The Ten Commandments – Part 4
04/28/18 (02/11) Video Broadcast
The Ten Commandments - Part 4 - Study
Part 4 - Questions and Comments
The Ten Commandments - Part 5 - Study01:22:47
Part 5 - Questions and Commments27:17
The Ten Commandments - Part 6 - Study01:36:19
Part 6 - Questions and Comments25:06
The Ten Commandments - Part 7 - Study01:25:08
Part 7 - Questions and Commments01:11:03
And we are going to
continue our study portion
into the Ten Commandments.
So we are ready to begin
our study portion for
today's broadcast and
we're gonna talk about
commandment number 5 which
is the Commandment to
honor our father
and mother.
And you might think it's
a pretty simple one you
know, one of the first
things you learn from your
parents probably are the
Ten Commandments and how
we're supposed to honor
our father and mother.
But I want to say that the
words I'm about to share
with you today
are very strong.
I think today's message
needs to be a strong
message because of the age
of irreverence that we
live in, we live in a
generation that has lost
what it means to
show proper respect.
And so my intention today
is not to share what it
means to follow the fifth
Commandment but also
accentuates the importance
of following the fifth
Commandment, because I
think some of us need to
be challenged
on this topic.
I knew I grew up being
raised by some really good
parents and they were not
practicing believers I
think they recognized that
the Bible was true, not
really sure what to do
with it at that point in
their life. Thankfully
they're now Sabbath
keeping, feast keeping
believers who call on
Yahweh and Yahushua.
But I didn't grow up in
that kind of environment I
grew up in your everyday
household I guess you
could say of people that
maybe recognize scripture
to be true but not really
sure or interested in
following it yet.
But I would say that I
grew up in a generation
where we are the sons of
the hippies you know, the
sons of the children who
grew up in the 1950s and
60s and I'm 47 years
of age television was
teaching America how to
be disrespectful toward
parents, how to disrespect
our heavenly father as
well which 2 Commandments
are related to each other.
And so I think that my
generation and to some
degree the generation
before has lost what it
means to show
proper reverence.
Now my father always
taught me to be respectful
toward adults, he did a
really good job of trying
to instill that in me, his
friends he expected me to
respect his friends, he
expected me to respect my
grandfather, grandmother,
and so forth.
And I still think that
there are things that the
older, older generation
we're talking World War
one generation or the
generation before that
they had pretty much
inherently known about
respect that maybe our
generation, my generation
even has lost some.
And I think that we need
to pay attention because
this is in the Ten
Commandments, it's in the
Ten Commandments and you
know when something's in
Ten Commandments it must
be significant to our
heavenly father.
So our study portion today
The Ten Commandments are
we really keeping
them Part for 4.
And we're going to look at
Commandment number 5, our
first look at Yahushua's
commentary on I think he
was really talking about
the Ten Commandments and
others but he was asked
the question in Matthew 22
verse 36 to 40; Teacher
what is the great
Commandment in the law?
The great Commandment in
the law; Yahushua said to
him, you shall love Yahweh
your Elohim with all thy
heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all your
mind.
This is the first and
great commandment.
And the second is like
it, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments
hang all the law and the
prophets.
Well, it just so happened
that the Ten Commandments
are arranged in this kind
of order, the first 4
Commandments are clearly
speaking of how we love
our heavenly father, we
don't play anything ahead
of him, we don't make an
idol out of him, we don't
mess with his name or his
day, we respect both and
then we come to a
commandment that has I
would say a dual meaning
or maybe a singular are
meaning that can apply
in more ways than one.
And it is commandment
number 5, honor your
father and your mother
that your days may be long
upon the land which Yahweh
your Mighty One is giving you.
So it is a Commandment
with a promise attached to
it and a promise of a
blessing so we should pay
close attention it is to
our own benefit that we
show proper respect toward
father and toward mother.
We have a set of earthly
parents and we have a
heavenly parent also
who gave us the earthly
parents both should be
given proper honor and
respect and reverence.
If we dishonor the parents
we are dishonoring the
father in heaven who
gave us those parents.
This is what Messiah
Yahushua taught us, he who
does not honor the son
does not honor the father
who sent him.
So we need to respect the
parents that Yahweh has
placed into our lives now
the reverse should also be
true if we choose the
honor our parents then we
would be honoring
our heavenly father.
And so in the arranged
order of the Ten
Commandments, commandment
number 5 is a segue way or
a connection between
loving our heavenly father
and loving man, honoring
our heavenly father,
honoring our
earthly parents.
Now we did not choose our
parents Yahweh chose them
for us, we didn't have
any control over who our
parents were going to be,
our heavenly father is the
one who allowed the
parents that we have been
given into our life.
And so any act of
dishonoring them is an act
of dishonoring the
heavenly father who gave
them to us.
It is to our own advantage
that we show proper
respect as we see that
your days may be long upon
the land.
But also there's an
extra promise given in
Deuteronomy chapter 5
verse 16 says; Honor your
father and your mother,
as Yahweh your Elohim has
commanded you; that your
days may be long (that's
the first one), and that
it may go well with you,
in the land which Yahweh
your Elohim has given you.
So this one here I don't
think it quite gets the
attention, a lot of us are
concerned we're going to
die and so we want our
days to be long but what
about this one that it
may be well with you?
So there are 2 benefits long life and a life in which things are going pretty well. And we want things to go pretty well, don't we? So this is another promise attached to it, so long life and that it may be well with you. Now some of this is just downright the natural results because if you don't learn to respect your parents, the chances are really good that you will not respect anybody. And you will find yourself unable to respect the heavenly father or unwilling to respect your heavenly father. And really that's not really respectful to anybody, because there is a connection between love and respect. If you hate someone you're not respecting them you're not respecting the fact that they are a creation of Elohim and they deserve to be treated in a way that is respectful. And so we are laying a foundation when our children are being taught to respect and honor the parents, because then they will learn to respect and honor others including authority figures. Children who are not taught to respect and obey their parents and grew up rebellious and decide they're going to go out in the world, and guess what happens they find out that there are still people they have to respect, law enforcement, judges, and the prison warden and the officers. You're going to have to learn it one way or the other, you can learn it the easy way at home or you can learn it the hard way in society. So if we're lacking, this is actually repeated in Ephesians 6:1-3 it says; Children, obey your parents in Yahweh: 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 the earth. So even he mentions both blessings, so if we're lacking blessing in our lives, if we're having health problems it is possible that it could be directly due to a lack of proper reverence toward those who are in an office that Yahweh says we ought to honor the office of a father and that of a mother sometimes yes I can hear it already. Parents do things that are despicable sometimes, unimaginably horrible sometimes and very wrong, I understand that and I don't mean to hurt any of you by saying these things you probably have been hurt enough but I am asking not that you respect the wrong things that were done. I'm not asking that you respect them even on a personal level; I'm saying you must respect the office they hold that is what you are honoring. If you find it difficult to respect them because they did not respect you and they abused you and hurt you. Listen, at least respect the office they hold. They may not have been perfect, they may have been quite awful but in most cases they held you, fed you, took care of you, provided for you. You owe your very life to them at a bare minimum, respect the fact that Yahweh was the one who chose them to be your parents, you don't get to choose your parents are, Yahweh made that decision and since he was the one who decided it, to disrespect your parents is to disrespect the one who gave them to you Yahweh our Mighty One. And so you can be thankful you have life on this earth, you have an opportunity to receive eternal life in Messiah Yahushua. You don't know whether if you had a different set of parents than the ones Yahweh gave you might be serving the devil today, ever think about that. If you were mistreated by your parents as a child: what if you grew up in a different home a home whose parents molded your mind in such a way that you would never have known Elohim or care to know him. Maybe you'll be an Atheist at the day of your death headed for the lake of fire, what would have been your choice, an afflicted childhood but then receiving eternal life 6 trillion, 7 trillion, 8 trillion years? It's just the beginning of eternity, eternal life in joy and blessing or goes through a little pain go through those suffering that shows you your need for him.
What would you take, a comfy childhood that spoiled you to the point you never cared for spiritual things and you enter the gates of hell with weeping and gnashing of teeth? Or maybe a more difficult childhood that the end
results being eternal life with the most wonderful parent there ever could be Yahweh your heavenly father. So in whatever he allowed in our life if the end result is that today we are a disciple of Yahushua the Messiah it can't be all that bad to receive eternal life through him. In fact, we can come to grips and accept the difficulties we went through if we come to appreciate the fact that we are in Messiah Yahushua and we don't know if we had different parents, if we would be Torah observant people today, we have 7 billion people on the planet how many people know the things we know? Not very many so when we dishonor our parents we dishonor Yahweh himself who gave us our parents. If you can't find it in your heart to respect them on a personal level at least respect the office they hold. If you went before a judge you knew that judge personally that he was actually crooked it should not stop you from paying proper reverence to the office of a judge. You would still be required to call him your honor in a court of law . You don't just say hi Joe, how you doing in a court of law doesn't work that way. Yes your honor, no your honor, all rise as the judge walks in the room that's because the institution of criminal justice must be respected no matter how perfect or imperfect the judges and police officers and everybody is, it doesn't matter. And in the same way, the institution of father and mother have to be respected no matter how the mothers and fathers have conducted themselves. To disrespect that institution is to tear away at the fabric of society. You know, I cringe when I hear people blasting their parents on the Internet, on Facebook, News Media, Social Settings, my parents do this wrong and that wrong, my parents abuse me this way that way. Look I'm sorry that happened and I have all the compassion in the world for the pain you've gone through and the difficulties you've faced.
