1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,520 I'm so happy to be amongst you guys again, my brothers and 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:06,400 sisters. I'm encouraged by the things I'm 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:07,960 seeing. You know, of people getting 4 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:09,480 married. That's, that's a, that's a 5 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,440 blessing. I'm saddened because I, I didn't 6 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,600 get to hear my brother seen the doxology today. 7 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:16,840 It's always a blessing to hear him sing. 8 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,520 But I know that they're doing some things. 9 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,520 So I'm encouraged some new things that have gone on since 10 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,160 the last time you guys have seen me. 11 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,920 I know some of you are aware, but since I've been here last, 12 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:34,440 I've been elected or selected as the one of the elders or lay 13 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,360 pastors in my congregation. So yeah. 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,080 So I ask for your prayers in that regard. 15 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,240 I also ask that you pray for Miriam, as she's now responsible 16 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,200 for the children in our church. So everybody's working. 17 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,440 So I ask that you guys continue to pray for us. 18 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,120 So today, you know, everybody knows it's Father's Day. 19 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,080 Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in the room. 20 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,600 Thank you for. Being here and I'm so happy to 21 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,599 see you, haven't seen you in a while, so I'm encouraged to see 22 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:06,280 you and the baby. It's a blessing. 23 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:08,600 But let's pray before we get into the word. 24 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,280 So it is a Father's Day sermon, but we'll flesh it out a little 25 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,760 bit. So let us lead in prayer. 26 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,600 Father God, we give you thanks, Lord, for today. 27 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,480 Lord, we thank you for this opportunity that you've allowed 28 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,440 us to come here and fellowship. Lord, I ask that you continue to 29 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:24,600 bless us and strengthen us and that you give me your words 30 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,240 today. Lord, let it. 31 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,400 Let me be filled with your spirit, Lord, and give the word 32 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,760 as you have given it to me, to this congregation, Lord. 33 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,800 Let it be planted in our minds and in our hearts Lord, that we 34 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,880 may go forward. Lord, I pray for John, Michael 35 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,720 and those that are for traveling mercies as they return back from 36 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,120 their men's conference. I ask that you just bless them, 37 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:45,680 strengthen them, guide them and be with them as they return. 38 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,440 Lord, I pray over from our local congregation as well over an HRF 39 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,880 Hampton Roads fellowship. I pray for Pastor Mattis, he's 40 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,560 giving the sermon today, Lord, and that you just bless him and 41 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:55,760 that our church be blessed as well. 42 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,160 Lord, we ask you all this, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. 43 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,720 So the title of our sermon today is Living as Faithful Children 44 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,040 of our Heavenly Father. So our main point is going to be 45 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,840 because God has adopted us as His children Through Christ, we 46 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,960 are called to live as faithful sons and daughters who reflect 47 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:15,480 the character of our Heavenly Father. 48 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,280 So as you guys know, today is Father's Day. 49 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,680 For many, it is a day of joy, gratitude, and celebration. 50 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,000 For others, it can be difficult. Some had wonderful fathers who 51 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,840 modeled godliness. Others experience absent 52 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,040 fathers, harsh fathers, or fathers who simply fell short. 53 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,640 The good news of the gospel is that every earthly father, even 54 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:45,760 the best of them, is only a shadow of the perfect Father. 55 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,000 So even myself, I'm just a shadow of the perfect Father. 56 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,640 The greatest privilege of the Christian life is not merely 57 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,840 that our sins are forgiven, though they they are. 58 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,080 It is not merely that heaven awaits us, though it does. 59 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:02,000 The greatest privilege is that God becomes our Father. 60 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:07,280 And we become his children. Amen Today, rather than focusing 61 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,680 primarily on earthly fathers, let's consider what it means to 62 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:12,840 be faithful children of our heavenly Father. 63 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,240 So .1 A good child knows the father's love. 64 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,040 First to John chapter 3 verse one says, see how great a love 65 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,960 the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called. 66 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:29,880 Children of God and such we are. But before we discuss what we do 67 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,360 as children of God, we must understand who we are. 68 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,880 Christianity does not begin with our performance. 69 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,360 It begins with God's love, right? 70 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,680 His sacrifice is the beginning of where we are as Christians. 71 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,800 Notice John's amazement. See how great a love John never 72 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,320 got over the wonder that God would adopt sinners into his 73 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,520 family. And let us never forget that 74 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:54,440 also we are adopted into his family. 75 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,240 We were not naturally God's children. 76 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:05,000 In fact, Scripture says we were rebels, enemies, lost, dead in 77 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,680 our sins. Yet through Christ God adopts 78 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:11,760 us. Adoption in the Roman world was 79 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,120 permanent and legally binding. The adopted child received all 80 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,560 the rights and privileges of a natural born child. 81 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,240 So we as Christians being adopted into the family, in part 82 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:24,800 get those same rights as children as God. 83 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,000 That is what God has done for us. 84 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,840 David sinned grievously, yet he never doubted God's covenant 85 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:34,880 love. Psalm chapter 23 verse 6 says 86 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,080 surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the 87 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:42,080 days of my life. Psalm 51 one says, be gracious 88 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,720 to me, O God, according to your loving kindness. 89 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,280 So David understood what God's love looked like. 90 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:50,000 Even though he understood that he was a. 91 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,400 Fault a flawed man that he failed. 92 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,200 After his sin with Bathsheba, David did not run from God 93 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,040 permanently. He ran back to God because he 94 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,880 knew the Father's mercy. David's confidence was not in 95 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,920 his own righteousness, but in God's steadfast love. 96 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,080 A good child knows he can return home because the Father's love 97 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,560 is greater than his failures. Let us not be deceived by the 98 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:18,800 world that says we are too sinful to run to God. 99 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,000 Let us not be confused as we as children, even though we fall 100 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,920 short, we can always fall to the feet of our Lord and Savior 101 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,080 Jesus Christ. A good child rests in the 102 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,640 Father's love. Many Christians live as though 103 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:32,840 they must continually earn God's affection. 104 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,360 And that's so sad of me, because you'll never get there. 