Are you interested in knowing
and doing the will of God? Interested in living day by day
in this world for the glory of God? If you are, I have a message
for you. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter
5, verse 17. The gospel of Ephesians chapter
5, we'll begin at verse 17. My text tonight will be Ephesians
5, 17 through chapter six and verse 10. Let's begin at verse
17 in chapter five. Wherefore, that is because we
live in this evil world of darkness among perishing ungodly men and
women, and because it is our responsibility in this world
to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. We're to
live as men and women for the glory of God. Wherefore, be not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. What the will of the Lord is. That's my subject tonight. I'm
going to show you from this portion of scripture what the will of
God is for every one of his children in this world. I wanna show you
what the will of God is for you and for me. Many talk piously
about seeking God's will for their lives and act as if it's
somehow very difficult to know and do the Lord's will. Now,
I recognize that in various specific areas, often we struggle to know
what God's will is. But in our day by day, common,
ordinary relationships and responsibilities, it is not difficult to find out
what God's will is. It is plainly spoken right here
in this passage of scripture. And those who do God's will,
In their day-by-day ordinary experiences, responsibilities,
and relationships will do God's will when he calls them to some
other service in other specific areas. But those who refuse to
do God's will in their ordinary day-by-day relationships and
responsibilities will not do God's will if they're given greater
responsibilities. Tonight, I want to go with each
of you into your own homes, follow you to your workplace, and talk
to you right where you are every day, every day. In all earthly
relationships, in all earthly responsibilities, the will of
God is plainly set before us in this text. It's not mysterious. It's not super spiritual. It's
not difficult to discern. It's as plain as the nose on
your face. The only question is, will you
do God's will? Or will you insist on having
your own way and doing your own will? The true believer, that
person who is truly born of God, does what is right in the sight
of God with a willing heart. He does what he does because
he wants to. In all his relationships on this
earth with other men and women, in all his responsibilities,
he seeks to do the will of God gladly. The wise man said, a
wise man's heart is at his right hand. That is, that wise man
rules his life by the wisdom God's given him in his heart.
God's saints don't live perfectly. They don't even come close. And
God's saints acknowledge that all the time. We recognize that
even if we do something that maybe somebody may look at and
say, well, that was right and that was good, sin defiles it
because sin is mixed up with everything we do. But the fact
is in the tenor of his life, believers follow Christ. Believers obey Christ. Believers do what's right. And here's the reason. If Mark
Daniel is a child of God, God has put what is right in you. He made us new creatures in Christ
Jesus. In free justification, righteousness
is imputed to God's elect. By our Lord Jesus Christ, obedience
unto death, the Lord God, our Savior, has brought in everlasting
righteousness for us. By His sacrifice in our room
instead, dying for us, shedding His blood for us, He satisfied
the law and justice of God on our behalf. And as He was made
sin for us, having our sins imputed to Him, so that He bore all responsibility
for our sins, being made sin for us. Even so, the Lord God
Almighty has made us the righteousness of God in Him. Redemption. Redemption by the blood of Christ
is perfect righteousness established for us. Redemption is justice
satisfied by our Savior's sacrifice. Redemption is sin put away by
the precious blood of Christ. But in regeneration, in the new
birth, in sanctification, righteousness is imparted to God's saints.
