AGM Honor Your Parents

8th May, 2011.
Parents’ Sunday

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Ephesians 6: 1-4
Main Idea: Honoring parents is God’s command.

Objective: a. To teach the congregation to obey the age old command of God, to honor our parents.
b. To teach parents not to exasperate our children.
c. To bring up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord.

A. Introduction
- Why is it that Methodist Churches in Sarawak and Sabah every year dedicates one Sunday to do Parents’ Sunday? Can you answer please? Is it because it is an appropriate program as so many others are doing it, so, we must not be left out? We do it for our children and ourselves to show that we are important?
- The most important biblical reason for the church (not from the commercial point of view) is it is a one of the Ten Commandments we need to obey.
- The church needs to make sure that we as disciples of Jesus we must teach ourselves to honor parents. It is stated in the Old Testament and it is repeated in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke, by Jesus). That will teach us on the importance of the commandment.
- Jesus affirmed the law (commandment to honor parents), He fulfilled the law, as He Himself had said. And now Apostle Paul reinforced it for the teaching of the universal church.
- Let us now take a close look at Ephesians 6: 1-4 to study the command to honor your parents.

B. Explanation of Ephesians 6: 1-4
- Before the passage today, Apostle Paul wrote a great passage on husband and wife relationship, Ephesians 5: 22-33, emphasizing very much on husband, love your wife and , wife, submit to your husband, very much in the context of Ephesians 5: 21, which says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
- Based on that principle, Apostle Paul urged the husband to love his wife and his wife to submit to her wife. Now, using the same principle, he is now urging children to honor our parents. Therefore, to honor parents is to fear God; to revere Christ. Is this good news in Christ? Honoring parents is honoring God in the person of Christ. Honoring God is a very spiritual act.
- When Apostle Paul addressed the children in verse 1, he referred to children who were responsible members of the congregation in Ephesus then. This is an imperative absolute obedience, it must be done in the context of one’s submission to Christ, as the command said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.” And this is part of Christian discipleship.
- The motivation for such obedience was because it was right, Apostle Paul appealed to a general sense of what was fitting and right in the Graeco-Roman ethics.
- To support his exhortation for children to obey parents he quoted the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” From the Old Testament (Exodus 20: 12). Honoring one’s parents in the Old Testament reflected one’s relationship with Yahweh. In the Old Testament, honoring one’s parents means obeying them; dishonoring them means disobeying them.
- Take note, in the Old Testament, for children living with parents; it meant obeying father and mother. For adults who left home, it involved a respectful attitude and care for them in their old age. I want advise all of us to do the same.
- Apostle Paul in the context of the Ephesian Christian community, he taught them that obeying parents, honoring parents, were their Christian commitment ‘in the Lord’. It is an example of submission that arouse out of a godly fear of Christ (5:21).
- This submission is a distinguishing mark of those who are filled by the Holy Spirit, which he taught the Ephesians in 5: 18, which says, “… be filled with the Spirit.”
- In exhorting the Ephesian Christians to honor their parents and of course all us today, he quoted from Exodus 20: 12 the second part, where it promised the Hebrews of long life in the Promised Land. But here, Apostle Paul said in verse 3, “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
- Today, based on Apostle Paul’s teaching, we Christians believe that honoring parents will give you long life on earth. My observation is it is generally very true, assuming everything else is equal.
- Next, probably to balance up the situation at that time, where in Hellenistic Judaism culture, severe cruel inhuman punishment could be given to children who disobeyed their parents. Probably this could happen to parents who abused their authority and went overboard and punished their children harshly.
- That might be one of the important reasons for Apostle Paul to say in verse 4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
- Negatively, Apostle Paul exhorted the fathers and of course all of us parents today, not to provoke our children to anger. Now, it was and it is one very important concern of the Apostle for the Ephesian Christians as prolonged anger could be used by Satan to achieve its end in chapter 4 verses 26 and 27, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
- After reminding the fathers not to provoke their children to anger, Apostle Paul complemented the negative by a positive urge to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. This is basically to teach and discipline their children in the fear of the Lord. What Apostle Paul wanted to drive home was for parents, fathers, all the more to teach and discipline their children to obey Jesus most important of all, not only to obey and honor parents. That is why he said in the training and instruction of the Lord. He wanted Christian parents to be different from the non-Christian in that they need to be educators who led their children to be loyal to Christ as the Lord of their life.

C. Relationship of the passage with your life
- Do you see that the passage today is relevant to your life?
- Do you see the importance of the command to honor your parents in your life as Apostle taught? I pray that you do.
- Do you see why you must control your anger in front of your children when you nurture and educate them in the Lord?
- You see the point why you must teach and discipline your children to obey Jesus as the Lord and master of their lives?

D. Applications and actions
- Those of you who are honoring your parents, keep it up. Remember you are fearing/revering Christ, by honoring your parents. Some of us may have problems with our parents, you may not in talking terms with them for the reasons best known to you, you are not honoring your parents. Do ask God for forgiveness and ask your parents for forgiveness for you have not honored them. All of us who are adults here, do take care your parents as your parents age, it is one of the best ways to honor your parents. By no means, we burn paper money to worship them during Ching Ming after they leave this world as an act of filial piety. We only worship Christ our Lord.
- The second point of application is this: do not provoke your children to be angry with you. Have you any of these wrong attitudes, words and actions? Excessive severe discipline, unreasonable harsh demands, unfairness among your children, constant nagging and condemnation, subjecting your children to humiliation, and all forms of gross insensitivity to your children’s needs and sensibilities. If you have been guilty in any of these, do humble yourself before Christ and your children and even ask them for forgiveness.
- The third point of application and action is this: train your children to be faithful to Jesus as their Lord of their lives. I believe all of us understand the importance of education for our children. But I think not all of us realize the importance of our children in fearing/revering Jesus. We may not be giving a good life example to our children in terms of fearing, trusting and loving Jesus. I pray for my children and pray with them for thanksgiving, and needs. I get them to thank God for our meals. I get them to say sorry to one another when there is a conflict. I get them to express gratitude to their mom for the meals my wife cook. I get them to say thank you when they receive things from others. I build up godly characters in their lives so that as they grow up, they will always keep close to Jesus and allow Jesus to be the Lord of their lives. What about you?

E. Conclusion
- The word of God today is so practical and yet it is very challenging. It is so because we know it and yet we are practicing it.
- In fact, you lose nothing by honoring your parents; by not provoking your children to be angry; by training your children to be faithful to Jesus as the Lord of their lives.
- On the other hand, eventually, you will have reasons to regret if you do not practice them. The worst is sins will come knocking at your door, we all suffer the consequences of disobeying Jesus’ word.

F. Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Discuss you bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord? That is how do you disciple them to revere Jesus as the master/ Lord of their lives so that they will never leave Jesus?
2. How do you avoid provoking your children to anger? (If they are angry until sunset, the devil can have a foothold in their lives to attack them and you)