105 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,720 They obey from fear rather than love. 106 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:42,760 But a healthy relationship with the Father begins with 107 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,760 confidence in his love. You do not obey so that God will 108 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:48,880 love you. You obey because He already 109 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,280 does. For I'm not. 110 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,800 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor 111 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:59,040 rulers, nor things presents, nor things to come, nor powers, nor 112 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,840 height, nor death, nor anything else in all. 113 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,440 Creation will be able to. Separate us from the love of God 114 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:10,000 in Christ Jesus our Lord. And last I checked, we are all 115 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,680 creation, so not even we ourselves can separate us from 116 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:18,320 the love of God. Point #2A good child trusts the 117 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,760 Father's wisdom. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 118 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,240 through 6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not 119 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,760 lean on your own understanding. In all your ways. 120 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,320 Acknowledge Him and He will make straight your past. 121 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,800 Proverbs 3/5 through 61 mark of maturity in children is learning 122 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,360 to trust their parents. Children often do not understand 123 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,200 the reasons behind a parent's decisions. 124 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,400 Likewise, there are many times where we do not understand God's 125 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,560 ways. Why suffering? 126 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,560 Why am I suffering? Why do the people around me 127 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,840 suffer? Why delays? 128 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:57,560 I'm praying so hard for this so fervently, and why is my prayer 129 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,960 not answered yet? Why those unanswered prayers? 130 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,400 Every Christian struggles with these things. 131 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,120 That's we're not. We don't float on air, we don't 132 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:10,160 walk through walls, right? Why close doors? 133 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,080 Why not this? Why not that? 134 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,360 Yet God's children learn to trust him. 135 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:21,200 Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 8 says by faith, Abraham, when he was 136 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:25,000 called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive 137 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,560 for an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was 138 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,280 going. Abraham didn't have a map, he 139 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,200 didn't know the destination. He trusted the wisdom of the one 140 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,000 leading him. God promised the Son, but 141 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,680 Abraham waited decades for that promise to be fulfilled. 142 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,560 His wife laughed when she heard the Angel of God saying that she 143 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:49,720 was going to have a child. She laughed. 144 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,440 Human wisdom would have said that is impossible. 145 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:58,480 Yet Abraham believed God what and what he was doing, and it 146 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,280 was counted to him as his righteousness, his faith. 147 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,520 So when we get into those situations where we can't see 148 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,280 God, where we don't understand why we're suffering, we can't 149 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,000 understand why we are going through these trials, we have to 150 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,400 trust that God is going to take care of us as his children. 151 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:17,400 We have to believe in the promises that He's given us. 152 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,040 We have to believe that he's going to do what he said he was 153 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:23,480 going to do. A small child in a doctor's 154 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:25,480 office may cry during a vaccination. 155 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,760 The child believes the parent is allowing something harmful. 156 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,480 The parent understands what the child cannot in the same way God 157 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:36,919 sees what we cannot. His perspective is eternal. 158 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,080 His wisdom is perfect. I think about all the ways that 159 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,960 God has liberated me from things that have happened in the past 160 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:48,880 and that the foreshadowing that he had, I'm so thankful that He 161 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,080 has led me to where He has now, because if I would have just 162 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,920 stayed in those positions, who knows what it would have 163 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,840 happened. I gave a sermon not too long ago 164 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:03,440 and what in one of the sermons I spoke about my cousin Alex, 165 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:05,720 who's actually he was the same age as me. 166 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,200 We grew up together. He's actually named after the 167 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,680 same person as me, my dad, and we grew up together. 168 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,640 But Alex went a different path in life than I did. 169 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,560 Alex got addicted to drugs. Alex was a gang member. 170 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,880 Alex wound up in prison and unfortunately, Alex lost his 171 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,160 life pretty early a few years ago. 172 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,120 But I say to I start to marry him the other day I was like, 173 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,000 you know, I don't know that my life would have turned out any 174 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,800 different than his if I didn't have the Lord and praise God for 175 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,800 that. If I didn't have a father who 176 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,840 guided me in my life, if I didn't have parents that were 177 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,320 faithful to Christ, I don't know that my life would have been any 178 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:45,440 different. We grew up in the same place. 179 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,840 We had the same grandparents. We were raised this practically 180 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,040 the same other than my my father made sure we were in church and 181 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,960 I'm so thankful that I've been able to trust in God and he has 182 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,400 led me in my life and we as children of God need to be led 183 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:05,000 by Him. Faith is trusting God's heart 184 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:09,760 when you cannot trace his hand. A faithful child says, father, I 185 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:14,120 don't understand, but I trust you number .3. 186 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,600 A good child obeys the Father's commands. 187 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:21,240 John chapter 14 verse 15 says if you love me you will keep my 188 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,920 commandments. Jesus does not say if you love 189 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:27,000 me you will feel affection for me. 190 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,640 He says if you love me, you will obey me. 191 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,960 Love for God is demonstrated, not merely declared. 192 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:40,120 Obedience is the is the visible fruit of an invisible love. 193 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,520 We must be careful here. Obedience is illegalism. 194 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,920 Legalism seeks to earn God's favor through performance. 195 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,520 The gospel tells us that in Christ we already have the 196 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,200 Father's favor. We obey not for acceptance, but 197 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,840 from acceptance. We obey because we are love 198 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,600 children, not because we are trying to become love children. 199 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,960 Throughout Scripture, God's children are identified by their 200 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:10,040 obedience, their faithfulness. Obedience is not what makes us 201 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,200 God's children, but it's evidence that we belong to Him. 202 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,000 The mark of a true believer is not perfect obedience. 203 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,680 None of us obey perfectly this side of glory. 204 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,040 The mark of a true believer is genuine obedience. 205 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:28,280 A heart that desires to follow God, grieves over sin, repents 206 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:31,600 when it falls, and continually seeks to walk in the Father's 207 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,720 ways. The child of God asks different 208 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:39,800 question than the world asks. We ask, what pleases my Father? 209 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:44,320 How can I honor him? How can I glorify Him? 210 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,320 What would bring Him joy? How can I reflect His character 211 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,480 in my home, in my workplace, and in church? 212 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,960 As we were returing Christ, obedience becomes less about 213 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,480 rules and more about relationship. 214 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,400 We obey because we know and love the One who gave the commands. 215 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:05,640 Amen. We as children of God seek to 216 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:09,200 obey Him because we love Him. Our hearts desires to please 217 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,600 Him. One of the main tenants of the 218 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,040 of the Solas is what solely day of Gloria. 