Well, good morning. It's nice to be back with you after being sick last week.
I always hate to miss our fellowship, and I especially hate it when I am home doing nothing fun at all.
I'm really glad to be here with you today.
We don't have a primary text for today, which we normally do,
but let me ask you to begin this morning by joining me in Psalm 115 and verse 3.
Psalm 115 and verse 3.
We're going to take a brief break from our study of Romans and take up a topic in series form.
And I just have to tell you that the word series tastes bad on my tongue when spoken from the pulpit on the Lord's Day,
as we most regularly consider the text verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book.
We think this is the normative, healthiest way to approach the Bible.
That said, sometimes a topic requires our particular attention,
and so we labor to take it up faithfully and observe the scope of what the Bible teaches concerning it.
But when we do, please be extra discerning.
We want to be really careful at this point.
Anytime we do theology systematically, we must be careful that we don't piecemeal the Scripture to bend it to our opinion,
but rather that we are honest with it as we pull its teaching together.
There are so many erroneous things.
It's a cult start by taking up the Bible and approaching topics and doing it poorly.
So let's not do that.
Now the topic we're going to take up is the topic of authority.
So we want to be especially careful not to become a cult after touching such a topic.
We're going to do so primarily because at the close of this past year,
a number of our members suggested that we teach on congregationalism.
We are congregationalists as a church.
This is a conviction that we have, and in some future weeks,
I'll explain what that word means if you don't know.
And it's important, though, for us to know what it means, what it doesn't mean,
and to know what is the authority that a church holds together
and what authority a church member holds individually.
So this is what was asked of us, and we're going to do that,
but we're going to approach it more broadly first.
Secondarily, the topic of authority is a good topic to take up
because we all have an authority issue.
As Americans, it is just ingrained into us to have a sense of rogue individualism.
Not all bad.
Our experiment in order of liberty certainly has a sentiment
that leans heavy on the liberty portion of that equation, right?
wants to shy away from the ordered portion of it,
really, really enjoys the liberty portion of it.
Additionally, we have all seen authority abused.
We have observed it.
If you've not seen abused authority, come speak to me.
I'll point out some cases to you from this past week.
And many of us have experienced firsthand the abuse of authority.
So there is reason to be suspect.
To be really cautious when somebody says they have authority
and press that authority on us.
Beyond all of this, at our very core,
apart from the redemptive work of Christ,
we are rebellious people.
It is our nature before Christ makes us new to be rebellious.
You can trace briefly the biblical narrative backwards
and see a New Testament church not heeding the words of the apostles.
You see a Jewish people rejecting the teaching of Jesus
and crucifying him for what they believe to be blasphemy.
We see a nation turning away again and again and again from the prophets,
not taking care with their temple worship as they have been commanded,
neglecting to drive out the people from the promised land,
refusing to fight for fear,
desecrating holy places,
and on and on and on and on.
The Bible is a story of rebellious people
with a loving God who redeems them.
And all of this finds us beginning with our first parents,
the original rebels who doubted God's good authority
in Genesis chapter 3.
thought, surely God doesn't really know what's best.
So we have an authority problem.
But there is power and there is dominion in this world.
We must first recognize that God has authority.
God's authority is innate.
That means that nobody gave it to him.
It is his.
He possesses it.
And he is the final authority,
the absolute authority.
No one rules over him.
God created all things with good, mighty words
and has both the right and power to rule over his creation.
Everything that we see and experience,
God reigns over.
Psalm 115 and verse 3 says,
Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that he pleases.
Fully powerful to accomplish everything that he intends to accomplish.
He has absolute and final authority.
Another place in the text, Jeremiah chapter 32 and verse 17.
This is from our scripture reading just a few weeks ago.
Ah, Lord God,
it is you who have made the heavens and the earth
by your great power and by your outstretched arm.
God determines what nations will exist and where they will exist.
Acts chapter 17 and verse 26.
He decides what king is to rule and when and where.
Isaiah chapter 44 and verse 28.
Sometimes to the judgment of his people.
He decides whether the purposes of a ruler will stand or fall.
Psalm 33 verse 10 and 11.
He even once determined that wicked people would take the life of his dear son
so that we sinners might live.
Acts chapter 2 verse 23 and 24.
God has authority over all the important events of human history
but also over the lives of individual people.
Just consider on this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
He knits us together in our mother's wombs.
