Reflection on the Book of Colossians (14)

[Music] Trustees and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Music] Invisible God, the miracle worker, You are worthy, O Lord. You are worthy, You are worthy, You are worthy, O Lord. Invisible God, the miracle worker, You are worthy, O Lord. Invisible God, the miracle worker, You are worthy, O Lord. You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy, Lord, King of kings. You are worthy. Alpha, Omega, You are the beginning and the end. You are worthy, Lord, in our lives. You are worthy in our homes. You are worthy in every situation. You are worthy, Lord, Daddy. You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy, You are worthy, Lord. We worship You. You are worthy. Worthy, O Lord, You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy, Lord. Praise the Lord. We worship the Lord as he is worthy of praise, of thanks, of all adoration. Daddy, we worship You in the name of Jesus. Yes, we are still continuing on our book of Colossians chapter 3 that we are taking. Colossians chapter 3 and by the grace of God last week, we learned, we took verse 18 and 19 talking about the home. We came to the home last week where we have God's instruction to wives and husbands. And by the grace of God, last week was wonderful. I was blessed and I believe others too were blessed because we saw in a new dimension how we will be able to do God's will and God made us to see why we are not, we see ourselves failing, or why we are failing. And I don't know if we have any of our brethren here present, I don't know how those online could participate. Is there anybody that want to talk about his or her take-home last week? What God particularly dropped into your heart that you think you want to share with us briefly, how God touched you, what new thing you learned, and what God began to do since that last Monday as a result of the word that he particularly sent to us. So I don't know if we have any of our brethren here that has anything to say. [Speaker 2] Good afternoon, everybody. Last week was very much loaded. Every bit had impact. And one of the things that stood out for me, one of the things that was emphasized that stood out for me was the need to actually die and that one to die to self. That before you can become a good husband, you first have to become a good single. It is good Christian singles that make good Christian spouses, not the other way around. So and before one can be able to deny oneself as a spouse, one must have died to self when one is a single. That is one of the things that also really, really stood out for me. And also, in fact, it has affected my quiet time so much. My quiet time has not been the same ever since last Monday. [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. Amen. Is there any other person? [Speaker 3] Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. One of the things I learned last week was the issue of dying to self too, as our brother said. And Daddy pointed an analogy that a Christian that says that he's dead but is still offended, but is still vengeful is not dead. The person just fainted. That at one point when such a Christian is being pushed to the wall, that Christian that has claimed to faint will awake because in the first place he was not dead, he just fainted. And that analogy seemed to fit with one analogy like that Daddy pointed to me in saying that at what point will you squeeze, will a squeezed dry cotton or dry cloth, at what point will that dry cloth bring out water? Because the cloth was initially dry. No matter how you squeeze it, no matter how you apply pressure, the cloth will not bring out water because it was not wet in the first place. And we talked about the book of Corinthians that Apostle Paul was saying that they were pressed on every side yet they were not crushed. They were persecuted yet they were not forsaken. So as Christians, as a believer, it's not about what people are doing to us, it's about who we are. So my memory verse takeaway was Romans 6:7, "He that is dead is free from sin." And that I'm holding onto. [Speaker 4] Praise God. Hallelujah. Brother Gospel has almost said what I wanted to say about being dead. So I remember vividly how Daddy illustrated being dead, that once in his life that he was awoke from death by a deep bite. That means he didn't die very well. And so are Christians or so-called Christians today who pretend to die in baptism, but when the world give them a deep bite, they awake and show who they are. Then what scripture that really caught my attention is this Colossians that Gospel mentioned, "crushed on every side." If you read down when Daddy mentioned that death is working in us but what is working in you is life. So as Christians, if we must show life to the world, if we must show the world the true life of Christ, death will work in us so that we ourselves will be feeling pains, but those people they will be seeing the glory of God. So this is what I take home. May God help us in Jesus' name. [Speaker 5] Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. My take home, my brother has said something but one thing that really struck me that Daddy mentioned something. Before I was asking questions I want to ask, I was about to ask Daddy, "Okay, what if the situation where you marry someone that is possessed?" You know when you are doing something that is normal, you can tolerate as human beings. But there are some people that apart from your wife or somebody else, this person what is doing for you, you know it's not ordinary. It's possessed. He's doing things that are demonic or satanic. I mean, something that is not ordinary. Then I want to ask, "How do you handle such type of person or such type of spouse and you are human being, you are not an angel? And then when you are dealing with a demon, how do you balance the equation?" But Daddy said something that make me to rest my case that he said that all these things that he's saying, that you must have encounter with God. If you don't have the Holy Spirit, he said it is by the power of the Holy Spirit. He made mention of that one. Not by your own power. Not that, "No matter what my wife do for me, I won't talk, I won't do this one." If there's no Holy Spirit, I will tell you, you have not married a man or a demonic woman. You know that some things ordinarily by your power, you will not be able to. When you are pressed, you will surely scatter. [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. Amen. We thank God for all the testimonies of how God met with us. And I could remember vividly that word "fainted" remained with me too. It remained with me and it's still with me. Particularly where Daddy used his own life when he fell and he fainted from a story building and somebody came and bite him hard, then he woke up. So there are so many biting hard on us if indeed we are not dead, we will wake up if it is a state of fainting. We will wake up. And it's my prayer that the Lord will indeed do the work of crucifixion in all that remains in us that are yet to be dead but they are alive. God will put them to death and the Lord will cause us to willingly submit at his cross so that we can be dead in these areas of our lives in Jesus' name. Today we want to continue from where we stopped. If we look at Colossians chapter 3 from 18, it began where Daddy started last week, it began