Sermon – “Honor Thy Father”

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admoni-tion of the Lord.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Today my message the title honor thy father. So you’re going to wonder OK am I speaking about Dad’s fathers or my speaking out about God. Yes. Yes. You know God’s Word gives us many many instructions on how we are to treat our parents treat our fathers and how fathers orchestrate their children but I want to look at a passage first that gives us kind of a general instruction in how we should live a life that is characterized by love and respect not just with parents but how we should live a life that exemplifies love and respect for parents for others for those we meet in the world for those that are in authority over us. So let’s begin with Colossians three verses twelve through twenty three. Therefore as the elect of God who is the elect of God Yes Church. You are the elect of God holy and be love it. Put on one tender mercies kindness humility meekness and long suffering. I’m going to pause again I’ll eventually get through this is just what I do put on one put them on when you get up in the morning. What do you do you put on your clothing correct. You put on your clothes to prepare to go to work or to go to school or wherever you’re going to be going you get up and you physically put on your clothes you take your pajamas off and you put your clothes on to prepare for the day you put them on not realised. Because if you didn’t put your clothes on and you went outside. The neighbors are going to think OK some strange is going on here and I realize that in today’s society. There are those that go to the bridge Ahmed’s to the market. But that’s not the norm. So in the morning you get up you put on one. So how important is it that we put only on that spiritual clothing we put on one mercies every day we put on one kindness. We put on one humility. We put on one meekness we put on one long suffering. We need to put that on make a habit of it make it a spiritual putting on one these things that we will live a godly life a life characterized by these things mercy kind of humility meekness and long suffering bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another even as Christ forgave you so you also must do that was last week’s message we must forgive in order to be forgiven but above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful that the word of Christ well in you richly in all wisdom teaching and a Mohnish in one another in Psalms in hands and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him wives submit yourselves to your husband as as is fitting in the Lord Husbands love your wives and do not be bitter toward them Children obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing to the Lord fathers do not provoke your children. Lest they become discouraged bond servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh not with eyes service as men pleasers but insincere T. of heart fearing God and whatever you do do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. I look this passage up in the Message Bible and I want to read it again I won’t pause this time a problem does get through it it’s interesting the way that it it words it. Makes it easy to understand so chosen by God for this new life of love dress in a wardrobe God picked out for you God picked it out for you compassion kindness humility quiet speech drink and disciplined be even tempered content with second place quick to forgive an offense forgive as quickly and completely as the master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on one where love is your basic all purpose garment never be without it that the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other in step with each other none of this going off and doing your own thing and cultivating thankfulness let the word of Christ the message have the run of the house give it plenty of room in your lives instruct and direct one another using good common sense and Sing Sing your hearts out the God that every detail of your lives words actions. Whatever be done in the name of the Master Jesus thanking God the Father every step of the way wives understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the master husbands go all out in love for your wives don’t take advantage of them children do what your parents tell you I did pause didn’t this the lights the master. This the lights the master to know in this did lights the father to know when parents do not come down hard on your children or you will crush their spirits. We don’t want to crush the spirits of our children servants do what you are told by your earthly masters and don’t just do the minimum that will get you by do your best work from the heart for your real Master which is God. Amen amen. Then the passage that’s very straight and clear exodus. Chapter twenty verse twelve. On Are your father and mother and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. We are told to honor our parents the word honor means to show respect it means to reveal year it even holds a sense of all what this means to us is that no matter what our age because this is a Thomas command no matter what age were living in the matter what age we all are we are to honor our fathers and our mothers. We are to hold them in high esteem because it is pleasing to God you know over the years I don’t know why or how through the wire through this and there but I just did over the years you know I’ve heard so many people maybe man refer to their wives or their moms as the old woman. Well the old woman picks a good dinner last night and refer to their dad as