So that the believer, the man, the woman who's born of God has
a divine nature put in him. We're made partakers of the divine
nature. This is righteousness imparted. This is that holiness without
which no man shall see the Lord. Our Lord said to Nicodemus, except
you're born again, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
We are born again having this holiness put in us, Jesus Christ
the Lord, so that Christ living in us is righteousness and holiness
imparted to us by the grace of God in the new birth. Now, Let's
just keep your Bibles open here at Ephesians 5 and chapter 6
and follow me as we go through these verses of scripture together. In this passage of scripture,
God the Holy Spirit tells us six specific things, six specific
things that are the will of God for his people. First, he says,
be filled. It is the will of God will of
the triune Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Ghost, that His people, the people of His choice, be filled with
the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? God would
have us, and He will see to it that we do, if we're His. God
would have us to give ourselves up to to the rule, dominion,
and control of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit. Look at verse 18. Be not drunk
with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. People talk about you need to
begin serving the Lord. You need to start living for
God. Understand something. The only way to live for God
is to live by God. You cannot serve him except he
first serve you. You can do nothing for him except
he first do something for you and in you. You must be born
again. You must believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, let me tell you what that
means. To believe on the Son of God
is to trust Him as your Savior. Trusting Him as your Savior,
trusting Him as your Lord is giving up your life to Him. It is no less than the surrender
of yourself to Him in the totality of your life. You leave everything
into His hands. Turn to Mark chapter 8, Mark
the 8th chapter. Our Lord Jesus speaks plainly
concerning this. If we would have God's salvation,
we must surrender ourselves to the rule and reign of Jesus Christ,
our Lord, to be ruled, motivated, and governed by his spirit through
his word. Our Savior said, if any man come
to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,
and brethren, and sisters, yea, in his own life also, he cannot
be my disciple. He said, whosoever he be of you
that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. He cannot be, cannot be. I know
we live in this age where everybody's been talked into a profession
of faith, and most folks two or three times, and preachers
have got to figure out some way to make an excuse for what they've
done to men. And so they find folks who make
a profession of faith, the members of the church, and they teach
Sunday school, and they do this, that, and the other, but they
live like hell. And they say, well, he's saved, he's just a
carnal Christian. He hasn't surrendered to the
Lord yet. God's people begin with surrender. God's people begin with surrender. And it is a continual day-by-day
surrendering of ourselves to the Redeemer. Awake, come to
Christ, trust Him, and He will fill you with His Spirit. He
said, out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. He will fill you with His Spirit. this filling of the Holy Spirit
is not some ecstatic, emotional, unexplainable, senseless, Pentecostal
nonsense. It is the experience of every
believer. When you come to Christ, your
life ceases to be ruled by self. Now that's the struggle. That's
the struggle. Men and women refuse to bow to
Christ. You did and I did. And we will
in our flesh continue to do so, except He graciously compel us
to bow to Him. And when He graciously forces
us to bow to Him, we bow to Him with a willing heart. This is
what happens in the new birth. This is what faith in Christ
involves. We walk in the Spirit. We live
in the Spirit. We're filled with the Spirit.
We're under the dominion of the Spirit, giving ourselves, our
bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which
is just your reasonable service. And yet this admonition, as we
have it in our text, is given to you and me, who are already
believers, folks who are already born of God. What's the apostle
telling us? Day by day, hour by hour, moment
by moment, we must come to Christ in faith, surrender to Him as
our Lord, and thereby be filled with the Spirit. Give ourselves
over to the rule of Christ so that we're controlled by His
Spirit. Have you found Mark chapter 8?
Look at verse 34. When the Lord Jesus had called
the people unto him with his disciples, he said unto them,
whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, take up
his cross and follow me. Deny himself, take up his cross
and follow me. You will often hear someone say,
because they've got some kind of a physical impairment or some
kind of a physical difficulty or some earthly trouble, say,
well, that's my cross, I just have to bear it. That's not what
he's talking about. This is talking about knowing
what it is to follow Christ and knowing the cost and knowing
the opposition, you pick up the cross and you carry it. You make
a determined, resolute decision. I will follow my Redeemer regardless
of cost or consequence. Take up his cross and follow
me. Look at verse 35. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it. But whosoever will lose his life
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save him. This is what admonished to do. Lose your life to Christ. Give up your life to Christ. They feed us and that's what
