[This post is a part of the Survive Your Family sermon series]
This week we continued our sermon series about family. Sometimes it feels like we are trying to survive our families. Whether it be something as simple as surviving an annoying sibling or as difficult as trying to figure out what it means to deal with the divorce of your parents, we all have moments where we just want to make it through our family life. Families are made up of sinful people and because of that have moments where family members say hurtful things to each other. As we continued our series, this week we focused on the simple command that every parent loves, "Honor your father and your mother."
It's good for you...
Obviously every parent loves this commandment. What is interesting is not only is this commandment loved by parents, but it is also very beneficial for you if you are trying to honor your parents. Whether or not you are a Christian and trying to follow Jesus, the truth of the promise that is attached to this commandment is true.
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise- "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." - Ephesians 6:1-3
Regardless of whether or not you want to follow Jesus, if you honor your parents, life will be significantly better for you than if you don't. If you honor your parents, you'll earn more trust. If you respect their authority, they will give you more freedom. If you obey their rules, they'll be more graceful when you break the rules. If you obey your parents, this are significantly better than if you don't.
Families Serve Each Other
As Christians in our families, the Bible calls us to not simply follow these rules because of what's in it for us but also because of who we are in Christ. When Paul is teaching families how to interact with one another in Ephesians 5:21 he says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." In other words, because of your relationship with Christ; because you are a forgiven and redeemed people, you should live in a way that reflects that in your home. And the way that your relationship with Christ plays out in your family is by serving. Wives serve husbands. Husbands serve their wives. Parents serve their kids. And kids serve their parents.
The command to honor your parents is something that we should all follow, regardless of stage of life, because we are called to serve our families. You will spend more time with your family than with any other group of people; serve them well and reflect the love of Jesus to them. It is our responsibility as Christians to live out our faith in our homes and not just when we go to church.