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Alright, we're there in Jeremiah 35, and look at verse number 14. The words of Jonadab, the son of Rekab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine are performed. For unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandments. So the title for the sermon this afternoon is Obey Your Father's Commandments. Obey Your Father's Commandments. Now you may recall in Jeremiah 34, we were basically at the end of the Babylonian takeover of Judah and Jerusalem. But now we've gone back in time. Remember, the book of Jeremiah is not in strict chronological order. We're going back in time to King Jehoiakim. So in Jeremiah 34, we were dealing with King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. But now we've gone back in time, and we're dealing with King Jehoiakim. So look at Jeremiah 35 in verse number 1. It says, The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying. So this is what God is telling Jeremiah. He says, Go unto the house of the Rekabites. Now, you may not know what the Rekabites are. We are going to do a little bit of a Bible study. I hope you understand why we do it. I think if you understand who the Rekabites are, this is going to make a lot more sense. This chapter is going to make a lot more sense. But it says, Go unto the house of the Rekabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord. So bring them into the temple, bring them into God's house, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. So God is telling Jeremiah, give them wine to drink. Now, first of all, I know the word wine, we often associate it with alcohol. But wine is not alcohol in this context. Wine is just grape juice, or just even juice of any kind of fruit. Sometimes the Bible can refer to as wine, and I'll go through that later on. But one thing I want to do just to start off is understand who the Rekabites are. So we are going to do a bit of a Bible study, a bit of flicking through some pages, but I think it's going to be beneficial. So keep your finger there, and go to 1 Chronicles chapter 2 verse 55, 1 Chronicles chapter 2 and verse number 55. Obviously the Rekabites are named after Rekab. So they're descendants or children of Rekab. So when you turn to 1 Chronicles chapter 2 and verse number 55, that's 1 Chronicles chapter 2 verse number 55, we have this lineage, this descendancy here in this chapter, but it says in verse number 55, And the families of the scribes, which dwelt at Jabez, the Tirathites, the Sheremathites, the Succathites, look at this, these are the Kenites, now that's important, these are the Kenites that came of Hamath, the father of the house of Rekab. So the Rekabites obviously are of the house of Rekab. Rekab is one of these fathers, but notice that he is a Kenite. Do you notice that? These are the Kenites and one of the Kenites is Rekab. So the father of the house of Rekab is part of the Kenites. So the next question is, well what are the Kenites? This is the Bible study that I wanted us to do, right? So can you please now turn to Judges chapter 4 and verse number 11. Judges chapter 4 verse number 11. Give me a moment to turn there. Judges chapter 4 verse 11, it says, Now Heba the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, had served himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zanaam, which is by Kadesh. So what do we learn? Heba is a Kenite, and he was one of the children of Hobab. So who is Hobab? Well Hobab says he's the father-in-law of Moses. So who was, does anyone remember Moses' father-in-law's name? Jephro. Jephro. Now we've got the same Hobab. Now Hobab is not Jephro. I know it sounds that way. I know when you read that passage, Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses. Hobab is actually a son of Jephro. And I'll prove that to you in a minute. So please go to Numbers chapter 10 now. Go to Numbers chapter 10 and verse number 29. So we come across that name, Hobab, who is a Kenite. Remember the Kenites would eventually, one of the children would be Rechab, and the Rechabites are the descendants of Rechab. I hope that makes sense so far. Okay, Numbers chapter 10, verse number 29. It says, And Moses said unto Hobab, so that's the name that we read about not long ago, look it says here, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law. So Hobab is actually the son of Jephro. And another name for Jephro in the Bible is Raguel. Did you see that in that chapter in Numbers chapter 10 and 29? Let's read it again. And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law. So Raguel is the father-in-law, that's Jephro. Hobab is one of the sons. These guys are known eventually, the descendants are known as the Kenites. Down the line of the Kenites, you have Rechab, who his family line would become known as the Rechabites. All that to tell you this, is that the Rechabites are not children of Israel. You understand? So Moses would deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt, and this would be obviously the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Well, obviously Moses' father-in-law is not one of the children of Israel, and his descendants, ultimately one of these lines, would be the Rechabites. So what is happening there, if you go back now to Jeremiah 35, so what is going on? We know that God is angry at Jerusalem, he's angry at Judah, he's angry at the children of Israel. So God will use this illustration. He takes a totally different family. Even though they were living, they were residing in Israel, don't forget that in Israel, in Judah, they were allowed to have foreigners. They were allowed to have strangers who would worship the God of Israel. They would become like the people of the land. But I want