We are going to examine the very deep text concerning children and their obedience and honor to their fathers and mothers.

Before we dive into the text, I want to begin with an overview of what we are going to look at today. A big idea if you will.

Children obey their parents not merely as a moral rule or cultural expectation, but because the earthly family is a reflection of God’s own two-family household—divine and human—as understood in the Deuteronomy 32 worldview. Obedience images the ordered authority of the heavenly Father and participates in God’s plan to restore all families under His rule through Christ.

In a culture that celebrates autonomy and questions authority, Paul’s command sounds outdated—or even oppressive. Yet, Paul roots it in something far deeper than “because I said so.”

Let’s look at the text: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Ephesians 6:1–3).

Let’s first give these verses some context. These verses sit in the middle of Paul’s “household codes” (Ephesians 5-6), which describe how God’s multi-ethnic family—the Church—lives out the Gospel in everyday relationships.

Drawing on that context and a Deuteronomy 32 worldview, we see that earthly families derive their very structure and name from God the Father’s heavenly family. Obedience is how human families image the divine order “as in heaven, so on earth.”

To understand why children must obey, we must recover the Bible’s supernatural household framework—the Deuteronomy 32 worldview.

1. God the Father has a Heavenly Family (Deut. 32:8-9)
   1. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
      when he divided mankind,
      he fixed the borders of the peoples
      according to the number of the sons of God.
      9 But the Lord’s portion is his people,
      Jacob his allotted heritage.
   2. These verses describe how YHWH’s scattering of the nations at Babel resulted in his disinheriting those nations as His people. In disinheriting them, he assigned them to the “sons of God” (divine beings/members of His council), while keeping Israel as His own inheritance (Deut. 32:8-9; Gen 11). These sons of God are real spiritual beings—lesser than YHWH but part of His divine family/council.
   3. This is the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 1:18-25, which a familiar passage where God “gave [humankind] over” to their constant rebellion/disobedience. When we read Deut. 32:9 where it says “the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage” we can see that a contrast in affection and ownership is intended. YHWH effectively decided to end His relationship with the nations of the world as they then existed. He would then enter into a covenant relationship with a new people that, at the time of Babel, did not exist: Israel. This decision, and the passage that describes it, is essential for understanding much of the Old Testament.
   4. I want to quickly address the translation issue that exists with Deut. 32:8. In most English Bibles verse 8 reads, “according to the number of the sons of Israel.” However, there are two problems with that translation.
      1. Our oldest and most accurate manuscripts The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint, do not read “sons of Israel.” Instead they read “sons of God” or bene Elohim.
      2. Deuteronomy 32:8–9 looks back to the events of the Tower of Babel, which took place long before the call of Abraham, the father of Israel. At Babel, the nations of the earth were divided and allotted to divine beings (the “sons of God”). Since Israel did not yet exist as a people at that time, it would make no sense for God to divide the nations “according to the number of the sons of Israel.”
   5. This begs the question: What does it mean that the nations were apportioned “according the number of the sons of God”? As surprising as it may sound, the rest of the nations were placed under the authority of members of YHWH’s divine council. While Deut. 32:8-9 says that God divided and handed out the nations to the “sons of God,” Deut. 4:19-20 tells us the other side of the same decision: God allotted these lesser gods to the nations. In the wake of the tower of Babel, YHWH decreed that the nations he had set aside would no longer have direct relationship with Him. Instead, he assigned them other gods to worship. The was a form of judgement. The nations, in rejecting the Most High God, received the gods they wanted.
   6. Moses warns the Israelites in Deut. 4:19-20, “19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.”
   7. Deut 4:19-20 is the flip side of God’s judgement. It is as if God were saying, “If you don’t want me, I will give you the gods you desire.” This same decision is echoed in Psalm 82. “1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:… I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!”
   8. There, YHWH stands in the divine council and judges the other elohim (sons of the Most High) for their corruption and injustice in ruling over the nations they were assigned. The psalm closes with the plea: “Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all the nations.”
   9. All that to say that God has a two-family household. From Eden onward, YHWH has both a divine family (the divine council/sons of God/Heavenly Hosts) AND a human family (made in His image to rule earth). Eden was a mountain assembly where these two families dwelled together under the Father’s loving authority.
   10. In the heavenly family there is order and authority. The divine sons operate under the Father’s headship. Even when some rebelled (Genesis 6, Psalm 82), the structure itself reveals willing submission to the Father as the proper order of God’s household.