it is to be filled with the Spirit. It is to bow to Christ, to be
obedient to the Redeemer as Lord. Now look at verse 19, here's
the second thing, It is the will of God for his people to be joyful,
a joyful singing people, speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord. I was reading this today and
several times, something kept coming back to me. Several years
ago, Sam, you and Eric were out mowing the yard and Bobby was
out here. Bobby and I were chatting, and
you could hardly hear him over the mufflers, but Eric was out
here mowing up and down through here, and just singing. I mean,
just singing to the top of his lungs. I couldn't hear what he
was saying, but he was singing. And Bobby said, that's a happy
boy. You hear him singing? The Lord God Almighty would have
his people a joyful people. Why shouldn't we be? God's our Father. Christ is our
Redeemer and our brother. God's salvation is ours. God
performs all things for us. Let us then sing and make melody
in our hearts to the Lord with joy. Oh Spirit of God give me
grace to ever have a song of joyful praise in my heart to
my God and give me grace to constantly inspire and promote this joy
in your people. Speaking to yourselves. in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord. We're commanded again and again
and again in scripture to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord
all way and again I say rejoice, Paul said. He said, let your
moderation be known to all men, your ease of heart, your self-control,
your easy way known to all men, your undisturbed gentleness. How come? The Lord's at hand,
the Lord's at hand. So be joyful in him. Now look back at verse 20. Here's
the third thing. It is the will of God for his
people to be thankful. Hold your hands here and turn
over to Colossians. Let me read verse 20 and then
we'll look at Colossians 3. Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. That is giving thanks always
giving thanks for all things unto God, believing Christ, trusting
Christ, giving yourself to Christ. Look at Colossians chapter three,
verse 15. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Let the
peace of God rule in your hearts. Let this be the thing that dominates
you. Let this be the thing that controls
you. Let this be the governing power
of your life, the peace of God, to which also you're called in
one body and be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word
or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God and the Father by Him." Alright, back in Ephesians 5,
verse 21. Here's the fourth thing. It is the will of God that we
be submissive, not only to Him, but to one another. Submitting
yourselves one to another in the fear of God. What does that
mean? Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God. Paul speaks specifically in this
chapter about wives submitting to their husbands. In chapter
4 he talks about churches submitting to their pastors. In Romans 13
he talks about us as believers submitting to the authorities
God's placed over us. He talks about children submitting
to their parents. But here he says specifically we are to be
men and women who live day by day submitting yourselves one
to another. just a couple of pages to Philippians
2 and I'll show you. Philippians chapter 2, here's
what it's talking about. If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, That you be
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind. How on earth can we do that?
Get out of the way. Just get out of the way. Let
nothing be done through strife or vainglory. Don't do anything
because this is what you want to do and you're going to have
your way. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better
than themselves. There's no reason for any of
us to have any problem with that. But what a problem we have. I'm
looking at Lindsay Campbell, my brother, perfectly righteous,
without sin, thoughtless before God. I have every reason to esteem
that man more highly than myself. You see, I can't see and I can't
know what's going on inside him right now. I know a little bit
about what's going on inside me. And it's my business and
my privilege and my responsibility to look at him only in Christ. To deal with him only as he is
in Christ. To speak of him only as he is
in Christ. So that if that's indeed the
case, whatever I think of Christ, I think of you. And whatever
I think of you, I think of Christ. Whatever I say of Christ, I say
of him. and whatever I say of Him, I
say of Christ. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. Now, let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. He who esteemed us so highly, who honored us so greatly, that
he laid down his life for us. Let that mind be in you, which
was in him. Let each prefer the other, and
all strife, conflict, and division ceases. Do you know how hard
it is to fight with somebody who won't fight? Do you know
how hard it is to argue with somebody who won't argue? How
hard it is to fuss with folks who won't fuss? To debate with
folks who won't debate? Let each prefer the other, and
all strife will cease. But as long as we insist upon
having our way, as long as we esteem ourselves more highly
than others, strife and division runs rampant, and there's no
other reason for it. Number five. Go back in verses,
chapter five, verse 22, and now we'll take a large chunk of this
down through chapter six and verse nine. Here's the fifth
thing. It is the will of God that we
be good. Be good. How many times you say
to your children when they go off to school, be good, son.
Go to spend the night with somebody else. You be good over there.
