"A Prophet Without Honor Among His Own" Must Keep Prophesying

The parallels abound between OT figures and Christ Himself.  Another one stood out to me while working through today's Bible Reading Challenge passage from Genesis (particularly 37:13-14).  Jacob sends Joseph to check up on his brothers, who reject him, though Joseph yet becomes a great governor.  Jesse sends David to check up on his brothers, one of whom criticizes David, who subsequently becomes king.  Then the Heavenly Father sends His Son, Who "came unto His own and His own received Him not," yet Christ is set at God's "own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and [God] hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:20-23).  Amen.

So when you have truth to share, share it, even if those around you don't look upon you so favorably.  Look at what Joseph, David, and Christ reaped.  Look, as Christ did, for the joy set before you.  "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

Practice, Practice, Practice Courage

Christian Friend, do you Really love the LORD?

If a gun is put to your head by somebody telling you to denounce Christ Jesus, will you exercise courage to confess that you know and love Him?  How do you know you will?  

Have you been practicing courage even in the smaller things of life?

Did you ever raise your hand in school to openly challenge the atheistic evolutionist or philosopher?

Have you ever asked a co-worker to not profane the Lord's name?

Do you walk away from your friends as they enjoy a dirty joke?

Have you stood by yourself, holding a sign, on a public sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood?

When was the last time you mentioned God within the first 10 minutes of a conversation with a complete stranger?

Do you know the feeling of your heart racing as you enter a store without wearing a mask?

Have you ever held the hand of an injured stranger and prayed aloud for them while waiting for the medical personnel to arrive?

When bullets are flying on the battlefield, we want soldiers there on our behalf who have previously practiced these scenarios.  We don't tell them to just take it easy at bootcamp and on the base. "You don't need to practice the live-fire drills;  we know you'll stand strong when it really matters," said no sergeant ever.

If you're going to be courageous when it really matters, you need to be practicing now.

Psalm 27:14 - "Wait on the LORD:  be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart:  wait, I say, on the LORD."

The End Is NOT Near

I don't think Jesus is coming soon.

The end is Not near. Well, the end of my life (and yours) is near -- sometime within the next 70 years, maybe even today. So we need to be always faithful to Christ. Be prepared.

But Christians need to read Ephesians more, ... more carefully, more often.

"God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, ... has made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." -- Ephesians 2:4-7

God has made us sit in Christ. And where is Christ? At God's "own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Eph. 1:20-21). To continue, God has "put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Eph. 1:22).

Do you see that? We the church are positioned with great authority. ~ But is that the sense you get from the brothers and sisters in your particular Christian circle(s)? Do they go about with the confidence of "conquering and to conquer"?

Notice, too, that Paul speaks of "ages to come." The age in which Paul was living was coming to an end, but there were yet "ages to come" including the one in which you and I now live. And what's to be expected in these ages? "Exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Exceeding riches!

So let's live as if our Father "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the Power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20). Take dominion. Take charge. Conquer the world! Build the kingdom! After all, "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).

Outsmarting God

I know my own imperfect heart well enough to know that there have been times, when I have sinned against the Lord and have been expecting discipline from Him, that I try to manipulate that discipline (put a book in the seat of my pants, talk Him into taking fewer swats, color a picture for Him to put on the fridge before He finds out what I did).  --  As if I can outsmart God when He has determined to do what needs done.  My pastor points out that such an approach -- trying to "manage" God's judgment -- is likely what many conservatives are attempting to accomplish through their voting ....

"Whether we get Trump or Hillary, one thing is certain.  We deserve worse than that.  We have to take up our problem with God, because He is the one visiting this plague of an election on us.  And He is doing so for reasons that are righteous, holy and just.  We deserve the rulers we have gotten, are getting, and are going to get.  Wicked people get wicked options in their elections.  The problem is not the RNC, or the DNC, or whoever else we might want to blame.  We have met the enemy, as Pogo said, and he is us.

"If the hand of the Lord is upon us, the way out is repentance.  We cannot manage our way out.  We cannot do a little voting triage.  We cannot game the system.  What is happening is the judgment of God. And if God is judging a stiff-necked people, as He manifestly is, it is no solution to suggest that we try to dodge the flaming hailstones.  The way out is repentance.  And I don’t primarily mean repentance at the polling booth.  Right repentance will eventually show up at the polls, but I am talking about the country turning back to Jesus Christ through a great reformation and revival.  If you want anything else, you are desiring salvation without a Savior." - Douglas Wilson

(https://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/dodging-flaming-hailstones.html)

This World Is Not My Home; I'm Just a-Shirking Through

When some mess in our nation or in the Christian church is motivating a discussion with opposing views, I will occasionally observe someone saying, "At the end of the day, this earth is not our final destination and these worldly matters are distracting us from our relationship with God."

