WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:24.339 I would like you to take your Bibles this morning and turn in them to Ephesians chapter 6. 00:00:24.339 --> 00:00:24.339 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.179 First passage, pray, and then begin. 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:49.260 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:50.780 of the Lord. 00:00:50.780 --> 00:01:00.020 Heavenly Father, this morning we are thankful for the blessing we have of gathering together 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:03.200 as a people who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus. 00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:11.900 We're glad that as we are here together to praise your name, to listen with attentive 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:18.680 and spirit-enabled hearts to the word that you have given to us for our joy and blessing 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:19.859 and your glory. 00:01:20.780 --> 00:01:28.859 That the activity that we engage in is not one that we are left stranded to our own devices 00:01:28.859 --> 00:01:30.379 to accomplish. 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:40.859 But we may rely upon your spirit that you have given to every believer to instruct, to counsel, 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:49.079 to encourage, and to continue the process of helping us through your grace and power grow 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:51.579 to be more like the Lord Jesus. 00:01:53.179 --> 00:02:01.459 I am thankful that as I stand here this morning to preach the word of God, that I can depend 00:02:01.459 --> 00:02:11.099 upon your spirit, your word, and the prayers of your people to make Jesus and His glory supremely 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:12.799 attractive and worthy. 00:02:12.799 --> 00:02:15.639 And I ask this in Jesus' name. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:16.500 Amen. 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:25.519 Let me begin a Father's Day sermon by referencing someone that probably most of you do not know. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.480 Shirley Randall used to be a member of our church. 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:31.939 You who remember Shirley, wave at me. 00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:34.120 Wow. 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:41.620 Shirley Randall is, I don't know if she still wears white gloves on Sunday, but she did wear 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:43.600 white gloves every Sunday. 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:50.659 And Shirley was a very, she probably still is, because I think she's still with us and not 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:52.319 with the Lord and with Dick. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:58.900 But Shirley was, when she was here, she was a very objective and pointed person. 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.740 She let you know what she thought. 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:10.560 And I remember when I was preparing one week for Mother's Day and Shirley came to me and she 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:14.300 said, so, who gets the guilts this time? 00:03:16.140 --> 00:03:20.939 You know, that was an appropriate way to question a pastor regarding his sermon. 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:23.699 And it was like, so who gets the guilts this time? 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:27.000 And I thought about that because it kind of took me back a little bit. 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:27.659 What do you mean? 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:33.520 And she said, well, generally, Mother's Day sermons, one of two people, one of two groups 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:35.719 walk out kind of feeling a little gloomy. 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:42.419 You know, it's either the mothers who listen to the Proverbs chapter 31 passage and they 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:44.500 walk away thinking, I'll never get that. 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:45.300 I'm done. 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:46.000 I give up. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:52.259 Or, on the other hand, you have the sermon that kind of amplifies the importance of honoring 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:53.780 and respecting your mother. 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:57.419 And you walk out of there thinking, well, I'm not there yet. 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:03.759 And so, that was kind of a little pointed comment that stuck very clearly in my thinking. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:08.840 And I got to thinking, you know, this business of giving the guilts is not all bad. 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:13.500 But the preaching of the Word of God should do more than that. 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:23.259 It should not only help us understand our responsibilities before the Lord, but it should also always be 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:30.599 an encouragement to us to trust in the goodness of God that does more than just lay out the facts 00:04:30.599 --> 00:04:32.000 and convict us. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:38.279 So, one of the things I'd like to have you do this morning from the very beginning is I want you to say 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:39.180 something with me. 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:41.699 I'm going to tell you what it is, and then I want you to say it. 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:43.199 Here's what I want you to say. 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:44.579 God is good. 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:46.079 Okay. 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:46.680 Just a minute. 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:48.720 I want to say it all together, you know. 00:04:49.180 --> 00:04:53.420 And some of us are designed to kind of say things a little later. 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:57.840 But anyway, God is good. 00:05:01.280 --> 00:05:11.379 That statement is a profoundly significant statement and has bearing on all that we do and believe. 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:16.980 It's not just a statement about things that He does in this world. 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:24.319 It's not just a statement about the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessing that we have in Him. 00:05:24.700 --> 00:05:30.460 The theologian John Frame made the comment that when we say that God is good, we're referring to 00:05:30.460 --> 00:05:32.040 everything that God is. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:33.700 Think about that. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:38.980 When we say that God is good, we are referring to everything that God is. 00:05:38.980 --> 00:05:46.560 There's nothing wrong with saying every time that you have an issue happen or that you're faced with a 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:49.240 moment's challenge, you say, God is good. 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:55.520 Because everything that He does is good. 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.860 Everything that He thinks is good. 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:03.540 Everything that He commands is good. 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:11.800 And this morning, as we look at a passage that is going to be a premise for the Bible lesson that 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:16.300 we're going to engage in this morning, I want you to understand that it is directed particularly 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:23.460 to fathers and it gives those of us who are fathers explicit and pointed instructions from God. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:30.379 I want us to frame that instruction by the reminder to ourself that God is good. 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:36.060 And when He gives us a commandment, as it says in 1 John chapter 5, His commandments are not, 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:38.860 who knows the rest, burdensome. 