Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach from Ephesians 6:1-3 as we continued our series through the book of Ephesians. Although it was Mother’s Day, we were able to point to the necessity of obeying and honoring mothers for their sacrifice and faithful discipleship. In a day where obedience is ignored and honor is downplayed, the Christian community should major on these responsibilities for the glory of God.
Our culture has successfully attacked marriage and continues to redefine the family to fit into a set of pagan parameters. When only 50% of households have a married couple and divorce continues to rise, we find a depraved culture seeking independence and self-autonomy and at the heart of this problem is an anti-authority mindset. This is why fathers and mothers should take seriously the responsibility of discipleship in their homes. If parents don’t teach the Word faithfully in the home and expect submission to authority, how will the children learn to submit to God?
Fourteen thousand is a large number, but it’s increasingly large when you consider that it’s the number of seat hours for a student who goes through the public school system. God has given the responsibility of discipleship to the parents, and Christian parents will have to undo those hours by faithful gospel teaching and instruction in the home. As children build their worldview, it’s essential for them to learn to see the world through a gospel lens as opposed to a lens of secular humanism. Paul points to the responsibility of parents by echoing the voice of Moses from Deuteronomy 6.
I remember a guy from middle school who always dressed in dark shirts with strange graphics and dark messages. He had shirts that were not exactly purchased at Wal-Mart and it took some effort to get those back in the day especially since we didn’t have the reach of the Internet when I was in the sixth grade. One of his shirts read “Anarchy.” The idea of no authority is a pleasant thought to many people who have a rogue attitude toward authority figures — but that type of thinking is listed in Scriptures alongside other serious sins such as murder and sexual misconduct (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 1:28-32). Authority is not a bad thing, but we learn authority under the faithful teaching of Godly parents.
Paul quotes the fifth command from our Ten Commandments and adds a commentary regarding the blessing that comes to those who follow it. Land and rest was always a promise for the ancient Israelites in the wake of the Exodus, but as things progress we see that Jesus is actually the fulfillment of all blessings. Children who learn to submit in their homes will learn to submit to God. Voddie Baucham is on target as he says, “We do marriage according to Dr. Phil, raise our children according to Dr. Spock, govern our sex lives according to Dr. Ruth, and only run to Dr. Jesus when things have gotten so bad we can’t find another doctor to help us.” [1] In order to disciple our children in the right direction, we need faithful mothers who take parenting seriously. Praise God for our mothers!
- Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2007), 35.