Psalm 139 verse 13 through 16.
Intimately involved.
Authoritatively involved in our creation.
He decides whether we will travel or stay home.
James 4 verse 13 through 17.
As we have seen in Romans chapter 8
and will consider further when we return to our study of Romans.
God also exercises his authority to bring forgiveness and new life.
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 through 10.
I'm grateful that God is authoritative over the salvation of my soul.
God's authority is necessarily good
because he is good.
Too many people in this world feel that God's authority is an oppressive authority.
But it's not, right?
It's designed for good.
Psalm 119 verse 68.
God, you are good and do good.
So whether you recognize it or not or care to yield to it or not,
there is an absolute and final authority in this world.
You can bow to it now, which I urge you to do because it is good.
Turn from your rebellion.
Turn to the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Place your faith in his sacrificial death on your behalf
and find the salvation of your soul.
Bow to God's authority now.
Come to him on his terms.
Or, one day, you will be judged and you will be made to bow to his authority.
Now, recognizing that God is the absolute and final authority,
we do well to ask, but how is it that that authority is made effectual in the world?
How is it that it's carried out in the world in which we live?
Have we been left groping for what God requires of us?
No, we have not.
He has written, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the pens of his servants, a book.
And this book gives us all the answers we need to the lives ordered under God's authority.
It's sufficient for that task.
It has everything in it that we need.
And it begins with a command.
Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26.
Then God said,
Let us make man in our image after our likeness,
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the heavens,
and over the livestock,
and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
As part of the creation mandate,
we are made as people who image God in this world.
And we do it specifically by having dominion,
relegated authority over the world in which we live.
And then more specifically, we see in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 15.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it,
or to cultivate it and to protect it.
So we see commands given, right?
Rule over this.
Be fruitful and multiply.
Fill the earth with my glory.
So we as image bearers are delegated authority.
Our authority is not absolute,
and it is not final.
It always has limits,
and is always subservient to the one who delegated it.
It's got boundaries set up for it.
Authority gone awry,
which there are many examples of,
is always authority that steps out of the bounds which God places on it.
When a person or institution takes up a responsibility not granted to them,
or exercises an authority granted to them in a way not granted to them,
it is at best ineffective.
At best, it's ineffective.
It is at worst abusive.
As a book, I want to commend it to you,
but I haven't read the whole thing,
so I'm not going to commend it to you yet.
But it has been good and helpful so far in my reading of it.
Written by a man named Jonathan Lehman,
many of you are probably familiar with.
And its main title is Authority,
but the subtitle of it I just love.
So the subtitle is
How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable,
Strengthens Communities,
and Promotes Human Flourishing.
So delegated authority,
properly exercised by the Scripture,
is good for us,
and it's good for others.
It's not this great evil to be avoided,
but rather a thing for us to take up,
and to understand,
and to exercise
for the place in which we live.
If our aim is to submit to God's good authority
for the sake of protecting the vulnerable,
strengthening our communities,
and promoting human flourishing,
then this topic is of great importance,
and it really must be well understood.
So we see in God's Word
that God delegates His authority
through three institutions
and six positions.
Three institutions
and six positions.
And I just want you to take a moment
and consider
what those three institutions
and six positions
might be.
You're all Bible readers.
I know that you are.
God has ordained authority
in this world.
Do you know them?
I hope at least a couple
have popped into your mind.
You experience them
on a regular basis.
Over the next four weeks,
Lord willing,
we will be considering
the three institutions
and the subsidiary positions
in some detail.
A breeze over, to be sure.
Today we're going to talk about
the family some,
but we're primarily going to talk
about the family
as a way of introducing
the idea to you
of these three institutions
and the six positions.
So here they are.
Are you ready?
Three institutions
and an accompanying tool,
which we'll talk about in detail
in the coming weeks,
that comes along with
that institution.
The first,
the family.
The first is the family.
And the accompanying tool is
the rod.
The rod, right?
This would have been
the short stick
that a shepherd would have carried.
He would have had a staff,
which was for gentle correction,
and a rod,
which was for cracking sheep
over the head.
Those are the two tools
that are being used, right?
This is the tool
that comes along
with the authority
of the family.
Proverbs 13, 24
is an example.
Whoever spares the rod
hates his son.
And I am not telling you
you should crack your kid
over the head
with a short stick.
