The NECESSITY For GODLY FATHERS—I—Malachi 3:13—4:6
Attention/Need:
Our society lives under the mistaken belief that there is no realistic need for fathers & that a home is just fine without them.
Generally, en themselves have reached a point where they believe that they are basically no more than sperm donors...no impact, no responsibility. They can enter & leave a relationship at will & there is no harm done & it is probably for the best. Tentative relationships are rampant, accepted & even sought out. ‘Living together’ before marriage has become so commonplace that it is expected by a great majority of our country & has grown so commonplace that the Church has come to accept it.
I know of one woman who was single, had always been single & wanted a child. But she did not want to get married, seeing no need for the presence of a father in the home. She was perfectly confident that she could raise a child in a home with no fatherly input or support!
However, just the opposite is true! We are now discovering that a lack of fatherly influence in the home is severely detrimental to families, which in turn is severely detrimental to our society as a whole! We are reaping the ‘benefits‘ of our irresponsibilities. Something the Church has known & proclaimed since the beginning!
The/A Future with Godly Fathers
The prophet Malachi disclosed the importance of godly fathers to every aspect of mankind’s existence.
Godly fathers are vital to our existence.
What makes godly fathers so vital for our existence?
4 validations that godly fathers are vital for our existence.
1—Godly Fathers are vital for...
OPPOSITION(3:13-15)
Explanation:(3:13-15)Oppose the opposition/Stand against
“13—“Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ “
YaHoWeH God’s own people have spoken disdainfully both openly & privately in opposition to Him.
This is information which YaHWeH Himself has stated to his messenger Malachi.
Jude 14-15—“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, & of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.””
God chides them for even having the nerve to approach Him innocently. They are—either actually or feignedly— taken aback with unbelief asking exactly what it is that they have “spoken against” Him. If it is feigned then they are presumptuous. If they are actually unaware then their ignorance is due to their own apathy & lack of interest in their quest for relationship with God as His people. Either way Opposes Him.
“Words”—rbd daw-baw'—N. m.—1) Speech, word, speaking, thing. Strong—A word; by implication, A matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, A cause.
“Harsh/Stout/Arrogant”—qzx khaw-zak'—1) To strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore. Strong—To fasten upon; hence, To seize, be strong (figuratively, Courageous, causatively Strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer.
“Spoken”—rbd daw-bar'—V—1) To speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing—1b) (Niphal) To speak with one another, talk. Strong—perhaps properly, To arrange; but used figuratively (of words), To speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) To subdue.
“The Niphal form of the verb implies that these things were said, not directly to God, but of God, to one another.”—JFB
:14—“You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts?”
YaHWeH knows the conversations of the people which they have spoken among themselves.
They have openly declared to one another that it is vain/useless to “serve God.” This assumes an attitude to their national(at least for the detractors) God who is YaHWeH. He is only their God in a political sense but not in a personal & practical sense.
These who view God so bleakly not surprisingly, also see the various means of attending to His service as a “profitless” endeavor. Why live the way God desires if we do not believe? They view God as a means to their own end for “profit” only. They have not gotten their desire, & therefore see serving Him as of no use.
These disclose that their lives have been lived before YaHWeH as merely superficial mourners of their sin & feigned reverence. Their inward reality was quite different from His true worshipers. There is no attachment of their hearts to YaHWeH & therefore there is none to His desire. His way is burdensome to them rather than joyful thankfulness.
How odd that they refer to their distant God 1)as “God,” 2)as self-existent(YaHWeH) & 3)as being head over the very “hosts” of heaven, yet do not take to heart the meaning of those terms that fall from their very lips.
“The Jews here mistake utterly the nature of God's service, converting it into a mercenary bargain; they attended to outward observances, not from love to God, but in the hope of being well paid for in outward prosperity; when this was withheld, they charged God with being unjust, forgetting alike that God requires very different motives from theirs to accompany outward observances, & that God rewards even the true worshipper not so much in this life, as in the life to come.”—JFB
“Useless”—awv shawv —1) Emptiness, vanity, falsehood. Strong—Evil (as destructive), literally (Ruin) or morally (especially Guile); figuratively Idolatry (as false, subjective), Uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, In vain):-- False(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.
