Ephesians 6:1-9 - Pastor Kyle Weeks - June 14th, 2026

Join us this week as Pastor Kyle Weeks continues our Sunday morning study through Paul's letter to the Ephesians. 

Transcript

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If you have a Bible, go ahead and grab it. Turn to Ephesians chapter 6. We have made it to the last chapter in the book of Ephesians. We will finish the book next week. We have been in this book since March. And I pray that what you have seen within this book is number one, been reminded of all that you have in Christ Jesus because of what Christ Jesus has done for you. But not only that, how that then changes everything about your life and what you are called to live like as spirit-filled followers of Jesus Christ. And our passage this morning is going to continue to pull from verse 21 of chapter 5 that tells, or verse 18 of chapter 5, that tells us not to be drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but to be spirit-filled and how we are to live as spirit-filled followers of Christ Jesus. And this morning our passage is going to cover the child parent situation, which we will spend a majority of our time on. And then what we'll also look briefly at the employee, employer, or bondservant and master example. And so if you're able and willing, would you stand with me in honor of reading God's word? We are going to read verses one through nine of Ephesians chapter six. This is the word of the Lord. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of I service as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, that he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. May God add his blessings to the reading of his word. Let's pray. Father, we come before you this morning, and God, as we continue to look at what it looks like to be a spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ, God, I pray that you would give us ears to see, or ears to hear and eyes to see this morning, God, what you have for us in your word. Father, there are parents in the room, there are children in the room, there are employees in the room, and there are employers in the room. And God, we pray that no matter what setting we find ourselves in, that we would be spirit-filled, that your spirit would move freely in us and through us, that we would seek to be examples and to imitate Christ Jesus in all that we do. That God, we wouldn't see these different settings that we'll read about as areas where it's detached from being like Jesus. But we would see that every single area of our life we are called to look like Jesus, and that includes in the home and at work. God, I pray for the heart in here this morning that is hardened to your gospel. God, I pray that you would convict them of sin, that they would see how good and gracious you are, God, that they would turn from that sin and trust in you. And God, I pray for the believer in this room that they would allow the word of God and the Spirit of God to do his work. That your spirit would do his work of convicting us as we read your word to repent of sin, to turn from selfish ambition, conceit, and pride. And God, that we would seek to honor you in all that we do. Father, may there be no off-limit place in our hearts this morning. God, give me the words to say. Let it be your words and not mine. Keep me from saying anything that goes against your word, and may you receive all honor and glory during our time. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Again, we have a lot to cover this morning, and we will spend a majority of time uh focusing on uh the parent child parent relationship. Um the child-parent relationship is one that I feel like um is a topic that rarely gets discussed within uh this setting. What I enjoy is that um we have children in here, ages five and up, who get to watch mom and dad worship, who get to uh watch how they open their Bible and they read their Bible together, but also um who get to hear what their mom and dad are called to be, and who also get to hear how they are called to live within the home. And the beautiful thing about this passage is um this passage speaks to both the child and the parent who is who is spirit-filled in how they are to live within the home. So if you are in here and you live in your mom and dad's house uh and you can understand what I'm saying and you can follow along roughly with the intention span that you have as an ADD child, I get that. Um this is important for us to see, but if you're a parent in this room, just like I asked you not to do with your spouse, what I don't want you to do is sit there and be the Holy Spirit to your child. Because what you don't want is your holy spir to be the Holy Spirit to you when we start talking about moms and dads. This is a difficult passage because in some instances one party believes that they are untouchable, and the other party believes that that they're the ones that always the the sermon is always about. Neither of that is true within this passage. So I want us to look at this passage, but remember, before we look at this passage, I want us to see it and how we've seen the last few passages, and that's through your main idea, which is this in your life, your man, in your life, you are to be spirit-filled. Let's stop there for a moment. Again, verse 18 of chapter 5. Do not be drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but but be spirit-filled. Now, upon salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit. What Paul is saying is to be spirit-filled, allow the Holy Spirit to permeate within you. Permeates, big word, uh, to to roam within you, to to work within you, to move within you. There is to be no