That's not what the Bible
is saying either,
at all, right?
But corrective discipline
is important
for the training of children.
Whoever spares the rod,
here are those parents,
hates his son.
But he who loves him
is diligent
to discipline him.
So the authority
of the family
comes with a tool
we know as the rod
for corrective discipline.
The second institution,
which was a people for God,
which we now call
the church, right?
So the second institution
is the church.
This is the one
that often people
just grapple with.
What is the tool
given to the church?
What could it possibly be?
Well, it's the keys.
The keys.
We see mention of this
in Matthew chapter 16
and verse 19.
There Jesus says,
I will give you
the keys
of the kingdom
of heaven.
And whatever you bind
on earth
shall be bound in heaven.
Whatever you loose
on earth
shall be
loosed in heaven.
And this is a head-scratcher
until you read
Matthew chapter 18.
And we get this
careful prescription
for church discipline,
for bringing about
the correction
of souls
that are going wayward.
They're unrepentant
in their sin.
And there's an authority
that the church
brings to bear
called the keys.
This process
of disciplining people
we hope and pray
back into right relationship
with the Lord God.
Right?
So we got the family
with the rod,
the church
with the keys,
and finally,
and this one probably
came into your mind
fairly immediately,
government.
And the tool used
by government
is the sword.
So Romans chapter 13,
verse 3 and 4,
For rulers are not
a terror to good conduct,
but to bad.
Would you have no fear
of the one who is in authority?
Then do what is good,
and you will receive
his approval.
For he is God's servant
for your Lord in vain.
For he is the servant of God,
an avenger who carries out
God's wrath
on the wrongdoer.
Right?
So we have these tools
given to these three institutions
that have authority,
and we're going to talk about
many of the complications
that come
in a fallen world
as these institutions
play out their roles.
So three institutions,
and then six positions.
So within the family,
we have the authoritative role
of husband,
and the authoritative role
of parent.
In the church,
we have the authoritative role
of elder,
and we argue,
as congregationalists,
the authoritative role
of the congregation.
Right?
The church as a whole.
The government has
various offices
as suit the occasion
and the time.
King, governors,
judges,
Congress,
a president.
Et cetera.
And then outside
of these three institutions,
there's one
extra-institutional,
biblical position.
The employer,
or boss.
We're going to pick up
the language of master
in the Bible.
Maybe for our day,
manager could be
the best word.
Perhaps your employer
is far removed from you,
but you do have a person
that you answer to
in your job.
Colossians 4.1,
Masters,
treat your bond servants
justly and fairly,
knowing that you also have
a master in heaven.
And we're not going to
take up that one
in this study,
so that's an extra one.
It deserves some time
and attention,
but we're going to think
about these different positions
that exist within
these three institutions
across this time.
Now, within these
three institutions
and six positions,
there is granted
two types of authority.
Two types of authority.
Number one,
you have the authority
of coercion,
which is the power
to make someone
do something by force.
I like Jonathan Lehman
in his book,
Authority,
uses rather the term
the authority of command.
So, the power
to make somebody
do something by force.
Simple example of this
with the government.
There are speed limits
posted everywhere.
And if you break
the speed limit,
it is justly deserved
that you get pulled over
and you get a ticket
for that.
Doesn't mean we always
follow that rule,
but we can't complain
when we get
the coercive authority
applied to us
to keep that speed limit.
You get enough tickets,
you will find yourself
going slower and slower.
We don't try to persuade
our toddlers
to do things all the time.
Sometimes we make them
do things.
My children had to freeze
when I told them
to freeze.
Why?
Because I was concerned
for their safety.
So, we taught them
to do that.
So, if we were in a parking lot
or they were running
towards the road,
I could say freeze
and they would plant
their feet and not move.
And they knew
that there would be
punishment if they didn't
do what we asked them
to do.
So, this is the way
this power comes to bear.
And those tools
that I mentioned to you
accompany this power,
this authority
of command.
The rod,
the keys,
and the sword.
We also have
the authority
of persuasion.
And Jonathan Lehman
uses the term
counsel.
The authority
of counsel.
The power
to convince
someone
to do
something.
So,
if you're thinking
about the church,
we're going to talk
about this at length
next week.
Elders
do not have
the power
of command.
elders,
myself by myself,
I do not exercise
the keys
by myself.
I exercise
the keys
as a part
of a congregational
whole,
but not by myself.
