Father's day

Happy Fathers day

Good Morning

Happy Father’s Day slide

This is a joy for me and an honor-

When Morgan asked me to speak he had two Sundays open.  When he asked, he didn’t tell me that he would be here. As a favor to me, do not watch his body language or whether his head is going up and down or side to side! Not Yes – take copious notes – 2 audible Amens.  One of them cannot be when I say, “Let’s close in prayer!”

My being here enabled him to enjoy last week without interrupting his vacation in sermon prep.  I am glad to help him to do that.  Our weekends are very different from most.

Happy Father's Day.

Do you think we pastors enjoy preaching on Father’s Day?

We do, because we know your importance in God’s plan. But this is also one of those experiences where we are tempted to say, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”

I’m beginning to wonder though, this is the second year in a row where Pastor Morgan had guest speakers.  Just saying!

I want you to know that this is a safe place. If you're worried how whether or not you will leave here feeling hammered by the preacher, let me set your mind to ease, you won't

For starters I could fill this time w/ stories that would prove I'm a fellow father who struggles to get it right.

For instance... Have you ever heard the grandparents poem?

This poem comes to mind when there is an influx of our grandkid at our home.  We have 6 grandchildren under the age of six. Any combination of them gets a bit chaotic. Recently, this happened, and it came time for the families to go home.  I Thought of my poem and I begin my recitation.

" I have seen the lights of Paris..." My 9 yr old grandson held up his hand as if ordering me to stop. I did, and within seconds this is what I heard...

You have seen the lights of Paris...

You have seen the lights of Rome...

But the greatest lights you've ever seen, papa, are the tail lights when my parents take me home!

Oops! As true as that poem may be, I need to limit my recitation of it.

Before we get to this morning’s theme I want to read a portion of Psalm 78. A parallel to Deut 6.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (ESV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorpostsof your house and on your gates.

Ps 78: 5-8

Psalm 78:5–8 (ESV) slide

5     He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel,

       which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

6     that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,

       and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

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8     and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The word of the Lord

To the children yet unborn! God isn't Asking you to live for a monument or a material for a great memorial service when you die. He is Asking you to create a legacy.

Lat week Jake said that Josiah flipped through the scrapbook of his family and couldn’t find a godly example!  It shouldn’t be that way!

Buy the way, Josiah was a restart.  This legacy can begin at any time.

This morning, I want to invite you to listen in on a phone call I received in the early 90's_

I love Jesus-but I'm still afraid of God.

What would you say to her?

Think about that for a moment. I wanted to be sensitive because I actually thought that doesn’t make a lot of sense!

I stumbled around with a response and the first thing I asked her was to consider John 3:16.

She wasn't convinced.

I'm convinced the Spirit told me what to ask next.

'Tell me about your family?"

What do you think she said? You have probably already guessed what she told me-

Abusive-distant-absent-uncaring father in a totally messed up family That is not an uncommon problem for way

slide The Power of a Father’s Influence or Love

Unfortunately, for many people their natural father has in some way warped their understanding of love, goodness, and health.

It is even more painful when life’s experiences would make us afraid of God, as father!

So this morning, dad, you share a name of God. You are an earthly Father, and he is of course the heavenly father. For a good portion of your child’s life all they know of father is you.

I guess I could ask myself, “Am I messing up that image of what a father is like?”

What is our heavenly father like?

You being evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more your Father in heaven..

If in this role we are going to represent him, what would that look like?

Please turn with me to Romans 5.

We can see here what God is like – and that he need not be feared – and how that might be seen as we respond to our children.

The truth of Romans 5 is for everyone here this morning.  Not just fathers, even though my application will be directed that way.

Read Romans 5:1-8 slide

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God demonstrated his love toward us.

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The love of God was powerfully demonstrated

He demonstrated - he show it!

I John 4: 10

talk is cheap - I love you – that might mean" I lust you"

Illus: 10,000-missions Lamborghini (downsize), flock of sheep (shear them) What if you had 5 cows? Pause-that's not fair. You know I have 5 cows!

Slide The love of God was powerfully demonstrated  - because he died for sinners

He died for sinners

Sinners vs 8

Helpless – extricate by the jaws of life vs still weak

Hopeless – vs 7 who would die for us?  Hopeless

ENEMIES – vss 9-11

Dad-What demonstrations are there in your life that you love God.

In your home..-

how do you treat your children's mom

Guidance-protection-wisdom-safety- involvement-mercy-discipline

Standards – guidelines – not over indulging giving your children the idea that “things” produce happiness

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God’s love for us, demonstrated in the work of His son produces . . .

Peace with God

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See vs 1 – read again

Another extremely important reason this love is so amazing is that it produces “peace w/ God"

We were enemies – in that condition you should fear God

But now we are children.

We have peace with God.  Not, you can have, you might have, some days you have and some days you don’t.

Rom 8: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation . . .

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Justified-declared righteous – legal transaction.

John Calvin, in his 1600 pages of light devotional reading – says this:

The Apostle Paul consistently denies that peace or quite joy are retained in our conscience unless we are convinced that we are “Justified by faith.”

Shall we sin . . . would never be asked by someone who had been taught that the way to get to heaven was to stop sinning and do good works. Do this well enough and long enough and you will be saved.

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Romans 5:1-2 – on screen

Have gained – been introduced – a past perfect verb.

Ephesians 2:18 (ESV)

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 3:12 (ESV)

12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Hebrews 10:19 (ESV)

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

Esther – seeing she was beautiful she found favor.  Not us!

Suggest- the foundation of our peace with God, Christ and his cross, makes our acceptance with God unconditional.

Dad’s how conditional is your love – support – encouragement – involvement

One of the more painful thoughts I can think of is living in a home where love was meted out according to how I me the standards of the home.  Or a home where it didn’t matter what I did, I wasn’t going to sense being loved.

The story of the lawn

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Finally . . .  God’s love for us also produces Joy and Celebration

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Romans 5:3-5 on screen

Paul says we rejoice in two things

          The hope of the glory of God

          And in our sufferings

Because God is at work

          Sufferings – perseverance (fortitude) –

          Perseverance – character

          Character – hope

Don’t overindulge your kids!

Why can we rejoice in this? Next Slide

Because God loves us and is involved in every aspect of our life!

Are you helping your children progress? Move toward all that God has for them.  Let them know, in all of life, God is on their side, even when it might not feel like it.

My story.

Call the worship team.

Will our precious children be afraid of God because we are their father?

When you move out of the way, will they be drawn to the God you love?  Will it be easy to call God father?

And because we are children of God - He has sent forth the Spirit of his son into our hearts crying ABBA Father

What if you got a Father’s Day card today that read like this:

All my life dad you have been so faithful

All my life dad you have been so so good

You guided me – protected me – loved me – supported me – spent time with me – disciplined me – had fun with me

As long as I live – dad – I will be grateful!

In the end, those are word we can and should address to the ultimate father – the one who lives in heaven!

Dad’s – make this easy for your children to know the God that loves them so!