A Word to the Family Eph
A Word to the Family Eph. 6:1-4
EBC 8/26/07
In the beginning God established the family as the first of all human relationships. From that family God built society. The family is till the foundational unit of all society. In fact, nothing is stronger than the families that make it up.
Each of us should redouble our efforts to ensure our families are all they should be. Husbands and wives should love each other and submit to one another for the glory of the Lord. Parents have a God given obligation to create a home that allows their children to be all that has been designed for them to be.
I. The Word to Developing Ones (1-3)
A. It is a clear word God has a clear word for children and young people.
1. Their actions-
a. Obey- to submit to, to harken to
1. J. Vernon McGee- The first lesson that a soldier must learn is obedience to those in authority. He must follow orders. Learning to obey is taught in the home. Life is harder when a teen has to learn as a teen to obey those in authority.
2. As a boy, Jesus went to Nazareth and was subject to His parents.
3. Obedience in the home lays the foundation for obedience elsewhere.
2. Their attitudes –
a. Honor- to respect, to hold in high regard. This speaks about a child’s attitude towards what his parents tell him to do. A wicked child may obey his parents but despise them on the inside.
1. Children should have great respect for their parents.
B. It is a clarifying word (2-3) Obeying ones parents brings God’s blessing upon the child. When a child honors his parents he is honoring God.
C. It is a challenging word – why should a child obey his parents – because this is right.
II. The Word to the Directing Ones (4)
The word Fathers can refer to both parents in this context. Paul now speaks to the parents instead of the children. In Paul’s day, family was even more dysfunctional than they are now. It was not uncommon in Greek and Roman cultures for some men and women to have twenty marriages.
A. We see a cautioning word – provoke – this phrase refers to a pattern of treatment that builds up resentment in the child.
1. Some instances are:
a. Playing favorites- comparing one child with another
b. Unrealistic expectations – Children who are always under pressure to achieve bigger and greater things.
c. Constant discouragement- you’ll never amount to anything. Children need approval and encouragement
d. Label them a nuisance - children that feel are in the way will grow up to be insecure.
B. We see a counseling word
1. We should enrich our children- bring them up idea of nourishing our children. We should bring them up as we would a tender plant. Help them reach their fullest potential.
a. Someone has said- if I could live my life over again there are three things I would do differently: First, slow down and be less busy, Second, Take more vacations, Thirdly, spend more time with my wife and family. Throw more footballs, lay with more doll babies, build more roads in the dirt than don’t go anywhere.
2. We should educate our children- nurture – has the idea of the whole education of a child. We should see that our children learn all they need to learn while they are at home.
a. Mothers, teach the daughters how to sew. To cook, to clean. Teach them how to be a wife (they learn by example.
b. Fathers teach boys how to change a flat tire, how to plant a garden, how to do fix it projects around the house.
3. We should encourage our children
admonition – to counsel, to discipline, to encourage. It refers to the act of guiding the child to maturity. Encouragement, counsel and discipline are all used by wise parents in right measure to help their children become what they should become.
4. We should evangelize our children of the Lord- when we train our children in the ways of the Lord they will grow up and live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. We can give them no greater gift than to point them towards Jesus.