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:44.500 It's saying that, you know, when God says do something, it's not like Kim Il-jung who says 00:06:44.500 --> 00:06:49.279 do this, do that, and it's designed entirely for His little petty interests. 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:54.579 When God tells us to do something, it is for His glory and it is also for our good. 00:06:54.579 --> 00:07:01.779 And so as we launch into Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4, I want you to recognize that we're 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:04.979 looking, first of all, at some very significant commands. 00:07:06.099 --> 00:07:10.479 And I want you to understand that when God gives His children commandments, they are not 00:07:10.479 --> 00:07:13.799 designed to crush us, but they are designed to bless us. 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:18.839 And so I want you to recognize this morning, if you're sitting here as a father, that this 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:26.060 instruction from the Word of God is for your particular and personal blessing and obedience 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:32.239 to it is also a means of you being a blessing not only in your own life but in the lives of 00:07:32.239 --> 00:07:32.779 other people. 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:36.139 So let's start with several obvious points. 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:41.659 For one, God's command here is directed specifically to fathers. 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:46.060 It's talking to those of us who have become fathers. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:54.000 And I can tell you that by experience that after God brings a child into your life, you 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.860 remain a father until the day you die. 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:04.620 I remember actually the process of seeing our four children leave our home. 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:10.420 I remember the process of them coming into our home and I remember watching each one of them 00:08:10.420 --> 00:08:14.300 go off to college and the military and whatever else. 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:19.120 And I remember the day when the last one, the youngest one, actually left and Judith and 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:23.200 I were sitting there in that new phase of life called empty nesters. 00:08:24.020 --> 00:08:28.700 There are some of you here that on occasion are thinking to yourself, oh, I can't wait for 00:08:28.700 --> 00:08:29.000 that. 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:35.519 Well, I can tell you now as a veteran empty nester that the process of being a father doesn't 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:36.560 stop at that point. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:43.279 It changes and in some ways actually becomes more complex and more challenging. 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:44.859 Can anybody tell me why? 00:08:45.179 --> 00:08:46.239 Who is an empty nester? 00:08:47.099 --> 00:08:50.959 In the good old days when you had a problem and you wanted to make a difference in your 00:08:50.959 --> 00:08:52.779 child's life, what did you do? 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:58.759 Well, in my case, I would usually say to them, why don't you go up to your room and spend a 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:04.199 little time thinking about this while I think about what we're going to do? 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:10.560 The reason for that process of time was because my natural tendency was to go ballistic. 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:16.180 You know, you hit the red button and everything flares up and I realized the passage in James 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:17.980 says the wrath of man does not, what? 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:21.340 Does not work the righteousness of God. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:25.040 And so I would always say to my children, you go take some time and think about this. 00:09:25.060 --> 00:09:27.560 And I was over there praying and thinking, how am I going to minister? 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:32.279 And so we would come back and we would address the issue in a biblical fashion. 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:39.359 When I could have them sit on the couch, it was actually easier than when they reach adulthood. 00:09:39.859 --> 00:09:44.679 And I am in some senses an invited counselor and no more. 00:09:46.059 --> 00:09:51.919 You who are older parents with children that are out of your home, I can tell you, you only 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:56.059 get to give them unsolicited advice a few times and guess what happens? 00:09:57.079 --> 00:09:58.740 They stop taking your texts. 00:09:58.959 --> 00:10:00.299 They stop taking your phone calls. 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:01.240 You follow what I'm saying? 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:10.039 It's wise to be cautious and prudent in deciding when and what deserves your undivided attention 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:10.639 and counsel. 00:10:11.319 --> 00:10:16.059 So I want to understand that this passage is given to you, our fathers, and you are a father 00:10:16.059 --> 00:10:17.319 for the remainder of your life. 00:10:18.459 --> 00:10:24.479 For another, this command makes it clear that fathers are divinely appointed to be the spiritual 00:10:24.479 --> 00:10:25.379 heads of their homes. 00:10:25.579 --> 00:10:29.059 Now listen to me, because I think this is something that sometimes is neglected. 00:10:29.959 --> 00:10:35.939 Fathers are divinely appointed to be the spiritual head of the home. 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:47.040 It's amazing how often you see illustrations of families and home constructs in which really 00:10:47.040 --> 00:10:52.040 the daddy, all invested in maybe making a living and providing for the family, when it really 00:10:52.040 --> 00:10:57.720 comes down to the issue of spiritual headship and leadership in the home, he is largely disconnected 00:10:57.720 --> 00:10:58.980 from that responsibility. 00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:05.080 And I want you to understand, here's the word of God that says, dads, you are the ones who are 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:09.900 responsible in principle to bring them up in the nurture and instruction of the Lord. 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:16.820 The assignment of headship for a father is not one that is a throwback to some brutal society 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:20.500 where hunters and gatherers were kind of gathered around and doing their thing. 00:11:20.680 --> 00:11:25.879 And so, by the way, that cultural construct was, okay, the fathers are the ones who give 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:30.560 these commands because they're the towering personalities, no, and the power of the home. 00:11:30.640 --> 00:11:31.800 No, no, no, that's not it. 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:38.699 It was an illustration of God himself driving the issue of the structure of the home and 00:11:38.699 --> 00:11:41.519 saying, here's who is to be in charge. 00:11:42.319 --> 00:11:49.199 And we recognize that when he gives us something as an instruction, we look at it and say, all 00:11:49.199 --> 00:11:54.319 right, God, we trust you and we recognize in your goodness you've established it that way. 00:11:54.320 --> 00:12:01.940 A husband and father's headship is a reflection of God's goodness and his wisdom. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:06.379 I want you to fix that in your mind because we live in a day and age where that is kind 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:09.140 of put off to the side and it's actually disrespected. 00:12:09.300 --> 00:12:10.340 But here's the deal. 00:12:10.780 --> 00:12:17.260 The word of God given to us by which we may be saved and also live godly, orderly, blessed 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:21.299 lives tells us that dads are to be the heads in their home. 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:28.080 And trusting him for his wisdom and his counsel means saying in practical terms, I believe God 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.259 is good and I am glad to obey. 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:36.700 The assignment of headship doesn't mean that a wife or a mother is not important. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:38.379 I assure you of that. 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:42.740 It is stating the matter of order and task. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:48.620 And if one is tempted to kind of think that this assignment of roles is something that diminishes 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:54.799 the significance of a wife, I want to remind you that in the Trinity itself, God the Father, 00:12:54.919 --> 00:13:01.279 God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, there are explicit, specific tasks each one of the 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:03.820 Trinity holds and is responsible for. 00:13:03.820 --> 00:13:11.140 Now a sad note here that I want you to mark is this, or a side note is when those who value 00:13:11.140 --> 00:13:18.480 God's input in raising their children would think through this process of the matter of 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:24.320 men being the spiritual heads of their home, I would encourage men who recognize and value 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:27.560 that to put more, are you following me? 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:28.500 Because this is important. 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:38.240 Fathers put more importance on helping your children regard and respect the matter of male 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:44.299 leadership and headship in a home and invest more energy in developing spiritual responsibility 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:52.019 and maturity in your boys in particular than you do in allowing the home to become a trophy 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:54.179 case for their physical accomplishments. 00:13:54.179 --> 00:14:01.639 We have a culture that has gone off the deep end when it comes to the matter of the things 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:03.500 that are most prized and valued. 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:11.519 At the end of the day, I can tell you, when you are my age, you don't think that much about 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:14.039 what you did physically when you were 18. 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:22.559 It is far more important that men, in particular, grow to be spiritual leaders and the responsible 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:24.099 heads of their homes. 00:14:24.939 --> 00:14:26.219 Now, let's go a little further. 00:14:26.359 --> 00:14:30.199 We understand fathers are the ones that are responsible here, but the text goes a little 00:14:30.199 --> 00:14:32.339 further and gives us a very specific command. 00:14:32.719 --> 00:14:36.619 It says, fathers must not provoke their children to anger. 00:14:37.579 --> 00:14:40.839 Fathers must not provoke their children to anger. 00:14:40.839 --> 00:14:46.539 And the command leads us to ask the logical question, okay, so how does a father provoke his 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:48.579 children to anger? 00:14:48.579 --> 00:14:57.319 How is it that a father provokes or stirs up, promotes, builds into the life of his own children 00:14:57.319 --> 00:15:00.360 a habitual attitude of anger? 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:02.779 How many of you know what anger looks like? 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:04.519 Anybody here? 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:05.959 What does anger look like? 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:16.920 We all, now here we are in rows, very polite, you know, kind of sedate, but we know what anger 00:15:16.920 --> 00:15:17.840 looks like, don't we? 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:25.700 I'll never forget an individual in our church had installed in, don't come to me and tell 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:31.840 me that I was talking about you because I was, but he had installed in his truck over on the 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:32.240 side. 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:35.500 He had this little sound thing. 00:15:35.700 --> 00:15:36.860 It had four buttons. 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:41.879 One was a rocket, one was a machine gun, one was a cannon, and one was a grenade launcher. 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:46.759 And so when he was driving down the road and someone misbehaved in front of him, he would 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:52.360 just choose which one of those buttons he pushed and he would get sound in his car proportionate. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:53.519 Hi, I'm talking about you. 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:55.840 I loved it. 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:57.920 He said, come here, come here, see this. 00:15:58.800 --> 00:15:59.840 I go over to his truck. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:03.940 He swung it open and he's like, you know, it's like, okay. 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:08.019 We know what anger looks like, don't we? 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:14.820 So how does a father provoke his children to anger? 00:16:15.920 --> 00:16:20.040 The most obvious way to provoke a child to anger would be to be an angry man. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:22.000 Write that down. 00:16:23.160 --> 00:16:25.080 The most obvious way to provoke your children. 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:27.340 Hey, listen to me because I don't think you're listening on this. 00:16:27.340 --> 00:16:31.560 God himself tells you don't provoke your children to anger. 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.620 So how do you do that? 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:36.399 What do you need to avoid? 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:47.240 A father who is an angry man does a great, great deal to stir up an angry spirit in his 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:47.580 child. 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:55.800 And by the way, the child may well be rather intimidated in his father's presence and in his 00:16:55.800 --> 00:16:58.820 minority until he graduates and leaves and is on his own. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.460 Then what comes out? 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:02.960 The child's anger. 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:12.480 I want you to understand that the Bible has a great deal to say about anger, about avoiding 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:17.680 angry people, and about anger's sad instability and consequences. 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:23.299 So if you're a father that is here this morning that finds that you struggle with anger and you 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:26.960 hear the word of God telling you, don't provoke your children to anger. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.740 You say, all right, what do I need to do? 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:32.799 Number one, plead with him to help you change. 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:35.259 Plead with him to help you change. 00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:44.039 How many of you recognize that the necessity of change does not include the idea that we 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:45.559 can pull it off ourself? 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:54.940 The Bible does not teach us that we are fundamentally capable of changing who we are by ourself. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:55.779 Would you agree with that? 00:17:56.859 --> 00:18:03.019 Not by might nor by spirit, not by night, more by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord. 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:07.419 And if you're sitting here listening to the sermon thinking, man, I am an angry person and 00:18:07.419 --> 00:18:08.759 I know this isn't good for my kids. 00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:09.940 Well, how am I going to change? 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:16.140 You start with humility and prayer and say, Lord, I need to become a man who is not that 00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:18.480 way and I can't do it by myself. 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:24.980 Secondly, pack your heart with scriptures that counsel you on anger. 