Untitled Sermon (9)

Introduction:

What’s up Freedom?! I’m Ross, it’s good to be back up here.

I got an extra hour of sleep last night so I’m feeling refreshed.

It’s kind of crazy that this may be my last time up here. But, maybe not, so I’m not saying bye yet.

I coached Lake’s flag football team yesterday and they won the league championship so that was a lot of fun.

Congratulations Lake.

It was cold and there were kids who didn’t dress appropriately, so when they first got there the kids were freezing. The wind was cutting.

I know I heard more than once as kids complained of the cold, their parents saying something to the effect, “I told you to put on your __________ (insert warm clothing item (hoodie, leggings, beanie, etc.)).

A lot of times, kids just don’t listen. But as parents, and as children of the Most High, we don’t always listen either. So it’s important that we extend grace to kids.

At the same time, kids need to obey their parents. This is much of what our text today covers.

We will be in EPHESIANS 6 .

Children

1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Kids, you may not want to hear this, but you need to obey your parents. Kids just want to know why? Kids, it’s OK for you to ask why?

Why do I have to do this? Why should I obey my parents?

It’s because you belong to the LORD, you belong to Jesus. God created all things. What he wants is for you to understand that He loves you and he wants to care for you. While you are growing and still learning about life and the world we live in, God wants to provide protection and guidance for you. What God is calling you to do, is to trust Him, by trusting that what your parents are asking you to do is for your protection, your nourishment, your learning and your benefit.

Kids, have you ever felt like your parents are being overly protective of you. I felt that way when I was a kid.

This one time I when I was around 11 years old, and I was invited to one of my favorite cousin’s birthday party. Her father worked for a bank and the bank owner had a large ranch with a lot of land and often let our family stay there and use their property. So my cousin had me and her sister and all of her friends there. And there was a river that ran through the ranch called the Llano River. It hadn’t rained in a while so the river was kind of low shallow and so parts of it were so low that you could just walk through it while in other areas it was deeper and you could go swimming.

I had been playing with some of the other kids in the shallow area when I thought it was kind of cool that the water started to run a bit more through the river. It was really cool to watch certain areas fill up slowly and I was just skipping rocks and laughing and joking with the other girls when all of the sudden my dad started screaming in a really frantic way. “Hey, get out! Get out of the water!” I kind of ignored him and kept playing and he was screaming even more from the river bank, “Get out! Get over here!”

I was thinking, “Oh my gosh! What a complete jerk! I can’t believe my dad is talking to us like this! What is his problem?” So I very angrily screamed out, “Why?!”

At this point my dad was running towards us and I could tell something was really wrong. He said, the river is about to flood! Get out!” I looked and I could see the river rising faster and faster. We all started running out to the bank and there were a few girls in the deeper area swimming were just hanging on to trees at this point because the river had risen so fast. My dad and my uncle were able to pull the other girls in that day and because of their quick actions they probably saved all of our lives.

I stood there on the bank of that river as water just came rushing through and covered the area we had just been playing. I had never seen anything like that. I was genuinely in awe and amazed by the speed and the massive amount of the water that was rushing through where we were playing. As I looked at it, I knew that if I had been down there right now. I would be dead. I tried to imagine a scenario where I might have been able to live and swim out of it but, no, I would have died.

Now that I’m older I can appreciate that there were actually many other situations where my dad said no to things I really wanted. He wasn’t saying it because he liked to tell me no or stop me from doing what I wanted to do. He was trying to protect me.

When my mom was teaching me to do the dishes, how to vacuum, scrub the toilet, and do laundry, it wasn’t because she was just wanting to ruin my day. She was simply teaching me responsibility that I would need in the future when I was on my own. She was having me do things at a high standard because she wanted me to have a good work ethic.

If you know you have good parents who care about you and love you. They are thinking about you and how to protect you. God put that desire in their hearts and that instinct to love you, care for you, and nurture you.

Your parents are thinking about how what you are doing today will impact your future because God has given them experiences. Your parents have made mistakes in life. God has disciplined them in life and shown them the difference between right from wrong, truth from falsehood, wisdom from foolishness. It’s likely that your parents are trying to save you from the heartache and the pain that life can bring you when you make bad choices.

God’s general promise to children is that, ““3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.””

That doesn’t mean that nothing bad could ever happen to you, it means that God is going to bless your life and that you will live a better life because you won’t do as many stupid things that can hurt you or cause you be stuck. When there are set backs you’ll be able to move through life with God’s blessing and encouragement. And when you do die, you will live again because Jesus is your LORD.

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Parents

"So kids have their responsibility to obey, but parents, before you get too comfortable nodding along, the Bible has some strong words for us too."

The bible says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child and that it is the parents responsibility to discipline their children, to teach them life skills, and safety, the wisdom to know right from wrong, and the word of God.

Kids. It’s not your fault you don’t know a lot. It’s not your fault that you’re just learning. But it is your responsibility to obey your parents. God has put them in your life as a covering of protection over you, and God is going to judge your parents for how well they parent you.

Parents, you heard that correctly. So, you better not take parenting lightly. It is a huge responsibility requiring a high level of commitment and sacrifice. Your life decisions have to 100% include how your good, bad, and indifferent actions will affect your children. When your children are grown one day you’re going to want a clear conscience. After your children are grown, their lives and their choices are mostly, out of your hands.

Who they become will be a product of your choices, and theirs.

God has put a whole human life under your care and protection. So take the responsibility seriously.

What I want to say to parents is, any form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, shameful, condemnable, and should be immediately repented of.

What Paul wants to say to the Ephesian parents (and to us) is, “4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

Mom’s can provoke their children to anger too so this doesn’t exclude mothers at all. This is to the entire household, so parents, “don’t provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.”

