Instructions To Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:07.309 Tonight's sermon comes from Ephesians, chapter six, verse four. We continue going 2 00:00:07.509 --> 00:00:20.469 through Paul's instructions to to us in our households and we've considered wives and husband's 3 00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:31.420 children, and now parents and fathers are particularly addressed. So, just for 4 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:36.969 a little bit of context, I'll read beginning at verse one of Chapter Six. 5 00:00:37.009 --> 00:00:43.250 Children, Obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. 6 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:47.609 Honor Your father and your mother. This is the first commandment, with a 7 00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:51.600 promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in 8 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:58.200 the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring 9 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:04.109 them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Amen, please be 10 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:15.510 seated. Sometimes, when we hear God's commands, especially when we hear them 11 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:22.459 we read them in scripture for the first time, it's I find that people, 12 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:26.540 and I remember this with myself this one in particular. anothers here and 13 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:34.569 effusions as well. They surprise you a little bit by their clarity. That's 14 00:01:34.609 --> 00:01:38.329 so clear. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. You think 15 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:42.769 that's a good command. I shouldn't do that. We shouldn't do that, 16 00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:49.879 as I've mentioned before, with these other commands, this one to fathers is 17 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:57.159 simple and clear. A simple and clear statement regarding the will of God. 18 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.709 Paul tells us, and Ephesians God tells us through his servant, that we 19 00:02:00.829 --> 00:02:05.670 are to discern his will, were to seek after God's will, try to 20 00:02:05.750 --> 00:02:10.509 understand it. How do you do that? You study, you memorize, 21 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:15.939 you meditate on what he has said, particularly very clear commandments. I'm like 22 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:20.379 this one. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring 23 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:25.419 them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So let's spend a 24 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:30.729 few moments now with our ears wide open so that we might in seat, 25 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:37.930 receive this instruction from our heavenly father. Well, as I read, Paul 26 00:02:37.969 --> 00:02:43.530 has previously instructed children to submit to their parents and the Lord, to honor 27 00:02:43.650 --> 00:02:46.840 them, to obey them. But, of course, is anyone who has 28 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:52.120 ever been under submission to a already knows, which is every single one of 29 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:57.680 us here, it's a lot easier to honor and obey someone who is honorable 30 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:01.830 and someone who is giving good commands. A lot of the difficulties that we 31 00:03:01.990 --> 00:03:06.710 faced when we are under the authority of someone is how do we fulfill those 32 00:03:06.789 --> 00:03:09.509 commands when the person who's an authority over us is doing a bad job. 33 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:15.219 It's really tough and it's something we've considered when we've considered these other passages in 34 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:23.139 effusions and so that every part of the family might be enriched and instructed. 35 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:28.530 God speaks here to parents, to fathers in particular, as the leaders in 36 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.650 their home, as those who should set a good example for their wives and 37 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:38.289 children to follow. But in the same way, though, it does at 38 00:03:38.289 --> 00:03:45.800 dress fathers in particular. We're right to include mothers here when they when mothers 39 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:53.039 are not exempt from provoking their children to anger. They do it sometimes and 40 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:59.469 should not do it. Ever. Mothers likewise are called to bring their children 41 00:03:59.509 --> 00:04:03.669 up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Remember, for example, 42 00:04:03.750 --> 00:04:09.430 and I'll read the scripture later, but how Timothy, whom Paul wrote to 43 00:04:10.099 --> 00:04:13.900 first and Second Timothy, how that Timothy was blessed by his mother and his 44 00:04:14.020 --> 00:04:19.100 grandmother teaching him, training him and in the Lord. With that being said, 45 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:26.569 the what specific instructions does Paul Give? Well, the command comes in 46 00:04:26.769 --> 00:04:30.089 two parts. First, do not provoke your children to anger. Second, 47 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:33.410 