"Honor" - Sermon

Grand Lake Church

Read Exodus 20: 12.

1. What does the word “honor” mean to you in the context of the 5th

Commandment? How might it look different for children versus adults?

2. Why do you think God included the commandment to honor parents in the Ten

Commandments? How does this commandment contribute to a healthy society?

3. In what ways can honoring our parents reflect our relationship with God? How

does it serve as a witness to others?

4. How does the promise of “a long life” connected to this commandment

(Exodus 20: 12; Ephesians 6: 3) encourage you to live differently?

5. What are some practical ways you can honor your parents or parental figures in

your life, regardless of their current relationship with you?

6. How should we approach situations where our parents have been difficult,

abusive, or absent? What does it mean to honor them in these circumstances?

7. How can the church support individuals in honoring their parents, especially those

who may struggle with this commandment due to broken relationships or loss?

8. How does the example of Jesus honoring His earthly parents (Luke 2: 51) and His

concern for His mother at the cross (John 19: 26-27) inspire you to honor your

own parents?

9. In what ways can we honor our spiritual parents or mentors who have played a

significant role in our faith journey?

10. How do cultural attitudes toward parents and elders affect our ability to honor

them as God commands? What steps can we take to counter these cultural

trends?

Prayer for the Week:

Loving and Gracious God,

We come before You with hearts full of gratitude for the gift of family, for the parents

and elders You have placed in our lives. We thank You for their love, wisdom, and

guidance, and for the ways they have nurtured and shaped us into who we are today.

Lord, we confess that we have not always honored our parents as You have

commanded us to. We have sometimes taken them for granted, overlooked their

sacrifices, or harbored hurt and resentment in our hearts. Forgive us, Lord, for these

shortcomings, and help us to walk in Your ways, showing honor, respect, and love to

those who have cared for us.

Father, we lift up to You those relationships that are strained or broken, where pain

and distance have replaced love and understanding. We pray for healing and

reconciliation, for the courage to forgive and the humility to seek forgiveness. Where

there are wounds, Lord, we ask for Your healing touch, and where there are barriers,

we ask for Your wisdom to tear them down.

Teach us, Lord, to honor our parents in word and deed, to listen to their counsel, and

to care for them as they age. May we reflect Your love in our actions and attitudes,

bringing joy and peace to their hearts. For those who no longer have their parents

with them, we pray for comfort and the sweet memories that remind them of the love

that was shared.

As we honor our earthly parents, may it draw us closer to You, our Heavenly Father,

who loves us with an everlasting love. Help us to live out this commandment in a way

that brings glory to Your name and shines as a testimony of Your grace to the world.

We ask all of this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.