   11. Think about it like this: Just as a human CEO doesn’t micromanage every single decision but delegates to trusted executives who still answer to him, YHWH rules through His divine family—yet remains the ultimate Head.
   12. Understanding all of this makes it clear that rebellion against the Father’s order (in heaven or on earth) fractures the family. Obedience restores it.
       Now you might think that none of that matters because those ideas are too far away. HOWEVER, this heavenly reality is not distant from us. Paul says EVERY earthly family is named from and patterned after it.
2. Every earthly family gets its name and structure from the Heavenly Father (Ephesians 3:14-15)
   1. Look what Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14-15. “14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”
   2. The wordplay in this verse is intentional. He says, “…I bow my knees before the Father Pater from whom every family patria in heaven and on earth is named.” All families—divine and human alike—take their identity from God the Father. Paul’s entire letter to the Ephesians is saturated with “household” imagery. The church is God’s multi-ethnic temple-household (Eph. 2:19-22) 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. The place where the disinherited nations are reclaimed and reunited under the true Head, Christ. Earthly families are microcosms of this cosmic household.
   3. Humans were created as God’s image-bearers so that “as in heaven, so on earth.” The human family is not an afterthought; it is designed to reflect the divine family’s ordered relationships.
   4. Here is why this matters for obedience. When children obey parents “in the Lord,” they are not just following rules--the are imaging the submission that exists in God’s own family. The earthly father and mother stand in a representative role, reflecting the ultimate Father. Disobedience is not merely personal; it disrupts and fractures the reflection of God’s household order.
      This imaging that we are talking about has cosmic stakes—especially in a world still under the influence of the disinherited powers.
3. Obedience brings blessing and participates in God’s Redemptive Plan (Ephesians 6:3)
   1. This verse contains a promise that is incredibly relevant to us today just as it was to the readers of this letter a couple thousand years ago. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:3, “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” This promise echoes back to Deut. 5:16, where Moses relays what God has commanded: “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” In this Deuteronomy 32 worldview, the “land” and inheritance point to restored relationship with God and his blessing on His people. The ultimate blessing is restored relationship with our Heavenly Father!
   2. Practically speaking, honoring your parents and obeying your parents brings other blessings as well. These blessings aren’t necessarily monetary, though in some sense they could be. Let me explain.
   3. Children who honor and obey their parents at home are more likely to honor and obey others in society as well. This includes teachers, pastors, administrators, law enforcement officers, and generally speaking any other human being. Children who obey and honor their parents are more likely to be a blessing to others, instead of a burden because they bring peace and order, instead of chaos and destruction. In general, children who obey and honor their parents are productive, well-behaved members of society.
   4. The flip side to that is that children who do not honor and obey their parents are usually a burden wherever they go; school, church, public, sports, etc. Their actions are destructive and are agents of chaos and disorder. They fracture not only their own family, but society as well, and create huge strains on society.
   5. Parents, it is good and right to expect honor and obedience from our children. You aren’t harming their development by expecting it and parenting towards it. You ARE harming their development by not expecting it and parenting towards it. Never telling your children “No!” or passively parenting them hoping that they will straighten out, is not acting in the authority given to you by God AND it’s hurting your child. This laisse-fair, free-range parenting is short-sided at best, and fully neglects the well-being of the child and society.
   6. Children of all kinds, part of honoring your parents is not blaming them for all of your problems. It’s not to say that their, our, deficits in parenting don’t in some way contribute to certain hardships, but it is unwise and to pin all of your issues on them. Sometimes, because we live in a world under the influence of the fallen sons of God, there are hardships.
   7. You see, through Christ’s victory, the Church—God’s renewed human family—is reclaiming the nations that were disinherited at Babel. Obedient, gospel-shaped families become outposts of this restoration. Children who learn submission, obedience, and honor in the home are being formed to live as loyal members of God’s multi-ethnic household.
   8. Obedience is not burdensome legalism; it is JOYFUL participation in God’s plan to unite “all things in heaven and on earth” under Christ (Ephesians 1:10). It counters the rebellion that fractured both divine and human families.Challenge to children: Obedience “in the Lord” is an act of worship and an investment in your future inheritance in God’s family.Challenge to Parents: Model the Father’s love and authority so your home reflects Eden’s original design—not Babel’s chaos.

