WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:20.380 I wanted to talk about favor today and getting supernatural favor from the Lord. 2 00:00:20.380 --> 00:00:24.440 But as I thought more and more about it, it kind of shifted and it went into something 3 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.720 I think even deeper. 4 00:00:27.720 --> 00:00:32.880 Today I'm going to talk about honoring the Lord and honoring your parents. 5 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:38.240 My name is Leanne Friesman and this is Restoring Word. 6 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:43.520 Have you ever been asked to do something that maybe you just didn't want to do or just it 7 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:47.720 felt too hard to do so you kind of wanted to give up on it? 8 00:00:47.720 --> 00:00:51.440 Well, I watched my husband walk through this years ago. 9 00:00:51.440 --> 00:00:57.760 He was raised in an alcoholic abusive home and let's just say it wasn't leave it to beaver. 10 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:01.080 It wasn't your classic, you know, family. 11 00:01:01.080 --> 00:01:07.920 In fact, it was a pretty rough situation and he didn't understand everything that was involved. 12 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:09.280 He didn't know the story. 13 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:14.560 You know, you don't know everything that your parents have gone through unless they tell 14 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:15.560 you. 15 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:20.320 And so it's helpful if you at times, especially when you get older as an adult, if you take 16 00:01:20.320 --> 00:01:27.880 the time to just sit and listen and find out the reasons why, well, there were some 17 00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:33.000 real reasons why my father-in-law maybe wasn't such a great guy. 18 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:38.640 And then when you communicate about that, then what happens is there's understanding 19 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.180 and with understanding comes compassion. 20 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:48.360 And then with compassion, it's pleasing to the Lord. 21 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.920 I love Dennis Prager and I heard him say something this morning on one of his broadcasts and 22 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:58.600 that was, you don't have to like your parents. 23 00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:05.200 You don't have to love your parents, but you do have to honor them. 24 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:10.100 And I thought, ooh, that's true. 25 00:02:10.100 --> 00:02:16.360 And it reminded me of a scripture that I had heard my husband quote to me over the years 26 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:19.480 and it was from Ephesians 6, 1 through 3. 27 00:02:19.480 --> 00:02:23.320 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 28 00:02:23.320 --> 00:02:25.640 Honor your father and mother. 29 00:02:25.640 --> 00:02:30.240 This is the first commandment, going back to the Ten Commandments, right? 30 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:40.400 With a promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. 31 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:42.340 That's a beautiful promise. 32 00:02:42.340 --> 00:02:46.620 You know, things were rough for my husband and I can't tell you how many times he told 33 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:51.540 me I probably won't live to be 30 or 35. 34 00:02:51.540 --> 00:02:53.820 It was just that bad. 35 00:02:53.820 --> 00:02:59.500 But he made a decision early out that biblically, scripturally, theologically, what he saw in 36 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:05.060 the word, he had to obey the word and he had to honor his parents. 37 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:08.820 Well, in following his example, because you know, sometimes when you're married, it's 38 00:03:08.820 --> 00:03:15.460 really easy to kind of, you know, kind of chime in there and not necessarily like your 39 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:19.980 in-laws either, so to speak, because you know what your spouse has been through. 40 00:03:19.980 --> 00:03:30.100 But you know, I watched his example of honor and then I watched favor come all over his 41 00:03:30.100 --> 00:03:31.100 life. 42 00:03:31.100 --> 00:03:34.820 I saw doors open. 43 00:03:34.820 --> 00:03:39.820 There was always this tangible anointing that was on him when it came to really, really 44 00:03:39.820 --> 00:03:42.900 rough people. 45 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:47.860 My husband isn't like your normal minister. 46 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:49.260 He's not religious. 47 00:03:49.260 --> 00:03:56.580 He goes to high security prisons and he works in an auto body shops with very, very difficult 48 00:03:56.580 --> 00:04:01.500 characters. 49 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:07.660 Let's just say that if you were a very shallow Christian, you wouldn't survive in an environment 50 00:04:07.660 --> 00:04:10.260 like that. 51 00:04:10.260 --> 00:04:16.500 But even in those bad environments, he had compassion. 52 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:19.779 You know, he's always said to me, Leanne, somebody out there has got it worse than me. 53 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:24.220 I'm like, yeah, but you had it pretty bad, you know, I mean, aren't you going to feel 54 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:26.620 sorry for yourself? 55 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:29.380 And he made a decision not to. 56 00:04:29.380 --> 00:04:31.420 And he decided to honor the Lord. 57 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:37.340 And you know, it's interesting, because when you do it, it truly does bring the favor of 58 00:04:37.340 --> 00:04:38.340 the Lord with you. 59 00:04:38.340 --> 00:04:45.660 Leviticus 19, 32, stand up in the presence of the elderly and show respect for the aged. 60 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.260 Fear your God, for I am the Lord. 61 00:04:49.260 --> 00:04:56.700 When you honor the elderly, when you honor older people, it blesses him. 62 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.760 There is something very holy about elderly people, and we are to honor them and protect 63 00:05:07.760 --> 00:05:13.200 them and esteem them and their wisdom. 64 00:05:13.200 --> 00:05:21.440 Proverbs 13.1, a wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer doesn't listen 65 00:05:21.440 --> 00:05:22.440 to rebuke. 66 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:27.980 You know, right now, in America, we need the role of the father. 67 00:05:27.980 --> 00:05:33.940 We need the role of the husband and of the man, and husbands and fathers are pivotal 68 00:05:33.940 --> 00:05:36.100 in our society. 69 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:41.100 And a wise father will, at times, hold his son accountable. 