Today
is Father's Day -- a day we pay tribute to our dads.
There are some things that we fathers are
really good at!
We are good at redirection: --
Kids can sometimes ask the toughest
questions.
Son: -- "Father, can I ask you a
question?"
Father says: -- "Okay, ask."
The son asks: -- "When a doctor doctors a doctor --
does the doctor doing the doctoring -- doctor as the doctor being doctored
wants to be doctored -- or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he
wants to doctor?" -- The father redirects him by saying: -- "Go ask
your mother!"
And we are good at negotiating: --
A young boy had just gotten his driving
permit.
He asked his father if they could discuss
the use of the car.
His father said to him: -- "I'll make a
deal with you. -- You bring your grades up -- study your Bible a little --
& get your hair cut -- then we'll talk about it."
After about a month the boy came back &
again asked his father if they could discuss use of the car.
His father said: -- "Son, I’ve been
real proud of you. -- You have brought your grades up; -- you've studied your
Bible diligently; -- but you didn't get your hair cut!"
The young man waited a moment & replied:
-- "You know Dad -- I've been thinking about that. -- You know, Samson had
long hair; -- Moses had long hair; -- Noah had long hair -- & even Jesus
had long hair...."
To which his father replied: -- "Yes,
& they walked every where they went!"
In all seriousness now -- I want to address
a great spiritual truth with you today about this whole concept of Fatherhood!
A
The man spoke kindly to him -- & paid
him to shine his shoes.
Afterward -- whenever the man boarded the
boat -- the boy always approached him with a happy smile.
The boy would pick up the man's bundles
& brush off his clothing -- without expecting any reward.
After a week or two -- the man asked the
youth what made him so attentive.
"Why Sir" -- he replied --
"the first time you met me you called me 'my boy.' -- Until then I thought
I belonged to no one, ‘cause my parents are dead. -- But since you are so kind
& always lovingly call me your boy -- there is nothing I wouldn't do for
you."
Needless to say -- the businessman was
deeply touched -- & he made arrangements to see that the young fellow would
be well taken care of.
Being a Christian -- the experience brought
to that businessman's mind the Scripture I want to share with you today -- on
this Father's Day.
It is found in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.
This is a most beautiful & precious
promise that each one of us need to embrace! -- 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.
"Wherefore
come out from among them, & be ye separate,
saith
the Lord,
and
touch not the unclean thing; -- & I will receive you,
And
will be a Father unto you, -- & ye shall be my sons, & daughters,
saith
the Lord Almighty."
God holds a sacred estimation of fatherhood
-- & it is evidenced here by the fact that He uses such a fatherly
relationship to illustrate His feelings toward His own! -- Toward you & me.
God, Himself -- is saying to each one of us
here today -- that if we will make a clean break from the ways of this old
sin-filled world -- He will receive us; -- He will welcome us; -- He will
receive us kindly -- & will treat us with favor -- & He will be a
Father to us -- & we shall be a son -- a daughter -- to Him -- to God
Almighty!
Oh,
how blessed it is to know that God -- in His love -- has told us we are
not orphans in the storm of life -- but we can have a Heavenly Father who knows
us -- & who truly loves us!
Think about it for a moment! -- Divine
Fatherhood! -- The privileges of spiritual son-ship; -- of spiritual
daughter-ship; -- of being a child of God!
When I think about that -- I am reminded of
the words of the song: --
"My
Father is rich in houses & lands;
He
holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of
rubies & diamonds, of silver & gold,
His
coffers are full -- He has riches untold!"
"I
once was an outcast -- stranger on earth,
A
sinner by choice -- & an alien by birth!
But
I've been adopted; -- my name's written down.
I'm
heir to a mansion, a robe, & a crown!"
Now before I go too far with this thought --
I must pause for a moment -- & allow some of you a moment of personal
reflection in regard to your own experience with the thought of -- "a
Heavenly Father."
Some of you carry found memories of growing
up with a father that spent time with you -- taught you about God -- took you
to church -- taught you to ride a bike -- taught you to fish or hunt -- or
maybe read bed time stories to you as a small child.
He was there when you went on your first
date -- showed you the proper way to shave -- or for the ladies -- he gave your
prom date "the look"!
On the other hand -- some of you may have a
very different memory of your father.
Maybe he wasn't a very good father; -- or
maybe he was never around.
It has been estimated that 20 million
children have been abandoned by their fathers!
Unfortunately -- some of you may carry deep
scares & hurts in your lives -- because of a very cruel father -- or an
abusive father -- or an absentee father -- or an alcoholic father. -- The pain is still very deep in your life
-- & Father's Day is not your favorite day!