I have never
and will never
because I don't think
I'm authorized
to do it
by the Lord,
kick somebody
out of the church
and so declare
them not a Christian.
I don't think
I have the power
to do that
by myself
and therefore
I won't.
This is good,
right?
You personally
offend me
and I say,
how dare you?
That's offensive.
How could you be
a Christian
and say such a thing?
You're out of here.
It's not a power
that I have.
But I do
have an authority
which means
that it should
bear on your conscience.
Hebrews 13,
17 says,
obey your leaders
and submit
to them
for they're
keeping watch
over your soul.
This authority
of counsel
or persuasion,
it's what I'm doing
right now.
I'm trying
to convince
you
that authority
is good
and I want
you to
take it up
and by the
power of the
spirit,
I hope it
works down
into your
heart
so that
you will
want to
obey it.
We do
this day
in and
day out.
But inevitably,
every time I preach
a sermon,
somebody comes up
to me and says,
I don't know.
Well,
what do I do?
I don't say,
get in your car
and go home.
I say,
well,
I'd love to
convince you.
Let's go back
to the text.
Let's keep
working on it
together.
Maybe I was
wrong.
Let's look at it
and let's work
together toward
the truth
together.
So,
the authority
of command
and the authority
of counsel
are helpful
for us to get
right in our
mind.
Again,
the authority
of command
possesses the
right of
corrective
discipline.
The authority
of counsel
while the Bible
still is saying
you should listen
to this authority,
it has no
immediate
retributive
consequence
if you don't
obey it.
Okay?
So,
let's remember,
and I'm setting you
up for a lot of
this for the next
two weeks,
but let's remember
God is the
absolute and
final authority
and God
delegates authority
and authorizes
the boundaries
of that authority.
So,
we do well
to lay aside
our experiences
and our prejudices
against authority
and to lay
bare God's
word on the
matter.
Whether or not
our experience
of authority
has been
positive,
what might
a world,
a nation,
a church,
a family
look like
when ordered
properly
by God's
good
authority.
It's really
worth stopping
and considering.
If God is
the authority
and he's
good and
he's created
and delegated
authority,
which is
good,
huh,
what might
it look
like?
We'll talk
about this
at length,
but our
church,
even as
congregationalists,
we're not a
pure democracy.
Pure democracy
would be chaos
in the life
of a church.
This is not
the way
that God
intended
for it to
work together.
We need
to understand
these roles
and categories
so that we
can properly
function
within them.
Charles Spurgeon
once said,
this is just
a broad
quotation,
he wasn't
specifically
speaking of
authority
at the time,
this is on
the back
of the
bulletin
if you
care to
see it,
he said,
I believe
certain
doctrines
because God
says they
are true
and the only
authority
I have
for their
truth
is the
word of
God.
I receive
such and
such doctrines
not because
I can prove
them to be
compatible with
reason,
not because
my judgment
accepts them,
but because
God says
they are
true.
Now this is
one of the
best services
we can render
to God,
to submit
ourselves to
him in our
belief of
what he has
revealed and
ask him to
fix his
truths in
our hearts
and make
us obey
them.
Now,
the family
is the
first and
foremost
institutional
authority.
And what I
mean by that
is that it
was created
first and
as foremost,
it's foundational
to all of the
other systems
that we see
playing out.
As goes the
family,
so goes the
rest of
society.
You will not
have strong
churches without
strong families,
families,
you will not
have strong
countries without
strong families.
Consider that
this is why
over the last
century,
our enemy
has been
after the
family.
That is the
primary focus
of the
attacks on
our
well-being.
It was
created in the
early days of
the creation
of the world.
You can read
the account
in Genesis
chapter 2.
Adam is given
that dominion
mandate.
Go forth,
be fruitful,
multiply,
rule over all
things,
and then he
rightly declares
that Adam is
going to need a
partner to be
able to do
so.
God institutes
the family,
husband and
wife.
And if mankind
is to spread
God's image
across the globe,
then they
needed a
mechanism by
which to
do so.
The whole
thing gets
messed up before
children even
enter into the
scene,
but it was
always the
intention of
this institution,
right, that it
would be husband
and wife and
children,
because we see
this command to
multiply and to
fill the earth
with the glory of
God.
So again, we see
within this
institution of the
family, we see
two positions.
We see the
husband and we
see the
parents.
