1. THE FOURTH AND FIFTH COMMANDMENTS
LESSON 12
THE FOURTH
AND FIFTH
COMMANDMENTS
Opening Prayer: Thank you, Savior, for all the people you’ve put into my life to bless me. I would really be in trouble if I were all alone! I confess, though, there have been times when I haven’t always treated them so well. Thankfully, you obeyed the fourth and all the commandments perfectly in my place. Now, help help me show my thanks by honoring your representatives. I know the jobs of my parents, my teachers, my pastors, and even the government isn’t always easy. Help me to show my love for you by honoring and obeying them. Remind me often how important life is. Sometimes it seems so cheap and useless…and that’s the way some people treat their lives. But you’ve told me life is important. All human lives are important because it’s the only time we have to come to know you and without you, we’re lost. I don’t want that for anyone and neither do you. Use your Word to teach me more about a life with you and how I can live my life for you. You will do that because I pray believing in Jesus Christ. Amen.
With the 4th & 5th Commandments we move into the Second Table of the Law—Love toward our neighbor/those
God places around us.
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2. THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT:
Love for God’s Representatives
Fourth Commandment
Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them and give them love and respect.

3. WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF US:
God lays out his expectations so that we know what we are to carry out His will in our lives. God shares His expectations through the authority He gives to parents or His representatives in the home; to the church—our pastors, teachers, and leaders; and to government –elected leaders on the local, state, and national level.
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4. Ephesians 6:1-2
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise--
Have youth read this passage.
God gives authority to parents – “obey your parents “in the Lord.” I visited a family in the hospital where God gifted them with their first child. Just like this family—we all were infants at one time with parents who took care of us, fed, clothed—provided for our day-to-day needs. God expects that we give our parents honor – namely love and respect, for the role they have. There are situations where parents adopt children or parents who have taken the role of foster parents. Despite these different circumstances God’s expectations in our family relationships do not change.
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5. Hebrews 13:7, 17
7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Parent read this Bible verse.
God gives people in the church authority over us.
There many different people with different responsibilities in the church. There are our pastors, Lutheran Elementary School teachers, Sunday School teachers, Youth Leaders, Executive Board, Leadership Team, circuit pastors, district presidents, and the like. The important thing for us to remember is that, whatever position they hold, they have been placed over us by God Himself.
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6. Romans 13:1-2
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
Youth read this passage.
God gives people in government authority over us.
On November 2nd we held mid-term elections of leaders to many levels of government – US Senate and House of Representatives on national level as well as many state, and local elections. There are many offices within these various levels of government—governor, Senator, representative, judge, major, city councilman. There are others whom we hire—police officers, fireman, public school teachers, and different people in local government. We are to obey each and every one of these people to whom God has given authority over us.
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7. 1 Timothy 5:4
4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
Youth reads this passage.
Family situations truly vary. Sometimes the Lord takes a family member home to Himself in heaven – and, in turn, this gives us unique opportunities to put our love for God into practice. I can remember how my grandmother came to live with our family after grandpa died. It took some added effort on our part to include Grandma in our daily activities. If you have a special situation in your family, share it with your youth and help them to understand why everyone needs to help to make it work.
Bottom line – we gave Grandma our love and respect.
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8. What God Expects of Us
1. That we honor (respect, obey, love) our parents and others in authority as long as they live.
Have youth record this note.
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9. Ephesians 6:1-5
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. 5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
Parent and youth read this passage together.
We look at these verses again—2 things need to be noted.
First, we are concerned with the attitude our children portray and our own attitude as parents. Paul is speaking to us as Christian youth—the Lord gives this command “obey your parents’ as a way to show our love to our parents. At the same time it is our love for the Lord, and especially as fathers – to instill spiritual values and understanding in the hearts and minds of our children—that’s God design for the family.
Second, the Lord God attaches a wonderful promise as we follow His design—we will enjoy His blessings in our lives. At the same time we do not want to look at this promise as a guarantee that every Christian parent will have a long life and reach 100.

10. Colossians 3:20-24
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Youth reads this passage.
These are similar thoughts to the previous Bible verses. In the Colossian passage the Apostle Paul goes a step further to speak about masters and slaves. This is no longer our culture. A helpful parallel may be the work place and the employer – employee relationship. We can out our responsibilities mindful that the Lord has placed us in this work environment.
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11. What God Expects of Us
1. That we honor (respect, obey, love) our parents and others in authority as long as they live.
2. That we do this out of love for Jesus since they serve as God’s representatives through whom God blesses us.
Youth record this note.
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12. 2 Samuel 15:1-12
1 In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, "What town are you from?" He would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." 3 Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you." 4 And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice." 5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
Scan these verses.
Absalom, son of King David, works to undermine the authority of his father and win the affection of the people.
Vs. 6 “He stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
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13. 2 Samuel 15:1-12
7 At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the LORD . 8 While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the LORD takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron. ' " 9 The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he went to Hebron. 10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.' " 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom's following kept on increasing.
Scan these verses.
Absalom feeling he has gained adequate support goes to Hebron where he has the announcement: “Absalom is king!” and he gathers his supporters. Absalom’s conspiracy gains strength.
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14. 2 Samuel 18:14-17
14 Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. 16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.
Youth reads these verses.
King David did not want any harm to come to Absalom. Joab, leader of King’s soldiers, disregards David’s request and kills Absalom. The conspiracy ends.
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15. Acts 5:29
29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
Youth reads this Bible verse.
While our authority in home, church, and government comes from God we are not to use it for our personal advantage. If our parents tell us to personally hurt or harm someone we are to listen to God as our highest
authority and disregard our parents.
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16. Matthew 10:37
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
Parent and youth read this verse.
God’s Word is clear – God desires our highest love. Placing our love for parents or children over God is contrary to His will for our lives.
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17. What God Expects of Us
1. That we honor (respect, obey, love) our parents and others in authority as long as they live.
2. That we do this out of love for Jesus since they serve as God’s representatives through whom God blesses us.
Have youth record this note.
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3. That we respectfully disobey them only when they tell us to disobey God’s Word.

