Honor Thy Father & Mother

Ephesians chapter six if you would this morning. Honor thy father and mother. Very simple title. Seems fitting for today, don't you think? Being Father's Day and we're going to look at some very straightforward verses about the importance of honoring our parents today from the word of God something that is sadly lost upon many of my generation in this day and the generations following us.

It's sad, when I was when I was in college I went every weekend, to play my guitar and minister to some folks at a nursing home. And it was sad to visit room after room of elderly folks who were alone. Many of whom had few if any people come to see them. Some of them had family, no doubt, but some of them made it very clear to me that their family did not take time to come visit them. And there are circumstances I understand.

My grandmother was in a nursing home. She was bedridden for the last twelve years of her life. So I understand there are some circumstances where these type of facilities are necessary. But it is sad when children cease to indicate by their actions that they remember and care for their parents. And sadly, that happens all too often today.

The Bible says, honor thy father and mother and God means what he says. It is our responsibility and joy, privilege to be able to honor our parents when we are young and when we are older. I am very grateful for mine Though I have not always been at every time the most honorable son. But I do thank the Lord for them. We'll spend just a few minutes this morning on this this idea of honoring your father and mother and what that means from scripture.

One of the 10 commandments is this very verse, Exodus twenty twelve. Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long when the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee and then in Ephesians six, one, two, and I'll read through verse three as well. It says, children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor thy father and mother which is the first commandment with promise that that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long. On the earth.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word that we can study and look in the day to learn more about our heavenly father that we may come to know you, may learn to serve you better, and bring honor to the one who has given us life through Jesus Christ, your son. We pray Lord that as your word goes forth, it might go forth with power and that you might by your spirit give us understanding that we may know it, how to apply it to our lives, and that you will draw us closer to you and those who may not know you this morning to salvation through Jesus Christ. For it's in Jesus precious name, we do pray. Amen.

Honor thy father and mother. It's in the 10 commandments, the Old Testament. It's Ephesians chapter six in the New Testament. It is clearly something our heavenly father feels very strongly about. What does it mean to honor?

Well, first of all, it means to reverence, to highly esteem particularly their position. Their position as our parents particularly, we see this, in when we are young. The word reverence is also a word that is translated fear, in our English Bibles as well and so reverence and fear, reverence or fear the healthy kind of fear that we have for those who are in authority over us. Leviticus 19 verses one through three read and the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto all the congregation, the children of Israel and say unto them, you shall be holy. For I, the Lord, your God, am holy, you shall what?

Ye shall fear every man his what? His mother and his father. Okay. Now that's Hebrew word that's not applying to a terrorizing unhealthy fear that causes that paralyzes one. This is a healthy proper fear of authority that God has placed in our lives including God himself.

There is a proper place for fear. There is a proper place for reverence particularly to God, okay? I don't have it up on the screen but I'm going read to you a few verses from Deuteronomy six that use the same word both in English and in Hebrew of the Lord that it uses here of mother and father. Deuteronomy six and verse two, that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee, thou and thy son and thy son's son all the days of thy life that thy days may be prolonged. Also in verse 13, it says, thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and shalt serve him and shalt swear by his name.

In verse 24 of the same chapter, and the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the Lord our God for good always that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day. So we see from the scriptures we should reverence our God. We should fear him as God. Reverence him as father. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe, the king of kings, and Lord of lords.

He is the rule maker, not we. We live in a world today that in many respects is trying to run from God, trying to ignore the authority of God and men are claiming that we make our own rules today. No, we don't. We make our own our government makes own laws for our nation. We may make rules and guidelines for our children but all of humanity will be judged one day by the laws of who?

By the laws of God, our creator and it is his right and it should bring a proper fear and reverence into our lives that causes us not to run from God but to run to God in faith and to submit. To the one who is the proper Lord. The Bible says in Romans ten nine that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. What does that say? That says this, if you will receive by faith, Jesus Christ as your what?

As your Lord and savior. Who is risen again and seated at the right hand of the father in heaven, you shall be what? Saved. That's the only way to be saved. That each and every person can be saved from sin and hell.

If you will submit and believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. We are to fear our savior and our father and we rightfully ought to reverence our mother and our what? And our father as well. Authorities that who has placed into our lives. That God has placed into our lives.

In Revelation chapter 13, I'm not sure. Do I have this up here? No, come back. Revelation chapter 13. Let me read the first four verses of Revelation 13 this morning.

