Sermon Tone Analysis

We are coming out of a 5 part series where the studied Paul’s instructions to us about God intention for marriage.

One of the most important thing that we discovered is that marriage is about more than just giving us companionship, intimacy, and having children.

But, the marriage relationship is to glorify God by reflecting Christ’s marriage to his bride the church.

So God intends the way husbands and wives relate to each other reflect his glory.

As Paul continues, he progresses to anther relationship that exists inside the family, particularly the relationship between parents and children.

In the same way, that relationship is created to bring honor and glory to God.

Children honor God as they obey their parents.

Parents honor God as they nourish the growth of their children.

2 Exhortations:

I. Children, honor God by honoring your parents through obedience (6:1-3)

The question of how children should honor God really is an interesting question.

Adults have plenty of Biblical teaching on how God desires them to honor him.

On Sunday night we’ve been studying Matthew.

We just finished the Sermon on the Mount in Matt.

5-7.

There are three straight chapters of teaching on how believing adults should honor God in our attitudes, in our speech, in our relationships, when people do us wrong, when we do people wrong, how we use money, dealing with worry, etc.

But where is the starting point?

We are to start being concerned about pleasing God as children.

And, we are to start pleasing God by learning to obey our parents.

Why is it right?

Here are some reasons that children should be concerned with pleasing God.

A. Obeying parents models Christlikeness.

1. Jesus obeyed his Heavenly Father.

When they honor their parents, they are modeling themselves after Jesus.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, bore our sins, died on the cross while bearing the wrath of God and being raised again so we could be saved?

It is because he was being obedient to his Father’s will.

Jesus had a Father that he honored by obeying him.

2. Jesus obeyed his earthly parents.

Learning submission to parents is the first lesson of honoring God through living under authority.

Isn’t it interesting that learning to live under authority is first spiritual lesson that we learn?

Why is that?

No one ever outgrows living under authority.

*I heard about a young man that was being rebellious.

He didn’t want to obey his parents.

He didn’t like their restrictive rules.

He didn’t like having a curfew.

When he turned 18, he told them, “No one is going to tell me what to do.

I’m going to join the military.”

Without learning to submit to authority society crumbles.

There are times that we dislike this truth.

When we are driving along a little too fast and we see lights in our rear view mirror, why do we pull over?

It is not that we want to chat with the officer.

It’s not because we like paying speeding tickets.

It is because, we are under authority.

And thee are serious consequences for rebelling against authority God has placed over us.

We live under authority everywhere.

At home there are parents.

At school there are teachers and principles.

At work, you have a boss.

In the government, we have police officers, judges, city, state, and federal officials.

Where does this authority originate.

It comes from God.

That’s why Paul says,

When children obey their parents “in the Lord.”

They are submitting to the same authority that they will submit to in society for the rest of their life.

Jesus understood its importance.

+Let me add here, it is extremely important that parents teach their children to obey them.

Otherwise it just sets them up for a life of rebellion.

A life of rebellion does not bring success or the blessing of God.

B. Obeying parents honors them.

Notice in 6:1, he calls children to “obey “parents.

Then for his reasoning, he quotes the fifth commandment which doesn’t say “obey.”

It says “honor.”

True obedience is honor.

This has to do with the intent of the heart.

*Let’s say that you tell your teenager to go and clean their room.

But they are busy playing video games or texting with their friends and they don’t want to go clean their room.

You tell them three times and they still don’t do it.

So, then you say, “If you don’t go in there and clean your room, I’m taking your phone for two weeks.

They get up in a huff, storm in their room, and slam their door and start cleaning their room.

That’s not obedience.

That consequence avoiding.

God wants us to obey our parents in a way that honors them for their faithfulness in caring for their children with godly authority.

Notice how the children of the Proverbs 31 woman respond to her faithfulness.

Children are not called just to do what they are told, but to delight in the godly authority of their parents.

One commentator that I read wrote this:

To honor is more than to obey.

It is to respect and esteem.

It is “the form love assumes towards those who are placed above us by God.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

C. Obeying parents should be a child’s priority.

(v.2)

What’s interesting about that comment is that it has long been noted that of the 10 commandments, this is not the first commandment listed that has a promised attached.

The second commandment is.

So, how do we handle this?

Well, Paul may not be considering this a promise so much as a description.

But, several scholars point out that instead of translating this “first,” as in sequence.

It can be translated as “primary, or foremost significance.”

Regardless, children need to understand, obeying your parents is really important to God.

Children need to see this as the primary way that they please God during while under their authority.

And, as we are going to see, this sets them up for great blessing.

D. Obeying parents comes with a blessing.

(v.3)

I’m all about promises of blessing from the Lord.

And, God gives a promise to those who obey their parents.

What does that mean?

We all want things to go well with us, but what does it mean to live long in the land?

I’ve got two acres over on Trawick Road.

That land?

This came from the 5th commandment, Exodus 20:12.

Did you see the difference, “in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

In the 10 commandments, God’s blessing were connected to the Jews being able to enjoy the blessings of living in the promise land.