard you It's to listen with obedience One commentator and I think he nails it

He says the the command to obey Hope a cool. Oh, it means to do what you are told.

I love it when it's really concise and simple What does it mean? Children do what you are told

By your parents in the Lord for this is right

Notice there is no qualification and there is no limitation on this no qualifications

No limitations do what you are told do what you're told

It's intentionally broad It's intentionally broad it's it's intentionally broad in the same way look at verse 24

Where Paul's instruction to the wives is intentionally broad? Where he says wives ought to be to their own husband subject to their own husbands in everything

Remember we talked about that that is an intentionally broad idea. We have the same thing here Do what you are told children

Do what you are told? Paul doesn't care about exceptions

He does not deal with exceptions not saying there's not exceptions that don't exist

He would acknowledge there are exceptions that don't exist But the deal with the exceptions is to vacate the command of its force of its impact of its authority

If we have to deal with yeah, well, what if your parents, you know, or this that man? I'm gonna deal with that I'm gonna deal with the main idea

By the way, when you when you read or hear a command in Scripture and your first thought is yeah

What about and you start to conceive in your mind of this this? interesting set of circumstances that will somehow

Relieve you of the obligation, you know, what if my and and you worked out guess what? That's a heart of rebellion

That's a heart of rebellion. If you're looking to get out from it immediately when you hear it, that's not a heart of faith It's not a heart of faith

So Paul is Speaking here in absolute terms. Okay. So let me help a little bit.

I'm gonna go out on the limb here a bit and tease it out areas of obedience Obey your parents.

Okay. Here you go. Here's a few Family chores Family chores do what you are told with regard to your family chores

Whatever your parents tell you to do you do Work schedules

Your parents set your work schedules They have final authority over these things if they tell you you cannot work on Sunday Then the answer is you cannot work on Sunday And if that means you don't get the job, guess what?

You don't get the job. They have authority over your friendships

They have authority over your friendships who you may see how often you may see them

They have authority over your use of social media How much? What?

platforms What hours of the day or night? They have authority over your movie

Watching what movies you may and may not watch Well, you know my mom and dad they said

I can't watch that. Yeah, you're right. You can't yeah But everybody else is watching. Hey, you know what? I don't matter.

They're not your parents your parents say no. The answer is no The answer is no

They have authority over your curfews and your bedtimes when you must be in when you must go to bed

Can they make you go to sleep? No Can they make you turn off your social media turn out the lights be in the bed?

Yeah Yeah, actually they can Well Well that I can't make me

No, of course because this like with with the wives earlier and the slaves to follow it requires one's voluntary

Submission to the authority over them. That's the demonstration of a heart of faith So it's not that big dad's bigger than me they'll come in age when he's not

Come in age when he's not but your submission to him to your mom is a result of a believing heart

Submission to your parents is ultimately submission to the Lord a failure to submit your parents is a failure to submit to God.

Oh I'm not doing it here. How about this budgeting and expenditures? Yeah, they have a right to tell you what you can spend and what you can spend it on Yeah, but it's my money.

I earned it. No your child Your child dating

When you can date who you can date What is dating look like? Yeah, they have authority over all that to all that to schooling

Where you will go to school what you will study the authority over that to Use it a family car.

Yeah, actually they do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah dad. Can I have the car keys? No, no No You're feeling sufficiently uncomfortable yet Or shall

I go on the authority is extensive it is extensive

And and if that is uncomfortable to us that is merely a sign of how much we have drunk our culture

How deeply we have drunk our culture listen the Bible doesn't knows nothing about adolescence

That is it. That is a psychological reality This command to obey is a present imperative and that means that there's a stress on the

Ongoing action of the verb You are to continually obey your parents

Whatever they said whatever they say, that's what you are to do That's what the believing heart looks like.