219 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:21,920 To God alone be the glory characteristics of obedient 220 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,360 children. They obey even when no one is 221 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,200 watching. The obedient child understands 222 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,760 that the Father's eyes are always upon him. 223 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,720 He does not merely perform righteous righteousness before 224 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,480 others. He seeks integrity before God. 225 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:39,480 Character is who you are when no one else is looking. 226 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,360 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that they 227 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,880 may see your good deeds and glorified God on the day of 228 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,280 visitation. First to Peter chapter 2 verse 229 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:52,680 12. Obedient children. 230 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:54,760 They obey even when it's difficult. 231 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,640 Anyone can obey when. Obedience is convenient. 232 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:03,800 The true test is when obedience requires sacrifice, discomfort, 233 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,880 or perseverance. Do we turn and run when it 234 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,440 becomes difficult, or do we continue forward? 235 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,840 Faithfulness is often revealed in hard moments. 236 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,880 The Scriptures are full of godly men who obeyed God. 237 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,280 Last I checked, none of them were professional writers, yet 238 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,160 they were obedient to God, received the God breathed 239 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,360 Scriptures, and wrote as they were instructed. 240 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:31,080 And as he said earlier, 66 books of the Bible right that were 241 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,320 written God breathed into these men of God. 242 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,800 Not a single one of them is credited as an author, but they 243 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:38,480 still wrote the books of the Scriptures. 244 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:45,480 Fishermen, a tax collector, a tent maker, shepherds and a fig 245 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:52,520 farmer, Kings, a doctor, Educated and uneducated, yet 246 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,480 they were obedient to their father and lived in faith. 247 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:58,280 I'm tired of hearing Christians saying they can't. 248 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:01,360 I can't. What do you mean you can't? 249 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,360 You don't trust in God when you say things like that. 250 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,880 You're saying that you don't believe and you don't trust in 251 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:11,240 an all powerful God. We're taking power from God and 252 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:12,800 we're trying to give it to ourselves. 253 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,760 We're trying to say we know ourselves better than God knows 254 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:21,760 us when we talk like that. A fig farmer wrote a scripture, 255 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,680 wrote something that we still preach and teach today more than 256 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:28,920 2000 years ago. There are no excuses when it 257 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:30,400 comes to working for the things of God. 258 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,160 Men of God, women of God, let's go forward and what God has 259 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,200 called us to do. And sometimes it could be 260 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:41,640 inconvenient, sometimes it could be tough, sometimes we don't 261 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:42,960 know how we're going to get there. 262 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,000 But we have to trust in our God that He's going to take us as 263 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,720 obedient children and take us across that finish line. 264 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,080 Obedient children obey even when it costs something. 265 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,840 Obedience may cost us popularity, comfort, 266 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:01,680 opportunities, or worldly success, potentially even our 267 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:06,000 freedoms or even our life. Yet God's children understand 268 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,080 that pleasing their Father is worth more than anything this 269 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:13,360 world can offer. Jesus modeled this perfectly. 270 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:15,680 He never rebelled against his Father. 271 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,480 He never pursued his own will above the Father's will, even if 272 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,480 even in Gethsemane, facing the agony of the cost, Jesus prayed 273 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:27,920 not my will, but yours be done. Are we praying that in our own 274 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,880 lives, Brothers and sisters, when we're getting down to pray 275 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,480 to God? Are we saying not my will, but 276 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,840 yours? Father, can I be how you want me 277 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,520 to be LED? Philippians chapter 2 tells us 278 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,600 that he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a 279 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,240 cross. Where Adam failed as his son, 280 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,160 Christ succeeded. Where Israel failed as God's 281 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:56,760 people, Christ succeeded. The perfect son obeyed perfectly 282 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,640 so that disobedient sons and daughters could be adopted into 283 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,960 God's family. He obeyed perfectly so that we 284 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,000 can be made righteous in his sight. 285 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,880 Praise God. The question for the Christian 286 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,320 is not what can I get, get away with and still be a Christian? 287 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,240 And if you're thinking like that, I pray that you change 288 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,720 your ways. The question is, what would 289 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,160 delight my father? Every single action, every time 290 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,840 you wake up, everything you should do should be praying in 291 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,000 your mind. Does this delight my Father? 292 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,440 Do these actions delight my father? 293 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,360 And if not, why am I seeking something that doesn't delight 294 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,160 my father? The question is not how close 295 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,840 can I get to sin, but how close can I walk with my Savior? 296 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,000 How close can I walk with Jesus? How do I get closer to Christ? 297 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,880 A good child does not obey out of fear of rejection. 298 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,920 A good child obeys because he loves his Father. 299 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,440 And when he stumbles, he runs back to the Father, knowing that 300 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:59,000 his standing rests not of his obedience, but on the perfect 301 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,400 obedience of Christ. Yet because he loves his Father, 302 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,960 his deepest desire is to hear these words. 303 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,079 We want to all hear these words. Well done, good and faithful 304 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:10,800 servant. Amen. 305 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:15,280 Point #4 I know we all got things we got to do, so I'm 306 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,960 trying not to be too. A good child reflects the 307 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,800 Father's character. Ephesians chapter 5 verses one 308 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,160 through 2 talks about be imitators of God as beloved 309 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,280 children. Children often resemble their 310 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:33,360 parents sometimes in appearance. People tell me Carol looks a lot 311 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:35,800 like me and I'm like no, she's too pretty to be to look like 312 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:40,120 me. Sometimes in speech, sometimes 313 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:44,600 in habits, I look at a Laura and I don't see a lot of resemblance 314 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,920 in me or Miriam, you know, she looks a lot more like my dad's 315 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,200 side of the family. But she does things and she acts 316 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,640 her in ways that I'm like, man, that's Miriam all day. 317 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:55,840 Especially when she's yelling, right? 318 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,720 I'm just kidding. Spiritually, God's children 319 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,720 should increasingly resemble their father. 320 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,920 The world should see something of God's character in US. 321 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,400 The way we speak, the way we love, the way we interact with 322 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,040 others should testify that we are children of God. 323 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,680 The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in our lives, not 324 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:22,280 perfectly, for only Christ is perfect, but there should be a 325 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:24,600 visible reflection of his light within us. 326 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,040 The gospel is not only something we proclaim with our lips, and 327 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,280 it's something that should be displayed through our lives. 