Fifth Sermon

Passage: (First four mainly about how we relate to God, last 6 on how we relate to each other).

1. What does it mean to honour? Give examples. Read: , ,

- to obey, show respect, and appreciate them

2. What was the penalty for disobeying? What can we tell from this?

- Even though most ppl will ask "how can a good and loving God condemn people like this" the real question is "how bad must our sin be that a good and loving God will condemn us for it".

- death penalty means its very serious to God, hence "long life" to those who do obey

- corporate nature of God's dealing with Israel. Death penalty to ensure this sin does not spread like cancer. The promise of living long in the land was also to the nation as a whole.

3. Why is it so important for Israelites to honour their parents? Read , .

-reflects the relationship of God and Israel

4. That was in the OT. Who is God's children now? Read (context to pagans), and .

- Because everyone is created by God in His image, then in some sense all people are His children ().

- but in that time sonship was thought mainly not in biological terms (DNA etc) but in legal status

- but most of the time the NT emphasizes that the privileged rights and status of a child of God (heirs) belongs only to those who believe in His son Jesus.

Optional (to connect OT): Read as the fulfillment of . Jesus is the true Israel. When we read about Israel, besides associating their obligations & failures with ours, we also need to see Jesus came and be everything Israel was supposed to be.

- Read . Its through Christ that we are adopted *Roman concept of adoption (adult, full rights & inheritance).

- Believers enjoy all these blessed privileges, purely out of HIs sovereign grace.

- It is because Jesus honoured His father, perfectly obeying His Father's will, even to death on the cross, that we who have been disobedient to our parents and God, can be forgiven, and enjoy the full status & privileges as a child of God.

5. So does the 5th command still directly apply to us now? Read .

- Clearly yes. As God's children now, we will want to please our Heavenly Father by obeying Him and pleasing our earthly parents.

- To disobey parents () is symptomatic of a rebellious heart that despises and rejects authoritative figures (), even God.

- that's why, just like Israel, its crucial for us to learn to submit to the most basic authority in their lives, our parents. To paraphrase the apostle John, if we can't honour our parents who can see, how can we honour God who we can't see.

6. Read . How does Jesus' command here not contradict the 5th Commandment? What does Jesus mean by "hate"?

- Its all relative. . As important as our parents are, God comes first.

7. Must we always obey them without exception?

- reveals that children are to honour their parents because honouring and obeying parents is the means in which they learn to honour and obey God.

- If obeying parents means disobeying God then the former is no longer mandatory.

- But there is a way to disobey respectfully