Proverbs chapter 1. This morning, we're going to flip back and forth through the book of Proverbs. We're going to look at about 15 or 20 different passages. You've got a scripture sheet there with just a couple of extra verses we're going to refer to. But I want you to primarily look at the book of Proverbs this morning. If you don't have a Bible with you, you're going to need to look on with someone that does. So maybe if your neighbor doesn't have a Bible, maybe you can share yours together. Today we're going to look at our last Sunday in our series on countering the culture. How to counter the culture. How to raise godly children in an ungodly world. How to keep your home together in a world that's falling apart. Today we're going to look at what I'm calling an old-fashioned home. We could call it a Bible home. or Proverbs home. I'm told that one day there was a young university grad student, or graduate rather, who had studied child behavior and he considered himself an expert on the subject. So he went around the area lecturing on the Ten Commandments for parents. Well, he got married and became a dad for the first time. After becoming a dad, he realized it wasn't as easy to raise children as he had thought. So he changed his lecture from Ten Commandments for Parents to Ten Hints for Parents. Well, then he had a second child and he changed his title again to Some Suggestions for Parents. And by the time he had his third child, he quit lecturing altogether. It wasn't as easy raising children as he had thought it would be. You know, ladies and gentlemen, we need help when it comes to our homes. And God offers us that help. You don't have to leave here today feeling helpless and hopeless. God offers the help that you need for your family. He does. And much of the help that God provides us for our homes is found in the book of Proverbs. Now, Proverbs is a pretty old book. Ancient writings. Even some would call it old-fashioned. But it is not outdated. You know, it's possible to be ancient and old without being outdated. I believe the principles that God lays down in the book of Proverbs still works. It is here in this book that God tells us what He had in mind for the family from the very beginning. Folks, listen to me. The principles of God, God's principles are timeless. They apply to all generations. And when they're practiced, listen to this, biblically, consistently, and in a balanced manner, they work. Proverbs, somebody has said, is God's treasure book of wisdom. It's God's book on how to wise up and live the right kind of life. Proverbs applies to all areas of your life, not just the family, but all areas, those of you that are in business. Oh, my goodness, you'd be wise to read some from Proverbs just about every day of your life. Proverbs teaches us how to live wisely and rightly. It teaches us a better way to live. Proverbs, listen to this, somebody said it's God's alternative to a fallen society. And look at the first page there, Proverbs 1. At the top, your Bible probably just has the word Proverbs. Do you see it? What is a proverb? A proverb is a general truth that can be applied to your daily life. I don't think that you can apply every proverb to every single person in every single situation because man's free will gets in the way and messes it up sometimes. But proverbs are a general truth. In general, not in every specific case, but they are general truths that can be applied in our daily lives. Somebody else described a proverb this way. A proverb is a wise saying. that clarifies truth in such a way to where it can be easily remembered. We have a lot of modern proverbs today, a modern proverb that we're used to would be something such as an apple a day keeps the doctor away or one we used to say a lot down south, lay down with dogs, get up with fleas. That's a good one, isn't it? Or what about a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Or the early bird gets the worm. We use a lot of Proverbs today. They're wise sayings that are spoken in such a way, stated in such a way to where they're easy to remember. And so this morning, what I want us to do in the few minutes we have is I want us to look at some of the proverbs that deal with the home, first with the marriage relationship, then with the parental thing, the raising of children. First of all, look at chapter one and verse eight, and I'm going to title this first part Earth's Greatest Partnership. Because that's what marriage is. Marriage is to be the greatest partnership on the face of the earth. Proverbs 1 and verse 8, listen, my son, to your father's instruction. And do not forsake your mother's teaching. In the book of Proverbs, the husband and wife are always connected. They're always linked together. They're seen as partners. Here, for example, look back at verse 8. They're partners in the teaching and in the instruction of their children. It's not a dad-only thing. It's not a mom-only thing. It's not a husband or a wife-only thing. But mom and dad are together teaching and instructing their children. They are partners. Turn over to chapter 18 and verse 22. The book of