That's what being filled by the Spirit looks like in the life of a believing child

Now notice here obey your parents in the Lord What does that mean in the

Lord? It's a few possibilities, okay a few It could be a reference to Christian parents

Which the idea would be children obey your parents or obey your

Christian parents Could be that children obey your Christian parents. That's possible Or it could speak to the to the parameters of your obedience

In other words children obey your parents in the things that are Christian In the things that are

Christian in other words when they're when their commands are Christian commands to do Christian things you obey them

That's possible, too But I don't think either one of them is correct

I think the third is the correct idea and it's this it is the reason for your obedience

It is the reason for your obedience. In other words, you are a Christian. That's the reason

Because you have been incorporated into Christ by faith chapter 1

Therefore you should obey your parents because they have been placed over you by God and by being obedient to them you are

Expressing the new life that you have in Christ the new life you have in Christ I Think that fits best

Contextually with the flow of the whole passage about spirit empowered living spirit empowered living

Now Paul gives a reason The reason the children should obey their parents

Notice it for it is right in the sight of God. Don't you like that?

How many times as a parent have you found yourself in a situation with a child where they want a reason

Why do I have to do this? I love this reason because it is right

Because it is right But you'll love that. I Kind of takes it all out of the whole subjective area.

It's just a statement. It's a reality it is right for a child to obey their parents and This rightness is is woven into the law of Moses that it expresses the mind of God Therefore it is right though.

The word is the chaos. It's it's often translated righteous Righteous, it is it is righteous to obey your parents.

It is right to obey your parents It is the Christian thing to do in our sister letter over in Colossians chapter 3 verse 20

I Like the English Standard version of that verse where Paul writes their children obey your parents in everything

So we see the correspondence here. Here it is for this Pleases the

Lord. I love that. I Love that for it is right. Why is right because it pleases

God. That's why it's right it Pleases God This this rightness of The child's obedience to their parents is made very clear in the

Ten Commandments, isn't it? Make clear in the Ten Commandments. It's the fifth commandment and and Paul cites it here he brings the fifth commandment to bear and And and the

Ten Commandments act as an introduction to the entire Mosaic law And so through the gateway of the

Ten Commandments into the Mosaic law. This is what's right This is what the mind of God is

And Paul enlists it to support his command To do what is right honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise

That's the fifth commandment the first commandment sequentially the first one with the promise Here's the promise so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth this command to honor honor your father and your mother is for those children who are still in the home a command to obey

Remember I said they are they are overlapping but not identical Overlapping but not identical and so the second command is to honor

The first one is to obey the second is to honor. These are very closely related They overlap even but they're not identical commands not identical

So the command to honor honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise first obey second honor

So if you are a child living under your parents

Ruth if you do not obey you then you dishonor You dishonor your parents, which means you dishonor

God by refusing to obey In fact, we could say that we learn to honor by learning to obey

So I think this is can sweep up the small children How do we teach our children to honor us we teach them first to obey us

Obedience is the first expression of honor To fail to honor your parents is to fail to honor

God. It's to refuse to honor God All right

Years ago Carol and I worked in college ministry for a number of years And I can remember a time when there was a young man in our college group who you

I've probably heard me speaking about these kinds of things and he came up to me and he had an interesting question to me his question was

When does my obligation to obey my parents cease? When do

I not have to obey them any longer And here was my answer to him

When you take your hand out of your daddy's pocket When you take your hand out of your daddy's pocket

What does that mean means when you pay your own way? When you are economically free from them

Yeah, well, I am I pay my own cell phone bill. I said, is that all of life? I Put gas in my car

Congratulations You have the maturity of a 14 year old who puts your food on the table?

Who puts the roof over your head? Who pays for the doctor's bills when you're sick or injured and on and on and on?

