Our Family In The Family Of God | Ephesians: Your Life In The Family Of God, Part 13

Children and Parents – Ephesians pt. 13

Every kid struggles to obey their parents, every parent struggles to raise their kids well.

Ephesians 6:1-4 NIV
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Do you want to live a long life and have things go well?

Exodus 20:12
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
-1st Commandment dealing with human relationships
-The only Commandment relating to the family.
-The only Commandment with a promise

Deuteronomy means 2nd law
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NASB
4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Our kids WILL be discipled one way or another… either we will do it, or the world will
Galatians 5:19-21 NIV
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:12-26 NIV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Hebrews 12:4-11 NIV
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Discipline implies hardship
Discipline requires endurance
Discipline produces respect, righteousness, and peace

Next steps
-Children obey your parents in everything short of sin.
-Parents- parenting is hard. Thankfully scripture gives us guardrails…

   – Moses said in regards to the commands of God- to “teach your children diligently” 

   – Paul said “Bring your children up in the training and instruction of the Lord” 

   – Paul also said, do not exasperate your children- don’t provoke to anger