If a personal relationship with God is all that matters, then why are we still here? Once that relationship has been established, why not just go immediately to be with Him?

Apparently, the One with Whom we are in relationship wants to see growth in that relationship via a life on this earth. Apparently, He wants us to honor Him by how we live here on this planet, by how we seek His face, by how we heed His Word, by how we engage with our neighbors, and by how we love those neighbors through our votes (or abstentions) in regard to policies (and politicians) that will certainly affect those neighbors.

Make a Loud Noise

Psalm 100:1-2 – “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.” Psalm 98:4-6 – “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.” Psalm 98 speaks of the playing of instruments and singing “before the LORD, the King.” Verse 2 of Psalm 100 says to “come before His presence with singing.” We of Christ's church hope to be ever reforming in all areas of life and worship. This must certainly include our offering of music during our worship on the Lord’s Day. We believe Christ calls us to further mature in the way we sing for the Lord, to “make His praise glorious.”

So what if you show up to church some Sunday morning and one of the congregational song selections is a new one to you, one with which you are unfamiliar? Or what if, the opposite happens – you show up to church and one of the congregational song selections is an old one to you, one which we sang last week … and the week before that … and maybe even the week before that? What if you don’t enjoy singing too much? What if you can’t sing, at least according to your own observation and that of those around you? To all these questions, the Holy Spirit’s response is the same: “Make a joyful noise …, make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” And we are to offer this “before the LORD, the King,” “before His presence.” If we are going to bring an offering before the LORD, including a musical one, we should do so with all our heart and with all our strength.

“Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” with all your strength. So if we’re singing a new song and you make a mistake, make it loudly. If we’re singing an old song … again …, sing it loudly. If you don’t enjoy singing, tough – you’re commanded to sing and do so loudly. If you can’t sing, then make a noise and make it loudly.

Sing before the Lord

When the priests of Malachi 1 ask the LORD how they have despised the LORD’s name and polluted Him, He answers by saying (v. 7-8), “Ye say, ‘The table of the LORD is contemptible.’ And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” They were bringing offerings before the LORD which they would not have brought before the governor.

One has to occasionally wonder, or certainly ought to periodically wonder, “If I were preparing a musical presentation for a dinner at the governor’s mansion tomorrow, would I do it the same way that I prepare and present my musical offering at church on the Lord’s Day?” Would I sing such that neither my wife beside me nor the guy in front of me can hear me? Would I refrain from singing because this song just doesn’t excite me anymore? Would my moment of practicing and my moment of actually presenting be one and the same?

The Psalmist makes clear that our singing is “before the LORD, the King” (Ps. 98:6). “Come before His presence with singing” (Ps. 100:2). We are not just singing with one another; we are not just singing to one another about the Lord. We are singing before the LORD, in front of Him. He is the Audience. So “whatsoever ye do,” including singing at church, “do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).

Not Impressing the Lord

Combining I John 4:19 with the first and greatest commandment (Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27), we might say, “We love [the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength,] because He first loved us” with His all. He initiated this covenant relationship. He loved us first.

Knowing that love is first and foremost an action before it’s an emotion, then loving God with all we’ve got means that our actions of obedience before the Lord is a response to His actions of grace toward us. So for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, loving Him with all we’ve got means that we wear our “Sunday best,” present our tithes and offerings, and sing with all our might, not because we are trying to impress Him, as if we hope to present Him with something He’s never before seen or heard. He knows our thoughts afar off (Ps. 139:2), so how can we surprise or impress Him?

We are to “come before [the Lord’s] presence with thanksgiving” (Ps. 95:2); we are to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving” (Ps. 100:4); we are to “sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving” (Ps. 147:7). What are we giving thanks for? Well, what has the Lord done for you lately? We don’t have time to share all that God has done for even the youngest single covenant member here right now. But those things we have scheduled to do, the songs we have scheduled to sing, we can and must offer unto “the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength,” … not because we can impress God; but we responsively offer our best with hearts of thankfulness to Him for giving us His best. Psalm 103:1-2 – “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Baptized in Snow

Yep, I’m one of those who thinks an all-encompassing white blanket of pure snow is beautiful. So as I proceed to defend it, I must confess that I am a bit biased. I like snow. Not year round, mind you; but a month or two (maybe even three?), I’m fine with that. But someone may wonder, "Why? Why snow? What good possibly comes from it? And don’t say that spring comes from it, as if banging your head on a brick wall is justified by how good it feels to stop."