It gives us another authority that we are to fear and reverence also. Romans 13 verse one, let every soul be subject under the higher powers For there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God. The word powers there is Exousia in Greek. It can also be translated authorities, okay? So, let every every soul be subject unto the higher authorities, okay?

Verse two, whosoever therefore resisted the power, the authority, resisted the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation or judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same for he that is the government is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil be afraid for he beareth not the sword in vain.

For he's the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon all him, upon, upon him that doeth evil. The government, government was something established and ordained by who? By God for our what? For our good and God has given us government authorities for our good. Now they're not always completely good now are they?

No they're not. They're not always honorable as they should be are they? No. However, generally speaking, they have been given to us by God for our good. And therefore, they should be honored and they should be reverenced and to their laws, we should submit unless they command us to do something contrary to whose law?

God. To God's law. We should honor them. We should honor our family authorities. If you're in school, you should honor your school authorities.

If you have a job, you should honor your work authorities not because they are perfect because they are clearly not. But they are there for good. And as we honor them, we honor who? We honor our heavenly father. They represent the authority, the power of God that is mother and father in the home which is the most fundamental building block of society.

The logical conclusion of reverence is submission or obedience. Hebrews thirteen seventeen, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you. Children, watch. Region six one, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. It is right.

The right response to authority is submission and obedience. The right response to God's authority is submission and obedience. The right response to government authority is submission and obedience. The right response for children in the home is what? Is submission and obedience.

Now our relationship and we'll get to this does change as we grow and as we leave home. That also is ordained of God and we're no longer in the home and under the same type of authority then we are not so to speak obeying our parents but we are still very much to do what? To honor and to reverence to reverence them. That does not end when you leave home. What is the reward?

The Bible speaks of for reverence and honoring our our parents. Deuteronomy five sixteen, honor thy father and mother, so Lord thy God hath commanded thee that thy days may what? Be prolonged and that it may go well with thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. It makes the same promise similarly in the 10 commandments in Acts 20 makes the same promise. In Ephesians chapter six verse three that we read just a few minutes ago.

A matter of fact we see this several times, in the Old Testament as a reminder of the importance of honoring your parents. Now if you honor your parents does that automatically mean you're going to live to be 90? No. No. However, God recognizes.

God sees and God rewards those who honor their authorities and their parents and also in honoring your authorities and your parents, you are developing the right kind of attitude towards what? Towards authority and is that going to help you in life or hinder you in life? That's going to help you in life. Matter of fact, it means you're probably going to be more likely to obey the law and not end up in jail. It probably means you're going to be more likely to listen to the advice of wise people and not make foolish decisions that do harm to yourself, to your body, that means you're less likely to go down the road at 100 miles an hour and get in a car accident.

So, it makes it more likely that you're going to live what? Longer rather than shorter. A lot of the people that die young, not all, but a lot of the people that die young have issues with authority that have brought things actions, activities into their life which rob them of life and if they had learned to honor the Lord and the authorities God had placed, they wouldn't have become an alcoholic. They wouldn't have become a drug addict. They wouldn't have been involved in promiscuity and other things.

That that that brought harm into their life. So, generally speaking, this isn't a promise you're going to live to be 90 or a particular age but generally speaking, learning to honor your parents is going to bode well for a longer and more blessed life. Our society today is falling apart. The Bible says in Romans three eighteen because there is no fear of God before their eyes. Why?

Why are we seeing rise in crime? Why are we seeing that man's laws and things that don't seem to work as well as they used to because there is no fear of what? God before the eyes of men. They do not respect God's authority nor the authorities God has placed into their life. They rebel.

They riot. They commit criminal activities to the harm of others because they have not learned to honor those in authority over them. One of the signs of the end times and of the world spiraling down apart from God into ruin and judgement is disobedience to parents. Look here, Romans eight twenty eight through 30 and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, next phrase, disobedient to parents.

Second Timothy three one and two. This know also that in the last days, perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. I think God takes this matter very seriously. And we should too because if the home breaks down, which it is. What happens to society?

It follows. It follows. Children learn to honor their parents and therefore, as they grow older, they learn to honor their God and they learn to honor other authorities in society. If they do not learn to honor their parents and obey the home authorities, they're going to have problems with other authorities as well. Matter of fact, God took this so seriously under the old covenant with Israel.

God said this, Leviticus 29, for everyone that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be what? Shall be put to death. That sounds like God took that very seriously. Now, that's not with, you know, your dad told you to take the trash out and you forgot to take it out. That's not what that verse means.

