Exceedingly Rich in Christ

Susanna was brought up in an English parsonage, the youngest of the Annesley family, which numbered twenty-four. Her father, Dr. Samuel Annesley, was the pastor of the Puritan meeting house of the little St. Helen's church in London.

Susanna was a pretty girl, said to be the most beautiful of her family. She was slim and graceful and even retained her figure to her old age. She was cultured, gracious and had a good measure of wit. She had her convictions and fearlessly stuck to them.

Susanna married and settled down tending to her family. She had few idle moments. Mehetabel or Hetty arrived during the first year, followed in rapid succession by five other babies, all of whom died. Susanna lost nine of her nineteen children before they reached maturity.

Susanna and Samuel's home was like a beehive. As soon as her children could speak they were taught the Lord's prayer, and they were made to recite it at rising and bedtime. They were taught to be still at family prayers, and to ask politely for what they wanted. According to modern American standards we would call it a rigid home with lots of rules.

Yet, nowhere is there a record of resentment on the part of the Wesley children. All the children point to a mother who trained them in the Word of God. There was not a greater force upon the nation of England than her sons John and Charles Wesley. John Wesley "represents the force which has most profoundly affected English history" in the 18^th century. Her son Charles probably wrote more hymns than any other composer of Christian music did.

Susanna Wesley wrote, "I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified."

Mothering may be old fashioned and out of date for some modern people. It is ashamed that many fulltime mothers are made to blush and feel ashamed when asked to state their occupation. There is no higher honor or occupation than that of being a full time mom.

Someone said motherhood takes 180 movable parts, 3 pairs of hands, 3 sets of eyes and the grace of God. My mother's daily prayer when I was a teen was, "God help you if you ever do that again!" When our daughters were young my wife was often accused of having eyes behind her head.

There is no greater thrill in life, than to point to your wonderful mother and be able to say with all your heart to all the world, "That's my mother!"

My mother was always sacrificing. It is a characteristic of a graceful mother. She is always giving. A mature mother's love reminds me of grace. The very essence of divine grace is sacrificial giving. The story of redemption is indispensably linked to the subject of giving. The appropriate test of love is self-sacrifice. It always puts our love to test and proves it. Christ gave Himself for you; therefore you may well be expected to sacrifice yourself for others. THE MOTIVE OF OUR GIVING IS THE GRACE OF GOD. "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . " (v. 9a). Our English word grace comes from a family of words largely translated love, mercy, kindness, favor, thanksgiving and pity. They reflect some aspect of "grace." The word Greek word charis always means love, charm and beauty. It is a lovely thing. A charming woman is a graceful loving person. It describes "a free gift freely given." It is something given in the overflowing love from the heart. The recipient does not deserve it, and could never earn, or achieve the gift. The "grace" is the "unmerited, spontaneous love" of Jesus Christ for the sinner. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the basis of our salvation, a right relationship with God that comes to the believer as an unearned gift. It is the sheer generosity of the love of God to the believing sinner. Christ gave Himself for us. The very perfection of grace is summed up in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we thank of the grace of giving no one has ever demonstrated such grace in comparison. He who was rich gave it all up and became exceedingly poor that He could bestow it upon undeserving recipients. The beauty of His life is He held back nothing. You know the "grace," the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know the beauty of the undeserved love of God that has been given to you, which you could never earn. The grace of the Lord Jesus was manifested by His becoming poor on our behalf. What is that "grace," that beauty, charm and loveliness of our Lord Jesus Christ? It is the free, divine, unmerited favor of God bestowed upon sinful and undeserving man. God gives us what we do not deserve. "Our Lord" is the supreme and absolute Lord who is the sovereign of the universe. He is "our Lord." Because we belong to Him, He belongs to us in that He provides care, protection and support to His people. He is our God anointed Savior. Unselfish giving mothers Not only is Christ our savior, but He is also the perfect model of sacrificial giving in motherhood. There must be a certain loveliness in the Christian mother. There is no beauty like giving. And there is nothing more beautiful than a gracious mother. There is no charm more attractive than an unselfish generous heart of a loving mother. The most beautiful mothers are those who are constantly giving "undeserved generosity." How often we do not deserve being treated with the unmerited generosity of our mothers.

Mothers who are loved and cherished are those who are always unselfishly giving. The kind of love we are thinking about here is that which always seeks the highest good in the other person. It is a selfless love. It is the love of a mother when she hurts, and is weary and exhausted. It is the love she has when she has to discipline the rowdy and disrespectful.

No greater example of that perfect love can be found anywhere than in the act of Jesus Christ becoming a servant.

A RICH MAN BECAME A PAUPER                                                     

Jesus was rich.

"Though He was [exceedingly] rich, yet for your sake He became poor" (v. 9b).

Jesus as the pre-incarnate Son of God had everything. He was rich in power. He could do anything with the universe He had created. He was rich in glory which He had with the Father (John 17:5). The angels were "constantly bowing down" to worship Him and crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 6:3). As the Son of God, the Second Person of the Godhead, Jesus was rich in "the actual and constant possession of all divine prerogatives" (Charles Hodge). Even though in Him was the fullness of the Godhead with all of its rights and possessions, He chose on His own to become poor. It was His own volitional choice. He chose to do the Father's will. Cf. Philippians 2:6.

"Jesus Christ is the Son who was sent, the One who came, into the world, the Word who became flesh, the Lord who for our sakes impoverished Himself" (Philip Hughes, Second Corinthians, p. 301).

Jesus became poor.

Jesus "became [extremely] poor." He made Himself a beggar. It is the idea of cowering in the abject condition of poverty.

Jesus became poor in the act of becoming man. Paul has in mind the incarnation of Christ, and probably including His death. The greatest of His condescension is in the fact that He should have been born. "Though He shared the Father's glory before the world was created (John 17:5), nevertheless He temporarily laid aside this glory in order to 'be found in fashion as a man'. He did not lay aside His divinity; for there is no doctrine of kenosis, or emptying of His Godhead, to be found here any more than in Philippians 2:7" (R. V. G. Tasker, Second Corinthians, p. 115). Jesus laid aside the glory of His divine majesty. He did not lay aside His deity. He laid aside the manifestation of it while in His incarnate visitation on this earth for 33 years. He was fully God; He was fully man; He was God–man. Jesus laid aside the constant use of His divine attributes, not their possession. "He so far laid aside the glory of His divine majesty, that He was to all appearance a man, and even a servant, so that men refused to recognize Him, as God, but despised, persecuted, and at last crucified Him, as a man. He who was rich in the plentitude of all divine attributes and prerogatives thus became poor, "on your account," out of love to you" (Charles Hodge, Second Corinthians, p. 201). His purpose of becoming poor was that through His poverty you might become rich. He did it because He wants what is best for you. Isn't that the heart of a mother! As parents, we love our children and we want what is the very best for them.

