Sermon

Family

St. Paul's Anglican Church Chatswood - Sermons

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. Good morning all. As Jimmy said, Nick said, we're in Proverbs at the moment, a series on wisdom.

  2. Last week, Jimmy preached on the evil of envy, and he talked about, at the start of it, his engagement two weeks earlier.

  3. I wondered how long it would take to get it into a sermon, and two weeks must be some sort of new record, I would think.

  4. He's obviously pretty excited about it.

  5. And so today we're going to talk about marriage.

  6. And your laughter at that point tells me that it is, as the Bible says, a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.

  7. This is a great mystery. It is a great mystery.

  8. Nat and I have been married for nearly 18 years, and she had no idea what she was getting into at the time.

  9. And over the course of those 18 years, she's been married to three different men, all of them me.

  10. It is, in fact, a great mystery.

  11. Proverbs is about living wisely in the world, and this area of family relationships is an area where the vast majority of us need wisdom.

  12. It's an area where wrong choices and habitually bad behaviours can be devastating.

  13. And so this message is taking a very general look at some pretty basic principles of family life and relationships according to Proverbs.

  14. Even though at every point of what I'm saying isn't relevant for everyone right now.

  15. I'm going to be straying across a whole different areas, but something will be.

  16. And collectively, we will represent a whole range of family statuses.

  17. Some married, for instance, here and some are not.

  18. Some have children, some don't have children.

  19. Some with grandchildren, some with children who are still at home but should have left some time ago.

  20. Some who won't get to experience that for many years to come.

  21. Some with parents who are alive, some who are parents who are not alive, and the list goes on and on and on.

  22. There is something ultimately for everyone.

  23. So try not to tune out the point that it's not your status right now.

  24. The theme of wisdom runs right through all the relationships are pretty much universal.

  25. That's pretty helpful because there isn't just differences now in a particular relationship status,

  26. but there's also quite differences in terms of our heritage and our backgrounds and our cultures and the way we view family.

  27. Like in family, in Western societies is primarily driven by individualistic thinking.

  28. In Eastern societies, traditional society, it's very much more corporate orientated in their views of family.

  29. So there's a collective wisdom here which cuts across for everything.

  30. So let's kick off with a relationship between a husband and a wife.

  31. In the Bible, there are three human institutions that are set apart from all others.

  32. The family, the church, and the state.

  33. There's nothing in the Bible about how schools should be run, for instance.

  34. Although they are crucial to a flourishing society, there's nothing about corporations and museums and hospitals.

  35. In fact, there are all sorts of great institutions and human enterprises that the Bible doesn't address directly or regulate.

  36. That means that we are therefore free to invent them in line with the general principles of human life that the Bible gives us.

  37. But marriage is different.

  38. It is very different.

  39. As it says in the preface of our church's wedding service, marriage is instituted by God.

  40. It is a gift from God for human well-being.

  41. And so what that means is, contrary to some popular opinions at the moment,

  42. marriage didn't evolve in the Bronze Age or the ages past as a way to determine property rights.

  43. At the climax of the creation account at the beginning of the Bible,

  44. we see God bringing a man and a woman together and he unites them in marriage.

  45. The Bible begins with the wedding of Adam and Eve and at the end with the wedding of Christ and his church in the book of Revelation.

  46. Marriage is God's idea.

  47. And it's the way that he describes his relationship with his people.

  48. Now, it is certainly also a human institution and it reflects the character of the particular human culture in which it is embedded.

  49. But the concept and the roots of human marriage are in God's own action.

  50. And therefore, what the Bible says about God's design for marriage is crucial.

  51. What that means is that what God institutes, he regulates.

  52. If God invented marriage, then those who enter in it should make every effort to understand and submit to his purpose for it.

  53. In the same way that we don't ignore the manufacturer's instructions in how to use and maintain a car that we've just bought.

  54. If you've just bought a Corolla, you don't treat it like it's a 400 horsepower John Deere tractor.

  55. It will break.

  56. Now, many in society, I acknowledge it's a hot topic right now, would disagree with some of my basic starting point here.

  57. But it's my starting point.

  58. It's the starting point of historical Christianity.

  59. And so I don't expect that everyone, potentially not even everyone here today, to have the same starting point that I have.

  60. But I do hope that you're able to see how penetrating and how practical the Bible is on this issue of marriage.

  61. Proverbs tells us, first of all, that marriage is a covenantal relationship.

  62. For instance, chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, we read,

  63. A marriage is a covenant, which means it's a binding agreement.

  64. Now, I can't tell you the number of the times I've had people say to me, because I've got a license to marry people,

  65. the number of times I've had people say to me, or I've read something like this,

  66. why do I need a piece of paper to tell someone that I love them?

