Fight

“God’s Playbook on Parenting”

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

• Parental don’ts
• • Don’t be absent
  • Don’t be hypocritical
  • Don’t be abusive
  • Don’t be permissive
• Parental do’s
• • Do be jealous
  • Do be angry
  • Do be surrendered
  • Do be sacrificial

A young man, newly married, went to see his pastor.  He said, “I think I love my wife too much.”  The pastor was surprised and a bit curious.  “What makes you say that?”  “Well,” replied the young man, “I can’t get my mind off her.  I think of her first thing in the morning.  I think of her throughout the day and can barely get my work done.  I can’t wait to get home to see her in the evening.  I even dream about her.” 

The pastor thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you love her as much as Christ loved the Church?”  “Well, I guess I don’t love her that much.”  “Well, then,” said the pastor, “Get busy!”

Men, a lot of us need to get busy loving our wives!  God is going to teach us this morning how to love her well.  Please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 5:25-33 . .

Fight

“Husbands, Get Busy!”

Ephesians 5:25-33

• Summary of his responsibility

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (v. 25).

• • Love is commanded
  • Love is compared
• Specifics of his responsibility
• • Sacrificial love

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (v. 25b).

That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by . . . the word (v. 26)

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church (v. 28-29).

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother . . .” (v. 31a).

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (v. 31).

• Symbolism of his responsibility

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church (v. 32).

There have been some long wars in human history.  For example, the U.S. has been in Afghanistan for 14 years (by comparison, WWII lasted only 4 years).

In Europe, the French and English actually fought for 116 years over the rights to the French crown.  That war was called the “Hundred Years’ War.”

But the longest-standing battle in human history hasn’t lasted 10 years or 100 years or even 1000 years.  It has raged since Adam and Eve.  I’m talking about the “battle between the sexes.”   

Today God’s word offers us hope for history’s longest battle.  You can end this battle and have a home of peace and harmony!

Let’s open our Bible to Ephesians 5:21-25 for God’s battle plan as we fight for our families!

Fight

“Hope for History’s Longest Battle”

Ephesians 5:21-25

1. Establish the context

Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21).

1. The principle of context
2. The passage in context

2. Embrace the counsel

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord (Eph. 5:22).

1. The wife is to submit willingly
2. The wife is to submit worshipfully

3. Experience the companionship

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior (Eph. 5:23).

1. The husband is to submit by leading
2. The husband is to submit by loving

For the adventurous among us, there are some exciting and dangerous treks that you can take.  I’ll mention three (see attached photos) that I’ve taken from a list of the world’s top ten most dangerous hikes.

One is Mount Huashan in China.  It is a very steep mountain, with sheer drops of hundreds of feet.  The trail leaves you breathless.  In Spain there is a similar trail called the “Caminito del Rey.”  Many have died hiking that trail.  In fact, for some years the government closed the trail because of a spate of deaths there. 

My family and I have actually hiked the third trail I’ll mention.  It is called the Bright Angel Trail.  It is in the Grand Canyon.  Strangely enough, it may be the most dangerous of all.  Part of the reason it is so dangerous is because it is so close to civilization.  The beauty is alluring but the dangers are real.  110 degree temps in the summer.  Lack of water.  Dehydration.  Steep cliffs.  Overconfident hikers.  Strenuous climb—basically one mile up over 9.5 mile hike.  Each year there are about 200 rescues attempted.  About 12 people per year die at the Canyon. 

Life itself is a hike.  It’s a trek.  There is alluring beauty all around us but also hidden dangers.  This is true for your family.  You’re on a journey together and God wants you to make it to the destination safely.  To do so we must “watch our walk.”

In Ephesians 5:15-21 we will learn how to fight for our family by walking a secure, sensible, and spiritual path.

Fight

“Watch Your Walk!”

Ephesians 5:15-21

• Walk securely (Eph. 5:15-16)
• • Time is passing
  • Time is perilous
• Walk sensibly (Eph. 5:17)
• • Be saved
  • Be sanctified
  • Be submissive
  • Be Spirit-filled
• Walk spiritually (Eph. 5:18-21)
• • Understand the requirement (Eph. 5:18)
  • Understand the results (Eph. 5:19-21)

I suppose we all know what it is to fight with our family.  Even the best of families fight each other. 

One of the most famous figures of the 20th century was Martin Luther King, Jr.  He was a preacher and a dreamer.  He dreamed that the day would come when, as he put it, “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  For his dream and labors, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

After his death, his three surviving children were the heirs of his estate.  When money ran low, the two sons proposed that they sell their dad’s peace prize and Bible to generate some cash.  Estimates put the value of those items at some $20 million.  Their sister protested and eventually it went to court. 

That’s ironic.  Fighting over the peace prize.

But it’s not just the King family that fights.  We all fight with each other.

But in this new series we are calling you to put your sights on a different enemy.  Let’s stop fighting with our family and start fighting for our family!

The call to fight for our family comes straight from the Bible.  Nehemiah 4:14b says, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Let’s fight!

Go225

“Fight for Your Family”

Nehemiah 4:14

1. Your family has an adversary
   1. Recognize your adversary
   2. Respond to your adversary
2. Your family has an ally
   1. Pray to God
   2. Post a guard
3. Your family has an aim
   1. The aim is your family’s good
   2. The aim is your Father’s glory

I love “Fixer Upper.”  It is a show starring Chip and Joanna Gaines [show pic].  They take dilapted, dated houses and transform them into beautiful, welcoming homes [show pic of before & after of a home they’ve renovated].   The climax of each episode is the “reveal” when an old photo of the home obscuring their view is removed.  Now the new façade is unveiled to the delight of the owners. 

