Honoring our parents is important enough to God that he made it one of the Ten Commandments. Is it that important to us? Why is this such a critical value to God, and how can we become better children, honoring our parents?
Lifegroup discussion questions are below:
If you are the discussion leader, have everyone in your group open this page on their mobile device to read along. Remind them that they can be as prepared as you are for this discussion simply by listening to the message each week. (link above)
Who are you inviting?
On Sunday, October 5 I am starting a new message series called “Call Of Duty.” It is about the battle that we are all in, whether we realize it or not. Please pray TONIGHT as a group. I have seen that when you TEACH on spiritual warfare, you DO spiritual warfare. So, we need to be prayed up. WE ALSO need to be inviting people! We passed out invitation cards on Sunday. Did you invite people? Who in your circle can we be praying for that needs to come and be part of this series? I hope you will be actively and personally inviting friends, co-workers, and family members.)
For Group Discussion:
What kind of home did you grow up in?
What three words would I use to characterize my relationship with my parents?
Did I find it easy or difficult to obey my parents while I was growing up?
How would my life be different today if our culture held to the OT standards of obeying parents (see the standard, below)?
Deuteronomy 21:18-21Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.
How would our society be different if this were the standard?
Obeying parents is the “right thing to do,” according to God himself in the ten commandments.
Exodus 20:12“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Ephesians 6:2-3Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
What do you think of the following statement…
You can OBEY without HONORING, but you can’t HONOR without OBEYING.
What is the difference between the two? Which is easier, obeying, or honoring?
If you obey without honoring, what are you really saying about your parents’ authority? What are you teaching your children when you obey without honoring? What does this say about how I honor God?
Proverbs 1:8-9My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.
What are some ways we can each develop the discipline of honoring our parents? What are some things we can do to honor them this week?