  67. And the answer, of course, is, well, you don't.

  68. Of course you don't do that.

  69. Tell them you love them.

  70. That's fine.

  71. But a wedding service and a marriage certificate is not a declaration of promise of present love.

  72. That's not what it is.

  73. It's a promise of future commitment and love.

  74. You can go to virtually any marriage service, whether it's in the churches or not,

  75. and they will say either nothing or very little about the way you feel right now.

  76. They're all about behaviour.

  77. The vows are promises to be tender, to be considerate, to be faithful, to be loving in the future

  78. through all the ups and downs and ins and outs of life and relationship.

  79. Marriage is a covenant, not just a declaration of my present love,

  80. but a promise, a commitment to future love and commitment.

  81. Now, marriage is also, therefore, based on a ministry mindset.

  82. You might have noticed it already.

  83. I suspect you did notice.

  84. As Proverbs 5 was read out, chapter 5, verse 18 to 20,

  85. May your fountain be blessed and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth,

  86. a loving doe, a graceful deer.

  87. May her breast satisfy you always.

  88. Will you ever be intoxicated with her love?

  89. Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man's wife?

  90. Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

  91. Now, what that's, at the very least, Proverbs 5 is saying,

  92. is that your spouse should be your lover.

  93. Your marriage should, therefore, include sexual intimacy.

  94. That's part of the marriage relationship.

  95. It also says, in chapter 2, verse 17,

  96. that the woman, the adulterous woman, left the partner of her youth.

  97. Now, the word partner there means your most intimate and best friend.

  98. That's what the word partner means.

  99. Now, what Proverbs suggests is that your relationship with your spouse

  100. should be characterised by both torrid romance and sexual intimacy

  101. and intimate friendship.

  102. Both of those things.

  103. Now, this is incredible for the time that this was written.

  104. You see, in traditional societies, when this was written,

  105. the purpose of marriage was to gain security and status for your family.

  106. Both husband and wife were trying to marry well as possible

  107. in terms of family status.

  108. Marriage was also about producing children,

  109. which was about producing family status and lineage,

  110. carrying on the family name.

  111. And if you manage to get married and have love and romance and friendship,

  112. then, well, lucky you.

  113. Good on you.

  114. The idea of marrying for love came quite later in history.

  115. And in Proverbs, it says that you marry for love.

  116. This is revolutionary in ancient culture.

  117. In a culture where women had very low status,

  118. it says that your spouse here is to be your best friend.

  119. That breaks all the categories of the ancient world.

  120. It's historically revolutionary and notable.

  121. But let's think about this practically.

  122. The combination of torrid romance and intimate friendship

  123. creates a unique relational dynamic.

  124. Friends, think about this,

  125. friends are normally side by side,

  126. absorbed in a common interest.

  127. And lovers are normally face to face,

  128. absorbed in each other.

  129. Like Jimmy and Kate.

  130. At the moment.

  131. It's interesting what Proverbs is saying here.

  132. C.S. Lewis, he wrote a chapter on friendship in his book,

  133. The Four Loves.

  134. And he suggests that friendship is about a common passion and interest.

  135. And he wrote this,

  136. friendship arises when two or more discover

  137. that they have in common some insight or interest.

  138. That is why those pathetic people who,

  139. this is C.S. Lewis,

  140. that is why those pathetic people who simply want friends

  141. can never make any.

  142. The very condition of having friends

  143. is that we should want something else besides the friends.

  144. Where the truthful answer to the question is,

  145. do you see the same truth,

  146. would be, I don't care about the truth,

  147. I only want you,

  148. you to be my friend.

  149. No friendship can arise.

  150. Though affection, of course, may.

  151. Friendship must be about something,

  152. even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice.

  153. Those who have nothing can share nothing.

  154. Those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travellers.

  155. Now that last statement is really interesting.

  156. The essence of friendship is having a vision for something

  157. that we both want to get to.

  158. That's the essence of friendship.

  159. Fellow travellers heading somewhere.

  160. On the other hand,

  161. lovers are absorbed in each other.

  162. What happens when you mix that together?

  163. Lovers being the best of friends?

  164. Ministry is what happens.

  165. The biblical picture of marriage is a journey towards your partner's,

  166. your spouse's future greatness.

  167. In fact, it's a journey towards your spouse's future glory.

  168. You see, traditional society,

  169. you get married for status.

  170. In modern Western society,

  171. you get married for fulfilment.