"The Lord was manifested in human flesh in order to take away sin (1 John 3:5); and the taking away of sin involved His taking upon Himself the role of the suffering Servant, and being the Son of man who had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), and who was to die without a single possession; even the clothes He wore were stripped off Him by the soldiers responsible for His execution" (Tasker, p. 115).

Jesus gave it all up. Instead of being worshipped, "He was despised and rejected by men . .. we esteemed Him not… he was stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:3-4). Jesus was obedient to death. There were "no reserves, no half-measures, no conditions, no holding back." Jesus gave His all. Jesus poured out everything He had in a demonstration of His love for the sinner. It was a demonstration of His love for His enemies. He freely gave all that He had, not expecting anything in return. He descended from highest heaven to the grave. No one was richer than He was; none became poorer than He did.

When "all His disciples left Him and went to their own homes, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives." He had no place to go, no table, no bed on which to lay His head. He became the poorest of paupers.

Jesus held nothing back. He poured out everything He had on the cross at Calvary. All that He could call His own He gave up for you and me. "Having loved His own [disciples], He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). And one of those whom He loved to the very end was Judas. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8-10). We were God's enemies, we were helpless sinners and He came to give Himself for us.

He sacrificed Himself for us. We were rebels at heart, hostile toward God, living selfish lives, and He died for us. Can you think of a more profound mother's day gift? Oh, mothers, this is how much God loves you. Never again question God's love for you. He has demonstrated it once and for all. Christ came and died for you. In deed, after Jesus rose from the dead we find the mother of Jesus, who had suffered so terribly watching Him die on the cross, with a group of 120 believers. She is worshipping Him as her Savior and God.

Ray Stedman asked an inditing question in our day, "Is it not strange that we who call ourselves Christians seek to live as kings, but He who was the King of Kings lived like a pauper?" How much does it cost us to give? It cost Jesus everything.

THE PAUPERS BECAME RICH

The purpose of Jesus' poverty was to make paupers rich.

"Though He was [exceedingly] rich, yet for your sake He became [extremely] poor, so that by His poverty you might become [exceedingly] rich (v. 9b, c). "Believers have become rich in the possession of that glory which Christ laid aside, or concealed" (Hodge). It was by His poverty that we have been made rich.

You have become rich.

For every individual who accepts by faith the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for their sins there is the blessed assurance that "one day they share in the very glory which He had laid aside precisely in order that He might die the death by which alone He could redeem them" (Tasker).

You are rich in His grace and mercy. You are rich in an intimate love relationship with God. You are rich in the Holy Spirit indwelling in you, filing you, guiding you, empowering you. You are rich in His love. Cf. Romans 8; Ephesians 1:3. You are exceedingly rich! We have been made rich as partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It is divine because of its source and its nature. Jesus said in John 17:22, "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one." Romans 8:17 tells us since we are His children, we are "heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ." Wow! Paupers, no! Exceedingly rich, in deed.

Why has He been so generous in making us exceedingly rich?

We have become exceedingly rich, so that we too might become extremely poor in order to make other people exceedingly rich.

This is how grace transforms us. When the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ captures our hearts and we yield ourselves to Him, we suddenly realize that though we are rich, yet for the sake of others we choose to become poor that they through our poverty might be rich. Anything else is cheap grace. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

No one can enter into the meaning of this great verse without being willing to sacrifice himself for others. Cf. 1 John 3:17. If Christ's self-sacrificing love has arrested the believer then it is unnecessary to command anyone to give. Grace transforms giving into a joyous privilege. Paul doesn't have to command the Corinthians to give because they are constrained by the love of God. No one has to tell you to sacrifice for your children, or your family, or your church. When you are overwhelmed by the grace of God, you can do no other.

Perhaps I speak to a mother who has given, and given, and given and you are close to depleting all your emotional, spiritual and personal resources. You feel weary and worn. You know what it is like to love the unlovely. You have entered into the pain of being despised and rejected by the ones you love. You don't deserve the pain and emotional suffering you are going through, but you keep reaching out in unmerited love. To a limited extent you have entered into the suffering of Christ. In a limited way you have entered into and understand His suffering and what He goes through with each of us.

That is what the grace of God does to the prodigal son, daughter, mother and father.

We see your beauty when you listen to our hurts and when you hear what we don't say. We see your beauty when you laugh under pressure, even though it is inappropriate. We see your beauty when your smile covers the pain of a thousand worries and concerns.

How do you keep on giving where there is no more to give?

How do you continue to give when mothering wears thin! "Don't become weary in well doing." Come back to the cross and the resurrected Christ and draw more strength by abiding in Christ. You can only make others rich by drawing from the deep well of God's grace to you. Because He has made you rich in His grace you can give and give and give, even when you have exhausted your supply of strength.

You and I need the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ daily. I get that supply of grace by exchanging it by handing my need over to Him. I give Him my anxiety and He gives me His peace and security. God's grace is always coming to my heart and life in a very wonderful and blessed experience.

Allan Redpath said, "Yesterday's grace is totally inadequate for the burden of today, and if I do not learn to lay hold of heavenly resources every day of my life for the little things as well as the big things, as a Christian I soon become stale, barren, and fruitless in the service of the Lord. . . This is the moment in which God's grace is available to me, in any emergency and in any situation. Thank heaven that whatever the surprises, disappointments, and problems that may come to me at any moment of any day, I do not have to look back and say, 'What did the preacher say last Sunday that I should do at this moment?'" (Alan Redpath, Blessings out of Buffetings, p. 112-113). Christ gives the believer a daily supply of grace that never runs out.

How do you do it mothers? Charles Inwood said, "It is a constant appropriation of a constant supply from Jesus Christ Himself. As I believe, I receive; and as I go on believing, I go on receiving." Draw daily, moment by moment from your riches in Christ. If you don't you will become barren, stale, worn out emotionally and spiritually and take it out on everyone else. You will wind up taking it out on your kids, your spouse and loved ones rather than giving them more grace.

Because you are rich in the grace of Christ you have grace sufficient at every moment to meet every need. Moment by moment lay hold of the heavenly supply of your riches in Christ. As you give yourself away, you are renewed day by day in the inner person. When you have come to the end of your day of giving yourself away each night you go to bed so poor that you have not one drop of grace left. All the grace of God for that day has gone and you are exhausted and without any reserve for tomorrow. When you get up the next morning to be filled again with God's daily grace and you are once again can give and give and give again. As Redpath wrote, "in the process of being poor, he is making many rich: and though he possesses apparently nothing, yet he has access to the treasure in heaven, and nothing can ever touch that or ever take it away" (p. 117). This is the principle upon which God dispenses His grace. Jesus set the example. He gives to you and you become rich so that you can become poor by giving it away so others can become rich.

God watches you in the kitchen, He watches you in the home, He watches you with your spouse and longs to make you rich through His poverty so that you can invest those riches in those you come in contact with so they can become rich through your poverty. He does this so you will daily come back to Him for more grace. He is always ready to give you more grace.

