Children-Parents

Children, Parents and Masters

TEXT:  Ephesians 6:1-9(ESV)
¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 
^2£“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 
³“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 
⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
⁵Slaves,^£ obey your earthly masters^£ with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 
⁶not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants^£ of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 
⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 
⁸knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 
⁹Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master^£ and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

 Note the same passage from the Message Bible:

Ephesians 6:1-9  –  (the Message Bible)

Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.”  Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.  Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.  Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.

 It is sad but it has been reported that the divorce rate among Christians is almost as high as that in the rest of society. 

When God called His chosen people He commissioned them to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’
Exodus 19:6(ESV)
⁶and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

 The central truth of the OT revelation is:  “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!”  (Deut. 6:4 ) Note:

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (NKJV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

Since the Fall of Mankind the curse that causes men to be chauvinistic, women to usurp the place of men, children to be disobedient to their parents, and parents to be abusive to their children. 

The Minnesota Crime Commission issued this report, in part:

“Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self–centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it: his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, his uncle’s watch, or whatever. Deny him these and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He’s dirty, he has no morals, no knowledge, no developed skills. This means that all children, not just certain children but all children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self–centered world of infancy, given free reign to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist. – “

A letter received by John MacArthur from a man who emigrated from Czechoslovakia speaks about the family today.

“In Czechoslovakia the great majority of women work, and children are at kindergarten since several months of age. The impact on the family ties is horrible. My wife and I know it from our own experience. The godless doctrine pumped into little children’s souls brought up the most cynical generation you can imagine. Most young people do not believe in anything, not even God. My wife recently visited our native country and returned with sadness in her heart. The godless system destroyed in great part the will of people, and produced an obeying array of cynical, indifferent, disposable robots. What scares me most is that the same process of liberation movement and jargon I heard twenty–five and thirty years ago is happening right now in this country, and we have to go through it a second time. We must tell you that this collapsing morality and growing indifference are some of the reasons we received Jesus Christ several months ago as our Savior, even though our background of dialectical materialism (that is another name for Communism) is enormous and unimaginable to the average American.”

It is a plan truth that ‘children are a blessing from God’ – Thus, parents are to tireless commit themselves to the godly teaching and training of their children as Ephesians 6:1-3 brings out.  From the text, here are some of the key ‘Greek’ words and there meaning:

Tekna(children) does not refer particularly to young children but to all offspring.

Hupakouō(obey) literally means “to hear under,” that is, to listen with attentiveness and to respond positively to what is heard. Children are to put themselves under the words and authority of their parents.

Dikaios(right) refers to that which is correct, just, righteous—to that which is exactly as it should be.

The right attitude behind the right act of obedience is honor (timaō), which means to value highly, to hold in the highest regard and respect.

A child can have no greater inheritance than the godly teaching and example of his parents.“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commandments within you. Keep my commandments and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Prov. 7:1–3).

He must grow intellectually. When a baby comes into the world, his mind is a blank. Childhood is a time of learning.Whatever children know they must be taught. They come into the world with no intellectual knowledge or judgment.  An example would be that they are inclined to choose junk food over what is nourishing, to play in the street (so to speak) where it is dangerous rather than safe. They consider what they want as #1 priority.  They have no vocabulary, but that which is taught them.  What children need to know falls into the responsibility of their parents!  How well we do that will be reflective on the finished product.

And every child must grow spiritually, “in favor with God.”Children do not know God naturally, much less love and obey Him naturally. A child must be taught about God, His nature, His care, His love, and His will.   When the child gets old enough, he must be taught that he needs to trust in Jesus Christ and for Him to be his own Savior and Lord.

The world has a lot to say about children’s so-called ‘rights’.  But the emphasis should be on their responsibilities.  If we center on ‘rights’ we weaken and destroy relationships on every level.  When we have a sense of responsibility, we build, not work to bring down. 

The Submission of Parents

And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4)

History:  “By the Roman law of patria potestas a father had virtual life and death power not only over his slaves but over his entire household. He could cast any of them out of the house, sell them as slaves, or even kill them—and be accountable to no one.A newborn child was placed at its father’s feet to determine its fate. If the father picked it up, the child was allowed to stay in the home; if the father walked away, it was simply disposed of—much as aborted babies are in our own day. Discarded infants who were healthy and vigorous were collected and taken each night to the town forum, where they would be picked up and raised to be slaves or prostitutes.”  (Taken from John MacArthur Commentary, this and other quotes to follow.)

“In a study at Harvard University gave four primary factors necessary to prevent delinquency:”

1.       The father being firm, fair and consistent in discipline

2.       The children and the family spending time together

3.       The parental demonstration of affection for each other and for the children

4.       The family spending time together in activities were all participated.

“..to provoke…to anger”  suggests an ongoing pattern of treatment that builds up deep-seated anger and resentment – generates hostility.  Can be caused by:”

1.      Being an ‘overprotective’ parent

2.       Those who don’t trust them to do things on their own

3.       Continual questioning their judgment and builds a barrier between them

Children need guidance and certain restrictions – but they are individual beings and it might be well to let them learn to make decisions in accordance with their age and maturity.  Some things to keep in mind might be this list:

1.       Will can be guided, not controlled.

2.       The Bible shows examples of bad outcomes when ‘favoritism’ occurs.  (Isaac favored Esau over Jacob and Rebekah preferred Jacob over Esau.)