off-limits area in your life to the Holy Spirit. There is to be no uh closed doors, if you will, in your life when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit. You are to allow the Spirit to fill you to where He is in control, you aren't. Now, we've said this the last few weeks, so I'll I'll go ahead and meet you where you're at. That's really hard. To allow the Holy Spirit to have total control over your life is really hard because that means that that's the continued work of putting to death the deeds of the flesh, which selfish ambition and conceit and pride and all of those things come into, to put to death those sinful desires, and to walk in a new life that is under the control of the Holy Spirit with Christ Jesus at the head, and to live a life that is to imitate Christ Jesus and to honor Him. In another way, in your life, you're to be spirit-filled, displaying Christ Jesus in all that you do. That not only includes in your marriage, that also includes in your home. In your home is where you are to display Christ Jesus, husbands, to your wives and to your children. In the home, uh, wives and children, you are to display what it looks like to serve the Lord within how you serve within the home. Husbands, you serve by looking like Jesus. All of us have a service to do to another because verse 21 of chapter 5, if you don't remember it, I'll read it to you. It says this submitting to one another. So there's that word, submission, service, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. All believers submit to one another to serve one another. Husbands, wives, children within the home, you serve one another. Now we're gonna focus on verses one through three first, kids, because that's what comes first. Children, this is what comes first. So the first thing that I want you to see in our passage this morning is this the spirit-filled child honors the Lord by how they obey their parents. Look at verse 1 of chapter 6. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. For this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise. He continues on to quote Exodus chapter 20, that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Stop. The Greek word here for children, let's go ahead and break that down. Uh, this word does not mean um infants and toddlers, although I wish it was applicable. Does not mean infants and toddlers, because the capability of infants and toddlers to obey their parents is already suspect, yet alone them caring if it's part of obeying the Lord. But but what this word does has is also a limitation. The word used here for children are those that are under the the care and protection of their parents, those that are that live with their parents. So here's really where where the rubber meets the road. Uh, if you are a child at home that can obey, can. Does is a different word, that can obey, that that live with your parents, and that are not married, of the age of being married. This word is is encompassing that age group. Now, you and I are children of somebody. You and I are still called to honor our father and mother. That looks different as time goes on. But what what's being said is children, obey your parents. Children living at home or under parental guidance, be obedient to your parents. This present tense of the imperative of the Greek word demands a continuance, a continuing obedience. So continue to be obeying uh obeying children in the Lord, because this is what you are called to do by the Lord, because it is right. That's the first thing that I want you to see. It is right for children to obey their parents. God calls it right. It is good that this happens. This is taught repeatedly in scripture. It's the only one of these uh teachings that were mentioned in the Torah, which is the uh Ten Commandments. Children are to listen to their parents' instructions and to obey it. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 8 and 620 speak to this as well. Because the child-parent relationship is to be a depiction of the gospel. Again, do you see what Paul is doing within these relationships? He's showing you that there's a much deeper meaning within the home than just you having children. That is why, if you if you want to know, while the church is so positively for the nuclear family of having a mom, a dad, and children underneath it, it's because the home is to depict the gospel, to depict a loving father like our father is to children who lovingly serve and obey their father or their parents. This is why we are constantly for the sanctity of the family, because it is another depiction of who God is and who we are to God. And so, children, you'll also notice, just like wives were first, children were first. Paul is gonna completely flip this framework of the Roman understanding of family up on its head, because typically it was the fathers that all had all the authority and all the power, and the wives and the children were not addressed, they weren't spoken to because they were irrelevant. So Paul is already changing that, and he's starting with the children. He says, Children, obey your parents. This is right. God calls it good for children to be obedient to their parents. God says, It is good, it is right that this happens. Now, parents, again, before we start nudging uh the other one, before we start doing these things, right? Um obeying and and serving as a a slave underneath are two different things. Your children's obedience, and we'll look at this in a little bit later, your your children's uh children's obedience is not meant to be in a performative measure for your love and grace to them. But but children, you are to obey your mom and dad. It