“Serve”(See :17, 18)—dbe aw-bad'—1) To work, serve. Strong—a primitive root; To work (in any sense); by implication, To serve, till, (causatively) Enslave, etc.
“Profit”—eub beh'-tsah—1) Profit, unjust gain, gain (profit) acquired by violence. Strong—Plunder; by extension, Gain (usually unjust):-- Covetousness, (dishonest) gain, lucre, profit.
From—eub baw-tsah’— a primitive root to break off, i.e. (usually) plunder; figuratively, to finish, or (intransitively) stop.
“Kept”—rmv shaw-mar'—1) To keep, guard, observe, give heed. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. Guard; generally, To protect, attend to, etc.
“Ordinance”—trmvm mish-meh'-reth—1) Guard, charge, function, obligation, service, watch. Strong—Watch, i.e. The act (custody) or (transitively) The sentry, the post; objectively, Preservation, or (concretely) Safe; figuratively, Observance, i.e. (abstractly) Duty, or (objectively) A usage or party.
“Walked”—Klh haw-lak'—1) To go, walk, come. Strong—a primitive root; To walk (in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Mourners”—tynrdq ked-o-ran-neeth'—Adv.—Mournfully. Strong—Blackish ones (i.e. In sackcloth); used adverbially, In mourning weeds:-- Mournfully. Used 1X.
:15—“So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God & go free.’””
The entire nation has fallen into the above mentality so that the author(Malachi) can say that “we”(Israel) have reached such an extreme that we “now” refer to those who are self-satisfied & proud as “blessed” rather than cursed.
In fact Israel now builds up & establishes those who put their hands to that which is “wickedness” & wrong in God’s eyes.
Isa. 5:20-21—“Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
These who are encouraged in their wickedness even go so far as to “tempt” God. Their attitude is such that they continually accuse Israel’s God because of His seeming absence. And their disdain is open & accepted freely in Israel seeing as they are allowed to continue without hindrance. They do not see God active, in the manner they shortsightedly expect, so they disdain Him. Much of Jesus’ run-ins with the spiritualistic politicos of His day mimicked this scenario.
“Proud/Arrogant”(See 4:1)—dz zade'—N. m.—1) Arrogant, proud, insolent, presumptuous. Used 13X.
“Blessed/Happy”—rva aw-shar'—1) To go straight, walk, go on, advance, make progress. Strong—a primitive root; To be straight (used in the widest sense, especially To be level, right, happy); figuratively, To go forward, be honest, proper. Used 16X.
“Do/Work/Doers”(See 4:3; :17—“Make them”)—hse aw-saw'—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make.
“Wickedness/Evildoers”(See 4:1, 3)—hevr rish-aw'—N. f.—1) Wickedness, guilt. Strong—Wrong (especially moral):-- fault, wickedly(-ness). Used 15X.
“Raised up/built up”—hnb baw-naw'—1) To build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue. Strong—a primitive root; To build (literally & figuratively).
“Tempt/Test/Challenge”—Nxb baw-khan'—1) To examine, try, prove. Strong—a primitive root;To test (especially metals); generally & figuratively, To investigate.
“go Free/Delivered/Escape”—jlm maw-lat'—1) To slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To be smooth, i.e. (by implication) To escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, To bring forth young, emit sparks.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 10:3-5—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Josh. 7:13—““Get up, sanctify the people, & say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.””
The principle here is that personal sin extrapolates to the whole &
Eph 6:11-18—“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, & having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer & supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints--”
Jude 20-23—“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
1Pet. 5:6-9—“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
2Pet. 1:19-2:3—“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, & bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, & their destruction does not slumber.”
1Cor. 11:17-19—“Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, & in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.”
