“HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER”
Exodus 20:12
To be an honor graduate is considered quite an accomplishment. These honors, as you know, are in Latin and they indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree is earned.
There are typically three types of Latin honors in order of increasing level of honor.
They are: Cum Laude (with honor), Magna Cum Laude (with great honor) and Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor).
There is another type of honor graduate that I want to talk about today from a totally different university, the "University of Life."
The difference between this university and any other, is that everyone can graduate from the University of Life with honors-- if you will do one thing ----and that is keep the 5th commandment!
(Rom 13:7) “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
Parenthood should be held in high regard!!
The home is the foundation of society!
A family cansurvive without anation---but anation cannot survive without the family!
Sadly our society is removing the landmarks and destroying the foundations of family!
A cynic is one who knows the price of everything-- and the value of nothing.
We live in a generation that knows nothing of family values.
Parents are presented as imbeciles and children are the enlightened ones telling THEM how to behave!
Children are unappreciative of their parents.
Paul spoke of the perilous times in 2Tim 3, and listed along with awful abominations"disobedient to parents."
The 5th commandment begins the 2ndsection of the Commandments.
It is fitting that this Commandment should fall in the middle
Out of all the Ten, this is the only one that contains no negative word whatsoever.
It is a totally positive commandment. All of the other nine commandments tell us not to do something. This is the only commandment that tells us simply to do something.
Jesus boiled the Ten Commandments down to two: love God and love your neighbor.
Loving our neighbor begins at home.
The 1st relationship you had in life was with your parents. It sets the tone for the rest of your relationships!
I.THE RECOGNITION THAT IS DEMANDED
--there is no age limit to this commandment. As long as your parents are alive, you are to honor them.
Pro 23:22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
----no system can honor your parents for you!
1Ti 5:4 “..let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite (repay) their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
As a dying man, Jesus remembered to honor His mother by seeing that she was cared for, John 19:27
Even animals instinctively care for their young. No animals ever care for their old.
This commandment says we are to rise above the animal nature. We are to be better. We are to provide for our parents as long as they live.
They fed you! They bathed you! They cleaned you!!!!
*RE: Matt 15:3-6
“It is a gift” physical and financial need and the child gives it to the Church“I gave it to God in honor of you Mom and Dad , so I can’t give you anything else!”
The Pharisees said then they would be free of their obligation…Not what God said!
1 Timothy 5:4 “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.”
“piety at home”= “requite” take care of
Her children should take care of her and not bring her to the church to care for her
1 Timothy 5:7-8 “And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
A. An Esteem To Render
Don't let down; those who brought you up.
Too often, good ol’ mom and dad are seen as obstacles to be overcome rather than guides to be emulated!
Honor = "To give great weight to; to hold as valuable."
Don't go to your mother today and say, "Mom, did you know the Bible says you are really heavy?"
something weighty was important. Something that was light was insignificant. Even today we will talk about "making light of something."
Children are to hold Mom in high esteem! They are not just two old folks out to ruin your fun.
A Sunday School teacher asked his class to write out the 5th commandment. One wrote, "Humor thy father and thy mother." Another wrote, "Honor thy pirates."
The child who grows up saying, "Nobody tells me what to do" and gets away with it is going to have a hard time keeping a job, holding a marriage together or being productive in society.
They deserve nothing less than honor!
Direct disrespect I will not tolerate.
Karen went through the shadow of death for our children and I will never let my child raise their voice at her in anger or insolence.
When I witness this, I know that the home is well nigh gone.
This commandment comes BEFORE “not killing/stealing/lying”
Jesus, was the great example. As a 12 year old boy, He submitted Himself to His parents, Luke 2:51
B. An Experience To Regard –
Experience is far wiser than ignorance!
It is an ignorant child that refuses the counsel of wise, experienced parents.
Mark Twain, "When I was 14 years old, my father was so ignorant I hated to have the old man around. But when I was 21 years old, I was astonished to see how much my father had learned in only 7 years."
Eph 6:1 "obey" means to submit to authority with a listeningear.
Obeying your parents is doing right when they are there—honoring them doing right when they are not!
