Genesis 18:16-19
INTRO: The text I have read is a great compliment to Abraham. It does not focus our attention on the exploits of Abraham. Rather, it focuses attention on the manner of his fatherhood! And one element of this manner of fatherhoodwas Abrahams teaching his children to keep the way of the Lord. Here was a father who provided serious leadership for his offspring. Our affirmation in this series of lessons has been that the teaching role of Christian fathers cannot be overstated. Thus, we can teach our children:
I. TO CONTROL THEIR ANGER
A. Angry outbursts, temper tantrums are hurtful
1. one has said, Anger is one letter short of danger
2. children who are not taught to control their anger, who are permitted temper tantrums will grow into adults who will be troubled ... and cause trouble
3. relationships cannot be nurtured in anger
4. anger, temper are often used as manipulation- to get ones way ... fathers, we must teach, train, discipline or we will rear selfish, ugly children
B. Gal 5:22,23 - temperance - self-control
1. do your children see this fruit in you?
2. or have they learned from you how to manipulate with anger?
3. Prov 15:18 this is worth teaching!
4. Prov 22:24,25 note here that anger is a snare to thy soul - not only are earths relationship affected by anger; our souls destiny is affected by it
II. TO PREPARE FOR MARRIAGE
A. Most of our children will marry
1. but will their marriages last?
2. statistics are certainly ominous
3. are young people, though, prepared for marriage?
4. is more attention given to wedding preparation than to marriage preparations ... I recall that Abraham was critically concerned about the marriage of Isaac!
B. What fathers need to do?
1. impress that Gods plan for the family must be honored (Ps 127:1)
2. impress that a spouse who can help you go to heaven be sought
3. impress Gods pattern for roles in marriage
4. lead your family as a husband/father should so the children can see what a godly spousal relationship is (Prov 24:3,4)
III. WHERE SEX BELONGS
A. From a recent study by Rutgers University ...
1. read: marriage is far less likely to be ...
2. assumption? boys must also be sexually active
3. is this casual behavior toward sex o.k.?
4. aside from Biblical considerations - AIDS, abortion, single mothers, psychological distress, babies born and killed in restrooms, etc.
B. 1 Cor 7:2 Sex belongs in marriage
1. fathers need to talk with, instruct their children
2. scripture addresses broad spectrum of sexual sins, and dads have a spiritual obligation to give instruction
3. societys answer? provide birth control, abortion clinics
4. the true answer? Biblical instruction with parental example and expectation
CLOSE: Dads, remember Gods praise of Abraham. Become involved actively in the lives of your children. Give them a good example, sound teaching and godly limits.
Cecil A. Hutson
03 October 1999
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)