  172. And when you don't get fulfilled,

  173. you go somewhere else to get fulfilled.

  174. And they're both naive.

  175. Both naive.

  176. Let me remind you of the heart of the Christian message.

  177. All of us are made in the image of God.

  178. This is the biblical picture.

  179. All of us are made in the image of God.

  180. We are made to be something great,

  181. but we're all broken because of sin.

  182. We are all shadows of what we were made to be.

  183. God, knowing that we're all broken,

  184. comes into our world in the person of the Lord Jesus,

  185. lays himself out through the sacrifice of himself on the cross,

  186. comes into our lives,

  187. unites us to himself through the Holy Spirit.

  188. He applies what he has done,

  189. and he shapes us for our future greatness.

  190. Eternity in his presence,

  191. whole may complete.

  192. The great marriage in heaven.

  193. And that gospel message,

  194. that Christian message,

  195. shapes your view of marriage now.

  196. Marriage is gospel reenactment.

  197. It's the Christian message reenacted.

  198. Our course,

  199. of course,

  200. there are things like personal chemistry,

  201. but even for the Christian faith,

  202. it makes things go,

  203. the gospel makes it deeper than that.

  204. You see,

  205. even things like attraction are much deeper.

  206. As a Christian,

  207. you're attracted not just to what the other person is,

  208. but what they are going to be.

  209. A Christian looks at another and thinks,

  210. I see flashes of your future,

  211. and they excite me.

  212. You see,

  213. what they are becoming,

  214. and what God is making them into,

  215. you see that,

  216. you want to be part of that.

  217. Marriage becomes gospel reenactment,

  218. because you enter into the life of the other,

  219. and you commit yourself to sacrifice,

  220. to serve,

  221. to help,

  222. to minister,

  223. so that they get to that destination.

  224. Marriage.

  225. With their spouse,

  226. the Lord Jesus.

  227. That's the picture of the end of Revelation.

  228. You want to be part of that journey,

  229. part of their journey to that glory,

  230. the great marriage in heaven.

  231. You are friends committed to each other's future glory.

  232. That's the biblical picture of marriage.

  233. It's a ministry mindset.

  234. The consumer mindset of marriage,

  235. which is the picture of dominant in our society at the moment,

  236. where you marry for fulfillment,

  237. the consumer mindset is the opposite of the biblical picture.

  238. And the consumer mindset says,

  239. I will be the spouse that I should be,

  240. to the same measure that you are the spouse that you should be.

  241. I will promise to do this for you,

  242. providing you promise to do that for me.

  243. And so if you're not being the spouse that you should be,

  244. then I don't have to be the spouse that I should be.

  245. And that isn't the mindset of the gospel-empowered person.

  246. The gospel-motivated, empowered spouse says,

  247. I will be the spouse that I am meant to be,

  248. even when you are not the spouse that you are meant to be.

  249. The power to be like that to another is Jesus,

  250. because he has treated you like that.

  251. He loves us not because we are lovely,

  252. because he has made us lovely.

  253. Isn't that what Ephesians 5 says?

  254. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church

  255. and gave himself up for her to make her holy,

  256. cleansing her by the washing with water through the word

  257. and to present her to himself as a radiant church

  258. without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish,

  259. but holy and blameless.

  260. Now, hear me correctly here.

  261. I'm not suggesting that marriage is one way

  262. and that you're to be a doormat to a spouse.

  263. I think the most unloving thing you can do to an abuser

  264. is to allow them to abuse.

  265. I think the most unloving thing you can do for a selfish person

  266. is to allow them to be selfish.

  267. Iron sharpens iron,

  268. and so there is a need to confront your spouse

  269. about such behaviours

  270. and to take further steps if need be.

  271. But you're going to need to be patient.

  272. I mean real patient.

  273. Marriage is ministry.

  274. It is about service, not fulfilment.

  275. And when you seek the other person's good,

  276. even when you don't like them,

  277. the deeper your love will be.

  278. The less you love them

  279. when you don't like them,

  280. the less your love will be.

  281. Now, none of what I've said is easy to do.

  282. And the only way to get help here

  283. is to look at this in the context of the gospel.

  284. How can you stay on a journey

  285. with a difficult spouse?

  286. And the only answer, I think,

  287. is chapter 2,

    Isaiah 2 chapter mention

  288. verse Proverbs 2, 16, 17,

  289. wisdom will save you also

  290. from the adulterous woman,

  291. from the wayward woman

  292. with the seductive words,

  293. who has left the partner of her youth

  294. and ignored the covenant

  295. that she made before God.

