The Gospel shapes all of life. The Gospel doesn’t just matter on Sundays, the Gospel matters ALL days. It saturates and permeates and consecrates every facet of our lives.
And to illustrate how the Gospel shapes all of life, Paul then goes to the heart of where most people do life: at work and at home. And Paul says, let me show you how the Gospel radically transforms those everyday relationships!
In Ephesians 6:1–9, we’ll explore eight principals for these relationships, two for each party in our text: supervisors and employees, and parents and children.
1) The Gospel at Work: Supervisors and Employees
Principle #1 for Supervisors: Leadership is about service.
If you’re in management, a landlord, an owner, or a boss, as a follower of Jesus you’re there to serve. Remember, Jesus made Himself the servant of all when He washed His disciples’ feet. Leadership is NOT about privilege. It’s about service.
And no matter how high you go, no matter how big your office, no matter what circles you run in, you always have a Boss: Jesus is your Master.
Principle #2 for Supervisors: You both report to Jesus.
There’s no partiality with Him who is both their Master and yours who is in heaven. On the heavenly org-chart, supervisors and employees are both direct-reports of Jesus.
For supervisors, work is a place to live out our discipleship of Jesus as we become more like Him!
Principle #3 for Employees: Christ dignifies all work.
Whatever you do, it’s worth doing because it’s for Jesus. You may not think your job is all that meaningful, but Jesus values it. He sees the effort, creativity, and care you put into it. He sees what goes unnoticed, and He’ll reward you for every faithful investment.
Principle #4 for Employees: Your boss is not your Boss.
Paul says “obey” our boss not because our masters are good, or nice, or easy to get along with, or compensate us well. He says “obey” because, ultimately, we’re working for Christ.
For employees, work is a place to live out our discipleship of Jesus as we become more like Him!
2) The Gospel at Home: Parents and Children
Principle #5 for Parents: Your children need nurture.
Your children are real people with real desires and real hopes and real dreams and real needs and real emotions. To nurture them, you must know them to adapt to their own individual needs.
Your Heavenly Father nurtures and cares for you as His beloved child—that’s how you’re to care for your own children as well.
Principle #6 for Parents: Your children need training.
If you’re to “bring them up” – raise them to be mature adults and disciples of Jesus – it’s not enough to nurture and love on your children. They must be trained, instructed, and admonished.
But how do you do that in a way that doesn’t provoke them to constant anger? Love them in their main love language. Discipline in their secondary love languages.
For parents, home is a place to live out our discipleship of Jesus as we become more like Him!
Principle #7 for Children: Learn obedience at home.
Your obedience to your parents is a part of your discipleship to Jesus. As you learn to obey your parents, God is softening you to His own instruction. And as your obedience muscle grows, it will help you thrive in your walk with Christ.
Principle #8 for Children: Choose to give honor.
We grow out of the command to obey our parents as we become adults, but we never out-grow the command to honor them.
In love, Christ honored us when we didn’t deserve it. Now He calls us to honor one another.
For children, home is a place to live out our discipleship of Jesus as we become more like Him!
Takeaway: Your relationship with God changes all your other relationships.
For Believers, work and home are the places we live out our discipleship of Jesus as we become more like Him! Because our relationship with God changes all our other relationships.
Ephesians 6:1–9
