Ephesians 6 (Part 1) | Wade Branch

And we get to study in Ephesians Chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

And I'm going to call this part one because I don't think I'm

going to make it through maybe 1/3 of the chapter today.

We're not going to cover a ton, but as I started to study this

more and try to dive into it and bring out the beauty in God's

word, I kind of got slowed down in just a few verses.

Because there's a lot here that we can talk about with regard to

honouring parents and ultimately maybe getting too into how we

are to work for our bosses, we as bond servants, things like

that. So we may not even get to the

second-half year of the goals. Today we may just focus on the

parents alone depending on how time and technology permits.

So if you're going to turn there, we're in Ephesians

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

Chapter 6, a quick refresher to get us reminded of where we're

at in this book. This book has a purpose of

reminding Christians other spiritual blessings in Christ.

So the first three chapters of this book, Paul is telling them

all these wonderful things they have to look forward to, all

these wonderful things they have to enjoy as Christians.

And because of that, we're now in the section of the chapter

where he's calling them to respond to that.

Because you have such a great set of spiritual blessings.

Because he sets you on on in the heavenly places with Christ.

Because he has called you and giving you purpose that is so

great, that is from the Father, from the Son, from the Spirit,

that we are raised and seated on the throne and reconciled into

the temple. Because of all these things he

wants us to walk as imitators of God, to not walk like the

Gentiles walk, but to walk in harmony.

And we're in this section with where he's discussing submission

and how Christians our attitude is to be submissive and being

willing to put the other's interest ahead of ourselves and

to serve other people instead of just always serving our own

selfish desires, our own selfish needs.

And we're in this section now, Ephesians 6, talking about

submission that's required with parents and children and

ultimately masters and servants. So just a couple, just a verse

to kind of lead us in from the last chapter.

We were in chapter 5, verse 33, where it said, nevertheless, let

each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and

let the wife see that she respects her husband.

So we talked about the submission and the love and the

the relationship that exists between the husband and wife

last time. And now he's moving on to

another relationship that exists.

And the first one we're going to talk about today is children,

Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right disclaimer.

I probably would not have talked chosen to talk about marriage,

chosen to talk about parenting when I am completely a novice.

But the word is let us here, so I don't want to skip over it.

So I'll be looking forward to seeing your guidance, your

wisdom, and your advice as I try to apply these principles,

because most of you in this room have way more experience than I

do. Children, obey your parents in

the Lord, for this is right. First of all, what is obedience

really? Obedience is just a form of

submission. We've talked about submission

these last several weeks. Submission is saying I'm going

to put what you are saying above my own desires, my own will, my

own. Think so's and obedience is

really the foundation of everything we do as followers of

God. Children are perfect examples of

what we as Christians should be toward God because we ask

children to obey as they should. But we ask children to obey

largely because we know that we have their best interests at

heart. We're not asking kids to do

things and obey things. They're going to harm them.

We ultimately have their best interest and may we understand

ourselves in light of this perspective with God.

God tells us things and we go, I don't want to do, I don't want

to do that. And we we push back.

We fight against his will, but he, he always has what's best

for us at heart. We serve a good God and we can

be thankful that he's not pushing us to do things that are

really not again our best interest.

So children are to understand or to obey, and maybe later

understanding will come. Hopefully they will understand

later. But obedience doesn't have to

mean children always understand why.

Most of the times kids don't have the perspective, as parents

say, you know things like if only they understood why I'm

asking this, they would listen to me.

If only they understood. Don't we say the same thing?

Or couldn't God say the same thing about us individually in

our personal lives? Obedience acknowledges we don't

have to have all the answers to do right.

Obedience allows faith to have an impact in the life of a child

as they have faith in the guidance of the parent.

And obedience with ourselves to God allows us to have faith that

we don't always know what's right in our own mind, but we

can trust in Him and it allows us to have faith in Him.

So it says ultimately bring it back to kids.

Children are to obey their parents in the Lord.

Now, different people have perspectives on what this in the

Lord means. Some of them say, you know what

means, that as long as they are giving you things to do that are

approved by the Lord, then do it.

And that's absolutely true. We should only have or expect

children to follow their parents in things that would not be

against God's will. So that's a that's a broad

umbrella concept. This reminds us primarily where

the real headship is God and our and our and our Lord are are

over all of this guidance to where no matter what the head

directly above you says, if it goes against what God says, then

you always defer to God. And others might say, well, this

applies to specifically Christians.