you to understand that these are not children of Israel. This is a completely different family. Yes, it ties all the way back to the family of Moses, his father-in-law, and the descendants down that line. Okay? So God is going to demonstrate the difference between the people who are supposed to be God's people, and another family line that, you know, we're not supposed to be necessarily selective as that people of God. But these people, the Rechabites, are doing better than the children of God. So that's what God is going to be comparing here in Jeremiah chapter 35. So let's go to verse number 3. Which was above the chamber of Maasiah, the son of Shalem, the keeper of the door. Alright, so one thing we notice here when Jeremiah is preaching, and he gathers the Rechabites, we learn something about the Rechabites. That when Jeremiah calls them, and calls them into the house of God, what do they do? They're obedient to Jeremiah. Okay, they honor Jeremiah's office. Right? We know that as Jeremiah is preaching, he has many enemies. Many people, even within his own family, that do not want to listen to what Jeremiah has to say. They don't think of him as a true prophet of God. They don't like the message that he's preaching. But somehow these Rechabites, who are not the children of Israel, are able to recognize a man of God. And they say, yeah, Jeremiah's calling us into the house of God. We're going to follow after him. So you can see these families are a godly family. They recognize a man of God. They recognize the preacher. Not only that, when Jeremiah goes into the temple, again, we know he had many enemies in the temple itself. But there is one family there that we read about. It says in verse number four, into the chamber of the sons of Hinan, the son of Igdalia, a man of God. So you have a man of God and his son that recognizes that Jeremiah is a true prophet and says, yes, Jeremiah, you can meet in my chamber. You can come into this area and you can have your meeting, you can have your discussion, you can bring the Rechabites in here. So you have these two elements, right? You have people who are not the children of God and you have some people working in the temple that do recognize the authority of Jeremiah, do recognize that God is using Jeremiah to preach God's word. All right, let's keep going, verse number five. And I said before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine and cups, and I said unto them, drink ye wine, because God asked him to do that. So now he's doing it. He brings wine and he offers them to drink. Now, as I said, this is not alcoholic wine. God would not ask his prophet to go and provide booze to some other people of God. Wine in the Bible, it's just, you know, you become familiar with this if you understand the term wine, that yes, even though today we refer to it as alcohol, in the Bible sometimes it can be alcohol, many times it's just fruit juice, many times it does refer to the fruit of grapes, but wine can just represent fruit juice of any kind of fruit. So I'll just read to you just a couple of passages just so this sinks into your mind. Isaiah 65, verse 8, you don't need to turn there. It says, Thus saith the Lord, as the new wine is found in the cluster. So God says in the cluster of grapes you can find new wine. Oh man, does that mean you eat grapes, you become drunkard? You can become an alcoholic by eating grapes? No. Obviously the juice that's within the wine, the juice that's within the cluster of the grapes cannot get you drunk. It has not had time to be fermented and that kind of nature, okay. But I just want to show you how the Bible uses the term wine to describe other juices, not just alcohol beverage. Even in Song of Solomon, chapter 8, verse number 2, it says, So God is using the pomegranate juice, so it's another fruit, okay, and referring to that as wine as well, because the word wine in the Bible can just often be used to describe juice, okay. So then you have to decide, has God asked Jeremiah to offer them booze? Has he offered them wine to get drunk? Or is he just offering them grape juice? And I think in the context of what we're seeing, it's definitely grape juice, because nothing that they refuse is actually sinful. I'll show you this in a moment, okay. So let's keep going, verse number 6. And they said, so this is how they respond to Jeremiah. Remember, Jeremiah's not expecting them to necessarily respond this way. Jeremiah doesn't understand what the lesson he's had at this point in time. All he knows is God asked him to offer them wine. Verse number 6. Hey, that's pretty obedient, right. For Jonadab, the son of Rechab, saying to his children, to his grandchildren, don't drink wine forever. And what are they doing? They're being offered wine by a prophet of God. God is the one that said, offer them wine, and they're refusing to drink it. What does that show you about the kind of character, the kind of family that they are? That they're obedient to their father, okay. They're obedient. They heard this instruction, and they would not drink of it. Now, can you please keep your finger there and go to 2 Kings chapter 10. 2 Kings chapter 10. Like I said, it is a bit of a Bible study, okay. 2 Kings chapter 10. Because remember, it's Jonadab that told them not to drink wine. You say, who's Jonadab? Maybe it's a name that you're familiar with. Well, Jonadab does play a part in the Bible if you go to 2 Kings chapter 10, verse number 13. 