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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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“AS FOR ME AND MY
HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD” (2014 GBC THEME) “CHRISTIAN HOME
-3” (Ex 20:12; Eph
6:1-4) 2/9/14 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON THE FAMILY A. The Sinful Propensity of Children (Ex
20:12) 1. When Adam and Eve bore children, their
sinful nature with its propensities was passed on to
them. The command in Ex 20:12 reveals not only God’s will, but
what children must focus on because of their own sinful propensities. Their
sinful propensity would be to disobey or even rebel against their authority,
namely their parents. 2. This is not to say that every child
becomes a Hell’s Angel by the age of nine, but every child experiences the
propensity of sin to disobey his or her parents. This is why Scripture
admonishes children to “honor your father and mother” (Ep 6:1-3; Col 3:20). B. The Sinful Propensity of Man (Ex 20:12) 1. It is not just children that struggle
with obedience to authority. The entire human race struggles with it. In
fact, disobedience and rebellion sufficiently summarize what the sinful
nature actually is. It is ultimately disobedience and rebellion against God
(1Sa 15:23; Is 57:4). When we look at the Ten Commandments we find that they address our most basic sinful rebellious
propensities (Ex 20:1-17). 2. It is this sinful propensity from the
Fall of Adam that quickly emerges in the hearts of all children. II. NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON CHILDREN (Ex
20:12; Ep 6:1-3) A. Paul’s Instruction on Children (Ep 6:1) 1. As Paul gives instructions to the church
in Ephesus concerning children, he tells children to obey their parents.
Paul’s reason for giving this instruction was based
on the fifth commandment found in Ex 20:12 (cf. Ep 6:2-3). 2. What was true concerning children for
ancient Israel, was true for children in Paul’s day B. Explanation of Honoring Parents (Ex
20:12a) 1. According to the fifth commandment,
children were commanded to honor their father and
mother. The word “honor” is the Hebrew word kabad which
literally means “to be heavy or weighty.” Figuratively it can refer to a
“weighty” person as someone who is worthy of honor or respect. It often was intended to refer to one’s position or status. 2. It is used several times in relation to
God (1Sa 2:30; Ps 50:15; Is 29:13). God is to be honored because of both His
attributes and His inherent position as God (Ex 14:4; Jdg 13:17; Mal 2:2). 3. Because God has established lesser
authorities as representatives of His authority, parents are worthy of
similar honor by their inherent position (Mal 1:6; Le 19:3). 4. Therefore, if someone disobeys or rebels against God’s established authorities, they are
rebelling against God Himself. For this reason
Scripture maintains harsh discipline on the those who rebel against not only
authorities (Nu 15:30; 1Ki 21:10), but also parents (Dt 21:18-21; Le
24:10-14). 5. Children raised in the instruction of the
Lord, must be taught to respect and obey their
parents and authorities. I am not just referring to
disciplining a child when they disobey. God intended that parents teach their
children the character quality of obedience and submission to parents and
authorities. a) They are to teach them from the Scriptures
that this was Christ’s example as a child (Lk 2:51). b) They are to teach them that this is what
God requires of believers in Christian living (Ro 13:1; Tit 2:9; Tit 3:1; 1Pe
2:13, 18). c) They are to show them by attitude and
example that they obey authorities in their lives. They are not to constantly
complain about authorities or their jobs but show their submission and faith
in God’s sovereignty. C. Explanation of the Promise (Ex 20:12) 1. Paul adds the promise that was given to
Israel in the fifth commandment, “that
your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” 2. In the context of Exodus, God was
speaking to His covenant people. The promise included a reference to the
Promised Land (“in the land which
the LORD your God gives you”). In many places in the Old Testament, the covenant blessings were promised to those who obeyed the Lord (Dt 4:1; 8:1;
16:20; 30:15–16). 3. But how would Paul have applied it to
believers who were no longer under the Law and the Mosaic Covenant? God’s
principles often keep believers from consequences due to sin. Following the
principles of parents who have their children’s best interest at heart, will