How does that happen? God isn’t saying don’t tell your children what to do. He isn’t saying don’t discipline them. He’s not saying your kids won’t get angry when you discipline them or when you give them instructions to do or to not do something. He’s saying don’t make your kids angry by how you treat them.

In other words don’t be harsh and overbearing with them. Let your words and actions be firm and with clear boundaries, balanced with love.

It says, “RATHER, instead of that, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

OK so what is the discipline and instruction that comes from the LORD. Hmmmm. Let’s see, how does God discipline you? Paul has already given us and the Ephesians a clue there.

DEAR PARENTS, PRACTICE THIS FOR YOURSELF - AND THEN TEACH YOUR HOUSEHOLD TO:

Ephesians 4:2 “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

Ephesians 4:31–32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Ephesians 5:21 “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

This call to mutual submission is a calling for the entire church. Not just wives and husbands. So I’m going to say something I’ve never heard before in church.

Parents, sometimes you need to submit to your children.

When? When they’re right. It’s very appropriate to repent when you are wrong and you have wronged your children and your spouse. You don’t always have to be right. Because you’re not. If you make a mistake with your kids be quick to apologize and repent.

If you can’t be humble then you are in direct opposition to God.

And, if you want to raise children who are not embittered toward you and constantly angry and resentful toward you, be consistent about these things.

Slaves

“The next section Paul addresses requires careful historical context..."

We have to realize that the bible was written to a particular people, at an exact time, in a specific context. It therefore becomes important to rightly distinguish what the text is saying as it is situated in it’s particular space and time and situation.

Within the Greco Roman world and throughout the entire world at this time and for thousands of years before this letter was written there were slaves.

In fact, there are still slaves in the world today and it is still accepted in certain societies.

I’m not going to stand here and be a slavery apologist.

Nor do I need to. The New Testament clearly condemns the practice. My proof text for this is when Paul is speaking to his disciple, a young pastor whom he set over the Ephesian Church when he left.

He was speaking to him about the proper and improper use of the God’s Law. He said that the law is intended to be used in regard to UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. And, he said specifically that the law was for law breakers and the UNRIGHTEOUS. Then he goes on to make a list of the types of people who are UNRIGHTEOUS.

1 Timothy 1:10–11 “The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.”

In fact if you want to know where the abolitionist movement came from. It came from Christians who rightly deduced from this scripture and others that slavery was inherently evil.

If you need a few other examples thats fine. Christian abolitionists rightly deduced that since man was in slavery to sin and that Christ had set them free from the shackles of sin through the shedding of his blood it only made natural sense that slavery was inherently evil.

They inferred that since God set the Children of Abraham free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, that slavery was inherently evil.

They read Pauls letter to the Galatians that said, “you are all one in Christ Jesus” and rightly concluded that since all people were equal it was not right that any man should be enslaved.

They saw in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church that slaves should seek freedom if they are able!

They used the bible as their primary text to argue the evils of slavery.

I also wonder, where did we get the name “Freedom Church”?

There’s a linguistic and cultural barrier that we need to see and overcome.

When Paul is writing to Timothy he is talking about the type of slavery where people are kidnapped or taken as a result of war.

When Paul is writing to the Ephesian church as a whole he is talking about the type of slavery where people became indentured servants as a way to create a debt or pay a debt.

Indentured servitude and chattel slavery are two entirely different things.

There simply wasn’t a banking system. People borrowed directly from person to person and one way to borrow and pay back debt was to become a slave.

About 1/3 of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves.

There’s simply no word in the ancient language distinguishing the two so it is important distinguish that from the outset here before proceeding in the text.

There are writings from Roman officials who marveled and remarked at the strangeness of Christians who ignored classes and considered themselves equals with each other.

So if anything, all of those in Christ, are given dignity, respect, acceptance, and unity.

Here’s what Paul says in our text says today:

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. 9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

The whole of this text is written to create peace in the household. The indentured servants Paul was speaking to, worked in the homes of those they served.

There was definitely abuses happening within these relationship throughout the ancient world. But the expectation in the church was that these relationship be loving. So Paul is saying yes you may be the patriarch and the master in your home, but recognize that God is going to judge you for the way you treat people.

How can we APPLY this today?

What if you hate your job?

"Some of you are thinking, 'Ross, you don't understand—my boss is terrible, the pay is bad, I hate this job.' Paul's actually talking to people who had it way worse than you. And he says: do your work with excellence anyway. Not because your earthly boss deserves it, but because Christ does. And remember—if you need to get out of that debt or situation, then work toward freedom from it."

"This applies to how you treat your waiter, your Uber driver, the person who cleans your office, the contractor working on your house. Do you acknowledge them? Thank them? Tip appropriately? Or do you treat them as invisible because they're serving you?"

"Even if you're not an employer, you employ people all the time. When someone mows your lawn, fixes your car, serves your coffee—are you treating them with the dignity that reflects they're made in God's image? Or are you short, impatient, demanding?"

"Here's what I want you to do in response..."

For Employees

If you owe a debt, pay it back (seek to be free from it)!

If you are employed by someone, do your job as if you are doing it for Christ himself.

For Employers or anyone paying for a service.

Treat people who work for you with dignity and respect.

For Children:

You need to obey your parents

If you haven’t made Jesus your LORD, make him your LORD… then obey your parents.

For Parents:

Be a reasonable parent who disciplines and teaches their children the love of the LORD.

"Let me close with this invitation..."

If you want to come forward and receive Jesus as your LORD today come up and lets pray together.

If you’re a kid who wants to be a better son or daughter and you want prayer for that come up and let Kody and I pray for you about that.

If you’re a parent who feels like their failing at parenting. Join the club. It’s not easy but hey we’d love to pray for you and encourage you.

If you have a work situation that you need prayer for, come up.