This morning we’re going meet a man that was totally transformed by Jesus.  We will see his before pic and his after pic.  His transformation touched many of his family and friends.

What happened to him Jesus wants to happen to us.  He wants to transform us and, in turn, impact the world through us.  That’s really what “Go Day” was all about—transformed people being used by God to touch the 225 for Jesus!

Go225

“Fixer Upper”

Mark 5:1-20

1. The mercy Jesus shows (5:1-17)
   1. He comes to us (5:1)
   2. He changes us (5:2-17)
2. The mission Jesus shares (5:18-19)
   1. The place: Go home
   2. The plan: Go tell
3. The marvel Jesus inspires (5:20)
   1. The obedience of the man
   2. The outcome of the mission

A well-known jingle says, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”  The ad campaign is built on the whimsical idea that you can sing that jingle and, “poof,” a State Farm agent will appear and save you from whatever danger or disaster you face.  That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?  But we know that there are times when our need is so great, no insurance agent or any other person can meet it. 

Fortunately, there is hope.  Like a good neighbor, Jesus is there!  He comes to us in our brokenness and, with compassion, takes care of our needs with abundant mercy and grace.  That’s apart of the point of the story of the “Good Samaritan.”  Not only is Jesus the ultimate “neighbor.”  He’s an example for how we are to live.  After all, he told his audience to “Go and do likewise.”

As we face “Go Day” and all of its opportunities to be a good neighbor, we will take a fresh look at the story of the Good Samaritan.  From it we will be challenged to see Jesus as the ultimate good neighbor, trust in his gracious provision for our desperate need, and to “go” and be a good neighbor to all!

Go225

“Like a Good Neighbor, Jesus Is There”

Luke 10:25-37

1. The good neighbor and the lawyer
   1. The lawyer’s hypocrisy
   2. The Lord’s heart
2. The good neighbor and the law
   1. The law is correct
   2. The law is convicting
3. The good neighbor and the lesson
   1. A lesson about life
   2. A lesson about love

In March of 1836 Mexican forces under General Santa Anna besieged the Alamo in San Antonio, TX.  The Alamo was defended by a ragtag band of less than 200.  The Mexicans numbered in the thousands.  The Alamo’s acting leader, Colonel Travis, could see the gravity of their situation.  In a voice trembling with emotion he described the hopelessness of their plight.  He drew a line in the sand and said, “those prepared to give their lives in freedom’s cause, come over to me.”  All did except two.  Co-commander Jim Bowie, lying sick on a cot, asked some of his men to carry him across. That left only one--Louis Moses Rose, a French soldier of fortune.  He escaped and lore has it that he was the one who told this story.

Without hesitation, every man, save one, crossed the line, Colonel James Bowie, stricken with pneumonia, asked that his cot be carried over. 189 of 190 men at the Alamo came over.  Only one escaped to tell the tale.

They volunteered for a cause that seemed doomed.  Yet “Remember the Alamo” became the rallying cry that ultimately led to victory.

There is a call going out today for volunteers for a cause that is destined for ultimate victory.  The Lord Himself has drawn a line in the sand and has asked for those who will step across it.  He asks, “Whom shall I send?”  And, “who will go for us?”  He asks us to step across the line to worship Him and witness for Him.

Go225

“A Line in the Sand”

Isaiah 6:1-8

1. Vision of the Lord
   1. The cause of the vision
   2. The content of the vision
   3. The consequence of the vision
2. Voice of the Lord
   1. Speaks of his resources
   2. Speaks of his representatives
3. Volunteer for the Lord
   1. Be ready
   2. Be reliant

One of my favorite characters in J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings triology is Samwise Gamgee [show pic].  He is the ever loyal sidekick of Frodo Baggins.  From Samwise comes a saying that has made its way into our vernacular.  I think you’ll know it.  Please finish this familiar expression: “Where there’s life, there’s              .” 

Yes.  Where there’s life, there’s hope.

The idea is that, no matter how grim the circumstance are, so long as there is life, there is hope for victory. Once death comes, however, all hope is lost.

Where there’s life, there’s hope. 

But this does not do justice to the good news of Jesus.  The good news goes much further.  The world says, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”  Jesus says, “Where there’s death, there’s hope.”

Because of Jesus, even death itself has no claim on believers.  We have hope in this life and after this life!

How can we have hope when death comes knocking?  Turn in your Bible to John 11 and we’ll show you the source of our hope.  It is found in him who is the resurrection and the life—Jesus!

Read 11:1-7 and 34-44.

Pray.

Transition to first point: Where there’s death, there’s hope.  This hope is only and wholly because of Jesus.  In our story today we are going learn more about Jesus and how he works in our lives.  Knowing him and his ways better should strengthen our hope, even in the darkest of days.  Now to be sure, there are times when his ways can be mysterious and even frustrating to us.  The first thing that stands out in the story of Larazus is that Jesus waited. . . .

Signs: So You May Believe
“Where There’s Death, There’s Hope!”
John 11:1-44

Jesus waited
Despite the crisis
Despite the connection
Jesus wept
Because of his emotions
Because of his enemy
Jesus won
Faced the problems
Fulfilled the promise