So if their parents are Christians, but I don't

necessarily agree with that. I think children have a

responsibility, especially until they reach an age where they're

out of the house, to be deferring and obeying parents

because that is God's designed order of authority.

And we're going to talk about that concept more here going

into verse 2. Verse two says honor your father

and mother. So before we get into this, and

where this concept of honoring is kind of brought out even

more, I want to talk about honour as a whole.

We as a culture have not done a good job with honour.

You look at other societies, we may have our criticisms of other

cultures and they we might say they're too strict, or they're

too this or that or whatever, because we as Americans think

everybody can do whatever they want all the time because

they're an American. We might look at other cultures

and see their example of how well they've done with honouring

their ancestors, honouring their parents, But we haven't done a

very good job of that. And I was reading in my in my

daily reading in the book of Romans and Romans has this to

say about the concept of honor and where it leads.

Romans one, verse 20 says for his Speaking of God, for his

invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine

nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the

creation of the world in the things that have been made so

that they are without excuse. What he's saying here is God has

beautiful attributes. Just look around you.

We have no excuse. Nobody has an excuse for well, I

didn't know God existed. Look around, he says.

Since the foundation of the world that's been the case,

they're without excuse for although they knew God, he's

saying it was past tense. Maybe it was our ancestors or

history of people. They knew God more closely in a

generation. Or maybe it's us.

Individually, we all are given an innate awareness of God.

God. The Bible says he has put

eternity in their hearts that we should grope for him, so we know

we have known. He says for all though they knew

God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.

So this is the root of so many problems, not honoring God and

not giving thanks to them. But instead they became futile

or empty or worthless in their thinking and their foolish

hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise.

They became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God.

So he goes on a little bit later and he says, therefore God gave

them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the

dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they

exchanged the truth about God for a lie.

What are we taking from this section of Romans?

Romans is reminding them where honor needed to start.

And The funny thing is, when they failed to honor God and

they did not glorify him as God, they in turn dishonored

themselves. They dishonored their bodies.

They just we turned to dishonor ourselves.

And it's funny, today the most common thing you hear, like

mental health is just love yourself, do yourself, just do

good for yourself. And it's like people are trying

to shortcut their way to a system of honor that's supposed

to embody itself in our lives. God wants there to be honor for

him. He wants there to be honor for

authorities and even wants us to be honored.

But when we don't honor God, a byproduct is we will be

dishonored. So then what's the solution?

We start with honoring God and glorifying him as God.

This is kind of the reverse as of Romans chapter one.

Then we honor authorities. That's part of this system of

respect and honor and a byproduct.

If we are dishonored when we don't honor God and we we we

divulge into sin, then we by byproduct of honoring God.

We are honored in the sense that's not why we do this.

We live for the glory of God, but a byproduct of that is we

will be honored. So may we avoid trying to

shortcut this whole system and say, I just got to honor myself,

I got to love myself, I got to make myself on this pedestal

because it won't work. This cycle will fall dead flat

if we start at the wrong place. OK, now the purpose of where

this is really going in the passage, he says honor your

father and mother. Honor means to hold in great

respect or to value or to hold in high regard.

For some people this may be easier than others.

May be a relationship you have with your parent or your

parents. Interaction with you may have

made this an easier thing. Not everybody has an easy task

at this, but he doesn't say certain people whose parents

deserve honor. He says honor your father and

mother. Why?

Why could this be a broad command in the 1st place #1?

I think it's might be sacrifice. God has ordained a system in

which we have to learn to be selfless at some point.

If you have kids now, that's the goal of our Christian walk has

become more and more or less filled with our self and to fill

it with others and fill it with serving God.

But the parents in relationship requires you to sacrifice of

yourself and God wants that to be honored.

There's pain involved. We should honor parents because

the pain they go through, especially the mother.

I've seen 10 months of brutal brutal pain.

Now that I've I've seen Taylor go through that they should be

honored for the pain that they go through for the selfless

service. Like we already said, putting

self down. Whether you're a Christian or

not, most parents do this on some level of another.

They need to be honored for that, for their commitment to

something good and pure, because it's the natural order.

They should be honored because God set a natural order of

authority in place and because it is completely wholesome.

There's a lot of things that we do or that our world does that

are not wholesome and kind of a waste of time.

Parenting is so cool because there is, it's so wholesome.

There is nothing wrong with anybody going on bringing a

beautiful new child into the world.