the old man. Well you know. Yes they might be getting older you might want to say Yes Dad’s getting old but to refer to them as the old man that is something that with may even as a child never said well I am so sorry you don’t agree with that but that to me that is very disrespectful. They have a name and if you’re their child that names dad names father that names. If you want to call Him by their name OK but show them respect. Don’t be disrespectful. Don’t call him Old Man or old woman you know God was serious about children honoring their parents. He was so serious about it that he made a part of the Ten Commandments. Didn’t he it was the fifth commandment Honor your parents that your days may be long. If you want a promise of long life. On your parents honor your parents respect them love them. You know. Yes there might be exceptions when it comes to. Respect than a parent because I know that we’re living in a day in a time where parents aren’t being parents. I know they see it in the school system. Sometimes the those that are parents to the children are not the norm or the biological parents. It might be the grandparents it might be an on call and then it might even be a neighbor. It might be foster parents. So yes there are some out there that man it would be tough to honor them because they are not really being a true parent there somewhere strong out on drugs or other Lay and some were drawn in in the grips of alcoholism or where they might even be in jail but honor those that are being parents even if they are not the biological parent honor those that are being your parents is what we’re to do whether it’s a grandparent or an awkward. Aunt or whoever it is honor the one that is being a parent to you is what we are to do we should honor and respect them. You know there are many out there that have never birth a child or fathered a child that are wonderful loving kind and compassionate parents in because they have that instinct within them to raise children and do what’s best to mentor. So what does a parent what is a father supposed to do when it comes to raising their children God’s word has many examples in First Thessalonians to ten through twelve says you are witnesses and God also how the valley and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father does his own children. That you walk worthy of God who calls you into His kingdom and glory. So they’re used in the relationship. Paul was in a relationship between a father and the children to say this is how we treat a Jew while we were here we exhorted and we comforted you so that say in father’s Year to you or to exhort and to comfort your children not to provoke but your to exhort them encourage them and to comfort them. Proverbs twenty two six says Train Up a Child in a way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it what do we cheat a child. How do we train them up. Deuteronomy eleven eighteen through one nine hundred eighteen and nineteen says therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul that is where we are to lay up God’s words in our hearts and in our souls and bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as fond it’s between your eyes you still teach them to your children. Speaking of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up. So when are we to teach them. Always I mean that pretty well covered the whole spectrum didn’t. Are we training up our children that way that are we. The we have God’s word so imbedded in us in our hearts in our minds that we are continually teaching our children we taught our children but I fell short of that wasn’t every day all day teaching them teach your children songs one of three thirteen says as a father pities his children. So the Lord pities those who fear him any fees in six four and you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath. But bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord again to go back to that if we provoke our children if we are constantly bickering in we’re going to crush them will crush their spirit. And that’s not what God wants us to do. God wants us to encourage our children and our grandchildren to love them to encourage them. You know God designated the fathers to be the leaders a father is a leader who leads a father is a leader who is led by the Father above a leader is appointed by appointment and got appointed that we would lead fathers would lead their households. You know a breakdown in leadership can cause a breakdown in followership you follow what I’m saying if there’s a breakdown in leadership the way God designed it to be there’s going to be a breakdown in followership that means there’s going to be a breakdown in the family or what are we not seeing a great breakdown in the family today because many families do not have a father there to be the leader that they need to be God designed it that way our God is a God of organization organization and design and order you know a creation God took that which was a mess and chaos and brought order to it didn’t it and look at God’s working through the patriarchs you know God dealt with knew the fathers of all these families. He dealt with Abraham he dealt with Jacob he dealt with Moses he dealt with the fathers because God is a father a father of order and that’s the way he designed things in a Christian age God designates elders and deacons in the church to be the leaders to be the fathers husbands in the home is to be the leader in the home not the follower not the not that he’s a dictator. He’s a leader teaches mentors encourages in First Corinthians eleven three says but I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ the head of woman