00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:28.140 Hey, here's the deal. 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:36.039 When there is a spiritual battle and persistent struggle in your life, one of the great remedies 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:42.139 to dealing with that recurring battle is to pack your heart with Bible verses that have 00:18:42.139 --> 00:18:46.359 particular application to that weakness. 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.920 So let's take a minute, just for a second, and look at a couple different verses on this 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:52.519 matter of anger. 00:18:52.659 --> 00:18:54.019 Turn back to the book of Proverbs. 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:58.539 By the way, it is loaded with passages on anger. 00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:03.759 What that tells you is that it must be a problem that God thought we needed plenty of 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.119 help on. 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:06.339 Let's look at Proverbs chapter 15, verse 18. 00:19:08.439 --> 00:19:16.939 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. 00:19:18.399 --> 00:19:25.599 Now, the benefit of packing your heart with Bible verses is that when you begin, how many of 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:30.899 you notice in your own thinking that as you begin to drift left of center, there are little 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:35.360 signals that you get from your conscience and then the Holy Spirit saying, don't go there. 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:36.160 How many of you are there? 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:38.380 You get those promptings. 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:41.019 That's where the Bible verse you grab onto. 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:42.220 So here's the Bible verse. 00:19:42.600 --> 00:19:44.440 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife. 00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:45.540 I don't want to be that way. 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.280 I don't want to be that way. 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.980 But he who is slow to anger quiets contention. 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:55.299 Look at Proverbs chapter 19, verse 11. 00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:58.559 And I could roll through here one after another. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:01.420 Proverbs chapter 19, verse 11. 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.399 Good sense makes one slow to anger. 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.560 Now, what is that saying? 00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:09.440 Good sense makes one slow to anger. 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:11.860 I'll give you an illustration. 00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:20.640 I can think of instances in which in my younger days before I understood that anger had a high 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:28.180 probability of causing me to do incredibly dumb things, where when things didn't go my way, 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:31.100 I decided that anger was an appropriate response. 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:37.400 And how many have discovered that after you have put your hammer through a sheet of drywall, 00:20:37.539 --> 00:20:39.380 all that remains is a repair job? 00:20:42.120 --> 00:20:43.220 Do you follow that? 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:49.259 Or you really get irritated at the car repair and you kick the fender. 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:52.100 It doesn't heal by itself. 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:55.299 And so everybody's walking by. 00:20:55.360 --> 00:20:56.220 What happened to your fender? 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:58.900 Well, did you have a wreck? 00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:01.079 Well, in some senses I did. 00:21:03.620 --> 00:21:05.860 Wasn't one of my more brilliant moments. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:09.400 Proverbs chapter 19. 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:10.620 Hey, listen to me. 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:14.019 A Bible verse is a whole lot smarter than repair jobs. 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:14.839 Would you agree with that? 00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:17.960 Verse 11. 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:20.120 Good sense makes one slow to anger. 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:24.299 And it is his glory to overlook an offense. 00:21:24.299 --> 00:21:27.299 You find somebody that has a high OI. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:30.059 Do you know what I mean by high OI? 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:31.619 Or by smile. 00:21:32.399 --> 00:21:34.680 Put this away for your own edification. 00:21:34.919 --> 00:21:37.299 The word OI means offendability index. 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:40.299 What is a high OI? 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:46.259 It means somebody that is easily irritated on a fairly consistent basis. 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:48.339 That's a guy with a high OI. 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:50.720 Here it says, 00:21:51.399 --> 00:21:54.419 It is to his glory to overlook an offense. 00:21:55.579 --> 00:21:58.379 So, plead with God to help you change. 00:21:58.659 --> 00:22:01.019 Pack your heart with scriptures that counsel you on anger. 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:05.779 Third, invite other people into your life to help you deal with this destructive sin. 00:22:07.879 --> 00:22:08.939 When I'm having... 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:10.360 By the way, I have problems with sin. 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:12.640 And you do too. 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:16.000 I have problems with sin on a very regular basis. 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:23.880 And if you ask me, one of the things that I'm really looking forward to about dying is I'm going to heaven and I'm done with sin. 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:25.779 I'm happy to be here. 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:30.920 But when the day comes, there will not be another battle with sin. 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.259 I'm looking forward to that. 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:45.140 In dealing with this ongoing battle with sin, one of the things that I have discovered is so helpful, and the Bible makes it clear, is partner with other people that are going to help you with that process. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:47.460 So, the question is this. 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:48.700 You've got a problem with anger. 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:55.960 Who is it that you have intentionally invited into your life to help you deal with this particular problem? 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:56.120 Problem. 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:07.100 That means someone that you are willing to listen to when they say, whoa, what is that all about? 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:08.500 What's going on? 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:16.299 Finally, don't become close friends with chest thumpers and men that are known to have short fuses. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:17.640 Does that make sense? 00:23:18.340 --> 00:23:20.600 You know what I mean by chest thumpers? 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:26.719 I mean, it's the guys who sit around telling stories about how angry they got in the past. 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:32.119 Well, I remember when someone said that to me and, you know. 00:23:33.879 --> 00:23:35.399 He's like, really? 00:23:39.899 --> 00:23:40.819 I'm out of here. 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:45.279 Greg, Greg, Bernard, where are you, Greg? 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:45.740 There you are. 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:47.579 Greg, smile at me. 