is good that you do so, because what your mom and dad should, if they are spirit-filled and if they desire to be like uh the father is to them, to be like that to you, then how they lead you and how they parent you should lead you to your betterment, not for your destruction. When your mom and dad ask you to do something, if they are asking you to do this for your betterment, it is not to take something away from you. In fact, it is to teach you something that is ultimately better for you. We'll we'll hit those things in a moment before we uh I want to cover this though. The more the most important call of obedience that children should follow first. Or I'm sorry, maybe not, it might not come first, but it should be the most in for important call of obedience that children should follow is seen in scripture, and and that is in following after after Christ Jesus, being obedient to Christ Jesus. Parents, your desire should not be to simply have an obedient child. Your your your your priority, your desire should be to have a child that desires to follow after Jesus. Obedience to you is great. Obedience to God is the greatest. This should be your desire. Children, this is your calling. If you can read scripture, then the God of Scripture calls you to follow after him, to follow after him by repenting of sin that condemns you and to trust in him for salvation alone, to put your faith in him. Now, you might say, I'm a child, I don't know what that looks like. Um, a a childlike faith produces a childlike fate according to Jesus. What Jesus said is, let the children come to me and do not hinder me. The the faith of this, a childlike faith is what he desires, one that trusts him completely, one that seeks to honor and obey him, one that sees him as treasure, just like you see your mom or your dad. This is what God calls you to. This is God's ultimate desire for you as a child of your parent is to trust in him for salvation, to put your faith in him. How you obey your parents, then, should be influenced by and an example of how you obey Jesus. How you obey your mom and dad should be influenced by and an example of how you obey Jesus. Teenagers in the room. Let's talk to you for a second. Because at some point, and mom and dad can say amen, we went from this little sweet eight, nine-year-old that that that listened a majority of the time but didn't talk back, and man, they were just my buddy, to all of a sudden this teenager that's got opinions, and we got reasons why we can't do things. If you are a teenager in this room and you are in the student ministry and you say, I love Jesus with all of my heart, that should be shown and how you live at home. It should be shown and how you how you are obedient to your parents. Now, parents, here's a little caveat. If your teenager or your child then desires to honor the Lord more than you, don't be surprised when you give them something to do that doesn't honor the Lord and they don't do it. I'm giving you a pass, kids. If your mom and dad tell you to lie for them, you have the responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ to say no. Mom and dad, if you asked your kids to lie for you, shame on you. You're teaching them that it's okay to walk in sin. You're teaching them that it's okay to go through these things. Both of you are to be a reflection and to look like Jesus within your home. And if you're a child in this room, if your desire, if you have been saved by Jesus and your desire is to honor the Lord because that's what you've been taught by your mom and dad, it's what you've been taught in Sunday school, it's what you've been taught in midweek, then your desire should be to honor him and what he has called you to do, and he's called you to be obedient to mom and dad. God cares about how you listen to your parents. Look at remember that this is the first promise or this of the first command with the promise. What does he say? That it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land, that it may go well with you. It is good to listen to your mom and dad. When your mom and dad told you at eight years old to stop playing in the street, it wasn't because they're a kill joy. Ironically, it's because they didn't want you to get killed in all of your joy of playing in the street. It is for your betterment. This is the promise that the Lord gives in Exodus, but he says right here, he says, that it may go well with you and you may live long in the land. So that you don't die out of a judgment of God because of disobedience not only to him, but also even to the other level of your parents. Parents should lead their children in what is good, what is for their betterment, and children should be obedient to their parents, knowing that this is what God has called them to. This is what God is leading them in. Again, we we we sometimes with this passage over-emphasize verses one through three. When we over-emphasize verses one through three and under-emphasize verse four, then children are treated like soldiers, where discipline is the name of the game, and their honor is not done out of love, but out of demand. When we over-emphasize verse four of this passage, it is that children are allowed to freely roam, have no instruction, have no obedience, have no discipline, and mom and dad just trying to lovingly be an example of Jesus without any kind of uh of discipline or or any kind of uh command of the home. That's not what God desires here. And he starts with children first. Children need to be obedient to what your mom and dad are asking you to do, what they're calling you to do. Be obedient. It is your example, uh, and an open example of your obedience to