328 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,880 The gospel should reflect out of us wherever we are and whatever 329 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,760 we do. As we are transformed by Christ, 330 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,480 the world should be able to see His grace, truth and love 331 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,880 shining through us. Because why we reflect his love. 332 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,200 Jesus said love your enemies. Why? 333 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:52,640 Because that is what our Father does. 334 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,400 For one will hardly die for a righteous person, though perhaps 335 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,840 for the good person someone would dare even to die. 336 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:04,320 But God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we 337 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,280 were still sinners, Christ died for us. 338 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:12,160 Praise God that while we were still sinners, enemies of God, 339 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:15,200 He died for us when we didn't deserve it. 340 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,080 Therefore, how do we reflect that love to our enemies? 341 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,720 We were in enmity with God, yet He still died on the cross for 342 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,400 us to save us, to bring us in communion with Him. 343 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,160 How do we treat those around those around us that we consider 344 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,760 our enemies? Do we treat them with love, that 345 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:34,800 same grace that God has shown us? 346 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:40,160 And if not, why not? Therefore, love your brothers 347 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,320 and sisters in Christ and do the most loving thing you can do for 348 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,040 unbelievers. Share the gospel of our living 349 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:47,640 God as we have been commanded to. 350 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:53,680 We also reflect His mercy. God has shown us mercy, but God 351 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,240 being rich in mercy because because of His great love, which 352 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:00,640 He loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions, made 353 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,920 us alive together with Christ. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4:00 354 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:09,320 and 5:00. So we extend mercy to others. 355 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,840 When we don't, it's because we're coming from a position of 356 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,600 pride. We're saying that we know better 357 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,880 than God. Again, we're putting ourselves 358 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,360 above God. When we don't show mercy to 359 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:24,200 others, we're saying that we are better than that person and we 360 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,680 are better than God. So let's stop and start to begin 361 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,360 that same love, love and mercy that God has shown to us into 362 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,280 others. The truest evidence that we are 363 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,920 children of our heavenly Father is not merely that what we know, 364 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,960 but who we are, we are becoming. As Jonathan Edwards wrote, a 365 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,200 Christian spirit is a loving spirit. 366 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,240 God's children's bear the family resemblance when they love as 367 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,560 their Father loves. So if you're not loving as the 368 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,040 Father has loved you, pray that he begins to change you. 369 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,240 We reflect His Holiness. God is holy. 370 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:03,840 Holiness is not merely one of His attributes, it is central to 371 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,800 His very nature. Scripture declares holy, holy, 372 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,440 holy is the Lord of hosts. Isaiah chapter 6 verse 3. 373 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,360 He is perfectly pure, completely righteous, and utterly set apart 374 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:19,840 from all sin and corruption. There is no darkness in Him at 375 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,480 all. As His children we are called to 376 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,400 reflect the character of our Father. 377 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,200 This is why Peter writes, be like the holy One who called 378 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,800 you. Be holy yourselves also in all 379 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,160 your behavior. First of Peter chapter one, 380 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,440 verse 15. God's children pursue holiness 381 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,520 because they belong to a holy God. 382 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,880 The pursuit is not an attempt to earn God's love or secure our 383 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,120 salvation. Rather, it is the natural 384 00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:48,720 response of a heart that has been transformed by grace. 385 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,400 So naturally you seek holiness because you've been changed. 386 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,160 You are no longer in enmity with God. 387 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,560 You want to get closer to God and he, he starts to bring you 388 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,800 in through this this sanctification process as you 389 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,880 begin to become more holy. Holiness touches every area of 390 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,720 life. It shapes our thoughts, our 391 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:16,120 words, our relationships, our entertainment, our finances, our 392 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:18,640 work ethic, and our private lives. 393 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:21,520 Everything should magnify and glory God. 394 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,080 While we will not reach sinless perfection in this life, there 395 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,040 should be a growing pattern of transformation. 396 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,680 The Spirit of God works within us to make us more like Christ. 397 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:37,360 True believers stumble. We repent and continue pursuing 398 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:40,640 righteousness because the desire for holiness has been planted 399 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,440 within them by God Himself. Let's not get stuck in our rut. 400 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:46,920 Let's not get stuck in our failures. 401 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,280 Let's not get stuck on the things that we've done in the 402 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:51,880 past or the mistakes that we've made. 403 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,640 Let's move forward and seek to grow in our holiness to God. 404 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,520 The world should be able to see a difference in God's children. 405 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,680 Not a self-righteous or judgmental spirit, but a 406 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,920 distinct life marked by purity, integrity, humility and 407 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,080 obedience. As we grow in holiness, we 408 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,400 display something of our Father's character to a watching 409 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,800 world and bring glory to the one who adopted us as his own. 410 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,320 But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in 411 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,880 all your behavior, because it is written you should, you shall be 412 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,320 holy, for I am holy first to Peter, chapter one, verse 15 413 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,960 through 16. We reflect His forgiveness. 414 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:36,600 God forgave us at an infinite cost, therefore we forgive 415 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:41,000 others. Sin is cosmic rebellion, and we 416 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,080 know that because the Scripture tells us it even affected the 417 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:48,560 ground. That's how a travesty sin is. 418 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:53,720 It's against God, but He forgave us at an infinite cost because 419 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,280 He shed His perfect blood on the cross of Calvary for us. 420 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:01,400 So we need to reflect that same forgiveness to those outside as 421 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,320 well. Be kind to one another, tender 422 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,000 hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also 423 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,120 forgiving you. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32. 424 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,720 We forgive because He has forgiven us in abundance. 425 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,480 To hold on to animosity, strife, anger is to say that our God 426 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,440 isn't who He says He is, that He's not capable of doing 427 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,680 something. It's to say that we know better 428 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,320 than God. It's once again to put our pride 429 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,120 about what God has called us to do. 430 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,400 His forgiveness of us should humble us to the point of so 431 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,640 much forgiveness for others that we would be astonished at the 432 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,440 amount of relationships that would be mended if we actually 433 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:42,120 lived out how God has forgiven us. 434 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,480 Imagine the amount of relationships that would be 435 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,480 mended in the world. Imagine how full the churches 436 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,720 would be if us as Christians love those outside the way he 437 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,640 has loved us. Imagine the relationships within 438 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,720 the church that would be mended, those people who have church 439 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,480 heard, those people who have issues with all these things 440 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,800 that are going on that they've been cast out of a church. 