  296. What we need to see is

  297. that we are the adulterous woman.

  298. That's what we need to see.

  299. We need to keep in mind

  300. that Jesus Christ made a covenant

  301. with the Father

  302. to come to this earth

  303. to make us his partners,

  304. to make us his spouse.

  305. And when he got here,

  306. we crucified him.

  307. We crucified him.

  308. Jesus jumps into the very worst relationship,

  309. a relationship that ultimately sent him to hell.

  310. Some of you might think

  311. you're in a relationship

  312. that he's taken to hell,

  313. but Jesus,

  314. he got sent to hell,

  315. a relationship with us.

  316. That's what it cost him.

  317. We need to see him dying on the cross for us,

  318. but we also need to see him

  319. staying in a terrible relationship with us.

  320. We need to see him giving us

  321. the ultimate faithfulness and love

  322. despite of our lack of faithfulness and love.

  323. Seeing and experiencing that

  324. is your only hope.

  325. And so I would say that

  326. if your spouse

  327. is the centre of your life,

  328. you are going to be a lousy spouse.

  329. If you're looking for them

  330. to give you what only Jesus can give you,

  331. you're going to be a lousy spouse.

  332. You're going to treat them bad.

  333. If they are the most important thing to you,

  334. then you're going to be a lousy spouse.

  335. If your spouse isn't giving you

  336. what you think you should need,

  337. and in fact only what Jesus can give you,

  338. then you'd be so freaked out

  339. because they are the source

  340. of all your worth

  341. and all your meaning

  342. and all your happiness

  343. and fulfilment and satisfaction.

  344. Unless Jesus demotes your spouse

  345. out of the centre of your life,

  346. you're going to be a lousy spouse.

  347. That's what we keep as a church.

  348. And this is for everything.

  349. We just keep saying,

  350. we need to treasure Jesus,

  351. treasure Jesus.

  352. We're saying it again this morning.

  353. Jesus has to demote everything.

  354. Has to be the centre.

  355. Jesus' love has to so move us

  356. and give us the worth and security

  357. and hope that we crave

  358. so that when our spouse

  359. is not what they should be

  360. or what we would want them to be,

  361. we can in fact continue to handle life.

  362. Only when he is our ultimate

  363. are we set free to love

  364. and serve and minister to our spouse.

  365. So before moving on to parents and kids,

  366. just a quick word for those who are wondering

  367. how we handle the journey of life

  368. when we are not married

  369. but we want to be.

  370. There are a lot of people, frankly,

  371. who want to be married but aren't.

  372. They go to weddings

  373. and frankly they can't stand it.

  374. What I've just said a moment ago,

  375. it just applies for you as well.

  376. If it is true that you're going to be

  377. a lousy spouse unless Jesus

  378. is the ultimate source of love

  379. and significance for you,

  380. that is true for you

  381. for when you're single too.

  382. Marriage isn't the goal.

  383. Let me just say,

  384. marriage is not the goal.

  385. It's not like you get married

  386. and you've arrived.

  387. Jesus is the goal.

  388. Jesus has to be the ultimate source

  389. of love and significance in your life.

  390. Unless you are content as a single person,

  391. let me say,

  392. you'll never be content as a married person.

  393. Unless you are content as a single person

  394. because you already have

  395. the ultimate spouse in your life,

  396. the one who will get you

  397. to your future glory

  398. even if no one else signs up

  399. to help you on that journey,

  400. you already have Jesus.

  401. every other spouse

  402. is going to pale in significance.

  403. When you're content with being single,

  404. you will be a decent spouse.

  405. And when you're not content

  406. with being single

  407. and see the marriage

  408. as the goal of all things,

  409. of satisfaction,

  410. of fulfilment,

  411. all that sort of stuff,

  412. then you're going to start

  413. making all kinds of wrong choices

  414. about the sort of partner

  415. you'll have.

  416. Okay.

  417. More things to say about marriage

  418. but we've got to move on.

  419. Family relationships,

  420. parents to children.

  421. There's a huge amount

  422. that can be said here.

  423. Even from Proverbs,

  424. a whole lot more can be said

  425. than what I'm going to say.

  426. Given the time,

  427. let's just focus on the main thing.

  428. This is the main thing

  429. that Proverbs says

  430. about this relationship.

  431. And if you are more bent

  432. towards the conservative edge

  433. like most traditional societies,

  434. you are going to,

  435. you're more likely to suggest

  436. that the main thing about parenting

  437. is about control.