2 Kings chapter 10, verse number 13. Now, if you know the history of Israel, we once had a united kingdom of Israel, and then after Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom, which became known as Israel, they maintained the name of Israel, and the southern kingdom, which became Judah. And many of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel were very wicked kings. The only king that was somewhat good, at least good at the beginning, and then kind of lost his way toward the end, is the king known as Jehu, okay. So we're going to learn about Jehu here in 2 Kings chapter 10, verse number 13. Let's read it together. It says, Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. Then he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive and slew them at the pits of the shearing house, even two and forty men, neither left he any of them. Anyway, none of that's too important. I just want to bring to your attention that this is referring to a man named Jehu, who eventually became the king of Israel. But look at verse number 15. It says, And when he, that's Jehu, was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab, the son of Rekab. There's Jehonadab. There he is. That's the man that told his children, Don't drink wine. Okay. And then it says here, Come in to meet him. And he saluted him and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot, and he said, Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord, so they made him ride in his chariot. Now at this point in time, Jehu is right with the Lord. He has a zeal for the Lord. He's passionate for the Lord, right? And he finds a man who is like-hearted, like-minded, and that was Jehonadab. Okay? So Jehonadab is the one, is the Rekabites, Rekabite, his father was Rekab, who instructed his children not to drink wine. Why am I telling you that? Because this story took place about 300 years before Jeremiah 35. 300 years before Jeremiah 35. And guess what his descendants are still doing? They're still not drinking the wine. They're still obedient to their father. There's definitely a lesson to be learnt there. You know, an amazing lesson. You know, that this family line continued to operate under obedience to what was instructed by Jehonadab, who had a heart for the Lord, who had a zeal for the Lord. You know what this tells me, parents? That our decisions, our instructions, has lasting effects, not just on our children, but our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, maybe even 300 years down the future. The things we teach our children can have lasting effects. So what do you want to teach your children? Do you want to teach them how to be obedient? Do you want to teach them how to love the Lord? How to have a zeal for the Lord? Or do you want to teach them how to be worldly? How to be ungodly? You know, we need to remember what we are instructing our children because it's going to have lasting consequences, maybe even 300 years down the line. Boy, I would love it. I don't know if the Lord tarries, I don't know how long we have left, brethren. It could be a thousand years before the Lord comes back. Who knows? But I would love to think that potentially 300 years down the line, you know, my influence, my instruction, my counter to my children are still being followed to the descendants. Who knows how many descendants down the line, right? The Recubites who love the Lord, who understand that Jeremiah is a man of God. And so you can see, brethren, we play an important part. I know our generation is short. I know we only live here maybe 70, 80 years, but you can have significant consequences on your descendants. You can be a positive influence or you can be a negative influence. You know, my mum's father became a Christian, got saved. He was a Roman Catholic. Your family was Roman Catholic. They could have decided, you know what? We were born Catholic, Roman Catholic, we're going to die Roman Catholic. They could have decided that. How many people say that? We know many people that are like that, don't we? You know, but then what's going to happen to their children? They're going to be Roman Catholics, aren't they? They're not going to know the Gospel, right? And then what happens to the grandchildren? They won't know the Gospel. And so many decisions we make can have lasting effects. You know, thank God that my grandfather said, you know what? No, I've heard the Gospel. I'm going to believe this. I'm going to instruct my children to love the Lord, to be saved, to be in the house of God. And it's had lasting effects. Now, I'm a pastor of two churches, right? I mean, I don't think my grandfather thought that would happen, right? And now, hey, I'm trying to instruct my children in the Lord. You know, I want them out there soul winning and preaching the Gospel and seeing people saved. Look, I don't know what lasting effects there might be, brethren. But you need to remember this simple truth. You can have lasting effects even to 300 years in the future. So what kind of influence do you want to be, parents? What kind of influence do you want to be? Verse number 7, Jeremiah 35, verse 7. Jeremiah 35, verse 7. It's not just wine. And even if you are thinking at this point, it could be alcohol. And, you know, you might be thinking, well, you know, because drinking alcohol is a sin. So that's why it's totally nice to do it. But notice, that's not the only instruction that they received from Jonathan. Because it says in verse number 7, neither shall ye build house. So the other instruction is don't build a house. Don't be established, okay? It says, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard. So they were not to farm crops, nor have any. But all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land, where ye be strangers. So notice, it's not just like pretend this was alcohol because, you know, it's a sin. It's not saying don't drink alcohol because it's a sin. But then none of these other things are sins. Building a house is not a sin. Being a farmer