Some Abiding Principles for Today

• When we give ourselves in total abandonment to Jesus Christ we will be abandoned to accomplish His will in our homes. Christ made a total commitment, a total surrender, to do the will of God in the provision of our salvation, what more can we do than give our total self in total abandonment to accomplish His will?

• Only when we permit the Holy Spirit to ignite the fire in our hearts that comprehends the love shed abroad by the Holy Spirit will we rise to the challenge and opportunities God has given to us. That is true in our individual lives as well as our church.

• With such a tremendous example of giving before us in the person of Jesus Christ, how can we possible hold back from giving our very best in sacrificial giving?

• Philip Hughes said it well: " . . . if He did all this for me, then nothing I give or do for Him can be too much; such love constrains me; redeemed at incalculable cost, I am no longer my own; all that was mine is now His, for Him to make of us in accordance with His holy purposes" (p. 300).

• When the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ captures our hearts and we yield ourselves to Him, we suddenly realize that though we are exceedingly rich, yet for the sake of others we choose to become extremely poor that they through our poverty they might be exceedingly rich.

Do you know someone who needs an extra touch of grace? God has made you rich in His grace to give yourself away. In His grace we can give, and give, and give again.

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The Secrets of a Spiritually Prosperous Life

What are the essentials of a growing mature intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ?

Christ is the author of God’s kind of life in the believer. It is the normal Christian life.

Vance Havner once said, “We are so subnormal that if we came up to normal, the world would think we were abnormal.” And so it does.

In order to have God’s kind of life we must become acutely aware of our spiritual need.

THERE MUST BE AN AWARENESS OF OUR SPIRITUAL NEED.

Has the Holy Spirit made me aware of my spiritual poverty?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:30). Jesus used a powerful word for “poverty” meaning such a person would literally starve to death if he doesn’t get immediate sustenance. The person described is an absolute pauper; he is the lowest kind of beggar. His life depends upon his begging for every piece of food.

Of course, Jesus wasn’t speaking of physical needs, but spiritual poverty. We can’t even become Christians without a sense of our spiritual poverty. Every individual must come to a deep consciousness of his sinfulness and a realization that without Christ he is lost and does not know the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Therefore, we must each one turn from our sins and unbelief and ask Jesus Christ to be our Savior. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

This is how our new life in Christ begins, but it does not end there. It is only the beginning. Jesus came to give us more than an insurance policy. He came to give us abundant life which is the kind of life God has. Are you thirsty? Moreover, this principle of realizing our spiritual poverty is not only true of the person who has never become a Christian, but it is also true of believers. We grow spiritually as we become aware of our personal needs and turn them over the Christ. John 7:37 refers to Jesus in the Temple on the last day of the great feast of the Tabernacles. On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:37-39). Psalm 63:1-2, vividly reminds us of this truth. Oh God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.  Do you have this spiritual hunger to be more like Jesus Christ? Do you thirst for a more intimate fellowship with Christ? Hungering and thirsting leads us to true happiness. THERE MUST BE AGONY OF THE SOUL BECAUSE OF THE AWARENESS OF OUR NEED. Have you mourned over your spiritual poverty? “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Jesus used a strong word meaning to mourn as if one is mourning for the dead. The conviction of spiritual need becomes so powerful in the soul that the individual mourns over his condition. It is to feel the pain, sting, and hurt of the realization that I am not as good as I thought I was. There is a sense of spiritual poverty and the agony of it. Have you died to self-interest, selfishness and arrogant pride? Dying to self is a painful process. But death to self is the way to the fullness of life in Christ.

There is no other way but the way of the cross. Have I grieved and mourned over my spiritual condition? Do I see myself as a dead man? Do I mourn spiritually over my spiritual need as one who mourns over the death of a loved one? “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Previously Paul had stated, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (2:20).

Not only must we become aware of our spiritual need, and grieve over it, we must abandon ourselves to Jesus Christ. There is awareness of our need, agony over it and abandonment to Christ as our only hope.

THERE MUST BE ABANDONMENT TO THE SAVIOR.

Has the Holy Spirit brought you to the place where you are sick of self? Our narcissistic filled society puts the emphasis on I, me and mine. We must come to the end of our selfishness. Our fleshy, sinful nature wants to worship self rather than the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul in Romans 6:13 says, “do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

One of the verses I first memorized after I committed my life to Christ was Romans 12:1-2. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Such a spiritual transformation comes through an intense hunger and thirst for God. Do I hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). It is to have such an intense hunger and thirst that you want the whole thing. You want the last bit of bread and the last drop of water because you are so thirsty. Do you want the righteousness of God in like manner?

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Do Christ and His righteousness have the highest priority in my life? Do I want at all personal costs to be in a right relationship with God?

There must be a wholehearted unreserved abandonment to Jesus Christ. Am I willing to get serious with God and the Christian life? The normal Christian life is one in which the Holy Spirit is appropriated by faith to reveal Christ at work in us. 

What is the spiritual need the Holy Spirit keeps pointing to in my life? Am I willing to agonize and grieve over the awareness of that need? Have I abandoned myself to Jesus Christ as the only hope for spiritual vitality? Am I willing to appropriate the presence of the Holy Spirit moment by moment? 

THERE MUST BE THE APPROPRIATION BY FAITH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

It is not legalism.

Our fellowship with the Spirit of God is by faith, and not by works. “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:2) One of the great lessons we learn in Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia is that the Spirit does not respond to methods, programs and man’s gimmicks. He is a person and He must be treated as a person.

It is a daily blessing.

It is not a “second blessing” type of experience. It is a daily blessing. It is our response to the Holy Spirit creating in our lives a hunger for Christ to be preeminent. Has the Holy Spirit revealed Christ in you? Has He revealed Christ deep in your inner soul?

The apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus that God “would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Then at that point Paul just breaks out with a great doxology. “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:16-21).

Paul couldn’t find words fast enough to communicate what was flashing through his mind. Literally, “But to Him who is able above all things to do exceedingly above . . .” God’s blessings exceed some number or measure, over and above, more than necessary. It is intensified by adding a preposition ek, adding “the idea of exhaustlessness,” and huper, “above.” His grace goes “beyond all things, superabundantly, and over and above.”  Marvelous is God’s provision. And just to think, these promises are good forever. This grace will never come to an end.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be severely tested. He was tempted to use the power of the Spirit to change stones into bread to satisfy His real hunger. Why did Jesus refuse to do so? He knew that the power that filled Him was power to do the Father’s will, not His own will. The presence of the Holy Spirit equipped Him to triumphantly complete the mission His Father had given Him to do, even if that involved hunger, pain and suffering. He had nothing to prove and nothing to lose.  

Simon the magician in Acts 8:9-23 was a crude dude who wanted lights, camera, and action. Now he would have done just the opposite of Christ. He would have been prime time news tonight.

By simple faith we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit equips us to fulfill God’s eternal purpose in our lives. In that equipping process He conforms us to the image and likeness of Christ so that we can be His messengers to a lost and dying world.  

Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 3:5). This “gentleness” of which Jesus speaks is strength. It is the strength of a wild stallion under perfect control of its bridle. It is the absence of pride. It is power under control. Such a person is a God–controlled man. He is under the control of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit–controlled life is a complete breach with the old ways of life dominated by our sinful nature. It demands faith and commitment to Christ. It is a call to continual reliance on the Holy Spirit for daily living. On the negative side, the crucifixion of the flesh is not something any one of us can do by ourselves. We need help. The Helper comes along our side to give us His strength.

The exchanged life is a life of faith.

Just as we were saved by faith in Christ, we also live the Christian life by faith in Him. It is by simple faith that we live from day to day the kind of life that pleases Him.

The apostle Paul in Romans 8:13 said, “If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Paul is reminding us that this is a continual reliance on the person of the Holy Spirit who dwells within our bodies because we are now His temples. Moreover in Galatians 5:16-25 Paul tells us that we are to “walk in the Spirit” (v. 16). If we are to continually walk in the Sprit we must be “led by the Spirit” because He does the leading (v. 18). He leads and we walk with Him hand in hand. That is what it means to “live in the Spirit” (v. 25). Therefore, He is in control of our lives. That is what it means to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). When someone is “filled” with wine he is under the influence, or control of the alcohol content. When we are “filled” with the Spirit we are under His control. It is a daily, moment-by-moment, relationship with Him. When He is in control we experience Spirit–controlled worship (vv. 19-21), Spirit–controlled home life (vv. 5:22-6:9) and Spirit–controlled warfare and witnessing (vv. 10-20). It is a walk of faith.

“I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The one who justifies us by faith also sanctifies us. He gives us His strength, joy, love, steadfastness, and self-control. As we give Him our weakness, He gives us His strength. We hand over our guilt and He gives us His forgiveness. He sustains us with His peace as we hand over our stress, anxiety and inner struggles. We hand Him our faithlessness and He gives us faith. He gives us His power in place of our weakness.

"And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, ‘I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people’" (2 Corinthians 6:16, NET). How do we live in His abundance? “I will live in them and will walk among them.”

Following this appropriation by faith of the Holy Spirit there is a moment-by-moment abiding by faith in Christ.

THERE MUST BE AN ABIDING BY FAITH IN THE SAVIOR.

This is a mutual abiding.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).  

Lord Jesus, will I see You today? Remind me of Your steadfast presence. “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” That is the hardest lesson for most Christians to learn. And there is no other way to live the Christian life.

Abiding is obedience to His will.

“The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:24). If I love Him I will have no problem with my attitude toward keeping His commandments. It is a matter of the heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). When the heart is right we abide in Him and we sense His presence.

Abiding is not striving or struggling.

“Remain in Me and I in you,” said Jesus. This is a living relationship. It is not striving or struggling. It is resting in the Him. It is a matter of surrender. It is making ourselves available to Him so that He can live His life in and through us. This is a life of obedience responding to His love.

Hudson Taylor’s says it best: "When my agony of soul was as its height a sentence in a letter was used to remove the scales form my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before . . . “But how do you get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” As I read I saw it all! “If we believe not, He abideth faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw and when I saw, oh, how the joy flowed!) that He had said, “I will never leave you.” “Ah, there is rest!” I thought. I’ll strive in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide with me––never to leave me, never to fail me? And, He never will!"

Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus.

The Amplified Bible on Hebrews 12:1-3 reads as follows:

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance––unnecessary weight––and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher, [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps. 110:1]. Just think on Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself––reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials––so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

THE EXCHANGED LIFE IS A LIFE OF ABUNDANCE.

How quick we are to try to put the cart before the horse. You can’t get happiness, joy, abundance without first receiving His righteousness. Happiness is a byproduct. Joy is the outcome of His life in us. Abundance in spiritual life is the result of Christ in us. It is not doing, it is receiving. J. B. Phillips paraphrased Philippians 4:13, “I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.” That is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” I am sufficient because Christ lives in me.

Jesus compared it to a river overflowing.

John 7:37-39, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

It is full of abundance. John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The secret is that His sheep hear His voice and obey Him. “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:4). Am I sensitive to His voice? Is my ear quick to hear the sound of His presence? Who knows what He will say or where He will lead us if we only make ourselves available to Him.

We become invincible.

Jesus described the change in our lives when we are allowing Him to exchange our inadequacy for His all sufficiency. He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:9-12).  

That is the only way we can ever be salt and light in a spiritually dark and corrupt world.

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"JESUS, MY LORD"

INTRODUCTION

1. The expression "My Lord" is used but a few times in reference to
   Jesus...
   a. David wrote, "The LORD said to my Lord..." - Ps 110:1
   b. Mary said, "...they have taken away my Lord" - Jn 20:13
   c. Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" - Jn 20:28
   d. Paul wrote, "...Christ Jesus my Lord" - Php 3:8

2. Yet it is important that every Christian...
   a. Thinks of Jesus as "My Lord"
   b. Appreciates what it means to have Jesus as "My Lord"

[To help us better understand what it means to have Jesus as "My Lord",
let's consider the title of our study ("Jesus, My Lord") and focus our
thoughts on each word, beginning with "Lord"...]

I. JESUS, MY "LORD"

   A. THE WORD FOR LORD IS USUALLY "KURIOS"...
      1. Related to the word "kuros" meaning "power"
      2. Variously translated "master", "owner"
      3. Describes one having "power" or "authority"
      -- Certainly Jesus has such power or authority - cf. Mt 28:18

   B. ANOTHER WORD FOR LORD IS "DESPOTES"...
      1. From which we get the word "despot"
         a. Today it is often used in a bad sense
         b. E.g., "a person exercising power abusively, oppressively, or
            tyrannously"
      2. Its primary definition is "a ruler with absolute power or
         authority"
         a. Used in reference to God - Lk 2:29; Ac 4:24; Re 6:10
         b. Used in reference to Christ - 2Ti 2:21 (Master); 2Pe 2:1
            (Lord)
      -- Stronger than "kurios", for it speaks of having "absolute"
         power and authority

[Who has the power or authority to claim to be MY master, MY owner?  The
Christian should answer...]