inevitably deter decisions that lead to consequences, including premature
death. Also at the heart of God’s commands are spiritual principles that
encourage successful spiritual life. The quality of one’s life is enhanced by following God’s principles. 4. When we consider raising children in the
Lord, parents need to teach their children the blessings of obeying God’s
principles and the consequences of not following them. Granted, we are
to obey the Lord out of a heart of love for Him. Nevertheless, God Himself
reveals that there are consequences, even for believers, who do not follow
God’s principles. They are like a safety net to prevent the believer from
falling into sin. 5. Proverbs is full of those principles that
can help children have spiritual discernment and protect them their entire
lives. a) Pr 6:20-23 clearly illustrates this
principle. Spiritual principles taught by parents to their children will help
them in their walk, will guide them, will give them discernment, and will
protect them from sin (cf. Pr 6:24 cf. Pr 2:12, 16; Pr 29:3). b) Proverbs also teaches the consequences of
not obeying parents and being rebellious (Pr 30:11, 17; cf. Pr 20:20; Pr
28:24) 6. Children need to be shown what to do and
have explained why they should do it as well as what dangers they will avoid. III. NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING ON PARENTING (Ep 6:4) A. The Prohibition 1. Ep 6:4 represents the general concept of
the parental spiritual teaching of children. However, it first begins with a
prohibition. I believe this prohibition deals with
sinful propensities that are in parents and especially father. 2. Notice it begins with “fathers.” This
does not mean that mothers are not a part of spiritual teaching. Mothers are
a part and play a tremendous role. But
unfortunately, sometimes it is only the mother who is doing the spiritual
teaching. It should be the father because he is the spiritual leader. This
passage calls fathers to rise up against their sinful propensities and take
on their divine calling. 3. Fathers are not to “provoke” their
children to anger. This does not teach that parents are not to do anything
that will upset the children if they do not get their own way. Rather, the
father must lead his family in a wise and loving manner. The word “provoke”
is the Greek word parorgizō and
means to exasperate, frustrate, to provoke someone to anger by being a harsh
taskmaster. In other words, don’t let your
leadership be driven by anger because your laws have been violated. A father
is to be a disciplinarian, but not a foolish disciplinarian. Rather he is to
be a wise, spiritual, and loving disciplinarian. B. The Exhortation 1. The words “loving” and “disciplinarian”
are not mutually exclusive. It does not come down to one or the other, but
both at the same time. If fathers act as if these words are mutually
exclusive, then he will violate this principle in Ep 6:4. I
admit, it is difficult to balance these two. We ask the question, “how do you
do this?” 2. God answers the question. He says, “but”
(alla - but, instead) “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of
the Lord.” a) The word “bring” (present imperative - ektrephō) is the same word as “nourish” in Ep
5:29. It means to nurture children to maturity. Yes, parents are dealing with
sinful propensities in children, but children who are made
in the image of God. Therefore, they must be nurtured
to maturity by spiritual leadership. b) They are to be nurtured
with “discipline” and “instruction of the Lord.” Discipline is padeia
which means child training sometimes called child-rearing. This
word is used for the heavenly discipline a believer
receives from the Lord. Its purpose and intent is to train and yield
righteousness (He 12:11). It is also used as one of the purposes of Scripture
(2Ti 3:16). c) This leads to the second part, namely
instruction. Instruction is teaching the principles of Scripture. But it also means (nouthesia
- admonish, warn) to admonish and warn those who would violate God’s
principles. d) Fathers are the spiritual leaders of their
home. But they must lead in a Christ-like manner.
They must lead in a way that desires not vengeance, but sanctification. They
must not abandon love in this pursuit. For sanctification without love is not
sanctification, it is a mishandling of the authority which
the Lord has given fathers. It is the mishandling of the little ones for whom
Christ died on cross. |
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