The Family Life Of Believers Series

As we continue in Ephesians, today we look at the family life of Believers. I begin with a simple test to see how stressed family is for you. The top 1o signs of family stress:

10. "Family get togethers" are sometimes called "group therapy sessions" and involve seeing a psychiatrist.

9. Conversations often begin with "Put the gun down, and then we can talk".

8. Family members say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that they have said it before.

7. The school principal has your number on speed-dial.

6. You are trying to get your four-year-old to switch to decaffeinated coffee.

5. The number of jobs held down by family members exceeds the number of people in the family.

4. No one has time to wait for microwave TV dinners.

3. Family members say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that they have said it before.

2. "Family meetings" are often mediated by law enforcement officials.

1. You have to check your kid’s day-timer to see if he can take out the trash.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:1-4: 1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.

3 And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.”

4 And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.

In the Book, The Gift of Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent, they write: “What does it mean to honor your parents? We can see that if we will look at the word honor in the Scriptures. In Hebrew, the word for “honor” is kabed. This word literally means, “to be heavy, weighty, to honor.” Even today, we still link the idea of being heavy with honoring a person.

When the President of the United States or some other important person speaks, people often say that his words “carry a lot of weight.” Someone whose words are weighty is someone worthy of honor and respect. However, we can learn even more about what it means to honor someone by looking at its opposite in Scriptures.

… The literal meaning of the word “curse” (qalal) was “to make light, of little weight, to dishonor.” If we go back to our example above, if we dishonor a person we would say, “Their words carry little weight.” The contrast is striking!

When Paul tells us to honor our parents, he is telling us that they are worthy of high value and respect. In modern-day terms, we could call them a heavyweight in our lives! Just the opposite is true if we choose to dishonor our parents.

Some people treat their parents as if they are a layer of dust on a table. Dust weighs almost nothing and can be swept away with a brush of the hand. Dust is a nuisance and an eyesore that clouds any real beauty the table might have. Paul tells us that such an attitude should not be a part of how any child views his or her parents and for good reason. If we fail to honor our parents, we not only do what is wrong and dishonor God, but we also literally drain ourselves of life!”

From this text, we learn…

1. Children are to obey their parents. How many of you had an obedience problem growing up? Our sin nature hates the word, “obey.” Yet, Paul said it is the right thing to do.

Colossians 3:20 also makes the point, “Children, obey your parents for this is well pleasing to the Lord.”

How do we obey our parents? By honoring them, respecting them and never causing them pain. We have obedience training for dogs, perhaps we need if for people.

I read someone’s comments concerning what would happen if the dog were the obedience trainer, what we would learn:

“If a Dog were your teacher, you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a car ride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

As you enjoy the wind in your face, do not restrict your capacity to drool.

When it’s in your best interest -- practice obedience.

Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily, if not by the minute.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.