II. "JESUS," MY LORD

   A. JESUS IS TO BE MY LORD...
      1. As He Himself taught His disciples - Jn 13:13
      2. The apostle Peter also proclaimed Jesus as Lord
         a. To the Jews on Pentecost - Ac 2:36
         b. To the Gentiles at Cornelius' home - Ac 10:36
      3. The apostle Paul also proclaimed Jesus as Lord
         a. By virtue of His death and resurrection - Ro 14:9
         b. To Christians, Jesus is the only Lord - 1Co 8:6; Ep 4:5
      -- Jesus is the one who is our "kurios", our "despotes" (our Lord
         and Master)

   B. THIS RULES OUT ANY OTHER "LORDS"...
      1. Such as my self
         a. I.e., my own will - cf. Ga 2:20
         b. No, we must deny self and follow Jesus as Lord - Lk 9:23-24
      2. Such as my flesh
         a. I.e., my own fleshly desires - cf. Ga 5:24
         b. No, we must crucify the flesh, and look to Jesus as our
            example - Col 3:1-11
      3. Such as the world
         a. I.e., anything outside my self which would lead me away from
            the Lord - Ga 6:14
         b. This would include such things as:
            1) Work and family - Lk 14:15-24,25-27
            2) Philosophy and traditions of men - Col 2:6-10
      4. Such as our brethren
         a. Certainly we are to submit to one another - cf. Ep 5:21
         b. But some seem to fear their brethren more than they fear the
            Lord!
            1) E.g., watch their language and conduct in the presence of
               brethren
            2) E.g., attend services only to please the brethren, or get
               them off their back
      -- While we may submit to those in authority (e.g., husbands,
         elders, government), it is because we have made Jesus our "one
         Lord" above all others!

[Many Christians live as though their self, their flesh, the world, or
their brethren were their "master" or "owner".  It may help to avoid
this divided loyalty if we truly make...]

III. JESUS, "MY" LORD

   A. THINKING OF JESUS AS "MY" LORD...
      1. Thinking of Jesus, not simply as:
         a) "The" Lord, as easily professed by those who simply accept
            Jesus intellectually
         b) "Our" Lord, as often professed by those whose acceptance of
            Jesus is influenced primarily by one's environment (parents,
            spouses, brethren, etc.)
      2. Thinking of Jesus as "my" Lord"
         a) Making it a more personal commitment to His authority and
            power
         b) Making it more likely that as individuals we will heed what
            He says - Lk 6:46
      -- Jesus will not be our true master and Lord unless we view Him
         as "my" Lord!

   B. ATTITUDE OF JESUS AS "MY" LORD...
      1. Involves a disdain for the things of the world - cf. Php 3:7-8
         a. Such as popularity, prestige, family
         b. Willing to suffer loss of these things if necessary
         c. Consider such things as rubbish in contrast to our Lord
            Jesus
      2. Involves a consuming desire to know Christ - cf. Php 3:8-11
         a. To know Him personally
         b. To know His righteousness
         c. To know His power
         d. To know His sufferings
      3. Involves constantly pressing on toward perfection - cf. Php 3:
         12-14
         a. Not complacent in one's service to Christ
         b. Not satisfied with one's level of spiritual growth
         c. Willing to leave the past behind
            1) Neither glorying in past accomplishments
            2) Nor wallowing in past failures
         d. Reaching forward, pressing toward the goal
      -- Paul's attitude demonstrates the attitude of one who has truly
         made Jesus "my" Lord, the attitude of maturity as a disciple of
         Jesus! - cf. Php 3:15

CONCLUSION

1. Such is the attitude of one who really has made Jesus...
   a. "My" Lord!
   b. "My" Master!
   c. "My" Owner!

2. What is Jesus to you...?
   a. You might acknowledge Him as "the" Lord
   b. You might join others in praising Him as "our" Lord
   -- Have you submitted to Him such that you can rightly say, "Jesus,
      MY Lord"?

3. Jesus would have us accept Him as Lord...
   a. For He has all authority, and expects us to observe what He
      commands - cf. Mt 28:18-20
   b. Yet He warned of those who profess His Lordship, but fail to truly
      demonstrate it - cf. Mt 7:21-23

Are you doing the Father's will, and so demonstrating that Jesus is
truly "your" Lord?

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7 Steps to Financial Freedom

Most people approach financial freedom by responding rather than planning. Planning your finances, rather than responding to alternatives presented to you, is a far more secure path to achieving your long-term financial needs. Below is a sequential strategy that revolves around achieving a positive cash flow margin and then making decisions regarding the use of this marigin.

Step 1: Pay off all your high interest debts first, like credit cards and hire purchase. Repay your mortgage as fast as you can, and you'll end up paying thousands of dollars less overall. Not having to pay that interest is, in effect, the same as achieving the same rate of return on any monies invested by you.

Step 2: Save for an emergency fund. Save a 'cash cushion' of 2-3 month’s income (this is worth doing even if you're paying off a mortgage, but not if you've got high interest credit card debt). This will help cover you if the car breaks down, or if you lose your job, or any unexpected major expense. This becomes, in effect, your own bank. Once the money is "borrowed", it should of course by replaced as sson as possible.

Step 3: Draw up a budget and stick to it. You should spend less than you earn, so cut costs and/or find ways to increase your income, rather than borrowing to pay bills or to pay for consumer items. Borrow only what you need, and know the true cost of your debts. The true cost of your debt can be significantly higher, eg. interest payments can greatly increase the total cost of a purchase.

Step 4: Once you've paid off your high interest debts, start regular saving for the short term. Short term savings include savings for a deposit, a holiday or a lump sum to invest. Set aside about 6 months' living expenses in a interest-bearing money market fund account.

Step 5: Know your net worth. Your net worth is the difference between what you own and what you owe. Set goals to increase it. Protect your assets. Buy the right amount of insurance, make a will, and see if a trust is right for you.

Step 6: Set long term goals, especially a financial plan for your retirement. Aim for financial indepedence, save for your children's college education, and plan to increase your cash-flow margin.

Step 7: Consider investing to make your money work for you. By this time, you should have met all your financial goals. Many people simply jump to this step without taking steps prior to this, and live with the high risk of losing it all.

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Eight Principles Of Spiritual Prosperity-Wil Pounds

"Blessed" (Matthew 5:3)  "Blessed are the poor in spirit . . ." (Matthew 5:3) "Blessed are those who mourn. . . " (Matthew 5:4)  "Blessed are the gentle . . . " (Matthew 5:5) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . ." (Matthew 5:6) "Blessed are the merciful . . . " (Matthew 5:7). "Blessed are the pure in heart . . . " (Matthew 5:8). "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9). "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness" (Matthew 5

