I KNOW this is late. Believe me, I know. But I can’t seem to get past any other blog posts until I type this one up.
To be honest, I thought this sermon was going to be quite unrelated to me. I’m not a child at home and I don’t have an issue with honoring my parents. I ended up taking lots of notes though as it was directed towards parents and children alike.
Text is Exodus 20:12
* My heart toward my parents is important to God, my home and my community. Strong families build strong communities, regions and nations.
Honor means to give weight to a relationship. In Biblical times, value was determined largely by weight. We should value the parent-child relationship.
Good parenting is not the easy thing to do. It’s easiest to be popular and do things outside the home but most important inside the home.
Speaking to teenagers…it’s easier to be with people who don’t question us, think like us, dress like us. Teenagers change tribes as their hearts turn away from their parents. The parent’s lifespan goes from God, Hero, Friend to Idiot. But it’s hard on teenagers. Suddenly they have to make decisions without their parents input. God put a chain of command to put wisdom in their lives and put order to the family.
Deut. 1 talks about the community having the ability to stone a rebellious, drunkard child. It was treated like a capital offense. The phrase live long in Exodus was literal. If you were not a rebellious child, you would live longer.
Deut. 6 says to listen to your parents. They are responsible for speaking God’s word.
There are 3 things parents are responsible for that can be likened to a traffic light:
- Red – protection. They are there to give rules to protect.
- Yellow – correction. They are there to say watch out, you need to make a change before you get hurt.
- Green – affirmation. Tell them they are on the right path.
Rebellious spirit is likened to the sin of witchcraft. In Biblical times, parents could do what they wanted to their children so when Christ came and taught Ephesians 6:1-4, it was eye-opening. Yes, you are responsible as a parent for not provoking your child to anger.
Take-aways:
- Make a ruthless inventory in your roles. For me, daughter, wife and mother. What is the next step for you? Conversation? Attitude change? Forgiveness?
- What’s the rebellion in your heart that Christ needs to capture?
Grace is the key to forgiving and healing homes.
What I love about this is I have a few things bombarding me in my quiet time…doing the hard things in life (ohAmanda has been hitting the nail on the head) and as I read the Five Love Languages for Children, I’m struck by how much effort and attention good parenting really takes. This was just another umph to take next steps to be a better parent.