Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day!

I feel really weird saying that, because as a father, I am wishing myself a Happy Father’s Day.

Father’s Day was started in 1909, supposedly. Sonora Smart Dodd was sitting in church one Mother’s Day, listening to the sermon, when she wondered why there wasn’t a Father’s Day.

She reflected on her own father who was a Civil War veteran and who raised his six children after their mother died in childbirth. In honor of him, she approached the local religious leaders and June 19th, 1910, the first Father’s Day was celebrated.

In 1924, President Coolidge gave his support to the observation of Father’s Day. In 1966, Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation about Father’s Day. Finally, in 1972, Richard Nixon signed legislation, making this a national holiday.

It’s important to note that Father’s Day was started as a religious holiday. And most of its history was celebrated as a religious holiday.

Recently it has become secularized. But, that secularization does not negate the importance of celebrating fathers and urging fathers to live up to the standard the God calls them to.

On Mother’s Day, we discussed endurance. We spoke on how God is a God of endurance. Therefore, mother’s should be people of endurance.

Normally, on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I like to take an attribute of God and call mothers and fathers to live that attribute so that their kids can see God in them.

Today, I’m not going to do that.

Today, I’m going to talk about journalism. You say, what does journalism have to do with fatherhood? Just have patience.

I talk with many people who say that they do not trust the media these days. It seems like no reporter or news anchor has integrity. Lies are thrown around. We get on social media, and everyone is sharing everything from any website, without taking the time to research the truth of what is shared. In that, we are joining this age of non-integrity. We are complicit in the lies.

Several years ago, the Trust Project was formed, To amplify journalism’s commitment to transparency, accuracy, inclusion and fairness so that the public can make informed news choices.

They compiled a list of eight trust indicator to help a reader decide whether a news story is trustworthy. By doing this, they are also calling on news sources to have more integrity.

Their eight trust indicators are: Is the Journalist an expert? Is the purpose of the story clear? Can we find and access the sources? Does the journalist use local knowledge? Does the story bring in many kinds of people? Does the news organization allow readers to participate? Can we tell the process used to make the story? And does the journalist or news organization explain their ownership and standards?

It is a fascinating organization and an encouraging concept: calling journalists and news organizations to integrity in what they say, but also calling readers to have integrity in what they say, by passing on correct ideas.

Paul calls Titus to this same standard of integrity through what he says and through what he does.

Titus 2:7–8 NIV

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Integrity. It’s amazing how often we look for integrity in others, but refuse to see our lack of integrity in ourselves.

Integrity is important in a Christian leader. Integrity is essential in fathers.

However, integrity is not an attribute of God. Wait, what?

No where in Scripture is God described as having integrity. Why is that so?

Integrity is the faithful support of a standard of values. Those values could be values of a profession, such as journalistic integrity. Those values could be values of a community. These standards are outside of someone, and the one with integrity faithfully lives according to those values.

God does not have a standard of values outside of himself that he has to live by. He is holiness. He is goodness. He is love. He defines all those values for us. He is the standard of values. He calls us to integrity to live faithfully to his standard of values.

Fathers, today we will be building a small mission statement for fatherhood. The first point is: I will be a Person of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Main point: One half say one half.

There are four words that are paired in Scripture with having integrity, which will help us build the mission statement.

Righteousness

The first word is righteousness.

Psalm 7:8 NIV

Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

Integrity is a faithful support of God’s standard of values.

Righteousness is doing the right thing, in the context of this verse, it is doing the right thing in a way that is loyal to the community.

David was writing this Psalm because a man named Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin, was his enemy and was moving against him like a lion.

David says that he deserves vindication because he has faithfully supported God’s standard of values and that he has lived the right way in his community. Cush had no reason to act against him.

How does this translate for fatherhood?

If a father is seeking to support God’s standard, he will do what is right by his community, specifically his family.

He starts off by showing to his family that he is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Unless he pursues righteousness through Jesus, he will not be able to be a man of integrity.

This man acknowledges that he is a sinner and that he needs to be saved through Jesus Christ. He acknowledges that he needs Jesus’ help every day. And he acknowledges that his family needs Jesus everyday. Doing right by his family is leading himself and his family to Jesus intentionally every day.