Now the
husband,
here's this
husband,
does not have
the authority
of command.
look around
in the text,
I challenge
you,
you will not
find a rod
given to the
husband.
The husband
rather has
the authority
of counsel.
people.
1 Corinthians 11
3 says this,
but I want you
to understand
that the head
of every man
is Christ,
the head of
a wife is
her husband,
and the head
of Christ
is God.
I mean,
a subservient
delegated
authority.
Ephesians chapter
5 verse 22
through 28,
wives,
submit to your
own husbands
as to the
Lord.
There's the
conscience
command,
the thing
that weighs
on you.
You'll be
judged for
one day.
Should you
be obedient
to this?
You should
be obedient
to this.
Wives,
submit to
your own
husbands
as to
the Lord.
For the
husband is
the head
of the
wife,
even as
Christ is
the head
of the
church,
his body
and is
himself
its
savior.
Now as
the
church
submits
to
Christ,
so also
wives
should
submit
in
everything
to
their
husbands.
And then
the command
goes on.
Now,
I was a
sociology
major.
I did
my
undergrad
work at
the
University
of
North
Georgia.
Many
of the
conversations
right now
that are
just
shocking
our
culture,
I can't
believe
we're
having
these
kinds
of
conversations
about
sexuality
and
gender,
we were
having
in the
classroom
two
decades
ago.
We
were
talking
about
all
of this
already.
And I
had a
sociology
of
gender
class,
and the
professor's
vendetta
in that
class was
to condemn
Christianity
and for
what it
had done
to the
relationship
between
men
and
women.
And there
were
many
females
in that
class
that
loved
everything
that he
had to
say.
There was
one in
particular,
she was
a middle
aged
woman,
she had
come
back
to
school,
and she
had a
really
good
friend
whose
husband
in the
name
of
Christianity
using
the
scripture
was
physically
abusive
to her.
Like,
put her
in the
hospital
physically
abusive
to her.
And I
listened to
her,
one class
period,
bemoan
Christianity
for this,
and she
started to
speak again
in another
class period,
and I
just shot
my hand
up.
Before I
even thought
what I
was going
to say,
shot
my hand
up,
and I
was called
on.
And I
just
turned to
her,
and I
said,
I said,
ma'am,
quite a bit
older than
me.
I said,
ma'am,
nowhere in
the Bible
is the
justification
for what
that man
is doing
to his
wife
found.
It is
not
found in
the
scripture.
He's
misusing
it if
he's
using it
as the
justification.
So your
attack against
Christianity
is not
founded.
And I'll
say that
to the
degree that
I'll
say,
as a
Christian
man,
if that
woman is
ready to
leave that
husband for
his abusive
behavior,
I'm there
to help.
Now,
I don't
bear the
power of
the sword,
so this
gets complicated,
right?
But I do
believe as a
Christian I
should be
one who
seeks
justice.
And by
God's grace,
it shut
down the
attacks against
Christianity
again and
again.
Another
class that I
had,
sociology of
religion
class,
same
professor,
going hard
and read
this text,
Ephesians 5,
he read
verse 22
through 24
that wives
should submit
in everything
to their
husbands and
people are
up in arms
and they're
very upset
about Christianity
and what it's
done and how
oppressive it
is to women
and I just
quietly got my
Bible out and
I opened it
up and I
set it on
the desk and
I don't know
why,
but at one
point he
said,
okay Nathan,
what do you
think?
And I
said,
well since
you asked,
you misuse
the Bible
for your
agenda and
you ought to
read the
rest of the
text.
So I just
read it.
So here it
is,
verse 25.
Husbands,
here we are,
oh men,
oh if you're
being proud at
the moment,
wives should
submit to us
and everything.
Husbands,
love your
wives.
This is not
an emotional
thing,
this word does
not mean that.
Should we be
affectionate towards
our wives?
Yes, we
should.
Right?
Sacrificially
serve your
wives,
love your
wives,
seek their
highest good
in all
things.
And he's
going to
explain what
that highest
good is in
just a moment.
That's what
we're supposed
to be doing.
Husbands,
we're supposed
to love
our wives
as Christ
loved the
church.
And in case
you're so
dense that
you still
don't get
it,
he says,
and gave
himself up
for her.
How did
Christ love
the church?
He died
for the
church.
That flips
the whole
thing on
its head.