from, it's like facing the home front. And the exhortation began from wives, then to husband. Now we want to continue. I trust God for my throat because I have cold. We want to continue with the children. So in the home front, you know you have the father, the mother, the children. These three, they have different roles. Mother is a role, and the woman also bears the role of a wife. God has addressed us as women, as wives last week. And God has addressed the men as husbands. Now God wants to address the children. These are the fruit, the seed, the fruit that comes from our marriage. And then he's also going to address us as parents. Parents, this now, the woman, the man, as Daddy, Mommy. And by the grace of God, I know the Spirit of God will speak to us. And where God is beginning from us is where he stopped. Because when it comes to the role of children, you also know that they also have instruction from the Lord. And the way wives and husbands are given instructions and yet we could see yesterday that for you to even be able to obey those instructions, you must first be dead. It's the same with the children. And I believe when we see the text here, Colossians chapter 3 verse 20, it says, "You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord." "You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord." I want to read from New King James. "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." Then in 21 it says, "Fathers, don't aggravate your children. If you do so, they will become discouraged and quit trying." In New King James version, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." I trust God that we will be able to handle these two if time permits us as much as the Holy Spirit will help us. But looking at the instruction to children here, "Obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." I also want to read in Amplified. It says, "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord." We could see here that there is something that is important: obeying. This is equal, it's in all the version even those ones we didn't read. Even the old King James version, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." We could see that there is an instruction if you are a child. You have a command: obey your parent. And it's not in some things. It says in all things. It says, "For this is well pleasing unto the Lord." That's another important thing: it pleases the Lord. I want us to quickly look at Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 6. There is a similar instruction there for children too. Ephesians chapter 6 from verse 1. "Children, obey your parent because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do." It went further here. "Honor your father and mother. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise." We all know that Ten Commandments. That is in Exodus chapter 20 verse, I think it will be between 10, 12, 13. "And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, you will live a long life full of blessings." Praise the Lord. In New King James, let me quickly read that Ephesians in New King James, I just read NLT. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and you may live long on earth." There is an addition in Ephesians here. The addition is saying that obey your parents in the Lord. We also know that it is written that it is right. Some version says it pleases the Lord. In Colossians, we also see it that it is right. But in Ephesians, we could see here that there is something about it. It said, "Obey your parent because you belong to the Lord." That is NLT. When they say obey your parent in the Lord, making us to see that children representative of the Lord. Not all children are believers. Not all children are in the Lord. Not all children are believers, not all children have a walk with God. That is not an excuse for them not to carry out God's instruction. But you and I know that they don't have what it takes to carry out God's instruction. And that is not an excuse because God has made provision for all human race by which we'll be able to carry out God's instruction. So that is not an excuse. And the provision is who? Christ Jesus. He said as many that believe in him, he gave them power. As many that come to him, that confess him, believe in his heart and confess with his mouth shall be saved. And as many that believe, he gives power. That is what we receive when you come to receive God what God has freely given to the human race: salvation. So if you are a child there and you feel, "I'm not born again and maybe that's the reason why, of course, that's the reason why you will not be able to obey God's command. Because what it takes for us to be able to follow God is in God." And God has given that to us free. All he only asks us to do is come. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavily laden, I will give you rest." So are you a child there? If you don't come to Jesus, you cannot have rest. In fact, you can't even fulfill the requirement of God. If you don't come to obtain the help, the righteousness, the power. Even if you so wish to do the right thing, let's even assume you do it, it's still not acceptable because you first must be acceptable before God before your offering, before your services, before your obedience. There is no obedience, there is no righteousness that is outside the righteousness of Christ. Bible says all our righteousness, they are like filthy rags before him. So that is the first thing. And that is the reason why I took time to quickly make us see here, if you are a believer, if you are in the Lord, if you are a representative of Jesus Christ, there is a command for you as a child: obey your parents because you belong to the Lord and again for this is right thing to do. Praise the Lord. Is my prayer if there's any child or you as a parent, you have your children you could not, you are not sure of them being saved. Please that is your first field. That is the first field. Prayerfully, you know, lift your children to the Lord. And if you are a child and you have not come, you cannot say you have a walk, you have come to know Jesus at any time. Please come to him. He's the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to God except through him. And no matter how good works you may be doing here, they are filthy rags. They are not acceptable. Your offerings are not acceptable until you've belonged to Jesus, until you come to God through the Lord Jesus. And is my prayer that the light of God will shine to any child, any parent, any father, mother that have not come to the knowledge of the truth, that have not come to the knowledge of salvation in Christ Jesus in the name of Jesus. Praise the Lord. And if we are saved, the Lord is giving us instruction, which we know him to be a faithful God. He cannot give us, he will not ask us what he has not empowered us to do. Bible says the grace of God has appeared and he has appeared to you as a believer. Are you a believer there? The word of God says, "Obey your parents because you belong to the Lord and this is right thing to do. Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and you may live long on earth." Amen. The Bible did not talk about, "Children, obey your parents who are believers." Did you see that in Ephesians? We didn't see that in Ephesians. We didn't see that in Colossians that we, which is our main text. It says you should obey your parent. And I want us to remember that we didn't choose our parents. Nobody chooses his parents. We just find ourselves in the family God placed us. God did not give any man the prerogative of choice in that place. It was his right because he's the one that fashioned us and know the purpose and plan. And God can be trusted because there is nobody, no one that can be trusted like him. So if God places you in a family, you should know that he has his purpose. There is purpose behind that. And that is the reason why we should not think because they did not, they are not believers, don't think because they are not educated, don't think because they are not 21st century people, don't think because they don't know what they are saying. Bible says obey them. Obey them. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. We want to continue from here. We see that when God said that to us to children, he wants to expect that in everything, in everything. But the truth is this, Bible says something when he mentioned obey your parent in everything because this pleases the Lord. Do you know why I know that or in unlawful or illegal, sinful things will not be, this is not pleasing. You know that anything unlawful does not please the Lord. You know that anything illegal does not please the Lord. We know that every form of iniquity, even practices, does not please the Lord. So when the Lord is giving children instructions, he's giving us instruction with the knowledge of the fact that everything that is right. He even in this in some verses he said, "Because it pleases the Lord." In another version, it says, "Pleases the Lord." Okay. There is another word that says it is right, because it is right. So we are to obey our parents as long as what they are telling us is not illegal, is not unlawful, is not sinful, is not evil, is not wickedness. It may not be, it may be archaic. Being archaic does not remove pleasing the Lord. Because we also know that we have God as the Ancient of Days. The same yesterday, today, and forevermore. It may not agree with your tech world. That does not change the personality of God. God brought the technology. Is that not? He gave us all the things we are discovering. Who gave us a brain to discover them? And in the midst of all this, the plan, the plan of Ancient of Days is persistent, his record. What he has recorded. I hope you know the word is like they put in a CD and it's being played. He has determined it, the end from the beginning. We are still in between, we've not gotten to the end. There was a time of industry, now is the time of tech, we have passed through different stages. Who knows, maybe next time, I watched something on LinkedIn when they said the next generation, that baby was on the bed and he was, they told us they are trying to tell us the kind of technology, and he was on his bed just using his hand in the air like this. You know we use our tab, laptop, that the next one, it will just be in the air. Do you remember that this same God has determined this whole thing we are seeing, the end from the beginning? So technology is part of God's plan. The one they will begin to write in the sky that will not need anything to hold is also the one that has done it. So when we are talking about the will of God, it transcends time. He's the one that has programmed everything there. He knows it from the beginning, the end from the beginning. And he's the Ancient of Days, he never changed. He changeth not. So if God is giving this instruction when he says, "Children, honor your father and your mother that it may be well with you," he knows we'll get to tech age. He knows we'll get to where they will tell you you are independent, you are of this age, you cannot, you do not, you have the right, human right, so many right, children right, several rights. They are all planned, part of God's plan. God knows all of this. There are many things we have not even discovered that we will still discover, but God has also discovered that. He's part of his plan from beginning to the end. And yet he gave an instruction that will stand the time, that will stand different generation, that will stand different evolution, that will stand different dispensation. And that is the reason why we have to be careful. Because what we see in recent time is like children are just losing out. They are just forgetting God's instruction. They are just thinking since they are enlightened, they may even know more than their parents, they have all it takes, they can read, they have access to information, they now begin to relegate God's instruction. It's dangerous. And we know what the society is turning to today. We know what that is costing us today. We can see how many of our young ones are dying at the prime of their lives. We can see how our society has become cancerous. How our society looks as if there's no future. It's because we neglected the Ancient of Days that can never be archaic. How will you say he's archaic? He's the one that created everything you see here and yet he determined everything from the beginning. He knows the end. It's just like you manufacturing a thing and you put the thing in market and it got a time you improve on it and the thing began to say, "Now I know better." Who is the source? Is it not you? So God is calling you, if you are in the Lord, if you are a representative of Jesus Christ, if you belong to Jesus, take caution. Take caution. Bible talks in the end of time. He said at the end time there will be lovers of money and he began to talk about children, they will be disobedient to parents. And we see it in the Christendom. We see the effrontery. You see the way some people treat their parents, the way they talk to them. Some people they can't even talk to them because they have gone to university, because they are undergraduate. Ah! Maybe God, God will always know. He'll always know. During the time of Abraham, when the time of Moses, when the covenant was passed to them, you know thousands of years ago, that one is still fresh. God knows that what these children by the time we get to 20th, 30th century, only God will know what will happen. And he had to put a promise. That is the only commandment with promise: that it might be well with you and you may live long. Can you see it? If you look back, during the time of Moses when that covenant, when that commandment was given, they may be wondering, "How? We will always live long." You know the number of years they lived at that time now? They may be wondering. But look at it now, we are understanding it better. How many young ones, how many of them will you say live long? How many? When you see so many things happened because of disobedience to parent. Just because they're not contented with what their parent gave you. You want high street bow, and what do you call this different thing? You see how many girls' lives have been wasted. You want to become what you are not. You want to outshine your parent. "You, my parents are here living in what? No, I want to become somebody. No, I cannot be condensed to that home you come from, that formed you." When you were in that home, you were saved. By the time you neglected their instruction, what are we seeing happening today? The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. The Lord is instructing us children, particularly to you who are there. Just