Proverbs 18 and verse 22. Here we find that marriage is exalted in the eyes of God. God is for marriage. In Proverbs 18 and verse 22, the Bible says, He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. By the way, every one of these verses we're going to look at today refer to either the marriage relationship or the parental-child relationship. The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom for your home. Here we find that God favors the man that goes out and finds a wife. He says it's good for you to find a wife. But look at chapter 19 and verse 13, fellas. Not just any wife. God is not saying just close your eyes, point, and whoever you're pointing at, take her, it's a good thing to do. God is not saying that. But look at verse 13 of chapter 19. A foolish son is his father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. So back in chapter 18, God says it's good to get married. It's good to find a wife. But in chapter 19, God balances that out and says, make sure, fellas, the wife you find is not a quarrelsome woman because she'll be like a constant dripping. In other words, you'll really find yourself getting frustrated and irritated. There's an ancient Arab proverb that says three things make a house intolerable. And in the Arabic, the words are taq, naq, and baq. You know what that means? Three things that make a house intolerable. Taq, naq, baq. Taq means a leaky roof. Baq refers to bugs. Naq refers to a nagging wife. And so the Arabs would agree with God here. And so, young men, find a wife. God is pleased. But be wise. Don't just find any wife. Look at chapter 19 and verse 14. Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife, not a prude now, but a prudent wife, a wise wife, is from the Lord. Look at that verse. You inherit money and property and houses from people, from your parents and from others, but to get a wise wife, you need to go to God and ask God to give you that wise wife. And so God says a husband and wife, they're partners, they're one, they're the same team. Fellas, it's good to get married, but make sure you go to God and pray to God and ask God to lead you to a wise wife, not a quarrelsome woman. In the book of Proverbs, husband and wife are partners. Number two, they are friends. Look back at chapter 2, verse 16 and 17. Proverbs 2, verse 16 and 17. Here, Solomon is talking about wisdom. If you look back at verse 12, he refers to wisdom. And so in verse 16, he's saying to his son, wisdom will save you also from the adulterous, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. The word partner there is also translated in some versions as friend. What Solomon is saying is the adulterous woman has forsaken her partner, her friend, her husband. She's forsaken the friendship of her husband for somebody else. So what is God telling us here? God is telling us that a husband and a wife are to be not only partners, but friends. Listen. You're not only to love one another. You're to like one another. You're to be friends. Are you? God's wisdom for the home says, husband and wife, your partners. Husbands and wives, your friends. But look at chapter 5 verse 19 or verse 18. Husbands and wives, your lovers. Proverbs 5 verse 18. May your fountain be blessed and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. And verse 19 goes on to say, may you ever be ravished by the King James says, or as the NIV here says, may you ever be captivated by her love. Captivated. Look at that word. It's similar to the word captured. A man is to be captured by the love of his wife. Ladies, you're to capture that husband with your expression of love. He's to be captivated. He's to be ravished. See, this verse tells us that God is not anti-sex. God is only anti-sex outside of the bounds of marriage. If you look at your Scripture sheet, Hebrews 13 tells you that very clearly. Every once in a while, we'll have a young couple in our church start dating. They get in their minds that they don't need to get married, that they can just live together outside of marriage. But the Bible is very clear that God will judge the adulterer, the adulteress, the whoremonger. But God is not anti-sex. God is the one that designed our bodies in the first place. And He designed our bodies to be able to enjoy one another. And here we learn in verse 18 and 19 that a husband and wife are to be lovers. They're to be ravished by one another's love. So husbands and wives are to be partners, friends, lovers. And then number four, look at chapter 5, verses 15 and follows. They're to be faithful to one another. Look at verse 15 of chapter five. Solomon said, drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. The cistern was a water tank. What's he talking about here? Look down at verse 18 and 19. We just read it. The context is the is the sexual relationship with your partner. Look at verse 20. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? In other words, don't love another man's wife. Verse 20, but look back at verse 15. Drink water from your own cistern. In other words, enjoy the love of your own partner, your own husband, your own wife. Not another man's wife, not another woman's husband. Verse 21, for a man's ways are in full view of the Lord. You may thought what you did was behind closed doors with the lights off and no one saw it, but God saw it. A man's ways are in full view of the Lord and He examines all his paths. You know what this passage is saying? Delight yourself in the love of your own wife, fellas. Embrace her and be captivated by her alone. Look back at verse 15. If you're thirsty, would you go to your neighbor's house and draw water from your neighbor's kitchen sink? Why, of course not. You find yourself thirsty, you wouldn't just walk through your neighbor's front door. Hi, bud, how you doing? Walk to the kitchen cabinet, open it up, pull out a glass, turn on the faucet, go to the fridge, open it up, pull out some ice. You would not draw water from your neighbor's kitchen, but rather if you're thirsty, you go to your own kitchen. Amen. Look at verse 15, drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Verse 16 talks about your not let your your springs not overflowing in the streets is a reference to children, their little squirts. Amen. In other words, you shouldn't be fathering children of every other woman you bump into on the street. Your children shouldn't be running all over town. You fathered one here and you fathered one there and you fathered one there. Stay home and drink water from your own well. That's what Solomon is saying. Husbands, be faithful to your wives. Don't violate her trust. And if you do, look at chapter 6, beginning in verse 32. A man who commits adultery lacks judgment. You know what that says literally? A man who commits adultery is stupid. It is literally what it says. The man who is unfaithful to his wife and commits adultery is a stupid man. Why? Look at verse 32, it continues, whoever does so destroys himself. Adultery is suicide. Blows and disgrace are his lot. And his shame will never be wiped away. The man who violates the trust of his wife is stupid. He's shamed. He's disgraced. He's committing suicide. Why? Look at verse 34 and 35. When the woman's husband finds out, jealousy is going to take over. He's going to be enraged. He's going to become angry. And in his anger, he becomes vengeful. Leroy, we were talking to a man recently that said when this happened to him, he had thoughts of killing everybody. And often that's what happens. You commit adultery and the other woman you committed adultery with, her husband finds out, jealousy takes over and the man is enraged. And if you'll look on there, he will not accept any compensation. All the money in the world won't pay him back for what you did with his wife. Vengeance takes over. And by the way, that not only applies to men, but it applies to women. When women are cheated upon, they become very vengeful. My wife warned me long time ago. She said to me, don't even think about it. Man, if I even thought about it, she'd kill me. I'd be a dead dog. I wouldn't be in the doghouse. I'd be in the grave. See, look at chapter 6, verses 27 through 29. If you're still not convinced that you ought not to be an adulterer or an adulteress, look at verse 27. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can you sit there in your seat and hold a fireball in your lap and not catch on fire? No. Look at verse 28. Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? No. That's an old proverbial way of saying today the proverb would be play with fire, get burned. You play a fire, you're going to get burned. Even so, verse 29, so is he who sleeps with another man's wife. No one who touches her will go unpunished. You play a fire, you get burned. Walk and hunt coals, you get burned. Hold a fireball in your lap, get burned. And you commit adultery, you're going to get burned. You're going to get punished. You say, that's not true. I committed adultery years ago and I got away with it. Oh, Look at Ecclesiastes 12 on your sheet. God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. May I remind you, you've not gotten away with it because you've not yet stood before God. It's as simple as that. Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me. If we who know the Lord would be faithful to our mates, God would be glorified. And what a testimony it would be to a divorcing, separating, self-centered world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go the next year at Grace Church without any couples separating or getting a divorce? Wouldn't it be wonderful in the next ten years, listen to this, wouldn't it be wonderful in the next ten years, you picked up the Sunday paper and there was an article in the front of the page of the Des Moines Register saying, the best way to keep your family together is to become a consecrated Christian and start attending that Grace Church. For the last ten years, they've not had a single divorce, they've not had a single couple separate. Wouldn't that be wonderful? What a testimony that would be to the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if folks started walking through our doors, coming in here saying, you know, we've heard that people at this church, their