A man who pursues righteousness, seeking to do what is right by his family, will show his loyalty to them.

I love the him: Abide with Me:

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide:

When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

God is the God who is with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us.

In the same way, the father should show God to his family. He will show his wife that she is the most important priority to him under God. He will do right by her, living with her in an understanding way, as Peter writes in 1 Peter 3. He will over her and live self-sacrificially with her, as Christ did for us the Church, as Paul writes in Ephesians 5.

He will show his children that they are the most important thing to him, under his wife and God. He will provide what they need physically and emotionally, knowing that whoever does not provide for their family, is worse than a non-believer, knowing that a Father is not supposed to exasperate his children, but to train them up in the Lord.

Fathers, does your family say that you do right by them, showing your loyalty to them? Or do they complain that you are loyal to other things over them, whether it is the farm, or your work, or your friends, or your parents or siblings?

What is the main point: I will be a man of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Now, you few rows here, when I say, what is the sub-point one, you will say: I will do what is right by my family.

Uprightness

The next word that is paired with integrity is uprightness.

Psalm 25:21 NIV

May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.

The word speaks of a straight path. It is tied to honesty.

If you look at so many of the rows in this church, the rows are not upright. They are crooked.

Unfortunately, too many fathers do not live with integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values. Instead, they live lives that are crooked.

They abuse their wives and their children. They are dishonest. Perhaps they break other laws.

Maybe, they are really moral people in public. However, their heart is not upright.

They have never turned to Jesus in faith. So, on the one hand, they are showing morality in public, but on the other hand, their hearts have never been cleansed by Jesus Christ. They are a hypocrite. Dishonest.

Maybe they confess to have believed in Jesus for their salvation, but they are not living accordingly. They are not pursuing a daily relationship with Jesus Christ. They are not making church attendance a priority. They are not upright. They are living a life that is crooked.

Uprightness speaks of a straight path, a life that honestly shows who you are.

If you picture a timeline, at the beginning of life, it is like a drunken person walking, going every which way. Crooked.

Then Christ comes into someone’s life. From that point on, the timeline should be a straight line, where someone’s life is consistently, honestly, showing that they are a follower of Jesus Christ.

Uprightness.

What does this look like for a father?

A father of integrity consistently tries to show Christ in his life.

Of course, he can only do this if he is a follower of Jesus Christ. If someone is not a follower, they are living their life on the crooked path, impossible to live a straight godly path, just like it is impossible for a drunk to walk a straight line.

Once we are follower of Jesus Christ, we should take care that our wives and our kids see us striving to keep our life in line with the fact that we are follower of Jesus Christ.

I remember waking up each morning, and seeing my dad reading his Bible and praying. Whenever we worked on our car together and we got to a rough spot, he would stop and pray with me about the difficulty. I saw that his actions were in line with the confession he had made of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

I also saw that the words he said were in line with his identity. He consistently taught me what it meant to be a child of integrity, he explained what the Bible said about different situations. He lead us in family devotions.

His actions in the community and what he said was always colored by the fact that he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

Uprightness: Consistently showing Christ in our lives.

So, you in the next few rows. When I say, sub-point 2, you will say: I will consistently show Christ in my life.

Main Point: I will be a man of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Sub-point 1: I will do what is right by my family.

Sub-point 2: I will consistently show Christ in my life.

Without wavering

The third word that is paired with integrity is Without Wavering.

Psalm 26:1 NIV

Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

The word blameless in this verse is actually the same word for integrity.

The verb at the end of the verse is translated several different ways. The NIV says “have not faltered.” I liked “without wavering.” They are both good.

The phrase can be used as a medical term. It speaks of ankles giving out.

You are running across a field, step into a gopher hole, twist your ankle, and you fall. That’s what this word is referring to.

Or we could talk about high heels. Normally, one doesn’t talk about high heels in a Father’s Day sermon.... The strength of an ankle to be able to walk around on those mini stilts is amazing. Then, one mis-step, one shift of weight in the wrong direction, and crunch. Pain.

A man of integrity has strong ankles. He does not waver or falter. He knows God’s values and he faithfully supports them.

