Pastor Martin expounds Ephesians 6:1-3, detailing the responsibilities of children to obey and honor their parents. He grounds this command in God's authority, emphasizing that obedience is "right" and "well-pleasing to God." Martin contrasts this with the severe consequences of rebellion, drawing from Old and New Testament passages that describe disobedience as a sign of God's abandonment. He applies these truths by urging children to internalize these commands, parents to nurture their children in the Lord, and the church to support one another in this vital task.
8 illustrations in this sermon
The point: You don't need to know a lot to obey and honor your parents; you just need to do it.
A simple, concrete example illustrating the meaning of 'obey' as listening and doing.
guided him to use a word which simply means, listen to what they say and do it. Now, that's what he said. Listen to what they say and do it. Johnny, take out the garbage. Listen to what
12:51 - 13:12 Read in full sermon
The point: Obey your parents and anyone they place in authority over you for nurturing purposes.
Martin explains his shift in tone and approach when directly addressing the children in the congregation.
Well, if we turn over to Colossians 3, what we call a parallel passage, and you parents, excuse me, I'm talking to the kids tonight, you can listen in, but I'm preaching to the kids the way I preach to them in the chapel, all right? So you forgive me. You just have to bear with me. I'm going to put on my kid's preacher's cap, all right?
16:28 - 16:45 Read in full sermon
The point: Honor your parents by valuing, revering, and regarding them as having real worth.
An illustration of outward obedience without inward honor or agreement, highlighting the difference between obeying actions and honoring attitude.
Put your feet where mom and daddy's words say they ought to be, when they ought to be, and how they ought to be there. Honor them, though it will have outward expressions, now God's going down into the attitude of our heart. You see, we're not simply to obey them and do it. And be like the little Quaker child sitting in a Quaker meeting where everyone's quietly waiting until they get an impression from their so-called word from the Lord.
35:21 - 35:50 Read in full sermon
The point: Show honor to your parents through your words, attitudes, and actions.
An example of how to show honor to a father through words and appreciation.
Show a spirit of respect and consideration. That's to be what is in your heart and then it will express itself in your words. Your dad will not come home from a hard day of work and you're sitting there playing a game and you ignore him. You look up and say, Dad, it's good to see you.
38:22 - 38:50 Read in full sermon
The point: Honor your parents to experience God's promise that it will be well with you and you will live long.
A rhetorical question to engage the children and emphasize the desire for things to 'be well' with them.
now let me ask you kids how many of you sitting here tonight want to be miserable in life anybody here you want to be as miserable as you can be anybody no takers somebody here must want to be miserable any kids here want to be miserable you want it to be well with you if it please God you want to have good health enough food to eat that your tummy doesn't play a tune on your backbone and you go to bed at night like those poor little kids in Haiti with a annoying grinding sense of emptiness you want it to be well with you well you all say sure unless you're like one of these
44:00 - 44:45 Read in full sermon
In this part of the sermon: The sermon uses the example of animal behavior and natural affection to highlight how unnatural and serious it is for humans to be disobedient to parents, who are God's appointed…
Compares the natural affection and instinct of ducklings to follow their mother to the importance of children following their parents' guidance.
When you see a nature film, don't you marvel when those little ducks are hatched? How, when the mother nudges them or leads them down into the water, how wherever she goes, it's like they're tethered to her by an invisible string. Wherever that mama duck goes, they're right there. Now, kids, who taught them to do that?
58:24 - 58:45 Read in full sermon
In this part of the sermon: The sermon uses the example of animal behavior and natural affection to highlight how unnatural and serious it is for humans to be disobedient to parents, who are God's appointed…
A vivid, albeit grim, description of the execution of a rebellious son in ancient Israel to underscore the seriousness of disobedience.
Can you imagine what it'd be like the afternoon, afternoon after this young smart aleck is stoned and stoned didn't mean going out and getting high on drugs. It meant big stones being rained down upon you till they killed you. Hey, where's our buddy? He's dead.
61:49 - 62:09 Read in full sermon
The point: Make obedience and honor to parents your daily job description.
Martin uses the common item of a backpack to introduce the idea of a simple 'job description' for children.
Life is pretty simple for me once I've made sure I've got all the right books in my, what do you call it now? They call it all different kinds of names. That thing everybody straps on their back. They look like Bunyan's Christian with his burden on his back.
64:52 - 65:04 Read in full sermon