You be good. I debated a good bit preparing
this message. What shall I call this? And I'm
confident this is the best way to summarize what Paul says in
this passage. He's telling us to be good to
one another, to be good to all and to do good to all in every
relationship of life. Look at verse 22. Paul gets into
specifics. You dear ladies, if you would
be good wives, you must and will submit yourselves to your own
husbands. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and
he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject
unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Hold your hands here and turn
over to 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. woman who knows Christ and follows
Christ, who trusts Christ and is under the rule of Christ as
her Lord, willingly submits to her husband in the Lord and submits
to him as under the Lord. Oh, what a beautiful woman such
a woman is. Nothing is uglier Nothing is
uglier than a mouthy, proud, arrogant, pushy woman. I don't
care what she looks like. Nothing is uglier. Nothing more
beautiful than a woman who loves and submits to her husband. Look
here in 1 Peter chapter 3. That's not Don talking. This
is what God tells us. 1 Peter chapter 3. Likewise,
ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. that if any
obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by
the conversation of the wise. Just last week, I had a call
from a lady going through some difficulty. She married to a
man who had difficulty because nothing's changed. He was a drunk
when she married him and he's still a drunk and she wants to
know what to do. I said to her, you live with
him. honor him. You live with him
and you honor him. And if you want to minister to
him, the way to minister to him is keep your mouth shut, don't
nag him, just be a good wife. Be a good wife. That they may
be won by the conversation of the wives. Verse 2, while they
behold your chaste conversation, your chaste way of life, coupled
with fear, the fear of God, Who's adorning? Let it not be that
of outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair and wearing of gold
and putting on of apparel. I've got to pause for a minute
because I know a lot of religious sects, they think women ought
to be as homely as a mud fence, don't wear any lipstick or any
jewelry or anything like that. That's not what he's talking
about. He says that's not the important thing. That's not the
important thing. But let it be the hidden man of the heart.
in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the
old time, the holy women also who trusted God adorned themselves,
being in subjection unto their own husbands, even as Sarah obeyed
Abraham." What does your Bible say? calling him Lord. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham
calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are as long as you do well
and are not afraid with any amazement. I have on a few occasions had
folks to ask me to marry them who wanted to write their own
vows and I refuse. and I will continue to do so.
Because I insist that a woman promise to obey her husband in
all things. Now, I can't make her do it,
but I'll make her promise it or I won't marry him. I won't
do it. Why? Because this is what's right.
This is what's right. The submission is not just in
word or in outward deed. It's a matter of heart and spirit.
It is every wife's responsibility to think well and speak well
of her husband. If she thinks highly of him,
if she esteems him highly, that will be reflected in outward
obedience. That's just what God teaches
here. As the church makes the will of Christ her law, So the
wife must make the will of her husband her law. A wife should
have no will of her own, but to submit to the will of her
husband. Mother of God, Don, that's just too much. If it is,
live as an old maid, don't get married. Don't do yourself or
anyone else the harm of marrying. And then we're told the husband
is the head of the wife. That's God's order. I know, I
know we live in the 21st century and I know that this is out of
kilter with society, but I've been out of kilter with society
ever since God saved me and I plan to stay that way. This is God's
order and it doesn't change and it's not going to change. Wives
obey your husbands in the Lord. I wish I could persuade young
ladies everywhere. Don't marry out of the Lord. If God's given you life and faith
in Christ, don't even allow that possibility. Just don't do it.
You're asking for trouble. You mamas and daddies, teach
your daughters this. Teach your granddaughters this.
