Everyday Christians - Family Matters
Bible Passage:
Ephesians 6:1-4
Pastor:
Pastor Glen
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Sermon Date:
2010-06-05
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2’Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
In a survey Non-Christians age 16-29 were asked if the phrase “hypocritical—saying one thing, doing another” described present day Christianity. 85% said the phrase described it “a lot or some”. 54% said “a lot”. Many people compartmentalize their Christianity. The visible expression of their faith happens one day each week instead of every day. Amber, age 22, talks about her mother who worked the angles and tried to act spiritual because their family was in need and she wanted help from the church. Preston, 23, is a Mormon who balks at the idea of speaking “in love to Mormons” because his Christian friends joke about Mormons on other occasions. Erin, 30, said her husband abused her even though he taught Bible studies on Ephesians 5 and how husbands should love their wives. “Now she is divorced; her faith has taken a beating.”You don’t meet “Everyday Christians” every day. They are unfortunately uncommon.
So how will we be different? How will we be every day Christians? This does imply that you visibly follow God’s design for every arena of your life on every day and in every place. : Being an everyday Christian doesn’t allow us to have a casual connection to Christ. We can’t live for ourselves and do what we want most of the time, but feel good about our church attendance and 2% offering on Sunday morning. Jesus challenged people to follow him, carrying their crosses on their backs.
Family Matters
Let us take seriously the theme today: Family Matters. If you were to survey the people around you I would dare say that an overwhelming percentage of the people would say that the family matters and even say they are the most important. Yet when the day is done did the family really matter. Paul gives us God’s design so that we might know what and every day Christian child looks like in respect to their behavior to their parents. God gives us his design as to what Christian parenting looks like for an everyday Christian. Let us turn to our Epistle lesson for this morning in Ephesians. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2’Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Of all the words in this text one stands above them all. That is the word “obey”. The word “obey” means to listen to or to follow the command of another person. The word obey does not have a bad meaning. In fact the same Greek word is used for when the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus and they were still. In many passages of the Bible faith in God is describing a person who obeys the will of the Lord. The pattern that God establishes for children is to obey their parents. This is God’s pattern. This is right. God even attaches a promise to the fourth commandment that asks children to honor your father and mother. What does it mean to obey your parents? If mom says clean your room, do it. If dad says be home by 10, do it. If your parents say you’re grounded, accept it. If mom wants you to finish your homework, finish it. This is what God wants you to do. And he will bless your obedience. But it is also what an everyday Christian child does out of love for God who loved you first. Whether we are children or adults we go back to our Lord Jesus who walked the everyday Christian life for us every day. It is Jesus as a twelve year old boy as God and man who went home and obeyed his parents. God blesses that every day obedience as a witness to those who do not know the love of God and their Savior.
But how does a child learn to obey? It is important to remember that it is not just telling a child to obey but it also showing your child by your own example how you obey those in authority over you. When parents complain and push back against school policies they don’t like and complain and push back against the boss’s orders that they don’t like and complain and push back against government authorities they don’t like and complain and push back against the decisions of the church council they don’t like, they are sending a clear message for their kids to model: If you don’t like it, fight it!
It is in the last verse of our text that we are reminded of the importance of teaching children obedience in a context of teaching the love of the Lord.”Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” In my own parenting I have tried to learn what it means to exasperate your children or not provoke them to anger. Perhaps a couple of examples would be helpful. It is important in disciplining to know the difference between childish behavior and rebellion. With six children at the table we often experienced a meal with milk spills. I had to learn the hard way that it was not intentional and that milk spills happen. On the other hand when the glass of milk is picked up and thrown at me or the wall that is rebellion and needs discipline. It is the responsibility of each parent to teach the word in the proper context. It is the parent who teaches the child what is the will of God and what is right and what is wrong. The instruction is the Lord’s instruction so we look to the Lord and his will as we worship and study the Scriptures.
Jesus lived every day for you. His obedience every day is put on your record to give you a perfect record. His death on the cross removed every time you were imperfect in your obedience to your parents or in your parenting. God’s forgiveness is yours.
In order for the unchristian to believe that Jesus died and lived a perfect life for him he or she will often follow what he sees you or do on Tuesday or Thursday or Saturday night, Will those times match what others may see on Sunday? When your Monday character matches your Sunday confession, doors will open for you to “tell of Jesus’ love.” How many of the people here today have been drawn closer to Christ and his Word b/c of someone who lived what they confessed? How many people aren’t here today because they saw the difference in their father/sister/friend depending on what day of the week. Everyday Christians bring honor and glory to God every day. Sunday Christians bring dishonor and glory to God six days each week. Being an everyday Christian doesn’t allow us to have a casual connection to Christ. Jesus challenged people to follow him, carrying their crosses on their backs. Jesus lived for his Father in heaven every single day! That’s why he was “qualified” to be our Savior. He was perfect, innocent, and holy. And he was able to shed that perfect, priceless blood for us simply because he lived 168 hours/week to the glory of God.
So what can we all do whether children desiring to obey our parents or parents teaching our children to know the Lord and his will? Draw a fish on every day for this month in your day planners or family calendars or in some visible spot that will remind you of being an everyday Christian. Just as you have a Savior every day.
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