Christ, of how you're obedient. But parents also need discipline as well, and that's in verse 4. Let's go to verse 4 for a moment. Fathers. English, we translate this to fathers. The the word here can also be used for parents. We see it in Hebrews used for parents. We're gonna use it in both senses. We're gonna use it for both parents, but I'm gonna give an emphasis to fathers because you have you are the one that's been given uh the accountability for your home. And so we're gonna add that in here. But let's this morning, for this sake, um, because we'll talk about it next week too, let's read this as parents. Um, parents, do not provoke your children. Children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Before we go into this section, let me just remind you, husbands and wives, you are a team. Right? The two became one flesh. You are a team. If you want to know how cohesive your team is, play an opponent that tests you. And if you want to know how good of a team, how good of a teammate you are, or how good of a teammate your spouse is, have children. Because that is an opponent that will test you. I have a five-year-old, I love to death, but he's already figured out he can pit mom and dad against each other by asking them the same question and different sides of the house. We're a team. We are partnered together. We are partnered together to take on the task of one of God's greatest blessings within the home, within marriage, and that is the blessing of children. He has given you your children as a blessing. There is an epidemic happening, especially on social media, among young people that are single, young people that are married, that don't have kids, or even parents with kids that view their children or view children as an inconvenience or a nuisance. That is not what God calls them. God calls them a blessing from the Lord. God says that it is a good inheritance to have children. Psalm chapter 127, verses 3 through 5. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who finds, who fills his quiver with them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies at the gate. Roman society viewed children as inconvenient. Here's what Roman society believed. He writes back to his wife, who is pregnant, and he says that he hopes all is well. This is from 1 BC. Hopes all is well with her. If she has given birth to their child, and here's what he said: if it is a boy, keep it. If it is a girl, get rid of it. This is the view of the home within the Roman culture. So again, as we'll see with the bondservant master example, Paul is taking all of these social constructs and flipping them on their head by explaining to them that they are to represent Christ Jesus' love for the church and the church's love for Jesus to the point to where he completely changes the whole social structure of the family. And within the family, he tells parents that they are not to provoke their children to anger, but to instruct them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So let's look at that first thing that he says, verse 4. Fathers, parents, do not provoke your children to anger. This sister passage we have in Colossians chapter 3 says, Fathers, do not provoke your children least they become discouraged. So this anger that they have is a frustration. It's a discouragement. Fathers, do not be like this to your children. Parents and fathers are not to forsake the love and tenderness that you have for your children for the sake of raising them to act right. Your kids need love, discipline, consistency, and an example. They need your love. Now, this is more for dads than moms, because most of the time we have this problem, but I'll say it for both. Your children need to know that you love them. You need to tell them that you love them. You need to hug on them. You need to give them a kiss. I don't care if you're not a physical touch person. Um, when Christ Jesus saves you and he gives you this example of children, you are to be like Jesus to the children. And Jesus said, Let the little ones come to me. So you should want your children to come to you. You should want to love on your children. They need love, they need discipline. They don't need to run around and act crazy, they they don't need to have any, they need discipline. You teaching your child to be obedient to you is ultimately pointing them of how they are be to be obedient to God the Father. This is important. They need love, they need discipline, they need consistency. Right? Children from a young age learn how to pit their parents against one another and learn how to push buttons. There does not need to be a self-destruct button that just completely eliminates what you have been consistent in in the past. And they need an example. Parents, you are to be an example of the loving father to his children as a loving parent to them. Patient, kind, gentle, loving, joyful, tender. All of these things you are to be examples of to your children. This is really hard to say, I gotta be honest. Really hard, really hard to be that example, to tell your kids that they need to be emotionally regulated when there's some times when you're not emotionally regulated. But but we are to be this for our children, to be examples of that. Now, there's a delicate balance. How do you not provoke your child to anger, but at the same time, how do you discipline them? Big balance within. And we've seen the passages talking about our child needs discipline, right? Proverbs 13, 24, whoever spares the rod hates his son, but who he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. Proverbs 29, 15. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. You know this to be true.