of crops and grains is not a sin, okay? It's just that he wanted his descendants to live a certain way, all right? Now I know the Australian way, you know, the, you know, buy a house. You know, be established. And nothing wrong with it. It's fine. But you know what? It's also fine to not buy a house. It's also fine to dwell in tents and be a stranger on the land. It's fine as well, okay? These guys obviously were not farmers of grain. They were more likely, you know, they more likely had cattle, you know, or sheep or things like this where they would need to go from place to place, you know, take tents, establish themselves, move, move, move, wherever they need to in order to continue their livestock and all that kind of stuff. This is how, you know, they were instructed to live, okay? And this is actually to their benefit because remember, these were not necessarily children of Israel, though they did become part of that nation later on. And so being mobile allowed them to be where God's people would eventually be, okay? So this was actually a benefit. Instead of establishing themselves on a land, maybe some foreign nation, you know, worshipping some false god, no, they were mobile enough to be able to move around and follow where God was leading His people. So I can see the advantage. That's what I believe that Jonadab's heart was, that his descendants would go wherever the Lord would lead them, okay? And again, you know, they are following instruction. They have listened to what their father said, but again, none of these were sinful, okay? None of these were sinful things to do. Verse number 8. Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he have charged us to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters. So what do you learn there? They've got authority. They recognize, hey, I'm the leader of my house, my dad told me not to drink wine, then I'm going to teach my wife not to drink wine, I'm going to teach my children not to drink wine, okay? They take ownership for their families. This is an important lesson. This is what's going to maintain generation after generation. You know, the effects of 300 years is teaching people how to have a strong family unit to teach men to take accountability, to take responsibility, to teach your wives and teach your children, right, in the ways of the Lord or the ways, the instructions that you've been given. Verse number 9. Nor to build houses for us to dwell in, neither have we vineyard nor field nor seed, but we dwelt in tents and have obeyed, and then according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. And so this is where we get the title for, right? You know, to obey the commandments of your father. Obey the commandments of your father. You know, brethren, God has given us leadership, right? In a family unit, He's given us mums and dads to set the rules. And you know what? None of these rules that were set were sinful. Sorry, none of these rules were necessarily right or wrong, okay? It's just instructions that are given. You know, many times as a father, I'm given instructions to my kids, which, you know, if you could turn around and say, well, hold on, Pastor Kevin, where is that in the Bible? You know, I might say to the little children, hey, you know, we can't have you in the kitchen. Why? Because it's a hot stove. Because there's knives. You can hurt yourself. Where's that in the Bible? You know what's in the Bible? Children obey your parents. That's what the Bible has, right? And look, you know, it's not a wise thing to live a life where you're, okay, where is it in the Bible? Listen, if the Bible clearly states something, amen, follow what the Bible says. But if you have authority that's instructing you, you know, whether it's a father in the family home, whether it's your employer in the workplace, whether it's your pastor in the church, or if it's even the government, brethren. Yes, even the wicked government. You know, if they've got authority and they're giving you some instruction, some counsel, so long as it's not contrary to God's word, you ought to listen and obey the instructions that you're receiving. Receiving, right? I mean, these things are to protect you. These things are to guide you, to give you instruction. Can you please keep your finger there and turn to Mark chapter 7. Turn to Mark chapter 7 verse number 5. Mark chapter 7 verse number 5. You know, as a pastor of a church, I've got to make decisions. I've got to pass judgment sometimes, right? And decide, hey, we're going to do it this way or we're going to do it that way. Sometimes I'm challenged. I'm not the only pastor that gets challenged. This is just regular pastors. Pastor, where is that in the Bible? Right? You know, I'll just give you one example. In one of my old churches, the pastor did not like his church congregation to wear shorts. Okay? He wanted them to wear pants. Okay, if they come to church to wear pants. Now, is there anything wrong with wearing shorts? No. I mean, so long as you're covering your thighs, we'll cover that different topic, okay? No, there's nothing wrong with wearing some three quarter length shorts but you know what? The pastor didn't like it, okay? And he set a rule. When he saw a man walk into church with shorts, he says, look, next time you come, put some pants on. Now, I don't know how you feel about that. How would you feel about that if I personally don't care? I don't have that kind of dress standard in church, okay? But don't you realize that some people turn around, well, hold on, pastor. Where is that in the Bible? Listen, you know, he did that for whatever reason. He felt, you know, maybe he wanted to maintain a certain standard in church and you know what? Even if I disagree, I