You are a child Yeah, but I'm 20 years old. I'm a senior in college. You're a child still

You haven't yet transitioned No, I don't want to hear that I can assure you they don't want to hear it

But it's the truth You are a child still Until you establish yourself economically such that you can live on your own

Such that you can live on your own Eventually Genesis tells us that a man leaves his father and his mother and is joined to his wife and they become one flesh

And it is at that point where his duty to obey in the childhood expression for honor for honor

Rather gives way to the more mature obligation that lasts a lifetime

So the obligation to honor stays with us forever It's a lifetime obligation

The obligation to obey remains as long as you are under his roof as long as you're under his roof

We Can see this reality in a couple of New Testament passages So for example go with me to mark chapter 7

We sort of see the truth of it by looking at the opposite over here in mark 7 You Beginning verse 9

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees here and criticizing them and so forth And he was also saying to them you are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition

For Moses said honor your father and your mother and he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death

We've read that that is the law But you say if a man says to his father or his mother whatever

I have that would have helped you is Corbin that is to say given to God You no longer permit him to do anything for his father and his mother thus

Invalidating the Word of God by your tradition which you have handed down and you do many things such as that So he's criticizing the

Pharisees for their their fundraising scheme, which was to basically tell people hey, you know what just say that you're that you're your wealth is dedicated to God and therefore not available to help mom and dad and in so doing

You violate the law you do not honor God You do not honor

God in such things you actually elevate your own opinions and ideas

We see again over in chapter 10 with the rich young ruler verse 17

Jesus was setting out on a journey and a man ran up to him and now before him and asked him good teacher What shall

I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him. Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone

You know the commandments Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal do not bear false witness.

Do not defraud honor your father and mother He said to him teacher

I have kept all these things from my youth up and looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him

One thing you lack Go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me

But at these words he was saddened and he went away grieving or he was one who owned much property now

I Don't want to unpack this whole thing other than make this observation That he says

I have kept this from my youth. I have financially honored my mother and father

So there is a financial component To an adult in the honoring of their mother and father.

We'll get to this Momentarily So back to Ephesians 6

And notice the promise that it that accompanies this this command to honor It goes well with you and you may live long on the earth

In other words that this commandment contains a promise of a long and prosperous life to those who obey to those who obey

This is in the keeping of The way God Established his covenant with the nation of Israel.

If you obey me, I will prosper you when you disobey me. I will Chase and you if you obey me in the honoring of your mother and father you will live long in the land

You will prosper as a nation We see the idea in Proverbs.

It's all over the Proverbs for those who do right? They will prosper for those who do wrong.

They will suffer none I mean every single person who does right lives forever, you know rivers a really long life and lives a prosperous life

No, of course not You got to go to the book of Ecclesiastes to sort these things together But there is this way that God has set up the world and generally speaking

Children Children adult children, so that's all of us How we respond to our parents if they are still living does in fact it does affect us

And so thinking Let's try to make a little bit of practical here in thinking what it means for both children and adults to honor their mother and their

Father let me suggest some practical ideas right from here on out It's for the most part just some practical applications.

What does that mean? It means that it is not thus says the Lord This is thus says David. I think

I have the Spirit of God So I'd like to suggest some of these for your consideration to you.

These are practical ideas and I was Greatly influenced in the in the putting of this section together

Some years ago by a by a blog post I read by Tim Chalise and I recommend you go back to that The blog post by Tim Chalise.

I don't have the date of it You'd have to find it but it's entitled six practical ways to honor your parents.

That's the blog post six Practical ways to honor your parents by Tim Chalise Well, I was not satisfied with six.

So I've got many more than that But it at least got me thinking So here they are

Ways to honor your parents For children who are still at home start there for children who are still at home

First time obedience with a happy spirit. Okay, we just begin there First time obedience with a happy spirit.

What's first time obedience first time? Obedience is mom or dad tell you to do something and you do it.

