Ten Commandments

V - “Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you”

    Parents of teenagers point to this commandment often. A father of four teens said, “There’s nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won’t aggravate.” Another said, “Insanity is contagious. You catch it from your kids.”

    The fifth commandment is not directed at teens, but to families and children of every age. This is the first commandment with a promise.

ILLUS: A study once disclosed that if both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 72 percent of their children remain faithful in attendance. If only Dad attends regularly, 55 percent remain faithful. If only Mom attends regularly, 15 percent remain faithful. If neither attend regularly, and just drop off their kids at church, only 6 percent remain faithful. –

    I think it’s interesting that God goes from our relationship with Him, to that with our parents. (Why do you think this is so important? Answer - It affects all other relationships! Our parents, our siblings, our friends, our family members, our co-workers, and our world.)

Look at Romans 1:18-32:

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 

¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 

²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 

²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 

²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 

²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 

³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 

³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 

³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Sound familiar?

    Think about the cycle of life. When a baby is born into a family, he or she is totally dependent on the parents. (In what ways?) Don’t forget things other than physical.     

    As a child grows they become increasingly independent, - not necessarily smarter! - until they are ready to leave home and have families of their own. The parents however, take a different path. A path that takes them from the vitality of youth, to the security of middle age, to the vulnerabilities of old age. It is during the latter stages of life that they become more and more dependent upon their children…and the cycle is complete. And so it goes from generation to generation.

What does it mean to honor our parents?

1. Honor our parents by obeying them.

2. Honor our parents by valuing their advice.

"A wise son heeds his father’s instruction..." Proverbs 13:1

3. Honor our parents by showing your appreciation.

4. Honor our parents by helping meet their needs. (Not just in old age.)

    Not every home is a happy home, nor a God honoring home, some of us may have parents who: divorced; fought or were abusive; may have even abused you phys-ically; or, they were alcoholics. Some may feel like their parents did not deserve honor, nor forgiveness. But, forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a CHOICE to not hold on to anger that can destroy your lives and continue the cycle.

    Over eighty-five percent of child sexual abuse is committed by someone the child knows, loves and trusts. Most often the person who exploits a child is in a legitimate power position over the child. More than fifty per cent of reported cases list parents, parent substitutes and relatives as being responsible for abuse. In most cases, what is labeled sexual abuse is really incest.

    Is it possible for a child to honor a dishonorable parent? Millions of children are conceived without love, abused physically, ignored shamefully, and damaged emotionally. How are they to respond to parents who have so mistreated them? Those who join groups like Adult Children of Alcoholics, realize that their tragedies are shared, and that they can support each other in undoing the effects on their lives. They recognize that a necessary first step toward recovery is an honest confirmation that the situation existed. Denial never brings relief.

    The most difficult step is to receive and offer forgiveness. As we receive forgiveness from God, we should also forgive those who have sinned against us. Difficult as it is, Paul’s formula is helpful: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

    Those with painful childhood memories can work through them with God’s help. Honoring parents, worthy or not, is the most healthy and mature course. Lewis Smedes, a renowned Christian author, offers a valuable perspective: “The commandment to honor parents doesn’t tell children to feel happy about their parents or to enjoy camping with them or even have them over to dinner. It says nothing about happy emotional relationships. All that it commands is “honor”. The commandment is concerned with family structure and the role of parents and teachers and leaders in the family.”

    Smedes separates love and honor this way: “Love is natural impulse; honor is a moral choice.” Even when love has been absent from a relationship, there is still a place for honor. In the best relationships, however, both should be present.

    It is interesting that God addresses this crucial commandment to children rather than to parents. He might have said, “Parents be kind, sensitive, generous, and thoughtful towards your children.” But, I think God wanted to give children the opportunity to “break the chain” so to speak and choose to honor even the dis-honorable. Remember, we choose neither our parents nor the environment in which we grow up. We may be raised in circumstances where respect comes easy, or in extremely difficult settings, but we can choose to honor our parents, and God promises that “it will go well with you.” Oh, and one more thing; neither you nor your parents are ever too old…it is never too late.