say, well, pastor, you're in authority. You've been put in charge of the house of God. I'll go ahead and make sure I wear some pants, okay? Because you're in charge, you know? I've been put under your authority in the local church, you know? Or you can be argumentative. Where's that in the Bible? Yeah, where's that in the Bible not to drink some juice? Where's that in the Bible not to build a house? Hey, but you know what? God is acknowledging their obedience. God is saying, right, this is excellent that you guys are able to do this. Okay, we'll soon see what that is. But look, you're in Mark chapter 7, verse number 5. Mark chapter 7, verse number 5. The point I'm making here, brethren, is that additional instruction outside of the Bible or even traditions of men in of themselves are not bad things. So long as it's not contrary to God's word, okay? So Mark chapter 7, verse number 5. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not by disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? So you know what? Jesus Christ was hungry disciples. They started eating. They didn't wash their hands. Now, would it be good to wash your hands? I think so. I mean, many times, see, I hear many parents instruct their children before they eat, wash your hands, okay? So guess what? It's good instruction. It's a good tradition, okay? Nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong with that kind of instruction. Verse number 6. So here's the problem with traditions of men. Here's the problem with extra instructions from the parents. If you start saying, this is what God says, right? If you start saying, hey, I want you to wear shorts in the church because God wants you to wear shorts in church. Then you know, hey, you're putting the traditions of men as the commandments of God and that's wrong. But if the pastor says, hey, that's my preference. Please, you know, obey my preference. You know, I want to have certain standards in the church. Well, you know what? He's been given authority. He's not saying God said this. He's saying, look, God has put me in charge and I'm putting this in practice. I'm putting this in play. You know what? And God tells you to be submissive under the authorities that He's placed you under, okay? So long as the instructions are not contrary to God's Word. The Pharisees were trying to make their traditions the commandments of God. This is why it's important when you preach behind the pulpit, you make it very clear what God's Word says and then sometimes I may give my opinions. I'll give you my thoughts. But hey, you know what? It's important to differentiate, you know, some opinions, some traditions, you know, some instruction of a man versus what is clearly laid out for us in the Bible. Again, nothing wrong with those words. Nothing wrong with opinions or traditions so long as it's not contrary to God's Word and so long as it's not being taught as commandments of God, okay? Let's get going. Verse number 8. Mark 7, verse number 8. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many others such like things ye do. And he said unto them, full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, honour thy father and thy mother, and whoso cursed father and mother, let him die the death. I like that because Jesus starts teaching about the importance to honour your mother and your father. Hey, that's exactly what the Rechabites were doing. They were honouring their father. They said, look, this was instructed to us, we're going to continue this tradition that we've been laid by our father, Jonadab. Can you please turn to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. You know, some people are just against tradition, completely against tradition. There's nothing wrong with tradition. You know what, meeting church on Sundays, having two services on a Sunday, having church services mid-week, guess what, it's tradition. You know what, you're not going to open up your Bible and the commandment's not going to say, hey, meet church on Sunday, meet our mid-week service, or meet at this time. You're not going to have those commandments. You're not going to have commandments, hey, sing one hymn, and then have an opening prayer, and then sing another two hymns, and then have the Bible reading, and then have the preaching, and then end the song. You don't have those kinds of instructions. You know why we perform the way we do, church the way we do? It's tradition. That's it. This is how I got used to church. You know, I wanted to pass on and continue the same traditions, but guess what, it's not contrary to God's commandments. Nothing wrong with tradition, but it can be dangerous. You'll turn to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. I'm going to read to you from Colossians, chapter 2, verse number 8. It says, beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. You see, some traditions are not after Christ. Some traditions are contrary to Christ, and of course, those are things that we ought to reject. But you're in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse number 15. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse number 15, notice this. It says, Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and those next words, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by epistle. So notice, tradition in of itself is not wrong. If tradition helps us to serve the Lord, if it helps us to be a bit more orderly and organized, we do things out of tradition, it's fine, so long as it's not contrary to God's word, and so long as those traditions are not taught as commandments of God. You know, I don't mind going by Pastor Kevin. Some people call me Pastor Sepulveda. You know what? But for some pastors, it really bothers them. You know, my very first IFB pastor did not like being called by his first name. Okay? And I once, you know, I was new to church, I slipped and I used his first name. And then the next week he preached a sermon about, don't use the pastor's first name. Okay? And I, you know, I said, I'm going to obey, I'm going to obey. You know, it's not wrong to call him by surname only, pastor's surname. That's fine. You know, many pastors like that. But one thing in Australia, quite often, many Australian pastors just go by the first name. All right, we just have a different custom. We have a different way of doing things, you know, in Australia, compared to other places like the United States. And I remember hearing a sermon many years later from that same pastor. And the sermon was on pride. And he said that, because he went to Bible college in the United States. And he came back to Australia, pastor in the church, and he was surprised about how many people would call him pastor first name. To the point that he got offended. All right? And he said, how can these people not be respectful toward me? Because he had the American way of thinking. Right? And he thought people were not being respectful to him. Until he realized, hold on, they're using my first name to be endearing. To be personable. Right? To show affection and a close-knit relationship, rather than this sort of far-off relationship sense. And he realized at that point that he was prideful. Right? That he was familiar with a certain tradition, pastor's surname, and then he was filled up with pride. Why won't people use my surname? Why are they using my first name? Until he realized, no, this is my pride. This is my issue. This is tradition. And I thought it was, you know, he tried to teach it as a commandment of God, when it was actually a tradition of men. But is there anything wrong with that tradition? No. You know why? If you want to call me pastor Sepulveda, praise God. You want to call me pastor Kevin? I don't care. I'm not offended. I love that name. My mom gave me that name. It's my first name. Okay? It's my name. I don't get offended if you call me Kevin. You know? Not at all. Okay? But I'm trying to show you how some people, you know, sometimes, unfortunately, take traditions of men and turn it into commandments of God, when the tradition itself is not a bad thing, but you just don't want to make sure, you don't want to teach it as though it's a commandment of God. All right. Can you please, where did I get you to turn to, sorry? Oh, yeah, we read that bit already. Okay, if you can go back to, actually, go to Colossians chapter 3. Go to Colossians chapter 3 now. So, when is tradition, you know, additional instruction, when is it wrong? Well, number one, when that tradition rejects the clear commandments of God, okay, or when the tradition is being taught as a commandment of God. Okay? That's when extra instruction is wrong. That's when traditions can be wrong. But you're turning to Colossians chapter 3, verse number 18. Colossians chapter 3, verse number 18. Again, we have God's clear commandments, and then God has put authorities in place to teach those that are under their authority. And you know what? The right thing for you to do is obey the authorities that you're under, so long as it is not contrary to God's word. So, Colossians chapter 3, verse number 18 says, wives, now if you're a wife, this is for you, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. You know what's fit in the Lord? Wives, that you be submissive to your husbands. Yes, it's 2021. Yes, I'm preaching the same message. Hasn't changed. Wives are to be submissive to their own husbands. You know, the authority in the family home is not 50-50. It's not 50% father, 50% mother, 50% husband, 50% wife. It's not. It's 100% the man. He's accountable to his family. You know what? If that man doesn't lead his family the right way, God's going to hold that man 100% accountable for his family. Okay? With accountability comes the submissiveness to understand that that person has to answer to God for his instructions. Drop down to verse number 20, Colossians 3, verse number 20. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleased and unto the Lord. So, children, what does it say? Obey your parents in all things. All things. So, when your parents ask you to do something, kids, you don't turn around and say, Well, where's that in the Bible? That is in the Bible right there. Children, obey your parents in all things. There it is. That's where it is in the Bible. Okay? Kids, do your chores. Make your beds. Where's that in the Bible? Children, obey your parents in all things. There it is. It's in the Bible. And you know what? When you obey the authorities that you're under, God is pleased. Drop down to verse number 22, Colossians chapter 3, verse number 22. Servants, this is now the workplace. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleases, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. So, what does employees, employees, how does God want you to work? Does He want you to be obedient to your masters, to your managers, to your supervisors? Absolutely. Absolutely. You know what? And obey them the way you would obey Christ. Serve them the way you would serve Jesus Christ. Listen, authority. These things are so important to God. So important to God. I'll tell you why. Because the ultimate authority is the Lord God Himself. There is no higher authority than God Himself. And the way we learn to be obedient to God is to first to learn how to be obedient, especially as children, to our parents. When we go to the workplace, we learn to be obedient to the boss. When we go to church, we learn to be obedient to the pastor, et cetera, et