This morning, we continue our consideration of the law of God, the commandments of God, as summarized for us in the Heidelberg Catechism, considering the fifth commandment, to honor your father and mother. We read together Matthew 15, the first nine verses. Matthew 15, verses 1 through 9, an episode where our Lord, again, is confronted by the Pharisees and the scribes, and He shows to them how they have violated, disobeyed this very commandment. Beginning at verse 1, hear now the word of God. Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, why do you disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat. Jesus replied, and why do you break the command of God for the sake of your traditions? For God said, Honor your father and mother, and anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God. He is not to honor his father with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition, you hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain. Their teachings are but rules taught by men. In connection with this too, would you turn with me to page 52 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Page 52, Lord's Day 39. Question and answer 104 for our consideration this morning. Page 52, Lord's Day 39. Question 104 that we will recite together. The question asks, what is God's will for us in the fifth commandment? That I honor, love, and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me. That I obey and submit to them as is proper when they correct and punish me. And also that I be patient with their failings for through them God chooses to rule us. beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, last week we celebrated that day which we call Mother's Day. And in a couple of weeks, fathers get their turn as we look forward as well to Father's Day. And on these days, of course, children are encouraged to honor their parents in special ways. And this is nice. And those who are parents appreciate being treated special by their children on that one day in the year. However, honoring parents is to be a way of life for Christian children. On the one hand, it's not an option for children of believers to honor their parents. It's not an option. While on the other hand, it is to be considered a privilege and a delight to obey God in this way by honoring father and mother. And of course, this commandment deals with authority and obedience to that authority. And the question that we need to consider, even as young boys and girls, is how are we to conduct ourselves? How are we to act when it comes to that authority? Now, when we speak of authority, we're talking about those who have been given power, a certain amount of power, and are to use that power toward a certain end. And although authority is often misused, the truth is people who have been given authority over others are called to use that authority and that power to help the other, to help those whom they are over to become what they are meant to be. In the fifth commandment, we know that only father and mother are mentioned. And that's because the family is the cell, the seed, if you will, from which grows all other relationships to authority. But whether in the home or school or church or state or work, The same fact is true, as Paul says in Romans 13, verse 1, For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Now that's the first thing that we need to remember, each and every one of us, even the boys and girls here. All authority is from God. God is the highest authority, and at this very moment, even as we sit here, Jesus Christ has all authority, even as he said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. And therefore, as we continue to consider this morning the law of God, as it is summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism, and in doing so, as we continue to consider the Christian's life of gratitude by obedience to the law of God, I preach to you this word of God, grateful living under God's means of governing. Under God's means of governing. You can see in the outline what we would like to consider, the nature of God-willed obedience, the manifestation of God-willed obedience, and the motivation of God-willed obedience. As you know, this commandment begins what we call the second table of the law. We've already dealt with the first table, the first four commandments, which deal with our relationship to God and what that means to love God above all else. And now number five begins to look at our relationship with others and what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. And of course, it begins with our closest neighbors, those right within our homes. Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. Now, we need to understand, beloved, that the Word of God is not short on giving a continual reminder of this commandment all throughout Scripture. God knows all about the continuing power struggle in families. And if you were to take the time to look up all of the Scripture references listed under question and answer 104, you would see what I'm talking about. Both testaments, old and new, repeat this commandment. And every time, the main emphasis is on obedience. We know that the law of God is His will. And therefore, He calls us to God-willed, not man-willed, but God-willed obedience. And He makes it clear with this commandment that He has entrusted parents with authority over their children, And therefore, obedience is due to them. The Catechism says that I obey and submit to them. The older version says that I submit with