Zion Church | Home Work Part 5: Do What's Right | Pastor Keith Battle

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Obeying in the Lord, Not Just Under a Roof

Children aren’t called to blind compliance but to active obedience rooted in their identity as God’s representatives. The command to obey parents isn’t about elevating human authority—it’s about aligning with divine purpose. When a child honors their parents, they honor the God who placed them under that roof. This obedience isn’t conditional on the parents’ perfection but on the child’s connection to Christ. It’s a daily choice to live “in the Lord,” recognizing that even mundane acts of respect carry eternal weight. [14:06]

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
(Ephesians 6:1–3, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you struggle to see God’s authority reflected in those over you? How might obeying “in the Lord” transform routine responsibilities into acts of worship?

Day 2: Building Without Breaking: The Father’s Tender Charge

A parent’s authority isn’t a hammer to wield but a trowel to build with. Trivial demands, harsh tones, or favoritism can fracture a child’s spirit, leaving them discouraged and disconnected. God calls fathers to lead with kindness that strengthens rather than wounds. This isn’t about lowering standards but raising up hearts—correcting without crushing, guiding without guilting. Every interaction is a brick in the house of a child’s future. [03:35]

Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
(Colossians 3:21, NLT)

Reflection: What trivial demand or unkind tone might be eroding trust in your relationships? How can you replace exasperation with encouragement today?

Day 3: The Son Who Came Down: Submitting When You’re the Stronger One

Jesus—the Creator of the universe—submitted to parents who didn’t fully understand Him. His obedience wasn’t based on their worthiness but on His commitment to the Father’s order. True strength shows up in willing descent: the God-man returning to Nazareth, the sinless Savior honoring imperfect guardians. Our pride balks at submitting to those “beneath” us; Christ’s example redeems humble alignment. [25:33]

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
(Luke 2:51–52, NLT)

Reflection: Where does your knowledge or ability tempt you to resist authority? How might imitating Jesus’ “return to Nazareth” deepen your spiritual growth?

Day 4: Favoritism’s Fracture: When Love Becomes a Weapon

Isaac’s craving for venison and Rebekah’s quiet alliance with Jacob split their family like an ax through green wood. Favoritism trains children to perform for scraps of affection rather than rest in secure love. It pits sibling against sibling, parent against parent, until the family tree becomes a battlefield. God’s design demands equal delight—not equal treatment, but equal devotion to each child’s sacred uniqueness. [28:39]

Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
(Genesis 25:28, NLT)

Reflection: What unconscious comparisons or conditions have crept into your relationships? How can you actively celebrate someone’s God-given uniqueness today?

Day 5: The Next Right Thing: Maturity Over Reputation

Doing what’s right often means choosing the altar over appearances. Pride clings to seats; maturity walks aisles. It’s not about dramatic gestures but daily decisions to honor vows, mend fractures, and seek help. Every “next right thing”—a softened tone, a kept promise, a humble prayer—rebuilds what rebellion destroyed. True freedom isn’t found in avoiding correction but in embracing the courage to course-correct. [49:04]

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
(James 4:10, NLT)

Reflection: What “next right thing” have you been avoiding to protect your image? What step of humility would bring healing to your relationships today?

Sermon Summary

Homework is not one word, it is two words. Homework means the work that has to be done in the home, not just chores, but the biblical work of husbands, wives, parents, and children lining up under God. Colossians 3 puts every person in the house under a charge, and that charge keeps coming back simple: do what’s right.

Paul gives wives a sacred boundary when he says submission is “proper and fitting in the Lord.” God does not hand a husband a blank check to bully, dominate, or throw his weight around. Paul gives husbands a check and balance right after that: love with affectionate, sympathetic, selfless love. God makes authority accountable so submission does not get abused.

Colossians gives children a different word. Children are told to obey in all things because childhood is not mainly about age, it is about dependency. A person can be grown and still acting like a child if somebody else is paying the bills. God chose the parents, biological or adopted, and God placed something in that authority that the child is supposed to receive, even when the parents are not perfect.

Ephesians 6 makes the grammar plain. Children do the obeying, parents receive the obeying, and the phrase “in the Lord” belongs with the child or the obedience, not with the parents. That means obedience is right because the child belongs to the Lord. The promise of a long good life is fruit, but the root is deeper: some things are done just because they are right.

Jesus becomes the model for every role in the house. Luke 2 shows the twelve year old Son of God in the temple, already about His Father’s business, already beyond Joseph and Mary in every way. Yet Jesus went down with them to Nazareth and was subject to them. The Son of God humbled Himself under parents who did not fully understand Him, and that submission was tied to His increase in wisdom, stature, and favor.

