Sermon Tone Analysis

"Now that my father is a grandfather he just can’t wait to give money to my kids.

But when I was a kid and I asked him for 50 cents, he would tell me the story of his life.

How he got up at 5 a.m. when he was 7-years-old and walked 23 miles to milk 90 cows.

And the farmer for whom he worked had no bucket, so he had to squirt the milk into his little hand and then walk 8 miles to the nearest can.

All for 5 cents.

The result was...I never got my 50 cents.

"But now he tells my children every time he comes into the house, ’Well, let’s see how much money old Granddad has for his wonderful grandkids.’

And the minute they take money out of his hands I call them over to me and I snatch it away from them.

BECAUSE THAT IS MY MONEY."

My Dad painted cars for over 40 years.

I can remember sitting on his lap at the end of the day and looking at his hands.

They told me the story of his day by the colors represented in the lines.

I knew if he had painted a red car or a blue one that day because the colors of his work showed through!

It gave me confidence to know where my Dad had been and what he had been doing.

It taught me that our house, my motorcycle, clothes and food came as a result of where he had been all day, working for our family…

Today I want to talk about the importance of having Dad Hands.

The importance of our children seeing where we have been with Jesus.

Looking at the lines of our lives and seeing the imprint of God and his word.

We need Dad Hands more than ever...

So what should our children see when they examine the lines of their Fathers hands?

As Fathers, we have basic duties to fulfill.

We need to set the example for our children by modeling the attitudes and behaviors we expect from them.

Raising children is not easy, but it is rewarding.

Dad’s are to provide their children with the following.

A Positive Example

What you do as a Father matters!

I always wanted to walk in my Fathers footsteps.

He had cowboy boots, I had cowboy boots.

And I tried to match each and every step that he took.

Why?

Because he was someone that I wanted to be!

He defined what being a man meant to me… And while he was going about his day, I was paying attention to his every move!

You are being watched!

It may be your son or daughter.

It may be your grandson or your granddaughter, but you are being watched… And what is being seen will be replicated, both positive and negative..

My Dad used to tell me:” Do as I say not as I do” Ummm, that isn’t going to work!

Paul says “Do as I do” No excuses.

Follow Jesus!

We often think that we would do anything for our children..I would jump in front of a car to save them.

I would take a bullet for them..

I would do anything, But I won’t give up my habits, I won’t give up my time for a ball game, and I won’t have the discipline to be their spiritual leader..

You must!

Expound

you want them to follow in your footsteps?

You better make sure those steps don’t lead to the edge of a cliff..

Psalm 103:

proverbs

6:4 do not make your children angry In first-century Greco-Roman society, fathers—as the head of the household—had complete authority within the household to administer discipline.

Paul advises them to avoid exercising that authority in ways that might cause their children to harbor resentment.

Paul is advocating for fathers treating their children with kindness, which would have been unexpected for Graeco-Roman society; he is arguing that parents treat their children as Christ would.

As Fathers, all we do including discipline must come from a position of Love.

It cannot come from frustration or anger.

You were a kid once!

2. Spiritual Heritage

There was a spiritual heritage or an inheritance that was left for you by your Father, And It came through great love and sacrifice and ultimately the resurrection.

Many Fathers worry that they will not be able to leave their children anything when they pass from this life… I put this question to the test with several Men recently, And The very first thing they associated with the question was money!

That is not the most important thing you can leave them with..

Leave them with an example of how a Man loves Jesus!

In the good times and the times of trouble!

Spiritual Heritage

Leave them with an example of a giver and someone who puts others needs before his own!

Leave your Son with an example of what it means to Love your wife like Christ loves the church!

Leave your Daughter with the example of what kind of Man she should want to marry!

Leave an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading.

Money will go away.

The lines in your hands will forever be remembered.

Your kids will never forget where you have been.

3. Biblical Instruction

deuteronomy

“These words” refers to the ten commandments.

6:7 you shall recite them to your children The Hebrew phrase here literally means “repeat.”

Parents are to rehearse the laws of God to their children.

This command presumes that teachers know their content, which in turn presumes concentrated effort and study.

The word of God is vital.

It’s not just for emergencies!

It is preventetive in nature.

We live in a dark world and often our children complain of not being able to find direction..

5. Practical Advice

About 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career.

Kids don’t know what to do..They lack direction.

Why?

Because they either don’t have any Dad hands to read, or the ones they have are confusing.

They don’t know where Dad has been, therefore they don’t know where they are going!

Dads, thats where we come in.. Our kids will be confident in the word of God, if they see that we are confident in the word of God! Expound

ephesians

4. Future Blessing

mark 10

b.

Let the little children come to Me: Children love to come to Jesus, and it says something about Him that children loved Him and that He loved children.

Children don’t love mean, sour people.

Kids are the future.

Love them, teach them and let them see not only where you have been but where you are going.

Because only then do they have the opportunity to follow!

In closing...

Our Father loves us.

He provided a way for us to be with him for eternity.

When we look at his hands we see the weathered lines of a life well lived, and the marks of sacrifice.

We see the color red from the blood he shed upon the cross for our sins.

We can look at the hands of our Father and know where he has been, but most importantly we can look at his hands and they tell the story of where we are going.