due obedience. That little three-letter word, due, I think is so important. Due obedience. You see, boys and girls and young people, your parents deserve your obedience. They have it coming. It's due to them. Sometimes when someone falls on hard times or gets into some sort of trouble, if that one has caused some sort of trouble in the past, we might say, well, he had it coming. He deserves it. In a positive way, your parents have it coming. That is your obedience. Of course, I'm not saying that they've earned it. I'm not saying that they always act in ways that make them worthy of it. But they deserve it simply by the fact that God has made them your parents and made you their children. They represent God. They stand in a sense between God and you and they stand with His authority. It is God's will that you obey them. And that means very simply, boys and girls and young people, and never forget this, when you disobey your parents, you disobey God. But now then, what is the nature of God-willed obedience? What's included in that? The catechism shows us that this obedience is characterized by honor, love, and loyalty. You see, congregation, obedience is also taught in the world. It's taught in non-Christian settings, or maybe we should say it's demanded in non-Christian settings. But that obedience doesn't share the same nature as God-willed obedience. It doesn't have the same goal as God-willed obedience. That obedience is separated from God and it's for selfish motivation and for selfish gain. And for example, in that kind of a situation, a child obeys his parents so that he won't get punished or so that he may be able to enjoy some privileges. Or an employee obeys his boss simply, strictly for the paycheck at the end of the week. Or a citizen pays his taxes so that he won't get convicted of tax fraud and thrown into jail. And we might say, Well, you know, I agree with these things. I obey so that these things don't happen to me either. And that's true, of course. But the point is, these are not to be the first priority of our obedience. God-willed obedience to authority looks higher than myself. And it looks to God. Again, the Christian's obedience cannot be separated from God since the Catechism rightly says, through them, through parents, God chooses to rule us. It's what God does. What God is doing. You see, with God out of the picture, obedience becomes self-willed. It becomes for my benefit alone. It's nothing more than to make me look good and that is pure idolatry setting myself up in the place of God. And that was the problem with the Pharisees and the scribes who challenged Jesus in Matthew 15 and of course so many other times, but especially here. By dedicating all of their goods to God, they thought that they were making themselves look good when in actuality, that dishonored God. God-willed obedience is to be exercised in the covenant community among believers and their seed. And in order for your relationship and love to be in order with your neighbor, your relationship and love must be in order with God. As God's people, we are called to obey the authority that God has placed over us because God says so. But then that obedience is not to be slave-like obedience, which is a forced obedience, and it's done with all kinds of grumbling and complaining, of course not by any of us, boys and girls, young people. You don't grumble and complain, I trust. It is to be childlike obedience, governed by honor, love, and loyalty. Childlike obedience. You see, the word for honor means heavy, weighty, in the sense of important or valuable. And when you honor someone, you fix a value upon them. And it involves esteem and respect because of their office. You see, honor deals with office. The office that someone may hold. And along with respect and esteem, honor involves considerateness and appreciation and prizing highly. Proverbs warns of the opposite. to this. Proverbs 15, verse 20 says, A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother. Proverbs 20, verse 20 says, Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness. Cursing father or mother was a sign of dishonor and displeasing to them. And according to Exodus 21, which our Lord also points to in Matthew 15, it was punishable by death. Honor, you see, again, He doesn't deal so much with the person as with the office. Teachers hold the office of teacher. The President of the United States, of course, holds the office of president. Parents hold the office of mother and father. In the church, there are the offices of elder and deacon and minister. And even if you may not totally care for or get along with the person who holds that office, you are called to honor that office which has been given. And David gives us a beautiful example of this. He showed honor to King Saul's position more than once when he refused to take advantage of a clear opportunity to get Saul off of his back for good. David says in 1 Samuel 24, verse 6, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. Well, love then gets more personal and deals with the personal aspect. But it's not just talking about the natural love, for example, that exists between a parent and a child, but it's talking about a godly, spiritual love that flows from a new heart. And it is love that recognizes the value of the person as an image-bearer of God and obeys out of love for God. And that love deepens honor, in a sense, personalizes that honor then, and then is seen in loyalty or faithfulness to the one who holds the office. God-willed obedience