This document discusses Paul's teachings in Ephesians regarding submission within family and workplace relationships. He instructs children to obey their parents in the Lord, and fathers to raise their children in discipline and instruction of the Lord. He tells slaves to obey their masters with sincerity as to Christ, and masters to treat slaves the same way, as they all have the same master in heaven. The purpose is for Christians to submit to authority out of respect for God in their various relationships.

2. Ephesians 6:1 NET Children, obey your
parents in the Lord for this is right. 2 “Honor
your father and mother,” (Exo 20:12; Deu
5:16) which is the first commandment
accompanied by a promise, namely, 3 “that
it may go well with you and that you will
live a long time on the earth.”
(Deu 5:16)

3. 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to
anger, but raise them up in the discipline
and instruction of the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey
your human masters with fear and
trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to
Christ, 6 not like those who do their work
only when someone is watching — as
people-pleasers — but as slaves of Christ
doing the will of God from the heart.

4. 7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving
the Lord and not people, 8 because you
know that each person, whether slave or
free, if he does something good, this will be
rewarded by the Lord. 9 Masters, treat your
slaves the same way, giving up the use of
threats, because you know that both you
and they have the same master in heaven,
and there is no favoritism with him.

5. God calls Christians to submit to one
another and respect authority out of
respect for God.
Our submission plays out in the Parent-
Child relationship as well as in our work
world.

6. I came across this list of what a parent had
learned . . .
1) There is no such thing as child proofing
your home.
2) Baseballs make marks on the ceiling.
3) You should not throw baseballs up when
the ceiling fan is on.
4) A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long
way.

7. 5) The glass in windows, even double pane
ones, is not strong enough to stop a
baseball that has been hit by a ceiling fan.
6) When you hear the toilet flush and the
words “Uh-oh”, it‟s already too late.
7) A six year old can start a fire with a flint
rock even though a thirty six year old man
says they can only do that in the movies.

8. 8) If you use a waterbed as home plate
while wearing baseball shoes, it does not
leak – it explodes.
9) A king size waterbed holds enough water
to fill a 2000 square foot house 4 inches
deep.
We want to be good parents and teach our
children how to get along in the world, how
to treat one another, but ultimately how to
love God and to respect authority.

9. In today‟s text Paul continues his discussion
on submission by turning to two other
relationships. You remember in 5:21 he has
exhorted Christians …submitting to one
another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:21 NET

10. He has raised the standard! We don‟t
submit because it‟s the natural thing to do;
we don‟t submit because the other person
is always right, we submit out of reverence
for Christ! He illustrated that in the
relationship of marriage. Wives are to
submit to your husbands as to the Lord and
Husbands, love your wives just as Christ
loved the church and gave himself for her.

11. Notice where the authority is in these
passages, it is Christ, the Lord! Keep that
thought in mind as we move through the
next two subjects. Paul views these in the
light of „Submission.‟

12. First, Paul looks to the Family . . .
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord
for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and
mother,” (Exo 20:12; Deu 5:16) which is the
first commandment accompanied by a
promise, namely, 3 “that it may go well
with you and that you will live a long
time on the earth.” (Deu 5:16) 4 Fathers, do
not provoke your children to anger, but raise
them up in the discipline and instruction of
the Lord.

13. This is so fundamental, so obvious that
some of you might be thinking, “Why did
Paul need to remind them of that?” But
this is something that every generation
must be reminded of! Paul reminds the
Ephesians that THIS was a part of the
TEN COMMANDMENTS in the first place,
in fact the first one with a promise!

14. Honor your father and your mother, so that
you may live long in the land the LORD
your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 NIV
God knew that for the Israelites, part of
living successfully in the land they were
about to inherit was dependent upon
obeying their parents!

15. Paul knew that this wasn‟t just for the
Israelites, either. Part of living the Christian
life is living in obedience, submission to
parents. Why? Because „this is right‟ he
says! But, why is it „right?‟ Notice he
DOESN‟T say, “Obey your parents, when
you agree with them.”

16. When my Mom told me to come in to eat
pizza, I had no problem obeying. But when
she told me to come in to eat when we were
having something I didn't like the taste of,
WHOA! I didn‟t want to obey. She‟d tell me,
“Eat your what on your plate, people are
starving in Africa.” I would offer to send my
plate of food to Africa!

17. It‟s easy to obey when we agree with them.
Notice he DOESN‟T say, “Obey your
parents when you understand why they‟re
asking you to do something.”
Rather, he says,
“Obey your parents in the Lord.”

18. Again, God is raising the standard of what it
means to obey; to submit. As wives submit
to their husbands, „as to the Lord‟ and
husbands love their wives „just as Christ
loved the church‟ SO kids, obey your Mom
& Dad „in the Lord for this is right!‟ It‟s a
matter of our relationship to God that we
show honor and respect to our parents!