Right?
You cannot
support a
feminist agenda
from this
text.
This is the
kind of
authority we
are meant to
be exercising
in our
homes.
Right?
Gave himself
up for her.
That he,
and we're
talking about
Christ and
the church,
but this is
the way we're
supposed to be
serving our
wives,
that he
might sanctify
her,
having cleansed
her by the
washing of
water with
the word,
so that he
might present
the church to
himself in
splendor without
spot or
wrinkle or
any such
thing,
that she
might be
holy and
without
blemish.
This is the
way we are
supposed to be
serving our
wives,
right?
Seeking their
highest good,
which is their
spiritual gain.
In the same
way,
again,
I think Paul
knows how
thick-headed
we can be.
In the same
way,
husbands should
love their
wives as
their own
bodies.
He who
loves his
wife loves
himself.
So we
work by the
power of the
word to
persuade our
wives.
We're giving
them counsel.
We're helping
to steer them.
We're giving
them guidance
for how they
need to live
their wives.
Now,
I meant to
ask my
wife for
permission to
share this
story,
so I hope
she won't
mind that
I'm sharing
it.
I think
she won't
mind that
I'm sharing
it.
Sam,
I am
sorry.
My wife
likes
true crime
TV,
and I
don't know
the name
of the
show,
but she
got onto
a show
that was
like bizarre
crime kind
of stuff,
and I
just was
seeing in
her kind
of this
growing
anxiety,
just fears
that I
felt were
misplaced
for her
own safety,
for the
safety of
our children.
And so I
began by
saying,
I don't
know that
that's really
serving your
soul,
watching those
shows.
I think it's
creating this
temptation in
you to
fear,
not trust
the Lord's
providence in
our lives.
And she
said,
yeah,
you might be
right,
yeah,
I'll think
about it.
I'm like,
okay,
that's
great.
Now some
time went
on,
and I
went,
hey,
are you still
watching?
Still noticing
that there's
kind of these
fears in you?
Are you still
watching?
Yeah,
I'm still
watching it.
So I just
said a little
more emphatically,
I really think
you need to
stop.
I think it's
time.
And then we
took a trip
up to Clayton,
and we were
playing on a
river.
Our kids
were toddlers
at the time,
and we were
across from a
dirt road on
a riverbank,
rocky riverbank.
We were
sitting in
chairs,
Sam and I
were,
and the boys
were playing
around us,
and an old
truck went
rolling by.
Admittedly,
it was creepy.
It was black.
The windows
were like
blacked out
on the
truck and
rolling by.
But it was
like a really
popular fishing
river.
I'm fairly
sure the guy
was just
scouting a
place to
go fishing.
But he
went rolling
by really
slow,
and Sam
said,
boys,
quick,
get behind
me,
get behind
me,
get behind
me.
And I
was like,
what are
you doing
right now?
And she
said,
he might
be a
sniper.
I love
you,
Sam.
Don't hate
me for
telling this
story.
So it
was at
this point,
the very
first thing
I said
was,
it's time
to stop
watching that
show.
It's time to
stop watching
that show.
And to my
wife's
wonderful credit,
she said,
you're right.
You're right.
right.
She submitted
to my
authority of
persuasion.
It just took
a little time
for us to
get there,
but she
said,
you're right.
There's this
irrational fear
arising in
me,
and I see
that you're
working for
my good.
Thank you.
Thank you
for doing
this.
If husbands
abuse this
authority,
we take up
something that's
not ours to
take up.
We step
outside of
the bounds,
we become
abusive.
And I don't
think anybody
in this room
is physically
abusive.
If you are,
you better
look out.
But I will
also say,
men,
with our
anger,
we can
emotionally
abuse our
wives.
We can get
our way
with the
threat of
us blowing
our tops
and disrupting
the peace
in the house.
And a lot
of your
wives might
tiptoe around
you just
wondering when
they're going
to misstep.
We want to
be sure
that we
don't do
this.
We do
not have
that type
of authority
as husbands.
Aim at the
highest good
of your
wife,
the spiritual
good of
your wife,
the care
and protection
of your
family in
the way
you exercise
your
authority.
Second
position in
the home
is that of
parent.
And we'll
wrap this
up fairly
quickly here.
Now,
with parenting
there is
the authority
of command.
Please don't
give your
children
authority.
There's not
an authority
delegated to
children.
