Honour Your Father And Mother Series

INTRODUCTION

q This commandment begins the second section of the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our duty toward God, while the last six deal with our duty toward our fellow human beings. N.B. Our duty towards our fellow is learned and begins to be practiced at home first.

BODY

I. The Fifth Commandment is based on God’s sovereign authority and fatherhood and the fact that He values respect.

A. Authority (Matt. 28:18)

B. Fatherhood (Psalm 68:5; Matt. 6:9; 7:7-12)

II. Observations

A. The command was critical to the survival of the nation (Exod 20:12, Deut 5:16). That you may live long and that all may go well with you in the land – as a nation.

B. It is the only commandment with a promise attached (Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:1-2)

C. To honour means “to reverence, to value or prize highly”

D. The time for a child to obey a parent ceases; but the requirement to honour a parent never ceases.

III. The Significance of the Commandment

A. It requires us to honour our parents. Ways we honour our parents:

1. We must ACCEPT them (Prov. 23:22)

2. …RESPECT (Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Prov. 20:20) them. Speak to them and about them with courtesy (Prov. 19:26)

3. …OBEY (Prov. 6:20; Eph. 6:1) them

a. Listen to their advice and guidance

b. Immediately and gladly perform assigned tasks

4. …CARE for them (John 19:26-27; I Tim. 5:4)

5. …IMITATE them (Prov. 6:20; II Tim. 3:14-15)

B. It forbids injurious acts and disrespectful and unkind speech to parents (Prov. 30:17).

C. The command requires respect for authority in general.

1. Parents are the first authority we encounter in life

2. Other spheres of authority include: husband/wife (I Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:21-6:3), employer/employee (Eph. 6:5-9;Col. 3:22-25), government/citizen (Rom. 13:1-6), pastor/people (Heb. 13:7; I Pet. 5:5)

D. It underlines the value God places on the family

E. It underscores the context in which children are to be born and raised

“…God intended children to be raised by their natural parents and for a monogamous, lifelong male-female relationship to provide the intimate, secure and supportive environment for a child’s nurture until maturity” (J. John, Living the Ten commandments in the 21st Century, p. 59)

C. It underscores that a stable home requires the fulfilment of particular, God-given duties. Duties of parents (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21):

1. Provision (Prov. 6:6-8; I Tim. 5:8)

2. Instruction (Deut. 6:6-8, 20-25; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4)

3. Exemplification (Deut. 4:9-10; 6:4-7; 11:18-20)

4. Communication (Deut. 6:7)

5. Correction (I Sam. 3:11-13; Prov. 13:24)

6. Intercession (Job 1:1-5; I Sam. 1:11, 26-28)

CONCLUSION

A. Summary & Conclusion

Supremacy of God’s authority – (Acts4:18-20; 5:29)