Family Matters
Family Matters
June 1, 2025
Ephesians 6:1-4
Study Questions
1. What are some of the most enjoyable aspects of being a parent?
2. How do/would you treat your children differently from the way your parents treated you?
3. Read Ephesians 6:1-4. Why is a child’s obedience to his or her parents pleasing to the Lord? Discuss the promise that the Lord gives children who obey their parents.
4. How is honoring different than obeying? Why does God call children to do both?
5. How does the command for children to obey their parents in Ephesians 6 connect with the broader theme of honoring authority throughout this passage? How does this principle apply in different stages of life, from childhood to adulthood? (See also Colossians 3:20, Exodus 20:12.)
6. In verse 4, what does the Scripture mean in ‘not provoking your children to anger’? Why would a parent do this? What are the negative consequences?
7. What is the positive instruction in the rest of verse 4? What are some practical ways parents can accomplish this balance of discipline and nurturing in today’s culture? (See also Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:6-7.) How can you apply this passage with the relationships in your family?
Additional Notes for Parents:
1. Love and Affection: Show unconditional love. "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)
2. Discipline with Purpose: Discipline should be provided in love. "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." (Proverbs 13:24)
3. Teach God’s Word: Instill biblical teachings in daily life. "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:7)
4. Model Christ-like Behavior: Children learn by example. "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
5. Encourage Prayer: Foster a spirit of prayer. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)
6. Value Family Time: Spend quality time together. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
7. Practice Forgiveness: Teach the importance of forgiveness. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)
8. Be Patient and Understanding: Show patience in their development. "A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel." (Proverbs 15:18)
9. Set Boundaries: Establish clear rules and consequences. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
10. Encourage Service and Kindness: Teach them to help others. "Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4)