of you who are there that you belong to him. You did not choose your parent. This is the command from the Lord: obey your parent. Obey your parent in everything. In everything lawful. And what does that mean again? Inward reverence and outward expression and act. When you obey your parent, the one that is pleasing to God is inward reverence. What do I mean by inward reverence? When you look at things that are inward, they are talking of virtues, values, ethics, upbringing, things that they have been imparted. They say train up a child in the way he should go. When he grows up, he will not depart from it. Many children are departing from it not because their parents failed, but because they neglected, because the child neglected the instruction of the Lord. Because the child is running after another voice, another instruction. Obeying another command. The society is re-training. The evil in the society, the satanic instrument that have been placed in different places, they even have the voice. Their voice could be louder, rubbing the principles of the word of God, rubbing the ethics of home. And that is what some children are listening to, forgetting the values, the ethics, the morals, the instruction, the training of his parent. These are what we call inner reverence. Inner reverence. If you look at how children, many of these children, all of us that you know they are wonderful children that encountered Jesus early in life. But as they begin to grow, they begin to throw away this inner reverence. They begin to throw and begin to pick from what is outside. By doing so you are dishonoring your parent. By doing so you are dishonoring your parent. Some parents have culture. We can remember from the instruction of the Rechabite in the Bible. Remember the Rechabite? Remember the Rechabite? It's a long story but it's a story worth reading. Let's quickly see that place. These are children. It's not instruction from the Bible, just the ethics, value, what the parents sees as, "This is what I want my home, my children, my family to be known for." And even while the father that gave the instruction had gone dead, these children in the Bible still held onto it. Don't you think it caused some disadvantage to them? Yes, it did. They may be losing out in some things. Oh, they may even, it may be, the instruction may be so uncomfortable. True. But because they have regard, inner reverence, the value, the value that had been put into them, the value of their home, of their parent, the legacy. In Yoruba language they want, "Ranti omo eni ti o n se." Many of us will forget our source. "Omo eni ti o n se" so matter lest children of today, even believers. And in this story, these even when the father had gone dead, God had to make reference. God was looking at them. They didn't even know how much God pay attention to their family and I'm very sure that family were receiving a blessing that was not even known to them or to anybody. But for for us people, for everyone of us to know that God really appreciated and referenced such a lifestyle, when it got to a time when he has to compare a nation, he asked them to go and learn from them. If God will make you such example, will he not be giving you blessings? Blessings that those children may not even know where it comes from. They won't even know why, why, why, why, why, why? Where is this from? Not knowing that God honors them because they have honored their father. Are you there? Please let's quickly read it. [Speaker 3] Jeremiah 35 verse 1. "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying, 2: Go to the house of Rechabite, speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Verse 3: Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabite. Verse 4: And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the prince, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door. Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabite bowls full of wine and cups and I said to them, 'Drink wine.' 6: But they said, 'We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, "You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons forever. 7: You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these, but all your days you shall dwell in tents that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners." 8: Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters, 9: nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in, nor do we have vineyard, feed or seed, but we have dwelt in tents, we have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11: But it came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land that we said, "Come, let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians," so we dwell at Jerusalem.' 12: Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying, verse 13: Thus says the Lord of host, the God of Israel, 'Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction to obey my words?"' says the Lord. 'The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab which he commanded his sons not to drink wine are performed, but to this day they drink none. They obey their father's commandment. But although I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, you did not obey me. I have also sent to you all my servants and prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, "Turn now everyone from his evil way and amend your doings and do not go after other gods to serve them, then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers," but you have not inclined your ears nor obeyed me. 16: Surely the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed me.'" [Speaker 1] Thank you. Can you see that story? God, when he say God boasted, God boasted of about those children' obedience to their father. And God had to tell his people, "Go and learn from them." And that is it. That is it. Inner reverence. The value of your family. The ethics, the morals, values, the godly principles, the godly principles. This man gave these children godly principles. "This is how I want you to live." And we see that even when the father had gone, they lived on. Our Bible says he told these children there that, "This is where you will live if you want to remain under the blessings of God." The commandment of God is from generation to generation. Anybody is deceiving you that there is a generation that will disregard the commandment of children obeying their parents. Ah, that generation is satanic. That generation is not of God. And that is what I want to challenge young ones. This generation we are in, many of the things being paraded even in the Western world and everywhere, they are working against God. Don't fall for it. Even if they say it's archaic, as long as it's an instruction, it's a value, it's an ethic, it's a culture, it's what has been transferred from your parent. They may not even have good reasons by your logic, but the Bible says obey them as long as it is not illegal. It may look as if, "Why are you just troubling yourself?" God has not given us the stress, as long as you are under them, obey them. It's time you stand alone if you want God to give you another instruction, get it from him. But many of these children, they don't even have a walk with God. You see those ones disobey, it is just somebody that, somebody and the society and different madness we have all around that is teaching them, not that they