Ten Commandments

IV “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”

    A preacher rode by one Sunday morning to see a farmer and church member at work harvesting. “Brother,” the minister lectured him, “don’t you know that the Creator made the world in six days and rested on the seventh?” “Yes,” said the farmer, “I know all about that, but He got finished and I didn’t!”

    There has been much debate over one particular thing in this commandment; What constitutes “work”?  Where do we draw the line? What about jobs that require you to work on Sundays? I believe God exhibits grace concerning some things. However, when I had jobs that required me to work on Sundays, I would have to say my spirit suffered, because I missed the worship and I missed the fellowship. (Other testi-monies?)

    There are three things that I would say are important in this scripture; “remember”, “rest”, and “revere”. It’s a call to remember basically three things about God;

1. God’s power and creation.  2. God’s provision.  3. God’s holiness.

    It is also a call to “rest”.  God took time out to rest and enjoy his creation. He made us, He created us, He certainly knows that we need rest and relaxation. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, our bodies need time to refresh.  Statistics show that after 40 hours of work, concentration levels drop; mistakes increase; moral begins to nosedive; and even our health is affected.  People who are workaholics lead the charts in work related disorders such as; high blood pressure, heart problems, stress and depression… This is why God built into the system a “mini-vacation” called the Sabbath.

    We need a physical change of environment. We need an emotional change of environment. We need to encounter joy, and creativeness, and fellowship. And, of course, we need a spiritual re-charge.

    What we receive on the Sabbath gives us what we need to base the rest of our week and our lives on.  If we do not take time to rest and focus on God, we will become worn out physically - “burn-out” - we will get burned out emotionally and spiritually as well. This causes us to get caught in a downward spiral that weakens marriages; divides families; puts tension on friendships; and even weakens our moral and ethical convictions.

    God wants us to stop working on the Sabbath, but He also wants us to start worshipping. That’s why He adds “and keep it holy”… the word “holy” has to do with being set apart for God.  It is a time to spend in worship; it is also a time to spend in activities that contribute to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. (What would they be?)

Would you consider this a negative or a positive command?

To what extremes can we take it?

    One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don’t get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did." "But you didn’t notice," said the winning woodsman, "that when I sat down to rest,  I was sharpening my ax."

In what ways can we sharpen our ax on the Sabbath?

God’s Top Ten

III "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7

    This Commandment is about our talk, but it is curious to me that it does not say: “Thou shalt not “speak” the name of the Lord thy God in vain” … The word “take” can mean “Use” as in speech; or it can mean “carry” because it is also about our walk. Just as those who do not uphold their family’s reputation bring disgrace to the family name; those who do not uphold the reputation of the Lord by living a life of love, repentance and forgiveness, bring disgrace to the Lord’s name.

    The word “vain” means “meaningless or worthless.” So, to take someone’s name in vain is to empty their name of meaning or worth.

1. God’s name deserves respect because it is holy.

“Let them praise Your great and awesome name - it is holy.” (Psalm 99:3) God’s name is holy – the word holy means “separate.” God’s name is separate from

all common or ordinary names and words.

2. God’s name deserves respect because of his position.

“All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.” (Psalm 86:9) He is the creator. When you speak the name of God, you are speaking about infinite power.

3. His name deserves respect because of what he has done.

“Praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you.” (Joel 2:26)

    We’re going to play a little association game. I’m going to say a name, and you think about the first thing that comes into your mind: Jeffery Dahmer -  Billy Graham - Dell - IRS - Bill Clinton - Ford - Uncola - Judas - Thomas - Sony – Wesleyan or Catholic, or any denomination?

    Names are more than just a way of finding someone in the phone book. Eventually, a person or an organization’s name comes to symbolize the kind of
character that that person or organization possesses.