441 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,680 Imagine if we forgave those and lived in harmony and peace and 442 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:12,200 we extended a a sense of humility and leaned on the Holy 443 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,680 Spirit in order to forgive those people. 444 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,040 Imagine what what would look like in these churches if 445 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,240 someone watched your life for a week. 446 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,160 Would they see a family resemblance to your Heavenly 447 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,560 Father? If not, let's get in prayer. 448 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,920 There's no time for excuses. There's no time to feel bad for 449 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:32,480 about it. Let's get in prayer. 450 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,840 Let's get in prayer and fasting and say I need to reflect you. 451 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:39,800 My brother has a shirt that says Jesus is king. 452 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,400 And if we are the Princess and princesses of our king, are we 453 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,080 reflecting that in our daily lives? 454 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:51,760 If not, why #5-A good child loves his brothers and sisters. 455 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,440 First to John chapter 4, verse 20 to 21 is one of the clearest 456 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:00,160 evidences of being God's child is loving God's family. 457 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,160 We cannot claim to love the Father while hating his 458 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,440 children. And I'm going to let that sit 459 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,720 for a little bit. We cannot claim to love the 460 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,000 Father while hating his children. 461 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,080 The church is not merely an organization. 462 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,280 It's not merely these four walls. 463 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,880 It's not merely merely this congregation. 464 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,680 It is a family. Every believer is brother, 465 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,800 sister, fellow heir. This means bearing one another's 466 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:34,800 burdens, encouraging one another, forgiving one another, 467 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:36,880 and most of all, serving one another. 468 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:40,960 The world should see a supernatural love amongst 469 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:43,720 Christians. Much of the world's skepticism 470 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,640 towards Christianity stems not only from what we believe, but 471 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:49,320 from the way we treat one another. 472 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:54,120 Jesus said that the world we would know we are his disciples 473 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:58,280 by our love for one another. John chapter 13, verse 35. 474 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,400 So how are we doing that? This does not mean that we will 475 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,320 always agree or that we will handle every relationship 476 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,120 perfectly. In fact, Scripture assumes the 477 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:11,240 opposite. The Bible commands us to rebuke, 478 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:16,680 reprove, exhort, forgive, and confess our sins to one another. 479 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,160 Genuine Christian love is not the absence of correction. 480 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:25,040 It is the willingness to lovingly speak the truth for the 481 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:29,160 good of another. And it's also the understanding 482 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,040 that your brothers and sisters will correct you and exhort you 483 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,840 and rebuke you. And you should be open to that 484 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,640 correction, exhorting and rebuke. 485 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:39,800 So there's a give and take there. 486 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:43,480 I should be able to say, brother, blah, blah, blah, this 487 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,000 is going on. I need you to step it up, man. 488 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,240 And you should be able to be like, he's right. 489 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,880 At the same time, when you come back to me, like, brother, I 490 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,280 need you to grow 6 inches. And I'm like, well, I can't. 491 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,120 There still should be some loving relationship there that 492 00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:01,640 we can exhort, rebuke and reprove one another. 493 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,240 And often times what you see is this wall of defense. 494 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,920 As soon as anybody comes to tell you anything, you put up this 495 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,360 wall. I praise God for the brothers 496 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:15,200 and sisters that pour into me. I praise God for my wife who 497 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,680 corrects me and says, Alex, I praise God for my daughter, my 498 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,120 oldest daughter who says, Daddy, you were that was you did too 499 00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:24,560 much. And you know, she's my daughter. 500 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:28,560 And I know often times guys will say, what do you know, you're a 501 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,240 child? But then I have to sit back and 502 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,440 think, is she right? And praise God for her, for her, 503 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,200 you know, discernment that she can say you went a little too 504 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:40,200 far, you said a little too much. And so praise God for that. 505 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,440 Yet there's a common misconception that questioning 506 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:46,840 or correcting A fellow believer is unloving. 507 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,160 Scripture teaches the opposite. We're done with humility, grace, 508 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,960 and a desire for restoration. Correction is one of the 509 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:56,160 clearest expressions of biblical love. 510 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,520 It would be unloving to see a brother or sister wandering into 511 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,640 sin and saying nothing. God has not left us to navigate 512 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:08,440 these relationships on our own. He has given us the Holy Spirit, 513 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,840 the Comforter, and the Helper to guide us in truth, shape us into 514 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,720 the likeness of Christ, and teach us how to love one another 515 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:19,160 faithfully. As we submitted to His leading, 516 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:21,880 our relationship should increasingly reflect reflect the 517 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,360 supernatural love that Christ has shown us, the love that was 518 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,000 shown to us between the Father and the Son. 519 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:33,200 The ultimate example. The quality of our relationship 520 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,560 often reveals the reality of our relationship with the Father. 521 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,560 So if we're having tumultuous relationships with everyone, 522 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:43,600 that might be a reflection of where you stand with the Father. 523 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,480 If you're loving on people and you're forgiving of people, they 524 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,040 will see that reflection from, they know that this is coming 525 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:52,600 from how God has changed your life. 526 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,720 Number six, a good child welcomes the Father's 527 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,320 discipline. This might be the hardest one. 528 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,720 Hebrews chapter 12, verse 5 through 11 states this. 529 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,840 This may be the most difficult mark of of spiritual maturity. 530 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,640 Nobody enjoys discipline. Yes, Scripture teaches that 531 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,400 discipline is evidence of sonship. 532 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:15,400 For those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. 533 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,240 God disciplines because he loves, not because he delights 534 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:23,000 in punishment, not because he is angry with his children, but 535 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,960 because he desires our holiness. One of the greatest privileges 536 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:29,480 of being a child of God is understanding the difference 537 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,120 between punishment and discipline. 538 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,560 For those who are outside of Christ. 539 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,920 Punishment is the just judgment of God against sin. 540 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,840 God's wrath against sin is real, holy, and righteous. 