06/18 - Representing the Father

  

Representing the Father

Psalm 103:8-17

 

• Happy Father's Day!
  • Today gentlemen, we celebrate and reflect on your contributions to the family, past, present and future
    • In truth, today is a bit more "complicated" than Mother's Day
    • Best summed up by looking at dads in our most popular shows...
  • Men & fathers have taken it on the chin in popular opinion, and the rules for how to assess your worth have changed
    • used to be being a wise provider
    • now "father knows least"
  • If we view fathers as unnecessary, we pay a high price:
    • While no single child is destined for a bad outcome, kids from fatherless homes have it rough...
  • And yet God chose to reveal Himself as Father!
    • God is not male. Adam alone was not a full reflection of the divine image
    • But God is our Father, and as an earthly father your children are looking for a reflection of the Heavenly Father in you. That is a high calling!
  • We VALUE you! You are "Abba" to someone, as God is "Abba" to you.  That is the divine intention of God...
    
• The Character of a Godly Father
  • Steadfast Love = love that endures all efforts to repel it
    • 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a - The Love Passage
    • Luke 15:11-32 - The Father of the Prodigal Son
      
      
      
      
  • Moral Courage = determination to choose that which is necessary and right even when it is hard
    • Hebrews 12:7; Colossians 3:21 - Discipline yet do not frustrate
    • Matthew 8:5-13 - A Roman Commander Has Faith (and Humility)
  • True Heroism = placing others' needs and safety before your own
    • Hebrews 12:1-4
    • 1 Corinthians 8 (esp vs. 9,11-12)
    • Philippians 2:5-8
      
  • The final ingredient: Faith(fulness):
    • Philippians 2:9-11
    • Our relationship with The Father:
      • A study from Switzerland around 2000...
      • "...If a father does not go to church...only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. ... If a father goes irregularly, between a half and two-thirds of their offspring will come to church regularly or occasionally. ... If a father does go regularly, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers (regular and irregular).
      • Men, if a relationship with God is important to you, and your devotion to God is genuine, God will be important to your kids, all other things being equal.
    • Moving the ball further down the field of "getting it right"
      • I'm not perfect, but I took the best parts of my Dad's example and try to add my best along with it, with God's help.
    • tl/dr: Men, no matter how insecure as a Father you may feel, if you show faith, hope & love, if you show up, and if you do your best to move the ball a little further down the field of getting it right, you're doing well.