We learn about God as Father when our fathers and mothers act in accordance with God's fatherly presence. We're to educate and build for the future and as a consequence the world grows under God's dominion.
Scripture: Ex. 20:12; Lev. 19:1-3; Deut. 6:1-9; Eph. 6:1-4
Sermon Notes:
- In our culture, fatherhood is disgraced, both by unfaithful fathers and by culturally idealized defiance of authority.
- There is both a hunger for true fatherhood and a contempt for fathers in our culture.
- We learn about God as Father when our fathers and mothers act in accordance with God’s fatherly presence.
- Honouring parents and the Sabbath rest are part of God’s standard of holiness (Lev. 19:1-3; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; Heb. 12:14).
- Commandments 5, 7, 8, and 10 reflect the God-ordained family order; the family is central to God’s plans for a holy people.
- The first injunction is to become fathers and mothers, and then to exercise dominion by spreading a godly order into all the world (Genesis 1:28)
- Only in the biblical faith is the exclusive fatherhood of God emphasized.
- The return to the ancient world’s paganism brings social woes: fatherlessness, divorce, venereal disease, etc.
- The woman was made to be an essential helper to the man; together man and woman in marriage represent the fatherhood of God to their children (cf. Proverbs 1:8).
- The parents’ mandate is to teach the honour of the Lord.
- The Sabbath principle unites all of history, and it refers to the ultimate renewal of all things.
- All human progress is rooted in the past; we inherit property, knowledge, and progress from our parents.
- We now live in the present and build for the future; as a consequence the world grows under God’s dominion.
- God’s dominion will encompass everything. We are to teach the nations to obey all of God’s commandments.
- The fatherly presence of Christ is with us in our marriages. God hates divorce because it hurts people.
- We honour our parents to honour God, even if our parents were unfaithful. In Christ we are a new creation.
- If parents and children reject God’s familial bond, the consequence is utter destruction (Malachi 4:5).
- We must first come to Christ before we can have right relationships in our earthly family.
- Our culture idealizes the orphan as the best family unit.
- Education is now oriented not to teach children, but to make them well-adjusted to being like an orphan: one who acknowledges no authority outside themselves and who looks to themselves for superhuman power.
- We have embraced the cultural paradigm of rebellion.
- Your mandate as parents is to educate your children in the fear of the Lord, giving them godly examples.
- We are adopted by the heavenly Father, so we are enabled to honour our parents, even if undeserving.
Application Questions
- What is the theological reason for honouring parents?
- How is holiness connected with honouring parents?
- What are some practical ways we can honour our parents?
- How does the family fit into God’s purposes for dominion?
- As parents how can we model God’s fatherhood toward our children? Why is godly education a parental responsibility?
- What are the implications of the fifth commandment for our attitude toward other God-ordained authorities?