family

The Blessing of the Fifth Commandment

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If I were to ask a child if there is a favorite rule that he or she likes to obey, chances are that the response would be a facial expression that says, “Are you serious?” As ridiculous as my question may be, I can confidently recall the time when I had a favorite commandment. My favorite commandment was “honor your father and mother.” (Exodus 20:12.) And as far as I can remember, I tried to keep that commandment with all my strength. The reason for my ambition, I must admit, was not because I loved my parents. Even though I did love them, the real reason I tried to keep that commandment was because I heard that if I kept it, I would live a long life. This appeal had a strong impact on my heart, so beginning around the age of five, my attitude toward my parents was ruled by this commandment. More specifically, however, was the way I treated my mother. I would always make sure that she was happy; I would ask how she was doing or if anything was troubling her. We held close communication and shared many secrets. And when she asked or ordered me to do something, I made sure that it was done. Yes, I considered it my duty to make her happy; I considered it a blessing to obey the fifth commandment.

As the years went by and I grew older, my attitude towards the fifth commandment began to change. When I was eleven, my mother, siblings, and I moved to New York City. It was here that I began to see myself as an individual of society. Prior to this, most of my time away from school was spent with family. Not anymore! The city was big and attractive, so I began to explore. In addition, my restraining stepfather was no longer a part of my life. Since he was no longer there to dictate my coming and going, I felt free to roam. In all of this, however, I continually made an effort to honor my mother. When she called, I answered. When she ordered, I obeyed. But though I answered and obeyed, my heart began to dread restrictions. And because I wanted to be like others, I slowly began to disregard the fifth commandment.

One day, an incident occurred which, to this day, is one of the most memorable events of my youth. Instead of going home after school as my mother ordered, I decided to hang out in the school yard with some of the other students. We were playing basketball when all of a sudden another student approached me. I was surprised at this because he was one of the popular students of the school. He was around my age, but he had a reputation of being a hard little boy, one who was accustomed to the streets. When he approached me, I was not prepared for what he had to say. In a demanding tone, he asked me to help him steal a puppy. Yes, to steal! I immediately became uneasy, but because I wanted to be accepted, I tried so hard to hide my fears, and I began to make excuses. “It’s getting late.” “Oh, my mother is waiting for me.” “I need to catch the next bus home.” I gave so many appeals hoping to set myself free, but he was not persuaded. Instead, he began to persuade me with violent threats. He threatened to get his older brother to hurt me if I did not comply. Since I knew a little about his brother’s reputation, I concluded that he was not to be offended. Therefore, I submitted to the little boy’s demand and followed him to where the puppy was.

He took me to an alley located around three blocks away from the school. There the puppy was, locked in a fence which faced a position that made it impossible for us to open the gate. Once he realized this, my comrade suddenly changed his plans. No longer was I to help him steal the puppy; I was told to steal it myself while he just watched out. So there I was struggling with this extremely secured fence. I pulled, I pushed, I twisted, and I turned. I could not get it opened. In the process, a noise was made that caused me and my comrade to run and hide. When we arrived at our hiding spot, he suddenly became very violent. He cursed me. He grabbed me. He held me up against the wall. I shook. I trembled. I began to cry. In his anger he made more violent threats, and out of fear I promised to try harder. So when the scene was clear, we went back to get the puppy. Once again I pulled, I pushed, I twisted, and I turned. This time the fence gave way, and I was able to grab the poor little creature. Immediately, I brought the puppy to my anxious little comrade. Now that he had his object, he became cheerful and happy. And after giving me a brief, halfhearted apology, he departed with a smile on his face. As for me, I went home with a frightened heart and a trembling body.

This event is so important because of the two lessons I have learned from it. First, it causes me to recognize the blessing of the fifth commandment. Had I followed my mother’s order and gone straight home after school that day, this awful experience would have been completely avoided. Because of my disobedience, I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, Satan was able to use this little boy as an instrument to lead me even further into disobedience. Not only was I dishonoring my mother, but now I was dishonoring my neighbors and stealing from them. And as my teenage years progressed, I committed more and more crimes against my neighbors until I was almost destroyed. All of this happened because I abandoned the blessing of the fifth commandment.

The second lesson I have learned from this experience is that it is better for me to be alone and obey than to join the crowd and disobey. Before I tried to fit in with other students, I was honoring my mother, getting good grades, and staying out of trouble. But because I wanted to be accepted, I started to disregard my mother’s orders. When I was alone, I was obedient and peaceful, but in the crowd I was rebellious and causing trouble. All of this happened because I abandoned the blessing of the fifth commandment.

So to help you to avoid making the same unwise decision I made, here is a poem for you to remember:

Obey your parents, this is right,

for this will bring eternal life.

Rebel and you will find for sure,

that death is waiting at your door.

A member of Steps to Life staff, Demario Carter works in the Mail Order Services Department. He can be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Family of God

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David Pelzer was an abused child. He wrote about it in his book, A Child Called It, telling of his experiences from around the age of four until 12 years old. It became a New York Times best seller as was his second book, The Lost Boy, where it tells of his experiences up to about age 18.

The abuse this child suffered is incomprehensible. He lived in Sonoma County, California. The events in this book began in the early ‘70s. He was abused so severely by his mother, that Child Protective Services finally removed him from his home and placed him in a foster home. He says in his book, “There is not a doubt in my mind, that had I stayed with my biological mother much longer I would have definitely been killed.”

In the first chapter he tells about being sent out of the house when he was nine. He describes his feelings and the thoughts that flowed through his mind while walking down the sidewalk, not knowing where he would stay that night, not knowing where he would get anything to eat, not knowing anything, not knowing anybody. He described it this way: “I have no home. I am a member of no one’s family. I know deep inside that I do not now, nor will I ever, deserve any love, attention, or even recognition as a human being. I am a child called ‘it.’ I am all alone inside.”

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated instance. Throughout the United States, at present, there are millions of children like this with no home and no food, but not all of them are in as severe a case as he was.

As he walked down the street a long way from the home he was sent from, he sees homes where there are people who are laughing and he hears some of them listening to music. He tells what went through his mind when he heard and saw that. He says, “I wondered what it would be like to be welcomed in a home. I wondered what that would be like.”

He said, “I wish I was a real person.” When he was taken back to his parental home by the police department and was told he was at home the thought went through his mind, “Home? I have no home.”

Later, concerning foster children who have had the privilege to be adopted when the parents have developed attachments with the children, he said that to be adopted is the highest honor bestowed on a child who longs to become a member of a family.

The desire in this young boy’s heart was to be loved and to belong somewhere. He wanted to be a part of a family, and he didn’t have any. That desire, my friend, is the desire that God put into a human soul. That desire is not something that just developed or evolved; that is something that God put within you. Sin is the reason why so many have anxiety. They are in situations that are similar to David Pelzer’s.

When I talk to young people, I find that most are primarily interested in finding a life partner. They want to fall in love. They want to have a family. They want to be a family. In heaven there is nobody up there that does not belong to a family. Everybody belongs. Nobody is left out. There is nobody that has no place to go. That experience does not happen there. Lack of familial bond would not happen on this earth either, except for sin.

There is often a lot of talk about the second coming of Christ, and it is right that we should do that because, as Christians, we are pilgrims and strangers in this world. When Jesus comes, we are going to go home to our big family. We hope and pray that all of our family members here are going to be there with us.

Ellen White wrote, “Infinite love—how great it is! God made the world to enlarge heaven. He desires a larger family of created intelligences.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1081.

Why did God create this world? He wanted a larger family. He wanted you to be part of His family. Unfortunately, what is happening in this world is that the devil is trying to steal people from God’s family. He has been very successful. At the end of the world and after the millennium, the Lord is going to face the devil and the devil is going to have to face Him, and the Lord is going to ask the devil, Why have you robbed me of my subjects?

Ellen White tells us that the devil is not going to have anything to say.

My dear friend, if you are going to go home, where your real home and your real family are going to be, you need now to become part of God’s family, the royal family of God. Adam and Eve were initially part of an even larger part of the family, but because of sin they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. The plan of salvation was arranged so there would be a way to bring them and their children back.

Ellen White wrote, “He [God] created man [and woman] for happiness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 290. There never would have been any unhappiness if we had not chosen to sin. Once man was cast out of the Garden of Eden, away from the protection of the evil one we found out what it is really like when you do not obey God and do His will. We find out there are all kinds of problems and we get into all kinds of trouble. One of those problems is the amount of abused and homeless children with no one to love them—no family.

The Bible says in 2nd Samuel 14:14, last part, that God “devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.” Jesus died so that through His merits you could be redeemed from the guilt and power of sin and be adopted back into the family of God. That is the essence of the plan of salvation.

Galatians 4:4, 5 states: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

That is what David Pelzer wanted so desperately. He tells how he was placed in several different foster homes, wondering if there would be anybody who would ever love him enough to adopt him and make him their child so he might have a family. It never happened.

Why is it that we need the adoption into the family of God? When Adam and Eve sinned, all of their children were born sons and daughters of the devil. You do not have to do anything to be lost. Everyone born is already lost, unless they are adopted. If you want to be a member of God’s family, not just a foster child but be adopted, consider the following:

Several Facts About the Family of God:
1    Who are God’s family here on this earth right now and how can one become part of it?