Ps. 33:11—“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”
Since the above is true, then we can stand firm in Him as well.
Prov. 12:7—“The wicked are overthrown & are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand.”
1Cor. 15:57-58—“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Gal. 5:1—“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, & do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Lk. 6:22-23—“Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, & cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day & leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”
Jn. 15:18-21—““If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”
Gal. 6:8-9—“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Mat. 10:16—““Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves.”
Eph. 5:15-17—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Php. 2:14-16—“Do all things without complaining & disputing, that you may become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked & perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
1Thess. 5:21-23—“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; & may your whole spirit, soul, & body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Illustration:
American voting privilege/What determines your vote?/Charisma(personality)—Traditional or non-traditional values?—Issues— or Character/A person of character & integrity will Oppose the OPPOSITION
Restaurants in NC/Only recently(2009?) initiated non-smoking bans/We always avoided smoking friendly restaurants/Businesses found that they not only didn’t lose business but gained a larger clientele/OPPOSITION
As parents we always have chosen the best for our children/We therefore opposed much of what the world accepts as normal or needed/OPPOSITION
Application:
?Meet the challenge of the OPPOSITION by living in Christ?
?You commit, from this day forward, to be a Godly Father?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
2—Godly Fathers are vital for...
the CROWD(3:16-18)
Explanation: (3:16-18)
:16—“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened & heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.”
However, there is a bright spot in all of this. there are those who “feared” YaHWeH. These also conversed among themselves as had the arrogant(:13). But their conversations consisted of true reverence for YaHWeH.
Likewise YaHWeH also knows the conversations of those who revere Him. He indeed “listened” to them.
In respect for His trusters, “a book of remembrance” is commissioned by YaHWeH Himself “for” those who “fear” & “meditate” on His name.”
This book is created that no one would forget the faithfulness of those living in the midst of such presumptuousness.
The idea of a heavenly “books” of remembrance(negative & positive) are seen elsewhere in Scripture.
Rev. 20:11-15—“Then I saw a great white throne & Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth & the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small & great, standing before God, & books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, & Death & Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death & Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Rev. 3:5—to the church at Sardis—““He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, & I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father & before His angels.”
Ps. 139:16—“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”
The OT idea of “blotting out” is suggestive of a written record thru the idea of erasure or rub away what has been written.
“Blot out”—hxm maw-khaw'—Strong—a primitive root; properly, To stroke or rub; by implication, To erase; also To smooth (as if with oil), i.e. Grease or make fat; also To touch, i.e. Reach to.
“Feared”2X(See 4:2, 5—“Dreadful”)—ary yaw-ray'—1) Fearing, reverent, afraid. Strong—Fearing; morally, reverent:-- Afraid, fear (-ful).
“One another”—er ray'-ah—1) friend, companion, fellow, another person.
“Listened”—bvq kaw-shab'—1) To hear, be attentive, heed, incline (of ears), attend (of ears), hearken, pay attention, listen.
“Heard”—emv shaw-mah'—1) To hear, listen to, obey. Strong—a primitive root; To hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, To tell, etc.).
“Remembrance”—Nwrkz zikrown’—1) Memorial, reminder, remembrance.
“Meditate/Thought/Esteem/Honoured”—bvx khaw-shab'—1) To think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count. Strong—properly, To plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) To weave or (gen.) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) To think, regard, value, compute.
:17—“ “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” “
These about whom the book of remembrance is written will belong to YaHWeH of the “hosts” of heaven...the one they indeed regard & serve.
There is a day in their future where they will become YaHWeH’s “jewels.” This would be the day when their salvation has been absolutely completed in eternity. However this would also have life-changing implications for life on earth as is the certainty of salvation for the Christian.
Jn. 10:10—““The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly.”
YaHWeH’s acceptance will indeed enable His sympath/pity & He will thus have compassion upon them. This compassion will be exacted in the same manner as a father would treat his own son who is faithful to “serve” him.