That's a wonderful thing. And so that's why I believe God

wants the children to honor their parents.

Because of these many reasons and and more, you might say.

And even today may we honor our parents.

Maybe you're not a child per SE. Maybe you're not in their the

household of your parents anymore.

Maybe you don't live with them. And you know, like, maybe this

doesn't apply to me. I just need to be getting honor

from somebody else. This applies to us in every

stage of our life. May we honor our parents.

And here's why Jesus took a big issue with this when it wasn't

carried out by older people. We've talked about children

obeying their parents, but even adults need to do something for

their parents. In Mark Chapter 7, verse 9,

Mark 7:9

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and he's criticizing

them for the way they have thrown God's will to the side

for their own traditions. And here's what he says he said

to them all too well, or another translation says so nicely.

You reject the commandment of God that you may keep your

tradition. And here's here's what he's

talking about for Moses said honor your father and mother,

and he who curses father and mother let him be put to death,

he said. That's what God said.

God said you should honor them and it's death as the

consequence. If he responds in the opposite

way, but you say he's talking to the Jews, but you say, if a man

says to his father and mother whatever profit you might have

received from me is Qorban, that is a gift from God, then you no

longer let him do anything for his father and mother.

Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition,

which you have handed down and many such things you do.

What's he talking about? He's talking about they would

have this thing where they're like my property, my house, it's

all for the Lord. Everything I have is the Lord,

this core bond. Therefore, you don't have to

take care of your parents because it's all for the Lord.

It's it's frilly, it's fluffy. It's not practical.

He's like you've you've neglected your parents, your

elderly parents who need support in their older years.

You make God's word empty. It doesn't do anything.

It has no practical use if you're going to throw away your

responsibility to the people around you and say, oh, it's for

God through your tradition, which you've handed down and

many things such you do. That's why it's so important

that at any stage in our life, we honor our father and mother

and take care of them and respect them and show value and

and and value what they've brought to us, value what they

bring in their role. Now I want to kind of zoom in on

this other part. It says, which is the first

commandment with promise. So he's taking it back to the

Old Testament reference we've already alluded to, the Old

Testament being the, you know, the 10 commandments.

This was the first one he says with promise.

Now, from what I was reading from commentators, this is

obviously not the first commandment made in numerical

order. There's a list of them.

This is not the very first one. And it also it seems to not be

the first one that even had a promise attached to it.

And we're going to read what the promise is.

He says honor your father and mother.

And the promise is there's this thing coming.

But there's many commentators that would say, well, there are

other commandments that had promises before that.

So whether you think it's that answer or whether you don't, I

think it's true. Regardless, the concept stands.

There was a promise attached to this command.

That is wonderful. But I think a good solution to

all of these quandaries or whatever you bring up, is this

is the first commandment that we have a chance to obey as humans,

as Christians, your first thing you have a chance to do, there's

a promise attached to it as you got to obey your parents.

So I think that's what he's kind of referring to when he says

it's the first commandment of promise.

But either way, there's a promise attached to it.

But the concept is that they will be well with you and you

may live long on the earth. God's intention for parenting

and for obeying the parents is that we would have a long life

and a long and happy and good life.

That's ultimately God's will for us.

But this phrase long on the earth, as Frank is alluded to in

the Sermon on the Mount, it also could be translated in the land.

And they were preparing to enter the promised land.

These were Jews getting the command from God to do these

things, and he's leading them into a good land that would flow

with milk and honey and all this stuff.

And he wanted them to enjoy that.

He wanted them to enjoy the blessings of this land they were

coming to. But they couldn't do that unless

they started by obeying, obeying parents and appreciating and

honoring them for what they had to give and lead.

God wants us to enjoy many blessings and good things in

this life. Proverbs 3 verse one and two

says hear my son and accept my sayings and the years of your

life will be many. Proverbs 13 Verse 15 says

Proverbs 13:15

basically the sinful life is hard, the way of the ungodly is

difficult. And that's definitely true in

many senses. The physical, the emotional, the

spiritual stresses that sin puts in our lives.

It makes our lives harder. And a lot of times people talk

about, you know, like there's people out there living sinful

lives. Look how hard it is on them.

Well, what about us? What about the sin that my life

has brought difficulty with? What The sins in my life, The

things that I've done even this week, that have brought hardship

to my my own life, to my family. Sin makes our lives harder.

