Honoring Father and Mother

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Exodus 20:12One of the most basic, fundamental commandments we are to follow is to honor our fathers and mothers.Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”Our parents are the first people we meet in this world; if we do not love and respect them, how can we expect to love and respect others?Adrian Rogers says, “The religion that does not begin at home does not begin.”We first honor our parents by obeying them when we are young.Disobedience is not a weakness; it is a wickedness. Disobedience invites the sure judgment of God. On the contrary, obedience invites the blessings of God. The first secret to a long life and prosperity is learning to honor our fathers and mothers. Through obedience, we learn character and self-control; we receive God’s blessing and protection.Second, we should care for our parents when they are old.In our society, people sometimes fail to care for their older parents. We must remember that our parents loved us in spite of our faults; we must love them in spite of their faults.Third, we should honor our parents at all times.We do that first by showing respect, no matter what. We also show honor when we express gratitude. Gratefulness blesses our parents more than we could ever know. We honor them when we listen to their counsel. Our parents have the advantage of being further down the road of life. How wise we would be to listen to the ones who love us and have our best interest in mind. We can live noble lives that bring honor to them. Children are an extension of their parents; when they see their children doing things that are godly and worthy, it gives them joy.Last of all, we must show our parents love, remembering what we owe them; they gave us life, their blood flows through our veins.Adrian Rogers says, “The love of your parents for you is the closest thing to the love of God known on this Earth.”Apply it to your lifeDo you obey and honor our Heavenly Father, showing respect, gratitude, and love?