involves carrying out obedience faithfully and being faithful to the one in authority. Faithful obedience, beloved, is active obedience. In the second place, we need to consider the manifestation of God-willed obedience. How is it to be shown? To whom is it to be shown? The catechism, reflecting the commandment, teaches us that obedience is due to my father and mother. This commandment brings us right into the intimate circle of the family. Children are commanded to honor the office of parent, to love their parents with Christ-like love, and to be loyal to them by faithfully obeying them in all things and at all times. And this honor, love, and loyalty are demonstrated in submitting to their correction and punishment, as the Catechism says, and being patient with their failings, their weaknesses and shortcomings, because they aren't perfect. And the school, beloved, the school where rebellious human beings must learn the sacred art of obedience begins in the family. That's the school. That's the training ground. And what a blessing this is. And boys and girls and young people, you may not think that it's always a blessing, but I want to tell you why this is a blessing. It's because the reins of parental authority, the control of that authority, is not placed in the hands of a wicked dictator who doesn't love you and doesn't care at all about your soul. But those reins are placed in the friendly hands of a father and the loving hands of a mother who love you and care for you and desire the best for you and desire that you do what is right. You see, the proper foundation is laid in the family and then all other relationships to church, to state, to school, to society flow forth from that. You see, the catechism speaks not only of father and mother but all those in authority over me. We know that that's scriptural. Romans 13, for one thing. Well, who might they be who are in positions of authority? School teachers, again, church office bearers, government officials like the President of the United States, police officers, as well as many others who may hold authoritative positions. This also includes our employer. And what we need to understand here, though, is that one's authority is limited by their office. Government has authority over national, state, or local affairs. Teachers have authority in the classroom and on the playground. Employers have authority at work. Authority is limited to the sphere of responsibility. And therefore, I trust, it's no surprise that God has given the most far-reaching authority to parents, especially Christian parents, because they have been given the biggest task any human being can have with respect to other human beings. And that is to, as Paul says in Ephesians 6, verse 4, bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. And that includes teaching children to perform God-willed obedience to authority, even authority outside of the home. Now again, the Catechism speaks of correcting and punishing. The previous version of the Catechism speaks about good instruction and correction. Correcting and punishing. And these are to serve the goal of bringing children up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Again, the purpose of authority is helping others become what they are meant to become. And the goal of Christian parents is that their children become faithful Christians at home, at work, in school, at play, in church. And we know that ultimately this is the work of God through His Holy Spirit, but parents are often the primary means for accomplishing this. Parents teach their children now. how to make, the Lord willing, good decisions later. And then what is to naturally flow from that, since again the home is the church and society in miniature, is that parents are to teach children to honor God through their obedience and to honor the other outside authority that we have talked about. And the truth is, if obedience isn't enforced and willingly given into the home, it won't be given in the school. It won't be given in the church or in the state. And then we have a time of the judges situation where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Or a pre-Noah in a pre-flood situation where the whole world is completely wicked. Respect for authority is born out of respect for parents who represent the authority of God. Parents, what an important and crucial task. Correcting and punishing, you see, They're not to be taken lightly, but must be done faithfully and honestly according to the Word of God. Again, good instruction or correcting. Correcting the bad influence of the world that's all around us. You see, for example, parents not only determine the clothes children wear, especially young children. And I mean that. Parents determine the clothes children wear. But they also determine the religion they profess oftentimes. and therefore it must be good correction and good punishment. God has built His church throughout the ages in large part in connection with the covenant and the children of believers as the faith of mothers and fathers is passed along. And in connection with this fifth commandment, the late Reverend Peter Eldersveld wrote, a missionary to China said once that the greatest of all missionaries are not the men and women who go to distant lands amid great peril and grave persecution, but rather the devoted fathers and mothers who spend their whole lives bringing their children to Christ. They are the unsung heroes, he said. No one asks them to tell of their thrilling experiences from public