Sermons
“My Parents Don't Know Anything”
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I want to do something different this morning than the way we normally start our studies.
What I would like to do is everyone in the auditorium who is 12 years old to 20 years old, raise your hand.
Higher Raise them up so people can say, OK, so good number.
All right, I'm gonna offer you two options this morning.
And I'm going to describe those options and then I want you to choose option 1 or option 2.
Here's option one.
I will set up a checking account for you if you're between 12 and 20, and I will deposit into that checking account $0003.
That's why I need to know how many hands.
I know if I could afford this illustration.
$1000 in this checking account.
No strings, no conditions, your money, just money to get you started when you get to age 21.
That's when the funds will become available to you.
That's option one.
Option 2 is very similar.
I will set up a checking account for you.
It's your money You use the money to get started when you hit 21, only I will put $5000 in that checking account.
Option 1.
Option 2.
Raise your hand if you want option one.
Well, we got some smart kids here.
How many of you would go with option 2?
Yeah, 5000.
Why not?
Well, wait a second.
There is a condition for option two.
Option two, you have to obey your parents, and every time you disobey, I take $0003 out of the account.
How many of you would still go with option 2, or would you take the easy $1000?
OK, some of you decided to stick with that.
I noticed that Clark Weather put his hand up and then dragged it down again.
So, Uh, he and his parents will be having a discussion after this lesson.
I shouldn't single Clark out like that.
When I was a boy of 14, Mark Twain said, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.
But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years.
That quotation is attributed to Mark Twain.
I'm not sure whether he ever said that or not, but that attitude, that, that idea is pretty common among young people.
It's common for young people to question the knowledge of their parents to render in terms of parliamentary government a vote of no confidence.
I don't think my parents know anything.
Some of the young people this morning are thinking finally a sermon about my family.
My parents don't know anything.
Well, this morning I want to talk about the attitude that a lot of toddlers have.
I don't know that there's any toddler who at some point hasn't hit this stage.
I do it.
You're as a parent trying to help them do something.
I do it.
Sometimes toddlers will even push hands away.
I want to do it.
They are so confident in their own ability.
And unfortunately, some teenagers are exactly the same way.
I do it.
They don't really want the help of their parents.
Teenagers are at a critical stage in life.
They're on the cusp of becoming adults with the independence that adulthood brings, but they still lack the wisdom and experience that comes with age, the judgment that comes with time.
Most teenagers, it seems to me, are anxious to be independent, and parents are often viewed as holding them back.
I think that's the way I was when I was a teenager in my late teens.
I really wanted to run my own life.
And I wanted my parents to give me free, uh freedom to do whatever I wanted to do in the ways obviously within moral bounds, but still, I wanted to make my own decisions.
I don't think that's all that uncommon among teenagers.
And sometimes if a teenager has that kind of attitude, it can create some real tension between the young people and their parents.
Parents often are not knowledgeable.
About the culture of their teenagers.
Communication slang.
How many parents have heard your kids say something you didn't know what they were talking about because they developed their own little language.
Communication slang.
Or perhaps your kids have been talking about some entertainer or celebrity, you didn't know who that was because the kids are listening to that music, but we adults perhaps are not.
And technology.
We old people tend to lag behind technology a good bit.
If you want something programmed or if you've got a problem with pro problem with your phone, you need to find a seven year old because that kid can fix it before you'll ever figure it out.
And so what happens is kids are born into technology that we have left behind or or haven't actually graduated to yet as older people.
And so there becomes this, we sometimes call the generation gap.
It's really a gap in culture.
It might seem sometimes that we are living in two different worlds and in a certain sense, we really are.
The things that young people are paying attention to are not the same kinds of things that we adults and even older adults are looking at or paying attention to.
Have you ever noticed the difference between kids who are homeschooled and those who go to the public schools?
I have.
Kids who are homeschooled tend to be around adults more, whereas those who are in the public schools tend to spend most of their time with kids of their own age.
They're exposed to do two different cultures preeminently.
And it makes a difference in the way they relate to adults.
Because of this generation gap, which is kind of a knowledge gap.
