Sermon Tone Analysis

ARE YOU A REAL MAN?

Father's Day

Sunday June 19, 2022

Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12 (NLV)

Intro.

A. [] Are you aware of the story behind Father's Day? Father's Day began in Spokane, Washington.

A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her.

It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man.

Her father was born in June, so naturally she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th day of June 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.

Now you know the history behind Father's Day.

B. Now there is no denying that Father's Day is different from Mother's Day.

Here's something I bet you didn't know.

The greatest numbers of long distant phone calls are made on Mother's Day.

On Father's Day the largest number of collect calls are made.

Here is how a little boy defined difference between Father's Day and Mother's Day.

He said that Father's Day was just like Mother's Day; the only difference is that you don't spend as much money on the gift.

With my track record I think I will steer clear of that debate.

1.

Now as I said Father's Day is different form Mother's Day.

There are things that I can get away with on Father's Day that might get me lynched on Mother's Day.

Things like I am about to share.

I think this is something you ladies really need, and I know your husbands would never give this to you, so I want to do this for you today.

It is a Man' Thesaurus.

* When a man says "IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"

He means: "I have no idea how it works"

* When a man says "TAKE A BREAK, HONEY.

YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD'' He means: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner"

* When a man says 'THAT'S INTERESTING DEAR.'

He means: "Are you still talking?"

* When a man says: "IT'S A GUY THING"

He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"

* When a man says: "CAN I HELP WITH DINNER"

He means: "Why isn't it ready yet?"

* When a man says: "UH HUH, SURE HONEY," or "YES, DEAR"

He means: Absolutely nothing - It's a conditioned response.

* When a man says: "YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."

He means: " I can remember the theme song to 'Hogan's Heroes', the phone # of the first girl I ever kissed & the vehicle identification numbers of every car I ever owned - but yes, I forgot your birthday"

* When a man says: 'I CAN'T FIND IT.''

He means: "It didn't fall into my outstretched hand, so I'm completely clueless"

* When a man says: "I HEARD YOU."

He means: "I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and I am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you'll not spend the next 3 days yelling at me."

* When a man says: "YOU LOOK TERRIFIC!"

He means: "Oh please don't try on one more outfit, we're late and I'm starving."

* When a man says: "I'M NOT LOST.

I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.''

He means: "No one will ever see us alive again."

* When a man says: "I DON'T THINK I CAN GO TODAY."

He means: Shopping is NOT a sport, and no, I am never going to think of it that way.

* When a man says: "I DON'T REMEMBER SAYING THAT"

It's because he means: "Anything I may have said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.

In fact, all past comments become null and void after 7 days."

When a man says: "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT"

He means: "If something I said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.

C. All kidding aside Father's play a very important role in the formation of our society.

Unfortunately, in this day in which we live that role is either ignored or dramatically downplayed.

Look at many of today's popular TV programs.

Many of them portray the father as an inept fool who has no clue about what is going on in his own life let alone that of his family.

I believe in many instances the father is seen as an expendable part of the family.

I would encourage you to pay attention to TV programs and commercials and see how many of them don't even have a father in them at all.

Did you know that recent statistics show that 39.9% of children go to bed each night without their biological father in the home?

I think there is a direct correlation between the way we see our earthly fathers and the way we see our Heavenly Father.

The undervaluation and elimination of Fathers in our society is seen in the way we think about God our Father as well.

1. [] I remember when we attended the Promise Keeper events there were some men who used to wear these t-shirts that said, "Real men Love Jesus".

A lot of other things have been added to that phrase "Real Men".

"Real men don't eat quiche."

"Real men don't cry".

"Real men don't wear pink."

What is a REAL man?

Well, I think I can answer that question at least in part for us today as we consider what it means to be a real father.

Look with me at our scripture text for today in 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12 "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless we were among you who believed.

11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."

I Thessalonians 2:8-12 (NIV)

2. There are five things I want to draw from these verses that I think show us what a REAL man is.

Let's look at them, shall we?

I.

A REAL MAN IS ABLE TO EXPRESS LOVE.

Look with me again at V.8 "We loved you so much".

Now I think that most men would say that expressing love is not a natural trait.

A. This Is Not A Natural Trait.

1.

One of the things that amazes me about mothers, especially first-time mothers like it was with my wife and it is with my daughter is how much they seem to know about their children without any classes or instruction manuals.

They know when a child's cry is for food or attention or sleep.

They know how to change a diaper, how to hold the baby because it doesn't have the muscle support in its neck yet.

Now what about us fathers?

Isn't it true that our wives have to teach us how to do all these things?

[] I remember a long time ago when Sue and Shellee went out shopping and they left me with my granddaughter, but she was asleep.

Well, she woke up before they got back, and Malloree was not happy.

Did I know right away what to do?

I sure did, I got my cell phone and called Sue.

The baby is up and she's not happy what am I supposed to do?"

2. Did you know that the bible does not instruct wives to love their husbands?

Why is that?

I suggest it is because this comes naturally for women, but the bible does instruct husbands to love their wives and I believe that is because this is not natural for us.

For us discipline comes easily, isn't that why mothers are trained to say, "Wait until your father comes home."

3. What we need to understand is that even if expressing love does not come natural for us as men it is still something we need to learn to do.

I think for some of us who are a little older (and you know who you are) we have been trained to believe that expressing love makes us less of a man, but I dare you ask your wife or your children if they think you expressing love to them makes you less of a man or a father.

I think I already know the answer.

Trans.

Now I need to add this important point.

B. Discipline Is Also An Act Of Love.