Dads Parental Blessings
Notes
Transcript
ME:
Happy Fathers Day
To MY dad
To ALL dads
Pledge
Passage: Luke 15:11-24
11 And he said, “There was ‶ a man who had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Prayer
TITLE: Dad’s Parental Blessings
TITLE: Dad’s Parental Blessings
Share the story about Danielle and the the 4-wheeler
It’s one of the blessings of being a parent .... messing with your kids!
Its a Dads Parental Blessings
On a more serious thought though .... another Parental blessings is being able to influence our kids.
Transition Statement: We do have a responsibility to influence our Kids in a positive way.
WE:
Being a positive influencer for your kids is a BLESSING to them.
Its a God given mandate.
All Dad’s are influencers!
Positive/Negative
Negative - Laziness / Attitude / Hate (taught)
Positive - Work ethic / respect / commitment / loyalty / LOVE
Dads, we have the ability and responsibility to show our kids how to be a blessing!
What if the reason we are not seeing people being a blessing to others is because parents didn’t show them.
Behavior is learned!
Transition Statement: This is exactly what Jesus was teaching His disciples in this pericope we read out of Luke.
GOD:
Open your Bibles back up to Luke 15:11
Jesus takes this opportunity to teach His disciples by using a parable.
Parable: A simple story to illustrate a moral/spiritual lesson
Might be true / Might not be true
Let me recap it for us ....
2 sons
The youngest son demands his inheritance
(before His father has passed)
In the Jewish culture, by asking this he was wishing his father dead!
This son then goes and “Squanders” his inheritance.
A plague comes upon the land and the son finds himself FEEDING PIGS!
Unclean in the Jewish culture
Ritually impure
He is so hungry that he is longing for the food the pigs were eating.
Scripture tells us (17) “he came to himself”
“comes to his senses” (Common sense comes back / self-realization)
Some of us might be able to relate to the struggle this young son was going through mentally!
Do I stay and live out the rest of my existence, on this earth, lower than pigs. (in mans eyes and in my own eyes)
Or do I humble myself and go back to my father and admit my wrong and ask to become a hired hand (Which was better than a pig farmer).
This leads us to verse 20 which is where I want to focus the remainder of our time together on this morning.
(20) And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Remember, this parable is focused on the idea of a lost son returning to the father.
Main focus on the son!
But there is some great teaching nuggets from the father as well.
Let’s focus on the Father!
As his son entered back into his presence, he had every jewish legal right to have him “Stoned to death” by the men of the community.
Deut. 21:18-21 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones.”
Every son in this sanctuary just sat straight up!
Instead, this father chooses to influence his son as well as the older son in a positive (christlike) way!
This influence starts by the fact that the Father ....
“Saw him coming off in the distance”
The question that is not answered in scripture is “was the Father constantly looking to the horizon for his lost son?” “Did he know or was he just hoping his son would return?”
But what we do know if this ......
When the Father saw him, “He Felt Compassion.”
The word “Compassion” in the Greek means “to be deeply moved” “deep in your gut!” (Bowles) “Gut wrenching”
Example: Luke 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‶ “Do not weep.” (A mother who was weeping over her only sons death.)
Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. (Robbed and left for dead: priest and levite pass by)
When the Father saw him, “He Ran.”
The culture of that day would have thought “a father running to his son” would have been undignified. (Jesus was teaching to set PRIDE and EGO aside).
When the father saw him, “He embraced.”
The same word found here for “embraced” is also found in Gen. 33:4
But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (Jacob and Esau reunited)
3 greek words used here!
Def. - to fall upon / hug tightly / fall on someones neck
When the father saw him, “He kissed him.”
Referencing the idea of a loving greeting!
A kiss in that day signified those who have been incorporated into (or back into) the fellowship of the love of God ..... in being a child of God ..... back into the family!
Lets not forget, the father had every right (by law) to have him stoned to death
He could have decided to show NO COMPASSION, NO AFFECTION, NO ACCEPTANCE back into the family (hired hand now)
Just as the Son wished his father dead, the son could have been viewed as “Dead to the Father.”
Transition Statement: As a Father, we could do the same thing.
(we can’t have our children stoned to death) all the kids are breathing a sigh of relief!
YOU:
But Jesus takes this opportunity to say, “it’s your responsibility to .... be an influencer .... be a blessing to your children.”
Don’t give out what is earned or deserved!
Extend what is desired and needed .... COMPASSION!
There were times where my children messed up.
I extended grace (didn’t extend what they deserved but what they needed)
Don’t resist or withhold from your child!
Extend what is desired and needed .... AFFECTION!
They know when they have screwed up. You don’t have to keep repeating it to them.
Give them a hug and kiss and cry with them.
Don’t shut them out or walk away!
Extend an invitation back into your LOVE ..... back into the family!
Transition Statement: Jesus reveals to us the Father’s (dads) parental blessings ....
WE:
We have the ability to bless our kids with .....
Compassion
Affection
Acceptance
Isn’t this what our heavenly father has blessed us with?
He has showed us compassion
He has showed us affection
He has given us the opportunity to be accepted back into the family
Dads, lets ask ourselves, “Have we been blessing our children?”
No matter what age!