That's means someone who curses, who curses their parents, and refuses their authority, and does so publicly. There's an issue there. Obviously. But under the Old Testament law with Israel, this was the law. Now, I doubt this happened very many times because most parents aren't going to turn in their what?

Their their children. And I don't think this is talking about eight year olds either. I think it's talking about older children. But God takes this matter very seriously. What does it mean to honor?

It means to reverence, to give them proper reverence that are due as authorities. And then moving on, it also means to highly esteem, highly esteem or highly value. This goes beyond simply submission to authority and it involves love and trust. To highly value, to highly esteem our father and our mother. To highly value their advice.

Parents aren't like disposable contacts that when you turn 18 you can just pitch them because you're done with them and now you have a new stage of life. The advice that we gain, the wisdom that we have gained as children should follow us what? The rest of our life. We shouldn't simply just throw it on the scrap heap. Sadly, that is a common temptation of youth to do.

Something we must fight. Not everything our parents have told us is wise. Not everything they do is wise. But much of it is. And you can't throw out the good with the what?

With the bad. You need to embrace that which is good. You need to make it a part of your life. Remember their counsel throughout your life. In Proverbs one eight and nine, we read this earlier.

My son hear the instruction thy father, forsake not the law of thy mother, for they shall be an arm of grace in thy head and chains about thy neck. The chains there is talking about type of jewelry that expresses wealth and blessing. They will adorn you for good. So, hang on to them. Don't pitch them.

Proverbs three one and two, my son, forget not my law, let not thine heart let not thine heart keep my command but let thine heart keep thy commandments for length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. This is Solomon speaking to his son. Don't just pitch the wisdom that I'm sharing with you because it will benefit you later in life. How do we honor where our parents, we honor and highly value the wisdom that they have imparted and they have shared with us. It is of great value to us.

We highly value their love. Don't forget what they have done and sacrificed in your behalf. You are our parents know why your parents went through when you were young. We're reminded. It's one one interesting thing about the way that God has made the world so that when we have children, we're reminded.

It's like, oh yeah, that's what my parents went through when I was little. That's what they did for me because if we didn't have that, we might never have as full of understanding of what our parents went through and how much they loved us. And indeed they did. And sacrificed many times in our behalf. My parents sacrificed one thing that they felt fairly strongly about was was me being able to go to a Christian school.

And so after third grade, they found a Christian school and they found a carpool that I could go to to go to Christian school and they sacrificed to pay that bill. Because that's what they wanted for me. We didn't have, we didn't ever have a new car. My dad has never owned a new car. And we went without some other luxuries.

We didn't have cable when I was a kid. We didn't have a VCR when I was a kid. We had an antenna that you when I was little we had an antenna with a pipe that came down outside that had a vice grip hooked to it. And you would go through my bedroom, open the window and turn the antenna with the vice grip so you could pick up channel 13. Okay?

We lived in the mountains and you had to turn that antenna. Later on, we got fancy when I was older and we had this little motorized thing and you would turn this knob on this thing under the TV and it would turn the antenna all by itself. That was really cool. But you know something? I don't think I missed a thing.

My parents don't think they missed a thing either. We it's easy for us to to forget about, be grateful for the sacrifices made by our parents and not value the love, sacrifices that they made. We can show that respond to that properly by being their best friend later in life, by being there for them when they need us. In Romans one, I mean, Ruth one, I think I have this. Yes, Ruth one hundred sixteen and seventeen.

Ruth said this of her mother-in-law. Now, this wasn't her her mother, birth mother. This was her mother-in-law but it does communicate the kind of love we should have for our parents that she expresses for her mother-in-law here. She says, entreat me not to leave thee or return from falling after thee for whether thou goest, I will go, whether thou lodgest, I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, thy God, my God, where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me and more also if not but death part thee in me.

The point is not that you're supposed to stay with your parents your whole life. That's not what I'm saying. But the love and the loyalty that is expressed by Ruth here is something that should be expressed by us. Particularly to our living Express it while you have the opportunity here. Let them know how much they mean to you and how much you value their love and sacrifice by the expression of your love and loyalty.

Highly value their advice, highly value their love, highly value them. Be sensitive to their needs. When they are in need, be there for them. Be there for them. Don't let it be somebody that visits the nursing home and that they've never met that plays a song on guitar that fills a void that should be being filled by a loving son or daughter.