The Bible describes God’s family on this earth right now as His church. 1 Corinthians 12 is about the church. Verse 13 says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (the church)—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”

When a person is baptized with water it is a symbol of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. When you get baptized by water, you become a member of the professed church. But when baptized of the Spirit, you become a member of the real church and your name is written down in heaven. This needs an explanation so nobody misunderstands. There will be millions of people that have been baptized with water but will not be in heaven. However, not a single person will be lost that has been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

The water baptism is only a symbol of the real thing, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12:13.) Ellen White explains it this way: “Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of God, and He loves you as He loves His Son.” Steps to Christ, 52. This is also explained by the story of the prodigal son. He did not have to be baptized before he could again be a member of his family. He repented of his lifestyle of sin. His heart had been changed by the Holy Spirit and he came to his father, who covered him with his own robe, symbolizing the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

2    Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, told them there was a condition to being adopted into God’s family. He said, “Therefore ‘come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

The unclean thing that has defiled our world is sin. The Lord says, I would like for you to be My son, My daughter, but you must separate yourself from sinful habits or I can’t trust to take you to heaven where all is pure.

3    You cannot be a star player. You have to be a team player. Romans 14:7 says, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”

That is a powerful verse. To have harmony in the family there needs to be team effort. There are no stars, just team players. No one member lives to himself; everyone must be considerate of others.

The devil’s temptation is for each family member to be concerned only about themselves, having no regard of how their decisions affect the other people in the family. All self-serving people will be expelled from the family of God. In that family nobody lives to himself.

4    You can never be a member of both God’s family and the devil’s family.

1 Corinthians 10:21 states: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the table of demons.”

Notice that this verse does not say not to. It says you cannot. My dear friends, Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life, but they could not have access to both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Since they chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the human race has been eating from it ever since. We do not have access to the tree of life. Thus eventually we all die.

Friends, if it seems as if your prayers are not being answered and the Lord is not doing anything for you, check where you are sitting. Sometimes the reason for unanswered prayers is that you are praying to the Lord while sitting at the table of demons. The Lord is not going to answer your prayer while you are unwilling to leave the devil’s table.

5    “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:16, 17).

The Spirit of Prophecy states the following: “It is impossible for you to unite with those who are corrupt, and still remain pure.” The Review and Herald, January 2, 1900.

Notice it does not say you cannot unite, but if you do, it is impossible for you to remain pure.

6    What excluded Satan from the royal family? The devil started treating his Creator and his fellow angels in the wrong way and he had to be excluded from the kingdom of heaven. He started a war in heaven.

It says in James 3:13–16, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

The devil became conceited and jealous of the Son of God. His self-seeking and envy disrupted the peace of heaven, causing other angels to be dissatisfied.

Do not think that it is not important how we treat other people in God’s family. It determines whether in the judgment we are allowed to stay in the family or not.

7    God gives people tests to see whether they are fitted to become members of the royal family.

When Jesus comes, His children, His family are going to be taken up to heaven and they will become members of what Ellen White calls the royal family. To remain part of the family, all must become fit to become members. All must not only be saved by the merit of Jesus, but also be fit. This being fitted has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit and is why Jesus said to Nicodemus that unless he was born of the Holy Spirit, there was no chance for him to be saved.

God allows us to be tested and if we fail the test He brings us around again to take the test again. By the way, I am very happy that when I have failed tests God does not give up on me and He allows retests.

If we understand that, we should thank God when we have trials and say, “Lord, help me to learn what I did not learn the last time. Please help me to learn this time what I am supposed to be learning from this trial.”

8    The members of God’s family must not be cold and unloving to others. They may have done many things and still be making all kinds of mistakes, but they must not be treated coldly. If they are part of the family, even if they have all kinds of defects yet, they must be treated with love and helped to overcome their defects. No one will overcome their defects while being given a discouraging cold shoulder.

9    It is impossible to get ready to go to heaven hibernating in a cave somewhere. All have to learn to be gracious and how to get along with the other people in God’s family. Those who do not learn that will not be going to heaven.

It is alarming to see the friction, fighting and strife that often exists among God’s professed people. It means that somebody somewhere in this church, in this family, is not yet ready to go to heaven.

Do not think that God has to have the church to save the world. He does not. One of the main reasons for the church is so that those preparing for heaven can learn how to get along with their brothers and sisters in the faith.

Just like the foster child, all of us want to belong. It is inherent to want a family. The ultimate joy is to be part of the family of God. However, to belong to His family, there are conditions to fulfill. God will never call anyone to enter heaven who will destroy the family or any family member.

Pray that you will be fitted to become part of the royal family in heaven.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

 Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Children’s Story – A Home for Harry

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“Home” was a strange word to little Harry; he had never known what a home was. He had lost both his parents at a very young age and had been alone in the world ever since. His whole life he had been lonely, wandering about the big city all day and sleeping at night under some bridge or archway, with no one to think about him or to care for him. He never knew about Jesus either, because there was nobody to teach him. He learned how to speak in a rough, hard way using nasty language because he had nobody to show him love or kindness. He knew only the coldness of the street, a cold which was reflected in his heart.

One day a kind old man found Harry on the street and took him home to live with his family. It felt strange for Harry to leave behind the well-known city streets and go on a long journey with this man. The old man told Harry to call him “Grandfather.” Soon the houses were left behind and Harry’s eyes began to take in all the new things he could see. There were high hills, trees, and beautiful green fields. He had never seen anything like it before and it all seemed strange and funny to him. He felt like laughing and talking, but he felt slightly afraid of the white-headed, grave old man by his side.

The daylight was already disappearing and Harry felt quite sleepy when they finally arrived at Grandfather’s little house. As he walked into his new home, he looked around and felt at once that there was something home-like and pleasant about this house. He had never known this feeling before and it felt nice.

The next morning Harry awoke in his real bed feeling refreshed, but very strange. He hardly remembered having slept in a real bed before. He heard the sound of children playing outside the window, and jumping into his few ragged clothes he was soon outside playing among them. He met a boy named Hugh who was kneeling by the well. Hugh was holding something in his hands and all the other children were looking at it. Harry moved closer to the children and saw that in Hugh’s hand was a baby swallow that appeared to have fallen out of the nest under the roof.

As Harry approached he heard a girl called Hannah say, “Grandfather says it’s a good sign that the swallows are coming back to our house. I think it shows that they know what’s good, that’s all.” Hugh laughed, saying, “So you think everybody that comes to our house must feel at home? What do you say to that Harry? Do you feel at home?”

Harry had no time to answer before a girl named Hatty interrupted clapping her hands, “Yes, yes! Jesus brought both Harry and the little swallow to us and we’ll take care of them both, won’t we, Grandfather, and make them both so happy they will always want to come back here!” Little Hatty jumped up and ran indoors very pleased at her bright idea. Harry followed slowly, dragging his feet behind the other children and feeling hot and red all over. He did not like the idea of being compared to a little outcast bird. He doubled up his fists and wanted to shout out loud that he wouldn’t stay here, that he hated them all, but suddenly he caught the sound of some words which soothed him. “Hannah,” said little Hatty under her breath, “Harry isn’t much like our little pet swallow, is he? He is so rough and untidy. But, Hannah, what pretty eyes he’s got. Do you know, I think I will like him if he likes me.”

Harry felt surprised and pleased by Hatty’s kind words. Nobody had ever told Harry that his eyes were pretty, and certainly nobody had ever offered to like him. It was a completely new idea, and a rather nice one, thought Harry. He decided that he liked Hatty, and from that day on they were great friends.

By this time Harry had begun to feel quite at home and he was as happy as could be. To his delight his cheeks became rosy and round and nobody would ever have guessed that he was not a country boy.

“The mother,” as Harry called her, took a great interest in little Harry. She taught him about Jesus. She corrected him when he said nasty words and with her help he learned to speak gently and with love. She taught him that “a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1. She helped him fight to break off all of the bad habits his homeless life had taught him. He always listened to the wise words of “the mother” because he was learning about Jesus through her. As Harry grew bigger, it was a great pleasure for him to be a help to “the mother,” and sometimes her own children teased her saying that she spent more time with him than anyone else. However, the children understood that she spent more time with Harry to give him the love and guidance he needed to forget the old ways he had learned on the streets. In this way, Harry lived happily among this family until he went off to make his way in the world.

The years passed by and many changes had taken place. The old house where Harry grew up, however, looked much the same, and the swallows twittered about, building their nests under the thatch as they used to do. Hatty had grown into a beautiful young woman and she loved to be outside in the garden listening to the sound of the birds. One day as she watched the swallows building their nest, she caught sight of a tall, handsome soldier walking up the hill to the house. He seemed familiar, and straining her eyes against the sun, she recognized the grown-up face of little Harry. He had come back from the war! How they all welcomed him with open arms and smiling faces. Everyone was so happy to see him. Harry had never forgotten the love they had given him when he needed it most and he remembered where his “home” was. He was so happy that Jesus had given him a home with a family that loved him.

Harry and the family had a lot of time to catch up on, and they spent a long night sitting together and reminiscing on old times. Harry reminded Hatty of the spring evening many years before when she had offered him her friendship, saying that they would make the swallows and a certain little homeless boy happy in their home and always welcome them home when they wanted to come back. Now Harry was back.

