Honor your father and mother

By Pastor Young Joon Park

June 21, 2009

The biggest event of USA is Mother’s Day.

History of the mother’s day and father’s day

Mother’s day – 1913 by a Christian woman – honor all mothers – on the anniversary of her mother’s death.

60 years later

Father’s Day became one of the official national observance days – 1972, Nixon was the President

So Mother’s Day history is longer than Father’s Day.

Now Father’s Day is growing

Telephone Company in Illinois reported that the number of long-distance calls made on Father’s Day was increasing faster than that on Mother’s Day. The company also said, even though it took several weeks longer to compile statistics on Father’s Day than it did on Mother’s Day, the figures were accurate. The reason for the delay: Most calls on Father’s Day were called collect.

I do not judge any one who are divorced, so please do not take it as personal or guilty feeling at all, because God already accepted you as where you are right now.

God knows your pain that you had gone through even no one could understand your pain; also He was with you and sharing your pain in silence, so no one can condemn you or judge at all.

I just want to share what is really going on in America now in regards to the broken family issue, so we have to understand the situation and to learn how to minister to them effectively.

One of big sad issues in this America is the broken family.

I came here in America 1980, at which time the divorce rate was around less than 40% according to the American culture book. This divorce rate has been constantly increasing every year. I am afraid that it might be a lot worse than 1980 at this point.

It is not just the increasing divorce rate, but there are so many children wounded as a result, broken and live in dysfunctional home environment.

In most cases, the children live without father, so I believe that there is a major mental psychological issue. And at the same time there is a major change in culture among the children from these broken families. And the new culture has settled in among these children. This new generation of adults who were raised in these environments are positioned in our current society every where.

I shared about young college kid’s concept about the marriage last Sunday,

My son is real concerned about those young people’s mind set in college age.

The most major causes are from the broken family life style.

The saddest issue is that most of the broken family children did not have much relationship with their own father. Furthermore, a lot of fathers have a lack of the responsibility and moral standard because of the complicated issues in their life.

So I honor all fathers who are following the Lord continually and keep their faith, especially you, fathers, who are here with us today.

It is so tough to raise children in Godly way today.

I prophesy to you, fathers including mothers and grandparents as well, who are here today.

Our Father God honors you, keeps you continually, your children will be protected by the Lord because of your faith, and your children will be raised as a man of God and woman of God by the Power of the Holy Spirit no matter where they are now and no matter what they do now.

I. Honor your father and mother

The Ten Commandments Exodus 20:3-17

1. – 4. The commandments related with God

5. – 10 The Commandments related with people

Jesus condensed these 10 Commandments as 2 Commandments.

First Commandment

^{MT 22:37} And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

^{MT 22:38} “This is the great and foremost commandment.

Second Commandment

^{MT 22:39} “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

^{MT 22:40} “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

1. Obey your parents in the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1-3

¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

² Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

³ so that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.

1) Obey your parents

Ephesians 6:1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

This is not a suggestion, but it is the commandment from the Lord.

The obedience is the first action for honoring parents.

Especially young children need to exercise in obeying their parents with respect.

Young people, there is no one who loves you like your parents. Your parents’ love is genuine and true and without condition. Every one I know our One Glory Church parents how much they love you. Pastor Young Sook and I love every one of our young people, but we cannot compare our love with the love of their own parents’.

They know your need and plan for your future.

Your parents are the ones who come first and take care of you when you are sick

Your parents are the ones who’ll stay with you and look after you very sensitive way when you are in difficult time or in trouble.

Then how much more you need to respect them and give honor to your parents.

2) In the Lord

Ephesians 6:1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Your father is not a Christian, but you became a Christian, so you will be persecuted by your father because of your faith.

What are you going to do if your father claimed this God’s word to you to let you obey to him to deny Jesus Christ?

According to this commandment you have to obey to your father, but there is the level of authority to obey. You always have to obey the higher authority if there is conflict.

Your father abuse God’s commandment to fulfill his desire, but not God’s desire.

You have to obey God’s desire as your superior authority.

In the Lord means,

a) Father God is our superior authority, and we have to submit to God.

b) Also we have to follow His Will alone.

3) For this is right

Ephesians 6:1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Lot of people does not know for the right things to do in many areas.

God speaks to us today very clearly to obeying our parents is the right thing to do as we are their children.

The obedience is very hard when we are not agreeing with our parents.

The obedience is required more when you do not agree with your parents or angry to them. Then it is the real obedience and true honoring your parents if you obey them in your hard situation.

And this is right things to do to honor your parents.

2. Honor your father and mother

Ephesians 6:2

Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

Honor your father and mother is 5^th commandment.

This commandment was given right after the Commandments for the relationship with God.