It's easy for teenagers to conclude that their parents really don't know much at all.
And so their decisions regarding young people become suspect.
Teenagers often see themselves as very competent.
I can do it much more so than their parents who are out of touch with reality, with world world.
Now, most of you, I'm sure are very aware of the fact that Mark Twain's comment reflects not so much how much his father had learned in 7 years as it did the fact that his perspective concerning his father's knowledge had changed.
At 14, he just didn't think his father knew anything, but he began to realize over time, by the time he became 21, that his father actually knew a lot more than he really had imagined or had thought.
Young people, I will tell you it is a terrible mistake.
That to think that parents who don't know some things don't know anything.
The Bible talks about God's divine plan for parents and children.
And I want to focus first of all on children.
The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 50003, children are to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right.
They're to honor their father and mother.
Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger, but bring them up in the nurture, discipline, and instruction of the Lord.
Paul says a similar thing in Colossians 3:20, but there's a little bit of difference in the passage there.
Children obey your parents and everything for this pleases the Lord.
Different language that's used there.
In the book of Proverbs, and particularly at the beginning of the book, in the 1st 7 to 9 chapters, There seems to be a very obvious theme going on.
There is the theme of the value of parental instruction.
In all of those chapters we could spend a good bit of time this morning reading some of these passages.
They're in some cases, most of a chapter, but what I'm going to do is just show you 6 passages, just a portion of those passages, just so you can get the flavor of what I'm talking about.
The value of parental instruction and parental wisdom.
The passages often begin, uh, my son or are addressed as though a father was speaking to his son.
In chapter 2, verses 1 through 5.
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.
Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding.
If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
I want you to notice the highlighted words there in verses 1003 and 2.
If you receive my words, if you make your ear attentive to wisdom, both of those passages that we looked at in Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3, use the word obey, and the word obey there literally means to listen to, to listen under, to submit.
It's translated obey.
That's really the consequence of listening to, of becoming attentive to.
And that's what the proverb writer encourage his son to do, to listen and be attentive to the wisdom that he's being offered by his father.
In chapter 26.
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
This passage focuses on the consequence of listening to the commandments of a parent.
Don't forget my teaching. Why?
Because it's good for you.
It will provide success for you in the terms of length of days and years of life and peace.
And then the beginning of chapter 21, verses 21 through 2000.
Here, oh sons, a father's instruction and be attentive that you may gain insight.
For I give you good precepts, do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, let your heart hold fast my words, keep my commandments, and live.
Interesting in this passage that he tells his son, be attentive to a father's instruction.
My father taught me and now I am teaching you.
Keep my commandments and live.
The value of parental instruction and wisdom is that it will make success for you in your life.
Let's just keep going in chapter 2000, verses 25000.
Uh, I'm sorry, chapter 193, verses 219 to 220.
He, my son, and accept my words.
Again, the idea of listening and accepting that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom.
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction.
Do not let go, guard her, for she is your life.
The value of parental instruction and wisdom emphasized again and again in these early chapters.
Chapter 221.
Verses 20 to 22, my son, keep your father's commandment and forsake not your mother's teaching.
Bind them on your heart always.
Tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you.
When you lie down, they will watch over you and when you awake, they will talk with you.
They will stick with you and they will guide you.
And they'll bring success.
And then finally, In Proverbs 7 verses 1 through 3, my son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you.
Keep my commandments and live.
Keep my teaching as the apple of your eye, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you get the picture in these early chapters of, of Proverbs and it's essentially every, the beginning of every chapter repeats the same kind of here, oh son.
And this passage in particular talks about the consequence of keeping those commandments in our hearts.
Young people, are you doing that?
Are you listening to your parents?
Are you accepting the wisdom that they offer you in terms of instruction?
I think clearly in this book of Proverbs, the assumption is that parental instruction is based on divine revelation, not simply what one parent might think is right, but teaching children the precepts that God has revealed in His word.
The book of Proverbs in chapter 1 in the second half of that chapter, the part of the chapter that Phil read for us just a few moments ago, wisdom is personified.
She's personified, or I should say wisdom is personified as a woman who goes into the marketplace and she's crying out and inviting individuals to listen to her.