marriages stay together. They love one another. They're partners. They're friends. They're lovers. They're faithful. And we want that in our home. What a testimony we could be to this community. A few months ago, sitting in my office right behind that wall there, in one day's time, I received three phone calls. from couples here in Des Moines whom I had personally married years ago over on 35th Street. Three different couples in one day who called me to let me know they had either filed for divorce or had made the decision to do it. Three in one day. What was especially shocking to me was in two of those cases, they had Christian parents who were encouraging them to get the divorce. And in one case, the Christian parents were even offering to pay the legal fees if their children would go ahead with the divorce. Ladies and gentlemen, why don't we decide this morning we're going to do it God's way, the old-fashioned way, the Proverbs way. What happens when you build a home God's way? Look at chapter 24, verse 3 and 4. Chapter 24, verse 3 and 4. By wisdom, a house is built, and through understanding, it is established. Through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. In other words, when we take the wisdom of God, which is primarily the book of Proverbs, and we build our house, our homes on the principles that God lays down, our houses come to be filled with rare and beautiful, priceless treasures. Like what? Treasures like peace, contentment, joy, respect, love. Look at chapter 15 and verse 6. We learn, we see practically the same thing. Chapter 15 and verse six, the Bible says the house of the righteous, the people that live the right kind of life, God's way contains great treasure. But the income of the wicked brings them. Trouble, do you see that? When we live the right kind of life and we apply God's Word, our homes are filled with treasure. But when we don't live the right kind of lives, oh, we may receive an income, verse six, but with that income comes trouble. Look at chapter 15, verse 16 and 17. Solomon tells us when it comes to home life, there are treasures that money can't buy. Verse 16, better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. How many of you would agree with that? Amen. Look at verse 17. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. How many of you would agree with that? I certainly would. Look at chapter 17 in verse one. Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. How many of you would agree with that? I certainly would. Sodom and Isaiah saying better to have a piece of burnt toast and that's all you've got in a house with peace than to be feasting on prime rib and fighting with one another while you're doing it. A home of peace is not only a home that's a haven, it's a home that's a heaven. It's a wonderful thing. And here we're told, ladies and gentlemen, that more important than that income, more important than building yourself up financially, is to fill your house with treasures such as peace and quiet and love and contentment and happiness. And those things come from applying God's wisdom, God's principles to your home. Maybe you're thinking, I've already blown it, it's too late for me. It is never too late for you. Thank God we've got a patient God, we've got a forgiving God, and maybe you've blown it. If so, what you need to do is go to God today and lift up whatever part of your home is left. Lift it up before God and ask God, Oh God, would you mend my marriage? Would you strengthen my home? Go to God today and begin praying for wisdom and then search God's wisdom through the book of Proverbs. And again, applying the principles that God lays down for your home. Couples, your friends, your partners, your lovers, you're to be faithful to one another. That's Earth's greatest partnership. Quickly, let's talk about the children. Look at Chapter 23, would you? Proverbs 23. Let's talk about heaven's greatest trust. I refer to the children. You want to hear something neat about the book of Proverbs? Maybe you're not aware of this. The entire book, all 31 chapters, is counsel given from a dad to his son. It's wise, godly counsel from a father to a son. And are you aware that the book of Proverbs, and for that matter, the entire Bible is very clear that children do not belong to mom and dad, but rather they belong to God? They are a trust. from God, entrusted to parents. Look at Psalms 127 on your sheet, you'll see that. Children are a gift from God. Are you aware of that? I have three children, but the truth is they're not mine. They're God's. God entrusted them into my care. My children are the greatest trust I've been given. It's heaven's greatest trust. They came from God. They came from heaven, entrusted to me. Likewise, your children to you. They are a gift from God and they were intended to be a gift of happiness. Look at verse 24 of chapter 23. The father of a righteous man has great joy. He who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad. May he may she who gave you birth rejoice. Look at those two verses. You see the words joy, delight, glad, rejoice about a wise son or a wise child. God