Relationships worth Fighting For: A Father’s Challenge

Ephesians 6:1-4

Connect:

• Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.

Prayer:

Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.

Review:

We are moving into a series called “Relationships worth fighting for”. Last week, we looked at the beauty and potential of Marriage, and this week the focus is on fatherhood as the Bible talks about it!

The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…

o What did you learn about God?

o What did you learn about people?

o What did you learn about yourself?

o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?

Reflect:

Experience:

• When you hear the word ‘father’ what are some things that immediately come to mind? Share as appropriate with the group to get a general idea of our experiences in this area.

Read Ephesians 6:4

• How do you discern the difference, the line between, “exasperating” children and “discipline’? (Prov 13:24, 19:18; Is 54:13; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 12:10,11)

• Scott talked about 3 types of fathers that ‘exasperate’ their children: Crusher (flattens their child with condemnation), promise Breaker (unreliable, no follow through) and Avoider (too busy or disengaged to deal with conflict, stress, fears). Read the following Scriptures and discuss how Scripture holds fathers to account in these areas while affirming godly discipline: (Prov 22:15, 23:13, 29:15-17; Matt 18:10, Deut 4:9, Deut 6:6-7, 2 Tim 3:2, Col 3:21…)

• The second part of verse 4 talks about “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”. That is what Ephesians chapters 4-5 are all about! Look over these 2 chapters and talk about how Paul’s admonition to the church can be incorporated in a father’s relationship to their children.

• We are saved by grace, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to give us the will and the ability to live out the Life of the Spirit! Read the following passages and discuss how these Biblical principles of the Christian life hold both father and child to account while providing the support to pursue God’s calling on our lives! (Rom 5:20-21, Eph 2:8,9, Hebrews 4:15-16, Titus 2:11-14, Phil 2:1-4, 3:8-14, Rom 7:21-8:11)

Respond: 

The central role of a father cannot overstated: Kids NEED their Dads for identity, protection, stability and so many other aspects of life. This is God’s intent. Kids really do wonder, “What does my Dad think of me?” Spend some time praying together that God would move on the hearts of fathers at ZCC to have that conversation clearly with their children in a way that builds them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord!

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