Honor, Obey And Live Long

Honor, Obey, and Live Long

Speak to sons/daughters about their fathers.

Since everyone had/has a father- birth father or adopted father- there is something for everyone.

Specifically talk to sons/daughters about 5th C.

Ex 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. NASU

This is not a kiddies Commandment. (Deut 5:16)

This Commandment affects the rise/fall of nations.

USA- suffering seriously from neglect of this C.

Father’s Day

A day to commemorate and honor our fathers.

Not just our fathers- all men who have acted as a father figure in our lives- Stepfathers, Uncles,

Grandfathers, Big Brothers.

66M father’s in- US today, 102M Father’s Day cards.

Father’s are POWERFUL influencers, role models, teachers, parents, and leaders- for good or for bad.

When parents engage children- regularly/positively …

46% less likely to use drugs,

27% less likely to use alcohol,

52% less likely to skip school.

Such children feel more secure/higher self-esteem.

Father’s having meals w/children- positive impact.

The 5th Commandment

First four Cs deal with our relationship with God.

Remaining six deal w/our relationship with others.

If our relationship w/God is correct then our relationships w/others will be correct.

When our relationship w/first four C’s are out of line, our relationship with the last six will be out of line.

The 5th C- significant- it has a promise attached to it.

Perhaps- God’s way of reinforcing its importance.

In this C God establishes the importance of the family

Culture today- trying to redefine the family unit.

Society- producing-generation of confused kids/rebels

The saga of a nation is the saga of its families written large. Plato (~400BC)

In the 5thC we are told to honor parents so we can be preserved in the land- nation, society.

This commandment when honored- holds a nation together- it held the nation of Israel together.

Persia, first world empire, followed by the Greek empire, emphasized obedience and discipline.

Roman Empire arose to power largely due to the potestas- absolute and total rule of a father over

his son as long as they both were alive.

As these nations prospered, family order/discipline broke down, the nations declined and collapsed.

What a child learns at home-key to relationships later-

If a child learns it is okay for a husband to abuse his wife, he becomes a wife beater.

If a child learns it is okay to be lazy, then he becomes an unproductive person.

If a child does not learn responsibility and accountability w/parents then they are going

to be irresponsible/ unaccountable.

Satan hates the family- why he went after Adam/Eve.

He hates the family because the family …

determines the future of a child,

future of a child determines- future of a nation.

To destroy a child’s future, all Satan has to do is mess with his family today.

Parents- 18 years to escort children safely through life

i.e. like a police escort through traffic.

5th C instructs children to honor their parents- why?

Parents are part of God’s chain of command.

God has an order- God works through His order.

If we disregard God’s order-bring damage to ourselves

How we respond to God’s chain of command (order) sets in motion how God will respond to us.

When Adam/Eve responded to God’s order by disobeying Him in the Garden of Eden,

it determined how God responded to them.

Some people have trouble w/God today because they have not responded properly to His order.

Deut 21:18-21 (eliminate juvenile delinquency?)

This makes- 5thC a very serious commandment- it has to do with the order/preservation of a nation.

Honor- give weight or importance to, respect, assign a high value to- do not treat lightly.

What if parents- not worthy of being treated w/honor?

Jesus had to learn to obey parents He was greater than

Lk 2:48-52

If Jesus had to learn to obey, and He is perfect, how much more should we learn to obey.

Pr 23:22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. NASU

Young people, if you depend on your parents for provision- food, clothes, house, protection-

then you are obligated to respect/obey them.

When a child disobeys parents- he is saying to God …

God, I do not care who You put over me I am not going to respect You and I am going to show You how much I do not respect You by rebelling against those you put over me.

Unless your parents ask you to do disobey God, and you choose to rebel, that is a direct attack on God.

Sometimes parents- unfair- mind set should be obey.

You cannot get the benefits of what parents are providing and dishonor them while you are there.

Parents- love them enough to chastise them/put them out if they will not show respect/obey house rules.