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Book: Ephesians
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Ephesians 6:1
I. "Children obey your parents in the Lord."
A. It should first be noted that the commandment is to obey your
parents in the Lord.
1. Unfortunately some children have ungodly parents who
are demanding actions from them that are that are
sinful.
2. The Bible speaks of unnatural affection, and that
surely is seen in our world today.
a. The sexual abuse of a child is one of the
worst crimes that a person can be guilty of.
b. The child suffers the rest of their life from
the effects of such molestation. Some more
than others.
3. There are times when parents fight against their
child's faith in God.
a. Jesus said that if would be better for a
millstone to be tied around a persons neck and
they be cast into the sea than to offend a
child that believes in Him.
b. We have had occasions where parents have
forbidden their children to come to church.
c. We have had parents say that they would rather
their children be on drugs rather than on what
they termed this Jesus kick.
4. So as the wife is to submit to their husbands as unto
the Lord, so the children are to obey their parents in
the Lord.
B. Paul affirms, "for this is right."
1. One of the first signs of a breakdown in a society is
when children refuse to obey their parents.
2. This is why in the Old Testament under the law, they
dealt so severely with the unruly child.
DEU 21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not
obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and
[that], when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto
them:
DEU 21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and
bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate
of his place;
DEU 21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son
[is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice;
[he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.
DEU 21:21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that
he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all
Israel shall hear, and fear.
3. The proverbs say that a child left to himself will
bring shame to his mother.
PRO 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law
of thy mother:
PRO 6:21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about
thy neck.
PRO 6:22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it
shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with
thee.
PRO 6:23 For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and
reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life:
PRO 6:24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the
tongue of a strange woman.
PRO 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her
take thee with her eyelids.
PRO 6:26 For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece
of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
PRO 6:27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be
burned?
PRO 6:28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
C. In the book of Jeremiah we have a classic example of the
obedience of children to their father.
1. God told Jeremiah to go the Rechabites and bring them
into the house of the Lord and offer them wine. So
Jeremiah did so, he set pots of wine before them and
gave them cups and invited them to drink.
2. They refused to drink for they said that their father
Jonadab the son of Rechab had told his children never
to drink wine, this is 280 years later and they are
still obeying this commandment of their ancient
relative.
3. God used the illustration to commend the sons of
Rechab, and then He chastised the children of Israel
for not obeying His voice.
II. Honor thy father and mother.
A. When Moses brought down the two tables of stone on which God
had inscribed the ten commandments, the first table of stone
had the commandments that dealt with man's relationship with
God. The second stone tablet had the laws that governed man's
relationship with his fellow man.
1. The very first commandment in dealing with human
relationships was, "Honor thy father and thy mother
that the days may be long in the land that the Lord
thy God giveth thee."
2. In Deuteronomy when the law is repeated it is there
said, "Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord
thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be
prolonged, and that it may go well with thee in the
land in which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
3. In the commandments in the book of Exodus the honoring
of one's parents was related only to their days being
long in the land that the Lord was giving to them.
a. As we mentioned earlier, the breakdown of the
family is one of the first signs of the
breakdown of the society.
b. As Paul wrote to Timothy of the perilous times
that were coming in the last days one of the
signs was disobedient to parents.
c. Paul speaks of it in Romans 1 as one of the
signs of the total breakdown of the society
that is ready for the wrath of God to be
revealed from heaven.
4. In Deuteronomy it is also related to a good long life.
"That thy days may be long, and that it may go well
with thee."
a. What blessedness and joy their is in a good
strong family relationship.
b. It seems that our relationship with our
children and grandchildren just gets better
all of the time.
B. It seems that Paul is referring to the book of Deuteronomy
when he speaks of the promise that is attached with the
commandment to honor your father and mother.
1. What a delight it is to visit in a home where the
children are obedient and honor their parents.
2. What misery it is to be in a home where the children
are not under control, but seem to have the run of
the house. It is pure chaos.
3. How many times those children who are not disciplined
die early because they have never been taught to follow
the rules.
4. How many times have they suffered in later life because
they were allowed to just do things their own way, only
ate the foods they liked. If they make it to their
later years their bodies suffer from the lack of proper
nutrition in their early days.
PSA 19:7 The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
PSA 19:8 The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.
PSA 19:9 The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the
judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
PSA 19:10 More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
PSA 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of
them [there is] great reward.
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