Exodus 20:12 – THE BIG TEN #6 – HONOR GIVEN, HONOR EARNED
Exodus 20:12 – Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
“Parental authority is indispensable to a stable society. Through the ages, virtually all civilizations have recognized this truth. From the beginning, God placed mankind in families, establishing this relational unit as the building block of society. Parents were to be responsible for their children, and children were to submit to the authority of their parents. This natural law finds expression in the fifth commandment of God’s revealed law. It is no exaggeration to say that the well-being of a person, people, or nation begins in the home.” Alistair Begg, Pathway to Freedom, How God’s laws Guide our Lives, (Chicago, Moody Publishers, 2003), p. 117
- Please respond to the comment above.
- Tell us about some positive and negative things you have seen in Christian families concerning honor given to and earned by parents.
- How is our society as a whole doing in obeying the Fifth Commandment? Why do you say this?
- How should parents earn honor from their children?
- Should children honor their parents even if the honor is not earned?
EXAMPLE SET, EXAMPLE FOLLOWED
Colossians 3:17 – And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
- How does a good example earn respect from the child?
- What behavior patterns and types of words garner respect from a child?
- Why should I want to have a good reputation before my child?
Colossians 3:21 – Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
- How can we anger and discourage our children?
- What good examples do you emulate in your parents?
- What example that they gave should you be emulating that you are not now?”
LEADERSHIP GIVEN, LEADERSHIP OBEYED
Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Ephesians 6:4 – And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
- Who should be the principle teacher of Christianity in the home and why?
- What often keeps families from obeying this principle?
- Who should set the example concerning church attendance and involvement? Why?
- How will a wife’s submission to her husband help children follow this teaching?
Titus 1:6 (ESV) – if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
Proverbs 3:1-2 – My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
- What do Titus 1:6 and Proverbs 3:1-2 tell us about the children of Godly men?
RESPECT DEMANDED, RESPECT OFFERED
Proverbs 29:17 – Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
1 Timothy 3:4-5 – One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
- Why is discipline important?
- What are the wrong and right kinds of discipline?
- Why are obedient children a condition for leadership in the church?
Ephesians 6:1 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Colossians 3:20 – Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
- Why is a child’s obedience “right”?
- Why is a child’s obedience “well pleasing unto the Lord”?
PROVISION PROVIDED, RETRIBUTION MADE
- What does a parent need to provide for a child?
- Do parents in America overdo in the area of providing for a child? How and why?
1 Timothy 5:8 – But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
1 Timothy 5:16 – If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
- In Matthew 15:3-9, the Lord took the Jews to task for not taking care of the financial needs of parents in the name of religion.
- What should motivate a child to provide for his parents?
- What, besides physical help should a child provide for his parents in their old age?
COMMANDMENT OBEYED, BLESSINGS FOLLOW
Exodus 20:12 – Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Ephesians 6:2-3 – Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
- What are two great promises in these verses?
- How do obedient children help families and nations live longer?
- How do obedient children make it go “well” with a family and nation?