Here are eight vital principles for living the Christian life found in Matthew 5:3–12. These are Bible based principles that will enable you to become all that God fully intended you to be in Christ. Jesus used the word "blessed" to describe the inner condition of a believer who has a right relationship with God. It is identified with pure character. This spiritually prosperous person can live above the chances, changes and circumstances that come into his life. He does not depend upon appearance, performance and status for self–verification. His personal being is grounded in a love relationship with Christ Jesus. Read Ephesians 1:1-14 and observe how the God–head provides our security, significance and sufficiency. The Spiritually Prosperous Person. Jesus Christ is our best example of the spiritually prosperous person. The night of His crucifixion He spent the evening comforting and preparing His disciples for His death. When He needed encouragement He went to the Mount of Olives to pray. In Gethsemane He took Peter, James and John aside and “began to be grieved and distressed” (Matthew 26:37). He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.Â’ Then Jesus went a little further and “fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass form Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.’” When He came back after a period of prayer He found them sleeping. It must have added to His agony of spirit as He fought the battle alone. “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?” Then He added, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is wiling, but the flesh is weak.” Then Jesus returned to the place where He was praying alone and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done” (v. 42). When Jesus returned to the three He found their eyes heavy in sleep, so He returned and third time and prayed. Moments later, “all the disciples left Him and fled” as Jesus was led away to the high priest for trial and crucifixion. Jesus lived above the chances, changes and circumstances of the hour. He knew only one thing: “Not my will, Thy will be done!” He drew His strength from the FatherÂ’s presence. He could say with confidence and security, “But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled” (v. 56). That is the spiritually prosperous man. 1. I HAVE A PROBLEM. I have a problem and it is really worse than I ever thought. This is where the Holy Spirit makes me aware of my spiritual needs. He brings conviction of sinful behavior, sinful attitudes, non–biblical values. This can be a time of sincere searching in the Christian’s heart. It is a continuous process, and it never stops. The promise is that the poor in spirit will receive the "kingdom of heaven." Indeed we can never become Christians without this sense of spiritual poverty. 2. THE GIFT OF MOURNING. This is my emotional response to becoming aware of my deep spiritual needs. It is my response to personal loss. What is my attitude toward my spiritual poverty? I am not as good as I thought I was. I need help now. Cf. Romans 7. The promise to those who mourn is they shall be "comforted." 3. THE SPIRIT–CONTROLLED PERSON. The Lord God provides the power to change and grow. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life and ministry. We have all the resources available to us that we need to bring about the necessary changes in our lives. Cf. Romans 8. The promise is we shall "inherit the earth." 4. HOW BADLY DO I WANT TO CHANGE? Do you really want to change in these areas where the Holy Spirit has brought conviction? How badly? Is it bad enough to "hunger and thirst" for the righteousness of God? The promise is we will be "satisfied." 5. YOU GET BACK WHAT YOU GIVE. The emphasis here is on the reciprocation of attitudes. When you give mercy you get mercy back. When you judge you will be judged in return. When you are hostile you get hostility in return. This principle is found throughout the Scriptures (Cf. Matthew 7:1–2, 12; Luke 6:31, 37; Matthew 6:14, 15; Proverbs 11:17; 15:1, 18; Galatians 6:9; II Corinthians 9:6–9; Galatians 5:14, etc.) The mature Christian also has the strength to change what he receives from others, even if it is meant to be evil, and use it for the good of the Kingdom. I Peter 3:8–11. We do not have to parrot back what we get if it is negative, or even hostile. We can be God–controlled men and women. We can give them back what they need, not what they deserve. We can exchange anger, hostility, rejection, etc. for what is best for the other person. The promise is we will receive "mercy." 6. THE RENEWING OF THE WHOLE PERSON. God has provided His means of cleansing the whole person. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). This catharsis is God’s way of cleansing the "heart" (Matthew 15:11-20). Here is a principle for dealing with hostility, resentments, guilt, fear, etc. The promise is that we will "see God." 7. THE ACTIVE MAKERS OF PEACE. It is the active process of bringing reconciliation with God, yourself and others. The promise is that we will be "called sons of God." Every time we take the Gospel out of the realm of self–edification and share it with others we are peacemakers. 8. THE ACID TEST OF SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY. How do you know that you are growing spiritually? How do you handle adverse reactions, criticism, rejection, or persecution? The promise to the persecuted is the "kingdom of heaven."

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Sermons for Father's Day

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 - "A Word for Christian Fathers"

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[Members: Please see 2 Corinthians 5 the sermon titled "A Word for Christian Fathers"]

You are familiar with the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy's marriage was a saga of bitterness. His wife carped and complained and clung to her grudges until he could not bear the sight of her. When they had been married almost a half a century, sometimes she would implore him to read to her the exquisite, poignant love passages that he had written about her in his diary forty-eight years previously, when they were both madly in love with each other. As he read of the happy days that were now gone forever, they both wept bitterly.

Is there anything sadder than to look back over a lifetime of neglected opportunities--wasted years when love could and should have been nurtured--and regret that you "blew it?" Some of you know what I am talking about.

This is Father's Day. Dads don't get the respect that they used to. Remember "Father Knows Best"? For many fathers, those were the good old days. A few years ago, a college professor conducted a careful, two year study that asked children aged four to six: "Which do you like better, TV or Daddy?"

Forty-six percent of the youngsters indicated that they preferred television.

I like the story about the ten-year-old boy who answered the doorbell at his home one day. When he opened it, there stood a strange man on the porch. The man said, "Son, you don't know me, do you?" The young man said, no, he did not. The man replied, "Well, I am your uncle on your father's side." To which the young fellow replied, "Well, I am glad to meet you, but you are certainly on the losing side."

Dads don't have it as easy as they used to, perhaps. But how important Christian fathers are! A study of church attendance sometime back showed that if both Mom and Dad attended church regularly 72 percent of their children remain faithful to the church. If only Mom attended regularly, only 15 percent remained faithful. So the church is thankful for Christian fathers. And so are Christian mothers, needless to say. The number of young women having to raise children in a single parent household nowadays is startling. Of course, it is not always the mother who is raising the children. Again, we can be thankful for Christian fathers who take on their share of responsibility for nurturing their young.

I do not believe that St. Paul was directing his statement in II Corinthians 5; 17 only toward fathers, or only toward men in general. If he were writing today, I believe that he would have written, "If any PERSON be in Christ, he is a new creation . . ." This great text is for single men and single women, and married persons, and widows and widowers, as well as father and mothers. But in light of this special day, I hope that the fathers will take note…

_______________________

[Members: See the sermon titled "The Love of a Father"]

It is not easy being a father. One cynic, speaking from his own experience, noted that children go through four fascinating stages. First they call you DaDa. Then they call you Daddy. As they mature they call you Dad. Finally they call you collect.

Today we salute fathers. Dads, we love you. The role of a Christian father is more important in today's world than ever before. It is a different roll than in earlier generations. In most households today Dad is called upon to play more of a nurturing role in caring for children. If Mom works outside the home, Dad must take a more active role in doing household chores. Dad is no longer "lord of the castle." Hopefully, however, he has not been reduced to being another of the vassals.

Today's father needs to be nurturing of his children, supportive of his wife, and yet at the same time provide the spiritual leadership of the home that the Bible accords to fathers. It is a rare man, a special kind of man, who can combine all three of these qualities. We salute Christian fathers this day. Your family needs you more than ever before.

The most common image that Jesus used in describing God was that of "Father." It makes me think that Joseph must have been a very special kind of father. We center much of our attention on his mother, Mary, but Joseph must have also combined those very special qualities of strength and gentleness that we associate with Jesus. Jesus had a very keen knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. In the Jewish home it was the father who had the primary responsibility for his son's religious instruction. Of course we know that Jesus had an unique relationship with God. Still, I have to believe that Joseph, though barely mentioned in the Gospel narrative, was probably an influential role model for Jesus. Why else would Jesus have chosen the imagery of "Father" to portray God?

