Morning Worship
IN PRAISE OF GODLY FATHERS
EPHESIANS 5:25-6:4
INTRODUCTION:
A. BE THANKFUL FOR GODLY FATHERS
B. RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE WHO DO WHAT IS RIGHT ARE FOLLOWING THE LORD’S
PATTERN
I. GODLY FATHERS - REMEMBER THAT YOU SHOULD BE THE RIGHT EXAMPLE BEFORE YOUR
CHILDREN:
A. We need fathers who will understand and follow the Bible commands to be
careful about their influence:
1. Matthew 5:13-16
2. 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of
the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in
purity."
B. Our examples as fathers speak louder than words:
1. Do we tell our children that the church is the most important thing in
the world and act like it is a just a sideline for us?
2. Do we tell our children not to drink, smoke, take drugs and partake of
them ourselves?
3. Are we preaching one thing and living another?
II. GODLY FATHERS - REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE THE LEADER IN THE HOME:
A. Many have abandoned their God-ordained role as head of the home:
1. Some have not taken this role because they don't want the
responsibilities, thus forcing it on the wife.
2. Some have given it to the children, making them "little dictators."
3. Some, wishing to exercise this authority have faced rebellion from both
mother and children.
B. What does the Bible say concerning the father's role?
1. The father is to lead the family in church attendance, Bible study,
devotional time, prayer and other spiritual activities.
2. Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
3. Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is
old, he will not depart from it."
4. We should be like Abraham – GENESIS 18:19
III. GODLY FATHER - BE THE RIGHT KIND OF MAN:
A. Some fathers pride themselves in the "tough guy" image:
1. This is the kind that takes delight in beating up the kids and/or wife
just to show them who's the boss.
2. This the type of "man" who like to go out with the "boys" and drink and
chase women, but will leave the wife and children to fend for themselves.
3. This is the man who can never bring himself to tell his wife and kids "I
love." He thinks it is for weaklings.
B. But this is the image of the godly father:
1. God's man will practice love in the home – I Corinthians 13:13
2. The godly man will rejoice in his children - Psalms 127:3-5
3. Godly men will understand that it is not sissy to shed the tear- John
11:35
4. Godly men will understand that there is no virtue in unbridled passion
and lust.
a. He will understand that there is a difference between meekness and
weakness.
b. Matthew 11:28-30
IV. GODLY FATHERS - REMAIN MORALLY PURE IN A GARBAGE CAN SOCIETY.
A. The godly father understand that he sets the pace in the type of language
used in the home:
1. He seeks to practice pure speech.
1. Ephesians 4:29 - "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace
unto the hearers."
2. Colossians 4:6 - "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with
salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
B. He avoids anything that would pollute the home – I CORINTHIANS 15:33
CONCLUSION:
A. Let us thank God for every godly father.
B. They are not perfect men, but they are sincerely seeking to lead they
children in the direction of heaven
Evening Worship
BLESSED BY THE FATHER
Ephesians 1:1-6
INTRODUCTION:
a. need to remember how Christians are abundantly blessed.
b. John 10:10
c. II Corinthians 1:3,4
I. WE ARE BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST:
A. Christians have access to Every Spiritual Blessing:
1. Our blessings are not physical in nature. Christians are promised the
physical necessities, not great riches.
a. Matthew 6:33,34
. Our blessings are spiritual in nature. Since our eternal nature is
spiritual, we would expect God to be most interested in it and that those
things which help us spiritually will tend to give us true satisfaction.
3. some of the great blessings that God has given to His children:
a. Ephesians 1:7 - the forgiveness of sins
b. Romans 8:28 - God’s providential care for us.
c. 1 John 3:22 - "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep
His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." - The
assurance that God hears and answers our prayers.
d. Romans 8:15 - "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba,
Father."" -The joy of having the heavenly Father to call our father.
B. Those blessings are "in Christ.":
1. Such phrases as in Christ, and their equivalent, occur 164 times in the
writings of Paul.
2. "In Christ" simply means in the body of Christ.
3. II Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
C. How do we get "into Christ?"
1. Galatians 3:27 - "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ."
2. Romans 6:3,4"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him
through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
II. WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN "BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD"
A. God chose us before the world began:
1. Before creation God had a plan for the salvation of mankind. This implied
that God knew before the creation of man that mankind would choose to sin
and depart from God’s way.
2. Revelation 13:8 - "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world."
3. i Corinthians 2:7 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the
hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,"
B. How are we chosen by God?
1. Calvinists claim that God chooses each Christian individually.
a. "By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and
angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to
everlasting death. These angels and men, thus predestinated and
fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number
is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or decreased."
b. There can be no doubt that "Predestination" is taught in the New
Testament-Romans 8:30 - "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called;
whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He
also glorified."
2. But this doctrine directly contradicts the biblical principle that men
and women have a free-will to obey or disobey God.
a. i Timothy 2:3-4 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth."
b. Revelation 22:17 - "And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him
who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let
him take the water of life freely."
3. God does predestine us:
a. God predestined all who obey the gospel to be saved.
b. The text here tells us. God chooses "us in him." God predestines that all
who accept the gospel and are "faithful unto death" will be saved. All those
outside of Christ are lost, based on their sin.
c. Ephesians 1:11 - "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according
to the counsel of His will,"
III. ALL CHRISTIANS "SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE."
A. Because we are part of God’s elect, we have an obligation to live holy
lives:
1. This involves the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the
new man:
a. Ephesians 4:22-24 "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the
old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was
created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
2. II Corinthians 7:1 - "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God."
3. While we cannot be holy in the absolute sense, as God is, we can live
differently from the world.
a. Hebrews 12:14 - "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord:"
B. We are to live lives "without blame."
1. How can we live "without blame?" Can we live sinless as Christians?
a. i John 1:8 - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us."
b. Matthew 5:48- ""Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in
heaven is perfect."
2. We are made perfect (sinless) by the blood of Christ -
Acts 22:16
3. We are continually sinless through the blood of Jesus:
a. 1 John 1:7 - "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
us from all sin."
b. As we walk in the light we will continue to receive forgiveness. But this
also requires continued faithfulness and repentance of sins.
IV. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF OUR OWN SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE ARE SAVED, BUT
IT IS "ACCORDING TO HIS GOOD PLEASURE."
A. We cannot be saved by our own meritorious efforts:
1. There is nothing we can do which can cause us to deserve salvation.
2. Titus 3:5 - "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit,"
3. Ephesians 2:8-10
B. It is according to God’s "good pleasure."
1. God did not depend on us. He did not need us. We rebelled against Him.
2. God conceived the plan, set it into place, sent His Son, allowed Him to
die.
3. Romans 5:8-10
CONCLUSION:
A. MOST BLESSED BECAUSE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
B. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
C. BECOME HIS CHILD