Well, I would like to contend that God offers snow as an annual baptism – a re-telling of the need for the old to die, for the dead to be buried, and for new life to spring forth afresh. In the fall, things do just that: they fall. They fall down and die. They get raked, burned, or composted. That from which they fell looks lifeless. In the winter, these lifeless forms and their detachments are buried, in some places six inches under, in others six feed under. In the spring, things do just that: they spring. They spring forth, up, and out. They become green and look happy to be alive.

Still skeptical?

What is snow? It’s frozen water, it’s white, and it’s cold. God has shown in numerous times and ways that He brings new life and new creations out of water. "In the beginning … the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). "And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:’ and it was so" (Gen. 1:9). Then God started over with Noah and his family after covering the entire earth with water (Gen. 6-9). Then God gave Israel a new start by leading them with a cloud and bringing them through the Red Sea (I Cor. 10:1-2). Then John the Baptist, Christ Himself, and the apostles called people to signify their testimony of new life in Christ by being baptized in water. And, of course, babies announce to the world that a new life has arrived not very long after "the water breaks." So there should be no surprise that particular parts of our world look freshly new and alive after the frozen water of winter has receded.

So perhaps the symbolism is beginning to make snow more attractive to you, until you wonder, "But why cold? Why so cold? What beauty is there in coldness?" Again, I think the coldness represents death or at least the confirmation of death. When a body dies, it becomes cold; and vice versa: when things become very cold, they die. At absolute zero (which is probably pretty cold), things become inanimate, they stop moving. We bury things that are dead. And if they weren’t completely dead when we buried them, they will be. Death is essential. Why?

Enter white. If whiteness symbolizes purity, then why is something so deadly so white? Well, sometimes to rid the impurities from an object of desire, you have to destroy those impurities. Chemotherapy and radiation are attempts to kill cancerous cells. The problem with this is that chemotherapy and radiation do not simultaneously (or even eventually) replace those corrupt cells with fresh healthy ones. Replenishment must come via some other means. If that does not happen, then the entire body may die. – This is, of course, another way of achieving purification: rather than attack the particular impurities within the desired object, destroy the entire object itself – purification by death. When a field is covered with snow, no impurities are visible: no weeds, no bugs, nut’in’.

"But, but, -," you say, "but there’s nothing alive either! Yeah, there may not be any impurities visible, but neither are there any signs of life visible … in a field covered with snow or in a man consumed by chemotherapy. It may be pure now, but it’s dead. What good is that?"

Granted. But my point still stands. Purification, even if it’s by death, is still purification and can thus be symbolized by whiteness. But, given the overall picture, your point is still valid. "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. … For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." – 1 Cor. 15:13-19

But baptism with snow in winter happens at the beginning of the year. There is yet a resurrection in spring which we eagerly anticipate and plan to celebrate. But first, the dirty old man must die and become cold. And if he still twitches now and then after death, the coldness of burial will ensure that he completely dies. The world is now a bit purer, being cleansed from all unrighteousness. But remember: that is not the end of the story; it is only the beginning.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And God graciously heaps upon us His reminder of this every year.

A Kingdom Metaphor

Christ Jesus is Lord of all. The Christian church is His bride.

Imagine, if you will, a benevolent king over all the known world, in the process of ridding such world of all the putrescent effects of a rapacious tyrannical adversary. If the compassionate conqueror is such the good king that he graciously bestows many good things on all his subjects, and especially on those who serve him wholeheartedly, then many would have no problem submitting to such a king. If his wife the queen were to pass through town, many would wish to behold her glorious beauty, the abundance of dazzling adornments with which she and her immediate surroundings are adorned, and the mass of entourage which accompany her to serve her. Now suppose she were to pass through every town and village within the kingdom, led by her husband with the best of his army, and preceded by heralds who announce to all peoples: "The king is coming with his queen! All those whose hearts are so inclined are offered a place and position of service. Loyalty to their majesty, as best expressed by extending grace to his other servants and subjects, will be highly rewarded. Refusal to submit to his gracious lordship or failure to respect his beautiful bride will be answered by severe punishment. All are invited and encouraged to accept his offer, no matter your current social status or physical condition. Poor and rich, sick and healthy, old and young, weak and strong, friendless and famous, – come one, come all!"

Now who wouldn’t want to serve such a king and queen, especially someone who recognizes that the only alternative is continued slavery to the aforesaid dictatorial foe, the final state of which is destruction?

