In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of honoring and obeying parents. He shares anecdotes of children being disobedient and disrespectful towards their parents. He urges those who are disobedient to come to Jesus and repent. The preacher also highlights the example of Jesus, who honored both his earthly parents and his heavenly Father through his obedience. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the last words of the Old Testament, which call for the turning of hearts between fathers and children.

I'm going to, last night, oh, for about a month or so, I don't know how long, I felt led to, so I felt led, I thought I was going to preach something this Sunday when I was looking at itinerary, and last night I figured I'm not going to preach that, I'm going to preach something else. And for a few reasons, and then some, I just thought led to bring this simple little message. I haven't prepared it as the other one, but I trust God to bless us. Let's go over to prayer. And while your head's bowed, I'm just going to read one verse. It's lovely to see how Jesus honored His Father and Mother, and how He honored His Father in Heaven. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. The way the world was to know that He loved His Father was His obedience to His Father. And even on the cross, His earthly mother, He provided for another son. Let us pray. Father, thank You for Thy Word, which is precious, which is life-changing, which is a two-edged sword, yet a balm in Gilead. You use it to comfort, that we can rest upon it, and yet You use it to show us as a mirror where we are wrong in our lives. And Father, I ask this day that You would speak. What nation is like unto our nation, as God is near unto us, and all things which we call upon Him for. Father, we call upon Jesus, and we ask Him to be here today in a special way. As my father speaks in this short message, in Jesus Christ's name, Amen. Exodus 20 verse 12, we all know it. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long. The first commandment with promise in the whole Bible, something that Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, I think, for disobeying through their traditions, in Mark chapter 7. I wonder how many children realize what a privilege it is just to have a father and a mother. I'd like to repeat that. I wonder how many children realize what a privilege it is not to have a wonderful father, but just to have a father and a mother. And I was once in Namibia of Africa, and I was touring around there with a few other Bible students. It was a few years back when I was in Bible school still. And we came to a school there, and I remember we spoke, and afterwards we spoke with many of these children. And I really cried as I cried that day, as they talked of what they were going through. Some of them were talking about our demons, little children with tears rolling down their eyes. We were talking about demons were coming at them in their rooms, and they were fearing as these creatures came towards them and terrifying these little children. And I thought, what light, as I started to cry, has the devil got to these precious little children? And then I spoke to the president's grandchild of that land, and you know, he might have been the president's grandchild, but his parents didn't want him. To be brought up by another part of the family. They say in that school, the next president's nephew was there, and he was also brought up by some other part of the family. And when I looked at that little child who didn't have security, and I looked at the little body sitting there, I thought, this child, he doesn't want the president as a grandfather. He needs a father and a mother. You know, I know a lawyer in South Africa spoke to him often, and he took over the work of someone who died, and this person was a friend of his, another lawyer, and he had somehow gotten his hands to have Post Box 1 Pretoria, the capital city of our land, as a post box, and it's Post Box 1. And I don't say I agree with Father Christmas or anything, but many children across the land, like other pieces of land, write to Father Christmas, and they write to Box 1 North Pole. They think it'll get to him. But the post office doesn't know what to do with it, so they send it to Post Box 1 Pretoria. And so this man gets all the posts. And he reads it, and you know, he said it was amazing. Some of them were so funny, the requests of these little children for Christmas. He said many of them were requests like this, Father Christmas, I don't want anything. Just give me one thing, Father Christmas, that my father and mother will love one another again, or that I'll get my father back. I remember a lady in Petersburg, Polokwana, South Africa. I said to her, she said, you know what's happened to my grandchild? My son became a drunk, went away from his home, and my little granddaughter came to me, and she said to me, Granny, I don't, I don't believe in God anymore. You know why, Granny? I prayed for Daddy to come back. Daddy didn't come back. So I don't believe in God. I wonder how many children realize what a privilege they have just to have a father and a mother. Ezekiel 22 verse 7, talking of the sins of Jerusalem, says this, and also in the Jerusalem have they set light by father and mother. Deuteronomy 21 verse 18 to 21, if a man have a stubborn and rebellious son which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them, it goes on to say, then shall his father and mother lay hold on him. And in verse 21, and all the men of this city shall stone him with stones that he die. So shall they put evil away from among you, and all Israel shall year and fear. Proverbs 30 verse 17, the eye that mocketh at his father despiseth to obey his mother. The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. God doesn't take lightly a child who does not appreciate and honor his parents. 2 Timothy 3 verse 2, this also know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be, and a list a few things and says disobedient to parents, in the last days, and we're living in those days. Do you know that schools, public schools in the western world, teach children indirectly to stand up against their parents, and they teach them of their rights. We've got a million billion rights, and it sounds wonderful, but they give them such a right that they have can undermine the authority of their parents, by having so much rights. On television, I understand they have programs, children's programs, where the children many times will be rude to their parents, and not listen to them. And this is their role model, and this is what is happening in the end times, they're looking at their role model, and they're doing exactly the same. My mother once saw a little child in a shopping center complex, and this child was in a tantrum, and shouting at his parents, and eventually his mother suddenly looked down and said, what's your problem? The little child looked up and said, you. I remember seeing a child on an airplane once, of course they got these video things, and I looked at this child, and I understood it was the mother next to him, and this child is watching something on the television, which I wish everyone would blow up. And this little child is looking at his mother, and it's in their Christians, because the mother said to the child, I don't want you to watch that. The child looked up and said, where does it say that in the Bible? And I looked at that child, and I said, child, the Bible says obey your parents. I don't know if the mother was very pleased if I interfered. We're living in the end days. You see, some children are angry at correction. Many of them say, but they don't realize he that spareth his rod, hateth his child. I thank God for one thing. My daddy gave me lots of hidings, but he gave them in love, and he showed me love in between that few fathers have ever shown, I think. I don't know. I haven't been in so many other homes looking all the moments, but I wonder where I would have been without those hidings. Somewhere in Africa. You see, my father, before I was born, he realized that this verse is true, I believe. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice. And he told me once that before my older brother was born, it was so important that his child would find Christ, because he would be rejoicing and not having grief through a child. When my older brother Noel was, before he was born, my daddy said he was crying. I don't know exactly the words, but he said he was crying, and tears were rolling down his face, and he was crying a strange prayer to God. He said, Father, don't let me die. Don't let this child be born. Rather let it die, if it doesn't find Christ in life, and follow Christ in life, and one day go to hell. And he said a little tear fell down in the verse as he opened the Bible somewhere. Isaiah something, and all thy children shall be taught to the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children. I'm glad I have a dad like that. Honor thy father and thy mother. You know, I felt a bit convicted a few years back. I sometimes misinterpret the scripture, and I was reading Proverbs 31, and I thought, well, I have been neglecting something. And it's said there that, well, first of all, I read that the virtuous woman is worth more than rubies, and I thought it was a bit proud of me, but I try to think, where in the Bible does it say a man is worth more than rubies? I couldn't think of one. Not any of the great warriors were worth more than rubies. But God looked down at a little woman who was willing to work, not to become rich, and not a beautiful person, but someone who feared God and was willing to work in the home and be humble. Somehow God said, that's worth more than rubies. Forget about the men. And then it said her children rise up and call her blessed. Now, I was at a convention when I read this, at that stage. Quite a large convention, one of the larger conventions across South Africa. And I thought, wow, I didn't think it's when she comes into the room you rise up for her coming. I thought, you know, when do I rise up? I rise up in the morning when I get out of bed. And I thought, that means I've got to appraise her all the day. I'd better have a bit of catching up to do. So I went to the big dining hall where I suppose hundreds of people were. And I went from many of those tables to table telling everybody, trying to catch up, my mom is wonderful. And she is. See, I repented. You know, I love giving my mom flowers. I'm not talking about myself. I didn't, many times I don't give her flowers. When she gives me a spanking, I suppose. But I went in the mission field and I didn't have anyone to give flowers. Now that's a problem. And I went around and I suddenly saw one day, as I was staying in this house, a lovely working woman, a Christian home, testified of being born again. Grew up in the fear of the Lord. And I thought, I'm going to buy this mother flowers, for old time's sake. And I went to the shops and I suppose I just got some flowers. Cheap flowers went to him. I said, here's some flowers. You know, she looked at me, in this born again family. She said, you know, Roy, this is the first flowers I've received in seven years. In seven years, not my husband, not my children have honoured me by giving me flowers. Though they're born again, they say. Some people say, but my father and mother are not perfect. You know, I thought about a bit of this. My daddy gave me hidings and it was wonderful. I thank him for that. But then once or twice in the many hidings, that, when I was younger obviously, that he gave me a hiding, I didn't deserve it. It was the older brother's fault, the younger brother's fault. And I think every parent makes a mistake sometimes. But then I began to think, I can either get angry about that, I can think of all the times he didn't catch me. And I deserved a bit more than he gave me. Oh, no one's perfect, but thank God they want to help. I'm not talking about beating up a child. I'm just talking about a father who loves enough to correct you, like my father. I'd like to honour him for that. And praise God for spankings. Have you ever heard that before? Oh, your father might not be perfect and your mother might not be perfect. But you know something? I know, my dad talked to him in South Africa, my best friend there. I remember his family, that already his father caused great grief and that family went into drink and great sin. The drink was the least of it. And I remember thinking, I would not know what to do if I went through what this boy went through, with his father, who caused basically his children, Glenn's older brother to go into the world, and Glenn's younger brother to go into the world, and the mother to become a compromising Christian. And you know, Glenn, he fasted for weeks for his parents. Deep into the night, he was crying out to God for his daddy to come back. I heard this year, he was at a prayer convention. They have a prayer in the middle of the year, the missionaries. And at the last meeting, his father happened to be in the area, and his father came to the meeting. And you know, many people then knew of what this father had done to that family. And Glenn sat next to his father, and in front of all those people knew what this father had done to that family, and to that boy. He put his arm around his father, and he kept it there through that entire meeting. As if he was saying, when I can, I'm still going to honor my parents. When I can, I'm still going to honor my daddy. What stops you honoring your daddy and your mommy? Take it a step further. When last did you buy them flowers? Malachi 4 verse 6, the very last words of the Old Testament before 400 years of silence. What did God say, the very last words that he allowed to be written in the book before 400 years of silence? He said, and he shall turn, this is of John the Baptist, before preparing the way for Jesus, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. We're living in the last days, perilous times, where men shall be disobedient to parents. And I'd like to say from my heart, if you are one of those who are disobedient to parents, there's the blood of Jesus Christ. Come to him. Come to Jesus. And repent if you've, you're very much backslidden if you're saved and you're doing that, or if you're unsaved, come to Jesus. Thank you. I'd just like to pray. Father, I pray for the young people. I pray for myself. Honor your father and mother. Father, I don't know any heart, I don't know any home of you, I've never lived with him. But I know it is the end times. And I see even in conservative circles, many times children do not honor their parents. For many reasons, they call it. But Father, I ask you to work in hearts, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the father. Even if some of the children aren't here today, work in Jesus Christ's name. I ask this of me.