bring them up in the discipline and Instruction of the Lord. Let's take a 48 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:39.759 look at each part. Well, before telling fathers that they should instruct their 49 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:44.600 children, he gives them this caution in command. Do not provoke them to 50 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:49.399 anger. In a desire to see a child do right, parents, and 51 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:56.670 perhaps father's in particular, can sometimes be too strong, too aggressive, not 52 00:04:56.870 --> 00:05:00.430 gentle enough, even when the motivation is right, even what they want to 53 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:06.579 see is their children successful, doing well, following after the Lord. Sometimes 54 00:05:06.779 --> 00:05:12.579 fathers do not use their power, their authority, their legitimate power, their 55 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:18.060 legitimate authority, in a gentle way, and sometimes they do worse than not 56 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:26.009 being gentle. They actually go about provoking their children to anger. This is 57 00:05:26.009 --> 00:05:31.970 an old problem. It's not something that's new or Chrysostom says many parents do 58 00:05:32.129 --> 00:05:39.639 this. That's my big quote. It's true. It's an all the old 59 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:45.680 of them A. Paul addresses it here. It's a it's something that we 60 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:49.149 recognize in our lives. We all can point to examples from our parents, 61 00:05:49.189 --> 00:05:55.069 perhaps our fathers in particular, other people in our lives where they just give 62 00:05:55.149 --> 00:06:00.110 me a break, he's up a little bit. It is so hard to 63 00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:05.060 do this with you. Fathers are called not to provoke their children to anger. 64 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:12.420 What it's helpful to remember is, though, our earthly fathers are not 65 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:16.819 perfect. In fact, they sin. I sin in my fatherhood and in 66 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:23.050 many ways. It's important to remember that. We should never think of our 67 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:30.449 heavenly father after our earthly father's image, our dad's, our mom's. They 68 00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:34.959 fail all the time in all kinds of ways. We do that as parents, 69 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:40.319 and but it's important that we not attribute the failings that we have to 70 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:46.040 God. Remember Psalm one hundred and thirteen through fourteen. It's relevant here. 71 00:06:46.509 --> 00:06:50.310 Some one undred three says, as a father shows compassion to his children, 72 00:06:51.350 --> 00:06:57.509 so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him, for he knows our 73 00:06:57.709 --> 00:07:03.980 frame. He remembers that we are dust. See, our heavenly father UN 74 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:09.860 takes account of who we are as heart as his children. We're not just 75 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:15.259 machines that he needs to get to do this way or that way or manipulate 76 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:19.050 us into this thing or that thing. He knows US personally, personally, 77 00:07:19.250 --> 00:07:26.689 deeply. He knows our frame and he remembers our limitations. Here described as 78 00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:33.519 that, we are dust. Unfortunately, not all earthly fathers, and I 79 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:40.240 include myself in this. Sorry, kids, not all earthly fathers show this 80 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:46.389 kind of compassion. Every father in this regard sins, sometimes, sometimes a 81 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:51.069 lot. The scripture tells us that our heavenly father is sensitive to our limits, 82 00:07:51.350 --> 00:07:56.670 to our struggles, to our nature. Paul's telling us that earthly fathers 83 00:07:56.670 --> 00:08:03.620 must do likewise, especially Christian ones who call God our father. For example, 84 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:09.339 shall we receive mercy from God as his adopted children and then refuse to 85 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:13.810 pass mercy on to our children? When God, who understands and understands our 86 00:08:13.850 --> 00:08:18.970 limitations and our weaknesses and our failings and our struggles, will we not do 87 00:08:20.129 --> 00:08:24.290 that for our kids? Will we not take the time to understand that? 88 00:08:26.050 --> 00:08:30.519 Well, he's tired right now and maybe I shouldn't make this so difficult, 89 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:35.000 or she's sick or having a bad day. Perhaps I can be a little 90 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:41.070 more gentle in my commands and the things that I'm asking for. How can 91 00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:45.590 we show them? There's a question to ask. How can we show them 92 00:08:45.669 --> 00:08:50.590 our Lord in the way that we act toward them? How can we demonstrate 93 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:58.779 his love for for us as we love them? So many ways, we 94 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:03.340 can be careful not to