  438. If, on the other hand,

  439. you're more liberal

  440. like most modern Western societies,

  441. then you're going to suggest

  442. the main thing about parenting

  443. is to make sure

  444. that you grow your kids up to,

  445. with love and affection

  446. and affirmation.

  447. What Proverbs says

  448. is the main things about parenting

  449. is to make your child wise.

  450. So Proverbs 23, 22.

  451. Listen to your father

  452. who gave you life

  453. and do not despise your mother

  454. when she is old.

  455. Buy the truth

  456. and do not sell it

  457. wisdom and instruction

  458. inside as well.

  459. The father of a righteous child

  460. has great joy.

  461. A man who fathers a wise son

  462. rejoices in him.

  463. May your father and mother rejoice.

  464. May she who gave you birth

  465. be joyful.

  466. So the main job of a parent

  467. is to teach your children

  468. what is good,

  469. what is bad,

  470. what is right,

  471. what is wrong,

  472. what is wise,

  473. what is unwise.

  474. That's the main thing

  475. about parenting.

  476. And the number of us,

  477. let's be frank here,

  478. a number of us

  479. have jettisoned

  480. some,

  481. potentially even much,

  482. of what our parents

  483. have taught us

  484. about what's right and wrong.

  485. However,

  486. what makes you

  487. able to come up

  488. with an alternative

  489. understanding

  490. of what is right and wrong

  491. is the fact

  492. that your parents

  493. taught you

  494. anything in the first place.

  495. If you have parents

  496. who have been firm,

  497. have a coherent understanding

  498. of what's right and wrong

  499. that they themselves

  500. live by

  501. and you know

  502. that they delighted in you

  503. no matter what,

  504. you've been raised.

  505. Now even if

  506. you go a totally

  507. different direction

  508. in life,

  509. you've still been raised.

  510. Your parents

  511. are not guilty

  512. of parental

  513. malpractice.

  514. Now it's a different

  515. matter

  516. if

  517. parents lived

  518. inconsistently,

  519. they didn't

  520. delight in you,

  521. they didn't train,

  522. they didn't discipline,

  523. they didn't teach,

  524. they didn't navigate,

  525. they didn't guide.

  526. Proverbs would call that

  527. parenting

  528. malpractice.

  529. And so some of you

  530. who are now parents

  531. whose kids have grown up

  532. and are going in

  533. different directions,

  534. making different choices,

  535. you need to probably

  536. start feeling

  537. less guilty

  538. for that

  539. if you have

  540. at least

  541. set a course

  542. for your kids

  543. but they've chosen

  544. a different direction.

  545. Stop beating yourself up

  546. about it.

  547. Some of you,

  548. however,

  549. have set no course

  550. or direction

  551. for your kids

  552. and gone off

  553. in whatever direction

  554. you might need to feel

  555. a little bit responsible

  556. for that one.

  557. Proverbs 22.15

  558. makes,

  559. gives us

  560. the key ingredient

  561. to making your child wise.

  562. Folly is bound up

  563. in the heart of a child

  564. but the rod of discipline

  565. will drive it far away.

  566. Now,

  567. what that's saying

  568. is that children

  569. are by nature

  570. unwise.

  571. Their life

  572. will be a disaster

  573. unless you intervene

  574. and you give them wisdom.

  575. Now,

  576. the intervention here

  577. in Proverbs 22

  578. is called

  579. the rod

  580. of discipline.

  581. Now,

  582. the word discipline

  583. here means

  584. literally to coach.

  585. It's a combination

  586. of discipline

  587. instruction.

  588. Now,

  589. the word rod

  590. means to take

  591. authority.

  592. It doesn't

  593. always mean

  594. corporal punishment.

  595. You see,

  596. one of the great dangers

  597. of reading

  598. the book of Proverbs

  599. and just picking out

  600. your favourite proverb,

  601. like you're about

  602. to belt your kid

  603. and you're saying,

  604. well,

  605. you know,

  606. discipline my child,

  607. you know,

  608. the rod,

  609. this is not a rod,

  610. kid,

  611. so be grateful.

  612. You need to understand

  613. the nuances

  614. every time a word

  615. pops up

  616. and certainly here

  617. every time a word

  618. like,

  619. for instance,

  620. rod,

  621. we think it

  622. automatically means

  623. to smack,

  624. corporal punishment.

  625. That's what you all

  626. thought,

  627. wasn't it?

  628. Automatically,

  629. corporal punishment,

  630. boom.

  631. Now,

  632. it's included

  633. at times

  634. but not all times.