Maybe we follow the wisdom that comes from a wise parents and

godly guidance, and I'd recognize sin's influence even

on our own life because we've sinned plenty and it only has

ever brought us hardship and never brought us good things.

Now I just want to take a second to talk about this.

One more thing. It says this is the first

commandment with promise. Parents have a great

responsibility, I think, to do their job well because this is

the first commandment that people have a chance to obey.

But it also means that we as parents function as a kind of

stand in for God. When children are young, they

are not accountable to God in a eternal sense.

These these precious kids that are in here are not.

If they if they were to, if time were to end or if they were to

die today for some reason, God's not going to hold them

accountable for that. They're going to be peaceful and

and they're going to go to heaven because they're not

accountable to God. They're accountable right now to

the authority above them, which is their parents and parents.

We have such a great responsibility because we're a

temporary standing, you might say for God.

So anything we show them. About respecting their leaders

or their authority and obeying, We're going to be out of the way

someday. And they're going to look up to

authority and they're they're going to see God that way.

They're going to have a chance to translate that relationship,

that obedience, that respect to their Heavenly Father later on.

And many people who don't respect their Heavenly Father

probably started with not respecting their earthly father.

So may we treat this seriously because this is the first

commandment kids have a chance to participate in and learn

from. And I've got a lot to learn in

that regard for sure. Verse four he goes on to say and

you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath.

OK I think this word provoke it. The the the core concept is

don't irritate or kind of agitate them or frustrate them

and he's going to kind of give the all the other side of this

to bring them up. Nurture and admonition.

Train them with a positive spin on all of this on this parenting

but it's likely in the sense that making kids feel like they

can't do right. He another translation says do

not exasperate them don't make them feel like they can't win.

And as I was looking into this, trying to figure out, OK, how

to, how to make this come to life more, I came across a list

of things that a a parent can do to exasperate or frustrate or

provoke their kids. And here's a couple things I'll

start with, first of all, verbal abuse.

Now we'll get into maybe some more details that might clarify

some of these, but verbal abuse can make a kid turn to wrath,

because when a child is provoked, they get angry, they

turn to wrath, they want to lash out.

We've seen that verbal abuse is a is a very strong provoker for

kids #2 not showing support or love, lashing out in anger as

the parent staying angry with kids instead of providing A

consequence and then resolution. I think this is big because

there needs to be consequences in in as.

We're going to see in a minute that God advises consequence in

our lives, but he also advises resolution.

And everything we're about to go over is really just a concept

that we as Christians should be obeying anyway, just applied to

our kids. Sometimes we don't think that

they apply to us as parents because now we're the authority

and get to do whatever we want. I I don't know why we would make

that junk. But resolution is something God

exemplifies throughout the Bible and we want kids to see that

they can learn how to move on to have a consequence and then move

past that and and enjoy forgiveness, enjoy the fruits of

doing right. And we have to model this for

them. OK, let's continue on.

Another thing that they could, a parent could do to provoke,

especially a father to provoke to provoke their child is to

constantly find fault. And I think this will clarify

maybe what that means a little more.

Number one, I think placing unrealistic expectations on our

children would would it kind of fall under this constantly

finding fault if we have expectations that are

unrealistic #2 lacking clear expectations.

So if they don't know what I'm going to do or what they should

be doing, and they're just kind of always on their heels not

knowing how to respond and how to move forward, they're going

to be angry and upset. Being inconsistent with

discipline with our children can cause them to be provoked.

Ecclesiastes 8 verse 11 says because the sentence against an

Ecclesiastes 8:11

evil work is not executed speedily.

Therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to

do evil. And you might say with multiple

children that could be the case. If one kid gets one response,

another gets another you. There's a lot of wisdom to be

had in this and and how to respond to specific situations

that you guys have more than me. But being inconsistent can

provoke kids giving our children too much freedom.

Proverbs 29 verse 15 says the rod and rebuke give wisdom, but

Proverbs 29:15

a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Next, ridiculing our children. Now, Like we said before,

anything that would be commanded to a Christian to do with their

speech also applies to parenting.

That we wouldn't ridicule or beat them down.

And that also goes for calling names, giving them degrade,

degradation instead of encouragement, failing to affirm

our children, which is acknowledging the good and

bringing out the good, and dwelling on the positive when it

is there. Our commands about speech are to

edify, which just means to build up, to rebuke, to exhort, but

nothing about belittling. Disciplining our children in

anger can lead to the wrath of a child refusing to admit our own

faults to our children. And this is basically a a way to

inject humility into a relationship.

