"How We Live": Parents and Children

Deut 6:1-9 is a theology of living life and building Godly families
Vrs 1-3 The What
1. Keep commands
2. Fear the Lord
3. Pass that down to the next generation
Vrs 4-6 This needs to be your hearts purpose GOSPEL
Vrs 7-9 This is how it needs to be done, life lived for the Lord is how we teach others, close to your minds and the work of your hands.

Colossian 3:20-21

At face value if I were talking to a group of people under the age of 18 I would simply say “obey” your parents and there is connection with Ephesians 6 and Exodus 20, the promise is you will live long.

But the under 18 crowd only makes up a slice of our fellowship and I believe God has a Word for us adult children. By way of “honor” to our parents.

Obey- to comply or follow commands of.

Honor-high respect or rank and distinction. they have a special position in your life and they are generally be a people that look out for you and have your best interests in mind.

This was a concept that Jesus taught
Matthew 15:1-7 A Pharisee’s tradition was to dedicate their possessions to God in order to keep them for themselves. Jesus challenged this practice because they were using it is a loophole in order to not help their parents in which case they were not honoring their parents and acting like the dedication to God was more important.

Vrs 20 As an adult child of your parents how are you being pleasing to the Lord? ,

How to bring honor to your parents as an adult.
-Help them Matt 15:1-7
-Be a blessing, children are a blessing Psalm 127:3-5
Your life, decisions, helping them, calling them, including them etc..
-Listen to their wisdom Pro 4:1, 5:7, 7:24, & 8:32
-Have kids and raise them to be Godly men and women Pro 17:6
-Respect them 1 Tim 5:3-5 showing piety sense of worth excellenceG

The transition years of college, not under 18 but not fully self sufficient. This is when it gets a little dicey because it is not God’s intention for an adult to live off their parents and it is not God’s intention for Parents to rule over their adult child.

Helpful steps to figure this out…

Childs responsibility is to..
-Seek out independence (be responsible)
-Listen to wisdom
-Make decisions that encourage parents
-Know when it is time to make the decision


Vrs 21 “provoke” sometime parents have a tough time letting go of their childrens decisions and allowing them to be a functioning adult this frustrates and provokes their children to anger.

During the transition years
Parents responsibility is to…
-Push toward independence
-Guide with wisdom not force or manipulation
-Source of encouragement
-Know when to back off
-Teach them the things of the Lord Deut 6:1-9

As a parent of a child under 18 in specific Fathers
How not to provoke
1. Be fair in discipline
2. Encourage them
3. Spend time with them
4. Pray for them and with them
5. Teach them things of the Lord

Many or most of you did not or do not have parents like this which makes it hard to be a parent like this. The good news is that we all have a Heavenly Father whose love runs deep for us and sets an example for us.