Teaching Respect Ephesians 6:1-4

“Today’s youth love luxury and have bad manners. They hold authority in contempt; they no longer stand up when an adult enters the room; they talk back to parents and contradict them; they talk too much in the presence of company; they talk too much in the presence of company; they talk nonsense instead of working; they put themselves all over the furniture; and they guzzle their food.” -- Socrates, 400 B.C. Quote

Disrespectful Children In The Bible! (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they chastise him, will not give heed to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall purge the evil from your midst; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. (RSV)

Teaching Respect Children Must Be Taught To Respect Parents! (Ephesians 6:1-4) 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." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (RSV) Four Reasons Why: 1. God Wants You To. 2. It is Right! 3. It may be well with you. 4. You may live long on the earth.

Teaching Respect Children need to learn to respect: Older people (Lev. 19:32) Government (authority figures; laws; Rom. 13) School: principal, teacher, dean,etc. Bible class teachers God (Psalms 89:6-7) For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible above all that are round about him? (RSV) (Hebrews 12:28) Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; (RSV)

Teaching Respect Some Consequences Of A Disrespectful Attitude: (Proverbs 17:25) A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. (RSV) (Proverbs 15:20) A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother. (RSV) (Proverbs 30:17) The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. (RSV)

Teaching Respect God Takes This Serious! (Romans 1:28-32) And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them. (RSV)

Teaching Respect Consequences of a Respectful Attitude: (Proverbs 23:24-25) The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad, let her who bore you rejoice. (RSV) (Proverbs 23:15-16) My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. (RSV)

Conclusion Children are a heritage of the Lord! (Psalm 127:3) One will have no greater responsibility than to be a parent. – An Eternal Soul is at stake! One Final Warning! (Luke 17:1-2) And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. (RSV)

Sources Outline by Gene Taylor Material By Steve Higginbotham Outline by Johnny Felker Material by Jim Deason