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Ephesians 6:1-4
Ephesians 6:1-4
Many years ago a visitor from Europe said quote, “Everything in the American home is controlled by switches except the children.” Well, that may still be true today; I don’t know. We do have a lot of switches in our homes to turn on the stereo and the television. To turn the lights on and off, to get the coffeepot working in the morning; but the children need to learn discipline. That’s why Paul wrote to the children in Ephesians chapter 6, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” Then he has a word for the fathers, “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Well, all of us are children. Oh our parents may be in glory, but all of us are children and some of us have children and grandchildren. What does God want from Christian children? It’s rather interesting. Paul did not say, “Now fathers, you tell the children this.” When he wrote this letter, he wrote it to the children. There were children in the congregation in Ephesus when this letter was being read. He wants children to obey because it’s right. A child that does not learn how to obey will not learn anything. That’s the first thing you learn. The basis for all learning and all living is obey. It’s commanded. Then God adds a promise. He says, “You honor your father and your mother; which is the first commandment with promise; it will be well with you” (paraphrase). Now you can obey and not honor, but if you honor, you will obey. We never get too old to honor our parents.
Some of us can only honor the memory of our parents and give thanks for what they have meant to us. Then He adds to the fathers, make it easy for your children to obey. Don’t provoke them. Don’t make life difficult for them. Rather, “bring them up [mature them] in the nurture [the discipline, that’s what we do], and the admonition [that’s what we say] of the Lord.” And the goal of course is maturity. A Christian home ought to be a little bit of heaven on earth, and it will be if we do what God wants us to do.
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By Back to the BibleEphesians 6:1-4
Many years ago a visitor from Europe said quote, “Everything in the American home is controlled by switches except the children.” Well, that may still be true today; I don’t know. We do have a lot of switches in our homes to turn on the stereo and the television. To turn the lights on and off, to get the coffeepot working in the morning; but the children need to learn discipline. That’s why Paul wrote to the children in Ephesians chapter 6, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” Then he has a word for the fathers, “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Well, all of us are children. Oh our parents may be in glory, but all of us are children and some of us have children and grandchildren. What does God want from Christian children? It’s rather interesting. Paul did not say, “Now fathers, you tell the children this.” When he wrote this letter, he wrote it to the children. There were children in the congregation in Ephesus when this letter was being read. He wants children to obey because it’s right. A child that does not learn how to obey will not learn anything. That’s the first thing you learn. The basis for all learning and all living is obey. It’s commanded. Then God adds a promise. He says, “You honor your father and your mother; which is the first commandment with promise; it will be well with you” (paraphrase). Now you can obey and not honor, but if you honor, you will obey. We never get too old to honor our parents.
Some of us can only honor the memory of our parents and give thanks for what they have meant to us. Then He adds to the fathers, make it easy for your children to obey. Don’t provoke them. Don’t make life difficult for them. Rather, “bring them up [mature them] in the nurture [the discipline, that’s what we do], and the admonition [that’s what we say] of the Lord.” And the goal of course is maturity. A Christian home ought to be a little bit of heaven on earth, and it will be if we do what God wants us to do.