have a walk with God that tells them. Because if you have a walk with God, just like what we learned last week, you know, even if you are going astray, you are going into excess, the Spirit of God will caution you. Let's say your humanity may remain with you that are fainted that have not died. By the time you, you know, if you have that work, that Spirit of God will correct you. But no, if you see any child going against the inner reverence, the values, the training, the teaching, the instruction, the directive of his parent, you are not pleasing the Lord. And it's dangerous. It's dangerous because the Lord has declared what will happen. In fact, many a times when I have parents like that that comes for counseling, I say, "Well, what you do just be praying. Don't let, in fact don't add to their problem. They are already in trouble." Because by disobeying you, living this life in disobedience to you, they are already in trouble. There is a blessing that is being taken away. There is something that is hanging as a curse, but by your mercy, by your prayer, by your holding God, don't give up. And that is what parents that you even disregard do on your matter. Because when God says a thing, it comes to pass. So obey your parent in everything lawful begins with your inner reverence. Then your outward expression and act. Inner one will show in every of your daily living, your outward expression and your actions. Your outward expression, your respect, your honor, your obedience. Another example in the Bible is when Saul was called by his father Kish to go and look for the lost donkey. To go and look for the lost donkey. Not knowing that in the way of that assignment there was what? A purpose. God's purpose. If he had disobeyed, what would have happened? He would have lost that purpose. We also have another example in the Bible about Gideon. When Gideon, that is even an extreme, we want to say, "Ah!" but the man made a vow. Made a vow that God if I should come back from this journey anything that comes out, the first thing that comes out of my house to greet me, I will sacrifice, I will use as a sacrifice. Lo and behold, it was who? His daughter. His daughter. Sorry, Jephthah. His daughter. And when that father came out, when she came out, the Bible recorded how grieved this man was. But because he had made a vow, don't you think God cannot speak to him and say, "Don't worry I cancel." Even the one God told Abraham to do, when he got to the place God canceled it. Gave a replacement. But God chooses to do to allow it. And when that father told the daughter about his vow to the Lord, you could see the life of that daughter. You know the girl may say, "How does that concern me? It's you and your God." And that is the child that has inner reverence for the training, the value, the teaching, the ethics, the morals, the instruction, the training, the directive of his parent that had been put into them, the value of their home, of their parent, the legacy. In Yoruba language, "Ranti omo eni ti o n se." Many of us will forget our source. "Omo eni ti o n se," believers. And in this story, these even when the father had gone dead, God had to make reference. God was looking at them. They didn't even know how much God pay attention to their family and I'm very sure that family were receiving a blessing that was not even known to them or to anybody. But for for us people, for everyone of us to know that God really appreciated and referenced such a lifestyle, when it got to a time when he has to compare a nation, he asked them to go and learn from them. If God will make you such example, will he not be giving you blessings? Blessings that those children may not even know where it comes from. They won't even know why, why, why, why, why, why? Where is this from? Not knowing that God honors them because they have honored their father. That girl must have been told that when it comes to making a vow to the Lord, she must have known the God of Israel. She must have known that our life when it comes to him is nothing but laying it down. And she did not disappoint her father. She only begged, "Father, give me time. Let me just enjoy with my friends and they do like a pre-burial," and she submitted herself. That is sacrifice. Many of our children, the parents are not even demanding up to quarter of what they demanded from this girl, and they were not ready. Because they're of age, "I'm a teen, I'm 20, I'm a graduate, I'm an undergraduate, I'm no longer a child." God knows that. When he made it in such a way that our children will still be with us until they are handed over as in marriage. "A man shall leave his father and mother." And he's also going to go into the home of a family to take his wife. Or does he take his wife on the street, on the tree? Such young ones, they are not 10 years old. When the Bible is saying a man, and he's a man indeed. They are not talking of a baby. Some people will say he's a child. They will help God define the kind of child. Maybe between 1 and 10, between 1 and 18. If the Lord will still place you under your parent and he has not released you that you begin your generation, if it is 40 years you are still there, you are still under that authority. You are still to do what? Obey them. You are still to do what? Obey them because it pleases the Lord. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. Quickly I want to talk about, we have seen some things. I want us to also see, we have talked of inner reverence, outward expression. It will show. It will show. It will show in your respect, it will show in your obedience, it will show in your in every way in your act, in your actions. Obedience in everything. I want to talk about benefits. Benefit of obedience and honor to our parents. Your life will please God. Is that not the whole essence of you being a Christian? Is that not the whole essence of us being here and we are preparing for a life after here? Leave the parent out of it. Let them even be terrible. Let them be unfriendly. See some people say, "My Mom, my Dad are so harsh." We just learned last week that if you are not a good Christian, a dead Christian that is dead to yourself... and we also have an example today that if you want to squeeze out water from a dry cloth, you will squeeze from morning till night, you will not get anything. Because it's dry. The bottom line is that as a child, if you are not dead to self, you begin to see examples. "He's bad," excuses. In 1st Peter chapter 2 from verse 18 downward, when the Lord was admonishing leadership, slaves... let's even assume we put the children in the position of slaves. Let's quickly read that place. He was starting to talk about the position of leadership. 