Sermons

Christian Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)

Here the Lord is calling out fathers. A tragic result of the Fall is that men no longer want to be men. But that is not acceptable. Fathers are specifically called upon to raise their children; and in doing so, they are to model our Heavenly Father. The American crisis of the absence of fathers erodes the foundations of the family. Society is holding up the single mother as a model of virtue, but it shouldn't be that way. When mothers and fathers are together like God wants, the statistical numbers drop to nothing. There is indeed a benefit to following God's ways! However, even when fathers are present in the home, they can mess up. And unfortunately, our society makes it very hard for them to do what is right, by enticing them to seek after their own pleasures or hobbies or jobs. But if fathers don't invest in their children's lives now, they won't get it back later. Christian fathers, in particular, are called upon to not be consumed with themselves and their own lives. Fathers aren't to be their children's slaves, but they should be thoughtful of them and kind to them. This doesn't mean that discipline is not required. In fact, it is necessary; even our Heavenly Father disciplines us in love! And this is to be done with our own children by teaching and admonishing them with instruction from the Word of God (Deut. 6:6). Fathers, we must admonish our sons and daughters in the Lord! Let's pray for grace to not just think of their external joy alone, but may God also help us to encourage them to be in the Word and enjoy a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Christian Children (Ephesians 6:1)

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth'"(Ephesians 6:1-3). In the New Testament, we see plain proofs that Jesus cares for children. But what does the Bible have to say about children and their obedience? The world tells us that children aren't disobedient; they just go through "a phase." But the Word of God teaches us differently. Our hearts are marked by a pattern of stubborn disobedience, even before we are born! The Apostle Paul states that children ought to obey their parents. We don't obey simply because we fear bad consequences; but rather, because we fear the Lord God. Nevertheless, it is true that obedient children generally have a better life; for when the obedience structure is broken down, the blessings of the Lord are lost. We read in the Gospels of the good example that our Savior Himself set, for even He obeyed His earthly parents. God has created and ordained authority in all areas of life, and even in heaven; and this authority structure starts in the family! Our homes are to be like greenhouses, where little sprouts are growing up in our families for God's glory. Jesus loves children, and children can show Jesus how much they love Him by obeying their parents!

The Christian Husband (Ephesians 5:25-33)

Although our worldly society has distorted the marriage model, the Christian husband is called and commanded to love his wife sacrificially and faithfully. And here in this passage, Paul gives us the husband the model to follow -- and that model is Christ Himself! The goal of marriage is to sanctify the Bride. The godly husband will be constantly asking himself, "Does my wife look more in love with Christ today than when I married her?" "Is my home a place of holiness?" "Is my marriage being governed by Scripture?" "Do I open God's Word with my wife and study it together with her?" Society's view of love is filled with bad ideas! But the love that Christ shows for His Bride, and which godly husbands are to imitate, is a nourishing love. Husbands, are you committed to your wife's spiritual health, and not just her physical needs? Are you praying for her and with her? You don't cut off your arm when it hurts, so don't do that to your wife either! Christian husbands are also called to a separating love. When a man and woman are joined together, the love between them must be guarded from undue influences that may cause divisions and problems. Husband, do you live love in your life? No, life isn't perfect; but despite that fact, does your wife know that you love her? Are you committed to sanctifying her and seeing her grow closer to the Lord Jesus? Let's pray for grace so that Christ's amazing love for His Bride may be our model in our own marriages!

Acts 10 - God is no respecter of Persons

John 13:1-20 - The Love of Jesus for His own

The Christian Wife (Ephesians 5:21-24)

What is the structure of the universe? How did God order the church? How has God ordered the family? God's structure for the Christian family is redemptive and restorative. But that doesn't make it easy.

Arise! Christ Will Give You Light! (Ephesians 5:6-14)

Corporations pay good money to convince you of something that you "need" to buy. But they also pay a lot of money teaching people how to spot lies. That is exactly what we, as children of the light, need to do. We need to be alert -- testing things according to the Word of the Lord. A big problem in today's culture is the danger of people "following their hearts," instead of following God's Word. The world is always trying to lead us astray, and we are only to prone to go after our own "feelings" on matters. But here Paul is telling the Church that we must be on guard. We cannot keep on sinning, just because we enjoy the privileges of grace. We must put off the works of darkness; and although we cannot avoid the world, we don't have to have close fellowship with it. Paul teaches us to be on guard, for we are always exposed to temptations by the sins around us -- and these sins may even be working within the Church. When we go to church, we are going as professing saints, to grow in faith and expose the works of darkness. Why does God want us to expose these works of darkness? Because as God's children, we ought not to be walking in those dark ways any longer; we are to be walking in the ways of light. Formerly, we were slaves to the works of darkness; but now we have been raised up to new life in Christ! And it is because we have been made God's children that we become holy; we are called upon to imitate our Heavenly Father. If we find ourselves walking in darkness, then it is time for us to repent of our sins and pray to God for grace to walk in light and bear the fruits of the Spirit!

Imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1, 2)

Have you ever been unable to find your shoes in the morning -- only to discover that one of your children is walking around the house in them? Just as our children often imitate what they see or hear in us, the Lord calls us to be imitators of Himself. "Be holy," He says, "for I the Lord your God am holy." Since we have been adopted as God's own sons and daughters, there should be some sort of family resemblance. But this imitation is expected from us because we are already His children; it is not something that we do in order to earn His love and favor. What is one way in which we may imitate our Savior? "Walk in love," the Apostle tells us, "as Christ has walked in love!" In John 15, we read that there is no greater love than a person laying down his life for his friends. Jesus sacrificed His life for us -- not just when we were His friends, but even when we were His enemies! And surely, if He has done that for us, there ought to be some sort of practical response from us! What would that look like? That is what the latter portion of Ephesians 5 will show us. Holiness is something which we must daily strive for. It is something for which we must continually cry out to God in prayer. If we find ourselves becoming too familiar with the world, and not desiring holiness -- then we must pray for grace to imitate our Savior!

Put Off Anger; Put On Grace (Ephesians 4:31, 32)

Ephesians

Put Off Corrupt Talk; Put On Grace (Ephesians 4:29, 30)

Ephesians

Be Angry and Do Not Sin (Ephesians 4:26, 27)

Ephesians

Who Taught You to Say That? (Ephesians 4:21-25)

Ephesians

Put Off the Old, Put On the New! (Ephesians 4:17-24)

Ephesians

Do Not Fear! (Deuteronomy 31:1-6)

Our First Love (Revelation 2:1-7)

Christianity & Race - A Special Episode

Growing Up (Ephesians 4:13-15)

Ephesians

The Bible & Race Relations

Reaching for the Goal - Ephesians 4:13

Ephesians

Equipped for a Good Work (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Ephesians

Jesus' Gift: Church Offices (Ephesians 4:7-11)

Ephesians

God's Gifts (Ephesians 4:7-16)

Ephesians

Our Triumphant King - Psalm 68

Church Defined: One Focus (Ephesians 4:4-6)

Ephesians