platforms. There's no glamour in it, no drama, no newspaper copy, to put it in our terms today. They're not to host it on the late shows or the famous talk shows. And yet, by far, the greatest number of souls in the kingdom of God have entered it by way of such homes. Now, beloved, we know, don't we, that this is a manifestation of the mercy and the grace of God. Now, don't forget punishment. I know this is what the boys and girls want to hear. All about punishment and discipline. Discipline, you see, is also authority exercised by the parent on behalf of God. And proper discipline must also be seen as flowing from the authority of God. Hebrews 12, verse 6 says, For whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives. Verse 11 there says that discipline yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Those of you who are children still under your parents' roofs, listen to what Proverbs says. Proverbs 22, verse 15, Foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child. And how do you get rid of it? The rod of correction will drive it far from him. Proverbs 23, 13 and 14, Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell. Now, of course, I trust it doesn't need to be said that we're not talking about abuse here, but proper rod using. Proverbs 29, 15, The rod and rebuke give wisdom. Children, do you hear this? Proper discipline is for your eternal good. It may sting for a time. Temporarily it might be painful. But it's for your eternal good. And therefore, when is the last time you thanked your parents for caring for your soul enough to punish you? When's the last time you thanked your parents for spanking you? I have to confess, I didn't do that often as a kid. It wasn't until I was an adult that I thanked my dad for his belt when I finally understood it. But God-willed obedience is also manifested in, as the Catechism says, on behalf of children, being patient with their, the parents' failings, their weaknesses, their shortcomings. We know that we can always find something wrong with or something we don't care about with those in authority over us. We can always find a reason to complain. Yet we must obey. There are times when parents discipline, for example, more out of anger than out of love. And even though parents sin by that, the discipline is still used by God for the spiritual welfare of the child. When parents or employers or teachers or government abuse their power and authority for selfish purposes, We must still submit and be obedient for the glory of God, except if obedience to earthly authority would cause us to be disobedient to the authority of the law of God. Peter and John boldly said they had to obey God rather than man. Now this doesn't mean, young people, that if your parents make a wrong decision about something, maybe they have the facts messed up, and therefore you have to stay home tonight instead of going out with your friends. It doesn't mean that their decision, even if it's wrong, it doesn't mean that it's sinful. And it doesn't mean that your obedience to that wrong decision would be disobedience to God. And therefore, you must still obey. You must obey willingly. Yet we must also consider, congregation, the duration of giving due obedience. How long does this last? Well, especially with regard to children, we are called to honor mother and father as long as we are children. No matter how old we may get. In many respects, showing honor, love, and loyalty to father and mother is even more applicable to adult children. Again, this was the problem with the Pharisees and the scribes in Matthew 15. By giving their goods to God and neglecting their parents, they canceled out the Word of God. They violated the fifth commandment. Indeed, God is glorified when our goods are given to Him as they are used to be obedient to Him, for example, by taking care of our aged parents. You see, when role reversal sets in, loyalty and faithfulness is manifested in becoming the hand and the foot and the eye for your parents and not leaving them to the care of the government. Beloved God-willed obedience is not to be half-hearted, but it is to be with all honor, love and loyalty. It's not to be on again, off again. It's not to be when you feel like it. It's not to be when you want something, for example, from mom or dad. And this obedience is to be unconditional. And therefore, children, your obedience to your parents is not to be after first of all asking, why? When your mom tells you to clean the room, you do not say, why? That's not faithful. That's disobedient. And parents, parents, your children's obedience is not to be bought with a reward. There should be no bargaining to get them to be obedient because that is not good instruction. As well, it is to be a manifested obedience. Even as Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Well, finally, what about the motivation of God-willed obedience? The catechism says, for through them, through parents, God chooses to rule us. The motivation of our obedience is the fact that God rules us through the authority He has placed over us. How do we show our love for God and please Him? Of course, by obedience to His commandments and in a specific way to this one. With all proper authority and the exercise of that authority, we must see the hand of God. God-willed obedience can and will only be exercised when God Himself is seen as the foundation of all authority. Ephesians 6, verse 1 says, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. God-willed obedience means obeying for God's