gives us these children as a gift to raise for Him. And as we raise them to be wise children, God-fearing children, the result is to be joy in our hearts. See, the truth is your children will either bring you joy or they'll bring you grief. Look at chapter 17 and verse 21. You want to see an interesting verse? Chapter 17 and verse 21. Your children will either bring you joy or they'll bring you grief. Verse 21, to have a fool for a son brings grief. There is no joy for the father of a fool. Look at verse 25. A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. Look back at chapter 10 and verse 1. Flip back a few more pages if you would. Chapter 10. In verse 1, there we see the same thing. We see the contrast. A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, grief to his mother. The word fool there is the word rebel. A foolish son is a son that rebels against God's authority, rebels against all authority, his parents' authority. He's a thick-headed, hard-headed person. Such a child brings grief to his parents and sorrow. There are parents all over this room that could stand up and testify that your heart has never been broken like it has been broken over the waywardness of your child, over that child who has acted foolishly and rebelliously against God. It has broken your heart. It has brought grief to you. On the other hand, you who have children who have grown up with a humble attitude towards God and a humble attitude towards mom and dad, they have been the joy of your heart. Children, what kind of children are you? Do you talk back to your parents? When you talk back to your parents, you bring them grief. Do you strike out against your parents? Do you rebel against your parents? When your dad says, young people, be in by eleven, do you fuss about it? Do you fight about it? When your parents say, make your bed or let's go do your homework, do you resist? Do you fight back? Do you argue? If you do, you are filling their hearts with grief. and sorrow. But if your attitude is one of submission and humility and you respect their authority and when mom and dad speak, you say, yes, yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. Yes, I will do that out of love. You humbly obey them. Then you are a great joy to your parents. Which is it, children? Are you filling their hearts with joy and delight or are you filling their hearts with sorrow and grief? Which way is it, kids? Parents, view your children as a trust from God, with your primary responsibility as far as they're concerned being that of raising them for Him. Look at chapter 22 and verse 6. You can sum up what the book of Proverbs says with this verse. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it. Those are our marching orders as parents, to train up a child in the way he should go. You say, how do you do that? Proverbs tells us, first of all, by setting the right example. Parents, it never has worked to say to your kids, do as I say, not as I do. That won't work. If you want your children to honor God, you honor God. If you want your children to pray and live in the Scriptures, you pray and live in the Scriptures. If you want your children to be faithful to church when they grow up, you be faithful to church while they're growing up. If you want your children to be generous, you be generous. If you want your children to be kind hearted, you be kind hearted. If you want them to be polite and respectful of authority and have good manners, then you be all of that. Look at chapter 20 and verse 7. Chapter 20 and verse 7 says the righteous man leads a blameless life. He lives a moral life. Watch the rest of the verse. Blessed are his children after him. In other words, the dad that leads a moral life, his children are going to be blessed by his example and they're going to be encouraged to live the same kind of life. As you live a moral life, a righteous life, your children will watch your example and they will be encouraged to do the exact same thing. Look back at chapter 14, an interesting verse, chapter 14, verse 26. Here we're told basically the same thing. He who fears the Lord, has reverence, respect for God, has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. God is saying here, Mom and Dad, if you reverence God, if you respect God, your home is going to be like a secure fortress in the midst of a pagan society. And your children are going to find security in your home as a result of your moral, godly lifestyle. Isn't that interesting? The greatest thing you can do for your children is to be a genuine, consecrated, consistent Christian. An awesome truth is your children are becoming like you. Donna Shattuck had a little baby this week. I think she's going to try to be here at the next service. I walked in the hospital. Jim was holding that baby. And I never can tell what babies, which one they look like. They all look the same to me. So I asked them, which one of you? And they said, well, I think he looks like both of us. And you know what? I'm sure he does. Have you ever heard somebody say, she talks just like her mother? Or he walks just like his father? They do. They're