Exodus 20 v. 12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Note:-
1. THE PRIVILEGE OF THE HOME Genesis 2 v. 18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Note:-
(a) The Problem - lonliness
(b) The Provision - "I will make him" - Divine intervension, causing a divine institution
i.e. marriage and home
(c) The Principle - "an helpmeet" - So the home is established to be a help:-
emotionally, educationally, economically, and spiritually
THE ONE WHO FOLLOWS ME
A careful mother I ought to be, A little one is following me.
I do not dare to go astray, For fear she’ll go the selfsame way.
I cannot once escape her eyes, Whatever she sees me do, she tries.
Like me she says she’s going to be, That little one who follows me.
She thinks that I am good and fine, Believes in every word of mine.
The base in me she must not see, That little one who follows me.
I must remember as I go Through summer’s sun and winter’s snow
I am building for the years to be That little one who follows me.
2. THE PRESSURES ON THE HOME "Honour thy father and thy mother"
Ephesians 6 v. 1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
Why? because of:-
(a) Confusion - so many influences - which are right and which are wrong ? 4 stages of parenthood
(1) We idolise them - "by Dad is bigger than your Dad" (2) We demonize them - "my Da won't let me"
(3) We utilize them - "Da, can I borrow the car?" (4) We humanize them weren't perfect but they tried
God says "honour" - not for their person alone, but for their position
A respect demanded - i.e. there is a position to recognise - as parents
A pattern to respect, a praise to render - Giving honour is:-
(a) Personal - i.e. Honour Governments - 1 Peter 2 v. 13 & 14 "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well."
Honour Elders - 1 Timothy 5 v. 17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."
Honour all men - 1 Peter 2 v. 17 "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."
Honour the Lord - Pro 3 v. 9 "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:"
(b) Preferential - i.e. to think highly of
(c) Positional - Matthew 15 v. 3 - 6 "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."
(d) Practical - Isaiah 29 v. 13 "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"
(e) Public - Leviticus 19 v. 3 "Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God."
(b) Confrontation - i.e. rebellion - Deuteronomy 21 v. 18 - 21 "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear."
2 Timothy 3 v. 1 - 5 "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, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." in music, dress, activities
(c) Collapse - Matthew 24 v. 37 - 39 "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
3. THE PATTERN IN THE HOME - Do we show? :-
(a) Faithfulness - Luke 14 v. 26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Is Christ first?
(b) Faultfinding - Ephesians 6 v. 4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Quotation -
If we show them criticism we will teach them how to condemn.If we show them hostility we will teach them how to fight.
If we show them shame we will teach them guilt.If we show them tolerance we will teach them patience.
If we show them praise we will teach them appreciation.If we show them security we will teach them trust.
(c) Favouritism - Genesis 37 v. 3 & 4 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."
(d) Fairness - Proverbs 13 v. 24 "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."Proverbs 29 v. 17 "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."
(e) Folly
(f) False-accusation - 1 Samuel 20 v. 33 & 34 "And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame."
Do we? :-
(a) Love them - bumper sticker "Kids need hugs not drugs" - Luke 15 v. 20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
(b) Lift them - Colossians 3 v. 21 "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."
(c) Limit them - 1 Samuel 3 v. 13 Eli's Sons "For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."
Psalm 11 v. 3 "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
(d) Lead them - Proverbs 22 v. 6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
(e) Laugh with them - Rom. 12 v 15 "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep"
4. THE PROMISE TO THE HOME - v. 12 "that thy days may be long upon the land"
If we:-
(a) Remember the Principle - "Honour thy father and thy mother"
(b) Respect the People - "father and mother"
(c) We Receive the Promise - "that thy days may be long"
Ephesians 6 v. 2 & 3 "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."
Our days will be:-
(a) Lengthened
(b) Lightened
(c) Liberated - Proverbs 30 v. 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."