1st Peter chapter 2, let's quickly see that place. See the kind of things God expect you to do. Yes, chapter 2 let me start from around 18. Yes, he was talking to leaders, magistrates. When it get to 18, he said, "You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters. Do whatever they tell you, not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh. For God is pleased with you when for the sake of your conscience you patiently endure unfair treatment." He's addressing slaves. You may say, "I'm not a slave in my father's house." But we look at it in the position of somebody under authority. He can say children. And that is what God was trying to tell wives in chapter 3 verse 1, that he said, "Likewise." If you see chapter 3 of this same place, 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 1, it started with "Likewise, ye wives." When you are starting a discussion with somebody and you say likewise, that means you were talking from a background. This is the background. Let me read on. "You who are slaves must accept the authority of your master. Do whatever they tell you, not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh. For God is pleased with you when for the sake of your conscience," that is for the sake of pleasing the Lord, that is the conscience we are talking about, "you patiently endure unfair treatment." Let's say that master, that person in the position of authority, could be your father, mother, could be your boss, could be your whosoever. Let's even say you were given unfair treatment. The word of God says you must accept their authority. Not only the good ones. "The reason I like Mommy more than Daddy is because Mommy's Daddy is harsh." Bible says even not only to those who are reasonable but even to those who are harsh. Verse 20: "Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for wrongdoing." Our present day children, even if they are beaten for wrongdoing, they want credit. There is nothing wrong that you must correct them for. You must just know he should understand. It's one of those things. I'm corrected. That is not Christian. That is not Christianity. It's un-Christian. "Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing right and are patient beneath the blows," that is you do right and you suffer, you were given blow and you are patient beneath the blow, what is that? What is the next thing? "God is pleased with you." The reason why I'm reading this place is that one of the benefits of you obeying your parent is that God is pleased with you. "This suffering is all part of what God has called you to." Do we hear that? "Christ also suffered for you. He is your example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned and he never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hand of God who always judges fairly." That is our perfect example. "He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross, so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds." These are the benefits we got and we are still getting by Jesus patiently being patient beneath the blows even when he does not deserve it. He was patient beneath the blow for you and I. So that your sin can be washed, so that you can be healed. All of you were wandering like lost sheep, but now you have turned to your shepherd, the guardian of your soul. And in chapter 3 verse 1, "In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husband." Even though... and if you read on like that, it got to the place of the husband, he went on to submitting to one another and so on. It's the same when it gets to children. The authority of your parent is an authority ordained by God. It's just also like slaves under the authority of their master. And you know some master can be terrible. They even will not wish the slave well. But your parent will always wish you well. If anybody is going to tell you the truth, it will be your parent. It may not make sense to you, you may think he don't understand, but if you are looking for sincere love, it comes from them because they are the one that love you from the beginning. And every effort made over you and are still being made is for your good. You know we have some, Bible says, "Can a mother forget the child of her own?" He said some may, those ones that maybe they are Satan incarnate or they have been so, I don't know, it can only be Satan incarnate. Because it's not possible, it's not possible for your parents to forget you. No matter what you may be, even if you have anyone that does, it's also categorized under a harsh authority. Submit to him or her. Obey him or her. That is God's instruction. And in doing so, the benefit is that you pleases your Lord. Will you want your life to please the Lord? Please obey your parent in everything. Obey them. Obey your parent, submit to them, honor them with your life. Honor them by your inner reverence. Honor them by your outward expression. What you show that you really value what they the training, the labor over your life is what you project outside your life, your everyday living. Some children have ruined the ministry of their parent just because they choose not to obey what? The inner reverence, the training. They throw away the training of their parent. They begin to pick what they feel is okay, "It's okay by me now. I think I can take decision." God knows you can take decision, but he has brought you under the authority. It is only where the decision or instruction of your parent is sinful, is wicked, is evil that you can say no, this is not pleasing to the Lord because the Lord is above all. But aside that, in everything, submit to them. In everything, obey them. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. Another benefit is that you represent God well. It said to obey your parent in Ephesians chapter 6 today, "Obey your parents as someone who belong to God." Some of us by the grace of us, by the grace of God, our parents came to know Jesus through the life of the children. If you are lucky to have a believing parent, ah, I congratulate you. But if you misuse it, you will get double stripes compared to your contemporary who has an herbalist or somebody who does not know the Lord. You represent God well. That is another benefit. Another benefit is what we see in Ephesians: temporal and spiritual prosperity. It said it shall be well with them. One of the way, at the end of the day, spiritual prosperity, eternal prosperity, it begins from the number of years you will live here. You will live heaven on earth. Though there are temporal, they are also things God can bless you with so that it makes your living enjoyable, not an enduring, not a very difficult one. Some people the problem they find themselves today is in disobedience to their parent. And when they are no longer even with the parent, they are still causing the trouble because the problem will still be upon them the parent too. What you could by the mercy of God you could have evaded, God with his mercy would have directed your path so that you will not fall into that, but because you disobey them. My prayer is that the mercies of God will multiply over our children. And the Lord, the mercy that opens their ears to hear and their hearts to accept the teachings of the Lord. Temporal and spiritual prosperity will be your portion. There is a great gain. God told you, "Obey them, honor them, and it shall be well with them." If God says it shall be well with you, go and sleep. It's enough checks to depend upon. And if the same God say it shall be well with you, give you a command with a promise, and you choose to disobey yourself, you choose to disobey the world, and every other crazy teachings around and say, "I stand with God," you think God will take it lightly with you? He will bless you and will make you, he'll showcase you so that everyone can learn. He'll make everyone to know, "Anyone that stands with me and honor me, I will make this promise to come to pass." So the choice is yours. It's not only that it will be well with you, there's also another condition where you will live