Title: Repay your parents / 1 Timothy 5:4
Repay your parents / 1 Timothy 5:4
*Text: "If any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show filial piety in their own homes, to give thanks to their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God" (1 Timothy 5:4).
On June 29, 1995, when the Sampoong Department Store in Seoul crashed down at 6 pm, there were three young men who were dramatically rescued. said there wasn't. Of course, it would be comforting to say that those who believe in Jesus escaped that danger, but the truth is that there were quite a few Christians among the dead.
When we say “filial piety”, we generally think of Confucianism. In fact, “filial piety” to our parents was spoken through Moses a thousand years before Confucius.
When God gave the 10 commandments given through Moses, he divided them into two parts. The first part is the four commandments that man must obey God, and the second part is the commandment that man must obey. The fourth commandment is "Honor your father and mother."
If you look at the order of the Ten Commandments, he first spoke of man's love for God, and then, in loving man, first he spoke of respect for parents, and then he spoke of love of neighbor.
True faith is to love God first, then to love your parents, and then to love your neighbor. This order is so important that it cannot and should not be changed. So, the commandment about God was put in the lead group with four commandments, and then the commandment about respecting parents was given as the first commandment about man. "Honor your father and mother, that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).
Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."
This shows that honoring parents is the second most important commandment after God for God's people, and a special promise was made to ensure that this was kept.
People are doing well, and if they have an income, they use their energy. It is said that winning the lottery will result in a jackpot, so many people cling to the lottery and invest huge amounts of money. It is said that some church members even buy lottery tickets and pray at dawn. As a believer, this phenomenon is shameful and unbelievable. Of course, God can give you blessings through the lottery by obeying God's Word and living, but it is not reasonable to claim that you will receive blessings by hanging on the lottery.
Do you really want to be blessed? The secret to receiving blessings is in the Bible, and among the conditions for receiving blessings, the most important and first thing to say is the blessings received through respect for parents.
“It may be well with you and you will live long on the earth” - What more could you wish for when it comes to prospering and long life?
How will you honor your parents?
Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."
In other words, respect for parents is obedience in the Lord.
Isn't obedience just obedience? Is wealth what your parents want? Is it honor? is it power? Is it good clothes? Is it delicious food? Of course you don't even need that. But more important than that is to obey and obey your parents.
And the one thing to keep in mind is "obedience in the Lord." "Obedience in the Lord" means having faith together with parents, knowing God's word with each other, and obedience to accomplish God's will together. Obedience outside the state, that is, without faith, can temporarily please the hearts of parents, but if that obedience goes against the will of God and goes against the word of God, there is no blessing in that. Such obedience results in ruin. Therefore, it must be obedience in the Lord. Therefore, when parents do not know God's Word and do not know God's will, it is the first priority to let them know and understand it.
Here we must not forget one important thing. Among the traditions of the Jews at the time of Jesus, it is called "Gorban," that is, given to God, it is a tradition that frees us from the commandment to honor our parents. Jesus resolutely rebuked this tradition, saying that human tradition would abolish the Word of God.
Even today, there are those who think that Christians don't have to give to their parents because they donated to God, and they don't have to give to their parents because they have served the church.
Don't be misunderstood. It is true that God has priority over our parents, but we must never ignore our parents, and we must honor our parents as much as possible without violating our faith. Therefore, Christians should be more diligent and more wise than unbelievers.
Christians should be more diligent and wiser, and do better to their parents than unbelievers, so that those who believe in Jesus should be told by their parents that they are different in filial piety! If you hear that even your parents don't know about those who believe in Jesus, and your brothers don't know, the way of evangelism is bound to be blocked.
Please keep in mind that "obedience in the Lord" means that God's will must be done through filial piety.
If you look at today's text, he spoke of "filial piety" among the things that God deserves.
“If any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show filial piety in their own homes, to give back to their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God.”
One of the important parts of educating children is teaching them to give back to their parents, and he tells them to teach them to practice filial piety. Beneath filial parents, filial children come.
In order to be obedient and filial in the Lord,
1. Let's evangelize our parents.
These days, around Mother's Day, if you go to a tourist attraction or an amusement park, you can see a lot of elderly people visiting. Children, or village women's associations, or groups send tours to parents as a way of filial piety. Our church also went to Mungyeong Onsen, the Coal Mine Museum, and the filming set of the Unmanned Age on the 1st of May. I went to the bathroom and how well it pushed the dirt away! He praised you for being so good.
But while it's good to send you a tour of the famous Great Mountain Battle, what could be better than letting you go to heaven? If you believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven. After all hard work and hard work, you will enjoy eternal life.
2. Let's have a lot of conversations.
In the book of Micah, God says to His people, "Let us reason with one another." In the background of these words, they blame God without even thinking about how God has guided them and how they are doing after they were disciplined by God. So God said, "Let's talk with me about how I have led you so far and how you are doing now. Tell me what I am tormenting you. The mountains know and the earth knows, so listen up, mountains, earth." (Micah 6:1-5)
Same situation. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our children is no different from the relationship between our physical parents and our children. Without dialogue, children do not know the intentions of their parents. Saying there is a generational gap, Zugs seem to be doing something new, and they ignore it. So you won't be blessed!
Proverbs 23:22 "Listen to your father who gave birth to you, and do not despise your old mother."
Proverbs 23:25 says, "Rejoice your father and your mother, and the mother who gave birth to you."
To parents, filial piety is a commandment of God, and it is not an option that can or cannot be kept, but must be obeyed. This commandment was spoken a thousand years earlier than Confucius, so we must know that it is a Christian teaching and not a Confucian teaching and filially
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, for this is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may live long on the earth." whoever does so must be put to death” (Exodus 21:17).
Let's be filial to our parents. Parents, let's teach their children filial piety.