RESPECT AUTHORITY - 5TH KEY TO KINGDOM LIVING

TEXT: 1 PETER 2:13-25

(STUDY ON PROVERBS 1-7), PART 2 - GOD, DAD, MOM, FAMILY

It began with the “Baby Boomer” generation – a rebellion against authority, lawful authority, which has since turned into an outright shaking of the fist against Creator God Himself. When the Lord gave the Law (or the Ten Commandments) to Moses, as recorded in the Bible, it was not just for the Israelites wandering aimlessly in the Sinai Desert. It was for all people of all time, as the standard to which we must adhere.

From the 1960’s until now, each successive generation strayed away from respect, reverence and reliance upon the Eternal Word of God which has and will never change, no matter what false prophets and teachers say. The Fourth Commandment given by God, can be viewed as the junction where the Vertical (obedience and acceptance of the One True God of Heaven as the ONLY God) meet the Horizontal.

Commandments 1 through 3 are all about a 100%, complete and total acknowledgement that the God of the Scriptures is the One True God. This flies in the face of the majority opinion that every religion is the same and all gods lead to the same place – Heaven. Not so, the Holy Spirit testifies to the truly converted to Christ, that there is ONLY ONE way to Eternal Life and it is through Jesus Christ, the Narrow Gate.

Commandments 4 through 10 concern our relationships with each other, our fellow humans, in accordance with Godly standards. While the secular world and atheists want to remove the Ten Commandments, Jesus and the Bible from decent society, murder, theft, lying under oath and in some cultures – adultery – is against Civil (Federal and State) Law.

These commandments were given by God, not to prevent us from having fun but for our own good. The Lord saw the conditions of sinful human beings and laid out the parameters for us to live in peace, love and harmony. The connection point, where the Vertical (GOD) meets the Horizontal (others) is the Fourth Commandment. 

This Command says ““Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you"” (Exodus 20:12). There is a reason for the Lord applying this to each human being born. Parents are stewards of the Lord who are responsible for the spiritual lives of their children, as well as their emotional and physical upbringing. This is so, in order that parents will exhibit AND TEACH the ways, attributes and character of the Lord to our children. 

God has also provided written instructions for all times, and those can be found in all the pages of the Bible. There is no dispute and there will be no excuse to pretend we do not know the location of the Lord’s instructions.

The Bible has given parents a huge assist from the Books of Deuteronomy all the way down to Proverbs, the Gospels of Jesus Christ and the Pauline Epistles. In the last generation in the West, young men and boys have been in a state of crisis, despite some of the best efforts of churches, men’s ministries and others to mentor our young men.

God has done that in the Bible and is standing, waving His Hand while saying “Hey guys, I am here! I have the answers here. Just follow it! Teach it to your sons. Teach it to your teenage young men. What are you waiting on?”

The Lord has called us to Critical Thinking. In the Bible it is called Biblical Wisdom which is the ability to discern, not just right from wrong but to have the correct view of God, His Attributes, His Ways and what He expects of us. Combine all of this with His gracious love and kindness, over a short period of time, by following His wisdom and precepts, we tap directly into the Source of ALL Wisdom. If this, which is now being presented below from Proverbs Chapter 1, verses 8-19, is applied at as early an age as possible, a solid foundation of Godly Truth will result.

Proverbs 1, Verse 8: “Hear my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching”. This is The Fourth Commandment in easily understood English.  There is more than just what the sentence seems to say.

The original language (Hebrew) used by the Lord to move Solomon to write,  actually translates the English “Your Father’s Instruction”, as “ Your Father’s Discipline or Correction”. This is the meaning of the original language from the Lord – musar.  We know from Hebrews 12:6 that “those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines”. When we look at the condition of our youth and their futures without self-control and the under-pinnings of Godly discipline, it is obvious this command is not being adhered to. 

The same can be said of the second part of this verse “….and do not forsake your mother’s teaching”(Proverbs 1:8b). The word for teaching here, is not simple a mom “homeschooling” her children while Dad is away at work. The Lord put the word “Torah” there for a reason, which the translators call “teaching” but which God calls “Law”! What He is really saying to the young person here is listen and obey your mom’s rules, because she is speaking from the Authority of Christ!

So why would the Lord give this lifetime of deadly serious decrees, which impact so many generations for going on 4000 years now?  For one thing, it is absolutely logical. Which parent in their right mind, would want anything but good for their own children? Secondly, following the discipline of a hands-on earthly father keeps us focused, being able to discern wrong from right later in life, as well as in full self-control of our facilities and actions.  From 2 Timothy 1:7, we know that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of love, power and self-control (or self-discipline). One can only have self-discipline, if a parent or someone credible teaches and practices discipline.