But we have to respect the office of father and mother, why bring it up? Sometimes it's just to gain sympathy or to gloat in your self-pity, why bring it up? I know self-pity is actually pride there's a pride that stems from someone trying to gloat in their own self-sacrifice, their own accomplishments and glory and somehow in some way, how much they have to endure. You know boasting and bragging sounds very self-sufficient; self-pity is boasting about your own self-sacrifice, self-please is not really out of a desire to be seen as a helpless victim in need of a Savior but really as a hero who's endured so much evil from other people. As if you yourself have never done anything wrong. See I have seen rooms even among brethren and see self-pity competitions going on oh my dad did this, oh yeah well my dad did this; my mom did that, all to the disrespect of parents and the office they are in. The very first murder was inspired and part by self-pity. Cain wiled in his own pity, feeling he didn't deserve to be so rejected by Yahweh. So he got envious and jealous of his brother and he murdered him, killed him. It all started with him pitting himself, listen it's a tough world we live in it's tough but if your peace and happiness is based on everything going right prepare for a life of misery. We just need to accept we live in a fallen world where people have free will to do all kinds of wicked things but maybe if we just would crawl out of our own self-pity party and seek to honor those who aren't deserving of honor we might actually become a living example of Messiah to them: who, when we hurt him, loved us. When we disrespected him, he gave his whole life for us, when we through our sin caused him to be abused physically, emotionally, he loved us anyway.
Maybe our parents haven't found salvation and won't repent because we've never demonstrated Yahushua to them, by willingly bearing their wrongs against us
may be part of the reason for their rejection of our faith is due to our lack of reverence to them. And maybe some of you listening to me today if you haven't been honoring your parents you might actually reach your parents with this faith if you took the time to call them, care about them, listen to them, and love them anyway. You never know if you might save them, the best thing to do really look back and say yeah I endured some stuff but now I have Yahushua in my life
and he heals the broken hearts binds up the wounds. Let's go back to the place of humility to accept and find the good, even if the things we've been through were awful. We can choose to murmur and complain and grumble the rest of our life about what so and so did to us and watch it eat us up like cancer and maybe even die of cancer because Yahweh has seen we're not honoring our parents. So things just didn't go well we didn't have a long life we wanted, but the generation we live in brothers and sisters is so, so irreverent. I believe this is a major area of trouble even in the body of Messiah some of us have lost the concept of what it means to show respect.
There isn't this check in our spirit when we do things that dishonor our parents our conscience has been seared, desensitized because of the culture we live in and it's attitudes toward authority. Now I really quit watching Hollywood television about man mid-nineties but back then like the sitcoms would be the highlighting some smart mouth little kid that was arrogant far more intelligent than the average kid of his age and smarter than his own parents and so so disrespectful. And it was supposed to be funny I've even seen Hollywood shows from the sixties this way. You know I've heard it said America's going to hell and they're laughing all the way, Hollywood has become the primary teacher in households today and I've seen even their influence in Christian movies and Christian shows because they've issued their programming through the air through the prince and power of the airwaves when you receive their doctrines of demons through channels channeling. And many just sit spellbound for hours in front of the television and become trained, programmed and desensitized by the moral filth of the world.
This is just one of many areas Hollywood has desensitized us, it has taught us to be irreverent and disrespectful toward the aged and you want a magician's wand made out of Holly-wood. We live in a world that glorifies the youth and the word of Yahweh says; you shall rise before the gray-headed, and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your Elohim.
Very different perspectives Yahweh has
isn't it? The very opposite of what does it mean to honor? What does it mean this word honor?
It's from the Hebrew word kabbed, means to be heavy,
be weighty, be grievous, rich, honorable, glorious something weighty. It can be related to grief, can be related to a lot of different things but it has to do with weight. So giving someone the proper weight, the proper weight now here is a list of crimes in the scriptures for which one can receive the death penalty they are as follows: Sacrificing the
idols, sacrificing your children to Molech, see Yahweh cares about children too, uttering false prophecy in Yahweh's name, necromancy that's talking to the dead, witchcraft, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking how about that one? Adultery, incest, homosexuality, bearing
false witness to a capital crime that's where you're a false witness to someone committing a crime for which there is a death penalty, smiting at parents, if you even hit a parent, death penalty,
cursing a parent there's a death penalty, bestiality,
contempt of court, kidnapping, murder.
So here is the list of awful crimes for which one could be put to death, murder, kidnapping, bestiality and then 3 of these have to do with showing proper respect, contempt of court, cursing a parent, and smiting a parent.
I find that interesting why is that death penalty? It seems like and our age is like a man that's pretty awful but Yahweh says everyone who curses his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother his blood shall be upon him. Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness, Proverbs 20:20.
Why is that so important again? We have to learn respect or we will not be loving people, we will not care about what other people feel or what they're going through. We will not have the empathy and sympathy we need to care about another person because we don't respect them, we don't care about them.
It's all about me, me, me, me, me, you know the Psalm someone saying earlier today. So in fact it says do not rebuke an older man, don't
even rebuke him but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger sisters with all purity. So admonish or exhort is okay you don't rebuke, so
here's the list of crimes, respect is really the foundation of society and our ability to live together really. If someone hates another person they're not giving them proper respect and that's why children have to be taught to respect very, very important.
So I hope I am able to communicate adequately why it matters. The eye that mocks his father, and scorns disobedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it. Meaning the guy is going to find himself in some kind of trouble or he dies and dies young.
And then there will be you know like a very inglorious death. Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 6; Look, the princes of Israel, each one uses his power to shed blood on you. In you they have made light of father and mother (difference of heavy right?); in your midst they have oppression the stranger: in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. If you hate somebody you know it's considered to be unjust an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, but you hate your parent bam death penalty.
Yahweh sees it very very serious and we have to see it that way, we are so desensitized to some
people this seems ridiculous. The bible says every one of you shall revere his
father and his mother, and keep my Sabbaths: I am Yahweh your Elohim. What does it mean to revere?
It means to fear, be afraid stand in all of, to
fear, reverence, honor, respect.
Now I'm not talking about trembling kind of fear where you're afraid to even look at them because that's not what he's teaching. What he's teaching is you ought to have enough fear of your parents in you that you choose not to do the wrong thing. You don't want to do the wrong thing, you fear the loss of good relationship, you fear the loss of their
favor in their eyes. So you don't want to do anything that could damage
the relationship you have with them and us parents yes we need to provide an opportunity of positivity and encouragement so they have something other than negativity, something they can look to some reference point of joy they can get back to.
That's another topic altogether but Yahweh did not put up with children who were stubborn and rebellious, he had very very quick solution, Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 18; If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them: then his father and his mother shall take hold of him, and bring him out to the elders of the city, and to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so you shall put away evil from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
So Yahweh did not want bands of rebellious teens corrupting society in Israel, there were no gangs in Israel they were taken care of promptly and all have to take is for once maybe twice of a son to face this kind of reaction from the nation of Israel and I assure you teenage rebellion would not be a problem in Israel. This is not something that would have to happen on a regular basis, children would hear and would fear
and some may laugh at this and say why won't you go back to Iran Tom? You know go to some third world country and listen don't laugh at what Yahweh commanded, he was serious when he gave this and mocking it is reverent toward him. He understood the seriousness of teenage rebellion and think about how many lives would actually be saved they wouldn't be as many murders right, as much drunkards being a drain on society. Now I'm not advocating that we do this today in our society unless our society was to adopt all
the same principles of the Torah that go along with it including righteous judgment, the false witness goes punished not unpunished. So I'm not sharing this advocating anybody take their children and kill them, this was not something that the individual parent was permitted to do this is something that the elders and the men of the town together would make the decision that this young man is refusing to repent, he's refusing to walk in the statutes of Elohim, he's refusing to be reverent and respectful toward his parents, he is out of control. They did not need a prison system in Israel; they took care of this problem pretty quickly. What I'm trying to convey is this, the seriousness to which Yahweh speaks on this topic he considered cursing parents, hitting parents a rebellion against parents to be a crime worthy of death and so he commanded us to respect and show proper reverence all of us, all of us should show respect and reverence toward the office of mother and the office of father very important. Now if you have not done so listen to Yahweh our father in heaven says if we confess our sins he is faithful and he is just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
And you can go to your parents and seek their forgiveness for not showing them proper respect and reverence and take steps to redeem the time, take steps to make changes and how you react and respond to them and Yahweh will have compassion and mercy and forgive he says he will.