My grandmother was in a nursing home for twelve years but we visited her nearly every week for twelve years. Either my parents did or my aunt did. She did know that she was not alone and there were people there for her. In Genesis forty five nine through 11, we read of Joseph's response to Jacob, his elderly father at the time as Joseph was in a position to take care of his father and his family. It says here, it Jake, Joseph says to his brothers concerning his father, haste you, go up to my father and say unto him, thus saith thy son, Joseph, God hath made me Lord of all Egypt.

Come on to me, tarry not. Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen. Thou shalt be near unto me. Thou and thy children and thy children's children, thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast, and there will I nourish thee. For yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household, and all that thou hast come to poverty.

Joseph says, God has provided for me and now it is my turn to what? My turn to help provide for you. That is how we can honor our parents in our older years and in their later years. By being there for them. Whether they just need somebody to sit and talk to or when I went to visit my grandmother, sometimes I took my sorry board and we played sorry if you've ever played the game of sorry.

Let them know you're there for them. Maybe they need you to pay a bill. Maybe they need you to bring in the groceries. Whatever it may be. Highly value them.

And then finally bring honor to them. Bring honor to them. Bring honor and joy. In the lives of your parents. It is the responsibility of children to consider how their actions reflect upon who?

Their parents. I think that should be a thought that crosses our minds. I am the son of Larry and Carol Polar And what I do does reflect upon my parents even more so, my heavenly father. But it tells us in Proverbs ten one, it says this, the Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son make it what? A father.

But a foolish son is heaviness to his mother. We have responsibility to make our parents what? Glad, proud, if you want to use it in that manner, of their children. To be made joyful and glad. By how we have chosen to honor them and to honor God and to do that which is right.

How we have chosen to take care and bring up our families. Proverbs twenty three twenty four, the father, the righteous shall greatly rejoice and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy in him. I do hope that my parents have joy in their son. I hope I do not bring them misery. I certainly do not want to.

I know at times when I was a teenager, I I I made life hard on my mother. I've asked her to forgive me for that. Now, I have the opportunity to make things lighter and easier on my mother and father and hope that I will do that. And one way I can do that is by my actions. And by putting to practice that good advice and example that they gave to me.

But as I mentioned, even more so are what? Our heavenly father. Because if you name the name of Christ, you represent your father in heaven. And you represent Jesus Christ, your Lord. And the Bible says, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the what?

To the glory of God. To bring your heavenly father joy. In demonstrating by your life before others who your God is because you represent him and what they see you do that reflects on our heavenly father who has given us life and has given us eternal life through Jesus Christ his son. Let your light shine before men that they may see your what? Good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

Man, what an awesome privilege I have to represent him. Oh, how badly I want to represent him well. And I hope you do too. How do you reverence him? How do you honor him?

By doing those things. That bring him glory. So, what does it mean to honor your father, mother, reverence, highly esteem them, bring them honor. And do so also of your heavenly father. In closing this morning, I just have one more question.

That is you know who your earthly parents are. Most people do. And you certainly had them. The question this morning is this, if you are to bring honor to your heavenly father, first, he has to be your what? Your heavenly father and savior.

John fourteen six, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the. Father. Father but by me. Okay?

How do you come to the father? How do you come to know the father? How does he come to be your father and not just your Lord? Through faith in who? Through faith in Jesus Christ, his son.

You want to make him glad today? Receive his offer of salvation and his son is your Lord and savior today. The Bible says, as many as received him, that is Jesus, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. God becomes your father when you become his what? His child.

The only way you can do that is through faith in Jesus Christ as many as received him. That's Jesus. To them gave you power to become the sons or the children of God. To those that believe on his name. Is that you?

Romans ten nine again, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the what? Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Do you know him? Do you know him as your father? Well, I plead with you and I beg with you today if you don't.

If you're unsure, if you have doubts, when we give this hymn of invitation in a moment, would you come? Would you come? We would love to show you from God's word how you can be safe today and know it. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord.

Thank you for the opportunity to know you as our God and father. Thank you for Jesus Christ, your son, who gave his life on the Calvary's Cross that he might save us, redeem us from our sins. Lord, I pray if there's one here today or more that doesn't know you as savior that they might come as we give this hymn of invitation. Might share with them from God's word how they can be saved, become a child of God today. Lord, I pray that you would help us all.

Those of us who know you as Lord and savior today to remember what you've done for us. And be a better light and testimony before the world. A better child today. And Lord help us to remember our earthly parents as well. To honor them in our lives.

We thank you for them. In Jesus name. Amen.