November 9, 2003 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

As we read the Ten Commandments, the first one we come to concerning our relationships with other people is, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Ex 20:12) The word for "honour" is "kabad," and it means to add importance and weight to them, that through your actions they'll have more than just the ordinary reasons to be "proud parents." Parents are given weight, importance and honor when they're obeyed. The word for "obey" in Colossians 3:20 is "hupakouo," which literally means to "listen under" someone with an attentive ear, giving weight and importance to their words, being ready to receive and carry out commands, not argue about them. The word for "children" here is "teknon," which describes everyone old enough to understand God's commandments.

This is one of those rare verses that should really perk up our ears. We find so many places in the Bible that talk about things displeasing to the Lord, but here we find something well-pleasing to Him. The one and only true Source of blessings, and we can make Him happy!

Sometimes it can be very difficult to obey your parents. They make mistakes. They can be unfair. They ask us to do stuff we really don't want to do right now. They don't always keep their promises, but God does. We meet the condition to receive His promise of a long, full life through our obedience to Him first, and our parents second.

This section about the roles God has given each member of the family sort-of begins with verse 17, which reads: "And whatsoever (all things) ye do in word or deed, do all (obey) in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

The 5th Commandment: Honour they father and thy mother. The 5th Commandment conditional promise: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Jesus told us that He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). If we focus our lives on Him and truly turn our hearts toward Him, the 5th Commandment promise quickly loses it's lustre. Living for Him means that we want to please the Father and we want to honor our parents out of love, unconditional love, the love that's all-give and no-take, the love that Jesus taught us as He went to the cross obeying and honoring His Father.