But I'm pointing this out because all of us children and parents need to have our hearts turned to each other; Malachi 4:6; he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (what happens when it's not so?). I come and strike the earth with a curse. The final words of what's commonly called the old testament in the current arrangement and Christianity is cursed, the final word in the old testament and it's a curse toward those who do not have their heart's turned to their children and those whose children do not have their hearts turned to their fathers. What does it mean to have a heart turned?
Let me share some principles here, Solomon wrote: My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
Solomon was a wise man he knew how important it was to raise his children to know Yahweh and to do what was right. And I'll take a minute and talk to young people, children your father has been given the job of teaching you to know Yahweh and to do what's right. It is very important that you pay close attention to what he says especially when he instructs you and when he corrects you. The bible says: A wise son heeds his father instruction: but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. A scoffer is someone who will not listen to his father or his mother and children I know you want to be wise, you want to hear your father's instruction and teaching because this life it's like we're walking through a large maze were there many many wrong turns a person can go and find themselves in trouble in a dead end. But if you stay on the straight path where Yahweh wants you to be, you can be a wise son and a wise daughter. Your parents have been through the maze in many places already and they're still on a journey in other places but they've already been where you are, they were once your age and they want you to avoid those things that they found were bad and not good for you. And they want you to stay on the right path because they care about you and because they love you. Can you imagine a ship that did not have a pilot, it would just go wherever the wind took them, why? Because there was no one who knew where the dangerous rocks and rivers were and that ship would be very likely to run into big trouble and sink and that's what it's like when children do not listen to their parents and their instruction.
Scripture says Proverbs 15 verse 5: A fool despises his father's instruction: but he who receives correction is prudent. You want to be wise; you want to be prudent that means prudent means you know what to do. How important it is for children to pay very close attention to the words of their parents they love you they want to guide you as wise children and your goal should be to get wisdom.
Because we all as children had foolishness bound up in our hearts. But Yahweh says; but the rod of correction will drive it far from us. And we listen to the word of Yahweh, we don't need the correction, we just listen and we don't need to be disciplined and that's the blessing of discipline. Getting us back to the place where we're willing to listen again. He that gathers in summer is a wise son: he who sleeps in harvest is the son who causes shame. Teaching the importance of hard work, wives children are willing to work when told and are not lazy in doing things halfway if you're lazy and rather sleep or play when it's time to work you can bring shame to your parents and thereby disrespect them.
Solomon warned his son; Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long wilt you sleep, O sluggard (a sluggard is a lazy person)? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So your poverty will come upon you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man. So all of a sudden you're poor as dirt because you're not willing to work.
Working is a part of life we're expected by Yahweh to work, you were put in the garden initially to work. It's important that we learn this early in life. Another thing scripture says wise children are to do is to heed and keep and obey Yahweh's law. Psalm 119 verse 9 says; how can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. Proverbs 28 verse 7; whoever keeps the law is a discerning son: but a companion of gluttons shames his father. Gluttons are those who are always looking for the next pleasure, they want instant pleasure.
Proverbs 13 verse 20; he who walks with wise men will be wise: but the companion of fools will be destroyed. So you want to be wise children look for otherwise children to be your friends be careful about the friends you choose because if you have friends that are foolish the bible warns us the companion of fools will be destroyed. Wise children do not want to be destroyed they want to live and not die. Solomon warned his son about being friends with foolish people, Proverbs 22 verse 15 says; Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction will drive it far from him. So if you spend all your time just with your friends and your friends aren't very wise then you are possibly in for a world of hurt and you don't want to go there. It may look fun, it may look like they're having a great time but the end thereof is destruction.
So we want to be wise, Proverbs 23 verse 19 says; hear, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart, that means you have to lead your heart, you have to guide your own heart which is otherwise inclined just to do whatever pleases the flesh. You have to take control of your heart which would otherwise lead you astray into things that are not healthy or good for you in the end. Sin is that way, sin always looks like it has a little promise attached to it, a good thing attached to it but then the end thereof what happens at the end is you're hurting and you're hurting other people and you're hurting yourself. So he says; do not mix with winebibbers (winebibbers are people who were chasing after the pleasures of this age, they are looking for the instant gratification, always looking for the instant pleasure, whatever makes them feel good); gluttonous eaters of meat: The drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty: and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
He's not willing to work he's just seeking the pleasures, listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
So it's very wise to honor your father and your mother, Proverbs 28 verse 24; whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, it's no transgression; the same is a companion to a destroyer. Yes, you can steal from your own parents, Deuteronomy 27:16 say; cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.
Proverbs 20 verse 20 says; whoever curses his father or mother his lamp will be put out and deep darkness. Lots of warnings in scripture, Proverbs 19:26; he who mistreats his father, and chases away his mother, is a son who causes shame, and brings reproach. So Yahweh wanted us to learn from the example of what happens to the disobedient child. Children of Yahweh I call on you, be wise be a blessing to your father be a blessing to your mother and love to honor them, find joy in honoring and obeying them. And not only will you be blessed you will bring them joy and you will be at peace with yourself with them and most importantly with your creator. A wise son makes a glad father but a foolish son is the grief of his mother, Proverbs 10 verse 1. Proverbs 17:25; a foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bare them. Proverbs 17:21; he who begets a scoffer does so to his own sorrow: and the father of a fool has no joy. Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, but a companion of harlots wastes his wealth. We see the big difference between one who chooses to honor his parents and one who does not.
Proverbs 23:24; the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice: and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Don't you want your parents just to delight in you? I hope so then seek wisdom, seek understanding, choose to walk uprightly and watch as your parents rejoice and honor you as you have honored them. They will speak well of you to their friends and petition Yahweh most high to give you a blessing upon blessing.
Colossians 3:20 says; Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to Yahweh. You want to be well pleasing to Yahweh I hope
then you know what to do. Proverbs 6 verse 20 says; my son keep your father's command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1 verse 10 says; my son, if sinners entice you (and believe me in this world they will), do not consent. Don't go along with it, they'll offer you all kind of junk and your parents already been down that road and know better. Proverbs 4 verse 20 says; my son' give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health
to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence; (pay attention to where your heart is inclined to go) because out of it spring the issues of life. That means out of your heart everything kind of just flows so pay attention to where your heart is being drawn to good things or to evil things, pay close attention.
So remember now your Creator in the days of
your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near, when you say, I have no pleasure in them. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain.
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow, the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows go down. Remember your Creator and the days of your youth because if you don't these are the kind of things we're going to see and we're gonna see when our generation because unless this generation repents this is where we're headed.
When the doors are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding is low, when one arises up at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low. Also they are afraid of height, and terrors in the way, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails: For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, remember your creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shuttered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then dust will return to the earth as it was: and the spirit will return to Elohim who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; all is vanity. This whole world is just full of vanity, things that do not stay, do not remain all the pleasures of this life do not last.
So remember your creator and seek wisdom because that's the pathway to eternal life to living forever. Love your father who provides for you and your mother who nursed and cares for you. You don't need to honor them because they've been perfect, but you honor them because they have the office that is worthy of honor and respect.
They are your father and your mother and then they'll rejoice and you will too, they will declare that you are a wise son and daughter, you will find life and Yahweh will look upon you with great favor. Then you will be blessed and you will praise Yahweh for all the glory we receive, we give right back to him. And that's the picture of a wise child, one that loves Yahweh, one whose heart is turned to the earthly father and mother and to the heavenly father. Now what about when we have grown and we are now older and we are adults and we may be married and we're on our own so to speak. We have our own life now we have children perhaps, do we still need to show proper honor and respect to our parents? Matthew chapter 15 verses 1-9 says; the scribes and Pharisees, who were from Jerusalem, came to Yahushua saying, why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. He answered and said to them, why do you also transgress the commandment of Elohim because of your tradition? So he's saying there transgressing the commandment of Elohim. For Elohim commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, he who curses his father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say whosoever says to his father or his mother, whatever profit you might have received from, is a gift to Elohim. Then he need not honor his father or his mother. Thus you have made the commandment of Elohim of no effect by your tradition. They had a tradition where they would not provide for their ailing parents who were not of the age to work anymore, by just taking their possessions and saying well we gonna give this to Elohim. They still have use for those possessions but now since they are so-called dedicated to Elohim, you don't have to give to your father and mother and make sure they're taken care of. So that's just despicable I mean Yahushua said it
was a dishonor to the parents when children do not provide for their parents as they age. So this could be well later in life even when your children are already grown and everything, he expected the sons and daughters to pay back their parents and provide for them as they get older and cannot work anymore. Parents provided for their children when they were you know in diapers and help us right? I mean that's what your parents did for you, you may find your parents one day in diapers and helpless, what are you going to do for them? Well Yahweh has ordained that children return the favor and provide for their parents when they get older and are in need of financial and personal assistance. In fact, Paul when he talks about providing for the widow and the congregation need to provide for the windows an exception is made when that widow has children or grandchildren. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 3; honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home, and to repay their parents: for this is good and acceptable before Elohim. So even if the window has grandchildren the expectation is that the grandchildren would take care of the grandmother, that's what's expected.
