The sermon emphasizes the importance of teaching children the word of God and instilling biblical principles in their lives. It highlights the responsibility placed on fathers to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord, ensuring they honor and respect their parents and others. The speaker warns against neglecting this duty, as it can lead to negative consequences for the children's future. Teaching children to speak respectfully, avoid lying, and honor God and others are key aspects discussed.

It only said, if you are not happy with your wife, you write a divorce statement and send her away. There was not much importance given to the husband-wife relationship in the Old Testament. But when it came to the children, there was a lot of emphasis given there. Right from the time they left Egypt, the Lord told them in Exodus 12 verse 25, that when you enter the land, the Lord has promised you, you shall observe this rite and it will come about when your children will say to you, what does this rite mean, you must explain to them. Exodus 12 verse 25 and 26 So, even though there was not much teaching about husband-wife relationship, He said, you must teach your children, what this means, this Passover ritual. Then, in Deuteronomy chapter 6, the Lord said, verse 5, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your might. And not only that, you must teach them, verse 7, diligently to your sons. And when you sit in your house, you must talk about God's word. When you walk by the way, you must talk about God's word. When you lie down, when your children are going to bed, you must talk about God's word. And when you rise up, you must talk about God's word. So, that covers all the time. When you get up, when you sleep, when you are walking outside and when you are sitting in the house, that covers the whole day. So, what the Lord was saying was, talking about God's word must be a very natural thing between parents and children. It's not just that for five minutes in the morning, we just pray and that's it. But we must talk about God's word all the time. That is how we must bring up our children. That they learn to value the word of God. So that in their generation, they take that seriously and teach that to their children. That is how God wants generation after generation after generation to know His will and to do it. And in the New Testament, the emphasis is even more. Where there are so many verses that tell us how we must treat our wives and husbands. And how we must bring up our children. And even if you have a servant in your house, how you must treat him. And even if you have a servant in your house, how you must treat him. Because the whole testimony of the house is very, very important. And if we neglect this, then we shall fail the Lord in our generation. And if we neglect this, then we shall fail the Lord in our generation. If we turn to Ephesians chapter 6, In the first verse, it is said that children must obey their parents. Parents bring up your children in the right way. No, we would think it should be like that. Children obey your parents and parents bring up your children in the proper way. But both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, that responsibility is placed upon the father. But both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, that responsibility is placed upon the father. It doesn't say parents do this, it says fathers, you got to bring up your children properly. Father must discipline his children and instruct his children. We have to teach them and we must discipline them when they don't obey. So whose responsibility is it to teach the word of God in the home to the children? That's all of your fathers. Many parents just send their children to Sunday school and say okay they will learn the Bible in the Sunday school. Sunday school is like an additional help but that is not their responsibility to bring up your children. It's like in some schools in Tamil Nadu the government gives a midday meal freely. So supposing you say well that is enough, the children, the government school will take care of them. We don't have to cook any food for them at home. No. Okay that they get something additional there in the school but that doesn't mean, that doesn't take away the responsibility of the father and mother to provide food for the children at home. And much more important than giving food to our children is to teach them the word of God. To teach them the principles of God's word. As to what are God's standards. And if those standards are not followed your children will suffer. Because here is a promise in Ephesians 6. Children honor your father and mother so that it may go well with you. So who is there among us who doesn't want it to go well with our children? We all want it to go well with our children. In that case, teach them to honor their father and mother. And if you don't teach them to honor their father and mother, it won't go well with them. That's all. See we live in a new generation now. A hundred years ago, you didn't even have to teach this verse. Even fifty, sixty years ago. All children knew how to respect their parents. Not only Christians, all the religions. Respect your parents. I mean in some Hindu homes they even touch the feet of their parents. That is a respect for their parents. But now, in this generation, particularly those who have started going working in towns and offices and factories, one of the things that has happened is children have lost their respect for older people. And the richer they become, the more they lose their respect for parents and older people. And so I can tell you now itself what will happen to such children. It will go badly with them. That's not me. It's God's law. If you sow bad seed, you get a bad crop. If you sow good seed, you get a good crop. And what we put into our children's minds is like a seed. And if you keep on sowing God's word and the principles of God's word into their mind, it will go well with them. And they will live long good lives on the earth. That responsibility is the father's, not primarily the mother's. But if the father is not at home or the father is not interested, then the mother has to do it. It's like if the father in the house is supposed to do the work and earn the money, but if he's sick, the mother has to go and do some work and earn the money. What to do? Then the mother has to do that. If the father is dead, then the mother has to go to work and look after the children. So also if the father in the house is spiritually dead and no interest in teaching God's word to the children, then the mother is like a spiritual widow who has to look after the children. There are many mothers, many women who are like spiritual widows. Husband is alive but spiritually dead. And even many many brothers who sit in our churches, they don't take any interest to teach the word of God to their children. I want to ask all of you men who are sitting here. Do you teach the word of God to your children at home? Because I'll tell you something. If you don't teach them, the devil is very busy teaching them many things else in their school. He's teaching them so many bad habits through his agents, the other children in the school. Every day. And if you don't teach them something every day, those children know nothing. Children are like empty ground. What type of crop comes there depends on what you sow there. So, if you don't sow anything, and the devil comes and sows all types of bad seed there, after many years, the harvest will come. And the harvest will be bad. Because you didn't pull out the weeds when you saw them coming. Now, many of us work in fields as farmers. You know that you never will be so careless. But we can be careless with our own children, which is a much more important field than those other fields. So, I want to encourage all of you. Please be very, very serious about teaching your children the word of God. You may say, well, my children know the stories of Joseph and Daniel and David and all that. That's all okay. But more than that, we must teach them the principles of God's word. But you must not cheat in your examination. You must not take anybody else's property. But you must respect your father and mother. They may respect their father, but when they grow up, sometimes they don't respect their mother. Then it goes badly with them. I can give it to you in writing, it will go badly with children. Because God's word says that. If you want it to go well with your children, teach them to honor their father and mother. Not only honor the father and mother, but teach them to respect all those who are older than them. They must not speak rudely, even to a beggar who comes to the gate. You know, sometimes children can say to a beggar, Hey, go away. That is so evil. Just because that poor man doesn't have any money, doesn't have any food. And your children are all rich. How can they talk to an older man like that? God has taught me to respect people who are older than me, even if they are beggars. And I want to tell you today, it has gone well with me. Because I have learned to speak respectfully to older people. It has gone very well in my life, exactly like the Bible says. So, teach your children to speak respectfully to older people. That's just one principle. Like that, there are many principles in God's word. Not just the story. There are many children who know the stories of David and Goliath and all that. But they still cheat in their examinations. That means they understood some story, but they haven't understood the principles of God's word. They must take it very seriously when our children tell a lie. Disrespect to parents and telling lies. These are the two most serious things we have to take it very seriously. Don't say, ah, he just told a lie, as if it's a very light thing. No, it's very serious, even a small lie. Because he'll grow up to become a big liar one day. And he may do some crime also. So, to teach a child not to tell a lie, first of all, you must not tell lies. Then we can teach our children also not to tell lies. We must not sign false statements in the office. Make some more money. Otherwise, we can't tell our children not to tell lies. So, tell our children, we must teach our children to respect older people and not to tell lies. That's very important. And teach them to sit quietly in the meeting and respect God. Teach them to kneel down and pray to Jesus.