Harry grew up to be a nice young man because somebody had cared enough to bring him to their home, show him the love of a family and teach him about Jesus. It changed his life and made a difference in the lives of that little family also. When we offer a kind hand to somebody in need, we are doing what Jesus would do. “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” Isaiah 58:7. Little Harry found a loving home and learned the meaning of kindness because someone followed the words of Jesus.

Unknown Author

Question & Answer – What can I do to help my children to be saved?

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Dear friend, there are many mothers and fathers with a burden on their hearts for the salvation of their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord.” Psalm 127:3. They are given to us for our joy and learning that we may develop characters like Jesus.

The training of children should begin at birth, and this requires much sincere prayer and in-depth study of the Scriptures. Study how God dealt with His people. Memorize and apply Scripture verses such as Philippians 4:8; II Peter 1:3-9; Galatians 5:22–24; Psalm 1; Psalm 15, and, of course, the Ten Commandments. These are just a few suggested texts to memorize. If you learn and practice these principles, you will set the example and your children will understand what it means to be a Christian.

Children learn from observation and take in the environment in which they live. They may not always listen and practice what you tell them, but they absorb how they are treated and the relationship between other members of the family. Parents will often make mistakes in dealing with their children, but it is very important to be humble enough to ask forgiveness.

It is very easy to tell a child that he should say please and thank you, but if the parents do not practice these things the children will soon forget the training. The same thing is true with Bible study and prayer. Morning and evening worship is a wonderful training time for all members of the family.

Children also must learn to make choices. Once the child has made a choice, do not deny him the choice he has made, but allow him to follow through with it. Our young people should be sheltered from the influence of the world as far as possible by keeping our homes free from television and a worldly environment. Our conversation should be more on the things pertaining to the Lord and His righteousness than on money and worldly enterprises. This will help to positively influence the young person’s choices later in life.

When the child has grown up and thinks he is an adult, you must allow him to choose his lifestyle. You can make suggestions and guide, but you cannot force him into your choice of life. You may make restrictions and insist on rules in the home. You can pray with him and for him, but ultimately he must choose his own lifestyle, and you must let him know that he will reap the result of his choice but you will still love him or her.

There are many young people who are lonesome, and by just showing kindness and friendship you will win them to the Lord. There are also those who are so rebellious that all you can do is pray and ask the Lord to lead you and your loved one. The Lord has promised to answer our prayers. Lean heavily upon Him. He will not disappoint you.

“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” Isaiah 49:25.

Keys to the Storehouse – Rescue Our Loved Ones

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The parable in Ezekiel 37:1–14 is very real to me and I am sure it is very real to you also. As we see our dear loved ones in the world and the signs of the times closing in, our hearts ache to see their precious souls saved. We ask, “Can these dry bones live?”

I know that when the Spirit of God comes upon their souls they shall believe, and be made willing, but until then we are dealing with dead bones that have no life. It is the influence flowing through us that continually touches their precious hearts. The Holy Spirit’s influence can be felt through all of our actions and courtesies, without saying one word. That is why we need the fruit of the Holy Spirit displayed in each of our lives so our loved ones may be drawn to our Lord.

In I Samuel 12:23 it says, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” We must never sin against God by ceasing to pray for a loved one or thinking that they are beyond help. As long as our Savior is in the Most Holy Place, the door of salvation is open.

You do not know which prayer, which act of kindness or love, or on what day that influence may penetrate those empty spaces in their hearts. We must never cease our pleading for the Holy Spirit to breathe upon them so their hearts may be melted. It would be terrible to miss an opportunity to send up a prayer and at a moment their heart may have been receptive to the Spirit’s calling. Never cease! Never cease!

What a miracle it will be to see the very life of God breathed into the life of our loved ones and those dead bones rise up with new life. Remember that it is God who draws their souls to Him through His Holy Spirit. We must wait on the Lord and not hamper His Holy Spirit from working through us by allowing the unholy spirit of impatience and condemning to take charge. “We are labourers together with God.” I Corinthians 3:9.

May God’s Holy Spirit reach out and touch your loved ones as you turn this Key to the Storehouse.

Heavenly Father,

My children have chosen this world over your heavenly kingdom. The god of this world has blinded their eyes; they are sleeping and do not know it. They are strangers to the heavenly country and are without hope and without Christ at this time. I plead for the Holy Spirit to remove the reluctance from their hearts, to subdue the obstinacy of their will, to remove the blinds from their eyes and hearts and to draw them to Jesus before it is too late. I am so thankful that you have continued to preserve their life thus far. I will never cease to intercede for my loved ones as long as Jesus is in the Most Holy Place in heaven interceding for me. Never let me miss an opportunity to pray for them, as that may be the very moment they would yield to you. Father, I have so much appreciated these precious gifts you gave to me. Please place their feet on the heavenly path—homeward bound to the mansions you are preparing. Thank you, Father.

The Sabbath

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The Blessings of Sabbath Keeping

Marvelous blessings have been promised for each one who keeps the Sabbath holy.

When the Sabbath was instituted in the Garden of Eden after six days of creating this earth, there was great joy in heaven. The next day, the seventh day, was set aside as a day of rest, a weekly reminder given to man as a blessed day in which he could honor his Creator in the form of worship. In Job 38:4–6 God asks Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who determined its measurements? Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone?” God here is referring to the time when the Sabbath was instituted. Notice verse 7: “When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Here it is made plain that there are many intelligences in the universe beside those in this world. Revelation also gives reference to these intelligences in other worlds: “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!” Revelation 12:12.

This world is the only one in God’s creation that has fallen into sin and because of that, we are quarantined from the rest of the universe. God has put a wall of separation between us so that we cannot visit unfallen worlds. But the day is coming for those who are saved when it will be possible to travel all over the universe and visit unfallen worlds.

God’s Creative Power

At the conclusion of creation week, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [made it holy].” Genesis 1:31; 2:1–3. God Himself marked the beginning of the first Sabbath which came at the end of the first week of creation. The Bible does not teach that this world came into existence through long ages of time but came into existence in the literal seven days of creation. Psalm 33 tells how the world was created: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Verses 6, 9. The creator God is the One we worship.

That same creative power was demonstrated when Jesus was here on earth. At the tomb of Lazarus when Jesus spoke, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43), and he who was dead came forth.

There are approximately one trillion cells in our body and each one of these cells has a spark of life, an electrical charge, which changes when a person dies. When Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth,” a trillion cells came to life. That same power was involved in the creation of the world, which the Sabbath commemorates.

The Christian religion is a miracle religion. The Sabbath is a sign, first of all, that you worship God as the Creator. Our world is marred by sin which has fractured our relationships, not only with God but also with each other. People are living in broken homes with broken hearts and with broken relationships. If there ever was a time when the human family needed a Creator, one Who can speak and change people’s lives, it is today. The Sabbath is a sign, a sign of a relationship. It is a sign of worshipping God as the Creator. All of the patriarchs kept the Sabbath—Adam, Noah and Abraham, even before the commandments were given to Moses on the mount. The Sabbath commandment begins with, Remember (Exodus 20:8). The Sabbath was not instituted at Sinai, but rather a reminder of something that was established at creation. God has placed a limit on human work. He says that six days are for you to do all your work, but you are not to work on the Sabbath. Verses 9, 10. In His wisdom, God knew there would be some workaholics who would work eight days a week if they could and expect the same of their children or employees, but no one could be happy spending all their life working. He, therefore, placed a limit on work and said to do it all in six days, but on the seventh day you need to rest.

Keeping the Sabbath changes homes and also marriages. There are many people today who never spend much time together. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence and He placed a check on the separation that selfishness would bring into families. In many families, the husband and father is gone from home all week and He said, There is one day a week that you are not to be out doing your work and gaining your livelihood—you are to rest.

What are we to do on this day of rest?

“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.” Exodus 31:13–18.

The Sabbath is a sign of relationship, a sign that we worship God as the Creator and that we honor His law and government. It is also a sign that God will sanctify and make us holy and obedient. In the book of Numbers we see some of the blessings that God has promised to those who keep the Sabbath. If we are keeping the Sabbath, we can claim this promise for ourselves, and it is one of the most wonderful promises that God has ever laid in record in His holy book.

“This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.’ So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:23–27. That promise is only for Sabbath keepers. Another promise given to those who keep the Sabbath is, “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.” Deuteronomy 28:9–13.

In Psalm 95:1–7, we find a call to worship on the Sabbath. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hand formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.” (Compare verses 7–11 with Hebrews 3 and 4.) If you keep the Sabbath, God is your Shepherd and you are the sheep of His pasture; He has promised to take care of you. Some of the most wonderful promises found in the Bible are given to those who keep the Sabbath.

The world, influenced by the man of sin, has sought to tear the Sabbath from its place in God’s law and replace it with a common working day. A breach has been made in God’s law, as was foreseen in Bible prophecy. Daniel 7, 8 and 11 make it very clear that it was the Roman power that made a breach in God’s law, but the Bible also predicts that there will be some people in the last days who will repair this breach. “Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The restorer of Streets to Dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12. Notice who is going to be the repairer of the breach: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Verses 13, 14. Those who keep the Sabbath and call it a delight will be the repairers of the breach. God wants the Sabbath to be a delight. We can never get out of the Sabbath that delight, if we are trampling on it; if we are doing our own ways, finding our own pleasure, or speaking our own words.

