Turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel. The book of Ezekiel in chapter 22, We have been going down through in verses 2, 3, 4, and even 5. We've been talking about a couple of sins that were mentioned there. about the people had given themselves over to idolatry, which had led to the shedding of innocent blood. And we had mentioned and preached concerning while we don't have figures sitting on our table or in front of us that we worship and bow down to. We are guilty of idolatry and that we serve ourself. over and above the Lord our God. Anytime that we are disobedient to the Word of God, we don't obey what His Word explicitly tells us to do and to refrain from. We're guilty of putting ourself before the Lord. We're guilty of idolatry. We need to embrace the idea, not the idea, the fact that disobedience to the word of God is sin. And God hates sin. And it matters not that it, whether it's sin in the wicked, or whether it's sin in the righteous. God hates it just as much in his people as he does in the wicked. And just as he said in this chapter, the righteous and the wicked, are going to suffer punishment. Help us to understand that fact. While we will not be cut off to perdition, while we will not be cut off to destruction, meaning in the lake of fire and hell fire for eternity, We bring the chastening hand of God upon us for our sin that is unconfessed, for our sin that is unrepentant of. Tonight, we begin with verse six and Idolatry and the shedding of innocent blood, or murder as it is called, were not the only sins that are mentioned. In verse 6 of this 22nd chapter, behold, the princes of Israel Everyone were in thee to their power to shed blood. Misuse of power. He's charging the princes. We generally think of, you got the king and then those male sons who are in that royal family are the princes. But many times in scripture concerning Israel and Judah, princes are mentioned as meaning the ruling class. the king. We would say tonight, the royal family. And they misused their power. They misused their power in shedding blood. They exerted themselves according to their ability to shed blood. Think of being so wicked. They had an ability which you exerted to shed blood. Innocent blood. Not those that justly deserved to die for their sin, to die for, they had taken the life of another individual. or they had disobeyed the commandment of God concerning things that they were to be put to death for, that they were guilty of shedding innocent blood. Turn with me to the book of 2 Kings. 2 Kings, and I believe we've read this passage before. Been quite a while, been a while ago, anyhow. 2 Kings chapter 21. And in verse 16. 2 Kings 21, in verse 16. Moreover, Manasseh, shed innocent blood, very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another. Beside his sin, wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. You see, the indication is that Manasseh was so wicked here that he shed innocent blood very much even in the offering of the children to idols And in that he caused Judah to do the same and to be guilty of the same. Certainly a misuse of the power that he had as king His ways were not pleasing to God. Now, the bright side of Manasseh's life, it would appear, according to the scripture, that towards the end of his life, after God dealt harshly with him, and towards the end of his life, he was saved. he was regenerated. Nonetheless, held accountable for his evil, which he practiced. Back to our text in Ezekiel chapter 22. And now in Verse 7, we see dishonoring and mistreating of their parents. It says in verse 7, in thee have they set light by father and mother. In the midst of thee have they dealt oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and widow. Which all thou they were commanded against doing. They were not to set light by their father and mother, they were not to dishonor their father and their mother. Turn with me to the book of Exodus. The book of Exodus in chapter 20, in verse 12. Exodus 20. In verse 12, immediately when I mention Exodus chapter 20, you ought to know that that's where the Ten Commandments were given to the children of Israel from Mount Sinai. And the first four were dealing with their relationship with God, and then the beginning one, the beginning one, the first one, of the second table and the first one with promise in verse 12 says, honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. They weren't to set light by their father and mother, their father and mother were to be of weight. and that they honored them, revered them, respected them, obeyed them, listened to them, were taught of them, instructed of them, didn't hold disregard and hatred in their heart toward their parents. And notice here that in this verse it does not say, honor thy father if he's a good father and thy mother if she's a good mother. It doesn't matter whether your father and mother were good parents or not. They might be the most wicked parents. They're unimaginable. They're still your parents. They're still your father and still your mother. You were to honor them. These, in our text, they set light. Disrespect. Hatred. for their parents. Turn with me to the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy in chapter 27. Deuteronomy chapter 27 and look with me here at verse 16. Cursed, this is in Moses rehearsing the laws of God to the children of Israel. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother, and all the people shall say amen. All the people were to be in agreement. All the people were to be saying, so be it. So be what? So be that he be cursed. Even in occasions, they displayed this dishonor of their parents, the setting light of their parents by how they treated them. How they obeyed or disobeyed. How they rebelled. A rebellious son that would not hear his father or his mother. They were to be put to death. That was under the strictness of the law. Today, God is dealing in grace, but it doesn't make it any less of an abomination in the eyes of God when children dishonor set light by their father and their mother. Book of Proverbs. Book of Proverbs, in chapter 20, in verse 20. Proverbs, chapter 20, in verse 20. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. That's God putting his lamp out. and obscure darkness. He shall not live long in the land. We would say he shall meet an untimely death. Turn with me to the 30th chapter. the 30th chapter of Proverbs, in verse 11. There is a generation that curseth their father and doth not bless their mother. In other words, they sat like my father and mother. I wonder what generation he was talking about. I think in every generation, it's had those rebellious ones, it's had those who dishonored their parents and their actions and in their heart and in their mind. by their speech, but I think this is talking about a generation that is more prevalent than in past generations. I think as the nature of progression goes, Every generation gets a little worse than the generation before them. And look where we're at today. Look where we're at today. Yes, I know we have split homes. That's not a good thing. That's not according to God's word. That's not the way God established it in the beginning. I know we have absentee fathers. We have mothers that are ungodly and bring ungodly men into their bedroom. But they're still the children's father and the children's mother. And as a child, they are to honor their father and their mother. Look with me down at verse 17, same chapter. that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, that is the eye out, and the young eagles, shall eat it." He'll be put in obscure darkness, so to speak. That's the word of the Lord. Does the Lord carry out his promise? Yes, he does. It was, this is, we're in the Old Testament. This is some thousand years before the time of Christ. Turn with me in to what Christ said concerning the scribes, Pharisees in the book of Matthew. The book of Matthew in chapter 15. Matthew chapter 15. Here the Pharisees and scribes, they were trying to lay blame on the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and his disciples. And they said, how come your disciples, how come your apostles eat with unwashing hands? Like that's a big crime. Not the best hygiene, maybe, especially in our day and time. But how comes they eat with unwashed hands? They was wanting to hold them guilty for eating, for not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus said in verse three, But he answered and said unto them, why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your traditions? By that things which you have developed, which go contrary to my word, to God's commandment. Verse four. For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother, and he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, This is what the Pharisees said, what had become a tradition in their land. But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, it is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me. and honor not his father or his mother. He shall be free. That's what the Pharisees said. That's what their tradition said. They shall be free. You don't have to honor your father and your mother if that which you're going to use to care for your father, supposed to use to care for your father and your mother, if you just say it's a gift. I'm giving it to the Lord. I'm giving it as alms to the poor. And by their tradition, they said, you're free. You're released from the bondage of the law. Thus, have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your protestants. They set light by her father and mother. Listen, this is an important commandment. It's important. Turn with me. Malachi chapter one. Malachi chapter one. Verse six. See. These in our text. were guilty of not honoring their father and mother. Those in Jesus' day, in Matthew chapter 15, were guilty of not honoring their father and their mother. They were guilty of not honoring the Lord. They were guilty of not honoring. Well, I doubt that they could call him their heavenly father. You and I need to recognize and realize that when we disobey God, We're not honoring our Heavenly Father. Malachi chapter 1 and verse 6. He said, here to these returning Jews to the land. He said, a son honoreth his father and a servant his master. If then I be a father, and God is, where is mine honor? You see, he charged them with disobedience. And in the verses to follow, he's going to tell them what they're doing that is disobedient. They're bringing sacrifices. Yes, we're bringing sacrifices to the Lord, but we're bringing the sacrifices that we can't get anything for because they're blind, because they're maimed. And God required what for the sacrifice? A yearling of the flock without blemish and without spot. Many other ways they dishonored God. These, he said, you honor your father. You honor your master. But don't you know I'm a father? Where's my honor? So you and I. Need to realize that when we're disobedient to God's word, we're not honoring our heavenly father. I want to honor my heavenly father. I want him to be praised, to receive the praise that is due him. in his name. How about you? All right, we'll stop.