And so the importance of honoring and providing for mother and father is extended even into the grandmother stage if the need arises. If we keep reading we're gonna see that, that strong condemnation is given to those who choose not to take care of their parents and or grandparents. 1 Timothy 5:5 continue reading, now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in Elohim, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. So there are qualifications for the congregation to take care of widows okay, but she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these things command, that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own (his own what? most people think of this as not taking care of your family, as in your children, your wife. No it's talking about your own widow, your own parents), especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith. He is not just an unbeliever, he is worse than an unbeliever. Those are strong words, strong strong words, so if a person refuses to provide for his own parents especially those of his own household he has denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever. WOW! You know many people believe that's talking about a man providing for his wife and children, not just that. But the context is the parents and grandparents being taken care of. And today I mean it's sick how the older generation
is ignored, set aside, disregarded drugged, abuse, shut away in nursing homes, so no one has to look at them, talk to them or think about them, out of sight out of mind.
But Yahweh does see, now there are cases where it's
physically impossible for a person to provide the health care of the parents, I'm not here to condemn you for that I understand some parents need 24 hour nursing care and we're not trained to provide that kind of care maybe we can get trained, maybe we can learn how I don't know. But often times parents and grandparents are in nursing homes for the convenience of the children. Listen your parents did not put you to an institution when you were children and need someone to take care of you. Your parents didn't put you in some prison, locked away from society and the vibrancy of life. Why would it be okay for you do that your parents and grandparents? But they're the older generation sets in a nursing home which really isn't any better than prison bore out of their minds, nothing to do but sit and watch and be programmed by Hollywood all day long through the television set. I really believe this is Satan's plan you know there are many widows and older people sitting in a nursing home who are bitter at their children, bitter at Yahweh and desperately need salvation. And here they are in the last throes of their life and I'm sure Satan inspired people to lock them up, lock them up, where they'll never hear the gospel, where they'll never get their issues with their family result, where they're unlikely to find salvation and sitting in front of Satan box all day long. That I'm sure had to be his plan and I say shame on us, shame on our generation for such things. We ought to be honoring our parents, providing for them not shipping them off to isolation chambers,
they ought to be partakers in the joys of life Yahweh has given us, thanks to their help you know. If they can't take care of themselves will it be wrong with hiring a nurse maybe to come and help from time to time? I mean you know parents saved up money sometimes for their children to go to college you know and maybe our parents are not financially well off and we should be saving for the day when we may need to be required to take care of them one day. And didn't they spent tremendous amounts of money caring for us? Absolutely and so Yahushua taught us we are not honoring them properly if we're not caring for them when they're older. And I think that's probably one of the biggest areas we transgressors command, but Yahushua saw that ,that concept of taking care of our parents when they get older was an act of honoring them right. And he was very upset with the people of his generation for disregarding that very precept. And you know what today among the elderly? You were not in nursing homes and they can live on their own, there are some who cannot even afford to put food on their own table, why? They don't have much for pension or they have to sadly choose between health care and food. It has become an epidemic in America one out of 5
seniors who were surveyed said they could not put sufficient food on the table because of their health care expenses; they literally would have to choose between their health and starving.
That's all health I mean it's gotten really really bad and we don't have to look very far in scripture to see where Yahweh expects us as believers to not sit idly by we hear people not getting the food they need right. James 2:15; If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food. And one of you says to them, O Depart in peace, be warmed and be filled; but you did not give them the things which are needful for the body; what does it profit? It's a dead faith. Also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 1 John 3:17 read this last night; whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of Elohim abide in him? It just can't. My little children, let's not love in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
And so we have for many years operated in omsfund
going all the way back 18 years ago we started this alms fund to help those who are otherwise unable to afford necessities for people to give to the omsfund and then prayerfully those are distributed to those who have need because this is what I see happening in scripture, where it says in Acts chapter 6 verse 1-2; now those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Grecians , because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. So they're being provided, what does to be provided on-going help? Daily distribution, then the twelve summoned the multitude the disciples, and said, It is not desirable that we should leave the word of Elohim, and serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And so there are certain people that were appointed to take care of the widows, the ones who can't take care of themselves. And the saying please the whole multitude: then they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. Then the word of Elohim spread; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem; and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Get that? When they started taking care of the fatherless or the widow or those who were in need Yahweh caused Elohim's word to spread, he caused the disciples to be multiplied and even those who were otherwise heart of heart, the priests even they turned to the faith. By this you shall know my disciples, by your love for one another, right. Absolutely and so we are a people who have a reputation of giving to the poor and taking care of the poor and needy, that is in an act of love first of all and it's actually the work of evangelism because we are not going to just provide for the physical needs we're going to work to provide the emotional and spiritual needs of the people we give to. We can't just rely on government programs to do things for us and I think that we've become complacent because of that. There were certain men who were appointed to take care of those who were in need and so if there are widows out there whose children are not taking care of them or the elderly who cannot work and they are in poor health or they're weak or whatever, they can't work. And their sons or daughters are not taking care of them, it'll just go tough for you, these are people who are in need and so through no fault of their own, they're indeed. So shouldn't we do something about it?
I mean to me it's sick that one out of 5 elderly, in America, go without food because the health care is so expensive. And so we have the alms fund and here recently we started outreach in Missouri, call giving and sharing, the bread of life-giving and sharing. And we actually opened up a coffee shop that also functions as a soup kitchen for people who cannot afford meals and come in and get one at no charge or for a low donation, whatever they can afford. And we're right across the street from the Senior Center where they give meals to seniors for $3 but there are seniors who can't even afford that and so we're wanting to step in and be a part of that. So if you are interested in seeing what we're up to in these areas just visit the website givingandsharing.org and or the oms fund.
But basically all the proceeds from the restaurant or coffee shop is given to feed those who have needy children in our County 27 percent food insecurity rate among children because of so many drug parents in our area because of the meth which is so easy produced in your backyard, it's cheap and sadly the parents do not feed the children. So our nation, listen the fatherless and the widow need our help. I say fatherless and widow because they are the most vulnerable, they are the ones who don't have the man providing for the children, and they don't have. If the mother is providing for the children how can they work and still be there home-schooling your children? How can they avoid sitting in the public schools where they will be indoctrinated with the doctrines of demons? I mean it's a tough situation a lot of young mothers are facing and we as believers are called to stand in the gap and care, reminded of Job how he
said; (For from my youth I reared him, as a father, my mother's womb I guided as a widow ;) In other words he took care of the fatherless; he took care of the widow, that's one reason why you're so blessed because he cared. And the scripture says; Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim and the Father is just, to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. That means you go see them, you don't just give them a pile of food and walk away, you visit then you talk to them, you care about them, you're involved in their life, you are concerned for their wellbeing.
They're motherless children also out there today, not just fatherless and moms out there you can be a mom like a figure to those children do it, fathers if you can be a father like a figure to those children who have no fathers, we have a responsibility to do it. And for those parents who have no child to help take care of them when they're older we have a responsibility to care and love no matter who it is, no matter what their ages the responsibility to care and to love. Yahushua warned the people of his generation and admonished them, your traditions are causing this scripture commandment number 5 to be violated and I think we're still in there. We still got traditions not the same traditions but the tradition of let the government do it, the tradition of let food stamps take care it, look we're the ones who are held responsible not so-called uncle Sam. We're the ones because the world can only give them money, we can give them salvation, we can give them a relationship with Yahushua and that's something that this world can't give. So if someone's not going to honor their father and mother and we're going to do it, we're going to honor them for them because that's what Yahweh expects us to do but if you have your own father and mother, you were destitute of daily food you have to choose between health care and the necessary substance to live, the daily food to live. It's a serious matter, serious serious matter. We need to show proper respect, imagine this at our assemblies gray-headed man walks in the room and the young people rise up in respect honoring the presence of an old man, fearing our Elohim. Man I read that scripture I just said man we've lost it, we've totally lost it, totally we are a mess.
There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes; it is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, who devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. I think we're in it brothers, I think we're in that generation pure in their own eyes, Oh well my mom and dad did this to me therefore... You know what, I wasn't always very respectful to my parents either. How about you think about that way. Maybe your parents were responding to your rebellion, maybe you were the rebellious one, the stubborn one who if you lived in the days of Israel you would have been put to death. And you were only feeding their abuse toward you, maybe you were a stumbling block to them just as they were a stumbling block to you. And there you sitting condemn them all and lofty are your eyes for being a stumbling block to you while you are just as guilty and maybe worse in your own disobedience and disrespect. You see we're a generation that is so pure in their own eyes, everyone else is to blame. Yahweh says we're not washed from our filthiness because there's no recognition of our own guilt. If you were to sit in a room full of people in their late teens early twenties having to write down all the things that their parents did to them they didn't like, they probably sit there for 2 hours writing all things down, Oh my mom did this my dad did this. Alright now you write down all the things that you did to your parents, all of a sudden blank stares.
