Sunday School Lesson September 20, 2020
Subject: Honor Parents
The Point: Honor for parents is seen in our words and actions.
The Passage: Exodus 20:12, 2 Samuel 15:7-14
Study The Bible: Exodus 20:12
1). Honor the Parents God Has Placed in Your Life.
- Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Lasting truths from Exodus 20:7-11
- We honor parents because God expects independent adult children as well as dependent children to do so.
- We honor parents by showing them respect.
- We honor parents by meeting their physical, material, and emotional needs in their elderly years.
2). Honor Acts with Truthfulness and Integrity Toward Parents.
2 Samuel 15:7-12
- When four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.
- For your servant made a vow when I lived in Geshur of Aram, saying; If the Lord really brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.”
- “Go in peace,” the king said to him. So he went to Hebron.
- Then Absalom sent agents throughout the tribes of Israel with this message; “When you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron!”
- Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they did not know the whole situation.
- While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for David’s adviser Ahithophel the Gilonite, from his city of Giloh. So the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase.
Lasting truths from 2 Samuel 15:7-12
- Both children and parents reap negative consequences when they dishonor God by breaking His commands.
- God requires both children and parents to act with truth and integrity toward one another.
- God expects both children and parents to work to mend broken relationships before they escalate.
3). Honor Seeks the Welfare of Parents.
2 Samuel 15:13-14
- Then an informer came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”
- David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Get up. We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! Leave quickly, or he will overtake us quickly, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
Lasting truths from 2 Samuel 15:13-14
- Siding with the popular majority may prove a bad decision.
- Applying wisdom may sometimes mean fleeing conflict, rather than fighting.
- Honoring one’s parents includes acting in their best interest or seeking their welfare.
Live It Out
As you reflect on this session, respond to the following questions.
- Like Frankie, have you experienced challenges associated with the care of elderly parents? How did you deal with those challenges?
- How do you think parents of rebellious children should deal with the rebellion?
- How are you honoring your parents by your words and actions? If they have gone to be with the Lord, how are you honoring their memories?
Closing Prayer:
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose from the dead to give me new life. I’m sorry for all the wrong I’ve done and ask You to forgive me. I now accept Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness, and a new life in Jesus Christ. From this day forward, I choose to follow You, In Jesus’ name, Amen”