sake. And therefore, we don't obey our parents because they are the wisest and the fairest parents on the face of the planet, but because they are the parents God has given us. We pay our taxes and honor presidents not because they are of our political party, first of all, but because God demands it. As employees, as workers, our attention and our efficiency and our diligence to our job are to be motivated not by whether the boss shows enough respect for our work or whether he gives us a generous Christmas bonus, but by the fact that God, our Heavenly Father, is pleased when we do our best for Him in our work. You see, I believe much more frustration with regard, for example, to working conditions or obedience to bad authority could be endured when we humbly remember God's satisfaction and that it is His providence over us. Yet for those in authority, for example, for parents and employers, it is our duty to make obedience easy for children and employees. But another motivation is given in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Exodus 20, verse 12 says, "...so that you may live long in the land of the Lord your God is giving you." And Deuteronomy 5, verse 16 adds to this, "...that it may go well with you." Now this can be somewhat hard to understand because we know that not all believers enjoy long life in health and wealth and happiness. As well, there are many unbelievers who enjoy what these verses seem to be talking about. So it's somewhat difficult to understand exactly what this means. But I believe we can say that in general, as a nation, Israel enjoyed these physical blessings when they were obedient to God. When they were not obedient to God, God gave them over to their enemies, even unto death. Difficult times. And we know, beloved, that when we honor the authority of our parents as well as other authority, life often seems to run a little bit more smoothly. Life is good. But ultimately, these promises must be seen for us in Christ Jesus. He who demonstrated honor to authority, including His Father, His parents, and the government, has delivered us from the first sin that entered the world and brought along misery, namely disobedience to authority. But He not only delivered us from the punishment of that sin, but also from the spirit of that sin, the spirit of revolution, which is the opposite of obedience. In His Holy Spirit, we have been born again and are called to have the mind of Christ, which includes the mind of obedience. And our God-willed obedience is to be joyful obedience rendered in thankfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, beloved, in Him, long life is mine. How long? For eternity. And in Him, it will be well with me. How well? Perfect in glory. Congregation, those who reject God's appointed authority, reject God Himself. And those who are a law unto themselves will die by themselves and spend eternity being punished by the authority of God. but God's people, those who are redeemed by the gracious blood of Jesus, who turn to Him in repentance and faith and willingly submit to the authority of God, are being prepared already in this life to live in perfect harmony and perfect obedience in the Heavenly Father's home. God uses means to govern His people. And when we obey God-given authority, we obey God, and that is evidence of faith. Beloved, what is your spirit? Is your spirit a spirit of revolution with a desire to revolt against all authority? Or is yours a spirit of obedience by the grace of God, obedience to God and to His authority? You see, a lifestyle of honor, love, and loyalty to our parents in the Spirit of Christ is a lifestyle of honor, love, and loyalty to our Heavenly Father. And our Lord Jesus Christ, you see, makes this not only possible, but actual for those for whom He died. He has delivered His people from the darkness of disobedience into the light of obedience in His name. And only in Him will those who honor their Heavenly Father live eternally in His heavenly home. Jesus quotes here from Isaiah, These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain. Their teachings are but rules taught by men. We've said it before, talk is cheap. But the action of God-willed obedience is evidence of being redeemed by the priceless but of Jesus. How often do you celebrate Mother's Day? How often do you celebrate Father's Day? How often do you celebrate the authority of God? Beloved, may it be for you, a way of life. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we come before You at the close of this preaching and hearing of Your Holy Word, we thank You and praise You that indeed, even though so often we want to go our own way and be a law unto ourselves, yet You are the one who reminds us that You are the ultimate authority. And You are the one who governs Your people in ways that You have determined. You have given to many of us positions of authority, different offices. Father, may it be that we would never abuse the offices You have given to us, but in humility carry out these offices faithfully. And be with us too, as each one of us must be submissive to the authority that You have placed over us. It's not always easy, O Lord. especially as boys and girls and young people. But may it be our prayer that You would strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit to be obedient to that authority, that it would be good authority, good instruction, good correction, good discipline, all for the sake of Your name. Father, hear our prayer for Jesus' sake and in His name alone. Amen.