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:48.399 I know you're talking. 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:55.660 Greg and I and Connie were sharing oatmeal with an individual that let us know that he wasn't carrying any weapons. 00:23:57.320 --> 00:23:58.240 I said, it's a good thing. 00:23:59.860 --> 00:24:01.200 Then he held up his two fists. 00:24:01.280 --> 00:24:02.240 He says, I got these. 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:11.540 Guy was probably, he had every known affliction to man, a diabetic, asthma and everything else. 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:17.080 He goes, I got these. 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:17.419 Okay. 00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:18.019 But anyway. 00:24:19.139 --> 00:24:19.460 Hey. 00:24:20.539 --> 00:24:21.740 You're an angry man. 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:24.019 You need help. 00:24:25.539 --> 00:24:27.779 Bible says, Dad. 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:37.639 And by the way, how many of you realize that this piece of advice is very practical because parenting can be very frustrating? 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:38.040 Yeah. 00:24:39.100 --> 00:24:39.540 Yeah. 00:24:39.540 --> 00:24:39.940 Yeah. 00:24:40.820 --> 00:24:43.300 I mean, not for yours, but at least the four I had. 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:47.340 I mean, I said the same thing over and over again. 00:24:48.600 --> 00:24:53.060 And every now and then I thought that maybe if I said it a little louder, it would help. 00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:57.639 I got to tell you, it never did. 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:03.299 Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath. 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:07.720 And you do it by being an angry man. 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:13.519 Another way to provoke children to wrath is by persistently neglecting them. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:23.519 First Kings chapter 1 verse 6 makes a very interesting statement about a king who never corrected his son. 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:26.079 Never paid attention to him. 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.160 Never involved in his life. 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:29.400 I got to tell you something. 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:34.940 Children are hardwired by God to need a father's time and attention. 00:25:35.840 --> 00:25:36.860 There's no way around that. 00:25:38.580 --> 00:25:46.779 And persistent neglect for all of the common reasons is going to produce unintended consequences. 00:25:46.779 --> 00:26:01.539 Work, hobbies, sports, TV, and every other self-focused reason will first of all wound and then later embitter your children. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:03.680 Can I say that again carefully? 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:11.619 It will first of all wound and later embitter your children. 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:22.799 A third way in which you can provoke them to anger is by not loving them unconditionally. 00:26:24.339 --> 00:26:24.859 You know what? 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:31.559 I am, I continue, and John, some of the songs as we were singing this morning, 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:38.519 I was so blessed to think about application that those words had to our time in the Word of God. 00:26:38.639 --> 00:26:43.980 But one of the things that is such a rich blessing in my own life is reminding Tim Knoyer 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:50.700 of how unconditional, unchangeable, unfailing is the love of God for Tim Knoyer. 00:26:51.900 --> 00:27:00.700 And Dad, one of the things that your children should know about you and think consistently about you 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:03.759 is that you love them unconditionally. 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:05.700 Unconditionally. 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:08.299 Does that mean that you don't bring heat when necessary? 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:11.319 Ah, no. 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:15.279 But even when you have to deal with issues in their lives, 00:27:15.419 --> 00:27:19.339 the thing that should stand out without question is that you love them unconditionally. 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:25.119 And a father's love that is driven by a performance-based relationship 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:28.159 is going to cause heartache beyond imagination. 00:27:29.379 --> 00:27:34.240 One of the things that I should be able to stand at the door as you walk by this morning 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:38.439 and ask your children, by the way, I'm not going to do it, so everybody's off the hook. 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:39.059 Do you follow that? 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:45.579 But I ought to be able to stand there at the door and as your children are going by say, 00:27:45.679 --> 00:27:47.839 hey, does your daddy love you unconditionally? 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:56.539 Fathers who are stand-in representatives in some sense for the Father in heaven 00:27:56.539 --> 00:28:03.279 should be known to their children as unconditional lovers. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:07.139 Well, the negative command is given two positive backups. 00:28:07.379 --> 00:28:11.500 And so let's take a look at that and understand that fathers who are striving to please God 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:14.019 are going to work, first of all, not to provoke to wrath, 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:15.859 but then they're going to do something else. 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:17.839 And mark what it says here in the passage. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:18.740 It says, 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:21.920 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up, 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:27.660 bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. 00:28:27.660 --> 00:28:30.000 I'll put it this way. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:32.759 Fathers are to provide godly discipline. 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:39.560 The Greek word that is used here, paiduo, and I'm not going to overplay the Greek and its context here, 00:28:39.620 --> 00:28:45.000 but understand that what it means is coming alongside to provide instruction and encouragement. 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:51.400 It's not just kind of high-level carpet bombing with truth bombs. 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:59.880 You know, I think sometimes a father thinks that he can kind of drift into the situation 00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:02.140 and just drop this explosive fact. 00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:03.180 Boom! 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:05.880 You know, I've given them the truth and it's all on them. 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:09.980 No, it's a process of coming along and building into their lives. 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:16.200 Yes, the word does not carry the idea of corporal punishment in the Greek. 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:22.380 Now, did I just say that there is no place for corporal punishment in the life of a godly father 00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:23.599 ministering to his children? 00:29:23.920 --> 00:29:26.880 And I've got to tell you, the Scriptures are explicit and clear. 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:32.120 But the predominant ministry of a father is not whacking them around. 00:29:32.120 --> 00:29:38.900 It is leading them with godly instruction and encouragement towards an outcome that pleases Christ. 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:48.880 A father is to be one who goes about this process of instruction and training over a period of time, 00:29:49.099 --> 00:29:55.299 working to build incrementally into the life of his children those things that please God. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:29:59.980 Fathers are to provide godly discipline. 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:04.099 Furthermore, fathers are to provide godly instruction. 