Relationships where little attention is shown to each other causes separation. Spend more time with the Lord and get to know Him. He has set aside one day in seven each week. The Bible says, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11. If you want joy in your life look at the last part of verse 11: “At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” If you want joy and pleasure in your life then spend time with the Lord.

God has set His seal upon His royal requirement and the Sabbath is going to be the issue in the great conflict soon to take place in our world. Soon, Sabbath observance will be the sign of obedience to God’s government. The sign of rebellion or the mark of the beast will be Sunday observance. The Bible predicted thousands of years ago that Sabbath keeping will be the issue at the end of the world.

Blessing for Home and Family

The Sabbath is truly a test of faith. Many are concerned that they will not be able to provide for their families if they cannot work on the Sabbath, but Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:25–33.

If you keep the Sabbath and put God first, He has promised to supply your every need. This is not always accomplished in the way in which we expect, and many people have lost jobs or been threatened to lose them because of keeping the Sabbath, but God has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing. He has access, not only to the resources of this world, but also to all the resources of the universe, and more. If necessary He can create resources to supply your need. Millions of Israelites were fed in the desert for forty years with Moses leading them. There were no gardens, no supermarkets, no stores, no orchards, no grain fields, no farms—nothing but desert, yet none of God’s people went hungry. God stands behind every promise that He has made and it is impossible for Him to lie (Hebrews 6:18).

Genesis 1:5 says that, “The evening and the morning were the first day.” So is the evening and the morning the commencement of the seventh day, the Sabbath. “From evening to evening [sunset to sunset], you shall celebrate your Sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32, last part. The idea that the day begins at midnight is not Biblical and came from the pagan Roman Empire.

How do we get ready for the Sabbath?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8. The only person who can keep the Sabbath holy is a person who is holy. We do not have holy flesh, but we can develop a holy character—one that is in harmony with God’s law. Thus a spiritual preparation is involved in getting ready for the Sabbath, for we cannot keep it holy if we have any sin on our conscience.

Before the Sabbath, review your actions over the past week and confess any wrongs, encouraging family members to do the same. As any differences are confessed and forgiven, all grudges will be let go and love and acceptance will be experienced in the family circle benefiting all. Once you have chosen to obey God, to do His will and confess any sins, you can be certain there is One in heaven who is your Advocate. “These things I write unto you,” John said, “that you sin not, And if any man sin, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I John 2:1. He is willing to forgive and cleanse, making you clean and then you can keep the Sabbath holy. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16.

In many of our families today, healing is needed because hearts are broken and relationships are fractured. The Sabbath was given as a sign that God is our Sanctifier, that He will re-create our lives and make us holy. It is when we are made holy that we become happy. Confessing sins done one to another before the Sabbath mends broken relationships and changes everything.

The Sabbath is a memorial of creation and a weekly reminder of the re-creation of the new man who has been born again. That, to my understanding, is the most important preparation for the Sabbath. We must be sanctified to keep the Sabbath holy and this must be prepared for by confessing our sins and praying for one another that we may be healed.

Friday, the sixth day of the week, is the special preparation day for the Sabbath. “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” Exodus 16:23. Cleaning homes and food preparation is to be done the day before. This does not mean that it is wrong to warm food on the Sabbath. God commanded a Sabbath rest for all and by preparing food beforehand allows all to worship freely without any burden.

How To Present Ourselves on the Sabbath

Sabbath, as we read in Psalm 95, is the day God ordained that we should come into His presence for worship. If one had an appointment to talk to the United States president or the British monarch at 9:30 in the morning they certainly would not wear the same clothes they had just worn while changing the oil in their car. In fact, they would put on the best and cleanest that they had available. So, when we come into God’s presence to worship, it is the most special event and we should be neat and trim, pure within and without.

“On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness and that all cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked and the baths be taken. It is possible to do this. If you make it a rule you can do it. The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. Before the setting of the sun let all secular work be laid aside and all secular papers be put out of sight.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 355.

Let all bitterness and wrath and malice be expelled from the soul before the Sabbath begins. The mind as well as the body should be withdrawn from worldly business. To keep the Sabbath holy means eternal salvation. By putting away all bitterness and malice and being reconciled to our brethren, either in the church or at home, we are coming into harmony with the God of creation. We are preparing for our eternal home where there will be no strife, or bitterness or malice. There will be no hatred, animosity, or cold, hardhearted feelings. Heaven is a place to be desired. The Sabbath was given even to sinful man as a reminder of what heaven is like and as an encouragement to prepare to be ready for that place. “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.’ ” 1 Samuel 2:30. This is a wonderful promise that you can claim. If you have ever been in trouble and had a problem in your home, in your marriage or with your children that seemed to be totally unworkable unless a miracle should happen then claim this promise, “Those who honor Me, I will honor.” Divine power will come to your rescue and heal your life. The Lord says, “Those who honor Me, I will honor.” That promise is for the Sabbath keepers.

The Sabbath a Family Day

The Sabbath was designed to be a family day, a time we spend with the Lord and with each other at home. First, as already mentioned, if we have sinned, we need to confess to each other. After this come together in family worship to begin the Sabbath. Worship can be one of the happiest times in your family. Read stories from the Bible, making it age appropriate, and sing praises to God. Encourage the playing of instruments if available. These special family worship times bond families together. When Jesus was on earth He was often found singing praises to His heavenly father. And don’t forget to pray; communication with heaven is the lifeline of power in the Christian.

On Friday nights, do not go to bed late so you will not wake up fresh and alert Sabbath morning for the special blessing that the Lord has for those who worship Him on His holy day. It is always easy and a temptation to lie in and have a lazy day on Sabbath but this is not what God intended. Consider Who is present when you come to the house of worship on the Sabbath day. The Lord of glory is present to bring His blessings, accompanied by His holy angels. How offensive would it be in the presence of Jesus to fall asleep and miss the blessing of the Word preached that day.

A Delightful Day for the Children

Children need to be helped to keep the Sabbath with enjoyment. Family worships should be kept interesting and not too long that they overrun the attention span of the children. Encourage them to bring their Bibles to worship, allowing them to read one, two or three verses. Sing a song that is familiar and that they enjoy, and have prayer together. By yourself, you can pray as long as you please, but if you have a family and children, keep prayers short and specific, not to weary the children, and should be no longer than the example that Jesus gave. Study this model prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 and pattern your prayer after it.

The Sabbath is a time to spend with our children and families, or if we do not have a family of our own, it is a time to spend with the family of God and with our friends. It can be one of the happiest and most blessed times of the week.

The Sabbath in Heaven

What a happy thought and one of my favorite topics to think about. Consider the number of relatives and friends who you cannot visit on Sabbath because they have died. In heaven all are going to come together, every Sabbath, to worship the Lord (Isaiah 66:22, 23). We are going to be organized there as families. It is going to be a wonderfully happy and blessed time.

When I was a child growing up, on Friday nights my father would pray for our family that we would all be saved without the loss of one. God wants to save all of our families, without any losses. For that to be the case we all must be there. It is important to be saved so that in heaven your family will not be short even one. The Sabbath is a family time to be together with those you love best and those who love you best and would just not be the same if one were missing.

Nature Study

God created the Sabbath after the six days of creation. A time was set aside for the study of what He had made. This is a wonderful occupation for the Sabbath, especially in pleasant weather to study creation and the Creator who made it.

There are many different aspects of nature to enjoy that appeal to each one’s interest. Some enjoy observing birds, while others enjoy studying the stars. Watch the new growth in spring and enjoy the fragrance and beauty of the flowers in summer. Point out the amazing diversity and describe to the children God’s great work of creation, that everything was created holy and beautiful for our enjoyment.

The Sabbath is a time when we can explain to our children the plan of salvation. Tell them that God so loved the world that when sin entered He had a plan already prepared so that we could be redeemed. He sent His only begotten Son to save us because He loved us so much. Tell the children the story of Bethlehem, the story of the child Jesus and how He behaved while still a child—that He was obedient to His parents and an example of obedience to all who will be saved in the kingdom of heaven (Luke 2:51). Teach them that Jesus knows about all of their trials, temptations and struggles and is ever ready to help them.

Children love stories, so tell them Bible stories and how Jesus has worked in your own life and family. We have nothing to fear for the future unless we forget the way the Lord has led us in the past. Make the Sabbath the most enjoyable day of the week for yourself and your family, a time of delight. In that way our homes and our hearts will be healed and we will have the joy that was given to the first human family.

This world at present with all its crime and debauchery is a nightmare. Sin has brought disaster and unbelievable unhappiness which has ruined everything, but God has a plan to remake this world the way He originally designed it to be.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” Isaiah 65:17.

Notice what Isaiah 65:18–20 says: “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” These next verses refer to the new earth. “They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Verses 21, 22.

That is a place to be desired. “ ‘They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them. It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,’ Says the Lord.” Verses 23–25.

Do you want to be there? The Sabbath is a foretaste of what heaven will be like. “ ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22, 23.

I want to challenge you today to make a decision and say, “Lord, I am going to follow—I am going to obey You and I am going to be there.”

Sometime ago I was visiting a man in prison whose mother had died when he was very young. This man was not a Christian but I asked him the question, Would you like to see your mother again?