    How many of you when you were picking names for your children thought about “Jezebel” or a boy named “Judas”. I have a suspicion that the reason for that is because the actions of those persons so marred the name that they carried that no one today wants to use those names.

    Some of us should be very glad about the family that we were born into and the family name that we inherited. One very unfortunate young man was born into the “Stinky” family. When he grew into an adult, Charlie Stinky was constantly being advised by his friends and co-workers that he should have his name changed. Finally, he agreed, and went to court to have the process completed. The judge looked at him and said, “What is your name?” “Charles Stinky.” The judge smiled, “Ah, I can see why you’d want your name changed. What would you like to change it to?” He replied, “George Stinky.”

    I am holding a can of Dr. Pepper. As I look at this can and the name that is on it, there is something interesting about it. There is a little “TM” after that name. Do you know what that stands for? It means “Trademark”. That means that the name of this soft drink is the sole property of the company. They own the name and all rights to its use. What would happen if I took a cup of water, added some caramel coloring to it and some sugar and then slapped a Dr. Pepper label on it and tried to sell it to the public? I would probably get sued. The reason that I would get sued is because I had put the same name on my product that was on their product. Well, what’s the problem with that? Why do companies care so much about their name?

    Did you know that companies have “quality control managers?” They want to do everything that they can to maintain a quality product with every customer that they deal with so that they can keep a good name – which equals a good reputation. How does this apply to the (denominational name)…or Christian? Think about how to apply this to your life.

Think about the following three questions:

1. Can I be a positive witness if I’m taking God’s name in vain?

2. Should I confront someone else who is misusing God’s name? (Would you say something to a man who was misusing the name of your wife, your husband, girlfriend, or daughter?)

3. Should I listen to music, watch movies or TV, or read books where God’s name is repeatedly taken in vain? How many times is too many? Do you think it will have any effect on our spiritual lives if we choose to read these books or view these shows?
    Taking God’s name in vain is more than just how we talk – it needs to be how we live as well.  Malachi 1:6-14 says this;

⁶ “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a Master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible.

⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

⁹ “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

¹⁰ “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 

¹¹ My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

¹² “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 

¹³ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord.

¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.”

    Obviously, when we read words like “shut the temple doors; useless fires; not pleased with you”– something is going on that is upsetting the Lord, so much so that the Lord wants the doors of the church to be shut up tight…“accept no offerings” (vs. 10) – He wasn’t even willing to accept the offerings that they gave! What was causing such turmoil?  “You have despised my name! When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor and see how pleased he is!" says the Lord Almighty.”

    The Israelites were supposed to bring their best animal as a sacrifice. Specifically, the sacrifice was to be a one-year old male lamb that had no blemish or spot, no broken legs, and no disease. Instead, they were bringing the leftovers –

    How do we treat the title “Christian”? Do we act like all it means is that we will go to heaven when we die, but it has nothing to do with how we live? Did you know that about 75% of U.S. citizens claim to be a Christian? Would you know by looking around you? Okay, let’s talk about what most people think this is about; “Profanity”.

    Profanity from the word profane, means that which is not sacred. A profane person treats life with contempt or a lack of reverence. He is insensitive to
the sacred and excludes himself from its benefits. He is impure, defiled, and unholy.  Profanity is a symptom of a rebel heart. “Swearwords” …are the angry shorthand for a long list of complaints they have against God.

    Let me repeat, this commandment is not just about how we speak, it’s also about how we “carry” the name of the Lord. It’s about taking the name of the Lord in vain in our everyday walk.

    Helen Mallicoat wrote this piece entitled, “I AM”:

“I was regretting the past, and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

“MY NAME IS I AM.” He paused…I Waited, He continued, “When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard, I am not there…MY NAME IS NOT I WAS. “When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard, I am not there… MY NAME IS NOT I WILL BE. “When you live in this moment, it is not hard, I AM HERE…MY NAME IS I AM.”

I am with you wherever you may go!