Colossians also warns parents not to break children while trying to build them. Favoritism becomes one of the ugliest ways parents provoke children. Isaac loved Esau for what he brought home, Rebecca loved Jacob because he was like her, and that scarce love created rivalry, deceit, distance, and generational damage. Jacob later repeated the same thing with Joseph, because family systems often keep going unless somebody does what is right.

Parenting needs unity. Children can trigger meetings, and parents need closed door conversations where both are heard, respected, and understood. Grace does not pretend everything has been done right. Grace gives room to do the right thing now.

Key Takeaways

1. Do right because belonging matters Obedience is not first about getting a reward. Ephesians says children obey because they belong to the Lord, and belonging puts obedience on holy ground. The promise is real, but the root is deeper than the promise: the right thing is still right when no one claps for it. [17:34]
2. Jesus humbled Himself under parents Luke 2 shows Jesus as more than a gifted child in the temple. The Son of God knew His Father’s business, yet He still went down to Nazareth and arranged Himself under Joseph and Mary. Spiritual maturity does not use knowledge, calling, or intelligence as an excuse to despise God-given authority. [25:33]
3. Favoritism fractures the whole house Isaac and Rebecca did not have to intend harm for harm to happen. Conditional love trained one child to perform and another child to compete, and the house became divided before anyone called it broken. Impact does not care about intent, so love must be examined before rivalry becomes a family system. [34:13]
4. Parents need closed-door unity Parenting gets weak when children can play one parent against the other. Unity does not mean one parent dominates and the other just gives in. Unity means both parents sit down, listen, adjust, and leave the meeting feeling heard before the child gets an answer. [40:29]
5. Grace makes right now possible Wrong choices in the past do not have to own the next decision. Grace creates space for repentance that is not just emotional, but practical and immediate. The right thing may be hard, humbling, and tearful, but maturity chooses it anyway.

## [49:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:43] - Homework Means Home Work
[04:15] - Do What’s Right
[05:16] - Sacred Boundaries in Submission
[06:46] - Children Hear Under Authority
[10:16] - Dependency Defines Childhood
[11:39] - God Picked the Parents
[14:06] - Children Belong to the Lord
[20:20] - Jesus Models Submission
[28:19] - Parents Must Not Provoke
[33:50] - Favoritism Breaks Families
[40:29] - Parents Need Unity
[48:41] - Grace to Do Right Now

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:18-21
"Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." [02:38]

Ephesians 6:1-3
"Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 'Honor your father and mother.' This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, 'things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.'" [14:19]

Luke 2:41-52
"Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. His parents didn’t know what to think. 'Son,' his mother said to him, 'why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.' 'But why did you need to search?' he asked. 'Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?' But they didn’t understand what he meant. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people." [21:32]

Genesis 25:27-28
"As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob." [33:50]

Observation questions

In Colossians 3:18-21, what specific responsibilities are given to wives, husbands, children, and fathers?
What details in Luke 2 show that Jesus was already far beyond an ordinary twelve-year-old, and what did He still choose to do when He returned to Nazareth? [25:33]
In Genesis 25:27-28, what reasons are given for Isaac’s love for Esau and Rebekah’s love for Jacob, and what does that reveal about the home?
What are some of the ways a parent can provoke or discourage a child, according to Colossians 3:21 and the examples that were raised? [28:19]

Interpretation questions

Ephesians 6 says children obey their parents because they belong to the Lord and because it is right. How does that change obedience from being merely about reward or punishment into something deeper? [17:26]
Colossians gives wives a boundary, “as is fitting in the Lord,” while children are told to obey in everything. What does that difference show about the nature of marriage and the nature of childhood? [05:16]
Jesus knew who He was, yet He still placed Himself under Joseph and Mary. What does that show about humility and about how spiritual maturity responds to God-given authority? [25:33]
Favoritism in Genesis may not have been meant to destroy the family, yet it did real damage. What does that teach about the difference between intention and impact inside a home? [34:13]

Application questions

Doing what is right matters in every part of life, not just at church. Where is the biggest struggle right now to simply do what is right at home: in marriage, in parenting, in honoring parents, or in receiving correction? [04:15]
Belonging to the Lord puts obedience on holy ground. If someone is still living in a place of dependence on parents or receiving their support, what would more prompt, respectful obedience look like this week? [10:16]
Jesus humbled Himself under parents who did not fully understand Him. When has knowledge, maturity, frustration, or feeling misunderstood become an excuse to resist authority, and what would humble submission look like now? [26:29]
Favoritism can be subtle, not just obvious. If there is more than one child in the home, what are some small signs that one child may feel more celebrated, more excused, or more connected than another? [39:18]
Parents need closed-door unity so children do not end up leading the house. What kind of conversation needs to happen between parents or guardians soon so that decisions become more consistent and more peaceful? [40:29]
Grace makes it possible to do the right thing now, even after a long season of doing the wrong thing or leaving the right thing undone. What is one specific right thing that needs to happen this week in a family relationship? [49:04]
Building children without breaking them requires tenderness, truth, and restraint. For those raising children, what needs to change in tone, discipline, comparison, or communication so that correction does not turn into discouragement? [03:47]

Sermon Clips

42s

#GodChoseYourParents

“Unless they tell you to do something that's illegal. But I promise you, putting out the trash is not illegal. I promise you. Pinky promise. Being told to clean your room is not illegal. I promise you. Doing what you're told when you're told. I ain't looking at y'all. It's not illegal. Waiting until you wanna do it. That, watch this, delayed obedience is disobedience.”