3.       Comparing one child to the other can be devastating to the child less talented or favored. 

4.       Pushing children for achievements beyond reasonableness.

5.       Failing to do for their children and making them feel as ‘an intrusion’ rather than wanted.

6.       Failing to let children grow up in a normal pace…  (balance)

7.       Worse way is physical and verbal abuse.  Battered children is a tragedy today. 

A father confesses:
“My family’s all grown and the kids are all gone. But if I had to do it all over again, this is what I would do. I would love my wife more in front of my children. I would laugh with my children more—at our mistakes and our joys. I would listen more, even to the littlest child. I would be more honest about my own weaknesses, never pretending perfection. I would pray differently for my family; instead of focusing on them, I’d focus on me. I would do more things together with my children. I would encourage them more and bestow more praise. I would pay more attention to little things, like deeds and words of thoughtfulness. And then, finally, if I had to do it all over again, I would share God more intimately with my family; every ordinary thing that happened in every ordinary day I would use to direct them to God.” 
(Life Application Bible Commentary)

YET:  Bring up children in the discipline and instructions of the Lord….

Discipline is basically the overall training of children, including punishments fitting the crime.

Nouthesia(instruction) is literally a “putting in mind” and also includes the connotation of correction.  Type of instruction found in the book of Proverbs  where the primary focus is on the training and teaching of children.

Spirit-Filled Labor Relations  –  Ephesians 6:5-9(ESV)
⁵Slaves,^£ obey your earthly masters^£ with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 
⁶not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants^£ of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 
⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 
⁸knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 
⁹Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master^£ and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Employees want smaller workloads, fewer hours, more vacations, and more pay and benefits…

Employers want more productivity, more profits, and greater control of management policies and practices

Both sides want lower taxes for themselves while expecting greater government protection.

The BASE:  In every aspect of human life God’s plan is one of authority and submission.  These two principles are a bedrock of biblical labor relations.

History:  “Slavestranslates the Greek douloi, and indicates subjection and usually bondage. In biblical times slavery was common and much abused. In both Greek and Roman cultures, most slaves had no legal rights and were treated as commercial commodities. Roman citizens came to look on work as beneath their dignity, and the entire empire gradually came to function largely by slave power. Slaves were bought, sold, traded, used, and discarded as heartlessly as if they were animals or tools. Considerate masters such as Pliny the Elder, who was deeply grieved over the death of some of his slaves, were exceptional.”

“One Roman writer divided agricultural instruments into three classes—the articulate, who were slaves; the inarticulate, which were animals; and the mute, which were tools and vehicles. A slave’s only distinction above animals or tools was that he could speak! The Roman statesman Cato said, “Old slaves should be thrown on a dump, and when a slave is ill do not feed him anything. It is not worth your money. Take sick slaves and throw them away because they are nothing but inefficient tools.” Augustus crucified a slave who accidentally killed his pet quail, and a man named Pollio threw a slave into a pond of deadly lamprey eels for breaking a crystal goblet. Juvenal wrote of a slave owner whose greatest pleasure was “listening to the sweet song of his slaves being flogged.”  Cited by William Barclay in The Daily Bible Study Series…”

Slavery was permitted in the O.T. but could not be abusive to the salve.  Slavery could not be at a level that it would be a beneficial to society.  The kind that was stated above by the Greeks and Romans built and maintained their standard of living by the slaves under them. 

In the O.T. a person could become a slave in order to repay a debt.  This was a limited time frame and then even released from that with what one might term a ‘severance pay’.  (In the Jubilee year all were released … If the person was an Israelite it could be no more than 7 years.)  A slave had the right to flee for asylum and protection from an oppressive master.

Slaves are commanded to be obedient to those who are (their) masters.

“Be Obedient” is in present tense and indicating uninterrupted obedience.  They are not to obey only when they desire to do so, but all times.  The masters were to be fair and reasonable. 

At work today we are to be subservient to authority and be a better, more productive, and more agreeable worker. 

1 Timothy 6:1-2(ESV)
¹Let all who are under a yoke as slaves^£ regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 
²Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

 Titus 2:9-10(ESV)
⁹Slaves^£ are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 
¹⁰not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

The right attitude is:  “fear and trembling” meaning to give honor and respect in a desire to please.  One respects him for the Lord’s sake. 

We work of another out of our sincerity of heart, not to be hypocritical and superficial but genuine and thorough.  The motive to be to do it for the glory of God, as to Christ. 

The Right Diligence  Eph. 6:7-8

⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 
⁸knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 

The employer may not recognize your good work, but God does. 

V. 9 – ⁹Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master^and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

…masters, do the same things to them….  The master to have the same motivation and goal as the workers, that is to do all to the glory of God.  A Christian employer’s first work, just as a Christian employee’s first work, is to do God’s will and to manifest Christlikeness in all that one does.

The Spirit–filled employer is careful to give up threatening.   Instead he would use his authority and power as little as possible and does not throw his weight around or lord it over those under him. A Christian supervisor is never to be abusive or inconsiderate. We need to realize that ourselves and every work are under the supreme authority of God, their true master.  We are all accountable to the same Master.