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:09.980 The word that is used here is a word that is not talking about incessant nagging. 00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:17.379 How many of you know that there is a point where the ears just plug up of their own nature? 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:20.539 How many of you will identify with that? 00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:23.119 The ears plug up of their own nature. 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:25.859 You know, at some point, you've said it too much. 00:30:25.859 --> 00:30:31.699 That doesn't mean that it shouldn't be said, but you have to recognize as a father that sometimes 00:30:31.699 --> 00:30:36.199 you overstep the issue and you're not really solving the problem. 00:30:36.959 --> 00:30:39.919 The word means to provide information that seeks to admonish. 00:30:40.439 --> 00:30:40.899 Correct. 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:45.240 Particularly by connecting instruction with consequences. 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:47.099 Let me say that slowly so you don't miss it. 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:57.519 It provides instruction that connects what is being said, the information, with consequences. 00:30:57.980 --> 00:30:59.959 Let me give you a perfect illustration of this. 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:02.899 Turn back in your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:10.299 We're looking at an illustration of where the Scriptures explain that instruction should be backed up by consequences. 00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:14.779 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 6. 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:24.899 Now, these things took place as examples for us that we might desire evil as they did. 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:28.960 Do not be idolaters as some of them were. 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:31.700 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 6, now 7. 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:36.139 As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 00:31:36.220 --> 00:31:42.019 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did and 23,000 fell in a single day. 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:47.039 We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents. 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:52.019 We must not grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. 00:31:52.139 --> 00:31:55.379 Now, these things happened to them as an example. 00:31:57.139 --> 00:31:58.259 What's it saying here? 00:31:59.960 --> 00:32:07.519 It is making it clear that one of the reasons we have the written text of these particular incidents 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:11.900 that God called out of all the various things that happened in the nation of Israel. 00:32:12.379 --> 00:32:16.639 These things are gathered for us so that we can learn from their experiences. 00:32:16.639 --> 00:32:18.579 Now, track with me here for a moment. 00:32:18.900 --> 00:32:23.240 A fool doesn't learn by the experience of the moment. 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:24.220 How many of you understand that? 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:27.819 A fool doesn't learn from experience. 00:32:27.819 --> 00:32:35.339 An intelligent person can learn from experience. 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.659 Most people have reasonable intelligence. 00:32:38.259 --> 00:32:44.359 If you were to take a bobby pin and you were to carefully insert it, do not try this at home. 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:47.759 If you were to carefully insert it into a socket, 00:32:49.419 --> 00:32:54.159 your child would probably demonstrate reasonable intelligence. 00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:57.380 By that I mean that they wouldn't do it twice. 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:01.200 A fool doesn't learn. 00:33:01.580 --> 00:33:05.080 Socket, bobby pin, over and over again. 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:09.080 An intelligent person learns by experience. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:16.840 A wise person learns from observation and instruction and doesn't have to have the experience. 00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:18.839 A wise person learns from observation and doesn't have to have the experience. 00:33:18.839 --> 00:33:23.139 And so you as a father are involved in saying, 00:33:23.939 --> 00:33:33.039 Hey, John, you don't have to be the fool and become involved in immorality 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:35.839 and suffer the consequences of that. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:40.399 You can listen to what the Word of God has to say about it and avoid the outcome. 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:52.019 Hey, Tim, you don't have to be an angry person and eventually have everybody kind of treat you like a skunk 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:54.960 because they're just not sure how close they can get. 00:33:56.720 --> 00:34:01.340 Hey, Andrew, we have several of them now. 00:34:01.339 --> 00:34:07.379 You don't have to be covetous. 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:12.940 You can see the outcome that the Word of God gives to you and say, 00:34:13.319 --> 00:34:14.460 I'm not going there. 00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:18.099 So understand this. 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:19.340 As you look at this passage, 00:34:20.059 --> 00:34:22.920 the thing that it says is these things happen for an example 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:25.179 and they're written down for our instruction. 00:34:25.739 --> 00:34:28.860 So, Daddy, as you minister to your children, 00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:32.160 one of the things that probably you ought to be doing from early on 00:34:32.160 --> 00:34:36.780 is bringing lessons and examples from the Scriptures into kids' lives, 00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:38.320 your boys and your girls. 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:40.200 As you're having devotions at home, 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:43.519 you're helping them understand from Bible examples 00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:47.140 what the outcome is to certain behaviors and thoughts. 00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:52.780 Help them learn so they don't have to go through those experiences the hard way. 00:34:53.660 --> 00:34:54.920 Now, let me come to one other piece. 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:58.720 Go back, if you would, to that passage in Ephesians chapter 5. 00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:04.579 Because this is one that I really want you to hold on to and be encouraged by. 00:35:05.240 --> 00:35:06.700 Ephesians chapter 5. 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:09.620 I'm sorry. 00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:11.039 Ephesians chapter 6. 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:11.599 Okay. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:15.180 Verse 4, it says, 00:35:15.579 --> 00:35:21.099 Bring them up in the nurture and the instruction of the Lord. 00:35:22.240 --> 00:35:24.460 Of the Lord. 00:35:24.559 --> 00:35:25.640 What's being said here? 00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:31.480 And really, what we're dealing with here is one of the best parts of today's lesson. 00:35:32.359 --> 00:35:35.379 The fact of the matter is, is that discipline and instruction 00:35:35.379 --> 00:35:40.039 that we as Christian fathers are to be engaged in 00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:44.460 is that which comes from God and is for God 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:46.400 and is going to be enabled by God. 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:47.019 When it says, 00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:57.659 Godly fathers are called to minister to their children with the Lord's wisdom. 00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.579 Not with their own. 00:36:00.579 --> 00:36:03.440 Godly fathers are called to minister 00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:07.179 by encouraging their children to respect the goodness of God 00:36:07.179 --> 00:36:09.219 and the wisdom of God and the nature of God. 00:36:09.219 --> 00:36:10.659 And why is this? 00:36:10.919 --> 00:36:13.819 Because He is the one who is the center 00:36:13.819 --> 00:36:17.059 around which all that we are revolves. 