I. Introduction
A. Six Words
1. In an article on Preaching Today, the story is told that Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a story using only six words.
2. If you could only use six words to sum up your life, what would they be?
3. Most likely, the words Christian and family would be in there somewhere, right?
4. When our lives are done, we want to know that we have made a difference in a very specific place in our world…among our family. We want to leave a legacy of faith in our families.
B. Family
1. Family is something we’ve talked about a few times this year, but this morning I want to focus on the family unit as a whole.
2. In Psalm 127:3, the psalmist records, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord…” (NASB).
3. One of the greatest blessings and challenges of life is raising children.
4. This morning, we will continue our discussion of what it means to walk in love and wisdom in our homes as we strive to be families that glorify God.
II. Establishing a Legacy of Faith
A. Who Honor Their Parents
1.
a. Obedience is the first way we learn to show to our parents.
b. Paul focuses first on children in the family relationship and reminds them that they are to obey their parents.
c. He says this is the right thing to do.
d. Parents need to remember that it is our job to teach our children what is right and wrong.
e. Illustration: As children, we don’t always understand why our parents want us to clean our rooms, wash dishes, take out the trash, etc. It seems like they are just asking us to do things they don’t want to do, but that’s not it. We’re trying to teach responsibility, life skills, etc. Usually, it’s not until later in life that we realize what our parents have done for us.
f. In our spiritual walk as God’s children, He commands certain things of us that we don’t understand, but they are for our good. Just like the “Aha!” moments from our raising, we can have those in our Christian walk, too.
2.
a. Children are to honor their parents, especially in their years.
b. Word for honor, when speaking of people, means “to evaluate, fix the value.”
c. We live in a society that worships youth and makes fun of the elderly. That may be because we don’t understand the value of wisdom that the older generations possess. Instead of making fun of them, we ought to respect the wise.
d. Paul quotes directly from the Ten Commandments when offering this instruction (Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16).
e. Paul says that following this command comes with a promise. What is the promise?
f. In the OT length of days was often associated with obedience to God. The concept is that, generally speaking, children who listen to the wisdom of their parents’ instructions live better lives than those who are disobedient.
3. Side Note
a. Not all of us here today had godly parents. Two things:
b. The phrase “in the Lord” permits us to understand that not everything our parents have done is in accordance with God’s will. That makes it okay to set boundaries when needed and still be able to honor them.
c. Healing from abusive parenting may need to include finding a spiritual mentor who can become a spiritual mother or father to assist you (e.g., Paul and Timothy 1 Timothy 1:2, 18; 2 Timothy 1:2, 2:1).
B. Who Practice Godly Parenting
1.
a. Parenting is an act of .
b. The word for the phrase “bring up” is the same word translated nourishes in Ephesians 5:29.
c. As we discussed in the sermon on God’s desire for marriage, parents are to love their children with the kind of love that God loves us, a love that wants the best possible outcome for our children.
d. Parenting isn’t easy. There are times when frustration and anger get the best of us, but Paul’s admonition to fathers is to remind them not to be overly critical, demanding, or harsh when raising their children.
e. Paul emphasizes why this is the case in his letter to the Colossians. In Colossians 3:21, he writes, “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
f. We must remember that our children need both encouragement and admonition from us.
g. Paul provides a more biblical, two-part process for parenting towards a legacy of faithfulness.
2. (Training)
a. This is often the word we associate with the negative side of parenting, the punishment side, but the word actually means “the act of providing guidance for living.”
b. NKJV/NIV has a better translation here with the word “training.”
i. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
ii. Proverbs 22:6
c. Illustration: You don’t just shoot an arrow; you aim it at a specific target. We’re aiming our children towards becoming like Jesus as they develop into themselves
3. (Admonition)
a. Parents are to offer course correction for their children through offered in love.
b. This term primarily means, “to admonish,” and implies that there is some kind of behavior which needs to be corrected.
c. Again, the NKJV has a better translation of “admonition,” although we must remember that the ultimate purpose of admonition is instruction for a better way.
d. Remember, you are a parent, not your child’s friend.
e. Course correction should be offered with love.
f. Illustration 1:27 Prayer Time. One of the best pieces of parenting advice that is legacy-centered is what I heard at the Stronger Families Workshop a few weeks ago. Every day, at 1:27 pm, Trey Morgan gets a notification on his phone to pray for his family. It’s even developed to the point that he has his kids texting him before and letting him know what to pray about.
5. No one parents perfectly, but we can parent faithfully according to how our heavenly Father seeks to parent us.
6. When done right, parenting helps us appreciate God’s love for us and the challenge of being a Father.
III. Conclusion
A. God as a Parent
1. God’s main concern for His children is that they have a relationship with Him.
2. He provides everything we need to have an abundant life
B. Invitation
1. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
2. God’s greatest joy about you is not how successful you are, how much money you make, how many friends you have…God’s greatest joy is to know that you are walking with Him.