Today’s Sermon Notes: 5-11-2025
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“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”
Ephesians 6:1-4
Introduction
Deuteronomy 6:1-8
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Parents were to continually speak and teach about the things of God.) 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.” (When the parent was not present the home was covered with Scripture, to remind the children.)
Today we are celebrating Mother’s Day. For the godly mother the best honor that could be bestowed upon her is where her child follows the ways of the Lord. Some questions to think about are “How can we honor our mother’s, and how does a woman be a godly mother?” What is the Bible’s teaching on how a child will learn to follow the ways of God?
Directions For Children (Ephesians 6:1-2)
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),
“Obey” has to do with action, and “honor” has do with attitude.
James Dobson says “Developing respect for parents is the critical factor in child management. It is imperative that a child learns to respect his parents – not to satisfy their egos, but because his relationship with them provides the basis for his later attitude toward all other people. His early view of parental authority becomes the cornerstone of his future outlook on school authority, law enforcement officers, employers, and others with whom he will eventually live and work.”[2]
2 Tim. 1:5-7 “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Timothy had a Christian family and his mother and grandmother played a major role in his becoming a Christian.
3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
The result for the child who is obedient and honors his parents is twofold.
- “that it may go well with you” relates to the quality of life.
- “that you may enjoy long life on the earth” relates to the quantity of life promised.[6]
- If the child is outside of this safety of God’s teaching then the child must be corrected back into this circle. They leave the circle through disobedience and dishonor.
Directions For Parents (v. 4)
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
“To provoke . . . to anger” suggests a repeated, ongoing pattern of treatment that gradually builds up a deep-seated anger and resentment that boils over in outward hostility.[8] It is behavior that parents (specifically fathers) do that disrupts the relationship between father and child, thereby making it harder for the child to honor and obey.
- Showing favoritism to one child over another. (Joseph and his brothers) “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.1 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.” (Genesis 37:3)
- Smothering the child with overprotection or showing no affection for the child. (Jacob and Esau) “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25:28)
- Having no rules (or not making them follow them) or having too many (to where the spirit of the child is crushed). The rape of David’s daughter by her half-brother. David is furious but does nothing. The sister’s full brother Absalom goes on to kill the half-brother Amnon, and again David does nothing. (2 Samuel 13:21)
- Pushing children to achieve to where there is nothing the child can do to be good enough, or never expecting the child to achieve anything.
- Not allowing a child to communicate or not caring when he does.
Paul is “ruling out excessively severe discipline, unreasonably harsh demands, abuse of authority, arbitrariness, unfairness, constant nagging and condemnation, subjecting a child to humiliation, and all forms of gross insensitivity to a child’s needs and sensibilities.”[9] Colossians 3:21 helps us understand why the father should not provoke to anger, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
“but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (v. 4 b)
Scripture teaches that children succeed when their parents are living a godly life (example), when through this example they teach their children the ways of God (wisdom) and correct them when they get off this path.
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[1] SDF Salmond, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967) 375.
[2] James Dobson, The New Dare To Discipline, p. 18
[3] Ted Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, p. 133
[4] Ted Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, p. 148
[5] The fifth commandment acts as a hinge between how we relate to God (the first four commandments) and how we relate to other people (the last six commandments). But it is how we treat our parents that directly correlates determines the quality and quantity of one’s life.
[6] John MacArthur, Ephesians Commentary, p. 315
[7]Ibid, p. 315
[8] Ibid. p. 317
[9] Peter T. O’Brien, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Letter to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999) 446.
[10] O’Brien, 446.
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“The Hearts of the People Must Be Right Before Moving Forward” Joshua 5:1-15