In Matthew 10: 29-31 we have one of the most important Scriptural reminders of the love of our Heavenly Father for His children. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?" Jesus asks, "And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." What a moving testimony to the very intimate love that God has for each of us.

1. Sparrows Do Fall from Skies

2. Life’s Problems are Not Punishment for Our Sins

3. We Never Fall Beyond the Watchful Eye of the Father.

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Priceless Scribbles

Rev. Richard Fairchild tells about a story that appeared years ago in the Christian Reader. It was called “Priceless Scribbles.” It concerns a father who touched his child’s life in an unexpected way. A young boy watched as his father walked into the living room. The boy noticed that his younger brother, John, began to cower slightly as his father entered. The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong. Then he saw from a distance what his brother had done. The younger boy had opened his father’s brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page with a pen.

Staring at their father fearfully, both brothers waited for John’s punishment. Their father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully and then sat down, without saying a word. Books were precious to him; he was a minister with several academic degrees. For him, books were knowledge. What he did next was remarkable, says the author of this story. Instead of punishing his brother, instead of scolding, or yelling, his father took the pen from the little boy’s hand, and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles that John had made. Here is what that father wrote: “John’s work, 1959, age 2. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal. You have made the book sacred, as have your brother and sister to so much of my life.”

“Wow,” thought the older brother, “This is punishment?” The author of the story, now an adult, goes on to say how that hymnal became a treasured family possession, how it was tangible proof that their parents loved them, how it taught the lesson that what really matters is people, not objects; patience, not judgment; love, not anger.

Richard Fairchild, adapted by King Duncan

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The Patience of a Father

I remember reading about a guy who stopped in the grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a couple of items for his wife. He wandered around aimlessly for a while searching out the needed groceries. As is often the case in the grocery store, he kept passing this same shopper in almost every aisle. It was another father trying to shop with a totally uncooperative three year old boy in the cart.

The first time they passed, the three year old was asking over and over for a candy bar. Our observer couldn't hear the entire conversation. He just heard Dad say, "Now, Billy, this won't take long." As they passed in the nest aisle, the 3-year-old's pleas had increased several octaves. Now Dad was quietly saying, "Billy, just calm down. We will be done in a minute."

When they passed near the dairy case, the kid was screaming uncontrollably. Dad was still keeping his cool. In a very low voice he was saying, "Billy, settle down. We are almost out of here." The Dad and his son reached the check out counter just ahead of our observer. He still gave no evidence of losing control. The boy was screaming and kicking. Dad was very calmly saying over and over, "Billy, we will be in the car in just a minute and then everything will be OK."

The bystander was impressed beyond words. After paying for his groceries, he hurried to catch up with this amazing example of patience and self-control just in time to hear him say again, "Billy, we're done. It's going to be OK." He tapped the patient father on the shoulder and said, "Sir, I couldn't help but watch how you handled little Billy. You were amazing."

Dad replied, "His name is Wesley. I'm Billy!"

Roger W. Thomas, A Father's Faith

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Priorities

A first-grader asked his mother why his Dad brought home a briefcase full of material each night. She explained that he had so much work to do that he couldn't get it all done at the office. The youngster pondered this soberly, then asked, "Well, why don't they put him in a slower group."

Parents, remember this. If you can't say no to some claims, your life will drip away like a leaky faucet. You won't make much of a splash anywhere.

Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

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What Are You Passing On?

At the first church that I pastored, I had the job of mixing feed to supplement my income. For a period of about two weeks, each day that I came home from work, my two boys, ages 2 and 3 would look at me, smile, and would say, "Boy, dad, you sure are dusty!" I would reply, "Yes, I sure am dusty." Then I would get cleaned up.

I didn't think too much of this until I was washing my car and saw my oldest son doing something very strange. He was picking up the gravel and stones that were in our drive and rubbing them into his pants. I asked him, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I want to be dusty like you dad!"

I realized that if a child would look up to his father for being dusty and want to copy his father, a child could look up to his father and follow him for anything. What are you passing on to your son?

Jerry L. Steen

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Is God Like Daddy?

Think of a four-year-old coming home one Sunday after a lesson that taught about God as our Heavenly Father. Sound theology would quickly note that God is neither male nor female, but youngsters do not concern themselves with theological niceties. A four-year-old hears "Father;" the only father he knows anything about is the one that lives with him and says, "Pass the biscuits, please;" so he asks..."Is God like Daddy?" Wow! What a heavy load! But a good load to consider on Fathers' Day...and a good one to consider when we realize that what Daddy is can become a role model for our children's concept of God.

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This Is Not a Race

Clovis Chappell, a great preacher of a previous generation, used to tell the story of two paddleboat steamers. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, crew members made disparaging remarks about the slowness of the other boat. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made.

And the race began. The competition was keen as the boats roared down the Mississippi. One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising crew member took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ovens. Their boat began to catch up, so they made fuel out of more and more cargo. They finally won the race, but in the process they burned their cargo, the very material they had been hired to transport.

Parents, our primary mission is not to win a rat race, but to faithfully care for those persons entrusted to us, especially our children.

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Someone Who Loves You

In his book, Disappointment with God, writer Philip Yancey relates a touching story from his own life. One time on a visit to his mother--who had been widowed years earlier, in the month of Philip's first birthday--they spent the afternoon together looking through a box of old photos. A certain picture of him as an eight-month-old baby caught his eye. Tattered and bent, it looked too banged up to be worth keeping, so he asked her why, with so many other better pictures of him at the same age, she had kept this one.

Yancey writes, "My mother explained to me that she had kept the photo as a memento, because during my father's illness it had been fastened to his iron lung." During the last four months of his life, Yancey's father lay on his back, completely paralyzed by polio at the age of twenty-four, encased from the neck down in a huge, cylindrical breathing unit. With his two young sons banned from the hospital due to the severity of his illness, he had asked his wife for pictures of her and their two boys. Because he was unable to move even his head, the photos had to be jammed between metal knobs so that they hung within view above him--the only thing he could see. The last four months of his life were spent looking at the faces he loved.

Philip Yancey writes, "I have often thought of that crumpled photo, for it is one of the few links connecting me to the stranger who was my father. Someone I have no memory of, no sensory knowledge of, spent all day, every day thinking of me, devoting himself to me, loving me . . . The emotions I felt when my mother showed me the crumpled photo were the very same emotions I felt that February night in a college dorm room when I first believed in a God of love. Someone is there, I realized. Someone is there who loves me. It was a startling feeling of wild hope, a feeling so new and overwhelming that it seemed fully worth risking my life on."

