#5 - How To Respect Your Parents Series

For a CD of over 100 of sermons by Darrell Stetler II (most complete with handouts), please e-mail darrellstetler2@sbcglobal.net.

NOTE: I am using a modified outline of a sermon I found on sermoncentral.com. I regret that I do not know the name of the sermon or contributor.

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12

The first 4 commandments deal with our relationship with God. This is appropriate, because we are to love God first. . . Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart. . .” was the first commandment, and most important. These are the VERTICAL commands.

But the second most important commandment is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So it’s appropriate that the final 6 commandments deal with our relationships with others. These are the HORIZONTAL commands.

It’s no shock that this command would make it’s way into God’s 10 principles for preventing pain. . . this one prevents a lot of pain! Children who learn to honor their parents are WAY better off.

When my daughter lost her last baby tooth, I was weary of the Tooth Fairy and decided it was time to dispel this childhood myth. "Kelli," I said, "You know how the Easter Bunny is really Mommy, and Santa Claus is, too?" "Yes," she replied, a bit warily. "Well, there’s one more person who is really me. Can you guess who that is?" Slowly, Kelli’s eyes grew big as saucers and her mouth dropped open. In a small, awe-filled voice, she said, "God?" -- Ellen Yinger, Columbus, OH. Today’s Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart."

God is invisible, and for my children (and yours) God has chosen to put us in the visible place of authority over our kids. Technically, we are God to our children right now. . . if you want to prepare your kids to obey GOD, who they can’t see, they’ve got to start by really learning well to obey YOU who they CAN see!

But our world today doesn’t value this commandment. When you watch TV shows, what are most parents like?

* Morons!!!

* Too stupid to be cool.

I mean, let’s face it: Homer and Marge do not make you want to respect them. Jimmy Neutron’s parents aren’t exactly the way to go. The dad and mom on “The Fairly Odd Parents” always come off looking like idiots.

And that is what Hollywood PROGRAMS into your kids from the time they are knee high!

Even when you do respect parents, it’s more of a “what I can get out of it” type attitude. Like the bumper sticker I saw: “Honour your parents: they haven’t written their will yet”.

But God’s command stands in sharp contrast to that attitude. It’s very simple: Honor your father and mother.

Why you should:

1. Honoring parents is a pathway to God’s blessing.

"Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

Deuteronomy 5:16

2. Honoring parents teaches your kids how to treat you.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)

You realize of course that the example that you set in how you relate and deal with your parents will be the one followed by your children. We cut a groove in our children by the way we treat our parents.

“Parents wonder why the streams are bitter when they themselves poisoned the fountain.” ~ John Locke

How you can honor your parents:

“Honor” goes way beyond “obey.” It has the following ideas:

* Strengthen

* Give weight and influence to.

* Not humiliating.

1. Honor your parents by obeying them.

Paul said, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother." Ephesians 6:1-2

This is the AT HOME stage.

It’s like the little boy who was standing in the back seat of the car, riding down the road with his parents. His parents told him to sit down and put on his seat-belt because they were concerned about his safety. His father told him once, then twice, then a third time. His mother looked back and asked him to sit down. He defiantly said, "No, I will not sit down!" His father told him if he didn’t sit down he would give him the spanking of his life. So the boy sat down. But then he said, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside.” I’ve seen that before. There’s obedience, but there’s no respect.