If the later case has been your lot in life
-- then that is all the more reason for you to listen carefully this morning --
for God wants to bring healing in your heart -- & to let you know that He
desires to be a real Father to you; -- a Father Who sincerely loves you; --
& wants the very best for you; -- & He is the One Who can heal your
scares!
An earthy father -- who is truly what a
father should be -- is a father who has a close & tender relationship with
his children.
Our Heavenly Father -- loves us a million
times more than earthly fathers could possibly love their children -- because
God has so much more capacity to love!
So let's learn what it means for us to have
God be "our Heavenly Father" -- to become His very own son -- His
very own daughter!
It took a long time for men -- to look God in
the face & call Him -- "Father."
In primitive days men feared God; -- they
worshiped God; -- they appeased His wrath.
But they did not see the other side of God
-- His heart of love!
In the rolling of the thunder they heard His
footsteps marching in judgment.
In every natural catastrophe they thought
they felt His displeasure.
But after a while -- those who thought the
deepest -- & lived the closest to Him -- sensed that also He was a God of
love!
They began to see & to sense the great
heart of God.
In fact -- human words can never adequately
express the grandeur of the love of God has for you -- & for me.
At the time when Martin Luther was having
his Bible printed in
No one had ever told her about Jesus.
Toward God -- she felt no emotion -- but
fear.
One day -- in that printer's shop -- she
picked up pieces of fallen Scripture from the floor.
On one paper she found the words: --
"For God so loved the world that he gave." -- The rest of the verse had not yet been
printed.
Still -- what she saw was enough to move her
deeply.
The thought that God would give anything
moved her from fear to joy.
Her mother even noticed the change of
attitude in the little girl.
When asked the cause of her happiness -- the
daughter produced the crumpled piece of the partial verse from her pocket.
The mother read it -- & asked: --
"What did he give?"
The child was perplexed for a moment --
& then answered: -- "I do not know. -- But if He loved us well enough
to give us anything -- we should not be afraid of Him."
My friends -- no matter what your views of
God are this morning -- God loved you enough to give!
If that little girl had been able to read to
whole of that Bible verse -- she would have discovered in the words of John
3:16&17 -- that. "God so loved the world that he gave his one &
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through him."
It was God's One & only Son -- Jesus --
Who, in fact taught us to pray: -- "Our Father, who art in heaven --
hallowed be Thy name."
It was Jesus Who taught us the Father
concept of God!
And through the experience of the new birth
-- you & I can become a child of God!
God's love is the doorway through which you
& I pass from sin to salvation!
No matter how far in sin you have gone; -- no
matter how long in sin you have lived; -- no matter how great the sin you have
committed; -- no matter how black the sins of your heart -- God still loves
& cares for you! -- Furthermore -- He says: -- "I stand ready to
forgive you!"
If you & I will turn from our sins --
& determine in our hearts that by God's grace we will serve Him -- God is
saying in the words of our text -- (2 Cor. 6:17-18) -- "... I will receive
you -- & will be a Father unto you, -- & you will be my sons, & my
daughters."
God wants to have a very personal
relationship with you!
It has often been observed that God has many
sons & daughters -- but He has no grandsons -- or granddaughters.
This is a way of presenting the simple truth
that religion is a personal relationship with God; -- a personal encounter with
our Creator.
The Apostle John states it so clearly by
saying: -- "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, -- that
we should be called the children of God!" (1 John 3:1 NIV).
The Father-child relationship which God
wants us to have & to enjoy -- is not something we can inherit! -- Our
religion is not a matter of heritage!
Rather -- it is a matter of personal
experience!
There are many things that we may inherit
from our parents.
We may inherit certain traits through the
genes.
We can even inherit disease -- physical
weakness -- a healthy -- or an unhealthy mind.
We may inherit material resources -- real
estate & money.
However -- faith in God does not come to us
by heredity!
Godly parental training is important &
commendable -- but in the last analysis -- our personal faith in God is laid at
our own front doorstep.
It is
a matter of personal choice! -- Of personal acceptance!
But when we make that choice -- that all
important decision to accept Jesus Christ -- & we turn from our sinfulness
-- then we become a child of God! -- accepted & received & welcomed
into the family of God! -- And that is what we become! -- Sons & daughters
of God Himself!
Christians are the richest people on the
face of the earth!
No matter how meager our possessions may be
-- we have God as our Father -- Christ as our Elder Brother -- & the Holy
Spirit for our Comforter!
And -- the promised wealth of all Heaven --
is our inheritance!
No higher honor can be conferred upon mortal
man than that of being made children of God through the miracle of the new
birth!
And we can call Him -- "abba
father" -- our "daddy"! (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5-7).
A 15-year-old competitor in a school contest
won first place with this definition of an ideal dad: -- "To me, Dad is someone to go to with troubles, someone to follow, someone to depend on, & always some- one to share happy hours
with."