If I admit when I make a mistake, it'll show humility

that the child needs to see. So they can in turn have

humility and understand that hey, they're they're trying to,

they're learning to. Mom and Dad are still trying.

They're learning as well, comparing them to siblings or to

other children. Again, a common concept in the

Christian life, 2nd Corinthians 10 verse 12, says we dare not

class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend

themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and

comparing themselves among themselves.

They're not wise. Comparison is not good with

other individuals. We're supposed to look to God as

our example, look to Jesus. But comparison is never helpful.

Yelling at and disrespecting our children in front of others.

Again, what does the Bible say to most Christians and or to all

Christians? Matthew 18, verse 15.

Matthew 18:15

Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his

fault. Between you and him alone.

If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

This isn't about parenting, but it sure applies.

If we want to show them how to manage conflict, how to manage a

problem, go to them. Bring them alone.

Don't embarrass them so they can actually take in what we're

doing. Breaking our promises to

children and there's commandments about honesty and

following your word and and children can be provoked to

anger and to wrath by not doing that.

I thought this was interesting in the list that I read, failing

to listen to listen to our children's opinions.

And now I'm not saying that everything your kid ever says,

it needs to be just, Oh yeah, let's do it your way or you have

to listen to every single opinion because kids are going

to rattle on once they get to a certain age.

But if we just always dismiss them.

Proverbs 18 has this guidance. It says he who answers a matter

before he hears it is folly in shame to him.

He goes on to say the first one to plead his cause seems right

until his neighbor comes and examines him.

Proverbs advises to hear things out, so that doesn't mean OK in

every single situation you have to apply this concept.

But as a general rule, maybe we maybe that'll help with our kids

to see that we are listening to them and value them so where

they don't turn angry and upset. Nurturing, marital disharmony

and tension before our children if you're married.

So having that disharmony and tension is going to then

translate itself to the kids living a hypocritical life in

front of our children. And that's kind of you could

summarize everything we've said by that right there.

Just being hypocritical, not doing what we say we stand for

and modeling anger in front of our children.

These are ways that we can provoke our children.

So maybe the the exact opposite would be the guidance for us as

parents. But instead he says but bring

them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Some translations term that nurture.

So this is more of a a building up and a nurturing and that

connotation where this might be more of a an exhortation a this

is how you need to change, this is how you need to grow.

Don't be afraid to to push the kids to do more maybe and to

obey better than they have in the past.

But do not forget the nurturing side.

This verse he he addresses specifically to fathers, and I

think mothers do a great job naturally of nurturing.

They do a great job of of a building up and being there for

the kids in the ways that dads don't always have that same

instinct and their the responsibilities placed on the

father. Yes, to nurture, but he is

supposed to direct the home to make sure it follows in the

Lord. So yes, the mother will be

nurturing, and yes, the father can can exhort and to challenge

his kid to do better and to provide consequence and all

these things. But may the father in every home

do a good job of directing this as the spiritual head of his

home? That would be in the Lord.

That would be guided by the Lord's wisdom, the Lord's ways,

and setting the path for the kids.

I'm also thankful as we think about as parents.

That's a big responsibility as fathers.

That's a lot to expect. And we have a high standard.

I'm thankful because as we try to figure out what's the best

for our kids, parents can provide a lot of, can get a lot

of stress. There's a lot of information on

the Internet today about you should do this, You shouldn't do

that. Don't do that.

I can't believe you'd ever do that.

That's terrible. It's can be nauseating to read

all the advice and the experts and all the things they say, but

to know that God has my best interests at heart to where as I

try to do our best for we are best for Charlie and we want to

nourish and and nurture him as the best we can.

The fact that God has that interest for me and he knows

what's best for me makes me feel pretty thankful to be a a child

of His. To know that he's got the right

training and admonition for me. To know that I have the comfort

in my challenges, in my trials, in the pruning where he has to

change me, that he has what's best for my own support and

growth at heart. Aren't you glad that God knows

the challenges you need? The kick in, the kick in the

rear? We need the support and the

environment we need to be better.

Deuteronomy 6, verse six has these words of wisdom, I think

that really help encapsulate what we should be doing as

parents, it says. And these words which I command

you today, shall be in your heart again.

Not just parents for everyone, for everyone.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk

of them when you sit in your house, when you walk.