The authority
is delegated
to you
to help
them to
grow.
We want
our children
to grow
in wisdom
in the
world,
which includes
all the
little practical
things that
we need to
teach them
how to do.
They need
to know
how to make
the peanut
butter
sandwich
and to
clean up
after.
But most
importantly,
it's those
core things
they need
to know
for godliness.
Psalm 78,
verse 5-7,
He established
a testimony
in Jacob
and appointed
a law
in Israel
which He
commanded our
fathers to
teach their
children,
that the next
generation might
know them,
the children yet
unborn,
and arise
and tell them
to their
children,
so that they
should set
their hope
in God
and not forget
the works
of God,
but keep
His commandments.
We are
supposed to
teach God's
good commands
to our
children.
And this is a
lot of work.
It's a day-in
and it's a
day-out work.
And we get
help in the
doing of it,
but that
authority has
been given
to you,
parents.
This is
your job
in your
children's
lives.
Another text,
Ephesians 6,
verse 1-4,
Children,
obey your
parents in
the Lord,
for this
is right.
Honor your
father and
mother.
This is the
first commandment
with a promise,
that it may
go well with
you,
and that you
may live
long,
in the
land.
So children,
you need to
hear,
God has
given you
authority for
your good.
It doesn't
always go
perfectly.
Your parents
are not
perfect.
I tell my
children all
the time,
I am not
perfect.
I am trying,
but I'm not.
But I'm aiming
at your good.
That's what I'm
trying to accomplish
here.
I'm going to
miss it sometimes,
but I'm really
trying to do
the right thing
for you.
If you will
listen to me
and follow the
things that I'm
teaching you to
do,
there's a
promise in
the Bible
for you
that it
will go
well with
you.
And then we
see verse 4,
fathers,
which also
could be
translated
parents,
do not
provoke your
children to
anger,
but bring
them up in
the discipline
and instruction
of the Lord.
So we see
even here
there's a
parameter put
on the
authority of
command that
we have
as parents.
once again,
while we
may bring
the rod to
bear in our
children's
lives,
we ought
not overdo
such a
thing,
because we
could provoke
our children
to anger.
And we've,
in another
time,
talked about
this text
and talked
about what
that means
is they
have a
general
brooding
intent
towards their
parents.
They want
to cast
off your
authority
because it's
not good
from their
estimation
in any
measure
at all.
They're just
looking for
ways to
reject your
leadership
in their
life.
We want
to bring
along our
kids.
We want
to do it
in a way
that shows
them how
they ought
to follow
the Lord
and we
want to
do it
in a way
that is
consistent
with the
way the
Lord
brings
discipline
to us.
Lots
of instructive
discipline.
The
occasional
corrective
discipline,
we want
to be doing
this work
carefully
and
clearly
as we
exercise
this
authority
of
command.
I think
it's
just a
practical
wisdom.
This
authority
of
command
seems
to
give
way
as
children
grow
to a
more
authority
of
counsel.
There's
a point
at which
you may
not want
to bend
your
child
over
your
knee
any
longer.
It might
be better
to sit
down
and reason
with
them.
You also
might threaten
to kick
them out
of your
house.
That's
some
retribution
for them
as well.
But we
want to
see ourselves
coming
alongside
our
children
as they
get older
and helping
them to
walk
wisely
through
life.
All of
this
meant
for good.
I commend
you
families in
this church.
I see all
the hard
work that
you're doing.
I think
it's a
blessing.
It's a
real work
of grace.
I love
standing
back and
watching you
work with
your
children.
I'm
excited
for the
generation
to come
and the
generation
that will
follow
that.
I'm
so
happy
for the
way
the
Lord
is
working
here
in the
families
of our
church.
So
Lord
willing,
we'll
take up
this
framework
next
week.
We're
going to
talk
about
the
church
and
the
role
of
elders
specifically.
We're
going to
install
our
new
elders.
We've
got four
new
elders
that we
haven't
done
an
installation
for.
It's
been
way
too
long.
So
we're
going to
do
that
as part
of our
gathering
together
next week.
The week
after that
we'll
talk about
the
church
and
the
congregation
and
what
kind
of
authority
the
congregation
bears
and then
we'll
finish
it
up.
I
know
you're
all
going
to
look
forward
to
it
with
the
government.
So
let
me
just
pray
closing
for
us.