See many times when children grow up they find themselves repeating actually the same mistakes because they don't recognize humility. And they end up getting tested by Yahweh because Yahweh is in heaven gone Oh your parents are that bad, guess what I'm the one that gave me those parents, I knew they would do that, it was me and if you hadn't had a childhood you had, you would never even seen any for me. And you think you're so pure let's see how well you do when your children start acting the way you did. And so all of our judgments toward our parents come up as a memorial before Yahweh and he allows us to be tested in the same way and then we realize Oh little different perspective now I didn't have before because our judgments and bitterness's and disrespectful attitude toward our parents lie in our eyes.
And sometimes there are things our parents did that were actually right in biblical but because of our bitterness toward them we don't see it, when we associate the biblical things as being actually evil things because they were done by them. And therefore that can lead to rebellion and rejection of the faith. So listen let's forget all who did what, you did so, you did whatever, humble yourself honor your father and your mother that it may go well with you, and that you may live long on the earth, you want to it go well with you right, that's commandment number 5. There is a tremendous blessing I know it, by loving those who don't love you, by caring for those who have not cared for you, by honoring those who have not been very honorable, you are honoring them because of the office they hold.
So are we really keeping the Ten Commandments?
A lot of the other commands in scripture flow from Yahweh's top 10 list, if it's what it is, Yahweh is jealous, he's jealous for his name, he's jealous for his day, we don't dishonor him by putting others ahead of him and we don't dishonor him by dishonoring the parents he gave us.
Let's pray, O father Yahweh forgive us in the name of Yahushua where we have failed in this area as a congregation as individuals: continue to remind us of your word in this area our generation is a big mess. We have lost what it means to show proper reverence and respect forgive us father, teach us respect, honor, reference.
And forgive us where we've failed let it be the father that there's probably some listening to me right now who need to go back to their parents and seek forgiveness. I pray you will direct their paths and that the outcome of that be blessed.
There's some whose parents are not in the faith,
father shine your light through their children, sons and daughters that the example of Yahushua HaMashiach be present, let your love to flow.
We want to honor you our heavenly father, we don't want to dishonour you, show us your ways, show us where we have failed that we might come to the feet of Yahushua HaMashiach, confessing a sin and rest in the knowledge you are faithful in you're just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness, where will we be today without your grace? Thank you father, in Yahushua's name we pray these things. Amein.
So there are 2 benefits long life and a life in which things are going pretty well. And we want things to go pretty well, don't we? So this is another promise attached to it, so long life and that it may be well with you. Now some of this is just downright the natural results because if you don't learn to respect your parents, the chances are really good that you will not respect anybody. And you will find yourself unable to respect the heavenly father or unwilling to respect your heavenly father. And really that's not really respectful to anybody, because there is a connection between love and respect. If you hate someone you're not respecting them you're not respecting the fact that they are a creation of Elohim and they deserve to be treated in a way that is respectful. And so we are laying a foundation when our children are being taught to respect and honor the parents, because then they will learn to respect and honor others including authority figures. Children who are not taught to respect and obey their parents and grew up rebellious and decide they're going to go out in the world, and guess what happens they find out that there are still people they have to respect, law enforcement, judges, and the prison warden and the officers. You're going to have to learn it one way or the other, you can learn it the easy way at home or you can learn it the hard way in society. So if we're lacking, this is actually repeated in Ephesians 6:1-3 it says; Children, obey your parents in Yahweh: 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 the earth. So even he mentions both blessings, so if we're lacking blessing in our lives, if we're having health problems it is possible that it could be directly due to a lack of proper reverence toward those who are in an office that Yahweh says we ought to honor the office of a father and that of a mother sometimes yes I can hear it already. Parents do things that are despicable sometimes, unimaginably horrible sometimes and very wrong, I understand that and I don't mean to hurt any of you by saying these things you probably have been hurt enough but I am asking not that you respect the wrong things that were done. I'm not asking that you respect them even on a personal level; I'm saying you must respect the office they hold that is what you are honoring. If you find it difficult to respect them because they did not respect you and they abused you and hurt you. Listen, at least respect the office they hold. They may not have been perfect, they may have been quite awful but in most cases they held you, fed you, took care of you, provided for you. You owe your very life to them at a bare minimum, respect the fact that Yahweh was the one who chose them to be your parents, you don't get to choose your parents are, Yahweh made that decision and since he was the one who decided it, to disrespect your parents is to disrespect the one who gave them to you Yahweh our Mighty One. And so you can be thankful you have life on this earth, you have an opportunity to receive eternal life in Messiah Yahushua. You don't know whether if you had a different set of parents than the ones Yahweh gave you might be serving the devil today, ever think about that. If you were mistreated by your parents as a child: what if you grew up in a different home a home whose parents molded your mind in such a way that you would never have known Elohim or care to know him. Maybe you'll be an Atheist at the day of your death headed for the lake of fire, what would have been your choice, an afflicted childhood but then receiving eternal life 6 trillion, 7 trillion, 8 trillion years? It's just the beginning of eternity, eternal life in joy and blessing or goes through a little pain go through those suffering that shows you your need for him.
What would you take, a comfy childhood that spoiled you to the point you never cared for spiritual things and you enter the gates of hell with weeping and gnashing of teeth? Or maybe a more difficult childhood that the end
results being eternal life with the most wonderful parent there ever could be Yahweh your heavenly father. So in whatever he allowed in our life if the end result is that today we are a disciple of Yahushua the Messiah it can't be all that bad to receive eternal life through him. In fact, we can come to grips and accept the difficulties we went through if we come to appreciate the fact that we are in Messiah Yahushua and we don't know if we had different parents, if we would be Torah observant people today, we have 7 billion people on the planet how many people know the things we know? Not very many so when we dishonor our parents we dishonor Yahweh himself who gave us our parents. If you can't find it in your heart to respect them on a personal level at least respect the office they hold. If you went before a judge you knew that judge personally that he was actually crooked it should not stop you from paying proper reverence to the office of a judge. You would still be required to call him your honor in a court of law . You don't just say hi Joe, how you doing in a court of law doesn't work that way. Yes your honor, no your honor, all rise as the judge walks in the room that's because the institution of criminal justice must be respected no matter how perfect or imperfect the judges and police officers and everybody is, it doesn't matter. And in the same way, the institution of father and mother have to be respected no matter how the mothers and fathers have conducted themselves. To disrespect that institution is to tear away at the fabric of society. You know, I cringe when I hear people blasting their parents on the Internet, on Facebook, News Media, Social Settings, my parents do this wrong and that wrong, my parents abuse me this way that way. Look I'm sorry that happened and I have all the compassion in the world for the pain you've gone through and the difficulties you've faced.
But we have to respect the office of father and mother, why bring it up? Sometimes it's just to gain sympathy or to gloat in your self-pity, why bring it up? I know self-pity is actually pride there's a pride that stems from someone trying to gloat in their own self-sacrifice, their own accomplishments and glory and somehow in some way, how much they have to endure. You know boasting and bragging sounds very self-sufficient; self-pity is boasting about your own self-sacrifice, self-please is not really out of a desire to be seen as a helpless victim in need of a Savior but really as a hero who's endured so much evil from other people. As if you yourself have never done anything wrong. See I have seen rooms even among brethren and see self-pity competitions going on oh my dad did this, oh yeah well my dad did this; my mom did that, all to the disrespect of parents and the office they are in. The very first murder was inspired and part by self-pity. Cain wiled in his own pity, feeling he didn't deserve to be so rejected by Yahweh. So he got envious and jealous of his brother and he murdered him, killed him. It all started with him pitting himself, listen it's a tough world we live in it's tough but if your peace and happiness is based on everything going right prepare for a life of misery. We just need to accept we live in a fallen world where people have free will to do all kinds of wicked things but maybe if we just would crawl out of our own self-pity party and seek to honor those who aren't deserving of honor we might actually become a living example of Messiah to them: who, when we hurt him, loved us. When we disrespected him, he gave his whole life for us, when we through our sin caused him to be abused physically, emotionally, he loved us anyway.
Maybe our parents haven't found salvation and won't repent because we've never demonstrated Yahushua to them, by willingly bearing their wrongs against us
may be part of the reason for their rejection of our faith is due to our lack of reverence to them. And maybe some of you listening to me today if you haven't been honoring your parents you might actually reach your parents with this faith if you took the time to call them, care about them, listen to them, and love them anyway. You never know if you might save them, the best thing to do really look back and say yeah I endured some stuff but now I have Yahushua in my life
and he heals the broken hearts binds up the wounds. Let's go back to the place of humility to accept and find the good, even if the things we've been through were awful. We can choose to murmur and complain and grumble the rest of our life about what so and so did to us and watch it eat us up like cancer and maybe even die of cancer because Yahweh has seen we're not honoring our parents. So things just didn't go well we didn't have a long life we wanted, but the generation we live in brothers and sisters is so, so irreverent. I believe this is a major area of trouble even in the body of Messiah some of us have lost the concept of what it means to show respect.