By the way, when you lie down, when you rise up.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be

frontlets between your eyes. You know, every family has a

different system of how they get their spiritual time in or

whatever you might say, but you just have it always in front of

you. I just remember my parents were

really good about talking about the word, you know, before we go

to school, talking about on the way home from church, what you

know about the lesson or about things that were going on.

They just always worked it in. We didn't always have the

structured regiment Bible study all the time, but we talked

about the Word and I'm thankful to them for that, that it will

always be a sign, our hand and a front lit between your eyes.

It would always be in front of us with our families and as I

was reading and and Samuel this week, I ran across this example

that I thought was powerful. As we kind of close up.

We're not going to get to employee and and boss

relationship. Today we're going to finish up

with this. I read about the commitment of a

mother in First Samuel 1. It says the nalkana her husband

said to her. Hannah, why do you weep?

Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved?

Am I not better to you than ten sons?

So the context of what's going on here, Hannah is this woman

who can't have children and she's just been tore up about

it. She's discouraged, she can't

have kids. She wants them so badly.

And her husband as husband do. What's wrong?

I'm not good enough for you as husbands, so obtusely might say

It's not about that. But the husband's like, am I not

more valuable? So Hannah arose after they had

finished eating and drinking in Shiloh.

Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorposts of

the Tabernacle of the Lord, and she was in bitterness of soul,

and prayed to the Lord, and wept in anguish.

And she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will

indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and Remember

Me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your

maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all

the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

The the thing I want to talk about from this and bring out is

she was desperate for a child. And the Lord ends up giving her

that child, and the Lord ends up blessing her, and she follows

through. She takes him to the temple and

turns him over to the Lord once he's raised.

And that's a great example to me of what our attitude should be

as parents is God this kids yours.

And I just want to build him up and prepare him for you.

And this it took her. I don't know if she would have

done this if she if she was able to have kids really quick and

easy like the other one, that she just she just popped him

out. It was no problem for her.

She wasn't probably as thankful as Hannah was.

And she didn't have such an intense devotion, maybe to the

Lord as these kids did, as her child Samuel did.

May we have that kind of thankfulness for our children

and our commitment to give them to the Lord.

Whether we've had trouble having kids or not, we can appreciate

them for what they are, the value they bring, the hope that

they are, and their usefulness to the Lord.

And then we have that attitude, even if we haven't suffered.

Maybe, like Hannah has, she can naturally appreciate that.

But may we instil this mentality into our own relationship?

But maybe you're saying, what about me?

Like, this isn't my responsibility.

I'm not raising kids. I think this, in this attitude

is simply, Lord, whatever's in my hands right now, I give to

you. And maybe for you, it's not

kids. Or maybe it was kids.

Now it's not anymore. What about me?

1st Corinthians, 7, verse 32? He's talking about how he wants

them to be focused on serving the Lord.

And he kind of advises them. Paul advises them, you know, if

you can avoid getting married and getting caught up in the

stresses and the pressures of taking care of a family, then

the benefit is you always just get to focus your time and

energy on the Lord. So even if you don't have a

family, maybe you have a special opportunity to focus your energy

on the Lord. And that's Hannah's mentality

ultimately, right? Like God, I've got this, I want

to use it to serve you. Maybe we have that mentality,

whether we have kids or not, so that we may serve the Lord

without distraction. Maybe that's where you're at.

You don't have a lot of distraction to care for the

needs of a spouse or a child or whatever the case is.

Maybe we serve the Lord without distraction with the same

attitude that Hannah came to the Lord with.

Ultimately, in First Corinthians 10, this should be our attitude.

So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for

the glory of God. And we are not going to get into

bond servants. We're at time right now that

this is a good breaking point. I'm really excited for this

because this is to me one of the most applicable and motivating

things for me I can think of to go into my new week, my new

year, but we're going to have to hold off on that.

So I'm looking forward to next time.

We know we have a good father, and we know we have a great

responsibility as parents to echo that and to embody that for

our kids in this life. And we have a chance to follow

him. And if you're not already

following him, that good father you can today.

You can be one who hears the Word and repents of your past

life. Say, I'm going to change you

from my will to God's will, confessing that Jesus Christ is

the Son of God, that by Him we may be saved.

You'll be baptized in the remission of for the remission

of sins and be added to His Church.

You can do that today, but if you if you already have done

that and you want to make something right, we are a

family. We are here to support one

another, to grow together, and we'd be happy to help you with

one of either case while we stand while we.

We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church

of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield.

If you would like any additional information or you would like to

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