cetera. You know, these things will give you a good standing to be able to say, you know what, I'll be obedient to God as well. You know, if you have a rebellious heart, you have a rebellion against authority, you know, ultimately it's going to develop that you become rebellious toward the Lord. Because God's put those people in place to guide you, to direct you. Back to Jeremiah 35, verse number 11. Jeremiah 35, verse 11. So the Rechabites are still speaking here. They said, so they just finished saying, you know what, we were instructed not to drink wine, we were instructed not to build houses, not to plant crops, you know, but to be strangers in the land, to go around in tents, et cetera. And then they say, verse number 11, But it came to pass, when Nebuchadreza king of Babylon came into the land, that we said, come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians, so we dwell at Jerusalem. So now you know why they're actually in a fixed location, a fixed city. Because they saw Nebuchadreza coming, they saw the Chaldeans, they saw the Babylonians, and they said, man, these guys are going to wipe us out. Because again, they're just sojourners, they're strangers in the land. And they thought the best place to be is in God's city, which is supposed to be Jerusalem, right? By this time they were far from the Lord, and they just thought we're more protected to be within Jerusalem. That's why Jeremiah was able to find them there. So they were temporarily seeking safety in the walls of Jerusalem. Verse number 12, Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words, saith the Lord? And the words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed. For unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandments. Notwithstanding, I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, but ye hearkened not unto me. So now we know why God wanted the Rechabites to be brought in here. They were to be used as an illustration. He's saying, God is saying, look, these Rechabites, they listened to the father, Jonadab, they followed, they'd obeyed, they could follow an earthly father, you know, doing instructions that aren't even commandments of God. These are just traditions of men. This is just a council of men, and they were able to follow an earthly father. And he says to the children of Judah, and you guys can't obey me. The heavenly father! How is it that these people who are not children of Israel are able to follow their earthly father, but you can't follow the heavenly father? That's the comparison. That's why the Rechabites are in this story. Okay? So brethren, you know that this is a big book. You know what? It's not all about salvation. There's a lot of instructions how to live your Christian life. These are the words of your father. These are the words of God. And he wants you to live in accordance to his word. I want you to think about how obedient are you to the Lord. How obedient are you to his word? And we know we sin, don't we? And you know what? When you sin, that's a point in time that you are not obedient to the father. You are not obedient to his word. But God has also put other fathers, other authorities in our lives. And you know what? God wants us to obey those people as well. Okay? Let's keep going. Verse number 15. God says, I have sent also unto you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them. And ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers, but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto Me. What I like about this is, it's not only God who has given instruction that they have not followed. God says, Look, I've raised my prophets. I've sent them early. I've sent them to tell you to obey Me, to follow My ways, to turn from your evil ways. But they would not listen to the prophets also. You know, there are some strange positions about the Bible out there. People think, Well, you know, many Bibles, I think this Bible has the words of Christ in red. You know, some Bibles have that. Nothing wrong with that, okay? I don't recommend it. I don't think it's, because sometimes when you have a Bible that has God's, Christ's words in red, you may accidentally think those red words are more important than the rest of the Bible. But the whole thing is the word of God. The whole thing is the word of God. Some people think, Well, the words of Jesus are more important than the words of Peter. The words of Jesus are more important than the words of Paul. You know, the words of Jesus are more important than the words of John. Listen, all these men were moved by the Holy Ghost. These are all the words of Jesus Christ, okay? And that's why God says that He's raised His servants. Can you keep your finger there and go to Ephesians chapter 2. Go to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 19. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 19. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 19. The Bible reads, Now therefore, and by the way, God here, Jesus Christ or the Lord, the Holy Spirit, is speaking to the Ephesians. This is a Gentile church, all right? Ephesians 2, 19. Now therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. Look at verse number 20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord. So what we learn there, brethren, is never have the attitude when you read your Bible, I'm just going to follow what Jesus Christ says and I'm going to ignore the rest of it. Listen, they're all speaking on behalf of God. The Holy Spirit is moving all the men, prophets and apostles, okay? That belief, oh no, you know, Paul's just saying his own thing. Peter's just saying his own thing. That's just a wicked mindset. God has used the prophets and the apostles. God raised these prophets to speak to