Living the Lordship of Christ

The Family under Attack

ASK: How is the culture attacking the family?

ASK: Why is the destruction of the family a major plank of those with a radical agenda in the United States?

If they can destroy the family then they can increase the power of the state and increase their influence over future generations.

God created families to help believers learn to live like Christ. Paul helps know how to do that. He gave us simple instructions that, if carried out, will strengthen and preserve the family. We must take family roles seriously.

Workplace Atmosphere

ASK: What is the normal atmosphere at your place of work: hostile or friendly?

ASK: Who or what do you think contributes the most to developing the atmosphere of your workplace?

Paul addressed both the home and work settings. His straightforward instructions help us please God as children, parents, and employees.

After watching a TV presentation about rebellious teens, a husband said to his wife, “What a mess! Where did our generation go wrong?” the wife calmly answered, “We had children.”

It seems no matter where we look in modern society, we see antagonism, division, and rebellion. Husbands and wives are divorcing each other; children are rebelling against their parents; and employers and employees are seeking for new ways to avoid working productively. We have tried education, legislation, and every other approach, but nothing seems to work.

Paul’s solution to the problems of the home and society was regeneration - a new heart from God and a new submission to Christ and to one another. God;s greatest program is to “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). Paul indicated that this spiritual harmony begins in the lives of Christians who are submitted to the Lordship of Christ. In this section of Ephesians Paul admonished four groups of Christians about how they could have harmony in Christ.

Ephesians 6:1–9 KJV 1900

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Christian Children

Paul did not tell the parents to admonish the children; he did it himself. Children were present in the assembly when this letter was read. Christian families attended the public worship together, not doubt some would have to explain to their children later but others were not only present but they were listening to what was going on!

Paul gave the children four reasons why they should obey their parents.

They are Christians

“in the Lord.” This argument is an application to the theme of the entire section of this letter.

Ephesians 5:21 KJV 1900

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

When a person becomes a Christian, he is not released from normal obligations of life. If anything, his faith in Christ ought to make him a better child in the home. To the Colossians Paul enforced his words with this,

Colossians 3:20 KJV 1900

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Here is harmony in the home; the wife submits to the husband “as unto Christ”; the husband loves his wife “even as Christ love the Church”; and the children “obey in the Lord.”

You may be sitting here thinking, Well Bro. Travis you just don’t understand my home isn’t anything like what you just read. Either because my family is not made up of believers or they don’t live like a believers like Paul puts it in Ephesians.

First, if I may say I do understand where some of you are from because I lived it. I know what it’s like to want to follow God with your life and your family tell you that its a waste of talent, time, and money to go to Bible college. Or when your dad threatens you because you want go buy him cigarettes. Trust me I know its hard to live the Christian life in a non-Christian home. But may I tell you something that I wish someone would have told me as a teenager. It does not matter if your parents are Christian, anti-Christian, or pretend Christians. You cannot control what they do or don’t do but you can control your own, actions, and attitudes in the home.

Why? because

Obedience is Right

There is a order in nature, ordained of God, that argues for the rightness of an action. Since the parents brought the child into the world, and since they have more knowledge and wisdom than the child, it is right that the child obey his parents. Even young animals are taught to obey.

The modern version of Ephesians 6:1 would be, “Parents, obey your children, for this will keep them happy and bring peace to the home.” But this is contrary to God’s order in nature.

Paul wrote, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord" (6:1). He used the present tense, "obey," in this command because children are supposed to always obey.

Now, to go back to my statement about the non-Christian home. when I lived at home my dad told me to go by him cigarettes. My response naturally was “No way! I am not going to buy you cigarettes! Are you kidding me! for one thing they are killing you! and another thing I will not ruin my testimony by possibly being seen buying those things!”

How do you think he responded? He got mad and we got into a yelling match until I left and went for a walk.

Do you think that I was right to say no? or should I have said yes? The right thing for me to do would have been to calmly and respectfully explain to him why I won’t go do that. Because regardless of his spiritual state it is my job as a Christian and his child was to respect my father.

Exodus 20:12 KJV 1900

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Children are to be obedient in matters that honor God's will. Further, their obedience should be as unto the Lord, for in obeying their parents, they obey the Lord.

Obedience is Commanded

Verse 2

Here Paul cites the 5th commandment in the verse we just read in Exodus 20. But he applies it to the New Testament believers. This does not mean that we are under the law for Christ set us free from both the curse and the bondage of the law. But the righteousness of the Law is still a revelation of the holiness of God, and the Holy Spirit enables us to practice that righteousness in your daily lives. All of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament for the Christians to observe.

It is just as wrong for a New Testament Christian to dishonor his parents are it was fro an Old Testament Jew. To honor our parents means much more than to simply obey them. It means to show them respect and love, to care for them as long as they us, and to seek to bring honor to them by the way we live.

Some of you are being raised in great godly homes, whose parents are doing everything they possibly can to raise you in Lord, but you dishonor them not by your lack of obedience by your actions of disrespect for the things of the Lord. By choosing to walk in your flesh and choosing to go the direction they have warned you against.