He said that he would and that his mother had been a Christian. I told him that someday soon Jesus is going to come in the clouds of the sky in the same way that He left. When He comes, He is going to look down on this world with His hands outstretched and say: “Awake, Awake, Awake, you that sleep in the dust and arise.” When He speaks those words every child of God who has died will come back to life. Millions and millions of people, from all generations all over the world, will instantly come to life. It will be one of the greatest demonstrations of divine power that has ever been displayed in all eternal ages. Jesus has already demonstrated that power once when He raised Lazarus.

I told this man that when Jesus speaks those words his mother will wake up and she will look for him.

Someday soon when Jesus comes, there is going to be somebody, maybe several people, looking for you. They are going to look for you and be so happy if you are there and you will be able to spend eternity together. You will keep the Sabbath forever with all of God’s children, but if you are not there, they will be sad.

God created us to be sociable creatures and not just to exist as separate little atoms. When one chooses to follow God in the way of obedience by keeping His Sabbath, it will have an effect on other people in the family, on friends and it will also influence other people to be obedient to God and to be ready for His soon appearing.

Who will be looking for you on that great day? Don’t disappoint them.

Remember, eternal salvation is involved in keeping the Sabbath holy. The Sabbath will be a time of great delight throughout eternity. Make sure you are there!

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: (316) 788-5559.

Honor your Parents

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The Ten Commandments are not a very popular topic these days. Judges get in trouble for trying to put the Ten Commandments in the courtroom. The Ten Commandments are not extremely popular. The truth is that the Ten Commandments are not a legalistic set of regulations for us. These commandments were written by the finger of God. He wrote them as an expression of His character so that we might know Him. It is more important to view the commandments in that way than any other.

What does this tell me about the Father? What does this tell me about God? I find that God is very interested in your relationship because the first four commandments have to do with your relationship with God. The fifth Commandment is where it turns. People say that the last six commandments have to do with our relationship with others. I would like to give a third division. The first four pertain to our relationship with God. The last five involve our relationships with others. But the fifth commandment is specifically focused on the home.

The fifth commandment is concerned with your relationship with father and mother, with children, with the family, because the family is the core of society. In fact, it is good to view this as concentric circles; it begins with our love for God in the inner circle. From there we expand to another circle which is family. We need to love God; we need to love family. Then we go one more circle and that is to love everyone else as well.

We see this same pattern in the gospel commission. Jesus told His disciples they were to start at Jerusalem (The Acts of the Apostles, 32) which is where they lived, where the first church was established. Start in Jerusalem and spread the word throughout the city. Then go to Judea, which is the country in which they live, and then to Samaria, their closest neighboring country, and then to the uttermost parts of the world. We start with God and then we move out like concentric circles. The gospel begins at home and then we move out. That seems to be God’s plan.

He asks how you could love others if you don’t even love the people He gave you to live with on a day-to-day basis. We have here God’s pattern for relationships. God says that good relationships have boundaries. A relationship without boundaries is codependent and extremely unhealthy. There are boundaries in my relationship with you.

All human relationships must have boundaries. My wife has commandments that I did not realize until I got married. One commandment is, Thou shalt have no other girlfriends before me. Another commandment is, Thou shalt not take my name in vain, either in my presence or away from me—talk nice about me is what she is saying. Those commandments are not a burden to me. I have more joy keeping those commandments because I love her and they are not a burden or a legalistic requirement of me at all.

Our relationship has boundaries. She has boundaries for me and I have boundaries for her and without those boundaries we would have an unhealthy relationship. There needs to be a set of expectations that we have in relationships. That is what the Ten Commandments are all about. God tells us that the Ten Commandments are boundaries for your relationship with me. There are boundaries for your family and boundaries for the rest of the world—it would be nice if you do not kill the people you love.

Don’t take from the people you love the things that belong to them; respect their property. These are boundaries for relationships. Don’t bear false witness; don’t trash their character. Every relationship must be governed by boundaries or the relationship becomes unhealthy. When you are raising children, you have boundaries for them. There are things you are trying to teach them because you want them to grow up and become responsible human beings. You want them to understand what a healthy relationship is all about.

One of those boundaries is found in Exodus 20:12. It says, “Honour your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God has given you.” One of the things God does is to put men and women on the same level. This was a new thought for that time because it was a very male dominated society.

In order to understand this passage better we need to understand a concept of the Eastern mind, especially the ancient Eastern mind, and it still exists today. This commandment could also be translated as, “Be sure you don’t shame your father and your mother.” A very strong motivating force in the Eastern mind is the idea of shame avoidance—saving face. It is difficult to understand any of the parables that Jesus taught without an understanding of this basic concept of shame avoidance. We will do anything to avoid shame personally and also collectively as a society. That was a key in the Eastern thought.

Remember the parable of the man who received guests into his home late, unexpectedly, and he had nothing in the house to feed them? He goes over to his neighbor and he bangs on the door and he says, “Give me some bread so I can feed my guests.” The man says, “Leave me alone; I am in bed; I have my children in bed with me” (Luke 11:5–7). We really don’t understand that parable here in the West. We think it means that God is reluctant to answer our prayers, but if we keep knocking on the door, eventually He will answer. That is not what the parable says.

In the East, when someone came to your home, not only were they the guests in your home but they were the guests in the entire community. It would be a point of shame, not just for the man who received him into his home, but for the entire community to not meet the needs of the guests. For this man to go to his neighbor and knock on the door and say I have a guest; I have nothing to feed him; help me out, Jesus was saying, Who would not get out of bed and give him the bread? After all, he would bring shame on himself, upon his neighbor and the entire community. Of course, he is going to defend his name; he is going to honor his reputation; he is going to honor his community by getting out of bed, getting the bread so that he will have something to feed his neighbor. By the way, what the man was asking for was primarily utensils. In those days the food was put into a common pot, usually a stew, and they would take flat bread and dip in the common pot, so the bread became the utensil. So for one man to refuse to do that would bring shame upon the entire community, and no one in their right mind would do that.

The point of Jesus’ parable was when you ask for something in His name, God will always honor His name. He would not think of doing otherwise because of the concept in the Eastern mind of shame avoidance. I am going to avoid shame. That is what the fifth Commandment is based on; do not allow your parents to experience shame. Do not shame your mother and your father.

One way in which your mother or father could be shamed in their old age is especially through poverty. Poverty was seen in that mindset as a point of shame. Don’t allow your mother or father to be impoverished in their old age; you take care of their needs. Do not bring shame upon their gray heads.

Do you remember when Saddam Hussein was captured? The allies understood the importance of villages, especially in the Eastern culture. They understood the importance of shame and shame avoidance. In the photographs we saw of him being examined by a doctor and checking his hair and beard for lice, he looked old and tired and he was opening his mouth as they peered in for opium. It was to make this god-like figure experience shame in the eyes of those people he ruled over. It was a mental image they wanted to place in the Eastern mind. They were very intentional about that because they understood the concept of shame avoidance because now he looked like an old, poor, haggard man, filled with vermin. It was all about shame avoidance.

How shameful would it be for your father or mother to not have enough food to eat or to live in poverty while you have enough to eat? The commandment is telling you that you have a responsibility for your father and mother. You are to take care of them in their old age and make sure they have exactly what they need. You do not shame them. Why do you do this? The family is the core of society, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God has given you. That promise does not mean that if you take care of them and be respectful to them that you will live to a ripe old age. It says that your community or your society will be established and you will keep the land that God has given you as a community. I will keep the core of your community strong as long as the family values are strong.

We see the disintegration of the family today. We can see that society is crumbling and standards are melting away. Anything seems to go and it starts with the home. This is why God said that the very first commandment that deals with human relationship is, “Honor your father and your mother.” Take care of the family relationships and make sure that they are in good shape and if you will do that, your society will remain strong. Your community will remain strong.

Another way in which we are to honor our father and our mother is by the way we talk to them. When our children were small, we wanted to make sure that we did not get any back talk. I have been to the store and I have seen children smart mouthing their mother and I want to go over and take the child by the nap of the neck. When our children were small, I remember one of them saying something smart to her mother and it was my job when I heard that to intervene and my wife would intervene when they spoke that way to me. When I heard her speak that way to her mother I told her to wait just a minute, that I would not allow any man on the street to speak to her mother in that way and why on earth would I allow my own daughter to speak that way. You will not speak to your mother in that way. We had no problems after that. I also spoke to her mother with gentleness and kindness and our children were respectful. They did not grow up with mother and father screaming at each other. We wanted our children to be able to emulate our response to each other. Everybody gets irritated but we need to choose our words well. Remember that every word you say trains someone else.

I wanted my children to learn to honor their mother, so I had to honor her. I wanted them to learn to honor their grandparents so I had to honor them. I wanted my children to honor men and women who are older than they and to treat them with gentleness and respect, which means that I have to model that. What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say. If you say one thing and do another, no one spots a hypocrite faster than a child. All of our children need to learn how to honor father and mother. That does not stop when they leave the house.

I have seen people treat their parents who are in their 50s, 60s and older as if they were children. I have seen them speak disrespectfully to them as if this was just a child with no sense. I have seen them roll their eyes when they take so long to get up or to move from one place to another. There was a time when you were pretty slow too. There was a time when you messed your britches and when you drooled and someone took care of you. We have a responsibility to care for father and mother and to show them dignity and respect regardless of their age.