18. BLESSINGS FOR THIS LIFE PROMISED TO THOSE WHO HONOR THEIR PARENTS
The 4th Commandment is the one commandment that includes a promise of God’s blessing for our obedience.
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19. Ephesians 6:3
3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Parent and youth read passage together.
God’s promise is two-fold. First that our life – whether it be in the home, in the workplace, in the neighborhood, or at church – all works out well. The Lord is guiding our life with his protecting hand of love and care.
Second, God adds the promise of long life; namely, a full and complete life. There are indicators that Christians on the whole live longer compared to other people. (The purpose in stating this is not the reason we become Christians—it is the reality of God’s blessing on us.)
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20. Blessings For This Life Promised to Those Who Honor Their Parents
1. We will have a good life.
2. We will enjoy a long life on the earth (Absalom).
Youth records these notes.
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21. Application
Evaluate: Some parents or teachers lose their tempers very easily. When we know this, it’s fun to see if we can do something to get them to “blow their stacks.”
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22. It’s wrong for those whom God places over us to “blow their stacks
It’s wrong for those whom God places over us to “blow their stacks.” God wants them to deal with us patiently and with careful instruction. But their sin doesn’t give us the right to think we can have some fun by getting them to lose their tempers. Remember, God says it is a serious sin to make his representative angry.
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23. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT:
Love for Human Life
You shall not murder.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need.
God through this commandments want to protect human life.
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24. WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF US:
Think about the gift of life. Driven by our heart, six liters or so of blood makes a round trip in our body every minute. In the span of 24 hours our heart receives and pumps between 7,000 and 9,000 or more liters of blood. In a lifetime of 70 years the heart beats
Some two and a half billion times, without a single shutdown for repairs.
God created our bodies. He gave us life, and He has the authority over it. By this commandment he protects and cares for our earthly life that He has given us and all people..
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25. Psalm 31:15
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
Youth reads this passage.
God views life as sacred – as a gift from God – and He wants to protect life as a precious gift. Further, our lifetime is our opportunity to know God and His salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we do not want to cut short or limit a person’s time to know God.
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26. Isaiah 38, esp. v 5
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD , 3 "Remember, O LORD , how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5 "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD , the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. 7 " 'This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.' " So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.
Scan these verses.
Hezekiah, King of Judah, became seriously ill. Hezekiah too this matter to the Lord in prayer and God answered through the prophet Isaiah.
Read vs. 5: "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD , the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.”
God add 15 years to King Hezekiah’s life.
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27. Genesis 9:6
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
Youth reads this verse.
God impressed on His people from the beginning that the life of a person is connected with his/her blood. God’s Law clearly laid out that shedding the blood—taking the life of another being—had the consequence of losing one’s own life. Why? To safeguard our life and our opportunity to know God.
Man is the foremost of God’s creation—given body and soul—and made in the image of God.
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28. Romans 13:4
4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Parent reads this passage.
God has given government the authority to protect human life. God has given government the responsibility to set up laws to protect life and punish the wrongdoing. Through the sword—the threat of punishment—government works to ensure peace and good order.
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29. What God Expects of Us
1. That we recognize that God gives life and only He or His chosen representatives (government) can rightfully take a life (just war, capital punishment)
Youth records this note.
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30. Isaiah 55:6
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Youth reads this passage.
Our lifetime is our opportunity to know the Lord. This is an important time and we do not want to limit or shorten this opportunity.
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31. What God Expects of Us
1. That we recognize that God gives life and only He or His chosen representatives (government) can rightfully take a life (just war, capital punishment)
2. That we value all human life as a time to come to faith in Jesus and then serve Him.
Have youth record this note.
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32. Genesis 9:6
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
Youth and parent read this passage.
We noted this important Bible truth earlier.
There are many applications to this truth and we want to keep God’s principles in mind.
Some examples are:
abortion – the ending of life while the mother is pregnant; some want to define a time of human life being viable—able to live on its own power. Human life begins at conception.
suicide – the taking of one’s own life
mercy killing or euthanasia – deeming a person is so seriously ill that one can have his/her life ended of their or their doctor’s determination
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33. What God Expects of Us
1. That we recognize that God gives life and only He or His chosen representatives (government) can rightfully take a life (just war, capital punishment)
2. That we value all human life as a time to come to faith in Jesus and then serve Him.
3. That we do not wrongly take a life, including our own (murder, suicide, abortion, mercy killing).
Have youth record notes 3 & 4.
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4. That we do not wrongly harm a life, including our own (overeating, poor diet, drinking, drugs, smoking, worry, etc.)