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Little kid running around in the in the grocery store. What's the first thing you ask? Where's his mama? Right? So we know that we have to bring structure, we know that we have to bring order, we have to bring discipline, but how do we do this without uh without provoking our children to anger? Here's a couple ways that we provoke our children to anger. And some of this can be for in the home, but also some of this can be for that parental reach that you're trying to have outside of the home when your child has moved out, they live on their own, they're married to somebody else, and you still are trying to use this to lord over them. So here's the first one that I'd give you. Overprotecting your kids is the quickest way to provoke them to anger and to discourage them. It is the quickest way to provoke them to anger and discourage them. To never give them obedience, to never show that you trust them. Now, children, before you start poking at mom and dad, overprotection means that you don't get to make any decisions for yourself. You don't get to go anywhere without your parents being there, you don't get to do anything without them as a helicopter parent hovering over. If your parent is asking you questions about what you're doing or they're seeking transparency from you, they're not overprotecting, they're being a good parent. But parents, if you get to the point to where your child has no breathing room without you giving them say so, now we have a problem. I remember I there was a girl when I went to Liberty, she could not leave her dorm room after 8:30 at night, not even to go study, because her mom tracked her phone. Do you know what that led her to be? Incredibly discouraged because the whole gist that she gets from her mom and dad is that they don't trust her, that they don't believe that she's earned the right to be independent. Though she that girl, I can promise you, had never done anything to disobey her parents in the most mag, you know, in a great magnitude. Overprotection stifles our our children. It it leads them to think dependently and not independently. And you you want your child to be able to think independently, to problem solve. You don't have to save them from everything, let them learn from mistake, all of these things. That's not a bad parenting. That's that's not over-protecting them, that's that's not overbearing them. The other another way to bring a child to frustration is favoritism or comparing them to somebody else. If you compare them to their sibling, if you compare them to other children, if you favor one child over the other, that is discouraging, right? I can't remember her name in the Brady bunch, but she was always mad that it was all about Marsha, right? What was her name? Someone yelled it out, I forgot. Jan. Yeah, that sounds like Jan would be upset by that. Um but sorry, sorry, I'm just I'm joking, I'm joking. But Jan was always frustrated because it was always about Marcia, right? She felt left out, right? That's why middle child syndrome, if you if you look in psychology, is a big thing because it feels like they're they're not the oldest, so they don't get all the responsibility, and they're not the youngest, and they don't get all the favor, and so they're just kind of left there. Don't do this. Don't show favoritism or compare your children. Love them. Favoritism and comparing discourages them, it brings frustration, provokes them to anger. Another one, uh, pushing achievement. I said this before. Your child's affection that you give them should not be based on their performance in life. I know good grades are very important. They are not more important than your child knowing that they are loved. And how you show love should not be determined upon their grade point average. That doesn't mean that we don't instruct and lead to be our children to be disciplined in studies to learn. But what they should know is even if they mess up, even if they aren't good at something, that you still love them, that's okay. Discouragement in in general will provoke your children to anger. If you're always discouraging, if you're always like, well, you did great, not as good as this would have been, but it's still all that's discouraging. It's the parent that goes, you got a 95 and your test's good. I don't know why you didn't get 100, but I mean, I guess not everybody can be as good as school as I was or whatever. I don't know. Most of the time that we we put we put things on our children. Here's another way to provoke them to anger, to put things on your children that you didn't even accomplish, or that that you the standard that you didn't even hold yourself to, that you gave you grace in, but your children has no grace. Parents don't provoke your children to anger. But look at the second thing that that Paul says bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Now, Deuteronomy chapter 6 in the Shema, we see that what God calls us people to. Oh, he hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You shall love your the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And what in these words that I command you to you today, you shall be on your heart. Verse 7, you shall teach them diligently to your children. Parents. Pastor Jason loves your kids. Three hours a