00:36:18.619 --> 00:36:20.879 A Christian father then, we put it this way, 00:36:21.439 --> 00:36:24.919 is called for a very brief moment 00:36:24.919 --> 00:36:27.799 to labor for God's glory and His great name. 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:29.199 I want you to fix that in your mind. 00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:32.059 Your task as a Christian father 00:36:32.059 --> 00:36:36.739 is to labor for God's glory and His great name. 00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:40.159 And that is a very serious and wonderful role 00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:44.459 when it says that you are to not raise them up to be angry, 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:47.379 you're to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 00:36:48.199 --> 00:36:53.159 Now, I want to come to the closing 00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:56.719 and incredibly valuable truth that I want you to hold on to 00:36:56.719 --> 00:37:00.199 that avoids this issue of who gets the guilts this morning. 00:37:00.839 --> 00:37:01.059 Okay? 00:37:01.819 --> 00:37:05.659 The great comfort that we have in handling this passage 00:37:05.659 --> 00:37:09.920 is really found in the reality of the fact 00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:12.920 that we don't have to go about being a godly father 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:15.559 strictly on our own ability. 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:19.539 We have the great comfort of the Holy Spirit. 00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:22.679 God's goodness, going back to that principle that we started with, 00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:26.319 God's goodness is seen not only in that He gives us 00:37:26.319 --> 00:37:27.679 a command from His goodness, 00:37:28.039 --> 00:37:30.259 but He gives us the enabling of the Spirit 00:37:30.260 --> 00:37:31.700 because of His goodness. 00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:34.520 It's wrong and it's unhelpful 00:37:35.140 --> 00:37:38.460 to teach Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:42.520 and not link it back to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18. 00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:45.220 I want you to go back there just for a moment 00:37:45.220 --> 00:37:46.580 and take a look at it. 00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:49.060 Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18 says, 00:37:49.059 --> 00:37:50.320 Do not get drunk with wine, 00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:52.320 for that is debauchery, 00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.880 but be filled with the Spirit. 00:37:58.219 --> 00:37:59.440 And let's look at this for a moment. 00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:00.920 What is being said here is this, 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:04.340 is that the responsibility of being the Christian father 00:38:04.340 --> 00:38:07.619 that has the instruction in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:12.059 is dependent upon the enabling of the Spirit of God 00:38:12.059 --> 00:38:14.659 that dwells in every believer. 00:38:14.659 --> 00:38:19.199 If you are here this morning as a father that is a Christian, 00:38:19.460 --> 00:38:20.539 that is a believer, 00:38:20.839 --> 00:38:24.719 when you think about the responsibility of being the kind of dad He wants you to be, 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:26.699 it ought to leave you with a sense of, 00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:29.799 I can't, I don't know. 00:38:30.659 --> 00:38:31.920 How am I going to pull this off? 00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:35.239 And then the comfort of the Word of God says this, 00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:37.619 you don't have to rely upon your own ability 00:38:37.619 --> 00:38:40.159 and your own power to pull this off. 00:38:40.559 --> 00:38:44.279 You can enjoy the enabling of the Spirit of God 00:38:44.280 --> 00:38:45.880 to do what He calls you to do. 00:38:47.320 --> 00:38:49.900 Look at the passage, 518. 00:38:50.080 --> 00:38:50.420 It says, 00:38:50.840 --> 00:38:52.440 Be filled with the Spirit. 00:38:53.220 --> 00:38:55.220 A Christian father, mark this, 00:38:55.540 --> 00:38:58.140 has the Spirit of God indwelling him, 00:38:58.380 --> 00:39:01.420 and the Christian father can rely upon the Holy Spirit 00:39:01.420 --> 00:39:03.519 to accomplish His calling. 00:39:04.720 --> 00:39:06.120 The enabling of the Spirit of God 00:39:06.120 --> 00:39:09.120 will not be seen in a self-willed or proud man. 00:39:09.700 --> 00:39:11.000 The enabling of the Spirit of God 00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:12.500 is going to be found in the individual 00:39:12.500 --> 00:39:15.420 who from the outset confesses his inability 00:39:15.420 --> 00:39:18.639 and relies upon God to help him be what he should be. 00:39:19.119 --> 00:39:20.199 By the way, can I tell you 00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:22.619 that the enabling of the Spirit of God 00:39:22.619 --> 00:39:24.940 is not limited to helping fathers. 00:39:27.139 --> 00:39:28.840 The enabling of the Spirit of God 00:39:28.840 --> 00:39:30.840 is there for every believer. 00:39:30.840 --> 00:39:31.700 If you're a mother, 00:39:31.980 --> 00:39:33.880 you can rely upon the Spirit of God to help you 00:39:33.880 --> 00:39:34.519 if you're a believer. 00:39:34.940 --> 00:39:36.620 You're involved in ministry, 00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:37.440 whatever it is, 00:39:37.460 --> 00:39:39.519 you can rely upon the Spirit of God to help you. 00:39:40.220 --> 00:39:41.720 I want to remind you of one of the things 00:39:41.720 --> 00:39:43.160 that Jesus said to His disciples 00:39:43.160 --> 00:39:46.660 in John chapter 15, verse 5, the last part. 00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:47.600 It says this, 00:39:47.660 --> 00:39:49.079 Without me you can do, 00:39:49.180 --> 00:39:50.100 can anybody fill in the blank? 00:39:50.920 --> 00:39:51.920 You can do nothing. 00:39:54.559 --> 00:39:55.280 You know what? 00:39:55.280 --> 00:40:02.019 But the fact that the Bible teaches believers 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:05.160 that they have the indwelling Spirit 00:40:05.160 --> 00:40:08.500 and must rely upon the Holy Spirit 00:40:08.500 --> 00:40:11.860 for their fruitful living 00:40:11.860 --> 00:40:16.140 sadly is a truth that is not appreciated 00:40:16.140 --> 00:40:18.800 as often as it should be. 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:22.880 And so this morning as we go about this business 00:40:22.880 --> 00:40:25.539 of saying, here's what the Spirit of God 00:40:25.539 --> 00:40:27.700 calls us to do as fathers. 00:40:28.039 --> 00:40:30.640 I want to encourage you to hold on to this reality. 00:40:31.059 --> 00:40:31.800 You can do it. 00:40:32.720 --> 00:40:34.440 You can obey the commandment of God 00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:36.559 through the enabling of the Holy Spirit 00:40:36.559 --> 00:40:39.300 that gives you the power both to will, 00:40:39.500 --> 00:40:41.320 as it says in Philippians chapter 2, 00:40:41.660 --> 00:40:44.440 both to will and to do His good pleasure. 00:40:45.900 --> 00:40:47.579 So let's be honest and come to grips 00:40:47.579 --> 00:40:49.640 with the truth this morning. 00:40:49.639 --> 00:40:52.139 You are here this morning 00:40:52.139 --> 00:40:54.259 in one of three conditions. 00:40:55.579 --> 00:40:57.559 You may be here and not know Christ. 00:40:58.480 --> 00:40:59.739 And the fact of the matter is 00:40:59.739 --> 00:41:00.679 is that this sermon, 00:41:01.239 --> 00:41:03.839 which has had its primary focus 00:41:03.839 --> 00:41:06.619 on the matter of being a godly father, 00:41:06.719 --> 00:41:07.539 you're sitting here saying, 00:41:07.819 --> 00:41:08.879 number one, I'm not a dad. 00:41:09.500 --> 00:41:11.339 Number two, I don't know Jesus. 00:41:11.500 --> 00:41:13.359 Can I tell you that the greatest need 00:41:13.359 --> 00:41:15.759 of your heart is not for a little coaching 00:41:15.759 --> 00:41:17.119 on how to be a better dad 00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:19.599 or a better worker or to be more productive 00:41:19.599 --> 00:41:20.059 or whatever. 