And she says that if they refuse to listen to wisdom, if they refuse to listen to her, then they're gonna suffer calamity and distress and anguish, she says in verses 203 and 27.
Those who do not listen, those who reject wisdom, they're going to eat the fruit of their ways.
There are consequences to rejecting instruction and wisdom.
That chapter ends in verses 32 and 33 with these words, for the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.
But whoever listens to me, this is wisdom speaking, but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of disaster.
Now we're talking about proverbs here.
We're talking about principles, we're talking about general truths, and the general truth is, if you will listen to wisdom, it will preserve you.
But the other side of that coin is if you reject wisdom.
You're going to end up suffering the consequences.
That foolish decisions, even sinful decisions, bring in our lives.
Now it's not just young people who sometimes reject wisdom, divine wisdom.
Wisdom from God can help young and old alike to avoid terrible mistakes, horrible decisions which sometimes can follow them for life, which I think is sometimes the reason that parents tend to be overly protective.
It's not uncommon.
Because they already understand how long a shadow a sin can cast.
And so they know that young people who make foolish decisions can sometimes have those decisions, or at least the consequences of those decisions to follow them for the rest of their lives.
Parents and grandparents.
have gained wisdom hopefully from study and experience over time that young people just haven't had the time to accumulate.
I know when I was a teenager I knew everything.
It's only been since then that I became more ignorant.
And I think that's common for teenagers, for young people.
We just think we know.
And it never occurs to us that perhaps older people who have had the opportunity to walk down the path of life, that they may have seen some things, they may have learned some things that are useful to us as young people.
Parents have often seen others make bad decisions and have seen the consequences in their lives, and they want to protect their young people from those same consequences.
Sometimes parents have already made unwise, even sinful decisions themselves, and they've come to understand the consequences that come from such decisions, and they don't want their children to suffer from the same consequences.
And so they try to guide young people, they try to guide their teenagers.
To keep them from suffering.
Parents Need to balance.
The need to protect their children.
With the necessity of teaching their children how to make good decisions.
Part of bringing up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
is teaching them to make decisions that are pleasing to the Lord.
Children are not born knowing how to make wise decisions, but they can learn from their parents how that's done.
Or they can end up learning the hard way.
Through the school of hard knocks where they suffer the consequences of foolish decisions.
Some parents find it very hard to let their children assume any independence, even when they become adults.
And so there's this need to protect.
I've got to be on top of everything.
I, I can't let my children have any kind of freedom or independence.
And yet the role of us as parents.
is to train our children to prepare them for the time when they are going to be adults, and when they'll have greater freedom, when they'll need to make their own decisions.
And part of the way we do that is as they get older, we begin to help them understand why we make the decisions we make.
They need to learn how to make wise decisions.
But parents who are always protecting and not teaching how to make wise decisions end up becoming more like tyrants than guides.
And sometimes that creates tension.
Between children who want more freedom and parents who will not grant it.
You know, as children get older, parental decisions, I believe need to come with some explanations of why that decision is being made.
And I'm not saying that because children have some sort of inalienable right to call parents onto the carpet.
I'm saying that because parents need to train children how to think through decisions.
So that when they do get out on their own and they're making their own decisions, they have some idea of how to make wise ones.
There's a time for reasoning with young people, and of course there is a time to simply expect obedience.
You ever seen someone trying to reason with a toddler?
You can't reason with a toddler.
With a toddler, you say this is the way it is.
Don't touch that, and you don't explain necessarily why they shouldn't touch it.
You just make sure they understand, don't do that.
It isn't until they've grown and they've become more aware of how to think about things that you begin to reason with them and explain why the decisions are being made.
But listen to me, young people.
Children need to trust their parents even when they don't understand or perhaps don't even agree with parental decisions.
And that's the key point of our study this morning.
Young people need to have patience and respect for their parents and to trust their parents' wisdom.
I'm not saying that parents always make wise decisions, but I'm saying in general, That's what the Bible says ought to happen.
Ephesians 6:1 doesn't read, Children, obey your parents as long as you think they're right.
Doesn't say that at all.