them and they did not hear the words of the prophets. You know, let me remind you without sounding too prideful here that God has sent me to Blessed Hope Baptist Church. You know, in a sense, I am a prophet. A prophet is someone that proclaims God's word, that teaches God's word. You know, God has raised me to teach you God's word to instruct you in His ways, right? And as long as my teaching and preaching is consistent with God's word, I praise God that you've got somebody that can expound you God's word, that can teach you things, that you can walk away from church and know some greater truths of God, be able to walk in His ways. Can you go back to Jeremiah 35, verse number 16? Jeremiah 35, verse number 16. The whole chapter of Brethren is basically this. Obey God. That's the whole theme of this chapter. Obey God. You know what? These people who are not even children of Israel were able to obey their earthly father. How much more so then should we obey our Heavenly Father? That's the point behind all of this. Verse number 16. Because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard. I have called unto them, but they have not answered. So God, He is basically speaking about the punishment for the disobedience of the children of Israel, for those that were the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And Brethren, this should be a reminder to you, when you disobey God, when you just openly disobey God when you're in sin, you have to expect God's punishment to come. Don't forget God is merciful. Don't forget His long suffering. Don't forget He gives you opportunities to get right with Him, okay? But you put that off and you just continue walking in disobedience, God will punish you. God will, you know, things will go bad for you. Okay? Verse number 18. And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because, look at this, because you have obeyed the commandments of Jonadab your father. Remember, these commandments are not commandments of God. Because you've respected earthly authority, right? And kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he has commanded you. So what's the outcome for them? Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me forever. So it says, look, because you just obeyed your parents, obeyed your father, followed after his way, I'm going to make sure that you don't get wiped out. Remember they were worried that they were going to get wiped out by the Babylonians, which is why they ran to Jerusalem. And God's promise is, look, because you've obeyed your earthly father, I'm going to make sure you don't get wiped out. That there's going to be a continual line of your descendants forever. Okay? And I do believe that's forever. I do believe there are still Rechabites today, where they probably don't even know who they are. But you know, God's maintained his promises. These people still are walking the earth today. Okay? But God has put this promise simply because they obeyed the commandments of their parents. And these commandments or traditions are not even the commandments of God. But notice how God honors when you obey authority. When you listen, instead of going, Where's that in the Bible? Where's that from? Just listen. The authority is saying it. Is it contrary to God's word? Is he teaching it as commandments of God? If he's not, obey the authorities. Obey your parents. Obey the pastor within the church. Obey your employer. Okay? And God is going to reward you. God looks down and says, This means well. And God is going to promise you. He's going to bless you. He's going to make sure that you're rewarded for simply obeying the earthly authorities that you're under. It's so hard to obey the earthly authorities, especially in government these days. You know what? You do it. God will bless you. God's going to bless you. I'm going to finish on Ephesians chapter 6 verse number 1. You don't need to turn there. I'll just read it to you. Ephesians chapter 6 verse number 1. This is to the children. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment we've promised, that it may be well with thee, that thou mayest live long on the earth. Now children, if you're still under your parents' authority in the house, the only thing God wants from you is to obey your mother and father. Obey your parents. This is right in the eyes of the Lord. And He promises you something. You do that. He promises you that it will be well with you. You're going to have a good life. You're going to have a happy life. You know what? There's too many people in this earth that hate their life, that end their life early, that destroy their life, destroy the people around them. Listen, you want to have a happy and fulfilled life? Just obey Mum and Dad. God promises you it's going to be well with you and that thou mayest live long on the earth, meaning your life's not going to get cut short by COVID or some other issue. Simple. You obey Mum and Dad. Obey the authorities that God has put over you. He's going to bless you. Long life, a long happy life. Listen, it can't be any better. You know, the Recubites, they did the right thing. They listened to their earthly father. Unfortunately, God's people, the children of Israel, were in disobedience to God. So which one of these do you want to be, brethren? You have a choice, yeah? There's liberty. I've covered that recently, right? You have a choice. Do you obey the authorities that are over you, God being the ultimate authority, and the other people that God has put you under? Or do you choose to rebel and be disobedient? Well, again, you can do that. It's your choice. But you need to understand there are severe punishments, there are severe consequences for not following after God's ways. Okay, let's pray.