Ps. 103:17-18—“But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.”
“Make them”(See :15—“do”)—hse aw-saw'—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make.
“Jewels/Own possession”—hlgo seg-ool-law'—1) Possession, property—1a) Valued property, peculiar treasure, 1b) Treasure. Strong—feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up; Wealth (as closely shut up):-- jewel, peculiar (treasure), proper good, special.
Deut. 14:2—““For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, & the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
Titus 2:14—“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
1Pet. 2:9-10—“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
“Spare”—lmx khaw-mal'—1) (Qal) To spare, pity, have compassion on. Strong—A primitive root; To commiserate; by implication, To spare:-- have compassion, (have) pity, spare.
“Serve”(See :14, 18)—dbe aw-bad'—1) To work, serve. Strong—a primitive root; To work (in any sense); by implication, To serve, till, (causatively) Enslave, etc.
:18—“Then you shall again discern Between the righteous & the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.” “
There was a time when these current perpetrators against YaHWeH were actually “discerning” in regard to their knowing right from wrong. Such a discernment is ordained in God Himself & is found in knowing Him & seeking His will with an integritous whole heart.
Upon observing YaHWeH’s compassion upon His special people(“jewels”), the disparagers will “again” be brought to distinguish righteousness from wickedness & service to God versus the lack thereof.
How will this bring faith to the faithless? On the one hand they will become jealous of God’s compassion/sparing.
Rom. 10:19—“But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.””
Deut. 32:21—“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.”
Rom. 11:11—“I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”
When the faithful are suppressed, God’s truth, & thus the actual truth, is blurred.
Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”(NKJV)
Prov. 29:18—“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”(KJV)
Rom. 1:18—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
However, on the other hand they will eventually be brought to a complete end as 4:1 relates.
“Again”(See 4:6—“Turn”)—bwv shoob—1) To return, turn back. Strong—a primitive root; To turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally To retreat; often adverbial, Again.
“Discern”—har raw-aw'—1) To see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider. Strong—a primitive root; To see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct & implied, transitive, intransitive & causative).
“Righteous”(See 4:2)—qydu tsad-deek'—Adj.—1) Just, lawful, righteous.
“Wicked”(See 3:15; 4:1, 3)—evr raw-shaw'—Adj.—1) Wicked, criminal—1a) Guilty one, one guilty of crime (subst), 1b) Wicked (hostile to God), 1c) Wicked, guilty of sin (against God or man). Strong—Morally wrong; concretely, An (actively) bad person.
“Serves”(See :14, 17)—dbe aw-bad'—1) To work, serve. Strong—a primitive root; To work (in any sense); by implication, To serve, till, (causatively) Enslave, etc.
Argumentation:
Mat. 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
Acts 3:19—““Repent therefore & be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”
Rom. 3:10-19—“As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing & bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction & misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, & all the world may become guilty before God.”
Ex. 23:2—““You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.”
Herod feared the crowd:
Mat. 14:3-10—“For Herod had laid hold of John & bound him, & put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them & pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths & because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent & had John beheaded in prison.”
The Pharisees(religious leadership) feared the crowds:
Mat. 21:23-27—“Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests & the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, & said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered & said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: “The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus & said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Mat. 21:45-46—“Now when the chief priests & Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.”
Illustration:
Stand out from the crowd—My old T-shirt that pictured a school of fish with one fish swimming the opposite direction from the school with the words, ‘Go Against The Flow’/the CROWD
Application:
?Meet the challenge of the CROWD by living for Christ?
?You commit, from this day forward, to be a Godly Father?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Godly Fathers must GROW Up....MAN Up...& STAND Up for the Lord!
?You commit, from this day forward, to be the Godly Father God desires & has given you power in Christ to be?
?Will you be a godly example for your family?
Action:
Godly Fathers are vital for...
1. OPPOSITION(3:13-15)
2. the CROWD(3:16-18)
Presented 06/19/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
