Honor Your Parents

Bill Brinkworth

Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."

Why honour your parents? It is a commandment from God — in the Old and New Testaments.
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." — a commandment with promise.
Colosians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."
Leviticus 19:3 "Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God."
Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Honour is: "to obey, to reverence, to speak kindly to, to speak and think well of, and includes respect and submission."

Listen to what they say! Mom and dad have more experience than most people in your lives. Listen to them and learn.
Proverbs 1:8 "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:"
Proverbs 4:1" Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding."

Love your parents. Don’t ridicule them or make fun of them.
Proverbs 30:17 "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it."

If you don’t, you WILL reap what you sow!
Deuteronomy 4:40 "Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever."

If you don’t, do not expect the blessings from the Lord.
Deuteronomy 27:16 "Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen".

What God thinks about disobedience to parents:
Matthew 15:4 "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death."
Exodus 21:17 "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.:" — this refers to the law in Leviticus 20:9. According to Websters to curse is: "to disobey, to treat with irreverence, to swear at, to speak ill of, to think evil of in the heart, to meditate or do any evil to a parent."
Leviticus 20:9 "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him." –This is from the old testament law. We are now NOT under the law. Thank God. This punishment is not for today, but it does give you and idea of what God thinks about the sin of disobedience.
Deuteronomy 21:18 " If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear."

Not just when you’re young!
Proverbs 23:22 "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old."

In the last days, disobedience will be worse.
II Timothy 3:1 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

May 7, 2005