tease too much or, worse, to mock them. 95 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:09.450 Sometimes fathers use their positions and authority and power to push their kids to 96 00:09:09.529 --> 00:09:18.570 the very limits to frustration, to tears. Does God use his power and 97 00:09:18.690 --> 00:09:24.169 his might, as awesome as it is, who ever abuse us? Never, 98 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:30.840 even in his correction, even in his discipline, it's done with a 99 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:35.679 warm heart full of compassion. What do the scriptures say about our God? 100 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:43.190 Says that he's slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. God doesn't abuse 101 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:46.710 his children. He adores them. He doesn't for broke them to anger, 102 00:09:46.870 --> 00:09:52.590 he keeps them from it. He demonstrates this in a thousand ways, and 103 00:09:52.059 --> 00:09:56.500 earthly fathers who want to demonstrate rate that love to their children ought to do 104 00:09:56.700 --> 00:10:01.820 the same. Like God. We ought to work hard to provide for their 105 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:07.649 needs, to slow down and listen to them, to hear their stories, 106 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:11.929 to hear their feelings, to give them room to cry and to be hurt. 107 00:10:13.610 --> 00:10:18.049 We can be sensitive to those times when obedience is hard. We can 108 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:24.200 be sensitive to those times when they need encouragement. Earthly Fathers, you might 109 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:28.080 think about it this way. How many times has God protected you from sin 110 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:33.080 by putting you in a situation where it was easy to do better, where 111 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:37.070 it was easy to do right? Are there ways in which God has set 112 00:10:37.110 --> 00:10:41.870 up providences in your life that kind of keep you on the straight and narrow. 113 00:10:41.190 --> 00:10:45.389 That make it easier, that make it more enjoyable, that makes things 114 00:10:45.710 --> 00:10:50.860 pleasurable. If God protects us from sin, if God watches out for us, 115 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:56.460 if God trains us and is gentle with us in his discipline, we 116 00:10:56.779 --> 00:11:01.299 ought to do the same and we should never do as we are forbidden here 117 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:09.210 to provoke our children to anger. The second instruction is that we are to 118 00:11:11.570 --> 00:11:15.970 bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and, as I 119 00:11:16.009 --> 00:11:20.960 mentioned before, mothers here are also easily included. Second, Timothy Five Paul 120 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:26.000 says to Timothy, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that 121 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:31.279 dwelt first and your grandmother, Lois, and your mother Eunice, and now, 122 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:35.509 I am sure, dwells in you. Or perhaps you remember the words 123 00:11:35.629 --> 00:11:41.710 recorded in proverbs, thirty one proverbs that were given to King Lemuel by his 124 00:11:41.950 --> 00:11:48.379 mom. They're in the final chapter of Wisdom, this final chapter from the 125 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:54.299 book of proverbs. This mother speaks to her son. One of the things 126 00:11:54.379 --> 00:11:58.820 she tells him is about how to to the kind of wife that he should 127 00:11:58.820 --> 00:12:03.129 find, and one of the descriptions there is this way. She opens her 128 00:12:03.169 --> 00:12:09.330 mouth with wisdom and teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Mother's play a 129 00:12:09.409 --> 00:12:16.559 great and important world and the discipline and instruction of their children, the discipline 130 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:20.559 and Instruction of the Lord, falls on them. And of course no less 131 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:28.080 is expected of father's. Throughout the proverbs we have a commands given from a 132 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:33.789 father to a son. Fathers are specifically addressed here as well. I might 133 00:12:33.870 --> 00:12:39.789 remember Deuteronomy six seven, where a parents are told when you sit in your 134 00:12:39.830 --> 00:12:41.710 house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when 135 00:12:41.750 --> 00:12:46.580 you rise, in all of these times, in all these situations, we 136 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:52.700 are to be training and teaching our children in the Lord. If some fathers 137 00:12:52.899 --> 00:13:00.889 are too intense, too for USFUL, too strict, others are too passive, 138 00:13:01.970 --> 00:13:05.690 others simply say, well, you know, discipline, instruction, it'll 139 00:13:05.769 --> 00:13:09.610 take care of itself. I can't really be busied with that right now. 140 00:13:09.690 --> 00:13:16.399 I'm at work, I'm doing other things. Some sit back, afraid of 141 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:20.559 engaging their children, of being there, of being present, of being available. 