He knows that he must do what is right by his family, and he show he does it, no matter what.

He knows that he must consistently show Christ in his life, so he does, without wavering.

In short, he stands firm on truth. He does not waver.

What does this practically look like?

Guys, some of you need to start praying with your wife daily and having daily devotions with your wife.

God calls us to oneness, and one area of oneness is Spiritual oneness. If we are not pursuing spiritual oneness in our marriages, we are not doing what God has called us to do.

Taking those first steps to pray with our wife and lead her in devotions is scary and she may not have the best reaction. Strengthen your ankles. Be a man. Stand firm on truth.

Not only should we be leading our wives spiritually, but we should be leading our family. If ever one needs strong ankles, it is when we are trying to get our family to have consistent devotions together. But, if we are man of integrity, we will do it. Stand firm on truth.

Standing firm on truth applies to the way we discipline. It applies to our reactions when our kids are screaming in the car. It applies to our tone when we talk with our wife. It applies to how we deal with a teen who is blatantly living against God. It applies to how we prioritize Christian fellowship and the way we lead our family to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Standing firm on truth applies to our humility as we look in the mirror and see our own sin. We strengthen our ankles, confessing that sin to God and to our brothers and sisters, seeking the help we need to be upright, righteous, and a man of integrity.

Okay, the next section, when I say “sub-point 3” you will say: I will stand firm on truth.

Main Point: I will be a man of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Sub-point 1: I will do what is right by my family.

Sub-point 2: I will consistently show Christ in my life.

Sub-point 3: I will stand firm on truth.

Blameless

The last word is blameless.

Psalm 101:2 NIV

I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.

Literally, this passage says: I will be careful to walk in the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with integrity in my heart.

The NIV and some other translations equate the way of integrity with blamelessness.

Blameless means that one is innocent of wrongdoing. Specifically, that no one can bring a charge of evildoing against the blameless person.

An elder and a deacon in the church is supposed to be blameless. We know that no one is actually sinless. We all do bad things. The important thing about blamelessness, is the one who is blameless has nothing hidden. There is no “gotcha” moment. Whenever the blameless person sins, he immediately makes it known and seeks forgiveness and reconciliation, and takes steps to not do it again.

Let’s tie this with integrity.

What is our main point? I will be a man of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Integrity is an idea, a resolve, that is produced in action.

The way of integrity is that action. When someone faithfully supports God’s standard of values, they will be blameless. Which is why the NIV and certain other translations use blameless here instead of “way of integrity.”

A man of integrity will humbly seek openness in his life. He will not have any sin hidden, but will quickly confess it, seeking forgiveness and restoration. Through his openness, he will create barriers to not return to his sin.

I think of

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The confession that John is referring to is not just a confession to God, which is great. There are many Scriptures throughout the Bible which tell us to confess our sins from God and gain healing.

The confession that John is referring to is a confession to each other. When we are willing to be transparent, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and, through the church, will purify us from all unrighteousness.

When we are not willing to be open about our sins and our struggles, we will not find victory and spiritual growth.

A man of integrity will humbly seek openness in his life.

Fathers, we should blatantly show this aspect of integrity in our families. I find it amazing how many wives have never heard their husband say: I have sinned. My reaction to you was wrong. I know I deeply hurt you. Please forgive me.

There are even more children who have never heard their dad say: I treated you wrongly. I realize that I gave you the wrong advice. Please forgive me.

Of anyone in the family, the father should be the first to apologize, openly confessing his sins and how his sin have hurt those in his family.

Last section, when I say “sub-point 4” you will say: I will humbly seek openness in my life.

Main Point: I will be a man of integrity, faithfully supporting God’s standard of values.

Sub-point 1: I will do what is right by my family.

Sub-point 2: I will consistently show Christ in my life.

Sub-point 3: I will stand firm on truth.

Sub-Point 4: I will humbly seek openness in my life.

We are living in a changing society. We are surrounded by people who have no standards, who consistently lie, who lead people away from morality. Everyone is throwing standards out of the window.

Men, who confess to be followers of Jesus Christ, we should be the first to stand up and declare that we will be people of integrity. We will faithfully support God’s standards, living in righteousness, uprightness, without wavering, and blameless.