Love vs Lust

Lust desires a thing for its own self and no other, to consume upon itself. Lust conceives and brings forth sin which ends in death. Lust is self-focused. Even when a man pretends to be humble by reminding himself and others about how pathetic and worthless he is, he is still being self-focused.

God is love, and you are commanded to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Love gives itself for the one with whom the lover has entered into covenant. Love gives itself and lives on eternally. Love is focused on others. When a man is giving himself for his wife, he forgets himself.

Lust consumes upon itself. Love gives of itself. God is love. We were made in God’s image; we were made to be like God. Thus, forgetting ourselves, we are to love, to give of ourselves.

You Are Like Your Father

Pop in the DVD. See a woman faced with a decision. ONE tells her, “Don’t do it. If you do, you will die.” The Other tells her, “Go ahead and do it. Don’t trust that ONE – he’s a liar. He’s just jealous of his position, because he knows that you’ll become his equal (rather than remaining his subordinate).” Pause the DVD. Let’s consider this: What should the woman do? To whom should she listen?

Is the ONE a liar, as the Other claims? Or is the Other really the liar? Let’s suppose for now that the Other is completely telling the truth. This means that the ONE is a liar. So if the woman listens to the Other, goes ahead and does it, and thus becomes equal to the ONE, then she becomes a liar … because that is what the ONE is, if the Other is telling the truth. Thus, the woman becomes a liar.

Now let’s suppose that the ONE is actually the truth-teller, and the Other is the liar. If the woman still listens to the Other and goes ahead and does what the ONE said to not do, she thus disobeys the truth-teller, follows the liar, and becomes like the Other whom she followed. I.e., she becomes a liar. – In either case, if she listens to the Other (whose logic is flawed), she becomes a liar. She should instead trust the ONE. – Now un-pause the DVD.

The woman eats the fruit and shares with her husband. They follow the liar and become like him. And we’ve had liars ever since.

John 8:44-45 – “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”

Lust Ain't No Lady

.......Darkness … and noise. What awful noise! Like howling and moaning, backgrounded by somewhat of a guttural growl. Where am I? How did I get here? What was I doing just befor- … – oh… yeah, now I remember.
.......She had called and said she had a plumbing emergency. She needed me as soon as possible. My family was away for a few days, so I had plenty of time …; and, of course, this wasn’t the first time.
.......Some time back, even before I was married, I had seen her – so full of wonders and pleasures. She seemed to know just how to arouse my curiosity. But when I told her what others had told me, that I had no right to see what she wanted to show me and that she was a deceiving enslaver, she assured me she would let me be the one in control and that I was only satisfying my curiosity about one of God’s great created wonders.
.......Nine months later, he was born, this child of mine and my Desire, my mistress. Somewhat surprised by it all, I hadn’t really thought of a name. Someone had the idea of naming him “Sin.” Not sure where that came from, but I guess it was appropriate enough. So that became his name; although we usually called him everything but ….
.......Well, from his earliest days, he was quite demanding. Of course, it was all harmless enough, so we met his demands. Besides I only met his demands because I wanted to, certainly not because of any fear of him. But as babies do, he grew … and grew … and grew. Isn’t it amazing how your offspring can become so much bigger than you! As much as I hate to admit it, some of the time when I gave in to his demands, it wasn’t only because I wanted to anymore. He simply made it difficult to say, “No.” Oh, I’m pretty sure that I could’ve said “No” to him whenever I wanted.

.......So anyway, my friend had this plumbing emergency, ya know. So I hurried to her house. She must’ve heard me pull up because, as soon as I reached her door, she told me to “come on in.” I saw no signs of an emergency – no water all over the floor, no septic smells – quite the opposite really. Perfume, riding a cool breeze through an open door leading to the basement, from where I heard her voice again. So maybe there was an emergency after all. But if there was, I forgot all about it when I saw her, lying on a beautifully-decorated canopy bed, rose petals and candles all around.
.......I didn’t think we’d been down there for very long when, suddenly, a pounding and smashing was heard through the house. We had hardly time to think about it all when they came tearing down the stairs. Her husband, with a baseball bat in hand, being pushed by … a giant – a giant who looked all too familiar.
.......Great pain! My bare back … he broke it. Excruciating pain! Throbbing heat, pounding through my head. A few seconds – an eternity – I must’ve passed out.