My friends -- our Heavenly Father is that
kind of Father!
He is One to Whom we can take all our
troubles -- large or small.
God -- our Heavenly father -- is Someone
with Whom we can share our happiest hours -- as well as our most difficult
hours.
His presence brings joy -- & our sharing
with Him makes His heart glad!
Being a father is about the giving of
yourself -- for the betterment of your children, -- & that's especially
true when it comes to our Heavenly Father!
Now very briefly -- because He loves us --
there are three things in particular that our Heavenly Father will do for us as
His children: --
1.
Because He loves us -- our Heavenly Father will Protect us!
A little boy -- whose task it was after
supper to carry the trash out to the dumpster behind the house -- took only a
step or two outside the door one night -- & came back inside.
His father asked: -- "Son, why didn't
you take the trash out?"
The little fellow said: -- "It's too
dark to go out there without a father."
The boy's observation was quite correct!
The world is too dark for us to tread alone!
But the comforting fact is that we need not
step into the darkness alone.
Our Heavenly Father -- the Light of the
World -- stands ready to walk with us -- to watch over us -- & to protect
us.
We need not go into the darkness of this
world without Him.
He is ready -- yea, eager -- to take our
hands -- & be to us a Father!
Our Heavenly Father wants to protect us in a
dark cruel world!
2.
Because He loves us -- our Heavenly Father will Guide us!
If you ask any father in this building what
he desires most for his children -- the answer would probably be -- "I
want my children to make wise choices."
A father will spend his life giving
instruction to his children in the hopes that they will make right
choices.
And my friends -- our Heavenly Father will
give us wise counsel if we will only seek His wisdom & His direction in
every situation! -- & every day!
He is One Whom we can follow knowing He
leads us in the right way.
He is training us not to be spoiled brats!
Rather -- the Heavenly Father is guiding
sons & daughters in the way of holiness!
He will guide us & show us how to truly
live our lives to the fullest.
Listen to Him -- my child of God; -- He
knows what is best for you!
3.
Because He loves us -- our Heavenly Father will Provide for us!
The responsibilities of our fatherhood are
many!
There are the duties of working around the
home; -- of taking the time & effort to play ball with the kids; -- of
helping them with their lessons -- & their problems -- & all the while
caring for the financial welfare of the home. -- There is the unending struggle
to "make ends meet."
A major responsibility of any father is
caring for the needs of his children. -- It is a constant concern!
But Jesus tells us: -- "Your Heavenly
Father knows that you have need of all these things” (Matt. 6:32).
He said: -- "I tell you, don’t worry
about everyday life -- whether you have enough food, drink, & clothes. --
Doesn't life consist of more than food & clothing? -- Look at the birds.
--They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your
Heavenly Father feeds them. -- And you are far more valuable to Him than they
are” (Matt. 6:25-26 NLT).
Jesus tells us that our Heavenly Father
"will give you all you need from day to day -- if you live for Him &
make the Kingdom of God your primary concern" (Matt. 6:33 NLT).
Because He is our Father Who loves us &
has promised to care for us -- we should be found trusting Him.
We should believe that there is nothing too
great for Him to provide -- nothing too good for Him to bestow upon His
children.
Conclusion:
-- What a privilege it is to be called the children of God!
God could have chosen to call Himself
anything -- but He chose to wear the title of "Father." -- He wants this
relationship to be personal!
Our Heavenly Father then is our dearest
Friend -- our most trusted Companion -- our ever dependent Guide -- our Helper
in all things.
God's comfort & companionship is truly a
wonderful thing!
It gives us strength to persevere with joy
regardless of life's difficulties.
But my friends -- if we claim God as our
Father -- we should act as God's children!
"... I will be a father unto you"
-- is one of those conditional promises so common to Scripture.
To lay claim to God's fatherly provision
& protection -- we must be prepared to break off all sinful activity -- for
sinfulness & spirituality cannot be reconciled.
Give yourself totally over to Him today! --
Let Him be your Heavenly Father -- as you surrender your heart & life to
Him!
Maybe you're here this morning carrying
heaviness in your heart -- because you've never had this father figure in your
life.
In your heart -- you desire a protector -- a
guardian -- someone Who will guide you -- & provide your needs.
Your Heavenly Father invites you to accept
His gifts of love!
Do you want to see the size of the Father's
love?
He invites to come. -- Ascend the winding
path outside of
Follow the dots of bloody dirt until you
crest the hill.
Before looking up -- pause & hear Him
whisper: -- "This is how much I love you -- my child!"
When God Almighty says -- "...I will
receive you" -- it means that God will recognize you as His child -- His
little "born one" -- accepted & adopted into His family through
the New Birth!
Pastor
www.wynnechapel.org