talking like Mom. They're walking like Dad. The question is, how is Mom talking and how is Dad walking? What an awesome responsibility is yours, Mom and Dad. Be the right example. How do we bring them up in the way they should go? By being the right example. Number two, by loving them. Look at chapter 4 and verse 3. It's a little clearer in the King James, so I've given it to you on the sheet there. Solomon says to his son, I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. Solomon said she loved me. Do you love your children and do your children know that you love them? By the way, look at chapter 3 and verse 11 and 12. You say, how can I let my children know I love them? Very interesting. You let them know you love them by biblically disciplining them. Look at verse 11, "'My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves as a father the son He delights in.'" How do you show your love to your children? You show your love to your children by being willing when they go astray, when they're doing wrong, when they're violating God's truths and your authority. You show your love to your children by being willing to discipline them. And I'm not talking child abuse. A few minutes ago, Chuck Morris told me that somebody here found an old sermon tape of mine about 20 years old. When I was fresh out of college, an assistant pastor out in California, I was speaking in a pastor school out there. It was a very large church and we had a pastor school yearly and hundreds of pastors would come in. And I was bringing a message on how to run a successful children's church. And he said it was just hilarious to listen to the thing. I've changed a lot in 20 years. He told how I was preaching all these pastors to tell them that they need to preach with a paddle in their hands in the children's church. And wave that board and use it. If you need to. You know what? I used to do that fresh out of college. We had a church of 2,000 or 3,000 people and there were over 1,000 kids that came in and I was in charge of all of them. And I'd walk from class to class with that paddle. And if a teacher said, this kid's been naughty, I would take the kid to my office and I'd spank him. Can you believe I used to do that? Now I'd last about 30 minutes today doing that. And I'm not bragging on that. I can't believe I did it. It was a dumb thing to do. And I'm not suggesting that you walk around with an inch-thick paddle and lay into them every time they look the wrong way. I'm not suggesting abuse. I'm not suggesting that we be mean-spirited. But I am saying that God's book of wisdom says in chapter 3, verse 11, that because God loves His children, He corrects His children. And if we love our children, when we see our children doing wrong, we will correct them. That is what God's Book of Wisdom says, Mom and Dad. Look at chapter 13 and verse 24. He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. In other words, your love for your child is questionable. If you can see them doing wrong, knowing that they're setting their forming habits, knowing that one day their wrongdoing is going to get them into trouble. If you can see them doing wrong and do not love them enough to discipline them, then your concern for your child is questionable at best. Look at chapter 29, verse 15 and 17. Here we see an old fashioned home, a Proverbs home, is a home of love, and yet it's a home of love balanced with discipline. Chapter 29, verse 15, the rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child, watch this, left to himself or left to itself, disgraces his mother. A child left to itself to do as he pleases will sooner or later disgrace his mother and his father, too, for that matter. Look at verse 17. Discipline your son and he will give you peace. There'll be peace in your home and he will bring delight to your soul when you discipline your children. The result is peace in the home and joy as you see your children growing up. Behaving and living a moral life. Parents. Your children should not be talking back to you. They should not be striking out at you. They should not be defying your authority. If they are, something is wrong. And you must lovingly discipline them. You must. If you do not, the peace is going to be robbed from your home. And they're going to bring disgrace to you because if they rebel against your authority today, somewhere down the road, they're going to rebel against somebody else's authority that's going to cost them. Look at chapter 6, verse 20. I've got to end it. We must teach and instruct our children. Keep your father's commands. Do not forsake your mother's teaching. Find them upon your heart forever. Fasten them around your neck. Are you listening to this, children? When you walk, they will guide you. When you sleep, they will watch over you. Talk about the teachings of your parents. When you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. God says to children here, take the teachings and the commands of your parents, tie them around your neck, hold on to them, wrap them around your fingers, keep them in your heart. Let the teachings and the commands of