Like Your Heavenly Father

Remember Paul’s admonition “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Eph. 4:1).
• In the last lesson on our Identity from Ephesians chapter 5 we learned as members of the body of Christ we are
“Living Light” in a a world of darkness and sin.
• Our mission — to shine the light of Christ and expose every sin without compromise, without fear.

No longer walking in darkness as the gentiles (v. 4:17)
• but walking in love imitating God and Christ (v.5:2), walking as children of light (v.5:8).

Our lesson is titled, “Filled with the Spirit”.

There will be two parts:
• (1) beginning at verse 15 we learn the importance of always being personally aware of how we are walking, and
• (2) at verse 18 we learn the necessity, and the way of avoiding a life of sin, by being “filled with the Spirit”
evidenced by singing, giving thanks and submitting to one another in the fear of God.

First, Paul wrote at verse 15… “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15)

HINDRANCES TO PRAYER – PART 2

Paul wrote, “1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:1-2). Brothers and sisters, setting our minds on things above does not mean thinking about what heaven is like. Rather it means we are fixated on things that come from heaven. The right to prayer is a gift from God in heaven that enhances our relationship with Him. Our part is to use this blessing. But when we lack commitment to God, to the Spirit, our prayer is less often, and less sincere. Idolatry was mentioned in the morning lesson that we must be committed to Jesus and not the things of this world. We are either committed to the this of this world of to God. Jesus said, “No one can serve two mas-ters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24). If it’s not God, it’s this world. Paul warned about getting too attached to worldly things. “No one en-gaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4).

We are in a spiritual war, make no mistake, and prayer is one powerful weapon that God afords Christians… 

IDENTITY THE VALUE OF IMITATION GOD

We all tend to imitate others even without knowing. • We imitate to feel connected. • We imitate our role models. • We imitate to be socially accepted. • It is natural for children to be like their parents. • It must also then be natural for Christians to imitate their Father in heaven. Imitating God is a serious matter when you consider our Father’s character.

According to the apostle Paul we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling: We are being taught to put off our old ways. We become the new creation according to God in true righteousness and holiness (4:23-24). Accomplished by bringing our whole self under the control of the Spirit, through the word, destroying any power the devil had over our speech and mannerisms. This lesson is from Ephesians chapter 5 – and is titled “Value in Imitating God”

In Ephesians 5 Paul outlines the great value the saints receive by doing the 3 following things…

Imitate God
Be the Example
Avoid Evil

Imitating God is a serious matter when you consider our Father’s character. There are aspects of the Father’s character that are beyond our ability to imitate. He is eternal (Rev. 4:8), His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence are beyond us. And He is our Final Righteous Judge.

Then there are the things we can and must strive to imitate…

HINDRANCES TO PRAYER
PART 1

What Hinders Our Prayers 5-4-2025 PM

I have never known a brother or sister that did not believe in the power of prayer. And for good reason. Prayer can change your future!
We see this in 2 Kings 20:1-6 where Hezekiah was near death, and Isaiah told him to set his life in order because you are going to die.
We read in verses 2 and 3 that Hezekiah, “…turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”
After that prayer the Lord told Isaiah to return and tell the king, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you” (v.5). and the Lord added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life.

But note carefully in the prayer Hezekiah’s spirituality was such that he walked before the Lord in truth, with a loyal heart and he did what was good in the Lord’s sight…

HOW GOD KEEPS HIS SAINTS

How God Keeps Us
• The Father’s keeping of the saints must be understood to be similar to that keeping which Jesus pro-vided. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” (Jn. 17:12).

Here are three things which the Father does to keep His saints.
1. Providence: Matt. 6:13; I Cor, 10: 13, 2 Pet. 2:9, Gen. 20:6
2. Provisions: Acts 20:32, Psa. 119:11, Psa. 119:105, Psa. 119:133, 1 Cor. 12:26, Heb. 10:24-25, Heb. 13:7
3. Restoration: Gal. 6:1, 2 Pet. 3:9, Rom, 2:4, Rev. 2:21, 1 Jn. 1:6-9, 2 Sam. 12, Heb. 7:25

Let’s begin then with God’s providence…

JESUS

Why should I believe in the Jesus of the Bible? To Believe or Not to Believe, that is The Question.

