Put Away Childish Things
Notes
Transcript
Some have used this scripture to prove that we do not speak in tongues anymore because we are not immature in Christ anymore.
Well, that is not a good argument when most of Christians these days are mostly immature.
I want to recognize all the fathers this morning and challenge you at the same time.
Do you know that we are called upon more these days that ever before?
You say that’s not true, TV and government and even the church has become more feminist than ever before.
Well, this is why I say that we are called on more than ever before to step up and be who God intended for us to be and fill the role that God intended for us to fill.
The reason that everyone has come down on us is the same reason that the world is trying to take advantage of the church today, because we let them.
By let them, I mean we do not step in to our role that God has called us to be.
There are things that effect us and cause us no to do this, which is what I want to talk about this morning.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Who Defines You?
Who Defines You?
Who in your life gives you the information that determines who you are?
Where do you get your ideas as to who you are?
Do you have a Dad that gave you valuable information and instruction and examples as to how to do this thing we call being a Dad?
Do you have a Dad that may have been a little less than exemplary and instructed you what not to do or how not to be Dad?
I want to give you something to think about this morning.
Our past cannot be used to excuse our present and our present can determine our future!
What do you have in your past that you have used to excuse why you do what you do?
This is used over and over to explain away why I do what I do.
I have heard many say; “My Dad did “so-n-so” and this is why I do what I do”
While I do say that you as a Father can be a positive influence on your children, but you can also be a negative influence.
But at some point we all have to make a decision to be defined by our past or make an effort to move forward in the will of God for our lives.
What is the definition of a father anyway?
The dictionary defines a Father as the “male parent.”
Doesn’t that make sense?
If all you had to do is be the “male” parent, then things would not be so difficult, would they?
God defines a father a little more in depth:
A man who loves God first!
A man who loves God first!
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you.
God should be the example that defines us!
When we as fathers, seek after the kingdom of God first, then all the things that we seek after now will be added to us.
God has to be first in the life of a Father if he is to be the father that God intended for him to be.
If you do not have a right relationship with God, then all other relationships will suffer!
A man who loves his wife!
A man who loves his wife!
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
When we think of loving our wives, some omit the relationship that requires us as fathers to lay down our lives for them.
This may not mean that we dies a physical death, but maybe to be a Godly Father, you may have to give up a desire of your to spend time working on the relationship with your wife.
The relationship with your wife is second only to your relationship with God!
Do not misunderstand me, but your relationship with you children is NOT more important than your relationship with your wife!
Think about it, if your relationship with your wife is not good, then your influence as a father in tainted!
Take her dates often!
This is a vital ingredient to having a healthy relationship with your wife!
A man who loves his children!
A man who loves his children!
Loving your children does not include giving them everything that they want!
Loving them may mean that they get less than they are getting now!
When we love our children, we are to prepare them for the future that God has for them.
We are to example God the Father to our children.
When we discipline them, we are not to just beat them to make them hurt or cry, but we are to show them that there are consequences for not obeying rules and laws.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
It is better for you to discipline them that wait and let the law do it.
We have to take our jobs as fathers serious and with Godly pride so that our children grow up to be a contributor to society not a burden.
Who Has Influenced You?
Who Has Influenced You?
There are only two that can influence you.
God
Satan
Either of these will be the answer to the question.
Don’t really put the two on the same level, but reality is that God will influence you or Satan will influence you.
When the father that is influenced by satan is met, he is usually the one who walks the road of the world’s way of doing things.
The world can influence you through social media, TV, books, and even the music that you decide to listen to.
When the influence begins, it may be innocent and unsuspecting of what could happen if the lifestyle continues.
The world loves to get you addicted to the lust of the flesh.
Drugs
Alcohol
Pornography
Bad Language
Music
Social Media
These things can distract you from what God is trying to tell you in many cases.
Stats of those that have battled addiction are out there.
Millions of people, young and old have fallen to the spirit of addiction.
When this happens, it destroys families!
Why do we allow the world to influence us to this degree?
It is an appealing to the flesh that we are already battling with daily.
The influence of the world through either one of these ways, can lead to destruction in our lives as well as those that we influence.
This is why it is so important to know who defines us and who influences us.
Our influences can become who we show to others.
1 Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.
2 Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.
This is why we should imitate our God!
The one and true God who sent His son to die on a cross for our sins.
To be influenced by God, is to show love to everyone that we meet.
To be influenced by God is to want to help everyone that we meet.
This is no matter what they have done or what they look like or even how they act.
The love of Christ, that should be in us already, is how we should act towards our families men!
There is a time for discipline and there is a time for playing, and there is a time for instructing, but it should all be done in Love!
How do we get so out of sorts when we lose our way?
The nature of a man is to hold it all inside and to never reveal our feelings to the outside world.
This is why men turn to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of life.
If we would just turn to Jesus and give Him every thing that is weighing us down, He will lift the heavy load so that we can breathe again and do what He has called us to do!
The one who is influenced by God has to actually be in His presence to be influenced by Him.
This means that we should pray often!
This means that we should get into the Word of God often!
This means that we should that we should worship often!
There is a lifestyle that is associated with being like Christ that we have gotten away from as a society, because of the inconvenience of not being able to do what WE want to do!
Father’s should be the strong back bone of the family.
Not physically, but spiritually!
When the enemy comes at your family, he should have to come through you as the head of the house hold.
When the enemy comes and tries to take down one of your children, he should have to fight against the angels of the Lord that have been camped around them because of your prayers!
The power of the enemy can’t even compare to the power of Christ that is within you!
Let the Lord move through you this morning and listen to Him and Him alone!
Who Are You Effecting?
Who Are You Effecting?
The little ones in your house should know who God is by how you act to and around them!
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
This is our job as a Godly Father!
If you are defined by Christ within you and are influenced by the life of Christ to you, then you are obligated to do the same to you children.
Children are gifts from God!
4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; he shall not be ashamed when he speaks with the enemies at the gate.
The children of the Christian home, are the ammunition that we are to train up in the way of the Lord and send them out to take on the enemy.
We must take care of the gifts that God has given us.
They are very special to us and will become our heritage.
Our jobs as fathers is to teach our children the ways of the Lord.
The ways of scripture.
This does not always mean that we have to read to them every day as much as it is that we should be the example to them through our actions and reactions.
Think about it this way, if your children were to look for a spouse like you, would you be ok with that?
God put them in our care to train them up in the way of the Lord and that is what we need to do.
We have gotten to the point now that we have about 80% of our children grow up with out a father in the home.
With out the father figure in the home, we loose an element that can not be replaced by the mother.
No offense to the mothers in the room, but how are our daughters going to know how they are to be treated if they do not have a father to show them.
How are our sons supposed to know how they are to act, if we do not have fathers to show them.
Then we have those that are there that are just not present.
They give them plenty of examples, but mostly of what not to do.
The father in the country need to get back to bringing their families to church and setting that example for them to follow.
God help our fathers that are in need of a touch from the Lord.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
I will touch quickly on this, but fathers are also husbands.
Men, you expect your wife to submit to you, then you have to love them the way that Christ loves the church!
We all know that Christ gave His everything even unto death on the cross!
If Christ gave His life for His Bride (the Church), then we are to give our lives for our brides (your wife).
This is the example that we are to live for our children to see so that they will look for the right spouse that God has for them.
Alter
Alter
Do you feel that you have been defining yourself by the wrong standards?
We can refocus our attention towards Jesus this morning.
Do feel that your influences have not quite been what they should have been?
Are you listening to the world instead of the Holy Spirit?
We can turn our thought and attention back to Christ this morning.
Do you know Jesus as your lord and saviour today?