Father Figures
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Christian men are father figures not only to their own children but to those that are around them.
Influential fathers come into our lives in many different forms. While we all have a biological father, many of us also have other men that have shaped and formed our lives in significant ways.
When former President of the United States Gerald R. Ford learned he was adopted at 12 years old, he recalled that it didn’t have a major impact on him because of his relationship with his adopted dad. He remembered, “Dad and I had the closest, most intimate relationship. We acted alike. We had the same interests. I thought we looked alike."
The lack of a biological connection didn’t diminish the impact of Ford’s adopted father on his life.
The apostle Paul called several men in the Bible his “sons,” a clear reference to their close relationship. He referred to Timothy several times as his son and called Titus, “my true son in our common faith”.
Just as Paul taught Timothy and Titus how to live out their Christian faith, the gentle leadership of a father or father figure is priceless.
1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God.
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.
Bowed Down: showed honor. Kissed: Showing affection.
1. Great father figures should be honored.
Especially on fathers day.
8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
I don’t care who you are. We all love to share our victories with the father figures in our lives.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
2. Great father figures delight in hearing how God is working in our lives.
Again no matter how old you are, we all want to make the father figures in our life proud.
Complement: Good sermon from my wife or a church member is nice. But when Tam’s Dad would say good sermon it seemed to have a little extra weight to it.
Fathers and father figures when is the last time you told your kids you are proud of them?
I don’t want them to get a big head.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.
Moses was serving as judge over disputes. There were an estimated 2 Million ppl.
How long was that line? Take a number. Now serving #123,000.
14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
3. Great father figures ask great direct questions.
Where was the other leadership?
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
4. Great father figures make it easy to give an honest answer.
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.
5. Great father figures tell us the truth and shoot straight with us.
Was he trying to hurt Moses?
Have you ever gotten some father figure advice that pointed out what you were doing was not good?
18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Are you crazy?
Moses’s heart was right, but his plan in this case was bad. Moses was a good and capable man, but he wasn’t God. Both he and the people were going to wear out physiologically and psychologically if he didn’t get some help.
Jethro knew that Moses leadership was crucial for the future success of Isreal and that any activity that drained his energy or wasted his time was bound to hurt the nation.
6. Great father figures help you see what you don’t see.
We call these blind spots.
19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.
7. Great father figures give advice in a way that make you want to listen.
Listen to me: What qualifies someone to give advice?
Do you know anything about this subject?
Have you ever done this yourself… and succeeded?
Have you ever noticed there are certain people that try to give you advice but the way they do it makes you automatically stop listening.
I love the posture that Jethro uses here. I will give you some advise.
You can take it or leave it. Vs. Listen to me boy! Obviously you don’t know what you are doing.
19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.
You must be the ppls rep.
8. Great father figures can help you prioritize what is most important.
20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.
Why is it, that the simplest solutions or ideas can be right in front of us and we don’t see them?
Can you think of a time when you got some great advice and said “I should have seen that”?
23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
If you do this: suggestion.
AND God so commands: If this lines up with what God wants.
Great Godly father figures know that their advice does not supersede God.
Here is the outcome. (Slide Only)
23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
You will be able to accomplish all the hard work and the ppl you serve will be happy as well. Win, Win!
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
Listened and did everything he said.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.
Jethro could have stayed and helped but he did not. It was time for Moses to lead.
If you don’t have any God honoring fathers or father figures in your life start looking and asking.