There isn't this check in our spirit when we do things that dishonor our parents our conscience has been seared, desensitized because of the culture we live in and it's attitudes toward authority. Now I really quit watching Hollywood television about man mid-nineties but back then like the sitcoms would be the highlighting some smart mouth little kid that was arrogant far more intelligent than the average kid of his age and smarter than his own parents and so so disrespectful. And it was supposed to be funny I've even seen Hollywood shows from the sixties this way. You know I've heard it said America's going to hell and they're laughing all the way, Hollywood has become the primary teacher in households today and I've seen even their influence in Christian movies and Christian shows because they've issued their programming through the air through the prince and power of the airwaves when you receive their doctrines of demons through channels channeling. And many just sit spellbound for hours in front of the television and become trained, programmed and desensitized by the moral filth of the world.
This is just one of many areas Hollywood has desensitized us, it has taught us to be irreverent and disrespectful toward the aged and you want a magician's wand made out of Holly-wood. We live in a world that glorifies the youth and the word of Yahweh says; you shall rise before the gray-headed, and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your Elohim.
Very different perspectives Yahweh has
isn't it? The very opposite of what does it mean to honor? What does it mean this word honor?
It's from the Hebrew word kabbed, means to be heavy,
be weighty, be grievous, rich, honorable, glorious something weighty. It can be related to grief, can be related to a lot of different things but it has to do with weight. So giving someone the proper weight, the proper weight now here is a list of crimes in the scriptures for which one can receive the death penalty they are as follows: Sacrificing the
idols, sacrificing your children to Molech, see Yahweh cares about children too, uttering false prophecy in Yahweh's name, necromancy that's talking to the dead, witchcraft, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking how about that one? Adultery, incest, homosexuality, bearing
false witness to a capital crime that's where you're a false witness to someone committing a crime for which there is a death penalty, smiting at parents, if you even hit a parent, death penalty,
cursing a parent there's a death penalty, bestiality,
contempt of court, kidnapping, murder.
So here is the list of awful crimes for which one could be put to death, murder, kidnapping, bestiality and then 3 of these have to do with showing proper respect, contempt of court, cursing a parent, and smiting a parent.
I find that interesting why is that death penalty? It seems like and our age is like a man that's pretty awful but Yahweh says everyone who curses his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother his blood shall be upon him. Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness, Proverbs 20:20.
Why is that so important again? We have to learn respect or we will not be loving people, we will not care about what other people feel or what they're going through. We will not have the empathy and sympathy we need to care about another person because we don't respect them, we don't care about them.
It's all about me, me, me, me, me, you know the Psalm someone saying earlier today. So in fact it says do not rebuke an older man, don't
even rebuke him but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger sisters with all purity. So admonish or exhort is okay you don't rebuke, so
here's the list of crimes, respect is really the foundation of society and our ability to live together really. If someone hates another person they're not giving them proper respect and that's why children have to be taught to respect very, very important.
So I hope I am able to communicate adequately why it matters. The eye that mocks his father, and scorns disobedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it. Meaning the guy is going to find himself in some kind of trouble or he dies and dies young.
And then there will be you know like a very inglorious death. Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 6; Look, the princes of Israel, each one uses his power to shed blood on you. In you they have made light of father and mother (difference of heavy right?); in your midst they have oppression the stranger: in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. If you hate somebody you know it's considered to be unjust an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, but you hate your parent bam death penalty.
Yahweh sees it very very serious and we have to see it that way, we are so desensitized to some
people this seems ridiculous. The bible says every one of you shall revere his
father and his mother, and keep my Sabbaths: I am Yahweh your Elohim. What does it mean to revere?
It means to fear, be afraid stand in all of, to
fear, reverence, honor, respect.
Now I'm not talking about trembling kind of fear where you're afraid to even look at them because that's not what he's teaching. What he's teaching is you ought to have enough fear of your parents in you that you choose not to do the wrong thing. You don't want to do the wrong thing, you fear the loss of good relationship, you fear the loss of their
favor in their eyes. So you don't want to do anything that could damage
the relationship you have with them and us parents yes we need to provide an opportunity of positivity and encouragement so they have something other than negativity, something they can look to some reference point of joy they can get back to.
That's another topic altogether but Yahweh did not put up with children who were stubborn and rebellious, he had very very quick solution, Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 18; If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them: then his father and his mother shall take hold of him, and bring him out to the elders of the city, and to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so you shall put away evil from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
So Yahweh did not want bands of rebellious teens corrupting society in Israel, there were no gangs in Israel they were taken care of promptly and all have to take is for once maybe twice of a son to face this kind of reaction from the nation of Israel and I assure you teenage rebellion would not be a problem in Israel. This is not something that would have to happen on a regular basis, children would hear and would fear
and some may laugh at this and say why won't you go back to Iran Tom? You know go to some third world country and listen don't laugh at what Yahweh commanded, he was serious when he gave this and mocking it is reverent toward him. He understood the seriousness of teenage rebellion and think about how many lives would actually be saved they wouldn't be as many murders right, as much drunkards being a drain on society. Now I'm not advocating that we do this today in our society unless our society was to adopt all
the same principles of the Torah that go along with it including righteous judgment, the false witness goes punished not unpunished. So I'm not sharing this advocating anybody take their children and kill them, this was not something that the individual parent was permitted to do this is something that the elders and the men of the town together would make the decision that this young man is refusing to repent, he's refusing to walk in the statutes of Elohim, he's refusing to be reverent and respectful toward his parents, he is out of control. They did not need a prison system in Israel; they took care of this problem pretty quickly. What I'm trying to convey is this, the seriousness to which Yahweh speaks on this topic he considered cursing parents, hitting parents a rebellion against parents to be a crime worthy of death and so he commanded us to respect and show proper reverence all of us, all of us should show respect and reverence toward the office of mother and the office of father very important. Now if you have not done so listen to Yahweh our father in heaven says if we confess our sins he is faithful and he is just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
And you can go to your parents and seek their forgiveness for not showing them proper respect and reverence and take steps to redeem the time, take steps to make changes and how you react and respond to them and Yahweh will have compassion and mercy and forgive he says he will.
But I'm pointing this out because all of us children and parents need to have our hearts turned to each other; Malachi 4:6; he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (what happens when it's not so?). I come and strike the earth with a curse. The final words of what's commonly called the old testament in the current arrangement and Christianity is cursed, the final word in the old testament and it's a curse toward those who do not have their heart's turned to their children and those whose children do not have their hearts turned to their fathers. What does it mean to have a heart turned?
Let me share some principles here, Solomon wrote: My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
Solomon was a wise man he knew how important it was to raise his children to know Yahweh and to do what was right. And I'll take a minute and talk to young people, children your father has been given the job of teaching you to know Yahweh and to do what's right. It is very important that you pay close attention to what he says especially when he instructs you and when he corrects you. The bible says: A wise son heeds his father instruction: but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. A scoffer is someone who will not listen to his father or his mother and children I know you want to be wise, you want to hear your father's instruction and teaching because this life it's like we're walking through a large maze were there many many wrong turns a person can go and find themselves in trouble in a dead end. But if you stay on the straight path where Yahweh wants you to be, you can be a wise son and a wise daughter. Your parents have been through the maze in many places already and they're still on a journey in other places but they've already been where you are, they were once your age and they want you to avoid those things that they found were bad and not good for you. And they want you to stay on the right path because they care about you and because they love you. Can you imagine a ship that did not have a pilot, it would just go wherever the wind took them, why? Because there was no one who knew where the dangerous rocks and rivers were and that ship would be very likely to run into big trouble and sink and that's what it's like when children do not listen to their parents and their instruction.
Scripture says Proverbs 15 verse 5: A fool despises his father's instruction: but he who receives correction is prudent. You want to be wise; you want to be prudent that means prudent means you know what to do. How important it is for children to pay very close attention to the words of their parents they love you they want to guide you as wise children and your goal should be to get wisdom.
Because we all as children had foolishness bound up in our hearts. But Yahweh says; but the rod of correction will drive it far from us. And we listen to the word of Yahweh, we don't need the correction, we just listen and we don't need to be disciplined and that's the blessing of discipline. Getting us back to the place where we're willing to listen again. He that gathers in summer is a wise son: he who sleeps in harvest is the son who causes shame. Teaching the importance of hard work, wives children are willing to work when told and are not lazy in doing things halfway if you're lazy and rather sleep or play when it's time to work you can bring shame to your parents and thereby disrespect them.
Solomon warned his son; Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long wilt you sleep, O sluggard (a sluggard is a lazy person)? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So your poverty will come upon you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man. So all of a sudden you're poor as dirt because you're not willing to work.
