The First Commandment with Promise (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Introduction:
1. In this portion of his letter to the church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul wrote about responsibilities of family members, including: a. the responsibilities that husbands and wives have to each other (5:22-33) b. the responsibilities that children have to their parents (6:1-3) c. the responsibilities that fathers have to their children (6:4). 2. Because today is Mother's Day, we are especially concerned with the responsibility to "honor our mothers." 3. The first point we need to make is that . . . Discussion: I. GOD'S PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR HONORING THEIR MOTHERS
A. In Exodus 20:12, God commanded the Israelites to honor their mothers [notice the promise that God gave in connection with this commandment]. B. In Matthew 19:19, Jesus endorsed this commandment. C. According to Ephesians 6:2, Christians are to honor their mothers. D. God's people have always been responsible for honoring their mothers. E. Since this responsibility is so important, . . . II. WE MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT HONORING MOTHERS INVOLVES
A. Honor: to revere, to esteem, to show respect B. Honoring mothers includes: 1. obeying their instructions a. See Ephesians 6:1 b. Jesus set the example for us (Luke 2:51). 2. caring for them. a. See Proverbs 23:22b; 1 Timothy 5:4, 16 b. Jesus also set an example for us in this regard (John 19:25-27). C. We understand from the Scriptures: 1. that God requires His people to honor their mothers 2. what is involved in honoring mothers. D. For our third point we want to show how . . . III. A PERSON'S TREATMENT OF HIS MOTHER WILL AFFECT HIS SPIRITUAL WELFARE
A. Let us first consider the negative side. 1. See Proverbs 19:26; 20:20; 28:24 2. In Matthew 15:1-9 Jesus showed how the Pharisees did not honor their mothers. a. They developed a tradition that allowed them, in their minds, to disobey God's command to honor their parents. b. Jesus said they were hypocrites and their worship was vain. 3. See 1 Timothy 5:8 4. A person's spiritual welfare will be adversely affected if he does not honor his mother. B. Let us turn our attention to the positive side. 1. See Proverbs 1:8-9; 6:20-22; Ephesians 6:3 2. A person's spiritual welfare will be positively affected if he honors his mother. Conclusion:
1. God's people have always been responsible for honoring their mothers. 2. We understand what is involved in honoring our mothers. 3. Let us remember that our spiritual welfare will be affected by the way we treat our mothers.
