"A Father of Courage"

6/16/2024

FBC Baxley

am service

“Father’s Day”

-Acts 4:12

“A Father of Courage”

Joshua 1:1-18 ESV

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go.

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,

11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,

13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’

14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,

15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!

18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Three Points:

1. Courageous Father’s Have a Call.

2. Courageous Father’s Follow the Word.

3. Courageous Father’s Take a Stand.

Illus: Frank Loesch

When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian church in Chicago.

The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down the main aisle to receive the brass plates for collecting the offering.

These men, so serious about their business of serving the Lord in this magnificent house of worship, were the business and professional leaders of Chicago.

One of the twelve ushers was a man named Frank Loesch. He was not a very imposing looking man, but in Chicago he was a living legend, for he was the man who had stood up to Al Capone.

In the prohibition years, Capone's rule was absolute. The local and state police and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation were afraid to oppose him.

But single-handedly, Frank Loesch, as a Christina layman and without any government support, organized the Chicago Crime Commission, a group of citizens who were determined to take Mr. Capone to court and put him away.

During the months that the Crime Commission met, Frank Loesch's life was in constant danger.

There were threats on the lives of his family and friends. But he never wavered.

Ultimately he won the case against Capone and was the instrument for removing this blight from the city of Chicago.

Frank Loesch had risked his life to live out his faith.

Each Sunday at this point of the service, my father, a Chicago businessman himself, never failed to poke me and silently point to Frank Loesch with pride.

Sometime I'd catch a tear in my father's eye. For my dad and for all of us this was and is what authentic living is all about.

I. Courageous Fathers Have a Call…vs1-9

a. If we ever needed Godly Fathers it’s now!

b. We have to show our sons what a Godly Father is…What a Man is…

c. Women cannot teach manhood like men can and have been gifted by God to do…

d. I believe like God’s promises to Joshua, If we are faithful men, He will do the same for us in our families…

II. Courageous Fathers Follow the Word. Vs 8

a. Shall not depart from our mouths men…

b. Meditate on it day and night…

c. Observe to do all…ALL…

d. How are we leading our families in devotion?

III. Courageous Fathers Take a Stand. Vs 10-18

a. Joshua did just as the Lord instructed….he didn’t change the plan or cower down…

b. He followed God’s plan not his own…

Men I believe this quote from the movie courageous describes what we need today…

Adam Mitchell : ...I now believe that God desires for EVERY father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children.

But more than just being there providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven.

A father should love his children, and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God.

He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect, and should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.

Some men will hear this, and mock it. Or ignore it. But I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence he has given you.

You can't fall asleep at the wheel, only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value, but the souls of your children do.

Some men will hear this and agree with it, but have no resolve to live it out.

Instead, they will live for themselves, and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.

But there are some men, who regardless of the mistakes we've made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did NOT do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same.

And whenever possible to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction.

And we are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous, to join us in this resolution.

In my home, the decision has already been made.

You don't have to ask who will guide my family, because by God's grace, I will.

You don't have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will.

Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will.

Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family's history? I will.

Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will.

I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and his blessing on my home.

Any good man does.

So where are you men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord?

It's time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say I will. I will. I will!

· Pray

· Invitation