week is not sufficient teaching to teach them about all of who Jesus is. Pastor John loves your students. Three hours a week is not enough time for them to know and learn about who Jesus is. They are to learn that at home with you. That is your responsibility to teach about teach them to your children. You shall talk about them when you sit in your house. TV doesn't get in the way of that, sports don't get in the way of that. There should be a time where you spend time discipling and talking to your kids about Jesus. And when you walk by the way, as you leave the house and drive to school, there's an opportunity to talk about Jesus. There, and when you lie down, when you go to bed, pray with your children. There's a time to talk to them about Jesus. And when you rise, when you wake up, a great time to teach them all of these things. You shall bind them as a sign on your hands, and they shall be frontlets on your eyes. You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. This means to always keep it in front of you. This is why your mom went crazy at Hobby Lobby and bought all those little things in the house that has Bible verses on them. It's the same equivalent, writing on the doorpost, putting that, you know, as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. Putting that thing like in your house. It is to constantly put it in front of them. That this is the goodness of the Lord. This is who the Lord is. He is rich in mercy, he's long-suffering, he is patient and kind. Parents, this is what you instruct them in. If you're wanting an even more practical way, and that's pretty practical, let's let's look at Luke chapter 2, verse 52. I'll read it for you. Luke chapter 2, verse 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Parents, you are to teach your children to grow in mental capacity, wisdom, mental capacity, how they think, teach them to be independent, teach them to be problem solvers, push encourage them in school, help them learn mental capacity. You're to help them in their physical capacity. Feed them. Feed them better things than the processed stuff. Vegetables are good. Donuts are okay sometimes. I get it, right? But but be about their fa let them play sports. Don't let sports play your family, but but let your children play sports. Encourage them to go outside and exercise, right? I'm not saying your kid has to be a marathon runner or or like an all all you know county athlete. Let encourage their physical growth. Lead them in their physical capacity. I'm gonna switch this up, uh, even though the verse doesn't. I'm gonna go before this. Favor with God, their spiritual capacity. This this is what you are called to disciple your children in. Now, again, three of these things we do really well. The other one is social. We'll talk about that in a second. But but but three of these things we do really well. You're good at your kid's mental capacity, you're good at his physical capacity, you're you're good at training them up in his social capacity. That kid doesn't miss a birthday party. Awesome for you. Are you training your child in their spiritual capacity? Does your kid know that dad loves the Lord because dad's teaching them about the Lord? Or does your kid only know in your house that Pastor John or Pastor Jason or Pastor Kyle has the answers because that's the first place you point them? You'll talk to the pastor about it. Men in the room, we'll talk about this next week as fathers. The first spiritual bridge that your kids create in this life should be with you. That I can go to dad and ask him any spiritual question and he can he'll answer me or he will look it up and get back with me. But I can trust that my daddy is gonna tell me about Jesus. I can trust that he's gonna answer those questions. Moms, you you are also a a one of the first people that your children should go. If not the you and your husband, if you want to answer them together, that's fine. But but they need to know that they can come to you to answer or to get answers for the questions that they have, or at least for someone to talk through with them about the things that they're wondering. And then favor with man, social capacity. As much as you love protecting your children from bullies and from other things, your children still need to be able to have a social life outside of your house, and you need to instruct them on how they are to act socially, how they are to present themselves as a follower of Christ to the world. Not just someone that bears your last name, but someone who submits to the name that is above every name, Christ Jesus. You speak into their lives. Children, your parents are supposed to speak into those elements of your life, and I promise you, they know a whole lot more than you give them credit for. A home that honors the Lord is filled with children who seek to honor the Lord and how they obey mom and dad, and a mom and dad that love their children like God loves them, and that doesn't forsake discipline and instruction and love and tenderheartedness, but combines them together just like the Lord tenderly loves and chastens and reproofs us to walk closer with him. You know this verse, Proverbs 22, 6 train a child up in the way that he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. There might be a season where he departs from