Honoring Father and Mother

Honoring your father and mother is the only commandment with a promise, and the only one with a warning. Live or die. The earth is a waste if we do not honor our families. If you despise your parents, you are despising their names and hence your birthright and all the sacredness that comes with it. Honoring your parents is preparing you to meet the Lord. If I truly want to live - in all senses of the word - then I must obey my parents (living physically, spiritually, and eternally).

*Ex 20:12, Eph 6:2 - only commandment with a promise (Matt 15:4) and a warning - you will surely die if you do not (Ex 21:17)
*Deut 21:18-21 Children put to death who do not obey so that "evil" does not remain.
*Ezek 22:7 - It is a sin even to make light of parents
*Mal 1:6 - If you do not honor your parents, you despise their names.
*D&C 2 - The earth is a waste if we do not honor our families.
*John 8:49, D&C 19:24 - Christ sets the example.
*Col 3:20 - It is well pleasing to the Lord.
*Alma 56:47, 57:21 - The stripling warriors were honoring their parents - that's why they lived, they were obeying the commandment with a promise.
*Luke 1:17 - By honoring and being obedient, you are preparing to meet the Lord.

Birthright

The first thing Nephi tells us is that he was born of goodly parents. His birthright then becomes his crowning characteristic, his inheritance to all the "blessings and power" of his lineage along with all its "prerogatives and opportunities". He is who he is because of those who have gone before him and thus understands "a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold." Your birthright is sacred, it is where you find a place of repentance, where you can return to God. It includes access to all priesthood blessings and the duty to share those blessings of everlasting priesthood. When we use the Atonement, we become joint heirs with Christ, gaining a heavenly birthright. Therefore, the more I come to know my birthright, both physical and spiritual lineage, the more I will understand Christ and the Atonement and who I am. It will become my crowning characteristic: to know my responsibilities and opportunities (repentance and priesthood) and inherit the birthright of everlasting priesthood, immortality and eternal life.

*Gen 25:30-34, 27:36 - Jacob and Esau: Esau willing to sell it, despising its reponsibilitieis and duties, yet wept over his lost blessings.
*Num 3:10 - there are different birthrights, different responsibilities/appointments ex. Aaron and sons
*1 Chron 5:2 - Priesthood goes through the birthright
*Heb 12:16-17 - To reject the birthright is to be profane (irreverence/contempt for God/sacred things), to inherit the birthright is to find a place of repentance (returning to God)
*D&C 86: 9-10 - Birthright includes the inheritance of the priesthood blessings which must remain on earth until the restoration of all things includes being "hid from the world with Christ in God"
*D&C 113:8 - authority of the priesthood
*Abr 1:4 - Abraham sought out his birthright
*Abr 2:11 - with the priesthood comes the duty to share the blessings of salvation, of life eternal
*Ex 40:15 - birthright = everlasting priesthood
*Rom 8:17 - There is a heavenly birthright - being joint heirs with Christ, if we suffer with Him, use the Atonement.