541 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,360 But for those who belong to Christ, something remarkable has 542 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,560 happened. The punishment we deserved has 543 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,800 already been carried by another Jesus Christ that that 544 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:53,720 punishment for us on the cross of Calvary. 545 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,160 He shed his perfect blood for us at the cross. 546 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:01,240 Jesus stood in our place. He bore the wrath of God that 547 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,360 our sins deserved. He drank the cup of judgement so 548 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:08,040 that His children would never have to praise God. 549 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,960 Romans 81 declares there is now no fault. 550 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,200 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are 551 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:20,280 in Christ Jesus. Because Christ absorbed God's 552 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,240 wrath, believers never experienced God's correction as 553 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,200 condemnation. God is not paying us back for 554 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,680 our sins. Christ has already paid the debt 555 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:31,520 in full. Instead, what we are 556 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,040 experiencing is His loving discipline. 557 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:39,120 Hebrews 12 teaches that God discipline every son whom he 558 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,920 receives. Discipline is not the act of an 559 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:45,040 angry God, it is an act of a loving Father. 560 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,240 Punishment seeks justice for wrongdoing. 561 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:52,120 Discipline seeks growth, maturity, and restoration. 562 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,480 Punishment says you must pay for what you have done. 563 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,160 Discipline says I love you too much to. 564 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:02,120 Leave you where you are. Punishment is retributive. 565 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:07,200 Discipline is corrective. Punishment flows from judgment. 566 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,440 Discipline flows from love. Thank God for God's discipline. 567 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:17,160 When God convicts us of sin, closes the door, allows a trial, 568 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:21,000 or lovingly exposes an area of weakness in our lives, He is not 569 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:24,200 rejecting us. He is shaping us. 570 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,840 He is conforming us into the image of His Son. 571 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,360 A Father who never disciplined his children does not truly love 572 00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:33,920 them. Likewise, our heavenly Father 573 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,840 loves his children enough to correct them when they wander 574 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:40,880 and praise God for that. In fact, Hebrew says that God's 575 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,840 discipline is evidence of our sonship. 576 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,480 His correction is not proof that he has abandoned us, It is proof 577 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,080 that he has claimed us. He disciplines us because he 578 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:56,480 loves us and He wants us to go on the right path, not because 579 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:59,400 he wants us to be punished. Like there's some people who 580 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:04,000 would say, when God corrects you, do not run from him, run 581 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,760 towards him. Do not hide in shame. 582 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,280 Do not believe the lie that he has cast you away. 583 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,840 Instead, remember the gospel, remember the good news. 584 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,560 The Father who disciplines you is the same Father who adopted 585 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:20,520 you. That is the good news, brothers 586 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,920 and sisters. The Father who corrects you is 587 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,200 the same Father who sent his Son to die for you. 588 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:29,680 The Father who exposes your sin is the same Father who promises 589 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:33,920 to forgive and restore you. His discipline may be painful 590 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:37,800 for a moment, but is always motivated by love and aim at 591 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,280 your good. The scars in Christ's hands 592 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:44,520 remind us that our punishment has already been born. 593 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:48,800 Therefore, every act of correction from our heavenly 594 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:51,160 Father comes not from wrath, but from love. 595 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,440 The Father's discipline is not evidence that he has stopped 596 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,320 loving you. It is evidence that He never 597 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:02,160 will. So as you become stronger in 598 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,640 your faith, as you get into the the Scriptures and as you learn 599 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,679 and as you walk and you feel that tug and you feel that pull 600 00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:11,760 and you feel that correction, don't run from it, run towards 601 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:15,600 it. Our next point. 602 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,480 A good child honors the Father above everything else. 603 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,639 Matthew chapter 22 verse 37, you shall love the Lord your God 604 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:25,320 with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your 605 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,520 mind. And I know that we do a great 606 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:30,560 job on the 1st 2, right? Loving God with our heart and 607 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:33,040 our soul. It's that last part that becomes 608 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,600 a little difficult. Loving God with our mind. 609 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,120 What does that look like? That looks like. 610 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:41,040 Purposefully giving time to the things of God. 611 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,639 That means studying, reading, learning constantly in your 612 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:48,040 scriptures. When Jesus asked to identify the 613 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:51,199 greatest commandment, he did not point to a particular religious 614 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:54,159 activity. He pointed to a relationship of 615 00:34:54,159 --> 00:34:57,160 wholehearted love and devotion to God. 616 00:34:57,360 --> 00:34:59,280 And that's in every aspect of your life. 617 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,480 A good child loves his Father above everything else. 618 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,920 This does not mean that he loves his family less, cares less 619 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,120 about his work, or neglects his responsibilities. 620 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:14,440 Rather, it means every other love is rightly ordered beneath 621 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:19,080 his love for God. Men and women of God, you 622 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:21,360 reflect God in everything that you do. 623 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,920 If you say that you love God and you're a Christian and you go to 624 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:29,360 work and you give half your energy towards it, you are not 625 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,560 reflecting God. If you enter into your marriages 626 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:36,040 and you're giving a halfway try, you are not reflecting the love 627 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:39,560 of God. We love God wholeheartedly. 628 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,280 That doesn't mean that we do other things less and those of 629 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,520 you that are in leadership in the things of God, that doesn't 630 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:51,080 mean that you give 1,000,000% to the church and you don't take 631 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:52,960 care of your families. You don't take care of your 632 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:54,720 wives, you don't take care of your children. 633 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:56,960 That is not what God has called us to do. 634 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,520 And I know that's difficult and I've, I've seen it and I've been 635 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,840 there. Do not neglect your families for 636 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,960 the ministry because ultimately that is your first ministry. 637 00:36:07,240 --> 00:36:10,560 And anybody who tells you otherwise is lying because I've 638 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,520 had people tell me that too, that our ministry is not our 639 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,120 family. So don't let them lie to you. 640 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,400 I'm so thankful because one of the things that we do as elders 641 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,960 when we get together in our church, as we have an 642 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,520 accountability questionnaire. And one of those questions is 643 00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:28,640 have you been neglecting your family? 644 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,040 So we keep each other accountable because the last 645 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:35,200 thing I want to do is neglect my my children and my wife. 646 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,240 You know, we've started doing a family devotional on Fridays and 647 00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:41,880 we're trying to adhere to that as much as possible. 648 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,480 As difficult it has become, as difficult as it is, it is to 649 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:48,160 find time to do that. It's important that we spend 650 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,960 time together in the word as a family. 