In this lesson we’ll consider three reasons that validate Jesus, His existence, and His Divinity. Believing Bible as the word of God and not the word of man is actually an important lesson which simply put is proven by three truths: (1). That the bible was written over a period of 3,500 years by 40 different authors, some kings, some fishermen but every book from Genesis to Revelation completely harmonizes, which is impossible unless the source of the writing was from One. (2). There are more than 300, noted and proven prophecies which is also impossible for mere man who cannot predict with perfect accuracy what tomorrow will bring. The prophecies of the scripture noting hundreds of years in advance that this person would be born, in this certain city, and do this certain thing. The place of Jesus’ Birth – Micah 5:2, 700 years before and fulfilled in Matthew 2:1, etc. (3). If the bible were written out of the mind of man, and not God, then since man’s desires, lust for example, would not be condemned. There would not be any “absolute morality”, for man would not write in a way that would constrain his desire for pleasures of life. That is, the unbelieving world would not restrict what the Lord refers to as sin. 
In this lesson, we will only consider why we must believe in the historical Jesus with three simple points. 

1. His Proven Divinity. 
2. His fulfillment of Prophecy. 
3. The Eyewitness Testimony. 

We begin with how Jesus proved His divinity…

NEVER FORGET

Like many people I have always had difficulty remembering names, yet I never forget a face. I remember my s.s number, my checking account number, my wife’s name, but I forget birthdays, holidays. I don’t remember my grade school teacher. Can’t remember the names of streets, although I don’t ever get lost. There are many things which we must not ever forget. 
Never forget who you are, Christian, child of the most High God. Remember the written word. We must never forget there is a heaven and a hell because we are all destined to one or the other and where we end up in Heaven or Hell depends on what we remember about God’s will which is the written word, your Bible.

Here in this lesson I would like to offer you some things we should never forget. Things like never forget what Great things the Lord Has Done – never forget to Keep the Lord’s Commandment – never forget Do no to follow other gods – never forget the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…

IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH PART 13
– SEVEN ONES – 

Remember that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), and our foundation is the word of God (Matt. 7:24-25). By these seven ones the church of Christ in united on common ground.
One Body: One Spirit: One Hope: One Lord: One Faith: One Baptism: One God and Father: 

The majority of the religious world actually, believe it or not, only accepts willingly one Lord, one God, and One Spirit. It’s true and can be proven just by asking your “pastor”, is there only one baptism? Ask, is there only one faith, is there only one body or is there only one hope?  I am certain that one, if not all of these will have a negative answer, or a multitude of words explaining his answer (Eccl. 10:14).

We do accept and believe in all seven because they are from the mouth of God…

THINGS THAT THE FAITHFUL HAVE IN COMMON WITH GREAT PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE

Sometimes I wonder why so few in many churches seem to attend only the morning assemblies. That is true in many congregations. But every time I begin thinking about this I find myself going down the same path of understanding. Truth is I’ll never understand. It hurts my spirit, my brain aches just trying to make sense of it. I imagine that you all have thought about this, and it probably has caused your spirit to be heavy also but, you all need to realize, as I do, that apart from prayer, letters, face to face encouragement there is little else you can do. You chose to be here, and others chose not to come. You want the fellowship together, others do not. Your soul is in the hand of God, and so are the others. God will judge you, and God will judge them. There is a song which I often sing to myself when I get into a funk about this. The Song is Farther Along.

Tempted and tried we’re oft made to wonder why it should be thus all the day long
While there are others living about us, never molested, though in the wrong
When death has come and taken our loved ones, it leaves our home so lonely and dreary
Then do we wonder why others prosper living so wicked year after year
Farther along we’ll know all about it; farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up, my brother; live in the sunshine, we’ll understand it all by and by
Faithful till death said our loving master; a few more days to labor and wait
Toils of the road will then seem as nothing as we sweep through the beautiful gates
Farther along we’ll know all about it…
Yes, we’ll understand it all by and by…

This song reminds me that in the end – if I myself am faithful – I’ll understand why – and that for now – I just need to live and serve and put all my trust in Him who saved me. That is also true of all who believe whether you knew it or not – you want the same things.