Today I shared with the youth in our church on honoring your parents. Here is the notes that I shared from:
Intro
How would you like to know how to immediately solve 50% of the problems in your family?
How would you like to have a much more peaceful home?
How would you like to have a better relationship with your parents?
How would you like to make your parents 100% happier?
How would you like to add 5-10 years to your life?
The Bible has the answer in Exodus chapter 20.
Exd 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
What does it mean to honor?
– To show respect for; to treat with deference and courtesy.
– High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem: the honor shown to a Nobel laureate.
– Good name; reputation.
– A source or cause of credit: was an honor to the profession.
– A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction: the place of honor at the table.
– A military decoration.
– A title conferred for achievement.
– Great privilege: I have the honor to present the governor.
– Honor Used with His, Her, or Your as a title and form of address for certain officials, such as judges and mayors: Her Honor the Mayor.
– Principled uprightness of character; personal integrity.
– A code of integrity, dignity, and pride, chiefly among men, that was maintained in some societies, as in feudal Europe, by force of arms.
– A woman’s chastity or reputation for chastity.
– Honors Social courtesies offered to guests: did the honors at tea.
– Special recognition for unusual academic achievement: graduated with honors.
– A program of individual advanced study for exceptional students: planned to take honors in history.
– Sports. The right of being first at the tee in golf.
– Any of the four or five highest cards, especially the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the trump suit, in card games such as bridge or whist.
– Honor demands adherence to a public moral code, not protection of a reputation.
Hebrew
“Kabad” – to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured
How do we use the word honor?
“Honor roll”, “Honor System”, “Code of honor”, “On my honor”, “a man of honor”, “we honor checks”, “Congressional Medal of Honor”, “National Honor Society”, “Scout’s honor”, “return with honor”, “honor committee”, “Maid of honor”, “Your honor (Judges)”,
How important is it to honor your parents?
– It was on the 10 commandments.
– It was on the first tablet of the 10 commandments.
How do we honor our parents?
1. Respect – How can you respect your parents?
2. Obey
What should you do if your parents tell you to do something that you don’t want to do?
What should you do if your parents are wrong?
3. Do not curse, slander, talk back, rebel
Are you rebellious towards your parents?
Prov 30:11-17 [There is] a generation [that] curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. [There is] a generation [that are] pure in their own eyes, and [yet] is not washed from their filthiness. [There is] a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. [There is] a generation, whose teeth [are as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as] knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from [among] men. The horseleach hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three [things that] are never satisfied, [yea], four [things] say not, [It is] enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth [that] is not filled with water; and the fire [that] saith not, [It is] enough. 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.
Your parents are not perfect
You cannot assume that you can only honor your parents if you think what they say makes sense to you. Many times, they won’t make sense. I’m sure many times you think you know better than your parents.
But I’ll go ahead and clear this up. Your parents are not perfect. And you are not perfect either. If you don’t think your parents judgement is so great, why is your sense of judgement any better?
Why should you honor your parents?
There is basically only one reason why you should honor your parents – to obey God. If you don’t honor your parents, you are disobeying God. That’s it.
Questions
What if your parents are non-Christians?
What if your parents are abusive?
Should you obey your parents in everything?
What if they say you cannot go to church?
What if you want to be a missionary and they say you cannot be one?
Challenge
Bless your parents
Don’t talk back
Immediately do what they tell you to do
Respect their position, not their personality
Love them.
Choose to please God through your obedience to God’s word, rather than displeasing God by taking lightly His word
Find one way today to honor your parents and do it this week.
Concluding thoughts
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.
Col 3:20 Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.