For Children & Students

1. Daily Honor Practice – Every day this week, do one thing to honor your parent(s) without being asked (e.g., clean your room, help with dishes, speak respectfully even when you disagree). Tell them, “I’m doing this because I want to honor God by honoring you.”
2. Obedience Check – When your parent gives an instruction this week, pause and say (out loud or silently), “This is practice for obeying my Heavenly Father.” Then obey promptly and cheerfully.
3. Write a Blessing – Write a short note or card to your mom and/or dad thanking them for one way they’ve cared for you. Include the phrase: “I want our family to reflect God’s family.”

For Parents:

1. Lead with Love and Clarity – This week, give clear, age-appropriate expectations and follow through with consistent, calm consequences. Pair every correction with affection (a hug, words of love, prayer together) so your children see that authority and love go together—just as they do with our Heavenly Father.
2. Model Submission – Share one example this week (at dinner or family time) of how *you* are obeying or submitting to God in an area of your life. Let them see that everyone in God’s household submits to the Father.
3. 3. Pray Ephesians 6:1-3 Over Your Kids – Every night this week, lay hands on your children and pray these verses over them by name, asking God to form them into people who bring blessing and order rather than chaos.

For the Whole Family:

1. Family “As in Heaven, So on Earth” Meeting – Hold a short family meeting (15-20 minutes). Read Ephesians 6:1-3 together. Ask:

   - “How can our family better reflect God’s ordered, loving household?”

   - “What’s one area where we need to grow in obedience or honor?”

   Write down one family goal for the next 30 days.

2. Deuteronomy 32 Connection – Read Deuteronomy 32:8-9 and Ephesians 3:14-15 together as a family. Talk about how your family is part of God’s big story of reclaiming the nations through Christ-shaped homes.

For Everyone

- Look for the Image-Bearers – This week, intentionally encourage one child or teenager you know who is honoring their parents. Tell them you see Jesus in their obedience.

- Repent & Restore – If you’ve been rebellious or passive as a parent/child, confess it to God and to the person you’ve wronged this week. Ask for forgiveness and take one step toward restoration.

- Long-Term Vision – Begin praying that your family would become a “microcosm” of God’s multi-ethnic household—an outpost of order, blessing, and gospel witness in a chaotic world.

Children, your obedience is not small—it is cosmic. Every time you honor your parents ‘in the Lord,’ you are declaring that God’s order is good and that you belong to His family.  

Parents, your loving authority is not oppressive—it is redemptive. You are shaping image-bearers for the King.  

Let’s commit this week to live as one household under one Father—from our homes to the nations.

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DISCUSSION GUIDE & FAMILY DEVOTION GUIDE

God’s People Part 2: How We Act In The Family (Children) 

Ephesians 6:1-3

Goal: To help group members understand obedience and honor in the home as part of God’s bigger story of restoring His multi-ethnic household.

Opening (10 minutes)

Icebreaker: Share one positive memory from your childhood of honoring or obeying a parent (or a time you saw a child honor their parents well).

Big Idea Review: Read the sermon’s big idea aloud:  

  “Children obey their parents not merely as a moral rule, but because the earthly family is a reflection of God’s own two-family household—divine and human—as understood in the Deuteronomy 32 worldview.”