The bridge is out story

but some of you will hear the warnings coming from a godly parent that loves you and wants to see your life follow godly things. You will hear the warnings and say, “what do they know, they are old fashioned and out of date. They just don’t understand the world is different now.” All the while you are driving your life towards destruction because the bridge is out. And just because your parent are the ones who are loving holding the warning signs you choose not to believe it.

Obedience Brings Blessings

(6:2-3).

The 5th Commandment has a promise attached to it:

Exodus 20:12 KJV 1900

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

This promise tells us that Christians who honors his parent can expect two blessings. It will be well with him , and he will live long upon the earth. This does not mean that everyone who died young dishonored their parents. He was stating a principle: When children obey their parents in the Lord, they will escape a good deal of sin and danger and thus avoid the things that could threaten or shorten their lives. but live is not measured only by quantity of time . It is also measured by the quality of experience. God enriches the life of the obedient child no matter how long he may live on the earth. Sin always robs us; obedience always enriches us.

So, children must learn to obey their parents, but not only because they are your parents, but also because God has commanded it to be so. Disobedience to parent is rebellion against God.

Christian Fathers

(6:4)

Parenting isn't easy. Becoming a happy family with strong family ties does not just happen. It takes effort on the part of all the family members. Children are to be respectful and obedient. Parents, too, have responsibilities, which Paul addressed in Ephesians 6:4.

Don't provoke

Writing directly to fathers (however, mothers can also draw applications from this verse), Paul charged, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath." To "provoke" is to rouse to anger, to exasperate. Parents must not purposely exasperate their children. They should not make unreasonable demands or be unduly harsh. Parents who exasperate their children make it difficult for them to obey willingly and respectfully.

Biting criticism, unreasonable demands, and severity shouldn't be a part of parenting. All contribute to provoking a child. A provoked child is at risk of turning away from his or her parents. Once this happens, that child's relationship with God suffers too.

Train and admonish

How should parents rear their children? Paul instructed parents to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (6:4). Biblical parenting involves tenderly rearing children through proper nurture and admonition. To nurture is to train children by corrective acts, or discipline.

Children need discipline. They need molding to learn proper behavior, respect for authority, and getting along with others. They need to learn to behave at home, in school, in church, and in society. Discipline makes children better fit for life itself.

Parents must correct their children when they misbehave; however, they should never discipline with hateful anger as the motivator. Love should be their reason for disciplining their child. And the discipline should always correlate with the offense. Spanking is only one way to discipline and is not appropriate for some offenses. For example, leaving his or her bike in the yard overnight, forgetting to make his or her bed, or digging up part of the yard while looking for worms are not willful disobedience nor acts of defiance.

I understand that you are not fathers but you can look at this to understand either why your parent do what they do, or to know how you are to raise your own children someday.

Christian Servants

(6:5-8)

Paul addressed another relationship within the household, that of servants and masters. In New Testament times servants were often considered part of the household. but we may certainly apply these words to the Christian employee today.

Sincerely obey

Paul wrote, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh" (Eph. 6.•5). The phrase "according to the flesh" reminded servants that their slavery involved only their social status. In Christ, they were spiritually free. Christ was their ultimate master. Paul gave Christ's instructions for servants to follow.

second, servants were to serve with sincerity of heart. God expects employees to render obedient service with honest, sincere hearts. We should work hard from our hearts, not just going through the motions.

I was a supervisor at the school. And I had all kinds of people come to “work” under me and some of the biggest things I noticed and I even taught people was that, “I can teach clean, I cannot teach lazy.” And those workers who came into the interviews and would say, “Oh, I’m a hard worker.” I would find our really quick weather they were or not. Why? Because when you have a sincere heart it shows.

Third, the slaves were to serve "as unto Christ" (6:5). By putting in an honest day's work for their masters, they were working for the Lord.

Fourth, they were to work hard even when their masters couldn't see them. Their consistent diligence showed they primarily served Christ (6:6, 7). Christ is always around. He sees both what we do and why we do it.

Christian Masters

(6:9)

Don't threaten

Turning to Christian masters, Paul gave them exhortations also. In counseling, "And, ye masters, do the same things unto them" (6:9), Paul appealed to masters to treat servants with the same consideration servants were to show to their masters. Masters were to be fair, kind, and honest.

Paul added that masters were not to threaten their servants. This doesn't prohibit an employer from reprimanding a delinquent employee. It means employers shouldn't bully their employees, using threats of pay cuts, demotions, or layoffs to get their employees to meet unreasonable demands.

Remember your Master

Employers should recognize they have an impartial Master in Heaven to whom every believer will give an account. God's judgment will be fair and honest.

We could summarize this whole section of Ephesians in two words: "Do right." If everyone heeded Paul's instructions in these verses, life would be far more enjoyable and less confrontational. God's Spirit makes it all possible for believers.

We are called to “walk in harmony.” If we are filled with the Holy Spirit and are joyful, thankful, and submissive, then we can enjoy harmony in the relationships of life as we live and work with others. Where is your heart with God? When our attitudes are not right with God the rest of our relationships in life suffer.