Imagine that You don't need to be told again, they don't need to count You don't need to drag your feet and you know, we'd all frowny mouth and roll your eyes

You know, there's a whole multitude of these things First time every time with a happy spirit

That's what it means to obey and honor For those of you who are still home another way to honor your parents is

To extend grace to them and do not hold their sin or their shortcomings against them

Extend them grace. Hey, you know what mom and dad they're sinners Like, you know when you're real really little you don't figure that out but you know get a little bit over hey guess what

They're sinners, too So extend them grace they're extending you grace you extend them grace and and don't hold their sin and their shortcoming against them

They're in progress to Third speak well of them

Speak well of them Refuse to speak evil of your parents to your siblings

When you're married to your spouse To your children to your church to your community

Speak well of your parents Some have painful memories

Some have painful memories of their parents. I understand that Some of you do and if that's true of you,

I want to remind you of two things. Okay, that'll help I think First they gave you life

No matter how bad they were they gave you life They did not murder you in the womb

They gave you life And life is a gift And if they gave the gift of life to you, then they have given you something profound

So be grateful for that Second If it had not been

For the circumstances of your childhood You would not have ever bent the knee and come to faith in the

Lord Jesus Christ in God's providence That which was meant for evil

God meant for good the difficulty of your upbringing the the painful memories are part of God's Grace to you to bring you to salvation

You did not become a Christian despite your background you became a

Christian because of the grace of God extended to you in your background and that way of thinking

Makes all the difference in the world All the difference in the world does it mean they didn't do wrong by you?

No, it's not meaning that at all What it means is God was doing something in that And what he was doing is he was redeeming you

Redeeming you and if you can grab a hold of that that is a practical application of Romans 8 28 If you can grab a hold of that, it will change your perspective and you can be grateful

Grateful to God for what he has done and saving you Honor your parents by esteeming them publicly and privately

By esteeming them publicly and privately Respect their need to see that they have made an impact on your life for good and give them credit where you can

Look to see where their impact on you did was evident in good and and give them credit thank them

Thank them for what they have taught you Oh, maybe you're maybe you're the kind where my father was never satisfied

He was always wanting more and more and more from me. Was that right? No But did he teach you to work in the process?

Yeah, I did be thankful thank him for it thinking for it

And related seek their wisdom Seek the wisdom of your parents even though in the end you may choose not to take it honor them

By recognizing they have lived longer than you and run your major life decisions by them

Call them up and say hey dad. I'm thinking about this and that and the other thing What would you think about that and listen to what they have to say?

You don't have to do it It may be completely wrong but they have lived longer than you and Maybe there's something they're gonna say to you.

They might be helpful honor them Honor them don't discard them.

Hey, you know, I only needed you for a while, but I don't you know more I'm always

I'm way smarter than you It's amazing actually how dumb our parents get

Or are when when we're 13 and how smart they get by the time we're 25 They've lived longer than you

Support them Support your parents through expressions of love and care This is the way to honor them

Support them through expressions of love and care call them on the phone Call them up Send them a note

Send them a birthday card Visit them remember them

You're not gonna have them forever Don't waste it honor them because in honoring them you honor

God Set a reminder on your phone call your mother on her birthday

It can't be that hard And send her something

Send her something. Oh Be patient with them.

Here's another one be patient with them It's a way to honor your father and your mother be patient with them.

What does that mean? Well, how about this listen respectfully to their old stories? listen

Respectfully to their old story. Yeah, but he tells the same story every time Yeah, he does.

Guess what if you live to his age you will too What do you think you're gonna be any different than him?

Listen to him Respect him Provide for your parents financially in their old age provide

Financially for your parents in their old age First Timothy chapter 5 verses 3 and 4

Honor the church is told to honor widows who are widows indeed a widow indeed is one who is without any other support

But if any widow has children or grandchildren They that is the children and the grandchildren must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return

To their parents for this is acceptable in the sight of God. What does it mean? It means there is an intergenerational

Obligation for the youngers to provide for the care ultimately of their parents.

Our system is so messed up So messed up To lock people away in a place that die lonely and bleed the estate in the process

Provide for your parents financially in their old age and you know what maybe you maybe you're in a situation where hey

You know what mom and dad are financially fine Praise the Lord Then you'll have to find other ways to honor them

But if they're not it means you must reduce your standard of living in order to provide last

Give them an honorable burial Give them an honorable burial

They are your flesh and blood and they bear the image of God They deserve an honorable burial make sure they get one

Make sure they get one Doesn't have to be extravagant. You don't have to drop 20 grand on a mahogany casket

But make sure it's honorable Don't discard them to the dustbin

Okay, I got a couple of minutes left and here's what we're gonna do we're gonna turn the corner real quick here Because you know what?