  635. There's a famous

  636. proverb that says,

  637. start children off

  638. on the way

  639. they should go

  640. and even when

  641. they're old

  642. they will not

  643. turn from it.

  644. That's 22.6.

  645. Now,

  646. many commentators

  647. suggest the nature

  648. of training there

  649. is to fit

  650. the nature

  651. of the child.

  652. I've got three

  653. daughters,

  654. they're all

  655. very different.

  656. Some children

  657. sideways glance

  658. and boom,

  659. they're on the floor

  660. and they're a mess.

  661. They're all over

  662. the place.

  663. Well,

  664. that's all that one's

  665. needed.

  666. Another one

  667. can stare you

  668. down.

  669. You know,

  670. any sort of threat

  671. at all

  672. and they're just

  673. adamant.

  674. There's no way

  675. there's going to be

  676. any tears here.

  677. I'm just going to

  678. show you who's

  679. in charge.

  680. That's just my

  681. family.

  682. I've got no idea.

  683. If you think

  684. the corporal

  685. punishment

  686. is the

  687. universal

  688. answer,

  689. you've totally

  690. missed the point

  691. of Proverbs

  692. and the

  693. biblical

  694. understanding

  695. of child

  696. rearing.

  697. Your child

  698. needs to know

  699. that you

  700. delight in

  701. them no matter

  702. what.

  703. Your child

  704. needs to have

  705. a coherent

  706. understanding

  707. of right and

  708. wrong and I

  709. would argue

  710. that's a biblical

  711. understanding of

  712. right and wrong

  713. and your child

  714. needs to see

  715. you consistently

  716. living that

  717. out.

  718. Quick

  719. word.

  720. Dads,

  721. take responsibility

  722. here to lead

  723. your family,

  724. to lead your

  725. kids.

  726. And secondly,

  727. kids' church

  728. doesn't do that

  729. for you.

  730. It's your

  731. job.

  732. It's your

  733. job.

  734. You want to

  735. instill spiritual

  736. wisdom in your

  737. kids, you've

  738. got to do it

  739. at home.

  740. We only just

  741. partner with

  742. you for a

  743. little fraction

  744. of your

  745. child's life

  746. here at

  747. Kids'

  748. Church.

  749. Okay.

  750. That's the

  751. main way that

  752. parents relate

  753. to children.

  754. Now, what

  755. about children

  756. relating to

  757. parents?

  758. In Proverbs

  759. and in the

  760. rest of the

  761. Bible, there

  762. is one key

  763. word that

  764. comes up

  765. again and

  766. again to

  767. describe the

  768. main thing

  769. about this

  770. relationship and

  771. it's the

  772. word honour.

  773. honour.

  774. The opposite

  775. of honouring

  776. is to

  777. despise.

  778. Now, you

  779. probably know

  780. this is

  781. true.

  782. It's in the

  783. Ten Commandments.

  784. Honour your

  785. father and

  786. mother.

  787. Notice it

  788. doesn't say

  789. love your

  790. father and

  791. mother.

  792. It doesn't

  793. say obey

  794. your father

  795. and mother.

  796. It doesn't

  797. say admire

  798. your father

  799. and mother.

  800. It doesn't

  801. say trust

  802. your father

  803. and mother.

  804. It doesn't

  805. even say have

  806. affection for

  807. your father

  808. and mother.

  809. It says

  810. honour.

  811. Why?

  812. Why not

  813. love your

  814. father and

  815. mother?

  816. father.

  817. Now, there

  818. is an

  819. enormous range

  820. of transitions

  821. that we go

  822. through in

  823. life in

  824. which we

  825. relate to

  826. our parents.

  827. You go from

  828. an infant to

  829. a toddler to

  830. a young adult

  831. and then the

  832. teenage years

  833. and then all

  834. that sort of

  835. stuff.

  836. In fact,

  837. that comes

  838. before young

  839. adult,

  840. teenage years,

  841. and then after

  842. that sort of

  843. stuff.

  844. Now, in

  845. some of those

  846. stages of

  847. life, to

  848. obey your

  849. parents is

  850. either

  851. absolutely

  852. essential,

  853. crucial for

  854. you, as I

  855. would argue,

  856. for instance,

  857. you know,

  858. sort of up to

  859. the age of

  860. 10, or

  861. it's a

  862. complete

  863. disaster for

  864. you, such

  865. as if

  866. you're 47.

  867. There is

  868. just an

  869. enormous range

  870. of situations

  871. in the way

  872. that we relate

  873. to our

  874. parents, and

  875. there's also

  876. an enormous

  877. range of

  878. parents as

  879. well.