your parents guide you in your life. There's so much that we're taught in Proverbs 10, verses 4 and 5. We're taught to teach our children to work hard, not to give them everything they want, to teach a strong work ethic for your children. If your children don't learn how to work at home, they probably won't learn how to work. In chapter 2 and verse 20, we're taught to teach our children to avoid the wrong company, to associate with the right kind of people. In chapter 20 and verse 20, we're told that we're to teach our children to respect their parents. Look at chapter 23 and verse 22, and I wish we had time to really look at these. We're told that when your parents are in their latter years, when they get up into their old age, the golden years, you're still to respect them. You're to never to show disrespect to your parents, no matter how old they get. In chapter 30 and verse 17, we're even told that God recommends that the punishment be death for the child who shows disrespect to his parents, no matter what their age is. Parents, if you teach your children anything, teach them to have respect for you and for their elders. We'll wrap it up in chapter 7, verses 1 through 3. Let me read it. My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live. Guard my teachings as the apple of your life, of your eye. Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Notice verse two, the phrase apple of your eye. The word is literally center of your eye. What is the center of your eye? It's your pupil. Do you know the pupil is the most carefully guarded of all the body's exposed organs? If something even looks like it's coming towards your pupil, what happens? Your eyelids clamp down tight. It's the most carefully guarded of your exposed organs. God's Word is saying, young people, take what your mother and dad, are you listening? Take what your mother and dad teach you and let it be like the pupil of your eye, the very center of your eye. Guard their teachings carefully. That is, in other words, listen to what your parents are saying. Guard those words. Protect them. Hide those words in your heart. You listen to your mom and dad. They love you. They care for you. And if you will learn what they are teaching you, their commands, their teachings will guide you through your life. The result of doing so, look at chapter 3, verse 1 and 2. God says, and this is a general proverb. I don't think it applies to every situation. But in general, God says if you'll listen to your mom and dad, God says, I'll give you a longer life and prosperity or peace. Isn't that what you want for your children? A long and happy life. Parents, those children are God's gift to you. You set the right example. You love them. You teach them. They're your responsibility. Do a good job. A man told how one day he was listening to his little four-year-old in the backyard playing with some buddies. They began talking about their dads. You know, kids will brag sometimes, especially the little ones about their fathers. The one little boy started bragging and said, My dad knows the mayor. The second little boy said, That's nothing. My dad knows the governor. And the little boy of the man who was listening then spoke up and said, That's nothing. My dad knows God. The man said when he heard those words, he had to turn away quickly. He hurried back to his room, closed the door, and got on his knees. With tears flowing down his face, he said, O God, may I always live in such a way to where my little boy can say, my dad knows God. Can your children say that of you today? My dad. My mom. knows God. An old-fashioned home. Hide the book of Proverbs in your heart. Apply this wisdom. Build an old-fashioned home the way God intended it to be. Let's bow our heads, please. Who would say this morning, Pastor, I want to rededicate myself to being the parent, the husband, the wife, the mom or the dad that God wants me to be? Who would say that this morning? Would you raise your hand? God bless you. Who would say this morning, there are some areas in my life that have gotten out of balance? I need to correct. I need to work with some things that have been revealed to me from the book of Proverbs this morning. And with God's help, I want to do something about it. Who would say that? Let me see your hands. Put them up good and high. God bless you. I hope you mean business. Let's stand to our feet. I'm just going to ask Loretta to play softly. If you're here today and you'd like to have a chance to give your heart to Jesus, the fellows at the front here will meet you. I'll give you a second if you want to come. This message has not been about salvation. It's been about the home. But if you need to give your heart to Christ, we want to give you a chance. Anybody at all. Or if you just need someone to pray with you, feel free to come. Anybody at all. Father, I pray for our families, our homes. God, please help our parents to love one another and to understand that their children are a trust given from God. Help us to learn Your wisdom and then to apply it in our lives. God bless the homes of Grace Church. In Thy name we pray, Amen.