团契与门徒训练

Following Jesus and... (Jn. 19:26~27)

2019.05.12P. Cha

Honor your parents, even though they are imperfect. Above all, come to know God as your loving Father through Jesus, and become part of his family.

Why we honor imperfect parents

Exodus 20 gives the fifth commandment: honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land. No parent is perfect, and neither are we. I wished my dad spoke better English and my mom were nicer. God asks us to honor them because they are our mom and dad, just as we say "your honor" to a judge out of respect for his position. Learning to respect authority begins at home. If we cannot honor the people we see, we cannot claim to honor God, whom we do not see. How we relate to our parents also shapes every other relationship we have.

Why Jesus calls his mother "woman"

On the cross Jesus says, "Woman, behold your son." He is not disrespecting Mary. He is addressing her as a woman loved by God, who needs a Savior's grace. He used the same word at the wedding in Cana. Later Mary and his brothers came to take him back to Nazareth because people said he was crazy. Jesus asked, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" and answered that those who do God's will are his family. Through him we can call God our Father and become children of God.

Knowing God as Father matters most

The most important thing is not our fleshly family ties. It is that we come to know God as our loving Father through Jesus, who gave his life as a ransom. That is how we receive forgiveness and are adopted as God's children. Mary learned this. She began to follow Jesus, and she stood at the cross among the women who looked to him as Savior. Some of you have parents who are not yet believers. Pray not only that they live happily another fifty years or enjoy good food with you. Pray above all that they come to know Jesus.

Honor in every stage of life

The word honor is kabod, the same word as glory. It means heavy or weighty, so we do not treat parents lightly. There is no age limit on it. Ephesians 6 says to obey your parents in the Lord while you live under their roof. Jamie and I waited about eleven months for both sets of parents to bless our marriage. When we marry we leave our parents and are no longer controlled by them. Even then we keep honoring them, as adults, by the ways below.

Accept, thank, forgive, serve, affirm

Accept parents as they are, with their limits and brokenness. They are doing their best. Thank them. Raising a child in the U.S. costs about a quarter million dollars, and my father gave me the meat of the fried chicken and sucked on the bones himself. Forgive them. Come to Jesus, release them, and stop saying "it's your fault." Serve and pray for them, as Jonathan stood by his father Saul. Affirm them as they age. Do not abandon them when they need care. 1 Timothy says whoever does not provide for his family has denied the faith.

A spiritual family and words not to delay

Jesus said to John, "Behold your mother," almost like an adoption ceremony. Mary's other sons were probably not yet believers, so John could care for her spiritually as well as physically. We are one family in Christ. Here at church, a man has come early every Sunday for four and a half years to pray. A woman prepares coffee despite her arthritis and back pain, out of a mother's heart. Honor those who serve, and come to be a blessing. My parents died in the States while I was in Korea. I wish I had said "I'm sorry" and "thank you." Call them today instead of sending flowers later.

Apply to Life

  • Let us honor our parents because they are our mom and dad, even though they are imperfect.
  • Let us pray above all that our parents who are not yet believers will come to know Jesus and God as their loving Father.
  • Let us accept our parents as they are, thank them, and release them in forgiveness through Jesus.
  • Let us serve our parents, affirm them, and not abandon them when they need our care.
  • Let us call our parents today and say "I love you" and "thank you" instead of waiting.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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