Working is a part of life we're expected by Yahweh to work, you were put in the garden initially to work. It's important that we learn this early in life. Another thing scripture says wise children are to do is to heed and keep and obey Yahweh's law. Psalm 119 verse 9 says; how can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. Proverbs 28 verse 7; whoever keeps the law is a discerning son: but a companion of gluttons shames his father. Gluttons are those who are always looking for the next pleasure, they want instant pleasure.
Proverbs 13 verse 20; he who walks with wise men will be wise: but the companion of fools will be destroyed. So you want to be wise children look for otherwise children to be your friends be careful about the friends you choose because if you have friends that are foolish the bible warns us the companion of fools will be destroyed. Wise children do not want to be destroyed they want to live and not die. Solomon warned his son about being friends with foolish people, Proverbs 22 verse 15 says; Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction will drive it far from him. So if you spend all your time just with your friends and your friends aren't very wise then you are possibly in for a world of hurt and you don't want to go there. It may look fun, it may look like they're having a great time but the end thereof is destruction.
So we want to be wise, Proverbs 23 verse 19 says; hear, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart, that means you have to lead your heart, you have to guide your own heart which is otherwise inclined just to do whatever pleases the flesh. You have to take control of your heart which would otherwise lead you astray into things that are not healthy or good for you in the end. Sin is that way, sin always looks like it has a little promise attached to it, a good thing attached to it but then the end thereof what happens at the end is you're hurting and you're hurting other people and you're hurting yourself. So he says; do not mix with winebibbers (winebibbers are people who were chasing after the pleasures of this age, they are looking for the instant gratification, always looking for the instant pleasure, whatever makes them feel good); gluttonous eaters of meat: The drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty: and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
He's not willing to work he's just seeking the pleasures, listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
So it's very wise to honor your father and your mother, Proverbs 28 verse 24; whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, it's no transgression; the same is a companion to a destroyer. Yes, you can steal from your own parents, Deuteronomy 27:16 say; cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.
Proverbs 20 verse 20 says; whoever curses his father or mother his lamp will be put out and deep darkness. Lots of warnings in scripture, Proverbs 19:26; he who mistreats his father, and chases away his mother, is a son who causes shame, and brings reproach. So Yahweh wanted us to learn from the example of what happens to the disobedient child. Children of Yahweh I call on you, be wise be a blessing to your father be a blessing to your mother and love to honor them, find joy in honoring and obeying them. And not only will you be blessed you will bring them joy and you will be at peace with yourself with them and most importantly with your creator. A wise son makes a glad father but a foolish son is the grief of his mother, Proverbs 10 verse 1. Proverbs 17:25; a foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bare them. Proverbs 17:21; he who begets a scoffer does so to his own sorrow: and the father of a fool has no joy. Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, but a companion of harlots wastes his wealth. We see the big difference between one who chooses to honor his parents and one who does not.
Proverbs 23:24; the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice: and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Don't you want your parents just to delight in you? I hope so then seek wisdom, seek understanding, choose to walk uprightly and watch as your parents rejoice and honor you as you have honored them. They will speak well of you to their friends and petition Yahweh most high to give you a blessing upon blessing.
Colossians 3:20 says; Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to Yahweh. You want to be well pleasing to Yahweh I hope
then you know what to do. Proverbs 6 verse 20 says; my son keep your father's command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1 verse 10 says; my son, if sinners entice you (and believe me in this world they will), do not consent. Don't go along with it, they'll offer you all kind of junk and your parents already been down that road and know better. Proverbs 4 verse 20 says; my son' give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health
to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence; (pay attention to where your heart is inclined to go) because out of it spring the issues of life. That means out of your heart everything kind of just flows so pay attention to where your heart is being drawn to good things or to evil things, pay close attention.
So remember now your Creator in the days of
your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near, when you say, I have no pleasure in them. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain.
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow, the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows go down. Remember your Creator and the days of your youth because if you don't these are the kind of things we're going to see and we're gonna see when our generation because unless this generation repents this is where we're headed.
When the doors are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding is low, when one arises up at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low. Also they are afraid of height, and terrors in the way, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails: For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, remember your creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shuttered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then dust will return to the earth as it was: and the spirit will return to Elohim who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; all is vanity. This whole world is just full of vanity, things that do not stay, do not remain all the pleasures of this life do not last.
So remember your creator and seek wisdom because that's the pathway to eternal life to living forever. Love your father who provides for you and your mother who nursed and cares for you. You don't need to honor them because they've been perfect, but you honor them because they have the office that is worthy of honor and respect.
They are your father and your mother and then they'll rejoice and you will too, they will declare that you are a wise son and daughter, you will find life and Yahweh will look upon you with great favor. Then you will be blessed and you will praise Yahweh for all the glory we receive, we give right back to him. And that's the picture of a wise child, one that loves Yahweh, one whose heart is turned to the earthly father and mother and to the heavenly father. Now what about when we have grown and we are now older and we are adults and we may be married and we're on our own so to speak. We have our own life now we have children perhaps, do we still need to show proper honor and respect to our parents? Matthew chapter 15 verses 1-9 says; the scribes and Pharisees, who were from Jerusalem, came to Yahushua saying, why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. He answered and said to them, why do you also transgress the commandment of Elohim because of your tradition? So he's saying there transgressing the commandment of Elohim. For Elohim commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, he who curses his father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say whosoever says to his father or his mother, whatever profit you might have received from, is a gift to Elohim. Then he need not honor his father or his mother. Thus you have made the commandment of Elohim of no effect by your tradition. They had a tradition where they would not provide for their ailing parents who were not of the age to work anymore, by just taking their possessions and saying well we gonna give this to Elohim. They still have use for those possessions but now since they are so-called dedicated to Elohim, you don't have to give to your father and mother and make sure they're taken care of. So that's just despicable I mean Yahushua said it
was a dishonor to the parents when children do not provide for their parents as they age. So this could be well later in life even when your children are already grown and everything, he expected the sons and daughters to pay back their parents and provide for them as they get older and cannot work anymore. Parents provided for their children when they were you know in diapers and help us right? I mean that's what your parents did for you, you may find your parents one day in diapers and helpless, what are you going to do for them? Well Yahweh has ordained that children return the favor and provide for their parents when they get older and are in need of financial and personal assistance. In fact, Paul when he talks about providing for the widow and the congregation need to provide for the windows an exception is made when that widow has children or grandchildren. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 3; honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home, and to repay their parents: for this is good and acceptable before Elohim. So even if the window has grandchildren the expectation is that the grandchildren would take care of the grandmother, that's what's expected.
And so the importance of honoring and providing for mother and father is extended even into the grandmother stage if the need arises. If we keep reading we're gonna see that, that strong condemnation is given to those who choose not to take care of their parents and or grandparents. 1 Timothy 5:5 continue reading, now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in Elohim, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. So there are qualifications for the congregation to take care of widows okay, but she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these things command, that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own (his own what? most people think of this as not taking care of your family, as in your children, your wife. No it's talking about your own widow, your own parents), especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith. He is not just an unbeliever, he is worse than an unbeliever. Those are strong words, strong strong words, so if a person refuses to provide for his own parents especially those of his own household he has denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever. WOW! You know many people believe that's talking about a man providing for his wife and children, not just that. But the context is the parents and grandparents being taken care of. And today I mean it's sick how the older generation
is ignored, set aside, disregarded drugged, abuse, shut away in nursing homes, so no one has to look at them, talk to them or think about them, out of sight out of mind.
But Yahweh does see, now there are cases where it's
physically impossible for a person to provide the health care of the parents, I'm not here to condemn you for that I understand some parents need 24 hour nursing care and we're not trained to provide that kind of care maybe we can get trained, maybe we can learn how I don't know. But often times parents and grandparents are in nursing homes for the convenience of the children. Listen your parents did not put you to an institution when you were children and need someone to take care of you. Your parents didn't put you in some prison, locked away from society and the vibrancy of life. Why would it be okay for you do that your parents and grandparents? But they're the older generation sets in a nursing home which really isn't any better than prison bore out of their minds, nothing to do but sit and watch and be programmed by Hollywood all day long through the television set. I really believe this is Satan's plan you know there are many widows and older people sitting in a nursing home who are bitter at their children, bitter at Yahweh and desperately need salvation. And here they are in the last throes of their life and I'm sure Satan inspired people to lock them up, lock them up, where they'll never hear the gospel, where they'll never get their issues with their family result, where they're unlikely to find salvation and sitting in front of Satan box all day long. That I'm sure had to be his plan and I say shame on us, shame on our generation for such things. We ought to be honoring our parents, providing for them not shipping them off to isolation chambers,
they ought to be partakers in the joys of life Yahweh has given us, thanks to their help you know. If they can't take care of themselves will it be wrong with hiring a nurse maybe to come and help from time to time? I mean you know parents saved up money sometimes for their children to go to college you know and maybe our parents are not financially well off and we should be saving for the day when we may need to be required to take care of them one day. And didn't they spent tremendous amounts of money caring for us? Absolutely and so Yahushua taught us we are not honoring them properly if we're not caring for them when they're older. And I think that's probably one of the biggest areas we transgressors command, but Yahushua saw that ,that concept of taking care of our parents when they get older was an act of honoring them right. And he was very upset with the people of his generation for disregarding that very precept. And you know what today among the elderly? You were not in nursing homes and they can live on their own, there are some who cannot even afford to put food on their own table, why? They don't have much for pension or they have to sadly choose between health care and food. It has become an epidemic in America one out of 5
seniors who were surveyed said they could not put sufficient food on the table because of their health care expenses; they literally would have to choose between their health and starving.
