Family Honor

Big Idea

Tension: How should believers treat their parents?

Resolution: with all the appropriate honor.

Exegetical Idea: Believers should treat their parents with all appropriate honor.

Theological Idea: God gives the institution of the family as a parable of his relationship with his people.

Homiletical Idea: In honoring our parents and encouraging our children, we mirror our relationship with God.

Introduction

I was interested to find out this week that in france

Law as Acquaintance

US Dept of Justice: In 1993, the United States Department released a report for Policy Makers reviewing the involvement of parents in Church for the benefits of their children. This is some of what they have found, about how the Parents’ involvement in Church activities effects their children.

1. Judicial

They are more likely to be empathetic and moral.

They are less likely to engage in Drug Use

They are less likely to be violent

They are less likely to engage in delinquency

They are less likely to end up in prison

This requires putting your children in church so much that the church can actually change them because they can relate to them and have friends with them.

What this indicates is what we already know from Scriptures. Parents who work with God and his people to raise their children are more likely to produce children that are better, more functional citizens.

Law Itself

Honor your father and mother: Honor literally is the same word as “glory.” Now if glory is “gravitational,” then there is some sense, in which we give due place to our parents. I think the best way to think about it, is that you make an appropriate place for your parents in your life.

Father and Mother: Father and mother are to be a team. THe job of parenting happens together.

"Live Long in the Land” means quality of life. That is, that we would enjoy all the good gifts God would give us.

Parents should raise them up to honor and fear the LORD (; ). That is, less important than teaching your children to race like you want to race, or to have your profession, is you want them to walk in God’s ways.

Role of the broader community (Examples of Mordecai () and Job ()). It is impossible to raise up your children this way apart from the community of faith. Which means that exposing your children to the church community as much as possible is the absolute best way to raise your children.

Our parents are only mirrors for God the Father (): As much as we might love our parents, they will always break down. They will never be as good for us as God the Father.

Law as Enemy

Two ways this breaks down

When either parents or children neglect this relationship (; Example of Eli ()). When people don’t respect this relationship, the family breaks down and God curses it.

When either parents or Children fail to put God before their own parents (Example of Samson (); ). When this happens, the people walk into sin.

Two ways parents break this commandment

How Christ redeems the family:

Failing to parent their children

Christ was a better son than we are (). Christ entered into a human family he created and obeyed his parents.

Forcing their children to

Christ bore our God-forsakenness (). Christ bore teh curse of the broken family.

God adopts us into his family (): God the Father takes us in even though we do not deserve it.

Law as Friend

This cannot be accomplished apart from the church. So, I’ve tried to emphasize this over and over again, but we cannot accomplish this apart from the Church. In fact, the Bible calls the church to bbe the household of God.

For those of you who are parents: So parents, here is how you keep this commandment, you throw yourself into following Jesus. Because as your children see you growing in Christ, going to church, making sacrifices, then they’ll start to do that. Now, all the other things, morality, discipline, those things will come. And you’ll have to press this into them there, but the most important thing you can do is to set an example to them. But if you only come to church once a month, or anything else that comes up in your life you drop church for, your children will grow up thinking that Jesus is maybe their friend but not their Lord.

For those of you who are children: Now, children, here’s what I want to tell you. Your parents are not perfect. You might think they are, but they’re not. But here’s also what I want to tell you. They’re probably not the worst people that you’ve ever met. And so, part of a mark of being a mature Christian is learning to respect what our parents did well, and learning to understand what they didn’t do well.

For those of you who are not parents: There are some of us in the room who are not parents. So there are two ways you can keep this. First, you can get it on helping other children. It takes a village to raise a church. And so if the kids in the church see you worshiping the Lord, that teaches them that’s what adults do. But second, you need to make yourself the kind of person who will parent well now. So start sacrificing for Christ now, start serving Christ now, start giving up your own preferences now, start throwing yourself into your walk now. And if God blesses you with children, then they will have a parent who gives all for the sake of Christ.

For those of you who are grandparents: Now, you might say, well my kids are gone and my grand kids are at home, how do I keep this. Well, I think there are two ways that you can do this. First, I’ve said this before, but you need to talk to your kids, and if you feel you have major shortcomings in this area, you need to apologize to your children. If your adult kids are ever going to have a vibrant walk with Jesus Chirst, it will probably start with you apologizing for your shortcomings.

For those of you who have a difficult relationship with your parents: Finally, I happen to know that there are a number of us in this room who have had at times difficult relationships with your parents. Maybe you’re not on speaking terms with them. Maybe they have damaged and wounded you in irreversible ways. Here is God’s promise to you. “I will take you in.” I will be your Father. () If you are looking to obey this commandment, it starts here.