  880. It might

  881. not have

  882. struck you,

  883. before, but

  884. by definition,

  885. half of all

  886. parents are

  887. below average.

  888. Argue with

  889. that logic.

  890. A lot of

  891. parents are

  892. not great

  893. parents, and

  894. that is why

  895. the Bible is

  896. very smart

  897. when it says

  898. there is one

  899. thing that is

  900. constant in

  901. your relationship

  902. with your

  903. parents, despite

  904. the stages of

  905. life, despite

  906. the quality of

  907. your parents,

  908. and this one

  909. condition must be

  910. fulfilled.

  911. you must

  912. honour them.

  913. And honour

  914. is not a

  915. sentimental word,

  916. it's an

  917. unsentimental

  918. word.

  919. It means to

  920. treat your

  921. parents with

  922. appropriate

  923. weight.

  924. Now let's

  925. just, given

  926. that most of

  927. us here are

  928. adults, and

  929. some are

  930. moving in

  931. that direction,

  932. once you hit

  933. over 30,

  934. let's just

  935. focus on what

  936. it looks like

  937. as an adult

  938. to honour

  939. their parents.

  940. And there

  941. are five

  942. ways, five

  943. ways, at

  944. least five

  945. ways.

  946. Number one,

  947. find the

  948. appropriate

  949. symbols by

  950. which you

  951. show them

  952. respect.

  953. Remembering

  954. special days,

  955. places at the

  956. table, you

  957. know, even

  958. when my dad

  959. comes and

  960. visits my

  961. home, offer

  962. him the head

  963. of the table.

  964. letting them

  965. speak first in

  966. certain situations,

  967. that sort of

  968. thing.

  969. Number two,

  970. don't underestimate

  971. your parents'

  972. need to see

  973. themselves

  974. reproduced in

  975. you.

  976. Any place

  977. that you can

  978. say, I got

  979. that from you

  980. and I'm

  981. grateful.

  982. You know,

  983. when my,

  984. I was,

  985. this is

  986. recorded,

  987. just recently

  988. I was helping

  989. my dad

  990. build a

  991. shed and

  992. my mum

  993. was grateful

  994. that I was

  995. there to

  996. help my

  997. dad build

  998. the shed.

  999. I'm slightly

  1000. more precise

  1001. on things like

  1002. levels and

  1003. measurements than

  1004. he is.

  1005. He's pretty

  1006. good but I'm

  1007. more precise

  1008. on things.

  1009. And mum

  1010. said, you

  1011. know, glad

  1012. you're here to

  1013. make it happen.

  1014. And I said,

  1015. well, I

  1016. actually did get

  1017. it from him.

  1018. I got my

  1019. skills from

  1020. him.

  1021. Just take it,

  1022. you know,

  1023. anytime they see

  1024. you duplicate

  1025. it.

  1026. My dad

  1027. compliments me

  1028. on my

  1029. driving and

  1030. I got it

  1031. from him.

  1032. He can

  1033. drive virtually

  1034. anything.

  1035. You put him

  1036. in a machine,

  1037. you can drive

  1038. anything.

  1039. Got it from

  1040. him.

  1041. My incessant

  1042. cleanliness and

  1043. tidiness and

  1044. order, I got it

  1045. from my mum.

  1046. Not from my

  1047. dad.

  1048. Got that from

  1049. my mum.

  1050. Don't underestimate

  1051. your parents need

  1052. to see themselves

  1053. reproducing you.

  1054. Number three,

  1055. don't stereotype

  1056. them.

  1057. They can change.

  1058. People can change.

  1059. Just because

  1060. they were always

  1061. like that up

  1062. until the time

  1063. you left home

  1064. doesn't mean

  1065. they're like it

  1066. now.

  1067. They can change.

  1068. Number four,

  1069. you have to

  1070. forgive them.

  1071. If you stay

  1072. resentful at

  1073. your parents,

  1074. your life will

  1075. be distorted.

  1076. And some of

  1077. you might have

  1078. lost your

  1079. parents long

  1080. ago, but

  1081. you're still

  1082. angry with

  1083. them about

  1084. something.

  1085. And if you

  1086. are, they

  1087. are still

  1088. controlling you.

  1089. They're still

  1090. controlling you.

  1091. And if you're

  1092. still mad at

  1093. them, you're

  1094. still operating

  1095. like the

  1096. child.

  1097. One of the

  1098. ways to break

  1099. that is by

  1100. forgiving them.

  1101. Number five,

  1102. and this is the

  1103. most important

  1104. one, the way

  1105. to honour

  1106. them is to

  1107. be liberated

  1108. enough from

  1109. them to be

  1110. able to say,

  1111. I don't need

  1112. your approval

  1113. anymore.