Discipline is inextricably tied to rules and in this case, the Law of God, which Proverbs 1:8 shows us, that a mother primarily (and both parents in total) teaches her kids. A son and daughter who comprehend life’s rules and knows the parameters set by God, dad and mother is a son or daughter who has the most solid foundation for life, imaginable.

As we recall, the Fourth Commandment from God, handed down to Moses says “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you". Proverbs 1:9 explains this Commandment to the most easily (for us) degree possible.  God says this about His own fourth Commandment “Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head and [b]ornaments about your neck".  

From our own life experience, even though a lot of us were brought up by one parent (due to a deceased or absent dad), all of the above do not change. More and more it is imperative to understand this as two parent families are not the norm as they were a generation ago. The glue which keeps this Divine Direction in the foreground of raising the next generation is the Church and godly mentors/teachers/friends.

Not just any church would do, but one whose lampstand has not been removed by the Lord and where it is obvious the Lord is at work. We can identify these churches by their proactive teaching of the Scriptures and prayer.

God Himself warns about the flip side of sons not following their parents teaching and direction. Before He warns about the dangers of lust, flirting and falling into other serious sin, He alerts youngsters about the dangers of bad friends. By doing so, the Word of the Lord, pointedly tells of the dangers of walking away from loving and upright parents by fraternizing with bad dudes! 

We see the very Wisdom of this warning, immediately off Proverbs 1:8-9 because today, when you look at the state of young men in America and the West, when you look at the preponderance of young men in prison or on drugs, or attempting suicide, the root case goes back to the opposite of Proverbs 1:8. That is, the lack of a present Father, the lack of proper discipline and the lack of teaching and enforcement of rules of basic common sense and decency.

This is why, Proverbs 1:10-19 was given for young men especially, to burn into their consciousness. It is not only that “bad company corrupts good morals”. It is a life of even one mistake committing a simple crime, can cause ruin the plans and promising future which God has planned for those who follow Him.

CRITICAL THINKING - A COMMAND FROM GOD FOR PARENTS

6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)
These directives from God is absolutely clear. They are real. They stand for ALL generations.  Lack of financial resources, opportunities or circumstances of birth are of no excuse or import to these Biblical Commands from the God of all Creation, all the Universe and all Mankind. Absolutely no parent is exempt of accountability for these commands, anywhere in the world, at any point in history.

So how does this generation and all future generations (since it is too late for all who have gone before) avoid the fatal eternal mistakes of not bringing up their children in the ways of Yahweh? First we start with these important commands from our Heavenly Father and we establish a home, from Day One, where Jesus Christ is the Head of the Household.

This is so for one very valid reason – Christianity is the only Thinking Man’s religion. We do not need to examine any other fake system out there, which either requires a person to sit like a sponge and empty their mind so the god of this world can fill it with untruths or, some of the other systems which require a certain amount of “good works”, no matter how degenerate the person may be in their personal lives. They never say how much is enough “good stuff” or what percentage their god will accept.

Christianity calls the sinner to not just come and “reason” but to “test” the Words of the Lord of the Bible. He invites anyone and fellowship with and learn from Him. He also has a special place in His heart for the children and raising them in not only in the way they are to go. Educating our children in the ways of the Thinking Man’s Religion is mandatory. Look at the commands from the above Deuteronomy passage:

• Parents shall have the Word of God in our hearts. How? By reading, studying, memorizing and LIVING them (verse 6).
• Parents shall teach them DILIGENTLY. This is an active, ongoing command to take painstakingly good care to teach, instruct and demonstrate Godly attributes and His Character as found in His Word – the Bible (Verse 7a)
• Parents shall use every opportunity to demonstrate the power, majesty and creative brilliance of God in creation (nature) and everyday living.  This runs the gamut from nightly prayer with the kiddos to grace before meals, married with regular church attendance- WEEKLY (verse 7b). Children should be taught that even the act of getting off the bed each morning is a gift from God. Having something to eat at breakfast and clean clothes are daily gifts from our Heavenly Father. Reference Matthew 6: for this….and more.
• Parents should teach by their actions and when given a choice,  openly where Christian apparel or jewelry where appropriate and as much as possible, since we do not wear the little bible boxes and other items on our person as they wore back in Old Testament days. We are supposed to be the entire package (Verse 8).
• Parents should have something in their interior décor at our homes which tells the casual visitor; utility or repair man, that THIS is a Christian home. Deuteronomy 6:9 talks about writing the Word of God on “doorposts” – these are the Mezzuzahs which Jewish people still have by their front doors (see photo).  Most people will not do this, but they will have coffee mugs with Bible verses; fridge magnets or inspiring canvases in their living rooms. These are the items which have and even stronger cumulative effect of some verses on the door, in a metallic container. The best Bible is the one which the world reads by looking at our lives.

So, what does any of this have to do with Critical Thinking? The answer is – more than meets the eye. A child brought up in a functional 100% Christian home with two parents already has the tools to win in life, without this child even realizing it. The first thing is salvation. When dad takes the family, or leads the family to church, statistics prove that the child is saved and born again 85% of the time!