long. How I wish children would hold onto that and hold God by his word and say, "God, enable me. You have said this and I will live long." And they will work at it. You know it's just like giving you, "Do this, this is the reward." You know many of the job we do now, those of us that have different job, there's no even business, you know what you put in, you know what you get. So when you know you are going to get something fantastic, will you not put in all? You will even do extra. That is to man that can even disappoint you. But to God that says, "Obey your parent so that it will be well with you and that you will live long." I expect children to begin to go and labor, study, invest, gain knowledge, Google, research how to obey, how to honor my parent because of what? The benefit. Cause and effect. It worth researching into. But the enemy of our soul that does not want you to obtain that blessing will tell you there's nothing about that. In fact, he will make you remember that. He'll say, "God has been saying that." He'll even show you cases of people that have obeyed the Lord and "What has come out?" Stay there. At the time the Lord will begin, if this person's life is sincere, we have seen in this little time that I have lived. I can remember when we were in secondary school, many of these people that you will think they will amount to nothing when we are on our way in our parents' car, driver driving us to school, they are still first of all going hawking for their parent. And those people later said, "No, we can't join you." Some people tell them, "Don't go with them. How would they, you in old Form 5 grade? Tell your Mommy you cannot." "No, I cannot do that. I can't do that." He would rather not be their friend in university. You will see different patches on their clothes. I am opportune to meet many of them today. All the people that think they matter, they are nothing before them. It will not be because of that, but I can see anytime we meet you say, "Heh!" Nobody will ever tell you if in your heart you didn't, you didn't pray for them, but you will just see the way you will just respect people. So just be careful. Let's obey God. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not an iota of God's word will go unfulfilled. If that happens, God ceases to be God, and you know that God will forever be God. He's the controller of the universe. When he says a thing, he stands by it. When he says it, he's causing it to effect. Whether it is generation to generation, the word has gone out. It's only looking for a child that is obedient and begin to carry out the effect. He's looking for the word in me. You think God will stand there? He has spoken it and that word goes into effect. And as you are obedient, as you are honoring, as you are submitting to the Lord, it's carrying out the benefit. It's bringing into fulfillment because his word cannot go unfulfilled and he will not return back to him. He will go to accomplish that which he sent forth. Even when you are long gone, generations upon generations, anyone that honors him, the word of God goes to fulfill it. He has said it, and nobody will stop it. If you want to partake of it, it's just to obey it, submit to it, acknowledge God in it, honor God in it, please God by it by obeying the Lord. You have blessings attached. God will be proud of you. You'll fulfill your destiny. You will even that you please God, no other gain is more than that. And our God is a faithful rewarder of those who seeks him, who pleases him. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. So that is the word of God for us this day. I don't think I will be able to continue to fathers so that I won't, I won't, I won't re-leave that in next week. So in a nutshell, we have seen today, children, are you a child? As long as you've not started your own, you are father and mother, you have not left your father and mother. That is the Bible instruction for a man. A man will leave his father and mother. When we get to the place of parents, "Fathers, do not provoke your children," we'll see where the understanding of when a child is training in the way he should go. There was a time when one of the parent was saying that she beat a 16-year-old child. I said, "Wow! You are wrong." She said, "Heh?" I said, "You are wrong." And we talked about it. That one will not give you, it's not that he cannot be beaten, but don't make it a practice. Anything at all, "Come and lie down here." Ha! No. But once in a while when he said he's not straight, you can give a back-hander. And if a child is right, anytime he knows he's not doing good, he will be moving back when Mommy is angry or Daddy is angry, he will know he has to retreat. But those ones that are foolish, they want to come back with you, they want to get even. It's foolishness. Even if that parent don't have the strength to go, or the Lord doesn't have the strength, maybe he's restrained, he has knowledge, he knew this not supposed to be, and you're taking that for granted. We'll come to that by God's grace next week. The wisdom to also handle our children, the limitations, the understanding, the things we are to do. But for us children today, we can see from the word of God: don't let this little fox, you may say it's so small, maybe that's the reason why we think, "I don't fornicate, I don't have boyfriend, I don't have girlfriend, so..." But may I tell you, this is a little fox. And what does the Bible say little fox does? They destroy the vine. They look, they will look like there is no issue with that. Everything may be going well with you and you may not be quick to notice and catch up with that until it ruin your vine. God's instruction, there is none of them that is small or big. The Lord will help us to be broken and dead to self and be able to put ourselves under control, caution yourself. Self-control. You could be hurt, your parent may mistreat you. The Bible told us somebody 16, that is extreme. Such a child will be hurt, but even in that, two wrong don't make a right. It is not at that point that that child wants to show that, "Aha! You are wrong." It's not your place. As a child, it's not in your place. God has not given you that jurisdiction. The Lord will help us in Jesus' name. So it's like a little fox. Please let's watch out. Let's watch out so that they won't destroy your vine. They won't destroy your vine. Praise the Lord. I want us to begin to pray. I want us to pray. I want us to commit ourselves into God's hand. Are you a child? Are you a child? Are you someone's son or daughter? Are you still under that you are under the authority of your parent? It is only when you're under authority of your husband or wife that you will say Mommy will say, "Come and do this," you say, "No, you have to take permission from my husband. It's my husband that will tell me whether to do that." Or for the husband, "It's me that gave birth to you now, you must do this." As long as it's variance and it's built upon your unity, you carry your vibe. "Mommy, let me and wife talk about that, we'll get back to you." But until you get to that point, you're still a child. Only that there is also limit to which parents must go. We know we should be able to adjust our wisdom, knowledge. If you don't know, go and learn. There are limits. When they begin to grow, when somebody is 30 even if they are not married but is in your house, or