5

Reverence is the Fountain of Respect

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Ex. 20:12

This conviction call me to show respect to parental authority. It sets the stage for how I understand all authority. Why?

What is your relationship to Authority? If you believe God is God, then you realize that God has the right to make the rules. Remember the illustration of playing without goals? Think about playing without rules. It would be chaos- it would not be fun. Everyone would cheat.

Sin is breaking God's rules. When you play baseball- you must decide where to put the bases. Where are the foul lines. What is a home run? How many strikes until you are out? How many balls in a walk? What if the pitcher hits the batter with a pitch? It is all in the rules. How do we know someone has become a Christian? How do we know someone has become "Born Again?" They come to realize that God makes the rules. They recognize that God is the Authority in their life. (Rom. 10:9-10; Lk. 7:8; Lk. 6:47;Mal. 1:6)

What does Exodus. 5:1-2 teach about sinners and authority?

"Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe." Our old nature does not like being told what to do. Many times we don't like the rules. We need to determine that we love God enough to obey- even when we don't understand the reason behind the rule.

Eph. 6:1 "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

The fifth Commandment is about Honor. The Conviction has to do with Respect. When a person trusts God, He is willing to come under God's authority, like a protective umbrella.

Why is a rebellious spirit so dangerous? (1 Sam. 15:23) Determine that you will submit to rightful authority.