What needs to take place next, is something  for which parents are just as responsible. That would be instruction, mentoring and discipleship.  Leading our children to Christ is the main event, but there is more.  If they do not know about their Faith; how to study and comprehend it and then, how to defend it in the public arena, we would have fallen short.

In his book ALREADY GONE,  Ken Ham along with his researcher Britt Beemer, keyed into the terrifying problem of church-raised kids who end up losing their faith by their sophomore year in College…and increasingly now – High School.  While this book was released  in 2009, the underlying discovery stunned the world of church leadership.  Sure, we officially lost most church raised children in college. But the truth was that we lost them in 6^th grade Sunday School!

Teens and millennials who walked away  from Christianity; still call themselves “Christians” yet believed “all religions worshiped the same God”, are as lost as a grain of wheat in a soybean silo at Harvest Time.  It is not they do not think, but they do not know how to think and process the information in the Bible…..because no one taught them. Most Sunday School members are well-meaning church members who may or may not have a well-read background in Apologetics (or how to explain/defend the Truth of Scripture).  Most  youth group leaders are even less trained and more apt to direct towards fun, games and entertainment than serious, deep age-appropriate bible study.

So, in light of all of this, how can we get this steadily downward trend to a halt before we can even attempt to turn the tide? We appeal to the mind and the heart of the young person.  It is never too late to start. The following two components are absolutely essential:

• Take the time to teach critical thinking to your own kids, or hire a tutor.
• Promote actual book reading (as in physical books) to compliment what is being taught
• Spend time doing writing exercises with the kids which will cause them to both think and then write it down in a coherent fashion.

Teaching our children, as God commanded, about the Bible and Faith is critical to grasp every other aspect of life.  The reason the vast majority of people under 30 years old have no hope, no core belief and no eternity in mind, is because they were misled in churches or never got to the front door in the first place. 

We must teach them first to think on their own but according to God's Truth - NOT the world and through the brainwashing they receive in public schools and bad private schools.

We must teach them to understand both the meaning AND consequences of Words and especially the long term results of living part from the pure Word of God.

We must teach them to evaluate each situation against the plumb line of Truth, because there is this yardstick called Absolute Truth. There are things which are black and white. 

We must teach them that their misled peers who do not believe there is Absolute Truth are not thinking individuals but are misled into making absolute statements which can be absolutely denied by our children, under the terms of logic.

We must raise them up in the way they should go, because this is our ultimate responsibility, to which we will answer before God, if we fall short - like all of the secular world, and sadly, too many Christians. 

HOMEMAKING, AN HONORABLE POSITION

According to the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control located in Atlanta, Georgia, 75% of children/adolescents in chemical dependency hospitals are from single parent homes. 20% of children have a learning, emotional, or behavioral problem is the result of family situational change, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Absentee fathers contribute to crime and delinquency, while violent crimes are overwhelming among young males that grew up without a father, according to the US Census Bureau Report regarding, Child Support and Alimony. It’s not surprising with these statistics that violent crimes in the Atlanta area, as well as many other cities are on the increase, and those appear to be with little regard for the sanctity of life.

BY DIANE M. LANDRY

I am in no way judging the many single parents who find themselves, struggling to do their very best. I was once in the same position, and if not by the grace of God, my children could have fallen into those very statistics.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” rang true in my life and that of my children’s. Neighbors, Christian friends, and Christian coaches, helped with the raising of my children beyond what I realized, at the time. In fact, in a way, they (each child) held each other accountable, as well. Not everyone has that network available, it seems. The network I had was instrumental in keeping my children on course. Did any stray? Of course! We all did, at times.

It has taken much reflection to realize just how important, the calling of a wife and mother is. I’ve always known it was, but society seems to dictate to women that if they do not possess a career outside the home, that they are somehow below par. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I did work outside the home at times. I felt I was called back into my home, when my twins turned two. Following that, I worked only around my children’s schedules, mainly at schools, as much as possible, being mostly a homemaker, until the day I became a single parent.

Fast forward to present. I am first a Christian, a wife, a mother, “Nana,” a friend, and writer. Our children and grandchildren love to be in our home. I often hear from our children, “I feel so relaxed, when we go there.” That’s what our homes should be, and it does take work, but it is well worth the effort. It took me a long time to learn this lesson.

It is so exciting to find some mothers in the metro area who are proud to be homemakers. Being a homemaker is an honorable position. According to the Bible, it should be taught to the younger women by the older women. “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:4-5 (KJV)

Maybe with the transient society that we now live in, it is more difficult for the older women to teach the younger, but I do see a trend in women returning to the home to guide their families, and whenever possible I try to encourage them, sharing some of what I have learned.

http://www.rainbows.org/statistics.html

http://www.biblegateway

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