A man and a woman live their lives searching for some manner of dignity and respect in the world. They do business, they hold a job, they raise a family, participate hopefully in church and at the end of their lives when they should have earned all of this respect, all of a sudden their children treat them as if they do not have a lick of sense. The parents have lost all of the respect they spent their lives trying to earn. This is a society that worships youth and hates old age.

I remember hearing an actor answer a question about who his hero was. He said his son, who was four years old, was his hero. His son had not battled some dread disease and survived or was not a child prodigy. He was just a normal four year old. He spoke of that child as being his ideal and he did not want to teach his child anything because he thought he might spoil that purity. He wanted to be like that child. This is life upside down. Your boy needs a hero and that should be you, dad, because you teach him values. You show him the way to live as a man. You show your daughter what it is to have a man love her appropriately. You don’t worship youth; you train youth.

We respect our elders by recognizing that they have something of value to give us. Honor your father and your mother.

We honor our father and mother by living lives of dignity, respect, purity, truth and honesty. When you are a man or woman of integrity, you give honor to your father and mother. I met a young man who was sharp, well-spoken and he seemed to live by good values. He seemed to have his head together and he seemed to know where he was going in this life. He knew what he wanted to do and what he wanted to accomplish. He knew who he was and what life was all about.

I was so impressed with him that I made a comment to my wife that someone had taught this young man well and that he must have come from a good home. When I had an opportunity to talk with this young man, particularly about his family, I found out just the opposite was true. His father, when he was a child, had been very abusive of the boy and before he had reached his teenage years, his father had abandoned him and he had not seen him in years. His mother was a drug addict and after his father left he saw a long procession of boyfriends move into the house and move out. They had taught him nothing but yet, somewhere along the line, someone had influenced him so that he had become a young man of integrity and dignity. Do you realize that the choices this young man made honored his father and mother who really did not deserve it or may not even be aware of it? And as you have chosen to live lives that honor God this will bring honor to your father and mother.

Honor comes from a root word for heavy or weighty, giving weight to. This can be taken in a positive way. When you consider a weighty matter, it would be something of significance, some substance or value. So when you add weight to this matter you are adding significance, substance and value. That is a positive way of looking at honor. The negative way of looking at honor is when it becomes a heavy burden to carry.

If you grew up in a home where father and mother did their best to care for you and raise you right and they made their mistakes along the way just like any other parent, then this matter of adding weightiness and substance to their lives is a positive command. Now you can respect them, their wisdom, their stories and their history and that becomes a part of your story and adds credence and value to your life, weight to your life. You are honored to give significance to their life at the time of anniversaries, birthdays, retirement and by visiting them. You are there to give honor to your father and your mother.

My family used to run a nursing home and there are a lot of people who were simply placed there and abandoned until they died. You never saw son or daughter or grandchildren; nobody came by until we sent the notice that they had died and they needed to pick up their things. To treat them positively is to add weight to their life and to show up, to be there and to love them and celebrate the moments with them and to thank them for what they have done for you. That is the positive way of looking at the commandment.

There is also a negative side to this. Not everybody grew up in a loving home. Many grew up in homes that were extremely abusive; they were abandoned or molested. This happens in American homes with far too great a frequency. What about those people whose lives have been negatively impacted by a dysfunctional family, a family that told them they were not good enough or abused them? What do you do with a father and mother in that circumstance? That is when the weight of honoring father and mother becomes heavy.

The commandment does not say to honor your father and mother unless your father was a louse, worthless or abusive. How do you honor that father? A work of reconciliation has to be done in your heart first. You need to not gloss over the pain in your life as though it never happened, but to acknowledge it. The only Christian option is to forgive. Forgiveness does not mean that what they did didn’t matter, or what they did was right, or that it did not hurt you. Forgiveness means that what you did was wrong, it hurt me and destroyed my life but I have chosen not to carry the resentment or anger around with me anymore. I lay it at the foot of the cross and I extend to you the same grace that was extended to me. I choose to forgive you. Forgiveness is not an emotion but a decision.

Ephesians 6:1–4 tells us that there is a second side to this: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise); That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Do you see the principle here? God never gives privilege without responsibility. Fathers and mothers have the privilege of having God command that our children honor us. The responsibility is that we live lives of integrity and be honorable people.

Jesus will give you the strength that is necessary to honor your father and your mother and to be a father or mother of integrity that your children can honor and love. This is God’s law, not a legalistic requirement. It is a glorious privilege that He wants us to have appropriate boundaries for healthy relationships, relationships with Himself, relationships with the greater community and relationships at home.

Michael Tucker’s sermon was taken from the Ten Commandment Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN. For more information contact www.3ABN.org.

A New Commandment

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Imagine living in a house with 20 other people. For those of us in the United States where the average household size is about three members, this may be somewhat foreign; however, such a large family can still be an object lesson for the people of God who may not have a real sense of how valuable and precious each member of the church of God is as a family. America’s most famous supersized family, the Duggars, from Arkansas, is one such example of a family with many members—19 children, all caring for each other, assisting each other in love. They are a well-ordered family engaging in Christian activities. All of the children are homeschooled with each of them involved in personal Bible study and all of them involved in music. God has blessed this home abundantly with each member using the talents given them to help the others, making the home a sanctuary. There are strict house rules and any young man desiring to court one of the young ladies is first required to ask permission from her father. Harmony and personal growth for each member in the family depends on order and boundaries, but most of all on a committed love for each one.

Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3. There are many dwelling places, many rooms in God’s house. Is one of those rooms reserved for you? Is Jesus preparing a place for you? The illustration of the Duggar Family is to show that in order for God’s family to grow into the fullness of Christ and to fulfill God’s purpose, there must be a change of attitude toward one another. Each member must become more concerned for his/her brothers and sisters. I make an appeal to every member of God’s family to consider and keep the new commandment about which Jesus spoke.

Before we discuss this new commandment, let us identify just who are the true members of God’s family. We “are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26), but what does this mean? Basically, it is trusting in God’s Word and His promises and willingly obeying or keeping that Word. The Scripture says that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. Has the Word of God ever sounded in your ears? Has God ever spoken to you? I would have to say that He has spoken to me.

The Apostle Paul said that “the gospel, which ye have heard, … was preached to every creature which is under heaven.” Colossians 1:23. This brings to mind what is written in Psalm 19:1–3: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” These verses declare that the gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. Have you heard the voice of God? He has spoken, and He is still speaking. Are you listening for and have you heard that “still small voice” (I Kings 19:12)?

The story is told of Abraham the patriarch, a man to whom righteousness was accounted because of his faith. The Word of God came to Abraham and the promise was made that he would have a son who would be his heir. Abraham, who was nearly 100 years old, continued to wait without the fulfillment of the promise. His wife Sarah was barren. She was past childbearing years, and her womb was dead. How could Abraham have a son when all circumstances proved that this was impossible? As Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Abraham knew this truth, and as a result, in spite of his circumstances, how did he respond? “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:20, 21.

Are you staggering today at some promise God has made? Does it seem that you have to wait too long to see the result? There are many promises in the Bible, but there is one in particular that has been given to all of us. “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” I John 2:25. Do you believe this promise? Do you have faith that what He has promised He is also able to perform regardless of how long it takes for it to come true? “Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. … Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 126. Faith is one of the characteristics of those who are true members of God’s family.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27. To be baptized into Christ and thus be clothed with Him is an emblem of being buried with Him in death. Your old character, your old self, or old man is crucified with Christ, and you have, therefore, died to sin. Jesus told Nicodemus that, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. Friend, you cannot be born again unless you die to sin first.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? … Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:3, 6. Have you died to sin? Have you been crucified with Christ, or are you still clinging to some pet sin that still has control over you?

Baptism is more than just partaking of Christ’s death. We do not remain in the grave. After the death and burial of Jesus, He was resurrected, so not only are we baptized into His death, but we are also baptized into His life. This is described as being born again. In other words, not only have we died to sin but we have also come alive to righteousness or alive to God. There is only one baptism, death to sin, followed by a new life in Jesus Christ. This is what it means to put on Christ, to be partakers with His life. We become clothed with His righteousness which is His character. Just as it was with the Apostle Paul, we too must experience dying to sin. This is a daily process.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4. The Scriptures speak of two different forms of baptism. John the Baptist declared, “Repent ye, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2. His ministry, the baptism of water unto repentance, being submerged into water, is a symbol of what actually takes place within the heart, being buried with Christ. Just as Christ was raised from the dead or the grave to life, the repentant sinner comes out of the water into newness of life. The Scriptures also speak about baptism as being an answer of a good conscience toward God (I Peter 3:21).

Water baptism occurs after the recognition of sin and repentance, but it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that actually makes us part of God’s family. The sacred record declares that, at times, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Gentiles prior to being baptized by water, and often the disciples appealed to the people to repent and be baptized that they may receive the Holy Spirit. “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying.” Galatians 4:6. In Romans 8:9, last part, we are told, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you are none of His, and you are not a part of God’s family. This does not mean there is no hope, but I state this so you may recognize and question whether or not you are truly part of God’s family. Have you received His Holy Spirit?