Don't do it. Don't do it. You're just asking
for trouble. I have a very dear friend. I've known her all her
life. was engaged to a fella, and marriage time came. It about
broke her heart, but she just had to call it off, because,
well, it did break her heart, because he simply wouldn't worship
God with her. Don't get involved. Just don't
do it. Just don't do it. If somebody
doesn't know God, don't get involved with them. Don't marry any man
to whom you cannot give yourself in this unreserved submission. Now look at verse 25. Husbands,
love your wives, do good to your wives. Even as Christ also loved
the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives. as their own bodies. He that
loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the church. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this calls shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. I speak
concerning Christ in the church. I'll come to this another time,
but this whole thing is referring to the wonder of our union with
Christ. Him being married to us, us being
married to Him. Nevertheless, let every one of you, in particular,
so love his wife as himself, and the wife see that she reverence
her husband. Long time ago, Jeb and I were
living in West Virginia. We lived out in the middle of
nowhere, and we would go over to Summersville and meet other
couples, Pastor and his wife, Brother Brant Seacrest and his
wife Susie, or other couples, and we'd sometimes have dinner,
oh, once a month or so. And often, Jeb would stop by
a shop in Summersville, This lady, while Shelby was trying
on some clothes, she asked me one night, she said, y'all been
in here a number of times. She said, how long have y'all
been married? And I told her. She said, I'm about to get married,
and y'all seem so happy. Would you tell me how you do
that? Would you tell me the secret
to that? And I said to her, I'd be glad to tell you, it's not
hard. All you have to do is treat that man like he is king of the
universe. You'll get along just fine. Mark,
she looked like I had fed her a log with moss on it. And after she got over the shock,
I said, if you do, he just might treat you like his queen. That's
all, that's all. The primary responsibility of
every home rests upon the shoulders of the husband. Contrary to popular
opinion, husbands make or break the home. The husband is the
head of the household by God's design, God's decree, and God's
revelation. Every man is responsible to exercise
the rule of his family. You just can't give it up. You
can't give it up. But if you would have your wife's
reverence and willing submission, you've got to win it. And the
way to win it is by unquestionable, self-sacrificing, self-denying
love for that woman. You remember Jacob's love for
Rachel? He served for seven years to get her, and he got tricked
and got Leah. And he served seven more years
and got Rachel. And the scripture said his love
for Rachel was so great, it seemed that those 14 years were but
as a few days. That's how a man is to love a
woman, as Christ loved the church. You see, love is not just an
emotion. It's not just a passion. Love is a matter of resolute,
determined commitment. Love lays down its life for its
object. Love lays down its life for its
object. I don't mean it should, it does.
If Mark Henson doesn't lay down his life for that lady, he doesn't
love her. And if Don Forder doesn't lay down his life for that lady,
he doesn't love her. Everything about what they call
love is just pretense. Nourish her, Paul says. Provide
for her. Cherish her. Comfort her. Protect her. Cheer her up. Forsake
everything for her. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and his mother and shall be joined unto his wife.
Marriage is a union of lives, a permanent union of two made
into one. This permanent union is that
which God Almighty gives us as the greatest, most blessed of
all earthly relationships. I wouldn't take anything for
it. I wouldn't take anything for it. And that means when you
get married, you just, this foolish divorce door, you just close
it. You close it, bar it up, nail it shut, not a consideration.
I kind of like what old preacher Honeycutt said to a young preacher
down in Florida one time, meeting years ago. This old man was in
his 80s. He and his wife had been married for a long time.
And a young preacher talking to him after lunch, he said to
him, he said, Brother Honeycutt, could I ask you something? He
said, in all those years you and Sister Honeycutt been married,
did you ever consider divorce? He said, oh, no, son. Murder
on occasion, but never divorce. This is permanent. This is permanent. I know that we live in a world
where folks pay no attention to what God says. This is permanent.
It's permanent. And I have friends all over the
world who, for God's sake, were married and divorced and remarried.
Forget the past, but this is permanent. We have a responsibility
before God. Marriage is that for which every
mother and every father should carefully prepare their children.
When your son gets married, that means you cut the apron strings.
When your daughter gets married, that means you cut the apron
strings. Now, I know you can't imagine this, but that's hard
for me to do. Doug and Faith got married. I made him a promise. I said, I won't be an interfering
father-in-law. Faith knows this, but I'll tell you again, and
tell her as well, if you have problems, she comes running home
to me, I'll send her back to you and tell her to work a match.
I promise you I won't interfere. And that's hard. That's hard. We live close and I love them.
But unless they ask my counsel, I don't try to tell them how
to run their house, how to raise their children, what they ought
to do. When they ask, I'm happy to give
the counsel. When I preach the word, happy
to give them the same counsel I do here. But the apron strings
are cut. She was responsible to be obedient
unto me. until the day she said I do and
she went to another man's house. No longer is she responsible
to be obedient to me. It just takes two things to make
a marriage work. Every husband must love his wife
as himself. And every wife must see that
she reverence her husband. Reverence him. Reverence him.
Think highly of him. Think highly of him. Now look
at chapter 6. Be good in every relationship.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and thy mother,
now watch this, which is the first commandment with promise.
Why did Paul say that? Do you realize this is the only
place in all the epistles of the New Testament where anyone
is admonished to do anything because of what the law says.