1) "In the Lord"
That phrase does not modify the word "parents", but the word "obey". the Idea is not that you should obey because your parents are in the Lord, but because it is what would please the Lord.
Paul put it this way in Col. 3:20 ... "Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."
When a child refuses to obey his/her parents, they are in effect refusing to submit to the Lord!
2) "For this is right"
Many young people have a wrong attitude when it comes to their parents.
You are not to obey your parents, because you think they are right. –but because itis right!
*There was a little boy who expressed great concern about his parents. He told of how his father worked hard to provide for all of his needs and how his mother slaved around the house, cooking and cleaning up after him and taking care of him when he was sick.
When asked what he had to be worried about he said, "I am afraid that they might escape!"
-they are paying for your food, your clothing, your shelter, your insurance, they've got the right to call the shots in your life!
* To raise a child today, from childhood to adulthood, costs a parent roughly $300,000.
One Father was going in to have his picture made with his family and he said to the photographer, "Could you make our family portrait where my sons have their hands in my pocket so it will look natural?"
You are to obey them both in action and in attitude.
Luke2:51 “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them”
Did He obey His parents because they were always right? No. Hewas always right!
Did He obey His parents because they knew more than He did? No. He knew more than they did. Did He obey His parents because they were morally superior to Him? No. He was morally superior to them, but He obeyed them because God had given them to Him and He honored them.
II. THE RESPECT THAT SHOULD BEDESERVED
This applies to all parents - those who are good and godly and those who are not.
The Lord did not give any exemptions or any exceptions!
If you go to a court of law and stand in front of a bench, you will address the judge as "Your honor."
-as a person, that judge may be a scoundrel, his character may be rotten to the core, but you are not honoring his personality--you are honoring his position.
We are to honor our parents simply, because they are our parents!
It sure is EASIER though, when they behave accordingly!
-this verse speaks also to parents!!! “train up…IN….”
A. By Faithfulness
A study once disclosed that if both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 72 percent of their children remain faithful in attendance. If only Dad attends regularly, 55 percent remain faithful. If only Mom attends regularly, 15 percent remain faithful. If neither attend regularly, only 6 percent remain faithful.
B. By Fairness –we are firm in what we say, but we are tempered in our actions by love.
Many are like the little girl who was very unhappy because her parents had refused her wishes. That evening her mother was amused to hear her pray, "Please, Lord, don't give her any more children; she doesn't know how to treat the ones she's got now!"
C. By Fruitfulness –When we give them love and time and patience and encouragement and hope, they will respond with respect and love of their own.
III. THE REWARD THAT WILL BE DELIVERED
This verse presents us with great promise!
A. Our Days Will Be Lengthened – vs 3
I believe that we can take this literally.
Refusal to obey parents can result in an abbreviated live!
First of all, this was a national promise.
This promise was given to the Nation of Israel, but it really applies to any nation.
God knows that the right kind of children will become the right kind of citizens. The right kind of citizens will bring the blessing of God upon a nation. Remember this - the security of a nation does not depend upon its military might, but upon the character of its people!
I believe it is also a personal promise.
Teenagers die every day because they did not listen to their parents the day before.
If my kids listen to me, they would never become alcoholics, because they wouldn't drink.
They would never cough themselves to death with emphysema, because they wouldn't smoke.
They would never be crippled by venereal disease, because they would be physically pure.
They would never be caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong crowd, because they would always be where they needed to be with who they needed to be with!
- Prov 30:17, "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it."
B. Our Days Will Be Lightened
Another benefit is prosperity. This commandment is repeated in Deuteronomy 5, but here there is a little bit of a twist to it!
(Deu 5:16) Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
When you keep this commandment you've hit the jackpot ! You’ve struck the mother lode!
*A mother that had scrimped and saved to put her son through college sat in her son’s graduation. She watched as he walked across the platform and received his degree with honors.
As he walked down the isle, instead of turning into the designated row, he kept walking; down to where his mother sat. The young man threw his arms around her neck, kissed her on the cheek, and as he placed his diploma in her hands, he said, "Here, Mother, you earned it!"