54s

#DelayedObedienceIsDisobedience

“The root is you're gonna have a long good life. The root of it is I'm doing it because I belong to the Lord, and I'm doing it because it's just the right thing to do. Some things you gotta learn how to do in life just because it's right. Whatever happened to that, you open the door for a lady when she comes by just because it's right, not because you want a reward. You speak to people when you greet them because because because it's right. Oh, yes. You say thank you to people when they do something for you. They do something kind for you, say some kind for you. Because it's right. Not because you want a reward. We gotta learn how to do stuff just because it's right. Yeah. And it is right to obey your parents. And it's not only right to obey them because of their position, it's the right thing to do because you belong to the Lord. And let me tell you something. Whether they're in the Lord or not, you're supposed to do it.”

50s

#DoRightBecauseYouBelong

“This is a mess. And you know what it does? It creates tension between the siblings. Sibling rivalry is triggered by parental favoritism. Because when children grow up in a home where the love is scarce, they fight each other over the love they're not getting. So Esau wants what Jacob has. I want mom to love me too. And Jacob wants what Esau have. What son doesn't want his father's love? And this created not only sibling rival, but but division between the husband and wife. Because God had already told them before she had the babies that Jacob was the chosen one. All they gotta do is follow God's plan, but instead, Esau tries to force the blessing. I mean, Isaac tries to force the blessing on Esau.”

53s

#EqualLoveForEachChild

“The parenting context requires unity for it to be most effective. What does that mean? That means that the husband and the wife or the mother and the father have got to be unified because these kids will play you. They will play you before you even know they they're a player. They would they would work the way they would work the punk parent over the soft parent. They just do that. They they they you just told them no, and they done went around there and went and got the other parent to buy into it. And so and then you get tired of it. You just say, go ask your father. Go ask your mother. No. You gotta have meetings. Children are triggers of meetings. You gotta have meetings about the children behind closed doors so that you can get on the same page as a parent.”

38s

#BothParentsMatter

“What that is, is a sacred boundary. What is being written here by the apostle Paul is, is that although a wife is called to submit herself to her husband, not because he's greater than you are, you're equals, but because he has the authority. When you choose to arrange yourself under your husband, the Bible says, make sure you do it as is proper and fitting in the Lord. Why God would put that boundary out there is he's saying, don't just do whatever your husband says. Why he would say do it as is proper and fitting in the Lord is because that can go too far.”

55s

#SubmissionHasBoundaries

“That whole submission thing can go too far. Where a man is throwing his weight around and being dominant and being and bullying his wife, God says, no, you do it as is proper and fit and fitting in the Lord. That's that's the boundary on it. And then to to even further, bring about accountability, God says in the very next verse following in verse 19, the very next verse Abdi tells wife wives to subject yourself to your husband. He says to husband, but make sure you love your wives. Make sure you're agape your wife. That's an unconditional love. Make sure you make sure you have their best interest. What is that? That's God's checks and balance systems. That's God saying, yes, she is supposed to be submitted to you and you're supposed to love her and be kind to her. That's the checks and the balance right there. That you, watch this, so that you don't abuse her submission.”

34s

#HusbandsLoveUnconditionally

“Your parents are who they're supposed to be. Even if you got adopted, he picked them. When you say, well, they picked me. Well, he made them pick you. He made them love you. He made them find you. He made them discover you. God has orchestrated your life for the people who are over your life. And it's important that you understand that so when they correct you and say something to you, you understand this ain't just coming from a human. This coming from God's ordained authority over my life.”

43s

#FavoritismBreedsRivalry

“Periodically, ask yourself as a as a parent of children. Do my children know they're equally loved? If you got more than one child. Do I spend individual time with each child? Do I praise each child's strengths? Do I compare siblings? Do I discipline one child more harshly than another for similar behavior? Do I exercise behavior? Do I excuse behavior from the child I'm closest to? Do I have a favorite child even if I would never say it publicly? Do I communicate more easily with one child? Have I unintentionally created an alliance with one child? Would each of my children say my parent loves me for me?”

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