is man the head of Christ is God There is an order and that’s God’s order not my design. It’s God’s design. If Eason’s five twenty three. For the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church and he is the savior of the body but we can’t leave out Husbands love your wives. It’s something to think about it in Dad’s something to really make a stop and think God made you a leader so be the leader that God made you to be don’t allow somebody else to be the substitute don’t doubt someone else to lead or you leading your family. That’s a question today or you the leader that God intended for you to be if the father is allowing God The farther to lead him he’ll know what’s best for his family will know what’s best for his children for his home and Matthew seven seven through eleven. It says Ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who ask receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be open for what man is there among you who if his son asked for bread will give him a stone or if he asked for a fish will give him a serpent. If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask this week the Lord kind of really spoke to me about this passage fathers. If your son or daughter came to you and asked you for bread. Would you give them a stone nod your head a little bit. Would you give them a stone. OK your way. What does bread represent. Represents the body of Christ bread represents that which gives life that which strengthens all these things Christ does bread represents life represents sustenance and that which sustains us does it not. That’s what Brett is helps us to grow strong. It’s not just a physical food as you said it’s represents Christ. What would the stone represent this is what the Lord shared with me. It represents that which weighs down. It’s a weight a heavy weight. It would weigh you down. Would you give your child something intentionally that’s going to weigh them down and hold them back what father would do that to his children put a heavy burden upon them intentionally to weigh them down or to possibly even crush them. No loving father is going to do that to their child as a matter of fact if that child has a heavy weight or burden upon them that dad’s going to come along and help them carry it isn’t the same as Jesus helps us. We’re going to take that burden upon themselves. You know there are times we know that our kids will have to go through things that will help build their character but we don’t put an intentional burden upon them there be plenty of things in life to help us grow. We don’t have to put things upon them and then the fish if you child came and asked for a fish again. The fish represents something is going to sustain life help you grow strengthen you. You’re not going to give him a serpent because what does a serpent represent. Evil represents death. You’re going to give that which is good to your children father is going to love his child verse fourteen said. But above all these things put on love the bond of perfection. You want to be a perfect pair to put on the bond of love do that which is right in his eyes do that would you know that he would do for you he loves you he wants what’s best for you God the Father wants what’s best for each one of his children. There’s a man named Darrell day and Jerrel and he was speaking at a family life marriage conference when a man came up and handed him a letter the letter told of this man’s long life desire to hear his father say I love you. His father died in World War two when he was but three years old his mother told him for years and years and years and years that his father loved him. Because he’s grown up but it just did not fill that void and he’s hard because he’d never once heard his father say I love you because he died wise decision. So one day when this man was forty years old as he was helping his mother move. She gave him an old army picture of his father and as they were putting stuff in boxes that picture fell obvious hands in it broke and as he went to pick it up he seen a piece of paper sticking out from behind a picture. So he opened it up in the letter was from his father his father knew that he might die in a war. So he had written a letter to his three year old son and hidden behind a picture and in the letter the father. Shared all of his love for his son at age forty that man finally heard father say in a letter. I love you can match story and play now. But how important that our kids here are say have you fathers. Don’t think it’s on manly to tell your children I love you I don’t care how old they are. Jennifer I love you. Rezin I love you grandchildren. Zoe I love you. Isabel I love you. Rowan I love you Paisley where you at I love you. Don’t be afraid to tell your kids I love you and kids honor and respect your parents. We’re just big kids. Let’s honor and respect our parents and tell them we love them tell them we love them not only does the kids need to hear to parents need to hear. Parents need to hear you know we know that kids when they’re little they they look up to their their dads fathers and. Just remember a story that my sister share when her son was just a little boy to get up in the morning and she’d have to get the binoculars out to go see what color shirt dad was where. Because he wanted to be dressed like dad and that wonderful it really is why do you want to be dressed like dad because he loved Dad and Dad loved him. That’s the way it ought to be. That’s the way it ought to be. So love your parents respect your parents love your kids respect your parents. That’s all I have to say for Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day. Amen.