Scripture Reading (5 minutes)

Read together:  

- Ephesians 6:1-3
- Ephesians 3:14-15
- Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (note the “sons of God” translation)

Discussion Questions (25-35 minutes)

1. Understanding the Big Picture
   How does the Deuteronomy 32 worldview (God’s heavenly family and the disinheriting of the nations) change the way you think about children obeying parents? Why is this bigger than just “because I said so”?
2. Naming & Imaging
   Paul says every family in heaven and on earth is “named” from the Father (Eph 3:14-15). What does it practically mean for your family to reflect God’s heavenly household?

   Where do you see the “image” of God’s order (or the lack of it) in modern family life?

3. Obedience & Blessing
   The promise in Ephesians 6:3 is that it will “go well with you” and you will “enjoy long life on the earth.” How have you seen obedience/honor bring blessing in your life or in families you know?
   What are some of the societal consequences the sermon mentions when children do *not* learn obedience and honor?
4. Honest Application
   For parents: Where is it hardest to exercise loving authority? Where is it hardest to model submission to God in front of your kids?
   For adult children: What makes honoring parents difficult (even as adults)? How can we avoid the trap of blaming parents for everything?
   How does “obedience in the Lord” protect us from the chaotic influence of the fallen spiritual powers mentioned in the sermon?
5. Gospel Connection
   How does Christ’s work (reclaiming the disinherited nations and uniting all things under Him) make joyful obedience possible in broken families?

Application & Next Steps (10 minutes)

Choose **one** practical step from the sermon’s next steps (or create your own):

• Daily Honor Practice
• Family “As in Heaven, So on Earth” Meeting
• Praying Ephesians 6:1-3 over children
• Modeling submission for your kids

Accountability: Share which step you will take this week and who in the group will check in with you.

Prayer Time (10-15 minutes)

- Pray for families in the church (especially struggling ones).

- Ask God to restore order and joy in homes so they become outposts of His kingdom.

- Pray for children and teens in your group/church to see obedience as worship.

____________________________________

Family Devotional Guide

God’s People Part 2: How We Act In The Family (Children)

For Families with Kids (Ages 5–18)

1. Gather & Connect (3 minutes)
   Sit together. Ask:  “What’s one thing you like about being part of our family?”
2. Bible Time (5-7 minutes)
   Read aloud:  **Ephesians 6:1-3**  **Ephesians 3:14-15**

Explanation for Kids:  God has a big family in heaven (the angels and divine beings) and He wants our family on earth to look like His family in heaven — full of love, respect, and order. When kids obey and honor their parents, it’s like showing the world what God’s family is supposed to look like!

3. Talk About It (5-8 minutes) Choose age-appropriate questions:

For Younger Kids (5-10):  

• Why does God want kids to obey their moms and dads?  
• What’s one way you can honor your parents this week without being asked?  
• How does obeying at home help make our family happier?

For Older Kids/Teens (11+):  

• How is our family supposed to be a small picture (“image”) of God’s bigger family?  
• Why is obedience more than just following rules — what does it have to do with Jesus and God’s big plan?  
• What makes it hard to honor your parents? How can we do better even when it’s difficult?

4. Family Activity (5 minutes) “As in Heaven, So on Earth” Challenge
   As a family, come up with **one specific way** each person can show honor or obedience this week.
   Examples:

•  Do one chore without being asked  
•  Use kind words even when you’re upset  
•  Pray together every night this week  
• Write the commitments on a piece of paper or whiteboard and post it somewhere visible.

Fun Option: Draw or build a simple “Family House” (drawing or blocks) and label parts: “Love,” “Order,” “Honor,” “Obedience” — talk about how these make a strong house that reflects God’s family.

5. Prayer (2-3 minutes) Have everyone pray one sentence. Or pray this together:
   *Heavenly Father, thank You that our family is named after You. Help us obey and honor each other the way Your family in heaven does. Make our home a place of peace and blessing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.*

Memory Verse for the Week “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1)

Parent Tip: Look for opportunities to catch your kids doing right and say, “I’m so proud of how you’re honoring God by honoring our family!”