It was great to be together today as a church, and to join our voices to celebrate the good news of the gospel that has brought us together and given us new life!

This morning’s sermon from Ephesians 6:1-4, entitled: “New Life//Relationships: Parents & Children” is available to listen to or download from here, or via our iTunes podcast feed.

The “Take-It-Home” Sheet for this sermon will be available on Tuesday.

And don’t forget, there’s the weekly memory verse song you can download to help you memorise portions of God’s Word. This week’s Ephesians Memory Verse Song — “Children Obey Your Parents (Eph 6:1-2)” is available now!

(To download this song to your computer… For Mac Users, ctrl + Click and download linked file. For PC users, right click the link and “Save As” the file.)

Here’s the quotes for this week too…

John MacArthur:
“What we desperately need is a return to the biblical principles of parenting.  Christian parents don’t need new, shrink-wrapped programs, they need to apply and obey consistently the few simple principles that are clearly set forth for parents in God’s Word, such as these: Constantly teach your kids the truth of God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:7).  Discipline them when they do wrong (Proverbs 23:13-14).  Don’t provoke them to anger (Ephesians 6:4).  Those few select principles alone, if consistently applied, would have a far greater positive impact for the struggling parent than issues that consume so much time in a typical parenting programme.”

J.I Packer:
“To obey biblically is to attentively and heartily comply with the directives of someone with acknowledged authority.”

John Stott:
“At the head of the Roman family was the father, who exercised a sovereign authority over all members of the family.  He had full, autocratic right and power over his children.  He could sell them as slaves, he could make them work in his fields even in chains, he could take the law into his own hands and punish as he liked, he could even inflict the death penalty on his child.”

J.C Ryle:
“Instruction, advice and commands will profit little, unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life.  Your children will never believe you are in earnest and really wish them to obey you so long as your actions contradict your counsel.”

J.C Ryle:
“Love should be the silver thread that runs through all your conduct. Kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, patience, forbearance, sympathy, a willingness to enter into childish troubles, a readiness to take part in childish joys – these are the cords by which a child may be led most easily – these are the clues you must follow if you would find the way to his heart.”

Grant Layman:
“The goal of our parenting is to raise children who become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and are committed to serving within the context of the local church.”

J.C Ryle:
“Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls.  No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests.  No part of them should be so dear to you as that part which will never die.  The world, with all its glory, shall pass away; the hills will melt; the heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll; the sun shall cease to shine.  But the spirit which dwells in those little creatures, whom you love so well, shall outlive them all, and whether in happiness or misery (to speak as a man) will depend on you.”