There's that obligation runs two ways in all generational Interconnectivities and so here it is. There are ways as a parent to make it a

Delight for your children to honor you. Okay, that's what I want to talk about just for a few minutes They have an obligation to honor you

But you can you can make that that duty a delight or you can make it a difficulty

So here are some suggested ways To make a delight for your children to honor you make it easier for them

To be obedient to God. So here they are First invest in them spiritually and relationally investing your children and your grandchildren spiritually and relationally

I Said that wrong.

I'm sorry invest in your parents. Sorry invest in your parents spiritually and relationally

That's what I'm looking for right your child trying to make it a delight for your parents invest in them spiritually invest in your parents relationally

That's not right either is it I? Said it right the first time didn't I? All right.

Well, then everything I just said whoever's doing this tape thing. Just fix it. All right, you know what

I mean? All right. So let me go to the next one This is for parents to make their duties of their children a delight.

That's what we're after. All right. There we go now Okay, so here's this one accommodate your living arrangement to theirs as A parent accommodate your living arrangement to your children's living arrangement

Move if necessary Move if necessary in other words live close enough to your children

So when they care for you and must care for you That they don't have to get on an airplane and fly halfway across the country to do it

You move to them You make their life easier because they have to care for you that's their obligation before God so make it easy for them

Listen by this point in life you're on the downslide Let's be honest

Okay, there's like the last chapter of it of Ecclesiastes you're dragging that leg like a cricket So it's soon going to be gone

So why are we hanging on so hard accommodate your living preferences and arrangements to your children's?

next Submit your preferences to theirs at the family gatherings Yeah, but you know when we do

Thanksgiving it's got to be the way you know, it's mom's way or no way hey You know what? Don't do that You had your day in the

Sun now. It's their turn be a happy invitee Plus, it's great.

You don't have to do all the dishes Develop an appreciative and thankful spirit.

Oh, my goodness avoid complaining. There is nothing worse than a complaining parent

Children whine parents complain same thing Same thing comes out of the same heart

When we become a parent, you know, we've overcome the whining part. So we just do the complaining part

But it's the same lack of gratitude So develop an appreciative and thankful spirit start now start now

Be an encourager as a parent be an encourager speak kindly To your children encourage them.

Hey, you know what? You're doing a good job And don't have a bot on the end of it Son now is a really good job, but now back to stop.

It's a good job That's enough be content with your circumstances

You don't need more You know old you need less not more be a giver not a taker

Seek to serve rather than to be served Don't meddle in your children's affairs don't offer unsolicited advice or criticism keep your mouth shut

Invest relationally and spiritually in their children. That is your grandchildren invest in that next generation and set aside a

Financial gift for your grandchildren if you can The Proverbs tell us in Proverbs 13 verse 22 that a good man leaves in inheritance to his children's children

A good man leaves in inheritance to his grandchildren in other words

Start living below your means and set it aside for the future generations

Proverbs tell us this is what a good man does in other words. He doesn't consume everything He produces the older we get the less we need

Not the less we want But the less we need and We are soon to pass from this life.

So let's make a good investment In those that are that are coming after us, huh? Let's pray father

There's enough here for us To work on for sure

And again like like every week We could leave here feeling beat up But that would be to subvert the purposes of the scripture here for us

It is not to beat us down But to point us to the path of righteousness

To recognize that truth wounds before it heals That in Christ we are justified.

We are at peace with you Our obedience doesn't improve our standing our disobedience does not diminish it.

They're perfect in the beloved Your spirit resides within us and it is his jealous desire to work and conform us to Christ and the more we can cooperate

The greater the blessing that will flow to us and others And so may you help us in these things we pray for the glory of Christ, amen