James 1:14-15 – “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Placing Second in Your Own Look-Alike Contest

Christopher Witmer said, “You don’t resemble my caricature of you because you’re lying.” That may help explain the following, or vice versa: I once heard that Groucho Marx won second prize in a Groucho Marx Look-Alike Contest; and I have no trouble believing it. Without having investigated the truth or the background of this story, I would like to make some conjectures about it because I think it provides a useful illustration. 1) I have also heard and even observed in pictures that Groucho sometimes wore a painted-on mustache, which could offer one plausible explanation for why he placed second. The first prize winner may have had a real mustache. 2) Groucho was also an actor and television celebrity. Perhaps his behavior was somewhat different in person and off camera. But logic still demands that there is no way that a person should place second in his own look-alike or act-alike contest. The first prize winner should have had a painted-on mustache, acted witty on camera but somewhat different off camera, and even had an identical … well, everything that Groucho had.

Are we frustrated that Christ does not always live up to our caricature of Him? It seems that, if many churches today were on the panel of judges, Christ & His Bride themselves would not win First Prize if they were to enter their own look-alike contest. Under cultural influence, we have created our own list of criteria, instead of using the age-old List given to us by the Spirit of Christ Himself – the Holy Scriptures. Many Christians and churches today actually have the audacity to think that we may decide where, when, how, and even why we will worship; but by so doing, we are – without realizing it – even deciding what we will worship. Someone said, “God made man in His image, then man returned the favor.” But, in case you didn’t catch it, that’s a violation of the second commandment.

It's Not Just the Heart That Matters

If you want to commit sin and still be a Christian, then you might like the modern evangelical Church of God. There, in the modern church, if you can only become accustomed to and comfortable with the convicting of the Holy Spirit, you can likely enjoy your sin for quite some time without much interruption. For should anyone else dare to take upon himself that which “belongs to the Holy Spirit,” all you need do is remind such a person of the following presuppositions espoused by the modern church: “Don’t judge,” and “It’s the heart that matters.” In other words, just tell ‘em, “No matter what you might claim about me, with your very limited perspective about me, you obviously cannot see my pure heart; therefore, you have no right, against my wishes, to hold me accountable in my private faith and personal relationship with God. – Mind your own business.” It’s also a nice touch to throw in a little “Biblical” reminder that “Christ reserved his harshest criticisms for the Pharisees, whom He called ‘hypocrites,’ because, even though they did all the right works, their heart was far from God.”

Fortunately for you – unfortunately, really, – a typical individual within the modern church won’t recognize, let alone correct the various fallacies in your theology, including even your misperception about Christ’s diagnosis of the Pharisees. Christ did not disunite a man’s works from his heart. You likely already know and perhaps are uncomfortable with the implications of the passage which says, “By their fruits, you will know them” (Matt. 7:16, 20 – the same chapter where He said, “Judge not,” by the way). But Christ also applies Isaiah’s prophecy to the scribes and Pharisees when He quotes, “‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, …; but their heart is far from me,’” and then explains, “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man” (Matt. 15:8, 18-20, italics mine). Finally, you should realize that Matthew 23, where we read at least seven “woes” pronounced against the “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” for their various correlating teachings and works, begins with Jesus Christ “saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not’” (Matt. 23:2-3, italics mine).

Sin Is Disobeying God

Sin can be defined in two words: disobeying God. Included in the teaching of our children to confess their wrongdoing immediately following correction is the proper phrasing of the confession. “I’m sorry for standing on the table” is not necessarily a confession of sin. Those words may come out of the mouth, but the heart might be saying, “I know you don’t like for me to stand on the table, so I’m sorry that I did it … while you were watching … because I don’t like spankings.”
So I will often ask, “Is standing on the table a sin? Does the Bible say, ‘You shall not stand on tables’?”
The child says, “No,” even though he has never read the entire Bible, let alone, memorized it. But I think God has given my child enough grace to recognize the answer to my question.
“What was your sin then?” I ask.
“Disobeying my parents.”
“Is disobeying your parents a sin?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because God says, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord.’”
“That’s right. So when you disobey your parents, then you are also …”
“… disobeying God. – I’m sorry, Dad, for disobeying you by standing on the table.”
“Now, Son, you need to tell Someone else ….”
“I’m sorry, God, for disobeying you.”
* * * * *
Throughout the Scriptures, beginning with Cain and Abel, we see God accepting some sacrifices and rejecting others. He is the One Who required sacrifices with multiple parameters, but then later (in Isaiah 1) He asked, “Who has required all these sacrifices at your hand?”

As the Hebrews writer explains, Christ knew that doing God’s will – obedience – took priority over sacrifice; but then, in doing God’s will, Christ offered Himself as the sinless, atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 10:8-10 – “First He said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them’ (although the law required them to be made). Then He said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do Your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”