Sunday AM Sunday, April 18, 2021

Exodus 20:12

Honoring Parents

Service Outline & Sermon Notes

Service outline and sermon notes automatically generated from video content.

Order of Service

Sermon Title: Honoring Parents

Scripture: Exodus 20:12

I. Honor the Family

A. The fifth commandment is the hinge between the two tables of the law

  1. The first table (Exodus 20:1-11) governs love of God; the second table governs love of neighbor
  2. The commandment dealing with the home occupies the prominent first position in the second table

B. Proper love of neighbor begins in the home

  1. Proverbs 1–9 portrays a father instructing his son in wisdom, addressing all the commandments dealing with love of neighbor
  2. The son's obedience to commandments 6–10 flows from submission to his wise, God-honoring father

C. God consistently delivers his promises in the context of families, not merely individuals

  1. Genesis 1:28 — God commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply
  2. Genesis 6 — Noah and his entire family are saved in the ark
  3. Genesis 12:3 — God promises Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed
  4. Exodus 12 — The Passover is instituted as a family meal for instructing children
  5. The genealogies throughout the Old Testament show God's care for generations and family lines
  6. Jesus himself is presented in genealogies (Matthew 1; Luke 3) and grew up in submission to earthly parents

D. God himself, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a family in himself — his love for the family flows from his own being

E. 1 Timothy 5:8 — One who does not provide for his own household has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever

F. The church must be counter-cultural in upholding the prominence of the family as the training ground for godly citizens and loving neighbors

II. Honor Father and Mother

A. The fifth commandment, though in the second table, retains a foot in the first table — for children, honoring God-honoring parents is a way of honoring God

  1. In the Passover (Exodus 12), the firstborn child's protection depended on the father's faithful obedience in applying the blood
  2. In Old Testament sacrifice, fathers offered on behalf of their families (cf. Job 1)
  3. 1 Corinthians 7 — Children of even one believing parent are considered holy
  4. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 — Timothy's faith is traced back to his childhood formation under his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois

B. The promise attached to the commandment: long life in the land (Exodus 20:12)

C. The severity of dishonoring parents in the Old Testament

  1. Exodus 21:15, 17 — Striking or cursing a parent was a capital offense
  2. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 — Capital punishment applied to a continuously and obstinately rebellious son, not a single slip; the son is described as a glutton and drunkard, endangering the family's welfare
  3. The process required parental discipline first, then bringing the son before the elders of the city for impartial judgment
  4. Purpose: "purge the evil from your midst" so the covenant community remains holy

D. New Testament application — 1 Corinthians 5

  1. Paul addresses a son dishonoring his father by sleeping with his father's wife
  2. The elders are to excommunicate the obstinately rebellious covenant member
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:13 — "Purge the evil person from among you," echoing Deuteronomy 21
  4. The application differs (excommunication rather than capital punishment) because Christ's blood has been shed, but the purpose remains the same: to keep the covenant community holy

III. Honor Children

A. The fifth commandment's promise of long life in the land is directed to the children — it is a gracious word from God to them, not merely a harsh demand

B. The character of God displayed in the fifth commandment is one that loves and cares for children

  1. Luke 18:15-17 — Jesus rebukes the disciples and welcomes infants, declaring the kingdom belongs to such as these
  2. The infant's total dependence on mother is a picture of the helpless sinner's total dependence on God for salvation

C. Ephesians 6:4 — Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord

  1. Discipline must not be malicious or dictatorial, but gracious, merciful, and loving — mirroring the discipline of God the Father
  2. Children are heirs of the kingdom of God and are to be treated as such, not as second-class members of the covenant community

D. Exhortation: Do not turn children away as the disciples did; honor them as Christ honors them, for the kingdom of God belongs to them

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