34. 1 John 3:15
15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
Youth reads this verse.
God’s Word takes this commandment further by identifying “Hating our Brother.” Listen to Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:21-23
 21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
When we get angry and upset with people we can and do things that we regret – yes, easily breaking the 5th Commandment. When these things happen we need to work to resolve these things speedily.
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35. Romans 12:19
19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,“ says the Lord.
Parent reads this verse.
Our sinful human nature likes to keep track or take score of how others treat us. Rather in the spirit of Christian love we need to let go and let God deal with these issues.
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36. What God Expects of Us
1. That we recognize that God gives life and only He or His chosen representatives (government) can rightfully take a life (just war, capital punishment)
2. That we value all human life as a time to come to faith in Jesus and then serve Him
3. That we do not wrongly take a life, including our own (murder, suicide, abortion, mercy killing).
4. That we do not wrongly harm a life, including our own (overeating, poor diet, drinking, drugs, smoking, worry, etc.)
Have youth record this note.
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5. That we do not hate or even think evil of someone (jealousy, revenge)

37. 1 Samuel 26:1-12
1 The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?" 2 So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search there for David. 3 Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, 4 he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived. 5 Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him. 6 David then asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?" "I'll go with you," said Abishai. 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. 8 Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice." 9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go." 12 So David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the LORD had put them into a deep sleep.
Scan these verses.
David was given the opportunity to kill Saul, the King of Israel. In fact, King Saul had tried on several occasions to take David’s life.
What does David do? David recognizes Saul in his God-appointed position and refuses to use the opportunity to his advantage. David gives the matter over to the Lord to work out in His time and His way.
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38. Ephesians 4:32
32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Parent and youth read this slide.
A spirit of Christian love and compassion is to be shared in our relationships with others.
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39. 1 John 3:16
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Youth reads this passage.
We need to model Christ’s self-giving love and be willing to make sacrifices for others.
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40. What God Expects of Us
1. That we recognize that God gives life and only He or His chosen representatives (government) can rightfully take a life (just war, capital punishment)
2. That we value all human life as a time to come to faith in Jesus and then serve Him
3. That we do not wrongly take a life, including our own (murder, suicide, abortion, mercy killing).
4. That we do not wrongly harm a life, including our own (overeating, poor diet, drinking, drugs, smoking, worry, etc.)
Have youth record this note.
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5. That we do not hate or even think evil of someone (jealousy, revenge)
6. That we love, forgive, and be kind to others, just as God loved and forgave us first.

41. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Study carefully the notes you have taken in class; be sure you understand them.
Study carefully questions in the Catechism. Be able to answer these questions in your own words.
Complete the “Working with God’s Word” section. Have your parent correct this section.
Memorize these Bible verses:
VIP Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Memorize the 6th and 7th Commandments and What Does This Mean?
Complete Worksheet #12 at home and have your parents correct it Be ready for review of Lesson 12 on Wednesday, December 8h.
Have your youth complete the “Assignment for Next Week”.
We have finished our third unit. Memory Work with the Commandments is much lighter amount than with the Apostles Creed. But I
learned from experience that one tends to follow the path of lower expectations. I pray that we are conscientiously partnering with.
our youth.
We are approaching the half-way point of our Confirmation Lessons. Patterns of behavior have become evident to me. Some parents and youth are being very conscientious in our PETT approach. What a blessing as we pass His Word on to our youth—we have more influence on them then we sometimes realize.
Some parents and youth are being inconsistent. I’m concerned that our youth are being short-changed. Just as they can’t get behind the wheel because of their youthfulness so they can’t get the help, instruction, and direction for their lives from God’s Word because they need their parents to show the way. I pray that you as parents see that this is “too valuable of a time in your son or daughter’s life” to let confirmation take the back seat to other activities. If you are struggling with these issues—by all means– let me know and collectively we can be mutually informed and make some contingency plans.
December 8th, is a little more than a week away. I ask you to encourage your son or daughter to start preparing for it.
Questions: Please me at:
Phone:
The same is true for your youth. Have them get in touch with me.

42. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Complete Key Truth: The fourth commandment is about love for God’s ____________, such as _________ and others in authority. This we do out of ______ for Jesus. We respectfully disobey them when they tell us to ________ God’s Word. The fifth commandment is about love for human ____. Human life is most important because it is the only time to come to ______ in Jesus and then serve him. God wants us to ____ and _______ others just as he _____ and _______ us first.

43. Closing Prayer
Use me to show your love to someone else. Help me to continue to learn your Word throughout my whole life. Use it to bless me and keep me yours. Thank you for children, parents, grandparents, and all those you’ve given to bless me here. In Jesus’ name. Amen.