19. I actually was hoping that Paul would
continue talking to kids a little while
longer. I was looking for the verse that
says, “Children, don’t provoke your
fathers!” THAT’S what I need to hear!
Actually, not. I need to hear JUST what
Paul says. God places a high
responsibility on fathers. WE are to be
the spiritual leaders in our families!

20. We are to teach our children the
difference between right and wrong. We
are to teach our children to love God and
to want to serve him. It’s not the
preacher’s job. It’s not the Sunday
School teacher’s job. It’s
YOURS, fathers! Paul singles out fathers
here because of that awesome
responsibility!

21. Too many fathers have abandoned their
role as leader and kids see that. If Mom is
always the one in charge, if Mom is always
the one who pushes everybody to do the
right thing, if Mom is who they see getting
everyone ready for church and reading the
Bible and praying, then the kids will get the
idea that Dad is a weak leader.

22. Do you know why that is so terrible?
Because when those same kids come to
church they will hear us talk about God as
our heavenly father.
Dads, whether you like it or not, you are the
„offensive line‟ in teaching your kids about
God. You are the first impression God gets
to make on them. You don‟t have to be
perfect, you just have to love those kids and
show them that you love them.

23. Make sure that when they hear the word
„father‟, they get a good image in their mind.
And if that scares you absolutely to death,
and you think you aren‟t up to the task, look
at the best example to help you: God is the
ultimate father. He is the role model for
dads everywhere. Fathers, do not provoke
your children to anger. In other words, don‟t
push them so hard that they rebel against
you and against the church!

24. How horrible that would be! I can‟t speak
judgmentally here, but how many kids have
left the church because of well-intentioned
parents who just pushed too hard? This is
something scary. Where‟s the line? What do
you do when your teenage son tells you he
doesn‟t want to go to church anymore?

25. What do you do when your teenage
daughter tells you that she doesn‟t believe
in God? It‟s something most every parent
must grapple with and it depends on each
individual child. Instead, we are to bring
them up in the training and instruction of the
Lord. Our children are one of the greatest
responsibilities ANY of us have! They are
given to us by God for only a short time.

26. We are given the charge to teach them.
Deuteronomy 6:6 NIV These
commandments that I give you today are
to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them
on your children. Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols
on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. 9 Write them on the
doorframes of your houses and on your
gates.

27. How are we doing at these? How are
children obeying their parents? How are
parents training their children?
It seems to me that one of the problems we
have in our society and as a result of the
breakdown of the family is in the parent-
child relationship. Edward, Duke of Windsor
said, “The thing that impresses me most
about America is the way the parents obey
their children.”

28. OUCH!
This text should serve to force us as
Parents to re-examine our family life; to ask
the question, who‟s in charge? Where does
the authority lay? Kids, it should remind you
that it SHOULD be Mom & Dad. As much
as you hate to accept it sometimes, Mom &
Dad are in charge.

29. You‟re to obey. Now, it‟s not a forced
obedience, but you obey because that‟s
what God WANTS you to do! Teens, you
obey, because it‟s a part of what you do as
a Christian! The greatest witness you could
be for Christ in your home (especially if your
parents aren‟t Christians) is to show them
honor and respect even when they ask you
to do something that you don‟t want to do!

30. Have you been looking for a way to lead
your Mom or Dad to Christ? Been looking
for a way to get them to take you seriously?
Try that. Try humbly submitting in
obedience to their will out of your reverence
for Christ! (Now, still don‟t do anything that
would be immoral or that God wouldn‟t want
you to do. He would never want us to go
against HIS will to follow our Parents‟ will.)

31. Next Paul turns to what I‟ll refer to as the
Work Place. .
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with
fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your
heart as to Christ, 6 not like those who do
their work only when someone is watching
— as people-pleasers — but as slaves of
Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

32. 7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving
the Lord and not people, 8 because you
know that each person, whether slave or
free, if he does something good, this will be
rewarded by the Lord. 9 Masters, treat your
slaves the same way, giving up the use of
threats, because you know that both you
and they have the same master in heaven,
and there is no favoritism with him.

33. We have a little more difficulty
understanding this next section because of
the time & circumstances in which Paul
wrote, but he‟s still talking about submitting
out of reverence for Christ. This time, he
targets the Slave-Master relationship . . . a
very common and household relationship in
that time.

34. We may get SO hung up on the language of
slavery that we don‟t hear God‟s word for us
today in this text, but it is there! You might
ask, why would Paul mention slavery and
NOT condemn it? Paul is not addressing
the rightness or wrongness of slavery. Look
at the rest of the NT.

