Honor Mom and Dad

Radiant Church, May 26, 2019 Mike Rydman Honor Mom and Dad Exodus 20:12 A problem in Israel Mark 7:6-13 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and’ Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” (that is, given to God) - then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Not just within families, but included as societal sins Ezekiel 22:6-8 Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. Not providing for parents is compared to destroying family and society Proverbs 28:24 Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, “That is no transgression,” is a companion to a man who destroys. How we treat parents has a direct connection to how we relate to God Proverbs 28:9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. We honor our parents by honoring God (First Commandment) We honor God by honoring parents 10 Commandments – transition command from vertical to horizontal Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Honor? Give “weight to” Care for , especially in old age Listen to/obey/heed Speak well of (their position, if not their lack of integrity) How? Out of reverence, obedience, gratitude This is really about respect for authority Where do we first learn about authority over us? In the home, in our family We learn to listen, to obey, and even do things we may not want to do How we respond to our parents’ authority over us in our early years is perhaps the best indicator of how we will respond to other authorities over us later on. Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. A direct benefit to obeying this commandment: “…that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” You honor your parents – you raise kids who honor their parents – you enjoy abundant living – Reciprocal What if you had or have parents who want you to believe or do things contrary to the will and Word of God? The first commandment takes precedence over everything else, over any human loyalties Mark 3:33-35 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” How can we have spiritual parents in our church? (black church vs. white church) Practically, how can we “honor” our parents? “yes” “thank you” “I’m sorry” “hello” The same way we honor our God