The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your GOD gives you.

Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
Week Ending 040818

We are getting ready to conclude our study on the Fifth Commandment which says in EXO 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

So, our subject this morning on the authority of God and the mystery behind marriage.

One of the many blessings that we have because of the authority of the Cross is that our Lord not only restored all that the first Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, but our Lord modified and improved on what the first Adam destroyed.

The apostle Paul states the truth behind this in COL 2:13-15, And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross.

The “certificate of debt” consisting of decrees against us refers to the  invisible hero who recognizes that there is freedom for all those who were once in bondage and needed deliverance from evil.

This is why our Lord told the disciples that when they pray, pray for deliverance from evil.

So again, COL 2:14, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross.

I like verse 14 which was one of the songs the early church sang leaving us the lyrics, but not the music.

Almost every single Psalm or spiritual song emphasized the lyrics and not the music, This is under the concept that it is the content of the words and not the beating of the drum that God the Holy Spirit inspired men to put the words in writings.

The song in our passage goes back to before the foundation of the world.

I’ll give you a sneak preview.

He paid a debt He did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away
And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing Grace all day long
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

He paid a debt He did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away

And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing Grace all day long
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

Alright back to COL 2:15, When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

All of these passages mean that our Lord gave more to Adam after the fall then Adam had before the fall. This falls under the principle that our Lord always lived as in ROM 5:20, And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Remember, after Adam and the woman sinned in the Garden of Eden,  what did they do? Well look at GEN 3:6-10, When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Notice that guilt and fear caused both Adam and the woman to hide from the Lord. All of these principles are in view so that the mystery of EPH 5:32 goes back to the Garden of Eden.

Now, we have noted that the absolute righteousness that the first Adam lost, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ won back and He uses His authority and imputes perfect righteousness (+R) to all who believe.

Originally mankind had dominion over the garden of Eden along with the entire animal kingdom in GEN 1:26-27, Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Some, not all, but some of the Believers in the Old Testament receive a double righteousness under the principle of a double portion; and will remain in that state of perfection forever and ever in REV 22:11.

The double righteousness is the +R of our Father and the +R of our LORD.

Remember just like there are different measures of judgment, there are also different measures of blessing.

For example, in MAT 10:5-15, These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying,

‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.

Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and abide there until you go away. And as you enter the house, give it your greeting.

And if the house is worthy, let your greeting of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace return to you.

And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly

I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

That is the principle of double judgment.

Also look at JAM 3:1, Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.

Then here is the principle of double honor, 1TI 5:17-18, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

This has to do with the financial help and support given especially  those who teach the word of God for in GAL 6:6, And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Now, all of these principles we have noted refers to the state of the believer in Heaven. John refers to what one becomes who honor or reject the authority of God.

He also warns us to live and gives all of us advice when he says in ECC 12:1, Remember also your Creator [Jesus Christ] in the days of your youth [while you’re still young and you still have a lot of energy], before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;

Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Back in REV 22:11-14 John writes; “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.”

Now, back in DEU 21:15-17 it says, “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the first‑born son belongs to the unloved,

this man had a big problem of playing favoritism. Then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the first‑born before the son of the unloved, who is the first‑born.

But he shall acknowledge the first‑born, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the first‑born.”

This was part of the early beginnings that took place in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, many believers do not realize the seriousness of their calling and the fear of the sin unto death.

A part of the agony of the sin unto death is to realize that you had an opportunity to make your life count in a fantastic way...but you did not. Instead you have regrets.

However, as the Apostle Paul said in 2CO 7:10, For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

The perfect environment in the Garden of Eden that the first Adam lost, is now given in the spiritual realm to the believer who resides in the PPOG for the Church-age; REV 21:4.

This will be consummated in the eternal state with perfect environment for all of eternity.

REV 21:4, “and He shall wipe away every tear [memories] from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”