Parental Authority
Parental Authority
Introduction:
1. In this section of scripture the writer compares the purpose of God's discipline with that a an earthly father's discipline.
2. Discipline is painful for a father.
3. Discipline is painful for the child.
4. Yet this discipline is done for a specific purpose; to teach the child the basic principles of authority and how that authority is to be respected.
5. Our heavenly Father disciplines for a perfect spiritual purpose.
6. We must be assured that God never disciplines too much or too little.
7. God never disciplines at the wrong time or fails to give it at the right time.
8. This is discipline is for our own good even though it is painful for both God and us.
9. God's discipline like the earthly father's discipline will allow us over time to reflect on our conduct and character.
10. Therefore let us examine proper parental authority.
I) Crisis of Parental Authority
A) The disintegration of the home is rooted in the disregard for authority in the home.
1. Let me be first to say that the disregard for authority is not the child's fault.
a. There has been a constant failure on the part of parents who do not teach their children to obey authority.
b. Effective parenting is not a 100 yard dash but a marathon.
(i) Parents will always be parents regardless of their children's age.
(ii) As a result there are still lessons to teach and messages to send regarding authority.
(iii) It is wrong to assume that once a child leaves the home he is no longer to honor his father and mother.
(a) A child will always be a child in relation to his parents.
(b) As such we still must hold our children accountable for their actions and continuously reinforce the lessons they were to learn in childhood.
c. A balance must be found regarding respect and authority.
(i) A child who does not learn respect for authority will never respect authority as an adult.
(ii) A child who views authority as overly strict and harsh will always see authority as harsh and overly strict as an adult.
(iii) Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
(iv) The seriousness of this topic becomes more apparent when we consider that a child who has no respect for his earthly parents will have no respect for their Heavenly Father.
B) We are reaping the consequences of the sins of former generations.
1. Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
2. Dr. Benjamin Spock duped parents with his permissive parenting plans paving the way for the sexual revolution, the decade of decadence and the x generation.
a. We are reaping the rewards of his philosophy based upon instinct and common sense parenting.
b. Proverbs 3:5-7 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
c. We are not to trust in our own feelings or intuitions rather we need to see the God-given plan set before us.
3. Also we know that the Bible teaches us that children imitate the behavior of their parents.
a. Ezekiel 16:44 - Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, as is the mother, so is her daughter.
b. Parents have a great responsibility.
c. We sometimes wonder why children act the way they act; can we not say it is because they are imitating their parents.
d. Truly no man is an island unto himself.
e. It has been said that what one generation does in moderation the next will do in excess.
f. The divine law of sowing and reaping teaches us the necessity of respecting authority.
C) We have allowed others to do a better job with our children than we have.
1. We have forgotten at some point that it is not a matter of if our children will be taught but what they will be taught and who is going to do the teaching.
a. If we do not teach our children to pray; then Satan will teach them to curse and lie.
b. If the ground, good soil, goes uncultivated; weeds will grow.
2. We have been duped by postmodern philosophers and psychologist to tell us that we can't and shouldn't discipline our children because it stunts their growth.
a. I want to stunt their growth.
b. I want impure thoughts and evil imaginations to be stunted.
c. I want lies and half-truths to be cut off at the root.
d. Child development for the sake of child development is aimless and detrimental to any child.
II) Command of Parental Authority
A) The command of parental authority must be naturally accepted by the Father.
1. Ephesians 6:4 - And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
a. God has determined the Father to be the spiritual leader of the home.
b. Therefore, the father must accept this responsibility.
c. Those that run from this responsibility are putting their children on the road to hell faster than any false teacher or Satan himself.
2. It is the Father's job and no one else's.
a. He can seek guidance from others and he should.
b. A wise father is one who is open to suggestions.
c. But others should never become a substitute for what God has commanded him to do.
(i) It is not the grandparent's responsibility.
(ii) It is not the school systems job.
(iii) It is not the TV, Internet or Comic books job.
B) The command for Parental authority must be properly conveyed by the father.
1. Ephesians 6:4 - And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
a. Notice the provoke not your children to wrath.
b. It is possible, then, for Fathers to improperly convey the principle of authority to his children.
(i) By administering unreasonable punishment ( Hebrews 12:9-10) "after their own pleasure."
(ii) By uneven and inconsistent punishment.
(iii) By being too strict.
(iv) By being negative in discipline
(v) By expecting them to be "grown-up" and to act like mature people.
(vi) By making unreasonable demands so that they decide they can never please you anyway - They Become Disheartened.
(vii) By always blaming and never praising.
2. Failure to convey the principle of authority could bring disastrous consequences to their lives.
C) The mother must recognize the invaluable role she plays instilling the principle of authority.
1. She sets the tone for how children view authority.
a. How she treats her husband, the children's father, is a direct example of how children are to act towards authority figures.
b. The mother in the home has the capacity to be the home-maker or home-wrecker.
c. Proverbs 21:9 (ASV) - It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.
d. Proverbs 19:13 - A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
e. The woman who fights and usurps authority over the husband/father figure destroys the concept of authority for children.
f. Titus 2:3-5 - The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
2. Additionally, mothers spend more time with their children than the father.
a. A grave responsibility God has place upon mothers to teach respect for authority to her children.
b. Mother's do not fall victim to Satan's lie that a woman working for the best interest for her family is a second rate job.
(i) Homemaker is the primary job of the woman.
(ii) She is not to be the bread winner.
(iii) Rather she is the one who should understand that she can pursue a career but not at the expense of her children.
III) Cure for Parental Authority
A) The Remedy for parents is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
B) First God himself must reign supremely upon the throne of my heart.
1. Unless our children see God as the Supreme object of our affections and witness our profound respect for his holy and divine word they will never respect authority.
2. They should be able to see the awe and respect by what we say and do not say and what we do and not do.
C) Second, God's word must rest supremely within my heart. ( Deut 6:6)
1. Children must see you spend time with your Bible.
a. You cannot teach what you do not know.
b. Study of the scriptures should never come as a surprise to our children.
2. They need to know the word of God is hidden in our hearts ( Psalm 119:11).
D) Third, God's word must be revealed diligently to our children's hearts. ( Deut 6:7-9).
1. We must teach them continually
a. Teaching is a never ending process.
b. On Thursday morning at 6:30 am, Misty asked me a question about the Holy Spirit.
c. There is never a time when God is absent from their hearts.
2. We must teach them creatively
a. Notice verses 8-9.
b. There is a sense of creativity in teaching our children.
c. That does not mean that we substitute our responsibility but we must make the best of what we have.
Conclusion:
1. Parental authority is not an optional matter with God.
2. It is something that both father and mother should treat with reverence and fear.
3. It is something that both father and mother should not assume someone else will imbibe their children with the right knowledge.
4. The hearts of our children are linked to our home.
5. If heaven is our home then that is where our children's heart needs to be.
6. Let's begin by making sure that we doing things aright.
Posted in: Authority, Family, Sermon Outlines