00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:21.739 The greatest need of your heart 00:41:21.739 --> 00:41:23.299 is to come to grips with the fact 00:41:23.299 --> 00:41:25.299 that in your heart, 00:41:25.659 --> 00:41:27.619 you carry a burden and a darkness 00:41:27.619 --> 00:41:30.380 of unconfessed sin that has no remedy 00:41:30.380 --> 00:41:34.880 apart from trusting in the finished work 00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:36.420 of Christ who died on the cross 00:41:36.420 --> 00:41:38.759 and paid the penalty for your sins. 00:41:38.760 --> 00:41:41.940 And what the Bible says is this. 00:41:42.780 --> 00:41:43.660 I love this truth. 00:41:43.740 --> 00:41:43.980 It says, 00:41:44.100 --> 00:41:45.700 whosoever believes on the name of the Lord 00:41:45.700 --> 00:41:46.860 who calls upon his name 00:41:46.860 --> 00:41:47.760 shall be what? 00:41:48.440 --> 00:41:48.840 Saved. 00:41:49.320 --> 00:41:49.720 Saved. 00:41:50.120 --> 00:41:51.900 I can tell you that you can walk 00:41:51.900 --> 00:41:53.200 out of here this morning. 00:41:53.540 --> 00:41:55.320 You came in here with a heart 00:41:55.320 --> 00:41:56.140 that was hard, 00:41:56.440 --> 00:41:58.700 that was filled with all kinds of blackness, 00:41:59.100 --> 00:42:00.980 and you just greatly appreciate 00:42:00.980 --> 00:42:02.040 that nobody else knows 00:42:02.040 --> 00:42:02.920 about all that stuff. 00:42:03.160 --> 00:42:03.880 But here's what. 00:42:04.080 --> 00:42:04.740 Jesus died 00:42:04.740 --> 00:42:07.560 and paid the penalty for all that sin, 00:42:07.559 --> 00:42:08.679 and he is ready to stand 00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:09.699 to forgive you 00:42:09.699 --> 00:42:10.679 and to give you new life. 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:13.039 And so if you're here today 00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:13.820 and don't know Christ, 00:42:13.920 --> 00:42:14.659 I would plead with you 00:42:14.659 --> 00:42:15.539 that today's the day 00:42:15.539 --> 00:42:16.559 to trust in him. 00:42:17.460 --> 00:42:18.739 You may be here 00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:20.440 as one who has known Christ 00:42:20.440 --> 00:42:21.199 and knows Christ, 00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:23.079 but you've lost your first love. 00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:24.840 And as a result, 00:42:24.960 --> 00:42:26.299 this business of fathering 00:42:26.299 --> 00:42:27.539 and the business of being 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:28.980 the person that God wants you to be 00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:30.719 is kind of all clouded over 00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:32.079 by the reality of the fact 00:42:32.079 --> 00:42:33.199 that your life 00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:36.259 and your heart's kind of lost its joy 00:42:36.260 --> 00:42:38.060 and there's no satisfaction 00:42:38.060 --> 00:42:39.380 and pleasure in Christ. 00:42:41.320 --> 00:42:42.100 Can I tell you 00:42:42.100 --> 00:42:43.040 that the Bible tells us 00:42:43.040 --> 00:42:43.880 over and over again 00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:45.700 that we're called to love Christ? 00:42:47.240 --> 00:42:48.240 We're called to love him. 00:42:49.400 --> 00:42:50.380 And it might be 00:42:50.380 --> 00:42:51.560 that you're sitting here this morning 00:42:51.560 --> 00:42:53.860 and you're not at all 00:42:53.860 --> 00:42:54.600 where you need to be 00:42:54.600 --> 00:42:55.280 and you're not at all 00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:56.100 where you used to be. 00:42:57.620 --> 00:42:58.660 I would plead with you 00:42:58.660 --> 00:42:59.600 this morning, repent. 00:43:01.100 --> 00:43:02.120 You call out and say, 00:43:02.200 --> 00:43:02.660 Lord Jesus, 00:43:02.780 --> 00:43:03.460 you have blessed me. 00:43:03.460 --> 00:43:05.099 You've done incredible things 00:43:05.099 --> 00:43:05.780 in my life 00:43:05.780 --> 00:43:07.740 and I want you to rekindle 00:43:07.740 --> 00:43:09.099 my affection for you 00:43:09.099 --> 00:43:11.099 and I want to move forward 00:43:11.099 --> 00:43:12.519 in a different frame 00:43:12.519 --> 00:43:13.599 and with a different heart. 00:43:16.579 --> 00:43:17.679 There may be some of you 00:43:17.679 --> 00:43:18.280 here this morning 00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:19.619 that know the joy of obedience. 00:43:20.579 --> 00:43:21.500 You know what it is 00:43:21.500 --> 00:43:22.400 to walk with Christ 00:43:22.400 --> 00:43:24.320 and you are here this morning 00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:25.740 with a love for the Lord Jesus 00:43:25.740 --> 00:43:26.840 and a love for his bride 00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:28.480 and a love for lost mankind. 00:43:28.679 --> 00:43:29.220 Can I tell you, 00:43:29.539 --> 00:43:30.500 what you need to do 00:43:30.500 --> 00:43:31.440 is share that affection 00:43:31.440 --> 00:43:32.179 with other people? 00:43:35.760 --> 00:43:36.740 Christ is interested 00:43:36.740 --> 00:43:38.179 in you being the example 00:43:38.179 --> 00:43:39.760 to a broken 00:43:39.760 --> 00:43:42.480 and absolutely destroyed world. 00:43:43.920 --> 00:43:45.039 And as we walk out of here 00:43:45.039 --> 00:43:45.559 this morning, 00:43:45.659 --> 00:43:46.880 the thing we carry with us 00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:47.720 is the sweetness 00:43:47.720 --> 00:43:48.400 of the gospel. 00:43:48.579 --> 00:43:49.380 We carry with us 00:43:49.380 --> 00:43:50.260 the confidence 00:43:50.260 --> 00:43:51.480 that God has given us 00:43:51.480 --> 00:43:52.119 a good word 00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:53.539 and we carry with us 00:43:53.539 --> 00:43:54.380 the confidence 00:43:54.380 --> 00:43:55.720 that when God gives us 00:43:55.720 --> 00:43:56.220 a command, 00:43:56.480 --> 00:43:57.579 he also gives us 00:43:57.579 --> 00:43:58.159 the enabling 00:43:58.159 --> 00:43:59.179 of the Spirit of God 00:43:59.179 --> 00:44:00.740 to do the things he asks. 00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:05.260 And I would plead 00:44:05.260 --> 00:44:06.059 with you this morning. 00:44:07.820 --> 00:44:08.720 Your neighborhood, 00:44:09.900 --> 00:44:11.579 your families, 00:44:12.579 --> 00:44:14.700 the people that you work around 00:44:14.700 --> 00:44:16.860 need to see 00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:18.639 the power of the Spirit of God 00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:20.480 in a life that is changed 00:44:20.480 --> 00:44:21.720 by gospel power. 00:44:21.719 --> 00:44:25.959 They need to see 00:44:25.959 --> 00:44:27.399 what it is 00:44:27.399 --> 00:44:28.159 to be a Christian 00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:30.099 that knows Christ 00:44:30.099 --> 00:44:32.299 and is living victoriously. 00:44:33.859 --> 00:44:34.859 Let's close in prayer. 00:44:38.759 --> 00:44:39.619 Our Father God, 00:44:39.679 --> 00:44:40.099 this morning 00:44:40.099 --> 00:44:40.899 as we think about 00:44:40.899 --> 00:44:41.719 this responsibility 00:44:41.719 --> 00:44:43.059 of being the kind of dads 00:44:43.059 --> 00:44:44.099 that you want us to be, 00:44:44.179 --> 00:44:45.399 we're so very thankful 00:44:45.399 --> 00:44:47.239 that you have 00:44:47.239 --> 00:44:48.279 not only given us 00:44:48.279 --> 00:44:49.019 your instruction 00:44:49.019 --> 00:44:49.879 in the Word of God, 00:44:49.880 --> 00:44:51.340 but you've also given us 00:44:51.340 --> 00:44:52.500 the hope of understanding 00:44:52.500 --> 00:44:54.019 that we who know you 00:44:54.019 --> 00:44:55.099 have the Spirit of God 00:44:55.099 --> 00:44:56.360 at work in us 00:44:56.360 --> 00:44:57.820 to be that. 00:44:58.840 --> 00:45:00.079 We want to be obedient. 00:45:01.039 --> 00:45:02.220 We want to be fruitful. 00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:04.440 We want to be examples 00:45:04.440 --> 00:45:05.760 that the world looks to 00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:07.140 and asks us a reason 00:45:07.140 --> 00:45:07.640 for the hope 00:45:07.640 --> 00:45:08.760 that lies within us. 00:45:09.640 --> 00:45:10.640 And we want to leave 00:45:10.640 --> 00:45:11.640 this place this morning 00:45:11.640 --> 00:45:12.500 making decisions 00:45:12.500 --> 00:45:13.440 that honor Christ 00:45:13.440 --> 00:45:14.960 and lift up the glory 00:45:14.960 --> 00:45:15.660 of the cross. 00:45:15.720 --> 00:45:16.380 And we ask this 00:45:16.380 --> 00:45:17.260 in Jesus' name. 00:45:17.760 --> 00:45:18.099 Amen. 00:45:18.099 --> 00:45:18.240 Amen. 00:45:18.240 --> 00:45:18.280 Amen. 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:18.280 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:19.280 Amen.