Sermon by Ps. Roland Lee in the Faith Community Baptist Church 14 Jun 2025 (Father's Day).
Background
The world is always looking for identity, healing, direction and real values. But what God provides is a godly example. How we live our life has an impact to others.
Scripture: Joshua 24:4-15
Joshua has led the people for many years and in his final speech, he reaffirms his faith to his people that in whatever the circumstances, he and his family will serve the Lord.
How can we godly examples to bless others?
1. We must live in godly fear - become a person of purity
Godly fear does not mean to be scared of God. It is to be in awe and reverence for God. It means to live in constant knowledge that he is near, that we will live according to his ways.
Jesus summarizes this to 2 commands: to love God, and to love people. Purity is not just avoiding sin but it's our heart's devotion to God - to do what is right even when no one is looking. Our purity becomes a testimony to others as God's holiness shapes our choices.
Note: purity is not instant perfection. It is a heart posture that says "God, I want to honor you in my action, thoughts and actions".
2. We must live in godly faithfulness - becomes a person of purpose
The last words of Joshua is to declare that for he and his household, he will serve the Lord. This is after years of leadership, with failures, temptations, etc. It is not about single action, but something to be repeated again and again. Jesus mentioned that if we seek the kingdom of God, he will give us everything we need (not the wants in our lives).
Although we are Christian, we are often chasing other gods. Joshua asked us to throw away other gods and seek the Lord. We have to throw away the gods of worldliness so that other may see the difference Christ made in us. Faithfulness is serving God is about obedience, not that we need to be successful in all things. We must still be faithful in setting the right example situation the next generation will continue to lead the life of faithfulness.
Our confidence is not in our ability to become pure and faithful. Our confidence is in the mercies of our God to help us to become more like him.