is in a place, he's no longer under there. There is a limit to just calling here or doing whatever. But when you are still, when you have such instruction still, there is self-control, there is wisdom, there is reverence as a child to pull your parents along. Pray to the Lord that the Lord will help you. Pray to the Lord that the wisdom you need, that Lord, "Please I want to please You. I want to even live the condition, the situation, the type of parent I have, I want to leave it behind. I want to leave it behind. Lord, I want to seek to please You. Break me. Let me be firm, let me be correct. When I'm correct, even through my life my parents can even learn. Parents can say sorry, parent can repent, parent can come back and say oh I didn't see that through your correct behavior, not through that you are through your ill-reverence, not through your insult, not through your misbehaving and disobedience." Call upon the Lord that God please help me. Lord, help me Lord. Help me Lord. Help me Lord. And for us parents, let's pray for our children. We can know how the extent to the situation of things in the world today. Let's pray that the Lord will help our children. Help our children to have a walk with God. That is the first thing. That's the reason why I said it started what we started last week, it's also continuing with children. You can't be a child that will be obedient when you are not submitted to Jesus, when you are not dead to self. You can't be a child that will obey your parent in everything, that will obey your parent in the Lord, that will honor your parent and receive the blessings of God when you have not submitted to your Lord. O Lord, please help our children. Come them to know You. Reveal Yourself to them. Pray for your children. "Lord, Lord, I separate them from every wrong, I delete them from every wrong association where they get wrong training, where they get wrong instructions, where they get training that is contrary to the word of God. It may be a UN training, it may be American culture, it may be whatsoever, America is not Bible standard. Bible, the word of God stands. There is sin in every nation and the word of God will judge all human race. Anything contrary to the word of God, they are against God. Lord, please help our children to follow Your instruction. Help them to obey You. Help them to be broken, molded by You. Please be the one, O Lord, that will align their lives, that even through them the lives of parents that are not aligned will be aligned. Who says you cannot bring your children, your parent to the knowledge of the truth? Who says your parent cannot learn the right thing through your obedience, through your sacrifice, through your godly living, through your reverence? Who says the Lord cannot turn around that harsh parent? It is not, God can do it. Bible says we should first, we will be able to punish every disobedience when our own obedience is complete. You can even be somebody God will use. Lord, please help our children. Help our children. Help our children to submit to You. Help them to have a life with You. Help them to have a walk with You. Help them to know You. The grace of God that teaches, that brings salvation, teach our children. Give them teachable heart. Let them submit to the teaching of the word of God. Let them submit to truth. Unless they shall submit to truth, they will not submit to lies, the lies that goes around, O Lord, will not have any sway over their lives in the name of Jesus." And are you a child? Pray for your life. Pray for yourself. You're going to bear the brunt. You're going to bear the brunt. Pray for your life that God please help me. What is turning me, making me turning against the inner reverence, the virtues, the values, the ethics, the teaching, the training, the godly training, what our home, the home of my family is known for that I want to throw away. O Lord, I break such hold over my life. Is it fashion? Is it generational matter? New generation matter that makes you throw away the values, that makes you throw away your ethics? Call upon the Lord that, "God I am ready to please You. I will please You in my parent. God sees your obedience now in the way you obey them. In the way you obey them in the Lord. God sees your obedience, just like God sees the obedience of a wife in the husband." The obedience of the wife, how you will deport yourself with your husband in what whom God has raised up to help that you are raised up to help. The same way God sees your obedience in your submission to your parent. Call upon the Lord, "God, please help me. Lord, help our children. Daddy, help our children." In Jesus' name we pray. Let's pull common around us. [Speaker 6] Father, in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we appreciate You. We say thank you for the word You've given unto us. We appreciate You, Lord. We are not taking this word for granted. We say thank you. Lord, accept our thanksgiving in Jesus' name. Lord, we pray as we received Your word, You said, "He that obey and do Your word, You shall liken that person as unto wise. But he that does not obey, You shall liken that person unto a foolish person that builded his house upon the sand." Lord, we ask that we shall not just be, we shall not only be hearers of Your word, that we shall always be doer of Your word in Jesus' name. That if You shall do a new thing, that my generation, our generation shall submit to Your word in Jesus' name. We shall honor our parents and we shall obey them in the Lord in Jesus' name. And that the benefits that follows, the consequence of doing Your will will follow us in Jesus' name. We ask that the spirit of this age shall not have effect in our own lives, shall not have effect over our children, shall not have effect over our family and our loved ones in Jesus' name. That the spirit of this age will not prevail over our loved ones, over our friends, over our children in Jesus' name. That we shall serve the Lord. That our generation shall serve the Lord. Thank You, Jesus, because we know that You always hear us. Thank You, Father. We pray for the servant of God You've used to teach us. We ask that You will renew Your strength in her in Jesus' name. That Your anointing upon her life will not run dry in Jesus' name. We bring our own house, our own family into Your hand, that as she has preached this word, that this word shall always bear fruit in our own lives in Jesus' name. That our own children too will not be wayward in Jesus' name. That You will bless our family and by extension the families of the hearer so in Jesus' name. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. We shall forever exalt Your name. For in Jesus' name we have prayed. Amen. The grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen. [Speaker 7] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission aid. Our regular activities are: discipleship class, every Monday 5:00 PM; adolescent and singles club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; marriage forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; family life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling you can reach us at our location: Light Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Rejoice filling station, along Ijaare road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 080-33-86-11-36, 070-33-61-38-48. God bless you all. [Music]