142 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.639 Paul says that this is disallowed. They are to be active, they 143 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:30.870 are to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, as 144 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.909 we learned throughout the proverbs, and, as we all know from our experience, 145 00:13:33.309 --> 00:13:41.580 children need instruction, children need reproof. The proverbs described children as those 146 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:46.820 who are foolish and immature. Happily, it's not a permanent state. It's 147 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:52.940 one that can be grown and and and and improved. But that's where parents 148 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:58.289 are to play this important role in the lives of their kids. Children need 149 00:13:58.450 --> 00:14:03.250 to be trained to see and to be wise. They need to be taught 150 00:14:03.809 --> 00:14:11.320 the ways of the Lord. How can you do this? you start by 151 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:16.320 learning the ways of God yourself, and this, of course, begins by 152 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:24.279 understanding what faith is. This is really key. If you miss this point, 153 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:28.350 you miss everything. If you walk out and you say, well, 154 00:14:28.669 --> 00:14:31.309 here are these ten commandments, I am going to make sure my kids obey 155 00:14:31.389 --> 00:14:37.710 them, and you've forgotten about faith, you've forgotten about how the law and 156 00:14:37.830 --> 00:14:45.820 the Gospel Work Together, then you will have missed something very important. If 157 00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:50.740 you want to show your children the ways of the Lord, you must show 158 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:54.009 them that the only way to the Lord is through faith in Jesus. I 159 00:14:54.210 --> 00:14:58.370 am the way, he says, the truth and the life. No one 160 00:14:58.490 --> 00:15:05.889 comes to the father except through me. So if you desire to fall of 161 00:15:05.049 --> 00:15:09.000 the Lord's will, to bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of 162 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:13.919 the Lord. You have to ask yourself, do I know what it means 163 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:20.480 to be a child of the heavenly father, to pray the Lord's prayer as 164 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:24.909 a faught, as a child and always as a child, to never outgrow 165 00:15:26.190 --> 00:15:33.070 saying our father is in heaven? Do you know what it means to look 166 00:15:33.110 --> 00:15:37.500 to him for all things, to seek his will, to seek his life, 167 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:41.059 to know him, to find his forgiveness, and to do all of 168 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:46.379 that through faith in Christ, whom our father has given and to us that 169 00:15:46.539 --> 00:15:52.090 we might be united to him and know him and be loved by him. 170 00:15:54.169 --> 00:15:56.610 How do you do this? How do you bring your children up in the 171 00:15:56.690 --> 00:16:03.690 discipline and Instruction in the Lord? But begins by knowing the Gospel, knowing 172 00:16:03.809 --> 00:16:07.480 who your heavenly father is and how you know him and why you can trust 173 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:12.399 him and all the good news that comes to us in his word. Do 174 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:18.120 you know that you belong to God out of his pure grace and not by 175 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:22.590 your works? Do you know that the inheritance that he gives to you is 176 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:27.389 not dependent upon the things that you do, but it's dependent entirely on his 177 00:16:27.509 --> 00:16:33.539 steadfast love, which is from all eternity. Do you know that you have 178 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:37.259 been forgiven of all your sins and washed clean as white of the snow? 179 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:44.059 Do you know the love with which you have been loved is all free from 180 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:53.169 him? Do you understand how the law destroys a person? Apart from this, 181 00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:57.769 not that the law is sinful in and of itself, but that sinful 182 00:16:57.889 --> 00:17:03.920 nature re acts very badly when it comes into contact with the law. That 183 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:07.519 if, all that. If, when we hear that, when we hear 184 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.240 the law and there's no hope in us, there's no forgiveness, there's no 185 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:18.470 relationship with Christ, we simply recede into the darkness and do more evil that 186 00:17:18.589 --> 00:17:27.109 we come under its condemnation and it's slavery. But through faith in Christ we 187 00:17:27.190 --> 00:17:33.740 are taught that the law is fulfilled on our behalf and that then it becomes 188 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:38.500 our joy to fulfill the commandments of God, because we know God is fulfilling 189 00:17:38.660 --> 00:17:47.009 them in us. The yoke of the Lord is easy, is burden is 190 00:17:47.049 --> 00:17:51.009 light. The Commands of the Lord, the Law of the Lord, David 191 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:55.849 says, it's like the dripping of honey on his tongue. HMM, so 192 00:17:56.130 --> 00:18:02.160 sweet to know the law of God how can you say that? Well, 193 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:07.000 the Christian can say that the one who has