70 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:42.100 Why? 71 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:45.300 Because in the long run, you're really trying to develop character. 72 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:52.740 You're trying to build them into strong men, and we need strong men now more than ever. 73 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:58.700 Exodus 20, verse 12, honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in 74 00:05:58.700 --> 00:06:02.760 the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 75 00:06:02.760 --> 00:06:05.940 Do you want to live a long, healthy life? 76 00:06:05.940 --> 00:06:08.140 Honor the elderly. 77 00:06:08.140 --> 00:06:09.540 Honor those that have gone before you. 78 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:17.000 I will tell you, probably the most holy and sacred thing I've done is I kept my dad alive 79 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:22.380 during COVID, and I was honored to do it. 80 00:06:22.380 --> 00:06:25.060 And God, I had a husband that was patient, that enabled me to do it. 81 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:29.660 Let me tell you, it wasn't easy, but it was pleasing to the Lord. 82 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:35.940 Even though it was hard, even though I wanted to lose my temper, and I did. 83 00:06:35.940 --> 00:06:40.780 It's hard, but you know what? 84 00:06:40.780 --> 00:06:48.180 It made my heart happy, and I had some amazing seasons with my dad, and God saw it. 85 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:50.540 Job 12, 12, this is wonderful. 86 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:56.060 Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in the length of days. 87 00:06:56.060 --> 00:07:02.220 There is so much wisdom that comes from your parents, and you do go through a time in your 88 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:07.140 teenage years, and maybe even into your 20s, where really, like, you're not sure you want 89 00:07:07.140 --> 00:07:11.580 to listen to mom and dad, but then as you get older and things get crazier, it's like 90 00:07:11.580 --> 00:07:14.820 you want to listen to them more than ever. 91 00:07:14.820 --> 00:07:22.340 I know that I would just, you know, ask my dad advice about everything, cars and insurance 92 00:07:22.340 --> 00:07:26.340 and business and banking and politics. 93 00:07:26.340 --> 00:07:28.540 He was just a wealth of knowledge. 94 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:37.380 My father was really a gem, and in many ways, my husband was closer to my dad than his own 95 00:07:37.380 --> 00:07:44.680 dad because there had been so many wounds there, and they had grown very close because 96 00:07:44.760 --> 00:07:51.360 my husband brought Jesus into our family, and Jesus changed our family for good, I mean 97 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:53.880 really for good. 98 00:07:53.880 --> 00:08:00.080 We had gone through a lot of things, but we needed the Lord, and I'm thankful every day. 99 00:08:00.080 --> 00:08:05.920 You know, just some quick tips for working with the elderly, because Grant and I actually 100 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:11.880 went into assisted living complexes and ministered to the elderly on Sundays for over 11 years, 101 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:16.160 and we took our kids with us, and we taught our children that you share the Lord with 102 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:22.560 people regardless of how you feel, regardless of whether you're going to get an offering, 103 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:26.880 and you do it consistently because you're committed to sharing Jesus with others. 104 00:08:26.880 --> 00:08:30.520 My kids got really good at speaking. 105 00:08:30.520 --> 00:08:32.880 They learned to have compassion with the elderly. 106 00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:39.799 They learned to love older people regardless of how they looked or what they smelled like 107 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:43.440 or what they said, because sometimes you never know what they're going to say. 108 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.680 They learned to love older people, and I think it's been one of the most valuable things 109 00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:49.680 we did for them. 110 00:08:49.680 --> 00:08:52.800 Number one, give elderly people your time and your assistance. 111 00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:54.400 They need someone to talk to. 112 00:08:54.400 --> 00:08:57.920 They are often the most lonely. 113 00:08:57.920 --> 00:09:03.200 My dad was very lonely living in his home alone, and he loved coming here because there 114 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.200 was a lot to talk about here. 115 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:10.600 Dad and I were always here, and there was movies and food, and they just want to talk 116 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:11.600 to you. 117 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.000 Visit the nursing home. 118 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:14.840 Spend time with them. 119 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:19.000 Use manners when you're speaking to them. 120 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:24.760 You teach your children, by example, how to honor and respect others. 121 00:09:24.760 --> 00:09:28.600 You teach them, by example, how to honor the elderly. 122 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:29.760 Kids aren't moved by what you say. 123 00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:32.680 They're moved by what you do. 124 00:09:32.680 --> 00:09:36.320 Is that the truth or what? 125 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:46.080 You esteem them, and they, in return, have so much love and wisdom to give you. 126 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:53.760 I think of all the amazing people we ministered to at the Assisted Living over the years. 127 00:09:53.760 --> 00:09:58.720 People who are now in heaven on the other side, and when we get to glory and we're in 128 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:00.000 heaven. 129 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:05.040 People are waiting there for us. They are part of our reward. You know, you don't get to take your 130 00:10:05.040 --> 00:10:10.720 your degrees and your bank account to heaven with you. Heaven doesn't care. You know what you take 131 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:17.840 to heaven? You take people with you and God sees your heart for others and He remembers that. 132 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:24.960 And then the other thing is, listen to their stories about their life and be patient. Be like 133 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:33.280 their friend because they have so much to share. They have so much love and compassion. Thank you 134 00:10:33.280 --> 00:10:41.680 for listening today. I want to continue talking about honoring others, honoring those in authority, 135 00:10:41.680 --> 00:10:47.920 honoring those in leadership, and today we're talking about honoring our parents in the Lord. 136 00:10:47.920 --> 00:10:49.440 Have a great day.