Key Points
1. Honor the authority God places in your life
2. We honor God by honoring the people He places in authority over us
3. The way we live as Christians bears testimony to God's sovereignty and grace
Key Themes
o Children submit to your parents as because you respect and fear the Lord(1)
o God promises that children that revere their parents will have prosperous and long life (2)
o Parents don't provoke your children to anger, guide them to follow the Lord(4)
o Workers/Employees submit to your masters to show honor for Christ(5)
o Work wholeheartedly with integrity as for the Lord(5-8)
o Work for the reward of the Lord by working heartily in everything you do(6)
o Masters treat the people that work for you with respect and grace(9)
o Masters remember that Christ is a generous and good master, imitate him(9)
Reflective Discussion Questions
1. Why does Paul tell children to obey their parents?(1)
a. What is the promise God gives to children that honor their parents?
b. Why would an obedient child receive the promise God talks about?
c. How does this theme of submission in familial relationships relate to what Paul talked about in the previous chapter?
2. What does Paul tell Father's not to do in vs 4?
a. Is this a command that only applies to fathers or does it extend to other people?
b. What are the ways a parent stirs up anger in their child?
c. How is the command not to incite children to anger related to the command to bring up children in the instruction of the Lord?
e. What is the successful family dynamic contingent that Paul talks about in the previous chapter? (5:21)
3. How does Paul instruct servants to serve their Masters?(5-8)
a. How does Paul instruct Masters to treat their servants?(9)
b. What prevents Christian Bosses from treating the people they supervise the way Paul instructs?
c. What prevents employees from treating their master's with respect?
d. Should a Christian treat or work for their employer differently if they don't follow the guidelines listed in Ephesians 6?
4. How does the way people treat each other in these relationships glorify/honor God?
Individual Challenge
How would your attitude change towards people in positions of authority if you knew that honoring them meant you honored God? How would this perspective affect the way you treat people in authority over you? How would this affect your relationships with co-workers and family?
Community Challenge
How would our church change if people honored the leaders God has placed in positions of authority in the church? How would this affect our testimony in the community? How would our changed attitude and behavior impact our secular community?
1. Honor the authority God places in your life
2. We honor God by honoring the people He places in authority over us
3. The way we live as Christians bears testimony to God's sovereignty and grace
Key Themes
o Children submit to your parents as because you respect and fear the Lord(1)
o God promises that children that revere their parents will have prosperous and long life (2)
o Parents don't provoke your children to anger, guide them to follow the Lord(4)
o Workers/Employees submit to your masters to show honor for Christ(5)
o Work wholeheartedly with integrity as for the Lord(5-8)
o Work for the reward of the Lord by working heartily in everything you do(6)
o Masters treat the people that work for you with respect and grace(9)
o Masters remember that Christ is a generous and good master, imitate him(9)
Reflective Discussion Questions
1. Why does Paul tell children to obey their parents?(1)
a. What is the promise God gives to children that honor their parents?
b. Why would an obedient child receive the promise God talks about?
c. How does this theme of submission in familial relationships relate to what Paul talked about in the previous chapter?
2. What does Paul tell Father's not to do in vs 4?
a. Is this a command that only applies to fathers or does it extend to other people?
b. What are the ways a parent stirs up anger in their child?
c. How is the command not to incite children to anger related to the command to bring up children in the instruction of the Lord?
e. What is the successful family dynamic contingent that Paul talks about in the previous chapter? (5:21)
3. How does Paul instruct servants to serve their Masters?(5-8)
a. How does Paul instruct Masters to treat their servants?(9)
b. What prevents Christian Bosses from treating the people they supervise the way Paul instructs?
c. What prevents employees from treating their master's with respect?
d. Should a Christian treat or work for their employer differently if they don't follow the guidelines listed in Ephesians 6?
4. How does the way people treat each other in these relationships glorify/honor God?
Individual Challenge
How would your attitude change towards people in positions of authority if you knew that honoring them meant you honored God? How would this perspective affect the way you treat people in authority over you? How would this affect your relationships with co-workers and family?
Community Challenge
How would our church change if people honored the leaders God has placed in positions of authority in the church? How would this affect our testimony in the community? How would our changed attitude and behavior impact our secular community?
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