Because of a technical issue with Pastor Joseph's microphone we were not able to record the sermon. Pastor Joseph has provided the text outline for his sermon:
3 AND 4 COMMANDMENTS
“REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY! SIX DAY YOU SHALL LABOR AND DO ALL YOUR WORK, BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS A SABBATH TO THE LORD YOUR GOD. ON IT YOU SHALL NOT DO ANY WORK, NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER, NOR YOUR MALE AND FEMALE SERVANT, NOR YOUR ANIMALS, NOR ANY FOREIGNER RESIDING IN YOU LAND!”
“HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, THAT YOUR DAYS BE LONG IN THE LAND YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU!”
When my family and I moved to Des Moines, in 1981, we started as tradition that lasted for twenty-one years. Every Sunday for those twenty-one years we would get finished with worship, load up the kids and head to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Sunday dinner. The menu was usually Grandpa’s fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and a salad. We would spend the rest of the afternoon with the children playing and others watching football, or whatever happened to be on T.V.
It was an important tradition because it gave our children the opportunity to spend quality time every week with their grandparents, something I believe and still do is very important. My children learned manners, respect, and good solid values. Sunday was family time.
Worshipping each and every Sunday is getting together with the family of God. It is a coming together to experience God’s grace and good solid values. Worship is a time for families to come together and learn what God has done for us and what God expects from us. At Sunday worship we feel the presence of God and experience the love from our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we are too busy to worship, then we are too busy. If we are too busy to worship then we have given up our freedom as the children of God and put on the chains of slavery once again; slavery to work, to golf, to fishing, to athletic events.
Worship is as time for us to get our spiritual batteries recharged for the week that lies ahead. A time for us to give God the praise he deserves and to give thanks to God for all the blessings that He gives us daily. Worship is a time for us to commit ourselves to someone that is greater than anything we think, say, or do. Worshipping God should not be a hit or miss thing. The two or three times a year attenders are not really worshipping, they are merely playing a game. It’s like not seeing someone for years and then showing up at that person’s funeral and going around telling everyone how close you were. Sunday is God’s day it spending time with him is the least you can do for all that He has done for you.
Mark Twain said, “When I was seventeen I thought my father was the dumbest man on the face of the earth. When I returned home from college four years later, I was surprised at how much the old boy had learned.” Now before we launch into this, let us make the point that we are talking about good parents, not the kind that abuse or misuse their kids. Those people are not worthy of being honored or respected.
God is talking about parents who take their parental responsibilities seriously. As parents we need to understand we are PARENTS FIRST, RESPONSIBLE FRIENDS SECOND, BUT NEVER, EVER BUDDIES. Over and over again we see examples of parents who have tried to be buddies. Several years ago there was a father who used to throw keggers for his underage sons and other high school boys and girls. The father saw nothing wrong with that. A couple of weeks ago one of those sons was in a chase, while driving drunk down a bike path and wound up crashing through a guard rail and landing upside down in his car. The result of a parent being BUDDY. That parent was not a PARENT, NOT A FRIEND, BUT AN ENABLER, who was trying to relive his own teen age years.
Parents are to be grown up, are to be responsible, and know when to say NO and not worry because the kids go off and pout. Your job as a parent is to raise children to one day become responsible ADULT children of God. You as a parent are to share with your children more than the infield fly rule, but to live out and teach them the faith. To share your faith with them and to ATTEND, NOT DROP THEM OFF, NOT SEND THEM, BUT TO ATTEND WORSHIP WITH THEM, AND ENCOURAGE ATTENDANCE AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND YOUTH GROUPS WITH AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM AS YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO TO ATHLETIC PRACTICE.
Children, your parents are not PERFECT, BUT, THEY ARE PLACED IN AUTHORITY OVER YOU BY GOD. God has entrusted them to your care. Your parents stand in God’s place. As you would listen to, honor, and respect God, you need to listen to, honor, and respect your parents. Your parents have more wisdom, more courage, and more intelligence than you and your friends combined. God wants you to listen to them, respect them, and honor them, even if they don’t have a clue as to what a gigabyte is.
You honor them by keeping the rules of the house, by calling them mom and dad, by making reasonable requests and not throwing a temper tantrum if they say, “NO.” You say please when you want or need something and you say THANK YOU FOR FOOD, CLEAN CLOTHES, A ROOF OVER YOU HEAD, AND A BED TO SLEEP IN.
You honor your parents by working hard in school and by going to church, Sunday School, and youth group. Honor your parents and you will be blessed by God. This commandment is about STRONG FAMILIES. AND THERE IS NO STRONGER FAMILY THAN THE FAMILY THAT WORSHIPS AND BELIEVES TOGETHER. AMEN.
“TO WORSHIP AND HONOR”
Sundays
Family Time
Worship
The family of God
Free or slave?
Worship
A weekly commitment
Parenting
Sharing the faith
Worshipping together
Saying “No”
Honoring our Parents
Placed in authority by God
Listen and learn from them
Ways to honor
6. Strong families
QUESTIONS
Explain in your own words the meaning of the third commandment.
Using the third commandment and Jesus words in Matthew 5:17 how would you answer someone who says, “You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian”?
What are some of the positive effects that come from worshipping regularly?
Explain in your own words the meaning of this commandment.
Why should children honor their parents?
What are some ways that we can honor parents?
Third Commandment
Pastor: “REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY! SIX DAY YOU SHALL LABOR AND DO ALL YOUR WORK, BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS A SABBATH TO THE LORD YOUR GOD. ON IT YOU SHALL NOT DO ANY WORK, NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER, NOR YOUR MALE AND FEMALE SERVANT, NOR YOUR ANIMALS, NOR ANY FOREIGNER RESIDING IN YOU LAND!” What does this mean?
People: We shall fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
Pastor: “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, THAT YOUR DAYS BE LONG IN THE LAND YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU!” What does this mean?
People: We should fear and love God that we may not despise or anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve, obey and hold them in love and esteem.