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

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Not Now, Honey

I am going to read a quote to you first and then tell you who said it: A small child waits with impatience the arrival home of a parent. She wishes to relate some sandbox experience. She is excited to share the thrill that she has known that day. The time comes; the parent arrives. Beaten down by the stresses of the workplace the parent often replies: "Not know, honey, I'm busy, go watch television." The most often spoken words in the American household today are the words: go watch television. If not now, when? Later. But later never comes for many and the parent fails to communicate at the very earliest of ages. We give her designer clothes and computer toys, but we do not give her what she wants the most, which is our time. Now, she is fifteen and has a glassy look in her eyes. Honey, do we need to sit down and talk? Too late. Love has passed by.

The person who wrote these words was Robert Keeshan, better known to America as Captain Kangaroo.

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Involved Dads

According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father's involvement with a child increases the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn, and the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an "inner excitement."

Victor Parachin, "The Fine Art of Good Fathering," Herald of Holiness, February 1995, pp. 32-33.

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Mark Twain's Father

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

Mark Twain

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Don't Eat the Forbidden Fruit

Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence didn't extend to God's kids. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was:

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Adam replied

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit." God said.

"Forbidden fruit? We got forbidden fruit?

Hey Eve! We got forbidden fruit!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"DON'T EAT THAT FRUIT!" Said God.

"Why?"

"Because I am your Father and I said so!" said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making elephants.

A few minutes later God saw his kids having an apple break and was angry.

Didn't I tell you not to the fruit?" the First Parent asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?"

"I dunno," Eve answered.

"She started it!" Adam said.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did NOT!"

Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus, the pattern was set and it has never been changed.

Morgan Murray

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What Does A Father Do?

I received a letter from a single mother who had raised a son who was about to become a dad. Since he had no recollection of his own father, her question to me was "What do I tell him a father does?"

When my dad died in my ninth year, I, too, was raised by my mother, giving rise to the same question, "What do fathers do?" As far as I could observe, they brought around the car when it rained so everyone else could stay dry.

They always took the family pictures, which is why they were never in them. They carved turkeys on Thanksgiving, kept the car gassed up, weren't afraid to go into the basement, mowed the lawn, and tightened the clothesline to keep it from sagging.

It wasn't until my husband and I had children that I was able to observe firsthand what a father contributed to a child's life. What did he do to deserve his children's respect? He rarely fed them, did anything about their sagging diapers, wiped their noses or behinds, played ball, or bonded with them under the hoods of their cars.

What did he do?

He threw them higher than his head until they were weak from laughter. He cast the deciding vote on the puppy debate. He listened more than he talked. He let them make mistakes. He allowed them to fall from their first two-wheeler without having a heart attack. He read a newspaper while they were trying to parallel park a car for the first time in preparation for their driving test.

If I had to tell someone's son what a father really does that is important, it would be that he shows up for the job in good times and bad times. He's a man who is constantly being observed by his children. They learn from him how to handle adversity, anger, disappointment and success.

He won't laugh at their dreams no matter how impossible they might seem. He will dig out at 1 a.m. when one of his children runs out of gas. He will make unpopular decisions and stand by them. When he is wrong and makes a mistake, he will admit it. He sets the tone for how family members treat one another, members of the opposite sex and people who are different than they are. By example, he can instill a de

the community when its needs are greater than theirs.

But mostly, a good father involves himself in his kids' lives. The more responsibility he has for a child, the harder it is to walk out of his life.

A father has the potential to be a powerful force in the life of a child. Grab it! Maybe you'll get a greeting card for your efforts. Maybe not. But it's steady work.

Erma Bombeck, Field Enterprises

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FATHER'S DAY: A TRIBUTE

Today is Father's Day. A day of cologne. A day of hugs, new neckties, long-distance phone calls, and Hallmark cards.

Today is my first Father's Day without a father. For thirty-one years I had one. I had one of the best. But now he's gone. He's buried under an oak tree in a west Texas cemetery. Even though he's gone, his presence is very near--especially today.

It seems strange that he isn't here. I guess that's because he was never gone. He was always close by. Always available. Always present. His words were nothing novel. His achievements, though admirable, were nothing extraordinary.

But his presence was.

Like a warm fireplace in a large house, he was a source of comfort. Like a sturdy porch swing or a big-branched elm in the backyard, he could always be found...and leaned upon.

During the turbulent years of my adolescence, Dad was one part of my life that was predictable. Girl friends came and girl friends went, but Dad was there. Football season turned into baseball season and turned into football season again and Dad was always there. Summer vacation, Homecoming dates, algebra, first car, driveway basketball--they all had one thing in common: his presence.

And because he was there life went smoothly. The car always ran, the bills got paid, and the lawn stayed mowed. Because he was there, the laughter was fresh and the future was secure. Because he was there my growing up was what God intended growing up to be; a storybook scamper through the magic and mystery of the world.

Because he was there we kids never worried about things like income tax, savings accounts, monthly bills, or mortgages. Those were the things on Daddy's desk.

We have lots of family pictures without him. Not because he wasn't there, but because he was always behind the camera.

He made the decisions, broke up the fights, chuckled at Archie Bunker, read the paper every evening, and fixed breakfast on Sundays. He didn't do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do--be there.

He taught me how to shave and how to pray. He helped me memorize verses for Sunday school and taught me that wrong should be punished and that rightness has its own reward. He modeled the importance of getting up early and staying out of debt. His life expressed the elusive balance between ambition and self-acceptance.

He comes to mind often. When I smell "Old Spice" aftershave, I think of him. When I see a bass boat I see his face. And occasionally, not too often, but occasionally when I hear a good joke, (the kind Red Skelton would tell), I hear him chuckle. He had a copyright chuckle that always came with a wide grin and arched eyebrows.

Daddy never said a word to me about sex or told me his life story. But I knew that if I ever wanted to know, he would tell me. All I had to do was ask. And I knew if I ever needed him, he'd be there.

Like a warm fireplace.

Maybe that's why this Father's Day is a bit chilly. The fire has gone out. The winds of age swallowed the late splendid flame, leaving only golden embers. But there is a strange thing about those embers...stir them a bit and a flame will dance. It will dance only briefly, but it will dance. And it will knock just enough chill out of the air to remind me that he is still...in a special way...very present.

Max Lucado

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The Flip Side of Love

A lot of damage can occur in a family. Parents can be hurt. Children can be hurt. But there is always hope in a home where forgiveness is present. John R. Aurelio, in his book Colors!, gives us a beautiful portrayal of this side of God.

On the sixth day, God created Father Adam and Mother Eve.

On the seventh day, as God was resting, they asked Him if He would give them something special to commemorate their birthday. So God reached into His treasure chest and took out a sacred coin. Written on it was the word "LOVE."

On the eighth day, Father Adam and Mother Eve sinned. As they left the Garden of Eden, they asked God for an assurance that He would not abandon them.

"You have the coin," He told them.

"But, the coin says LOVE," they answered. "We have lost love. How ever will we find it again?"

"Turn it over," God said...

The conclusion to this illustration and for many additional illustrations and sermons for Father’s Day can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.

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