651 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,760 And you guys who are young families, if you can learn from 652 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,640 my mistakes early on, get in the word now with your children, 653 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,680 with your wives, Spend time together in the Word of God. 654 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,200 The the Father's honor becomes the controlling priority of his 655 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,000 life. The questions that governs the 656 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:12,400 Christian life is not what do I want, but what would bring glory 657 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,520 to my Father. That's the theme throughout what 658 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:18,800 brings glory to my Father. This was the heartbeats of Jesus 659 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:21,840 earthly ministry. Again and again, Jesus spoke of 660 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:25,200 doing the Father's will, seeking the Father's glory, and 661 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:28,800 accomplishing the Father's work. The perfect Son lived every 662 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,200 moment with his Father's honor and view. 663 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,000 As God's children, we are called to do the same. 664 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:40,160 The Father's honor shapes every area of our life, including our 665 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,600 work. We do not merely work for a 666 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,400 paycheck, a promotion, or the approval of others. 667 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:51,000 We work as servants of Christ, whether we are managing people, 668 00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:55,520 cleaning floors, raising children, serving customers, or 669 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,480 leading a company. We do our work with integrity 670 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:03,240 because we represent our Father. Whatever you do, do your work 671 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:06,920 heartily As for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from 672 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,680 the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance. 673 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:13,680 It is the Lord Christ whom you serve Colossians chapter 3, 674 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,600 verse 23 to 24, when people at work ask me, you must love this 675 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:19,160 job. I'm like, no, I do not. 676 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:23,680 I can't wait to get out of here. 3:00 cannot come fast enough. 677 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,000 And they're like, but why are you so passionate about doing a 678 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,520 good job? My response is because I'm a 679 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:33,400 Christian, no other reason, because I'm a Christian and they 680 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:38,040 go explain God has called us to work like we're working for 681 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:40,480 Christ. And early on my dad said, if 682 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:43,000 Jesus was at your is at your desk, is he going to say that 683 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:44,440 you're working as hard as you can for him? 684 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,720 And you'd be surprised how many people that will draw attention 685 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:51,440 like this guy worked so hard. Why? 686 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:53,000 Because he's a Christian. What do you mean? 687 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,800 And there's an opportunity there for you to preach the gospel not 688 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,240 only just because you're saying it, but you're reflecting it. 689 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:06,120 So I ask, how can we honor God through the way we work our 690 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,320 marriage? Marriage is not ultimately about 691 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,600 personal happiness, and anybody who's been married for a long 692 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,440 time knows this. It is about displaying the 693 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:16,880 relationship between Christ and His church. 694 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,560 A husband honors the Father by sacrificially loving his wife. 695 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:25,400 A wife honors the Father by faithfully loving and supporting 696 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,880 her husband. The goal becomes more than 697 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:31,120 having a successful marriage. It becomes reflecting God's 698 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:35,720 character through our marriage. Our marriages should reflect 699 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:38,640 Jesus Christ. When we wake up in the morning 700 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,480 and we see our wives or we see our husbands, are we saying, let 701 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,960 me reflect Jesus Christ through my actions today and how I love 702 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:49,400 my wife and how I love my husband, how I love my children? 703 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,800 Are we doing that? That leads right into our next 704 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,680 point, our parenting. Children are not merely to be 705 00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,920 raised into productive adults. They are to be pointed to 706 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,560 Christ. Parents honor the Father when 707 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:05,280 they teach His word, model repentance, show grace, and 708 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,080 shepherd their children towards faithfulness. 709 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:09,320 When is the last time you apologized to one of your 710 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,520 children? One of the greatest gifts a 711 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:15,800 parent can give is helping their children see the beauty of their 712 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,800 Heavenly Father. Our children are not our 713 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,520 children. Ultimately, they belong to God. 714 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:26,240 It's an honor and a privilege that God has allowed us to raise 715 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:29,600 our children. Let us never forget that my 716 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:32,640 daughters don't belong to me. They are created in the image of 717 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:34,520 God. They belong to God. 718 00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:38,200 I'm here to shepherd them, and the best way I can shepherd them 719 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:40,640 is into the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. 720 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,640 Our friendships. A good child chooses 721 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:47,760 relationships that encourage love for God rather than compete 722 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,120 with it. Friendships can become 723 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:54,120 opportunities to encourage, strengthen, challenge, and serve 724 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,640 one another in Christ. The question is not simply do I 725 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:01,440 enjoy the friendship, but does this relationship help me honor 726 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:05,360 my Father? And if not, what are you doing 727 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:07,760 to point the relationship into that direction? 728 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:11,840 Our finances, our money reveals what we treasure. 729 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:15,280 A child who honors God recognizes that everything he 730 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:20,480 possesses belongs to the Father. Time, talents, possessions, 731 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:24,680 savings, investments, and resources are all gifts 732 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:28,200 entrusted by God. Generosity becomes an act of 733 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:32,280 worship because it demonstrates trust in the Father's provision. 734 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:34,520 I never want to stand before God. 735 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:36,320 And he says, What did you do with my gifts? 736 00:41:36,720 --> 00:41:38,560 And I say, oh, I buried them because I never knew. 737 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,480 I didn't know I wanted to be careful. 738 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,760 Our recreation, even rest and enjoyment, can glorify God. 739 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:48,800 The Christian does not view leisure as a realm separated 740 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,000 from discipleship. Whether enjoying a hobby, 741 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,280 spending time with family, playing a sport, or taking a 742 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:59,560 vacation, we receive God's gifts with gratitude and use them in 743 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:02,560 ways to honor him. In everything we do, we should 744 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:06,640 be looking to honor God. Everything becomes worship when 745 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:08,520 God is honored above everything else. 746 00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:12,120 Worship is no longer confined to just Sunday mornings. 747 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:17,120 Worship becomes a way of life. Every conversation, every 748 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:21,640 decision, every dollar spent, every hour worked, every 749 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,680 relationship cultivated, every act of service, all of it 750 00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:28,960 becomes an offering laid before the Father, as Paul writes in 751 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,400 First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31. 752 00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:34,920 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the 753 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:38,600 glory of God. A good child understands that 754 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:42,040 life is not ultimately about self fulfillment, personal 755 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,360 achievement, or even earthly success. 