February 3, 2008

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 Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
 Waynesboro, VA

Ten Commandments #5

Listen Up Kids!

Exodus 20:12

The Ten Commandments are not the ten suggestions!

·         They do not provide for eternal life – but – they do give us principles to govern our lives.

The first four dealt with our relationship with God and the rest deal with our relationship with others.

·         This is the first of the commandments that deal with our relationship toward others

·         This rule is a fundamental responsibility in human relations

DEAR FRIEND - Common sense tells us we need some rules for preserving family life.

·         Statistics show that family life is crumbling

It's Official: The Experiment Has Failed

For the best part of thirty years we have been conducting a vast experiment with the family, and now the results are in: the decline of the two-parent, married-couple family has resulted in poverty, ill-health, educational failure, unhappiness, anti-social behavior, isolation and social exclusion for thousands of women, men and children.

From Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family
By Rebecca O'Neill; Sept. 2002, CIVITAS

Yet to God, the family is the primary source for blessing and guidance for human lives.

·         Respect for parents has become a forgotten virtue!

·         The O.T. places great emphasis on the aged - and parents particularly.

Leviticus 19:32 – “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.”

Exodus 21:15 - "And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”

Exodus 21:17 – “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”

and a drunkard. 'Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.”

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

DEAR FRIEND – This is definitely one of the commandments that is taught again in the N.T.

·         Jesus taught we are to keep this command

Matthew 19:19 – Honor thy father and thy mother: and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

·         Paul addressed the importance of this as well.

Ephesians 6:2-3 – “Honor thy father and thy mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

HEAR ME THIS MORNING KIDS – Failure to honor parents is an indication of a spiritual problem!

·         Some people excuse such behavior by saying: “oh well, they are only teenagers” or “that’s just a phase they are going through”

But God’s Word points out that it is an indication of someone who is lost!

Romans 1:30 – “backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents…”

2 Timothy 3:2 – “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, Disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy …”

FOUR THINGS THIS COMMAND DOES NOT REQUIRE

It does not require us:

A.      To think our parents are perfect – because they aren’t

·           Romans 3:23 - “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

B.       To believe our parents are always right – because they aren’t

·           Romans 3:10 – “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”

C.       To believe they are totally worthy of honor – because they aren’t.

D.      It does not mean we have to enjoy them or be like them

·           Some have fathers that are not the best fathers

·           But we are still to honor them

·           There may be many things about your father/mother that you do not want to emulate – but you are still required to honor them

3 REASONS FOR THE COMMANDMENT

A.      The National Reason

·           This was for Israel

·           A promise of long life in the land that God was giving them

DEAR FRIEND - If we want the blessing of God upon our lives, we must honor our parents

B.       The Spiritual Reason

·           We ought to honor our parents in order to honor and please the Lord

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, Obey your parents in the Lord: For this is right.”

C.       The Practical Reason

·           Because this commandment carries with it a promise

·           Because: One day you will want your children to honor you!

DEAR FRIEND – Children do learn how to respond to others by how we interact with them.

·           Good citizenship starts at home and learning how to be good Christians begins at home as well

HOW DO WE OBEY THIS COMMAND?

A. Through willful obedience

1.       This is not natural

2.      Our natural tendency is to do our own thing and go our own way

3.      No one knows a child like a parent

DEAR FRIEND – God has given us as parents the responsibility to rear our children and He has equipped us to do it properly.

·           When we choose to obey them it is an honor to them

·           We are not under the threat of death as they were in the O.T.

·           We honor our parents by willful obedience to them – because we want to please God

B. Expressed Appreciation

1.         I am talking about thanking them for all that they do

1.         that simply because they are alive

DEAR FRIEND – We honor our parents when we express our appreciation to them for all they do.

·           That is having a grateful spirit

C. Frequent Communication

·           Many of us have bought into the devil’s lie – generation gap

·           I just can’t talk to my parents – or I just can’t talk to my kids

DEAR FRIEND – Maybe in reality what you are saying is “I don’t want to talk to my parent or child.”

·           This is not a problem or difficulty that cannot be overcome by good communication and application of Biblical principles

D. Serve As An Example To Your Own Children

1. Teaching your own children to respect their grandparents
2. Caring for them when they are frail
3. Applying the principles in our own life that we want to see in our children’s life

CLOSE

Our relationship to our parents should be a reflection of our relationship to our heavenly Father.

·           It is to be one of honor and respect that is punctuated by our willing obedience

DEAR FRIEND - How is your relationship with God today?

·           Do we honor Him with our lives?

·           Is He proud of us?

·           Or do we cause Him to be grieved?

He loved us so much that he gave His only begotten Son to be a sacrifice for our sin.

·           Jesus died in our place

·           Have you acknowledged Him this morning?

·           Do you know Him as your Savior and Lord?

If not, I invite you to come and accept Him today.

Christian – Do we make the Lord proud of us?

·           Is our life a reflection of willful obedience to His commands?

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