  1114. I don't need

  1115. your approval

  1116. anymore.

  1117. If you've

  1118. had really

  1119. great parents,

  1120. you can spend

  1121. the rest of

  1122. your life

  1123. trying to

  1124. please them

  1125. by being

  1126. like them,

  1127. or you

  1128. might have

  1129. had really

  1130. bad parents

  1131. and you

  1132. spend the

  1133. rest of

  1134. your life

  1135. resenting

  1136. them.

  1137. Either way,

  1138. you haven't

  1139. left them.

  1140. Either way,

  1141. you haven't

  1142. left them.

  1143. You haven't

  1144. grown up and

  1145. therefore you

  1146. haven't really

  1147. honoured them.

  1148. A number of

  1149. years ago,

  1150. about five,

  1151. six years ago,

  1152. I spent most

  1153. of my life

  1154. attempting to

  1155. get my

  1156. father's

  1157. approval,

  1158. where he

  1159. would say

  1160. that I'm

  1161. proud of

  1162. you and

  1163. what you

  1164. become and

  1165. that sort

  1166. of thing.

  1167. About five,

  1168. six years

  1169. ago,

  1170. sitting in

  1171. the kitchen

  1172. over the

  1173. rectory,

  1174. mum and

  1175. dad came

  1176. and said,

  1177. just want

  1178. you to

  1179. know how

  1180. proud of

  1181. we are

  1182. in you and

  1183. what you

  1184. become,

  1185. who you

  1186. are as a

  1187. husband,

  1188. who you

  1189. are as a

  1190. father,

  1191. who you

  1192. are as a

  1193. pastor.

  1194. We

  1195. couldn't

  1196. be prouder

  1197. as parents.

  1198. You know

  1199. something?

  1200. It was

  1201. really nice

  1202. to hear

  1203. him say

  1204. it.

  1205. I didn't

  1206. need it.

  1207. That's what

  1208. Jesus does

  1209. for you.

  1210. I didn't

  1211. need it.

  1212. It was

  1213. good for

  1214. them to

  1215. say it,

  1216. good for

  1217. them,

  1218. and it

  1219. was good

  1220. for me,

  1221. but I

  1222. didn't

  1223. need it.

  1224. Let me

  1225. just say,

  1226. this is one

  1227. of the

  1228. reasons why

  1229. the Bible's

  1230. called on

  1231. our parents

  1232. is so,

  1233. so important.

  1234. You never

  1235. grow up,

  1236. you never

  1237. grow up

  1238. if you

  1239. don't need

  1240. their approval,

  1241. if you

  1242. don't get

  1243. to a point

  1244. where you

  1245. don't need

  1246. their approval.

  1247. At one

  1248. point,

  1249. our parents

  1250. stood in the

  1251. place of

  1252. God for

  1253. us,

  1254. they were

  1255. our complete

  1256. source of

  1257. identity and

  1258. security and

  1259. significance,

  1260. but for the

  1261. Christian,

  1262. they aren't

  1263. God anymore.

  1264. Through

  1265. Jesus Christ,

  1266. who lost

  1267. his father's

  1268. delight at

  1269. the cross,

  1270. we now have

  1271. the delight

  1272. of God the

  1273. Father.

  1274. Through

  1275. Jesus,

  1276. our true

  1277. brother,

  1278. we now have

  1279. the ultimate

  1280. family,

  1281. the ultimate

  1282. home,

  1283. the ultimate

  1284. approval of

  1285. the ultimate

  1286. father,

  1287. and through

  1288. Jesus,

  1289. we are now

  1290. free to

  1291. honour our

  1292. parents,

  1293. we are free

  1294. to forgive

  1295. our parents,

  1296. free not to

  1297. over-need our

  1298. parents.

  1299. So as I

  1300. said,

  1301. something for

  1302. everyone.

  1303. We're all

  1304. kids.

  1305. Something for

  1306. everyone.

  1307. Jesus is the

  1308. answer for the

  1309. couple, the

  1310. married couple,

  1311. to flourish.

  1312. He is the

  1313. answer for the

  1314. spouse in a

  1315. difficult marriage.

  1316. He's the answer

  1317. for the single

  1318. person wanting

  1319. to be married.

  1320. He is the

  1321. answer for the

  1322. parents seeking

  1323. to impart

  1324. wisdom and

  1325. for the child

  1326. seeking to

  1327. honour their

  1328. parent.

  1329. Amen.