Friday, June 15, 2012

June 16, 2012

In our study of Ephesians we are learning what it means for a men of God to "fight right." First, you must stand guard clad in the Armor of God.

Second, you must serve your wife.


And, third, you must shape your Children

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise — “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”  "Fathers,do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:1-4

 

A.     Demand Their Obedience, V.1


Demand they obey you.

Demand they obey their mother.

Demand they obey God.

Demonstrate obedience to God. 

B.    Demand Their Respect, Vv. 2-3

Clear expectations and boundaries – family mission statement

Clear example – show them what it looks like

Clear execution – show them how to do it

C.    Disciple – Don’t Dictate, V. 4


Discipline according to principles – set up guardrails and teach them to “drive safely”

Discipline positively not negatively – “Say NO in order to say YES to better things”

Demonstrate disciplined living

Guys, your kids need you more than you know. They need you more than they even know! God wired each of us to need a father – earthly father AND Heavenly FATHER.

Much of what is wrong with our American culture can be traced back to the failure of FATHERS. LISTEN TO THIS:

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS – IF POOR FATHERS CREATED THE PROBLEM THEN GOOD FATHERS CAN HELP TURN IT AROUND!

THINK ABOUT THIS:

MEN – IF YOU HAVE TWO CHILDREN AND YOU WIN THEM BOTH TO THE LORD AND BRING THEM UP IN THE FAITH – AND BOTH OF THEM RAISE TWO CHILDREN IN THE FAITH AS WELL AND THAT PATTERN CONTINUES THOSE TEN GENERATIONS ALONE WOULD PRODUCE 1,024 FAITHFUL BELIEVERS.

IF THERE ARE FOUR CHILDREN IN EACH GENERATION WHO BELIEVE AND PASS ON THEIR FAITH THAT 1,024 BECOMES 260,000 FROM YOUR FAMILY ALONE!

SAY THERE ARE SIX CHILDREN IN EACH GENERATION THAT NUMBER GROWS TO OVER 10,000,000 JUST FROM YOUR DESCENDANTS!

LOCAL CHURCHES LIKE OURS WITH GODLY MEN LIKE YOU WHO COMMIT TO BEING COURAGEOUS HUSBANDS AND DADS ARE THE HOPE OF THE WORLD!

WILL YOU COMMIT TO STAND STRONG IN HIS ARMOR AND FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY?

WILL YOU SERVE YOUR WIFE – WINNING HER TRUST AND RESPECT AND LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR HER?

WILL YOU SHAPE YOUR CHILDREN IN THE FAITH AND MAKE SURE THEY COME TO KNOW CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR?

WILL YOU BEGIN THIS MORNING?

June15, 2012

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—  for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 5:21-33

Here are some very troubling statistics that reflect what is wrong with America

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.

85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control)

80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)

Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.

Children with Fathers who are involved are 40% less likely to repeat a grade in school.

Children with Fathers who are involved are 70% less likely to drop out of school.

Children with Fathers who are involved are more likely to get A’s in school.

Children with Fathers who are involved are more likely to enjoy school and engage in extracurricular activities.

75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average.

Researchers at Columbia University found that children living in two-parent household with a poor relationship with their father are 68% more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs compared to all teens in two-parent households. Teens in single mother households are at a 30% higher risk than those in two-parent households.

70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)

85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)

I think we have to honestly say that much of what is wrong with our culture today is a failure of fatherhood!

That is sad news. BUT, it also means there is hope for our nation if courageous men of faith will arise and become the husands and fathers God has called them to be!
A courageous men of God stands guard over his family by putting on the full armor of God daily so he can withstand the unrelenting attacks of the enemy!

Also, a courageous man of God serves his wife (5:21-33). The best thing a father can do for his children is love their mother with a godly love.
What does that mean? How does that happen?


Earn Her Trust, Vv. 22-24

A man of God serves God with such passion and integrity that his wife can learn to trust him.

He will walk blamelessly before her and be a man of his word. He will place her need ahead of his own because that is what God calls him to do.

His love for God will humble him before the Lord and help him humble serve his wife.

Earn Her Respect, Vv. 25-30

A man of God will not only serve the needs of his wife but he will stand guard over her spiritually, providing a spiritual cover for her. He will put on the armor of God every day and fight like a man for his family earning the respect of his wife and his children.

When a godly man serves his wife and sacrifices for her, she will grow to respect him. She will love him more deeply since trust and respect are the foundation upon which love is built. And she will trust and respect him because she will feel secure in his demonstrations of love for God and for her.
Eliminate Competing Loyalties, Vv. 31-33

Commitment means being "all in". Commitment means having no "plan B".

Commitment means loving her in the same way you love yourself and care for your own needs.

A man of God is fully committed to God and his marriage. That means he consciously and intentionally chooses to eliminate all competing loyalties. Every thought, every emotion, every temptation that comes against him he defeats with the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation and the belt of truth and the shield of faith!

There is nothing wrong with our nation that couldn't be cured if men would just fight right!

Men, will you commit to serve your wife today? Will you earn her trust and respect by the way you serve God? Will you love her as you love and care for yourself?