When I was 20, I was on fire for the Lord, I really wanted to give my life fully, and I had planned to live as a single for my rest of my life, but God showed me 3 reasons to get married.

One of the reasons was that God would reflect the Kingdom of God through my marriage life.

Through my wife – reflect the relationship with Jesus Christ my Lord

Intimate and covenant relationship

Through my children – reflect the relationship with Father God

Sonship, Father and son

Through my family – reflect the Kingdom of God

Through parents relationship you can have more understanding of the relationship with God.

How can we love God whom we cannot see physically If we cannot honor our parents, ones who we can see, talk, touch and feel?

God does not want us to follow Him without any example or model.

I do not know how you believe, but I believe that there is very clear reason God placed this 5^th commandment right after the 1^st - 4^th commandments.

You cannot love your God or honor if you do not obey your parents with honor.

3. The result of honoring parents

Ephesians 6:3

so that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.

1) so that it may be well with you

The promise of the Lord is that we are going to be well if we honor our parents.

According to this word, we need to check if our life is not going well, and there are some reasons.

I met some people recently, I could feel the depression and so many problems in this person’s life, and this person lives in poor situation. I could see the dysfunctional family background from early age. I did not have much time to minister to this person more.

Our life is built up as the stony heart through unhealthy relationship with our parents.

There many root issues will be established, and bringing the rebellion toward parents and others especially against authority figure.

2) you may live long on the earth

Long life is the symbol of the blessing from the Lord.

Long life means healthy and success.

This is God’s promise.

Young people, do you want your life well and healthy with long life?

If that’s the case, as you heard the word of the Lord, honor your parents.

And also these commandments and promises are require for the spiritual parents as well in the same manner.

You really need to check if you are constantly not well or in on-going-sickness in your life.

You really need to apply these commandments and promises to your parents, (grandparents) and your spiritual parents.

Who are your parents and grandparents?

Who are your spiritual father and spiritual mother?

If you realized that you did not good to your father or your mother before, and it is time to repent and resolve the situation.

Ministry

Repent your disobedience to and dishonoring of your parents.

Forgive your parents if you have any bitterness toward them.

If they are still alive, you need to contact them and reconcile for the relationship.

Do not wait or delay.

Do it today by phone or visit, because God commanded you to honor them.

You can still repent what you did wrong to your parents and forgive them even they are not with you because of deceased.

All these above need to apply to your spiritual parents as well.

II. Father’s Position in Home

Illustration)

Men’s conference – a side for those who are controlled by wives; other side for those who are not controlled by wives

Only one man was standing on the side for those who are not controlled by their wives.

Leader’s question to this man – his answer

Today another major issue in America: Lot of men is not a leader in his home

The Promise Keeper movement. – because of this reason

Ephesians 6:3

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger

We really need to be an example to our children.

Children always watch us in every area.

Illustration)

The father of five children had won a toy at a raffle. He called his kids together and asked which of them should have the present. "Who is the most obedient?" he asked. "Who never talks back to mother? Who does everything she says?" Five small voices answered in unison. "Okay, dad, you get the toy."

One of the reason children lose their respect for their father is because of the lack of leadership in home in spiritually and naturally.

If, we as father for our family, we do not have a leadership in our home, then someone will take over your leadership position. It could be your children or your wife, and some times both of them will take that away from you.

Leadership means that it is not a dictatorship over the family, but to serve them, to provide, to protect and to lead family for the will of the Lord.

I saw many times in church, it is very rare where a husband lead his wife to church, but many wives bring their husbands to church and to the faith.

If a wife does not come to church, then her husband does not come either.

Fathers and brothers, it is time we need to stand up and to follow Jesus and to lead our family to the Lord as the Lord assigned you, positioned and ordained as a leader in your small home.

Ephesians 5:22-23

²² Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body

God assigned you as a leader in your home whether you like it or not, because it is your training ground in increasing your leadership for the Kingdom of the Lord for coming of your life years.

It is the time we really have to stand up for and lead the family both in spiritual and natural way.

2. Bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord

Father has the responsibility for his children’s spiritual life and for your family’s.

The father of faith, Abraham, he followed the Lord with full heart and he led his wife, his house and all his business in the Lord all the time.

His life was full of faith in the Lord, and he followed the Lord’s instruction alone.

The example of the father’s heart in New Testament

Jairus (Luke 8:40-56)

⁴¹ And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house;

⁴² for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.

Another father (Luke 9:37-43)

³⁸ And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy,

³⁹ and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.

⁴⁰ “I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.”

Husband’s position (Ephesians 5:22-23)

²² Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body

Fathers and brothers, it is time to repent our passivity attitude, and let’s step forward to take the lead home with full responsibility in the Lord.

If you have failed, than break any reoccurring pattern in your life

And commit your life fully to the Lord.

Let’s watch together one movie clip together.

“Life is beautiful”