Lesson 16
Ephesians 6:1-9, children, father, slave, master.
VV 1-3, 1 Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Children are to obey their parents. This is a commandment with a promise of long life, Exodus 20:12.
Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you”.
V 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Fathers must not provoke their children to anger, but teach, raise, and train them in the Lord’s when they are young.
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it”.
VV 5-8, 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Slaves, servants, or employees are to obey their masters, just as they obey the Lord. They must obey with fear, trembling, sincerity, goodwill, devoid of hypocrisy, as if doing a service to the Lord and not to men. The Lord who sees everything from heaven will reward them for their deeds.
V 9, And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Masters or employers are to treat their slaves or employees with kindness, sincerity, fairness, and goodwill knowing that their Master in heaven who sees everything will reward them for their deeds.
Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”.
1 Cor 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”.
