Heritage of the Lord | Pastor Trey Townsley | 9.28.25

 Heritage of the Lord

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  2  “Honor your

father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:

  3  “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

4  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring

them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

 “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath”

 Though fathers are specifically addressed in Ephesians 6:4, the

book of Proverbs shows that the father and the mother are to

give instructions to the child.

 Proverbs 1:8 8  My son, hear the instruction of your father, and

do not forsake the law of your mother

 To provoke someone to wrath/anger is not a one-time event.

Parorgizo is also translated into the English word ‘exasperate’.

Exasperation is the state of intense irritation, annoyance, or

extreme frustration, often resulting from repeated failures.

 “…but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

 Admonition: warning or mild rebuke

 Nurture: (paideia) education or training, disciplinary correction.

 This is the same word used in Hebrews 12:

 5  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you

as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening (paideia) of

the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6  For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every

son whom He receives.” 7  If you endure chastening, God deals

with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does

not chasten?  8  But if you are without chastening, of which all

have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not

sons.  9  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who

corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much

more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and

live?  10  For they indeed for a few days chastened us as

seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be

partakers of His holiness.  11  Now no chastening seems to be

joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it

yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have

been trained by it.

 Paideia refers to the comprehensive system of education,

upbringing, and cultural training aimed at shaping an individual

into a well-rounded, virtuous person embodying the ideal

qualities of their society

 God is concerned with the development of the whole person

 To train someone is to ‘instruct and practice to achieve

proficiency’

 Paul compares himself to an athlete

 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24  Do you not know that those who run in

a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way

that you may obtain it.  25  And everyone who competes for the

prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a

perishable crown, but we for an

imperishable crown.  26  Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  27  But I discipline my

body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to

others, I myself should become disqualified.

 Paul compares us to soldiers

 2 Timothy 2:2-4 2  And the things that you have heard from me

among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will

be able to teach others also.  3  You therefore must endure

hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  4  No one engaged in

warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he

may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

 Create a clearly established standard

 2 Timothy 3:16-17 16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of

God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,

for instruction in righteousness,  17  that the man of God may be

complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 Instill Core Values

 Deuteronomy 6:6-9 6  “And these words which I command you

today shall be in your heart.  7  You shall teach them diligently to

your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your

house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and

when you rise up.  8  You shall bind them as a sign on your

hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  9  You

shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on

your gates.

 Learn to identify your enemy (counterfeit)

 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 10  Now whom you forgive anything, I

also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have

forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,  11  lest

Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of

his devices.

 John 10:4-5 4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes

before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his

voice.  5  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will

flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

 Realistic combat training

 1 Timothy 4:7-8   7  But reject profane and old wives’ fables,

and exercise yourself toward godliness.  8  For bodily exercise

profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having

promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

 Ephesians 6:11-13 11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you

may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12  For we do

not wrestle against flesh and blood, but

against principalities, against powers, against the rulers

of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of

wickedness in the heavenly places.  13  Therefore take up the

whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the

evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 Foster teamwork in a community (common unity)

 Acts 2:44-45 44  Now all who believed were together, and had all

things in common,  45  and sold their possessions and goods,

and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

The Corruption of a Child | Pastor Chris Seacry | 9.7.25

The Corruption of a Child | Pastor Chris Searcy | 9.7.25

Ephesians 6:4

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up

in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Historical & Cultural Context (1st-Century World)

Greco-Roman Household Codes: Paul was writing within a culture where fathers had

near-absolute authority (patria potestas) (“power of the father”). In Roman society, a

father could even decide: life or death for a child. Harsh discipline and distance were

common.

- Right of Life and Death

- Control Over Marriage (arrange or annul marriages)

- Ownership of Property (Children couldnt own property while under patria potestas.)

Even adult sons with families of their own had no independent legal standing

until the father’s death or until he formally emancipated them.

Jewish Context: In contrast, Jewish fathers were expected to teach their children

God’s Law diligently (Deut. 6:7; Prov. 1:8). Education was moral and religious, not just

practical.

Paul takes the household code format (common in Greco-Roman moral writings) and

transforms it: instead of commanding authority, he limits it with Christian love and

responsibility.

So historically, Paul was radically softening the father’s absolute power, directing it

instead toward nurturing in the Lord.-

Transforms from a command to…… BRING THEM UP in discipline and instruction

Early Church Understanding (Literal Reading)

• “Do not provoke”: The early church understood this as a prohibition against

harsh, inconsistent, or discouraging treatment that crushed a child’s spirit.

• “Discipline” (Greek paideia) (pai-day-uh): This word meant the whole training

and cultivation of mind and morals. It implied correction, formation of character,

and moral education.

• “Instruction” (Greek nouthesia): Literally “putting into the mind,” meaning

verbal teaching, counsel, or admonition. The fathers saw this as catechesis —

parents were the first teachers of the faith.

Catechized = instruct (someone) in the principles of Christian religion by

means of question and answer.

Practical Implications for Paul’s Original Audience

For Christian fathers in Ephesus (and their households):

They were being called away from Roman harshness and toward Christlike

gentleness.

Parenting was not about asserting dominance but about raising children in God’s

ways.

Daily family life was to be re-centered on Christ — children weren’t just to be “brought

up” in survival and social training but in the Lord’s discipline and instruction.

This would have stood out in their culture: instead of children growing up in fear of their

father’s authority, they were to grow up in the atmosphere of the gospel.

There are several culprits:

Abandonment:

- Fatherless rates 1 in 4 kids live in fatherless homes = 19 million

Neglect:

51.45% of 12-18yo reported feeling neglected by their parents (parents prioritized their

phones)

Abuse:

1 in 4 children experiences child abuse or neglect. 18% suffer physical abuse, 9% suffer

sexual abuse

John 8:44

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a

murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth

in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father

of lies.

Acts 13:10

10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and

villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”

1 John 3:10

10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the

devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does

not love his brother.

Questions:

1.Where are they going

2. Who are they with

3.What are they watching

4.Who are they messaging

5.What music are they listening to

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN TEACHING…

Proverbs 1:8–9 – A father and mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 2:1–22 – A father urging his son to seek wisdom.

Proverbs 3:1–35 – “My son, do not forget my teaching…”

Proverbs 4:1–27 – A father recalling instruction from his own father, and passing it on.

Proverbs 5:1–23 – A father warning against adultery.

Proverbs 6:1–35 – Instruction on pledges, laziness, and adultery.

Proverbs 7:1–27 – A father teaching his son about the dangers of the adulteress.

Proverbs 8–9 – Wisdom herself calling as a teacher (parental imagery is still in the

background).

Proverbs 10:1 – Transition point: “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a

sorrow to his mother.”

How important is this to God?

It why he established a covenant with Abraham

Genesis 18:17-19

17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that

Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth

shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children

and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and

justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”