been rescued from it by the 194 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:14.630 obedience of Christ and lifted into the freedom of it. They might do good 195 00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:22.630 works, not for their justification but as proof that God is working in them. 196 00:18:25.029 --> 00:18:27.859 They this is where you have to start if you're going to bring your 197 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:34.579 kids up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, because without that it's 198 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:41.730 you would give them the law of the Lord, but not closeness with the 199 00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:48.210 Lord, not communion with the Lord, only his wrath. If you don't 200 00:18:48.250 --> 00:18:52.529 start here, if somehow you are able to manage to get your kids to 201 00:18:52.609 --> 00:18:56.920 fall in line with every good commandment, but that they learn to do it 202 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:02.079 apart from faith, apart from humility, apart from the wonder of the God 203 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:07.839 who saved them, then you really done no good thing. The world will 204 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:11.549 applaud and be impressed and will say, wow, your kids are amazing, 205 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:15.390 look how obedient they are, look how submissive they are, but you will 206 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:22.109 ultimately have raised nothing but proud pharisees. And you know what Jesus says about 207 00:19:22.230 --> 00:19:29.380 Pharisees. But if you start with the Gospel, if you start with Christ, 208 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:34.339 if you start with the hope that he gives us. Then one you 209 00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:40.329 have room to be forgiven of your own fatherly faults and to go before the 210 00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:42.809 Lord as a child and say I'm doing a bad job as a dad, 211 00:19:45.049 --> 00:19:48.329 please help me, please save me. But then we can go to our 212 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:52.680 children in that same spirit and teach them what it means to repent, to 213 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:56.519 teach them what it means to trust in Christ, not just because you're sorry, 214 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.559 but because you trust him to forgive, you trust him to help and 215 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:08.269 that he will give you the very gifts of Heaven. I say start here 216 00:20:08.390 --> 00:20:14.150 by knowing these things yourself, but don't take that to mean that you have 217 00:20:14.269 --> 00:20:18.869 to have it all figured out before you start. Of course you'll never begin 218 00:20:18.990 --> 00:20:23.059 and you'll miss the point. Our justification is not about figuring it all out 219 00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:26.539 before we start and come to God and say I've got it all figured out. 220 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:32.059 Our justification in Christ is knowing that we were saved while we were yet 221 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:38.049 sinners. Our justification is being made perfect in him before we are perfect. 222 00:20:41.049 --> 00:20:45.609 So to walk is a Christian father or mother, it means to walk with 223 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:53.480 your children today in the Lord in faith. It means going with them to 224 00:20:53.519 --> 00:21:00.759 the scriptures, praying not just for them but with them, not just bringing 225 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:04.509 them to worship, but worshiping with them, singing with them, repenting, 226 00:21:04.710 --> 00:21:12.430 with them, confessing, loving, serving together. Want to get really practical. 227 00:21:15.069 --> 00:21:18.190 On the Lord's Day, worship with them in the House of the Lord. 228 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:22.259 On other days, every day you possibly can, bring them to the 229 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:26.940 scriptures and read and pray, teach them to find Jesus in all these places, 230 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:34.529 these places where he shows himself. And if you find yourself lacking in 231 00:21:34.650 --> 00:21:41.769 these things, which I certainly do, if you find yourself having a memories 232 00:21:41.970 --> 00:21:45.730 of dark moments, things you wish you could take back, word you wish 233 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:52.480 you could back in your mouth, if you find that you need guidance and 234 00:21:53.200 --> 00:22:03.029 strength and perseverance, then look to your heavenly father through the promise of Christ, 235 00:22:03.150 --> 00:22:07.309 and then, in the power of the spirit who is in you, 236 00:22:08.309 --> 00:22:15.299 ask your Tryune God for all that you need. Which one of you, 237 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:18.420 if his son asks him for a bread, will give him a stone, 238 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:26.140 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? Jesus 239 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:29.019 says, if then you, who are evil, know how to give good 240 00:22:29.099 --> 00:22:33.130 gifts to your children, how much more will your father, who is in 241 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:38.250 heaven, give good things to those who ask him. Let's pray