Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Christian Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)

Bryan Schneider · October 31, 2020

Ephesians 6:4

sharonrpc.org/sermons/christian-fathers

Summary

Ephesians 6:4 directly calls fathers to prioritize their children and to reflect, however imperfectly, the patient and loving care of the heavenly Father.
Fathers must not provoke children to wrath through absence, neglect, self-absorption, impossible demands, commands to sin, or correction that is unduly harsh.
Parental authority is therefore accountable and bounded: it is given for a child's good, not for the father's comfort, reputation, profit, or domination.
The prohibition against provocation does not eliminate discipline; the sermon distinguishes loving, proportionate correction from abuse and destruction.
Fathers are positively commanded to nourish children through the Lord's training and admonition, bringing God's Word into the ordinary rhythms of home and life.
Because earthly fathers are imperfect, they must learn from God's perfect fatherhood and seek the Spirit's wisdom to instruct, correct, and love their children faithfully.

Why does Paul address fathers specifically in Ephesians 6:4?
How should God's fatherly patience, kindness, and discipline shape an earthly father's conduct?
What forms of neglect or self-centeredness can provoke children to wrath?
Why must parents never command children to sin or demand what they have no ability to perform?
How does the sermon distinguish discipline from harshness, abuse, or destruction?
What does it mean to bring children up in the training and admonition of the Lord?
How can fathers make wise use of limited time to nourish their children's spiritual lives?
Why do fathers need the Spirit's wisdom and the corrective help of God's Word and Christian community?

Provoke to wrath: To embitter or exasperate a child through neglect, selfishness, unlawful demands, impossible expectations, or excessive correction.
Parental authority: A God-given and accountable responsibility to seek a child's good through loving care, instruction, and correction.
Training: The sustained formation and instruction by which a father nourishes a child in the ways of the Lord.
Admonition: Loving warning and correction that applies God's Word to steer a child away from destructive paths.
Discipline: Purposeful, proportionate correction ordered to a child's good, modeled on the heavenly Father's loving care rather than anger or humiliation.
Family discipleship: Teaching God's Word in the ordinary settings of home, work, travel, conversation, and worship.