756 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,000 Life is about the glory of the Father. 757 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:51,240 And when God's glory becomes our highest aim, we discover what we 758 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:54,040 were created for. The greatest desire of a 759 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:56,480 faithful child is not merely to receive blessings from the 760 00:42:56,480 --> 00:42:59,480 Father, it is to bring honor to the Father. 761 00:42:59,920 --> 00:43:01,560 This is the heart of true worship. 762 00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:06,200 Jesus repeat repeatedly said, I do not seek my own will, but the 763 00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:09,640 will of him who sent me. The Son's delight was to glorify 764 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,200 the Father. That should become our delight 765 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:17,680 as well as children of God. Our next point, a good child 766 00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:20,840 longs to be with the Father. John chapter 14 verse one 767 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:23,120 through three. One of the marks of genuine 768 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:26,400 sonship is longing for home. Every believer should have a 769 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:29,640 growing desire for God himself, not merely His blessings, not 770 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:33,240 merely His gifts, but Him. Heaven is glorious because the 771 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:35,960 Father is there. The Christian life should 772 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:38,440 cultivate homesickness for eternity. 773 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:43,240 We should increasingly saying, Whom have I in heaven but you? 774 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,280 Our desire should. Be to be with God one day, to be 775 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:51,600 with God the Father, to be with the Holy Spirit, to be with his 776 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,600 Son Jesus Christ, and together with the Saints. 777 00:43:55,080 --> 00:44:01,600 In eternal heaven, the reality is that none of us has been the 778 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:04,720 child we should be. We have all disobeyed the 779 00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:09,680 Father, distrusted the Father, ignored the Father, rebelled 780 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,320 against the Father. The good news is that Jesus was 781 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:15,440 the perfect Son we could never be. 782 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:20,600 Where Adam failed, Jesus obeyed. Where Israel failed, Jesus 783 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:24,520 obeyed. Where we failed daily, Jesus 784 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,840 obeyed. Then he went to the cross and 785 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:30,000 took the punishment our sins deserved. 786 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:34,680 Through faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven, we are 787 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:38,920 justified, we are adopted, we become children of God. 788 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:42,920 The gospel is not merely that God saves sinners. 789 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:49,760 The gospel is that God brings us as sinners home, and He makes us 790 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:51,720 righteous before a righteous God. 791 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:58,600 So in closing, on this Father's Day, let us remember a faithful 792 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:03,480 child of God knows the Father's love, trust the Father's wisdom, 793 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:09,400 obeys his commands, reflects the Father's character, loves the 794 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:14,040 Father's family, welcomes the Father's discipline, honors the 795 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:16,440 Father. Above all, and longs to be with 796 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:20,240 the Father. And we do all of this not to 797 00:45:20,240 --> 00:45:24,120 earn His love, but because in Christ we already have it. 798 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:28,320 Praise God. See how great a love the Father 799 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:31,840 has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God 800 00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:37,040 and such we are first to John chapter 3 and one, there's no 801 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:38,800 other. There's no greater sacrifice in 802 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,520 the world than what, Jesus? Did for us and on this Father's 803 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:46,880 Day, as you go and love on your father's and your husband's and 804 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:51,400 you reach out to those people, remember they are just a shadow 805 00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:54,320 of the greatest father. And those of you who have had 806 00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:58,120 issues or lost fathers, I plead with you to the one father who 807 00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:01,240 will never leave you, the one Father that is here for you 808 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:04,160 eternally. Run to the foot of feet of 809 00:46:04,240 --> 00:46:05,960 Jesus. Run to the foot of the Father 810 00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:09,560 and thank him for what he has done for our for our sake praise 811 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:13,800 God, let us pray. Father God, we give you thanks. 812 00:46:13,800 --> 00:46:17,560 Lord, we give you thanks for being the ultimate Father, an 813 00:46:17,560 --> 00:46:22,240 awesome Father, an eternal Father, our righteous Father, a 814 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:25,120 merciful Father. And we just thank you, Lord, 815 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:27,080 that you have looked down upon us, Lord. 816 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:31,040 And as we were being formed in our mother's womb, you knew us, 817 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:34,920 Lord, and you called us and we and you gave us an opportunity 818 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:37,120 for repentance. Lord, we thank you for the 819 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:40,120 sacrifice that Jesus. Made on the cross that he poured 820 00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:44,600 off his blood, so that IA Sinner might be called righteous in the 821 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:46,920 eyes of God. Nothing I could do could ever 822 00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:48,800 make me. Righteous in your eyes, Lord, 823 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:51,920 but I thank you for his sacrifice, Lord, I thank you for 824 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:55,160 the sacrifice for each and every brother and sister in Christ 825 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:58,520 that is here today, Lord. And I pray, Lord, and I pray 826 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:02,520 that those amongst us here that if there are any that are not 827 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,240 saved, Lord, that they run to your feet, Lord, that they 828 00:47:05,240 --> 00:47:08,520 understand that they need you, Lord, that they need a good 829 00:47:08,520 --> 00:47:11,640 father, Lord, that they need a merciful father, Lord, and that 830 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,320 nothing that they can do can make them righteous in your 831 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,120 sight, Lord, that they need to repent of their sins and turn to 832 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:19,760 you, Lord. I pray, Lord, that those people 833 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:22,520 today that are, are missing their fathers, Lord, or have 834 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:25,120 issues with their fathers or their fathers have passed away. 835 00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:28,720 Lord, I, I pray for comfort and peace, Lord, and that they may 836 00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:32,000 see you in so many ways today that they can just take the 837 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,600 light in knowing that they have a greater father, Lord. 838 00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:37,720 And we ask that you to continue to bless this church and this 839 00:47:37,720 --> 00:47:40,480 congregation, Lord, as they seek your face, Lord. 840 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:43,640 Help us to. Love one another everyday, Lord. 841 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,800 More in your likeness, Lord, and that we may turn to you and our 842 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:49,640 failures. Lord, we ask that you just bless 843 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:52,400 John Michael and his family and his wife, Lord, as they continue 844 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,000 to lead this congregation and all the ministries that they 845 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:57,720 working, Lord, all the things that they're doing for men and 846 00:47:57,720 --> 00:48:00,760 women and families all across this great nation, Lord, that 847 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:03,320 you just bless them as they continue going forward. 848 00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:06,520 Lord, I bless the families in this church Lord that you 849 00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:10,080 continue to help them grow Lord, and give them so many children 850 00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:12,920 and help them raise the children in the ways of God. 851 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:15,960 That it be so many children in this place Lord, that they need 852 00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:18,960 a new place just to fill for the children Lord that are going to 853 00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:21,680 be raised here Lord, and then they just be a blessing to this 854 00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:23,960 community as well. I pray over these young 855 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:26,840 marriages and these new marriages Lord that you just 856 00:48:26,840 --> 00:48:29,520 keep them strengthened Lord and guide them as they go forward 857 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:32,520 seeking your face and everything that they do that they glorify 858 00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:35,280 you and you alone. Lord, we ask that we everything 859 00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:38,360 we do, Lord, going forward this week, this month, this year be 860 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:40,920 to glorify you. Lord, we ask you all these 861 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:42,160 things. In Jesus name we pray. 862 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:46,200 Amen. Thank you, Father.