We have identified the members of God’s family as those who have faith in Jesus, who take Him at His word and obey, and those who have been baptized into Christ, not only by water but, more importantly, by the Holy Spirit and have put on Christ.

What is the purpose for each person who is a member of God’s family? What is your purpose? First of all, we must recognize any gifts that our Father has given us. We must recognize what gift we have received once we received the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:7 tells us, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” The Apostle Paul referred to how much grace God had given unto him which was displayed in the many talents and abilities he was able to perform in the name of Christ. Grace is given to everyone; no one is left out.

“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8. Think about the gifts you have received from the Holy Spirit and whether you are using these gifts to benefit others and the church.

Let us look at some of the gifts given by the Spirit. The Apostle Paul said, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11. “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” I Corinthians 12:28.

Do you believe that God still gives gifts to His children? Sadly, we do not see gifts within the church as perhaps we could. Some of the gifts we may avoid or shrink back from when we see them displayed by others, especially within the Christian world, because we understand that the enemy is able to counterfeit these gifts. But we should not allow any people, church, denomination, group, not even angels to discourage us from praying for and desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are important to the church and to recognize or possess any of these gifts is something about which to pray.

Perhaps you have had a talent since your youth. This is still a gift from God, given to you to be used in service for others. If you do not possess any of these gifts, we are told by the apostle to “covet earnestly the best gifts.” I Corinthians 12:31. Have a strong desire for the best gifts, not to hoard up for yourself but to use in service for others. In chapter 14:1 he says, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts.” In Luke 12:32 Jesus said, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” of heaven, and Psalm 84:11 says, “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” We must believe these things and ask the Father for the gift of His Spirit.

What is the purpose of these gifts? In Ephesians 4:11–13 we read, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

The purpose of the spiritual gifts is to equip the church for ministry and to build up the body until every member is filled with Christ and every member reaches Christian maturity. Sadly, we have not yet reached this standard. How much, then, should we be pleading to the Father to pour out His blessing upon us?

Verses 15 and 16 say, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Building up the body in love, building up the church, the family of God, in love; this is the purpose of these gifts. This is our purpose as members of God’s family. This is precisely what God intends for us. We were born into God’s family to love and to be loved, to come to Christian maturity.

Now that we have considered our purpose, how are we to carry it out by loving and building up one another?

The new commandment that God desires to be engraved on the hearts of each of His children was given by Jesus to His disciples. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34. In God’s church today, is this commandment being heeded? Does each church member love one another as Jesus loved us? You may ask the question, and it is a good question and one worthy of reflection, “How did Jesus love us?” We understand that He still loves us today and we need to reflect upon how Jesus did love us. Below is listed just a few of the ways that Jesus has demonstrated His love for us.

  1. He voluntarily left the riches of heaven, becoming a poor man on earth, despised and rejected by the majority. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” II Corinthians 8:9. What are you willing to give up for the family of God?
  2. He suffered hunger and privation, resisting the temptations of the devil while fasting in the wilderness for forty days. In His strength we can now be conquerors over the perverted appetite so common today. “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.” Luke 4:1, 2. Jesus refused to indulge Himself when the enemy came with the suggestion that if He be the Son of God, He should turn the stones into bread. He waited on God and put implicit trust in Him for His sustenance, being an example.
  3. He refused the offer of power and riches in exchange for worshiping the prince of this earth. When Satan showed Him the kingdoms of this world saying that all of these things could be His, He refused to bow to anyone but His Father (Matthew 4:8, 9).
  4. He refused to act presumptuously. When the enemy told Him to cast Himself down and the angels of God would be summoned to His help and that God would give His angels charge over Him, He refused to tempt God, because He loved us (Matthew 4:6).
  5. Jesus spent entire nights in prayer with His Father. His mission was to save the sheep that had gone astray and only by being connected with His Father could He fulfill His assignment. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12. Inspiration tells us that He did this quite often because He loves us. How much time do you spend on your knees in prayer for the family of God? We are to love one another as He loved us.
  6. He suffered a cruel death, taking upon His shoulders all the sins of the world and being separated from His Father so that all who believe on Him will not have to suffer the second death. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9. That is how much He loved us. How much are you prepared to give?

I appeal to those who are family members, to those who claim themselves to be a part of God’s family. Jesus said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” I John 3:16. Are you a member of God’s family? Are you willing to lay down your life for the brethren? Let us love one another as Jesus loved us and thus fulfill the new commandment.

If you consider the criteria to be part of the family of God and you realize that you are not in possession of the Holy Spirit, do not lose heart. The Good Shepherd is calling you into His fold. He has already paid the price, so just come. There is no real life apart from Christ. If you are breathing, living and moving, there is no life apart from Christ. Without Him you are dead in your trespasses and sins. However, our Lord stands with His arms wide open, ready to receive any and all who come to Him by faith. If you hear the Father calling to you today, inviting you to be a part of His family, to be born again, believe His promise, have faith in Jesus and be baptized in Him.

Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:27–29. Just come and you will find a home and be safe at last.

Appealing to the people of Judea, “Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38. Put your faith completely in Jesus, trust in His promises and be clothed with His righteousness.

Remember, this is the new commandment specifically given to God’s people. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:13–15.

Respond to this invitation now while the offer is still open. Everyone has been given special talents that are needed to complement others in the family of God. Jesus said, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” He is coming soon; be ready!

Demario Carter is a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Sons and Daughters of God

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We were created to be sons and daughters of God.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1–3.

There are people who consider it a real privilege to see a person of royalty. Some even travel across the ocean to England in the hope that they will catch a glimpse of the British royal family. The whole world looked on and mourned at the funeral of Princess Diana. However, the Christian has a much higher privilege and honor, to actually be accepted into and become part of the Most High Royal Family, as sons and daughters.

To accept this invitation means to separate from the world. The Lord invites us to, “Come out from among them, and be separate … I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters.” II Corinthians 6:17, 18. There is no need to travel to England. There is a heaven just before us and a crown of life to win, but only to those who overcome will this reward be given. “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” I John 3:3. Every human being should look to heaven with reverence and gratitude, and say with amazement, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [children] of God!” Verse 1.

Claiming this relationship with God brings the tremendous responsibility for each one to represent His kingdom right here and now. How is this possible? The attributes of the Heavenly King’s sons and daughters never reflect the ways of the world. “You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:2, 3. “That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Verse 12.

By faith and repentance and through the merits of Christ, we can claim the privileges of sons and daughters of God. As we become co-workers with Jesus, sharing the good news of the gospel, a righteous character is perfected. Holiness of heart and purity of life were the greatest subjects of the teachings of Christ. Perfection and holiness—nothing short of this would give success in carrying out the principles of the heavenly kingdom.

Does this mean that because we are now the sons and daughters of God there is nothing for us to do? No, there is a judgment going on right now, and we are in the time of probation. Divine son-ship is not something that can be gained by one’s self; it is a free gift to those who receive Christ as their Saviour. There is no power within a sinner to rid himself of his own sin. No, he/she must look to the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin (John 1:29). Christ alone has the power to cleanse the heart and the promise of son-ship is made to all who believe on His name (verse 12), and everyone who comes to Jesus in faith will receive pardon.

When we receive Christ, we receive power to live the life of Christ. In separating from the world, difficulties will be experienced, but our comfort is in the Word that we are the sons of God, and even if it doesn’t look like it, when Jesus appears, we will be like Him.

There is a great responsibility on all the sons and daughters of God. Because the glory of the Lord is shining down upon His children, that light should be shining through each one and be clearly seen by others in words and actions.

“ ‘Ye are the light of the world’ [Matthew 5:14]. As the sun goes forth on its errand of love, dispelling the shades of night and awakening the world to life, so the followers of Christ are to go forth on their mission, diffusing the light of heaven upon those who are in the darkness of error and sin.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 38.

This is the manner in which glory is brought to the Father and demonstrated to the world that we are connected with heaven and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. As believers, our self-worth is based on the fact that God loves us and calls us His children. We are His sons and daughters right now. This should be our encouragement to live as Jesus lived. We are the sons of God—members of God’s family. We will be like Him and be reflections of God. The rest of the chapter tells us that we will grow victorious over sin: “Whosoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” I John 3:4–9.

Those who love God will have love for one another. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love [of God], because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Verses 10–18.

We will have confidence before God: “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” Verses 19–24.

God tells us, “I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:17, 18.

Imagine the Creator of the universe as an affectionate Father addressing you. Our heavenly Father proposes to make us members of the royal family through Jesus Christ. Now, if you call God the Father your father, you are not only acknowledging yourselves to be His children, but you are agreeing to be guided by His wisdom and to be obedient in all things that He instructs. Remember that it is through his precious promises and through Jesus Christ that we are becoming partakers of the divine nature. The more we partake of the character of Christ our Redeemer, the more we will reflect that same divine character and the less we will resemble the world.

The Christian life is a process of becoming more like Christ. Paul says that, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29. This process will be complete when we see Christ face to face (I Corinthians 13:12, Philippians 3:21). Knowing our ultimate destiny, it is now time to long for purity of soul, heart and mind.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:14–17.

All who will enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ become, by adoption, the children of God. They are cleansed and sanctified by the regenerating power of the Word, and angels are commissioned to minister unto them. They are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They pledge themselves to become active members of His church on the earth. They are to be dead to the ways of the world and through their conversation and godliness, exert a living influence for God. Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ—what an exalted, dignified position! We will be separate and distinct from the world. God’s people have pledged themselves to stand in opposition to evil.

“Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years. … After the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God.

“Enoch’s righteous life was in marked contrast with the wicked people around him. His piety, his purity, his unswerving integrity were the result of his walking with God, while the wickedness of the world was the result of their walking with the deceiver of mankind. There never has been and never will be an age when the moral darkness will be so dense as when Enoch lived a life of irreproachable righteousness.” Sons and Daughters of God, 20.

It was his constant communion with the Father that enabled Enoch to experience this close connection.

“The greater and more pressing his labors, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. … After remaining for a time among the people laboring to benefit them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge which God alone can impart. Communing thus with God, Enoch came more and more to reflect the divine image. His face was radiant with a holy light, even the light that shineth in the face of Jesus. As he came forth from these divine communings, even the ungodly beheld with awe the impress of heaven upon his countenance.

“We, too, are to walk with God. When we do this, our faces will be lighted up by the brightness of His presence, and when we meet one another, we shall speak of His power, saying, Praise God. Good is the Lord, and good is the word of the Lord. … And those who will be translated at the close of time, will be those who commune with God on earth.” Ibid.

The apostle Paul uses adoption or son-ship to illustrate the believer’s new relationship with God. In the Roman culture, the adopted person lost all his rights in his old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his new family. He became a full heir to his new father’s estate. Likewise, when a person becomes a Christian, he or she gains all the privileges and responsibilities of a child in God’s family. One of these outstanding privileges is that of being led by the Spirit of God the Father.

We may not always feel as though we belong to God, but the Holy Spirit is our witness. His inward presence reminds us of who we are and encourages us with God’s love.

We are no longer submissive and fearful slaves; instead, we are the Master’s children. What a privilege we have because we are God’s children. We share in great treasures as co-heirs. God has already given us His best gift, His only Son Jesus, to die on the cross, taking on Himself our sins to give us the promise of eternal life. Then, as a loving and faithful Father, He encourages us to ask Him for whatever else we need on this pilgrim journey.

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:4–7.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:26, 27.

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

Pastor Domingo Nuñez is Director of Outreach Ministry for Steps to Life. He is involved in the coordination of world mission projects and he travels extensively, encouraging the many home churches supported by Steps to Life. He can be contacted at: (316) 788-5559.

Bible Study Guides – Parenting

by

June 5, 2011 – June 11, 2011

Key Text

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.

Study Helps: Fundamentals of Christian Education, 64–70; Testimonies, vol. 5, 36–45.

Introduction

“Parents, for Christ’s sake do not blunder in your most important work, that of molding the characters of your children for time and for eternity.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 39.

1 GOD’S PATTERN FOR CHILDHOOD

  • How is the childhood of Jesus our example? Luke 2:40.

Note: “As Jesus worked in childhood and youth, mind and body were developed. He did not use His physical powers recklessly, but in such a way as to keep them in health, that He might do the best work in every line. He was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable. The exercise that teaches the hands to be useful and trains the young to bear their share of life’s burdens gives physical strength, and develops every faculty. All should find something to do that will be beneficial to themselves and helpful to others. God appointed work as a blessing, and only the diligent worker finds the true glory and joy of life. The approval of God rests with loving assurance upon children and youth who cheerfully take their part in the duties of the household, sharing the burdens of father and mother. Such children will go out from the home to be useful members of society.” The Desire of Ages, 72.

2 THE YOUNG AT RISK

  • How does Scripture illustrate the predicament of many busy parents today? Song of Solomon 1:6; Proverbs 29:15.

Note: “Those who feel that they have an imperative call to labor for the improvement of society, while their own children grow up undisciplined, should inquire if they have not mistaken their duty. Their own household is the first missionary field in which parents are required to labor. Those who leave the home garden to grow up to thorns and briers, while they manifest great interest in the cultivation of their neighbor’s plot of ground, are disregarding the word of God. …

“Fathers and mothers should carefully and prayerfully study the characters of their children. They should seek to repress and restrain those traits that are too prominent, and to encourage others which may be deficient, thus securing harmonious development. This is no light matter. The father may not consider it a great sin to neglect the training of his children; but thus does God regard it. Christian parents need a thorough conversion upon this subject. Guilt is accumulating upon them, and the consequences of their actions reach down from their own children to children’s children. The ill-balanced mind, the hasty temper, the fretfulness, envy, or jealousy, bear witness to parental neglect.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 66, 67.

  • In what peril could many of our youth find themselves—and why? Proverbs 15:19; 18:9; 21:25; 26:13–16.

Note: “Parents have neglected to train their sons and daughters to the faithful performance of domestic duties. Children are permitted to spend their hours in play, while father and mother toil on unceasingly. Few young persons feel that it is their duty to bear a part of the family burden. They are not taught that the indulgence of appetite, or the pursuit of ease or pleasure, is not the great aim of life.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 65.

3 BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

  • What is the first duty of parents? Proverbs 22:6.

Note: “Let the foundation of a strong constitution be laid in early life. Parents should be the only teachers of their children, until they are eight or ten years of age. … The fields and hills—nature’s audience chamber—should be the schoolroom for little children. Her treasures should be their textbook.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 61.

“The school in the home should be a place where children are taught that the eye of God is upon them, observing all that they do. If this thought were deeply impressed upon the mind, the work of governing children would be made much easier. In the home-school our boys and girls are being prepared to attend a church-school when they reach a proper age to associate more intimately with other children.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 5.

  • What should parents teach their children in regard to appetite? Proverbs 23:1–3. Why is it so important to begin this instruction as early as possible?

Note: “Parents who have taught their children to eat unhealthful, stimulating food all their lives—until the taste is perverted, and they crave clay, slate pencils, burned coffee, tea grounds, cinnamon, cloves, and spices—cannot claim that the appetite demands what the system requires. The appetite has been falsely educated, until it is depraved. The fine organs of the stomach have been stimulated and burned, until they have lost their delicate sensitiveness. Simple, healthful food seems to them insipid. The abused stomach will not perform the work given it, unless urged to it by the most stimulating substances. If these children had been trained from their infancy to take only healthful food, prepared in the most simple manner, preserving its natural properties as much as possible, and avoiding flesh meats, grease, and all spices, the taste and appetite would be unimpaired. In its natural state, it might indicate, in a great degree, the food best adapted to the wants of the system.” Child Guidance, 381, 382.

4 EDUCATING FOR ETERNITY

  • What should we consider about many of the philosophies in the secular schools of today? Proverbs 6:28.

Note: “Can we … expect the youth to develop Christian character while their education is molded by the teaching of those who set at defiance the principles of the law of God?” The Ministry of Healing, 443.

“In planning for the education of their children outside the home, parents should realize that it is no longer safe to send them to the public school, and should endeavor to send them to schools where they will obtain an education based on a Scriptural foundation.” Child Guidance, 304.

  • Besides guarding their scholastic influences, of what else must we be watchful for our young? I Corinthians 15:33.

Note: “With what care parents should guard their children from careless, loose, demoralizing habits! Fathers and mothers, do you realize the importance of the responsibility resting on you? Do you allow your children to associate with other children without being present to know what kind of education they are receiving? Do not allow them to be alone with other children. Give them your special care. Every evening know where they are and what they are doing.” Child Guidance, 114.

  • Name one problem plaguing many youth. Proverbs 7:6–27.

Note: “The young are bewitched with the mania for courtship and marriage. Lovesick sentimentalism prevails. Great vigilance and tact are needed to guard the youth from these wrong influences. Many parents are blind to the tendencies of their children. Some parents have stated to me, with great satisfaction, that their sons or daughters had no desire for the attentions of the opposite sex, when in fact these children were at the same time secretly giving or receiving such attentions, and the parents were so much absorbed in worldliness and gossip that they knew nothing about the matter.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 60.

5 A NURTURING ENVIRONMENT

  • What should we keep in mind when our youth need to be corrected? Proverbs 3:11, 12; 12:25; 15:23, 24.

Note: “Children are what their parents make them by their instruction, discipline, and example.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 37.

“Parents must see that their own hearts and lives are controlled by the divine precepts, if they would bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They are not authorized to fret and scold and ridicule. They should never taunt their children with perverse traits of character, which they themselves have transmitted to them. This mode of discipline will never cure the evil. Parents, bring the precepts of God’s word to admonish and reprove your wayward children. Show them a ‘thus saith the Lord’ for your requirements. A reproof which comes as the word of God is far more effective than one falling in harsh, angry tones from the lips of parents.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 67, 68.

  • What environment is most conducive to the happiness and industry of our families? Song of Solomon 6:11, 12; Isaiah 65:21.

Note: “Parents can secure small homes in the country, with land for cultivation where they can have orchards and where they can raise vegetables and small fruits to take the place of flesh-meat, which is so corrupting to the lifeblood coursing through the veins. On such places the children will not be surrounded with the corrupting influences of city life. God will help His people to find such homes outside of the cities.” Medical Ministry, 310.

Review and Thought Questions

1 Where did Jesus go to school, and what did He learn?

2 Why do many parents need to change their priorities?

3 In what areas should we be living up to greater light?

4 What challenges may be overwhelming our youth today?

5 How can we improve our relationship with our youth?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.