Parenting Today

Sunday, August 4^th, 2024

 Ephesians 6:1-4

 Introduction

 As God Parents Us, Let’s Parent Our Children Similarly

 The gospel must be central in our parenting of our children. The gospel is not only our hope, but it is the only hope for our children.

 “The central focus of parenting is the gospel. You need to direct not simply the behavior of your children, but the attitudes of their hearts. You need to show them not just the ‘what’ of their sin and failure, but the ‘why.’ Tripp

 A Father’s Admonition

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger…

 “This would have been revolutionary in its day; in the first-century Roman Empire, fathers could do pretty much what they liked in their families. They could even sentence family members to death.” Leon Morris

 Provoke - means to make angry, cause to be irritated or exasperate

 A Father’s Priorities

“…but bring them up…” - means to nourish up to maturity, to nourish in general, to nurture, to bring up from childhood, to raise a child to maturity by providing not just for physical and but also for emotional, soul needs.

 “…in the discipline and instruction”

Discipline – (paideia) means to provide instruction, with the intent of forming proper habits of behavior, of providing guidance for responsible living, of rearing and guiding a child toward maturity includes punishment.

 Discipline should be used as a means of corrective training to lead children beyond childish folly to self-controlled wisdom.

 Instruction – (nouthesia) - means literally putting in the mind and implies the teaching of the Lord's ways through His Word.

 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

 Correcting our children does much; but encouraging them does more!

 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

 “…of the Lord.”

This is the goal and end of all discipline and training – it must be of the Lord!

 Parenting first begins with us and our relationship with God.

 III.  Conclusion

25 Ways To Provoke Our Children

By Lou Priolo

 Lack of Marital harmony (Gen. 2:24; Heb. 12:15)

1. Establishing and Maintaining a Child-centered home (Prov.29:15)
2. Modeling Sinful Anger (Prov.22:24,25)
3. Habitually Disciplining While Angry (Ps. 38:1; Eph. 4:26, James 1:19)
4. Scolding (Eph. 4:29)
5. Being Inconsistent with Discipline (2 Cor. 1:17,18; Eccl. 8:11)
6. Having Double Standards (Phil. 4:9)
7. Being legalistic (Matt. 15:8,9)
8. Not Admitting You’re Wrong and Not Asking for Forgiveness (Js 5:16)
9. Constantly Finding Fault (Job 32:2,3; Prov. 19:11)
10. Parents Reversing God-given Roles (Eph. 5:22-24)
11. Not Listening to Your Child’s Opinion (Prov. 18:3)
12. Comparing Them to Others (2 Cor. 10:12)
13. Not Making Time “Just to Talk” (James 1:19; Eccl. 3:7)
14. Not Praising or Encouraging your Child (Rev. 2:2-4)
15. Failing to Keep Your Promises (Ps. 15:4,5; Matt. 5:37)
16. Chastening in Front of Others (Matt. 18:15)
17. Not Allowing Enough Freedom (James 3:17; Luke 12:48)
18. Allowing Too Much Freedom (Prov. 29:15; Gal.4:1,2)
19.  Mocking Your Child (Job 17:1,2)
20. Abusing them Physically (1 Timothy 3:3)
21.  Ridiculing or Name Calling (Eph. 4:29)
22. Unrealistic Expectations (1 Cor. 13:11)
23. Practicing Favoritism (Luke 15:25-30)
24.  Child Training w/ Worldly Methods Inconsistent w/ God’s Word

(Eph. 6:4)