That's all health I mean it's gotten really really bad and we don't have to look very far in scripture to see where Yahweh expects us as believers to not sit idly by we hear people not getting the food they need right. James 2:15; If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food. And one of you says to them, O Depart in peace, be warmed and be filled; but you did not give them the things which are needful for the body; what does it profit? It's a dead faith. Also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 1 John 3:17 read this last night; whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of Elohim abide in him? It just can't. My little children, let's not love in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
And so we have for many years operated in omsfund
going all the way back 18 years ago we started this alms fund to help those who are otherwise unable to afford necessities for people to give to the omsfund and then prayerfully those are distributed to those who have need because this is what I see happening in scripture, where it says in Acts chapter 6 verse 1-2; now those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Grecians , because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. So they're being provided, what does to be provided on-going help? Daily distribution, then the twelve summoned the multitude the disciples, and said, It is not desirable that we should leave the word of Elohim, and serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And so there are certain people that were appointed to take care of the widows, the ones who can't take care of themselves. And the saying please the whole multitude: then they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. Then the word of Elohim spread; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem; and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Get that? When they started taking care of the fatherless or the widow or those who were in need Yahweh caused Elohim's word to spread, he caused the disciples to be multiplied and even those who were otherwise heart of heart, the priests even they turned to the faith. By this you shall know my disciples, by your love for one another, right. Absolutely and so we are a people who have a reputation of giving to the poor and taking care of the poor and needy, that is in an act of love first of all and it's actually the work of evangelism because we are not going to just provide for the physical needs we're going to work to provide the emotional and spiritual needs of the people we give to. We can't just rely on government programs to do things for us and I think that we've become complacent because of that. There were certain men who were appointed to take care of those who were in need and so if there are widows out there whose children are not taking care of them or the elderly who cannot work and they are in poor health or they're weak or whatever, they can't work. And their sons or daughters are not taking care of them, it'll just go tough for you, these are people who are in need and so through no fault of their own, they're indeed. So shouldn't we do something about it?
I mean to me it's sick that one out of 5 elderly, in America, go without food because the health care is so expensive. And so we have the alms fund and here recently we started outreach in Missouri, call giving and sharing, the bread of life-giving and sharing. And we actually opened up a coffee shop that also functions as a soup kitchen for people who cannot afford meals and come in and get one at no charge or for a low donation, whatever they can afford. And we're right across the street from the Senior Center where they give meals to seniors for $3 but there are seniors who can't even afford that and so we're wanting to step in and be a part of that. So if you are interested in seeing what we're up to in these areas just visit the website givingandsharing.org and or the oms fund.
But basically all the proceeds from the restaurant or coffee shop is given to feed those who have needy children in our County 27 percent food insecurity rate among children because of so many drug parents in our area because of the meth which is so easy produced in your backyard, it's cheap and sadly the parents do not feed the children. So our nation, listen the fatherless and the widow need our help. I say fatherless and widow because they are the most vulnerable, they are the ones who don't have the man providing for the children, and they don't have. If the mother is providing for the children how can they work and still be there home-schooling your children? How can they avoid sitting in the public schools where they will be indoctrinated with the doctrines of demons? I mean it's a tough situation a lot of young mothers are facing and we as believers are called to stand in the gap and care, reminded of Job how he
said; (For from my youth I reared him, as a father, my mother's womb I guided as a widow ;) In other words he took care of the fatherless; he took care of the widow, that's one reason why you're so blessed because he cared. And the scripture says; Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim and the Father is just, to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. That means you go see them, you don't just give them a pile of food and walk away, you visit then you talk to them, you care about them, you're involved in their life, you are concerned for their wellbeing.
They're motherless children also out there today, not just fatherless and moms out there you can be a mom like a figure to those children do it, fathers if you can be a father like a figure to those children who have no fathers, we have a responsibility to do it. And for those parents who have no child to help take care of them when they're older we have a responsibility to care and love no matter who it is, no matter what their ages the responsibility to care and to love. Yahushua warned the people of his generation and admonished them, your traditions are causing this scripture commandment number 5 to be violated and I think we're still in there. We still got traditions not the same traditions but the tradition of let the government do it, the tradition of let food stamps take care it, look we're the ones who are held responsible not so-called uncle Sam. We're the ones because the world can only give them money, we can give them salvation, we can give them a relationship with Yahushua and that's something that this world can't give. So if someone's not going to honor their father and mother and we're going to do it, we're going to honor them for them because that's what Yahweh expects us to do but if you have your own father and mother, you were destitute of daily food you have to choose between health care and the necessary substance to live, the daily food to live. It's a serious matter, serious serious matter. We need to show proper respect, imagine this at our assemblies gray-headed man walks in the room and the young people rise up in respect honoring the presence of an old man, fearing our Elohim. Man I read that scripture I just said man we've lost it, we've totally lost it, totally we are a mess.
There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes; it is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, who devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. I think we're in it brothers, I think we're in that generation pure in their own eyes, Oh well my mom and dad did this to me therefore... You know what, I wasn't always very respectful to my parents either. How about you think about that way. Maybe your parents were responding to your rebellion, maybe you were the rebellious one, the stubborn one who if you lived in the days of Israel you would have been put to death. And you were only feeding their abuse toward you, maybe you were a stumbling block to them just as they were a stumbling block to you. And there you sitting condemn them all and lofty are your eyes for being a stumbling block to you while you are just as guilty and maybe worse in your own disobedience and disrespect. You see we're a generation that is so pure in their own eyes, everyone else is to blame. Yahweh says we're not washed from our filthiness because there's no recognition of our own guilt. If you were to sit in a room full of people in their late teens early twenties having to write down all the things that their parents did to them they didn't like, they probably sit there for 2 hours writing all things down, Oh my mom did this my dad did this. Alright now you write down all the things that you did to your parents, all of a sudden blank stares.
See many times when children grow up they find themselves repeating actually the same mistakes because they don't recognize humility. And they end up getting tested by Yahweh because Yahweh is in heaven gone Oh your parents are that bad, guess what I'm the one that gave me those parents, I knew they would do that, it was me and if you hadn't had a childhood you had, you would never even seen any for me. And you think you're so pure let's see how well you do when your children start acting the way you did. And so all of our judgments toward our parents come up as a memorial before Yahweh and he allows us to be tested in the same way and then we realize Oh little different perspective now I didn't have before because our judgments and bitterness's and disrespectful attitude toward our parents lie in our eyes.
And sometimes there are things our parents did that were actually right in biblical but because of our bitterness toward them we don't see it, when we associate the biblical things as being actually evil things because they were done by them. And therefore that can lead to rebellion and rejection of the faith. So listen let's forget all who did what, you did so, you did whatever, humble yourself honor your father and your mother that it may go well with you, and that you may live long on the earth, you want to it go well with you right, that's commandment number 5. There is a tremendous blessing I know it, by loving those who don't love you, by caring for those who have not cared for you, by honoring those who have not been very honorable, you are honoring them because of the office they hold.
So are we really keeping the Ten Commandments?
A lot of the other commands in scripture flow from Yahweh's top 10 list, if it's what it is, Yahweh is jealous, he's jealous for his name, he's jealous for his day, we don't dishonor him by putting others ahead of him and we don't dishonor him by dishonoring the parents he gave us.
Let's pray, O father Yahweh forgive us in the name of Yahushua where we have failed in this area as a congregation as individuals: continue to remind us of your word in this area our generation is a big mess. We have lost what it means to show proper reverence and respect forgive us father, teach us respect, honor, reference.
And forgive us where we've failed let it be the father that there's probably some listening to me right now who need to go back to their parents and seek forgiveness. I pray you will direct their paths and that the outcome of that be blessed.
There's some whose parents are not in the faith,
father shine your light through their children, sons and daughters that the example of Yahushua HaMashiach be present, let your love to flow.
We want to honor you our heavenly father, we don't want to dishonour you, show us your ways, show us where we have failed that we might come to the feet of Yahushua HaMashiach, confessing a sin and rest in the knowledge you are faithful in you're just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness, where will we be today without your grace? Thank you father, in Yahushua's name we pray these things. Amein.