35. He never focuses on reforming human
systems because they are never at the root
of the human problem. The issue is always
the heart. Paul‟s message here ASSUMES
that slavery is a reality (which it was at that
time) and writes to change the heart of
those involved. Again he raises the
standard!

36. Slavery was a common thing in N.T.
times, very much UNLIKE today, and also
very much UNLIKE what we typically think
of as slavery that existed in America in our
past. Some scholars estimate that as many
as 1/3 of the people in Greece and Rome
were slaves. One got to be a slave thru any
number of circumstances: birth, parental
selling or abandonment, captivity in
war, inability to pay debts, and even
voluntary attempts to better one‟s position.

37. Race was NOT a factor. They were involved
in every area of society, not just the menial
labor. Many were educated. Many could
own property, even other slaves. They were
allowed to save money that might
eventually buy their freedom. While the
situation wasn‟t exactly ideal, it wasn‟t the
slavery that existed in this country.

38. For Jews, slaves still existed but were
somewhat better off. The O.T. prohibited
Jews from holding other Jews as slaves for
more than six years, after which they had to
be freed. For all, it was an institution that
was simply not questioned. It was the norm
for society. But what wasn‟t the norm was
what Paul called slaves & masters to; the
gospel came and leveled the playing field,
so to speak.

39. Paul speaks elsewhere about there being
„neither slave nor free…in Christ‟ because
we are ALL slaves to Christ!
Galatians 3:28 NET There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female — for all of
you are one in Christ Jesus.

40. Romans 7:25 NET Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I
myself serve the law of God with my mind,
but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
The gospel created a situation where
Master and Slave could now be brothers in
Christ together and so Paul feels the need
to address Christian slaves and Christian
masters.

41. Just as you would Christ! Again the
standard is raised! Obey them, treat them
with respect, with fear and dignity NOT just
to win them favor, NOT just because you
have to, but because your REAL MASTER
is Jesus Christ! Work, Serve, as if you are
serving Jesus Christ!

42. With respect, fear and dignity, certainly not
because you have to, but out of your
reverence for Christ! You, too, are a slave to
Christ! Treat them well because you know
that Christ is both their master and yours!

43. Why even spend time in these verses?
None of us are slaves or masters today, are
we? Perhaps not, but I do think that these
verses have a real application to our lives in
the work place. Most have bosses to
answer to. And some of you have
employees that work under you. What does
this text have to say to those relationships?
Ever had a boss you just couldn‟t stand?

44. Sure you have! Wouldn‟t God say to you,
„Keep working hard, and NOT just when the
boss is looking, but work as if you‟re
working for the Lord and He will bless you
for it.‟ Christians work hard because they
know who they are really working for. Paul
told the Colossians; And whatever you do in
word or deed, do it all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.
Colossians 3:17 NET

45. You may have an eight hour boss, but you
have a 24 hour Lord. No matter what the
boss sees or doesn‟t see, Jesus sees it all.
Bosses, have you been guilty of putting too
much on an employee, of pushing too hard
or of being too hard-nosed? What would
your employees say? What would God say
to you about how you should treat them?

46. Did you realize that if you spent 40 hrs a
week on the job between age 18 and 65
that you would amass an incredible 97,760
hours on the job? What would God want
you to do with all that time? Don‟t you think
he cares what you do with it? Are you using
your position in the workplace to bring
honor and glory to Him? To point others to
him? Bosses, are you as concerned about
the needs of your employees as your
bottom line?

47. Employees, are you giving your boss your
best as a witness, a testimony as to what
your Master, Jesus, gave you?
Part of living the Christian life is submitting
to one another. God raises the standard of
that submission!
Don‟t submit to your husband because he is
the man and you‟ve got no choice.

48. We don‟t submit to others because of what
they‟ve done for us, or what they CAN do
for us.
We don‟t submit to our Parents because we
agree with them, or even that it may be in
our best interest.
We submit to one another because by
doing so, we show our reverence and
respect for God!
We respect authority, because of our
respect of the ultimate authority!

49. Romans 13:1 NET Let every person be
subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except by God's
appointment, and the authorities that exist
have been instituted by God. 2 So the
person who resists such authority resists
the ordinance of God, and those who resist
will incur judgment

50. Have you submitted to that ultimate
authority this morning? Is Jesus Christ the
Lord of your life? Have you allowed him to
re-order your priorities, yet? If you haven‟t
we encourage you to do so this morning!
Maybe this text has touched you and
convinced you that you‟ve not been living
your life in the correct manner of
„submission to the Lord.‟

51. Maybe you need to confess sin in your life
that is keeping you from the fruits of
relationship with God? We want to
encourage you to make that right with God
right NOW while together we stand and sing
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