How come? Because children are addressed
here as being children of believing mothers and fathers, children
who are sitting in the pew with their parents, but they're not
yet converted. And it says, this is the first commandment given
with promise, and this is the promise, that it may be well
with thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth. Children
must be taught to honor their parents. How long has it been since you
heard a small child say to mom or dad, yes ma'am or yes sir,
no ma'am or no sir? Or even thank you or may I? Those
things seem to be just thrown out with everything else. teach
children to honor you and teach them to honor other children
to honor their parents. Fathers, provoke not your children
to wrath, verse 4. Mothers tend to be too lenient. Fathers tend to be too severe.
But the primary responsibility of discipline in the house rests
on the father's shoulders. So there's both a word of caution
and a word of instruction. Paul says, don't alienate your
children from Christ, from the gospel, and from you by unwise
and unreasonable discipline. See that your children mind you,
but don't be severe, demeaning, sharp-tempered, or unforgiving.
Don't place unreasonable restraints upon them, or unreasonable expectations. Don't spoil them, but don't isolate
them. Bring them up, rather, in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. Teach your children the
Word of God and the way of faith. By precept, yes. Take the time
to instruct them in this book, to instruct them in the gospel
of God's grace, And by example, so that you behave before them
as men and women who believe God, who live for God. Behave as you ought in your house. And see to it that they're constantly
exposed to the ministry of the word. Look at verses five through
eight. Paul says, let every worker,
every employee, serve his employer with singleness of heart, doing
service as to the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them
that are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling,
in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Not with eyes'
service, as men pleases, but as servants of Christ, doing
the will of God from the heart, with goodwill, doing service
as to the Lord, not to men, Knowing that whatsoever good thing any
man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether
he be bond or free. You who are believers, it is
your responsibility to be the best employees that exist wherever
you work, the best, regardless of circumstances. Not grumbling
and murmuring and griping, but serving God where you are. Not the man who hired you, but
God. Serving God, doing the will of God where you are. And he
says, do right, do right. Do it for the glory of God. And
God promises, them that honor me, I will honor. God will bless
you for it. You won't suffer any loss for
it. It won't happen. I, oftentimes folks get the idea
that, you know, we're believers so we can expect the folks who
hire us to make exceptions for us. Oh, don't ever do that. Don't ever expect that. But rather
you make exceptions for them and serve them well. And let
every employer treat those who work for him fairly and honestly.
Ye masters do the same things unto them. Forbearing threatening,
knowing that your master also is in heaven. Neither is there
any respect to persons with him. That is the servant or the master
doesn't have any priority with God. The boss nor the employee
has any priority with God. And then Paul gives us a sixth
thing that he declares to be the will of God. He says for
you and I to be strong. In all things seek grace to be
strong in the Lord, doing the will of God for the glory of
Christ. Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might. Now let me read
that to you another way. This is what Paul is saying.
Finally, my brethren, be empowered by the Lord. And by the strength
of his might, or by the might of his strength, we're insufficient
for these things. How on earth can you expect,
how can you expect men to prefer others to themselves? How can
you expect a woman to obey her husband in all things? How can
you expect a husband to love his wife as he loves himself?
How can you expect men to work for a man who's brash and hard
and cruel and mocking and belittling and be faithful? How can you
expect a man who employs folks who are disrespectful and don't
do their job, how can you expect them to be good in their relationships? How? God's grace is sufficient. Everything here springs from
faith in Christ. It's done by faith in Christ. Walk with God as dear children
and you will honor God in all things, in every relationship,
in every responsibility to be strong, is to look to Christ. To be strong is to live for God. To be strong is to do the will
of God. Let us adorn the doctrine of
God our Savior in all things. I tried to instill in our daughter
as a young lady, as a little girl going to school, I'd say
to her often, faith, honey, All through life you're going to
have two choices. You can either follow other folks and try to
get their approval and try to fit in and be miserable. Or you
can do what you know is right and say, come with me if you
want to. Those two choices. Be strong. Do what's right. Honor God. God will honor you. Trust in the Lord with all your
heart. Lean not to your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy
paths. God give me grace to do what
I know the will of the Lord is in all things. And God give you
that grace too. Amen.