it. By God's grace, there it might not depart from him at all. And we also pray by God's grace and providence that none of our children depart and completely walk away from the Lord. But they will not walk away from the Lord without us at least holding on to their ankles, pulling them back. This is what we're called to do as children. This is what we're called to do as parents, really quickly. Let me address. We addressed this in the sister passage before. Let me address this really quick. A spirit-filled employee, E slash employer reflects Christ and how they operate within their roles. Paul speaks to this very plainly. Colossians, he spoke to this very plainly as there as well. Bond servants, someone who has put themselves under a debt, submitting themselves to someone else, a servant, the other way you could use this as slave, obey your earthly masters with fear and tribbling with a sincere heart, as you would Christ. Again, this is supposed to reflect how you serve Jesus. So let's put this in our context. If you are an employee, you work hard not to get more money, not to get the month, the you know, employee of the month, not to increase revenues. You work hard because you work like you're working for Jesus. You serve like you're serving the Lord. You don't start gossip within your workplace because you're trying to be an example of someone who serves Jesus in their workplace. You work hard not to be a brown noser or a kiss-up. You work hard because God's given you breath, he's given you strength, he desires you to work hard, he desires you to honor him, and so you work hard doing that. You are a depiction to your coworkers of a life that is submitting to serve Christ Jesus with how you operate and work within your job. Employer, you are an example of Christ Jesus to your employees with how you treat them. We talked about this a few weeks ago. Um, that not a caricature of Jesus. Jesus wasn't uh super, super uh uh loving and didn't uh make have confrontations from now and then, and also uh God isn't this character of the Old Testament, God that's super wrathful, and then I just want to bring you know wrath with it. No, no, no. You are firm but gentle, you are meek, is is what we are called to be. A meek boss has strength, yet he controls that strength. He he puts that strength under the control of the Holy Spirit in how he leads. For the moments that you need to be strong, which is probably fewer and Farther between than we would admit, there are those moments than we need to come with a firm hand. There are also moments when we we need to be gentle, soft-spoken, meek in those moments as well. Again, Paul completely flipped this structure on his head that even as he means bondservants and slaves, what does he say of the masters in verse 9? Masters do the same to them, which is to treat them like Jesus, to serve as you would Christ, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. Don't view them as less than you, but as equal with you. That is completely the opposite of what the social contract of slavery is. That brings it to an employee-employer relationship where there is one that owns this, but but there's that doesn't mean that he gets to oppress the other. In closing, here's what I want you to know. In every area of your life, we see the beauty of the gospel and the call to be like Jesus. As a child, as a parent, as an employee, as an employer, in every area of your life, we see the beauty of the gospel and a call to be like Jesus. So here's the question. As we talked the last four weeks of being spirit-filled, here is the question for you. Um, is your life under the rule and reign of Christ Jesus? And are you spirit-filled? Are you controlled by and do you submit to the work of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ Jesus in your life? If you don't know, then look at your life and ask yourself, Am I? Am I under the rule of the Lord? Do you confess him as Lord and treat him as such? Is your delight in the Lord? And do you delight in the Lord not only verbally, but is it evident externally in your marriage, in your home, or at your work? Is Christ Jesus Lord? If you're in here today and you would say, I'm trying to be like Jesus in my marriage, in my family, at my work, and I have done a terrible job at it, let me encourage you this morning, it is not too late to begin. It is not too late to allow the work, the Lord, to work in your heart, to allow him to permeate through all of you, to change you, to continue to throw away that old self and to be like Jesus to your spouse, to your kids at work. If you're in here this morning and you would say, I don't even have a relationship with Jesus, let me encourage you with this. It is not too late. I don't know what will happen to you as you leave this place and you drive down the road. God forbid. But Jesus says, if anyone who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, that you will be saved. For all who call upon the name of the Lord would be saved, that today could be the day of your salvation if you would say, Father, I repent of my sin and running from you, I trust in you and you alone for salvation and life. And the Bible says that you will be saved. We're going to go into a time of response as we respond to all that the Lord has shown us in your word. Would you pray with me?