And so children need to trust their parents' wisdom, understanding that their parents have seen things, have gone down that path, and understand things that young people have not yet encountered and don't know about.
The time is coming, young people, when you like Mark Twain, will suddenly realize that your parents do a lot more than you realize.
At least I hope that time comes.
I think it does for all, most all of us.
In the beginning, I gave you two options.
You remember the $1,000,000 and the $5000.
Consider your parents' instruction and wisdom as currency.
And I said in option two, every time you disobey, every time you reject your parents' instruction, every time you disobey them, you lose a $100 because what's happening is you are less likely to have more to start with if you won't listen to your parents.
Consider the instruction and wisdom of your parents to be currency in the bank.
It will take you farther in life.
It will give you advantages over those who do not consider the wisdom of parents or perhaps have not been fortunate enough to have that wisdom taught them.
As a general principle, and that's what we're talking about in Proverbs.
As a general principle, listening to and trusting your parents will give you a much better start in life.
Now with the exception of me and Debbie.
Parents are not perfect.
But God gave them the responsibility to care for their children.
I said that because John's in the audience, and I don't want him to get the wrong idea.
Parents aren't perfect individuals.
They make mistakes and sometimes they make unwise decisions.
Sometimes they make decisions for the wrong motivation.
But in general, listening to and paying attention, respecting your parents will bring you farther in life.
The principle of listening to age and experience.
is applicable to adults as well, not just children.
Oh, that needs to be true as we're growing up.
What about when we become adults and we're young adults, maybe just newly married or maybe newly uh becoming parents.
Can we make use of the age and the experience of those who are farther along in life's journey?
Certainly, the same principle.
They've seen things that you haven't seen.
They've experienced things that you haven't experienced.
Now not everybody gets wiser as they get older, but most people do.
They learn sometimes the hard way, but they learn.
And they can help you to avoid some of the same mistakes that perhaps they made.
It's not just teenagers who sometimes think that they know everything.
I was talking to Debbie about this sermon as she was writing the outline.
And We were talking about how we were when we were first married.
She got married to me when she was 19, turned 20 just shortly thereafter, and I turned 21 just shortly.
We were kids.
And I look back at that and I wonder how readily I would have accepted the advice, the counsel of others who were older than I was.
I'm not sure I would have done very well.
Cause I was pretty sure I knew most everything.
So what could they tell me?
But as I've gotten older, I've come to realize I didn't know near as much as I thought I did.
It is a foolish person who must make every mistake for himself because he, he or she is unable to learn from others.
Well, I appreciate your attention this morning.
And I've tried to say some things to young people and on the other side of the coin to parents about the balance between teaching.
And protecting, and that's a delicate and sometimes difficult balance to try to achieve.
We always want to protect our children.
But we always need to be teaching them and preparing them.
For when they leave home, when they begin life as adults on their own.
Just as we earthly parents know hopefully what is best for our young people when they're young.
So our heavenly Father knows what's best for us.
He provides for us.
He gives us instruction and counsel that will make for success in this life and will provide for eternal life.
But there are a lot of people who believe that they know everything.
Don't need God.
Don't need any of that religion stuff.
But if you're here this morning knowing that you do need God and his instruction, his wisdom.
Will you trust him?
Will you just simply accept the things that are written in God's word?
And let them guide you.
Let them bring success to you.
Will you trust God to provide for you spiritually.
If you're not a Christian, you need to respond to the gospel of invitation, the grace that God offers through the blood of Jesus Christ, as we've talked about this morning as we were thinking about the Lord's supper and the sacrifice of Christ.
But you've got to act on your belief.
You've got to confess our faith in Christ, having repented of our sins, and then be baptized.
Into Christ for the remission of our sins.
Will you trust him To save you If you're a Christian, have you wandered away?
Have you gotten away from the counsel of the Lord?
You're rejecting the wisdom of the scriptures.
Then you need to return home just like the prodigal son.
And God will receive you.
He will forgive those who repent and return to Him.
If you're subject to the invitation this morning, we want to invite you as we stand and sing together.
- 2025.05.04A-MyParentsDontKnow.mp3 (9.93 MB)
